St. George’s governing board is its vestry. There are twelve lay people who serve on the vestry at any one time in three-year terms, with four rotating off each year after the annual congregational meeting in mid-January. The congregation elects vestry members to make decisions about how best to carry out God’s will for St. George’s and how to make God known in this community.

St. George’s has divided the tasks of managing the ministry of the church into these ministry areas, such as Buildings and Grounds, Children and Youth, Body Builders, Financial Management, Outreach, and Worship. Each vestry member has leadership responsibility for one ministry areas. In addition, two vestry members serve as wardens and one as register.

While many of us think first of the vestry’s responsibility for finances and management of the parish, and those are certainly important, the canons of the diocese reveal a much broader perspective. Two canons in particular are important:

• Each Vestry shall cooperate with the Rector in promoting the spiritual welfare of his cure and assist him in his duties, and
• Each Vestry member shall support the programs of the Church and continuously encourage the members of the congregation to support the programs of the Church and to give generously towards the support of those programs; and each Vestry member shall extend personally a hearty welcome to newly baptized, confirmed, received, or transferred members of the congregation.

St. George’s vestry meets in Room 114 at 7:30 PM on the third Wednesday each month. Because each member has primary responsibility for one ministry area and serves as liaison to related groups and committees within the congregation, the time commitment required is generally more than one evening a month (sometimes much more).