[Magdalen] Annual Meetings, votes, was test

[Jim Guthrie]

I can relate to the notion of people with their own agenda larding up the annual 
meeting with friends and relatives.

T Christ Church Bay Ridge, we had embarked on a study of why and how to change 
the altar -- as much as a learning experience in parish-wide discernment as the 
moving the altar (or not) itself.

We experimented with a table altar in front of the altar on the wall. We 
experimented with a table altar in the midst of the choir (removing two rows of 
choir pews left over from MP Days) to make room. And we experimented with a 
table altar at the crossing -- really nice because it meant the wheelchair-bound 
could participate with everyone else.

We were at this for about 6 Sundays each -- discovering along the way that our 
two liturgy mavens knew nothing about liturgy and had no interest in the study 
of same.

But the big story was the Warden who engaged a carpenter to build an altar that 
HE liked and installed it as a "surprise" one Sunday Morning. "Case Closed" he 
said -- "I'm tired of talk and discussion. The key is to just take action!"

Well, Fr Farrell -- already blindsided and dumbfounded insisted that the 
congregation have a voice in whether to accept this "gift" (most people liked 
the table at the Crossing we believed). So the Warden said, "We'll take a vote 
at the Annual Meeting."

And sure enough, at  the annual meeting, his four siblings (who'd grown up in 
the parish but had moved away), his mother (otherwise a shut-in), and a bunch of 
other pals who had shown up once and dropped a check in the plate were there, 
And sure enough the Warden's Altar won 26-22 with the 26 including has 
relatives, pal, partner . . .

And that Fr. Farrell had the audacity not to accept  without such an 
inconvenience to the Warden was the first nail in his coffin leading to his 
dismissal by the parish.

As for Scott's parish (and many others) combing services on the annual meeting 
day, I can say the best was at St Mark's Glendale, where we were members for a 
few years. Fr. Stanton (yes, that one! He was already running for Bishop 
**somewhere** when we left for NY in 1991 <g>)  had the meeting timed so 
everyone could get home in plenty of time for the Super Bowl pregame (which 
started before 3 PM in the Pacific Time Zone). And when there was extended 
discussion of the budget choice between two new copy machines vs. a Youth Choir, 
he cut the discussion in favor of the copy machines.

Cheers,
Jim Guthrie