Experiences With an Episcopal Vestry

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 I can't believe I let almost another entire year go by between posts. When I first started, this blog was all about trauma-dumping ("THIS horrible thing happened, and then THAT horrible thing happened and can you BELIEVE that other mess??!!"), so I needed to post often. But the further I get away from the church of Christ and the less of a hold it has on me and my psyche, the less I need to talk about it. Still, I do want to keep this blog active for when old memories surface and I need to vent about them. 

The past 3 years I've been a member of my church's vestry, or lay leadership committee. In the COC, of course, women are not allowed leadership roles of any kind except teaching the small children's Bible classes, so I never expected to be involved in something like this when I was growing up. 

In the Episcopal Church, vestries include 9 lay people who serve for overlapping terms of 3 years, so every year, 3 people leave and 3 new ones join. I think it's smart to have people cycle in and out so that you don't have the same folks stuck for all eternity, either growing stale or burning out (or both). In any case, my term is almost done and I am glad. 

In truth, I probably was not a good fit for the vestry, but the rector at the time asked and I felt guilty about saying no, so here I am. Overall, I guess it has been a positive experience, despite the fact that I hate meetings and get frustrated when people go around and around about a topic without coming to a resolution or plan of action. There have been several times when I wanted to yell, "Let's take a vote and if nobody is interested let's NEVER bring this up again!" Still, it has been interesting to see how the sausage is made behind the scenes. I did my turn and tried to contribute to the conversations and throw out some helpful ideas when I could, for whatever that's worth.

So another chapter ends and maybe a new one begins. I do hope to go back to the choir someday, perhaps when the new nasal COVID vaccines come out. In animal trials, they offered a much higher level of protection against the virus than the injected ones. I am over 50 and have some underlying health conditions, so I have been more cautious than most people. Singing without a mask feels unsafe, and singing in a mask feels awful, so I have been stuck on the sidelines.

In the meantime, I'll find another way to contribute. I still struggle with whether I believe in god or some higher power, but I do believe in community, and I want to find a way to help build up this one, especially with the dark times I believe we are going to face in the next few years. 

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