Annual Parish Meeting
    January 25, 2006

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A brief report of the 2006 Annual Meeting follows below.

Bylaw Changes The bylaw change regarding the nomination process for Vestry members was adopted by the Annual Meeting. This change invites all interested parishioners to participate in the nomination process. The bylaw change regarding how we elect Vestry members was not adopted. Rather than electing by a plurality (the four nominees receiving the highest number of votes being elected), we will continue to elect Vestry members by a majority (each nominee elected must receive a majority of the votes cast)

New Vestry Members An excellent slate of eight nominees for the four open Vestry positions was presented to the Annual Meeting. Those elected to the Vestry were: Gordy Cain, Reed Ferran, Weymon Forrester, and Charles Kelley. Their terms began upon election.

New Church Officers The church officers for 2006 were announced at the meeting. The rector has appointed Craig Carpenter to serve as the Senior Warden for 2006. The Vestry elected the following persons to serve as officers this year: Keith Rooks, Junior Warden; George Stump, Treasurer; Sheila Kelley, Secretary.

2005/2006 Highlights In his remarks, the rector revisited some of the highlights of the year just past. Mentioned were the installation of the Bells of Grace, the J2A pilgrimage to Italy, and the very successful fund raising that took place last fall. Over $2 million was raised for both capital and operating needs last fall and this generosity of our membership has put our church on firm financial footing for the next four years. Also noted was the fine work of the Parish Life and Adult Education committees in 2005. Looking ahead to 2006, Doug commented on the purchase of our long-awaited pipe organ, the upcoming outreach trip to Mississippi, and the first pilgrimage for adults scheduled for June. The destination of the first adult pilgrimage is the Holy Land.

Financial Report 2005 Treasurer Craig Carpenter reviewed the financial reports for the meeting. Income for 2005 exceeded budget expectations and enabled the church to end the year with $42,000 surplus in operating funds. These monies have been placed in the Reserve Fund for future needs. Detailing the 2006 budget, Craig noted that a good response to the fall stewardship campaign has enabled a 2006 budget that is larger than 2005. A balanced budget of $908,284 has been adopted for this year. One notable feature of the 2006 budget is the payment of a monthly building usage fee by our preschool, which continues to enjoy excellent financial health. Finally, the Annual Meeting learned that another $50,000 has been repaid to the Van Geisen Fund. The $200,000 principal of the fund was used over a decade ago to help build the new church and now only $50,000 remains to be repaid.
 

 

GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
located on the corner of Washington Street and Boulevard
mailing address: 422 Brenau Avenue, Gainesville, GA 30501 
phone: 770-536-0126  fax: 770-536-1587
http://www.gracechurchgainesville.org