| Trinity Episcopal Church is a gathering of persons whose faith in Christ Jesus draws them together in worship. We form our common life and worship within the discipline and tradition of the American Book of Common Prayer (1979), and are part of the larger Anglican Communion, the worldwide body of 70 million+ persons who follow traditions grounded in the Church of England. We consider Holy Baptism to be the ordination of a person into the priesthood of all believers, and thus that ministry is the call and responsibility of all baptized persons. We also ordain persons called to special service in the Church as deacons, priests, or bishops, each of whom serves in particular capacities within the body of all believers.
Trinity Church is governed by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA), secondarily by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, and thirdly by our parish by-laws. Day-to-day life in the parish, however, is governed jointly by the Rector, Wardens, and Vestry of the parish. The Rector is canonically responsible for the spiritual life of the congregation and the Vestry is responsible for the temporal life of the parish. That’s how the Canons of the Church put it, but in practice there is much give and take. Below is a description of the particular responsibilities of each with regard to how we order our common lives.
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| The Rector |
| The Rector of Trinity Church |
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| Rev. W. Andrew Waldo. |
The title “Rector” is taken from the Latin word for “guide” or “leader”. The Rector of a congregation is the priest in charge of that congregation and is called by the parish Vestry to serve in that capacity, usually after a search process led by appointees of the Vestry, and his or her call to a congregation must be approved by the Diocesan Bishop. In the Episcopal Church, the Rector’s term of service is not pre-determined, and can be either short or very long.
The Rector has general oversight of the congregation, including worship, Christian education, evangelism, pastoral care, and outreach and presides over meetings of the Vestry. The Rector is also responsible for securing and overseeing a staff - clergy and lay - in accordance with the intentions and support of the Wardens and Vestry.
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| Wardens & Vestry |
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The Vestry is a representative body responsible for all financial matters and for seeing that the property and facilities of the parish are provided and well-maintained to support the mission and ministry of the church. The Vestry also participates actively in discerning the parish mission and direction, and in seeing that goals set at the Annual Vestry Retreat are implemented. Four Vestry members are elected to 3-year staggered terms at the Annual Meeting of the parish each January. At all times, one Vestry member is a youth representative. Only communicants in good standing (members who are regular in attendance and contribute materially to the parish) may be elected to serve on the Vestry.
Trinity has three Wardens, who serve on the Executive Committee of the Vestry together with the Rector and parish Treasurer. Each takes a particular leadership role in planning, implementing and getting parish support for vestry initiatives.
Wardens
Vestry
| Term expires 2008 |
Term expires 2009 |
Term expires 2010 |
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| Kevin Reilly |
Jan Gray |
Troy Blomquist |
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| Anne Vogel |
Amy Hanson |
Charlotte Frerichs |
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| Alan Wright |
Terry Klas |
Peter Bache-Wiig |
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AJ Wilson |
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