The group of persons to whom Trinity Church's congregation ultimately entrusts matters of finance, decisions regarding Trinity's physical plant, coordination of its many programs and activities, and general oversight of the parish, is the Vestry. In this form of governance, our local congregation follows the norm of Episcopal parishes across the country. The Vestry is a board of twelve members chosen by vote by the people of Trinity yearly at the Annual Meeting, four being elected each year for a three-year term.
Presiding over the Vestry's work is a Senior Warden, elected yearly by current Vestry members, and a Junior Warden, chosen from among this board's members by the Rector.
The Vestry meets monthly to deliberate on issues relating in various ways to the life of the parish. Meetings are informal but follow parliamentary rules, the members settling matters brought before them by majority vote. The Rector attends meetings, joins members in their deliberations, and offers advice but does not vote.
Considerable time is devoted at each meeting to reviewing the parish budget. Each Vestry member serves also on one of Trinity's committees and acts as Vestry Liaison to that committee. It has been common for the Vestry to hear reports from most or all of Trinity's committees and when appropriate, to ask various parish members involved in some specific phase of our life together to attend a Vestry meeting and offer their advice.
Vestry members are eager to hear from individuals or groups in the church their suggestions, reports of problems and needs, and proposals for serving our church family, the people of the Lehigh Valley and the world.
In years past Vestry members have served the congregation in various ways beyond their regular functions, from overseeing the work of the committee to seek a new Rector, to providing the sign on the front lawn identifying us as Trinity Episcopal Church, to preparing and serving meals at the Annual Meeting, at Easter, and on other occasions. They are a group of persons representing, usually, both genders and a wide range of talents and perspectives, united by their devotion to the communal life and the mission of our parish.