Why does St. John's have an "Annual Meeting?"
The governance structure of The Episcopal Church was born out of the same struggle of our Founding Fathers and Mothers who fought the Revolutionary War. Prior to the fight for Independence, parishes in the Colonies had little say over who their priest would be or how their church was run: all decisions were made by the Bishop of London. Following the war, the same guiding principles of the patriots were brought into the creation of The Episcopal Church, namely local representation and voice in how the local parish and diocese functioned.
At each Annual Meeting, parishioners vote for a slate of candidates to serve on the Vestry (parish council). This year, all five members who are running for our Vestry are incumbents: Bill Calhoun, Jacqui Dunn, Mary Pat Lynam, John Pachkowski, and Tracey Payne.
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