Hello, St. B's,

I'm writing once again to share an update with you after June's vestry meeting. This update contains lots of information, as we value keeping you informed of all that is happening behind the scenes to serve our parish!

Lindsley opened with a beautiful experiential devotion, using Scriptures around God's desire to carry our burdens. We spent time visualizing releasing our burdens to God and inviting God's presence to nurture and sustain us.

David West presented his treasurer's report for the month of May. David reported feeling great about our numbers for last month. May giving hit the rare trifecta – higher than 2025 giving, 2026 budgeted giving, and 2026 actual expenses. Year to date giving is now within 2% of budget and year to date expenses are 11% below budget, putting our net position at $73,269 compared to budgeted $9,129 and $56,985 at this point last year. Pledged giving is right on track at 42% of the amount pledged. Thank you for your generosity; we are grateful.

We then heard from Building Exploratory Chair, Jared Danford. He outlined the extensive and strategic work that his committee has been doing on behalf of our parish. They have assessed the current state of each area in all of our buildings and determined that they are in "good", "fair" or "poor" condition and then discussed improvements in categories of "Minimum Improvement Project", "Life Safety/Accessibility and Codes Project", "Lifecycle Project" and "Wish List Project."

He then presented a report that includes the history of our current buildings, a summary of the parish survey results, staff and leadership observations/requests, and a recommended core project scope. He also explained a projected roadmap and next steps.

Thank you to Jared Danford, Tommy Stinson, Fr. Ed Smith, Erin Shankel, Ryon Suiter and Chip Jones for your incredible work as members of the Building Exploratory Committee. We are truly in the best of hands.

After discussion, the vestry voted to authorize the Building Exploratory Committee to begin interviewing architects. We also voted to authorize the Capital Campaign Committee to start interviewing consultants.

Father Josh shared an update that included the "glorious" ordinations of Sudanese leaders (now priests!) Peter and John, his reflections regarding his 360 assessment and inaugural meetings of the Capital Campaign Committee and Five Year Strategic Planning Committees.

I'd like to update the parish on the commissioning of these two additional committees: The Five Year Strategic Planning Committee and the Capital Campaign Committee.

The vestry charged The Five Year Strategic Planning Committee with evaluating five aspects of parish life and church functioning: Stewardship, Community, Facilities, Staffing, and Budgeting. This committee is to evaluate these facets of parish life, recommend goals for each, and suggest processes and milestones that the vestry can use to evaluate progress to the goals (and ultimate vision for each).

Members of this committee include:

Tommy Stinson (chair) — Tommy and Celeste, along with their children, have been at St B's since 2023. Tommy is a Nashville native who returned after spending 20 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been a church planter and an ordained Presbyterian elder and a Fellow at the Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco. Professionally, Tommy has more than 20 years of consulting experience, helping clients with marketing, visioning, and strategic planning.

Amanda Phillips — Amanda's work focuses on helping organizations bring clarity to their goals, strengthen operations, and create systems that help people flourish. Having joined St. Bartholomew's three years ago, she still remembers what it was like to arrive as a newcomer and discover a community where faith is lived with both grace and purpose. She is grateful for the opportunity to help our parish listen carefully, discern faithfully, and plan thoughtfully for the future.

Sean Cofoid — Professionally, Sean works at the intersection of data and business strategy. He can help quantify the committee's work and provide grounding for decisions. As a parishioner, St B's has been a place of hope, growth, and community for Sean, and he hopes that his work on the committee will help St B's continue to be such a place for many years to come.

Meghan Lucido (vestry liaison) — Meghan loves strategic planning and visioning, and feels that it is one of her strengths. She is very honored to be a part of the group and hopes she can bring value to it!

The Junior and/or Senior Warden will also attend these meetings.

The Capital Campaign Committee is charged with planning and leading a congregation-wide effort to inspire prayerful generosity in support of the church's potential building project. The committee will develop and implement strategies for communication, engagement, and fundraising, helping the congregation understand the vision, goals, and impact of the project while encouraging broad participation in the campaign.

Members of this committee include:

Andrew Kintz (Chair) — St. B's member for 15+ years, serves as LEM and Usher, former senior warden in 2023. Finance Executive at First Horizon Bank, where he founded and leads the Music, Sports & Entertainment banking practice. Has served on development committees for Saint Bernard Academy and Leadership Music.

Morgan Wills — St. B's member for 21 years; currently serves as lector, volunteer with Children's and Adult Formation, and past member of Rector and Bishop Search committees; longtime Physician and executive with Siloam Health and Frist College of Medicine at Belmont. Has served in a fundraising or capital Campaign capacity for Siloam Health, Medical Christian Fellowship, St. Paul Christian Academy, and Raphah Institute.

Cathy Pressnell — Cathy has been attending St. B's for 10 years and has been a member for 8; she serves as a lector and usher. Coming from a different faith background, the Episcopal Church and St. B's in particular has been a spiritually healing experience. She and her husband, Claude, live in Murfreesboro where Cathy serves as the Literacy Coordinator for Murfreesboro City Schools, overseeing literacy instruction for grades kindergarten through 6th.

Claude Pressnell — After 28 years, Claude is recently retired as president of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association. He's a member of St. B's for more than 28 years, and he thoroughly enjoys the community and the opportunity to serve by greeting, ushering, lectoring, and contributing to the daily devotionals. He's currently serving as a member of the St. B's vestry.

