January, 2014

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you may know, the Nominating Committee has been working diligently over the past several months discussing possible vestry candidates. They have prayerfully assessed the needs of the church, and looked at the vestry as a whole, considering the need for a broad range of gifts and perspectives. I am delighted to announce the slate of candidates the Nominating Committee has put together, including some brief biographical information:

Pam Link

Pam is a long-time Episcopalian, who has served in Episcopal churches throughout the country, including Louisiana, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Victoria, TX. She has served in many capacities, including Junior Warden, Senior Warden, Sunday School Teacher, and many others. She has been active here at Trinity since moving to the area with her husband, Bob, including a past term on our vestry. Pam and Bob have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

Gloria Lomax

Gloria has served Trinity in many ways during her 10 years here. She has co-chaired the Trumpet and currently co-chairs the Parish Life Commission, serves on the Floral Committee, and the Kitchen Sub-committee. She is creative and energetic, and enjoys traveling, cooking, bridge, and mahjong. Gloria is married to Bruce Lomax, and they have three children and four grandchildren.

John Watts

John usually attends the early service, so many of you late-risers may not have had the opportunity to meet him yet. He is a recent addition to our parish, but a long-time Episcopalian. John is a native of Luling, TX, and has spent most of his career in banking and finance. He has served on the boards of numerous business and civic organizations, and he has served on the vestry at St. James Episcopal Church in Del Rio, TX. John currently serves on the Stewardship Commission at Trinity. He enjoys fishing, reading, and travel.

The Nominating Committee and I regard this as an exceptionally strong slate, and we are excited that they are willing to take on this ministry here at Trinity.

As part of their conversation with me, the Nominating Committee and I have discussed the overall election process, which in the past has called for a slate of five or six candidates, some of whom would and some of whom would not be elected to the position. The goal in producing this slate has always been to include at least twice as many candidates as there were positions to fill. We have determined that, given the size of our parish, this is not a realistic approach, simply because of the size of the pool of eligible and willing candidates. So we have decided that it is best, at least for the foreseeable future, for the Nominating Committee to put together a slate of candidates which is the exact number as there are positions to fill, to be elected by voice acclamation at our Annual Parish Meeting. This approach certainly has drawbacks, as it removes any true sense of election from the process. However, I can assure you that we will continue to solicit nominations from the parish, and to consider any and all candidates, especially those who express a desire to serve the parish in this capacity. Every attempt will be made to continue to hold elections in an open and transparent fashion.

I hope you will plan to join us at the Annual Parish Meeting where we will welcome these new vestrymembers, and celebrate the outgoing members who have worked so hard on behalf of God’s church and His Kingdom. As always, if you ever have any questions or concerns about this, please don’t ever hesitate to contact me.

Faithfully,

Dave.