[Magdalen] Leaving...

[Roger Stokes]

On 24/01/2016 23:20, Jo Craddock wrote:
> Regarding the size of our vestry: a few plaques on the walls of the 
> church attest to the oligarchy which held sway over St. James for the 
> first-half of the twentieth century. "XXX, forty years a vestryman of 
> this church, twenty-four its senior warden," and "xxxx thirty-five 
> years a vestryman of this church, fourteen its senior warden," etc., 
> etc. Most of those families are still represented, at least by name 
> (or maiden name), today. Hence, "their name is known."
>
> As I understand (before my time), in the late 1960s, early 1970s there 
> was an uprising, and the seemed-sensible-at-the-time solution was to 
> increase the size of the vestry to get some fresh voices heard. 
> Interestingly, St. James also "sent out" two other parishes during 
> that period, but these old families didn't want to serve *there* 
> (closer, in actuality, to where they lived); they had to be "leaders" 
> at St. James, downtown between the banking and law offices.

"Oh no, we are members of the mother church, not one of the smaller 
daughter churches."

> Our current ASA is 300-350; about 1000 are on the rolls, I believe.

So with the C/E formula working on the 400 that would give you 18 
elected members, plus the wardens and a number of people who have been 
elected to deanery or higher synods.  You could easily reach a couple of 
dozen members that way which would certainly (in my book) require an 
effective executive or standing committee to thrash out the detail of 
what was brought to the vestry for approval.  I can guess what sort of 
people would be elected to that.

Roger