Brian Roark — Brian Roark is a healthcare attorney with Bass, Berry & Sims, where he advises hospitals, health systems, and academic medical centers on regulatory and business matters. Served on vestry 2019 through 2021 and was Senior Warden in 2021.

Jennifer Goodman — Member of St. B's more than 10 years. Jennifer has been active in Nashville civic and charitable efforts in our community. She has served the church on the stewardship committee in years past.

Randy Goodman — Member of St. B's more than 10 years. He is one of Nashville's most accomplished music executives, having served as Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville, overseeing major country music labels and artist rosters. He serves weekly at Room in the Inn and regularly on the music team for Worship.

Rodger Dinwiddie — Rodger Dinwiddie is a professional fundraiser and nonprofit executive who has held senior development leadership roles with STARS Nashville, one of Tennessee's leading youth prevention and student-support organizations. Member of St. B's for more than 30 years. Has been chairman of the stewardship committee.

David Walker and Anne Walker — David & Anne Walker have been members at St. B's for over 4 years and are serving on the Welcoming Committee. They have also helped re-establish the Supper Groups to build community. Anne is retired from a finance/homemaker career and David from the aircraft industry.

Kiersten Marich — Kiersten Marich serves in advancement and development leadership at The Ensworth School, one of Nashville's premier independent schools. Her work focuses on fundraising, donor relations, capital campaigns, and institutional advancement.

Whew, you made it to the end! Thank you for your care for our parish and for taking the time to learn more about what the vestry has been up to. We prioritize transparency and empowering you with information. The vestry will not meet in the month of July and will plan to hit the ground running again in August. Please reach out with any questions, wonderings, ideas or feedback. We are grateful to serve you!

Warmly,
Elizabeth Nunley
Senior Warden

Hello, St. B’s,

As you noticed in April, I will be writing monthly updates to keep you abreast of the work that the vestry is doing on behalf of our community.  These will be recaps of our monthly vestry meeting, and will be included in the Weekly on the Wednesday after the previous Tuesday’s vestry meeting.

We opened last Tuesday’s meeting with a devotion from Claude, fleshing out the statement: “We are a community of people being formed into the likeness of Jesus by worshipping God, serving those in need, and sharing the Gospel. We are here for the flourishing of others because of the grace and love we have received from Jesus.”  With supporting scripture and a quote from CS Lewis, we meditated on the meaning of these words and what it looks like to embody them as a vestry.

We then received our treasurer’s report.  David let us know that April giving was strong and that additional pledges have come in.  The concern continues to be that giving is 9% below budget and we are holding tension around what our year-end deficit will be.  The staff and budgeted ministries will proceed with their typical caution as they incur expense to match giving trends as best as possible.

Josh and the wardens proceeded by updating the vestry on the Director of Children’s Formation position.  As a part of this update, the wardens presented the vestry with a proposal for a budget increase, aimed at fully resourcing our children and youth ministries.  Following a discussion, the vestry voted “yes” on this motion. 

During his rector’s report, Father Josh shared that South Sudanese pastors John and Peter will be ordained as deacons at the cathedral on June 6 at 10:00 am. He also let us know that the Five Year Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Tommy Stinson, is starting to come together.  Lastly, he shared that Jared Danford will share detailed information regarding a building project proposal at June’s meeting.  

A reminder that the vestry meeting minutes are always posted on the bulletin board outside the church offices.  

Please reach out with any questions!  We are grateful to serve, and love hearing from you!

Warmly,
Elizabeth Nunley
Senior Warden

By Elizabeth Nunley, Senior Warden

Jeff opened our meeting with a devotion, inviting us to practice slowing down in order to hear from God.  We then received an update from Jared Danford, chair of the Building Exploratory Committee.  This committee has met twice and established the purpose of the work and the responsibilities of its members.  The Committee will present a report to the vestry in June that will include an understanding of facility needs and opportunities, clear articulation of issues that warrant further study, identification of constraints, risk and efficiencies and guidance on the physical plant and facilities’ current needs that overlap with what the data is showing so that the Vestry can determine what St. B’s is being called to do as it relates to a facilities project.  The guiding principles of the Building Exploratory Committee are: Rooted in Purpose, Guided by Wisdom, Open to All, Faithful Stewards and Protecting What Matters.

Next, our treasurer, David West, updated the vestry on the current state of our budget. March giving was strong.  We are on pace for what we conservatively exerted, but still behind what we have budgeted.

Lastly, the vestry voted to charge a “Five Year Strategic Plan” Committee that will work to set goals and establish healthy systems for membership, attendance, expense levels, facilities and giving.  Tommy Stinson will chair this committee and Meghan Lucido will serve as the vestry liaison.  

Other things to note:

• John Allen will serve as Newcomers Liaison

• Jill Altom (Staff and HR Liaison) will be working to celebrate staff birthdays and find other ways to appreciate staff year round.

• The Building Exploratory Committee consists of Jared Danford, Tommy Stinson, Fr. Ed Smith, Erin Shankel, Ryon Suiter and Chip Jones.

Thank you for praying for the vestry as we are in a season of discernment, growth and deep engagement around the needs and future of our parish.  Please reach out with any questions!