Vestry

In the Episcopal Church, we often describe ourselves using the metaphor of a three-legged stool with is made up of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.
When we are at our best, we draw our inspiration from each of these three sources of authority and guidance.
Leadership at St. Bart’s can also be described by using a similar three-legged stool metaphor.
Parish leadership is shared between the Vestry, the Parish Manager, and the Rector.

A quick summary of each leg of the “St. Bart’s Leadership Stool” follows:
Leg # 1 – The Vestry: What is a Vestry? 
The Vestry is an elected group of twelve church members.
They are responsible for creating the "Parish Program," which is made up of the various ministries of St. Bart’s.
The Vestry also manages the Parish Finances.
When you think of the Vestry, think “Parish Ministries and Finance.”

Leg #2 – The Parish Manager: What is a Parish Manager?
The Parish Manager is responsible for overseeing the Buildings & Grounds, Tenants, and Accounts Payable. 
In a nutshell, our Parish Manager manages the day-to-day operations of St. Bart’s.
Our Parish Manager is Sandy Kukahiko - she keeps things running smoothly!
Sandy can be reached by calling the office or by email at sandy@stbartsbeaverton.org

Leg #3 – The Rector: What is a Rector?
In the Episcopal tradition, the priest in charge of a parish is called a Rector. For more Episcopal definitions, click here.
The Rector’s main responsibilities are overseeing Spiritual Care, Liturgy & Worship, and Administration.
The Rector also manages the paid and volunteer staff.
Our Rector is Fr. Jeff who has been leading St. Bart’s since 2011.
Fr. Jeff can be reached by calling the office or by email at jeff@stbartsbeaverton.org

For more details about the roles and responsibilities of the Vestry, the Parish Manager, and the Rector, see below.

The Vestry includes members with “a seat and a vote” and members with “seat and voice, but no vote”, also called ex officio members. (Bylaws, IV. D1)

The members of the Vestry with “voice and vote” are twelve members elected by the annual meeting of the Parish. (Bylaws, IV. D1)

Ex officio members of the Vestry have “a seat and voice, but no vote” and include the Clerk of the Vestry, the Treasurer of the Parish, Parish Delegates to the Diocesan Convention, and other Clergy of the Parish. (Bylaws, IV. D2)

The Rector appoints one vestry member to serve as the Rector’s Warden and the Vestry elects one member to serve as the People’s Warden. (Bylaws, IV. D1)

The Rector is the presiding officer of the Vestry. (Bylaws, II. B)

The Rector’s Warden, works closely with the rector, primarily in an advisory role. The Rector's Warden is also a Convention Delegate.

The People’s Warden, works with the both the Parish Manager and the Rector to coordinate care of the parish buildings and grounds. The People’s Warden serves on the Memorial Garden Team and is a Convention Delegate.


Vestry members are elected for a 3-year term and attend a monthly Vestry meeting.

Vestry meetings are on the second Tuesday of the month from 7:15 to 9:00 PM.

Members of the Vestry may have the opportunity to participate in sub-committees as needed to accomplish Vestry goals.

As a leadership team, we commit to nurture our spiritual live which includes attending church most Sundays,  participating in parish events and contributing to the financial mission of the parish through an annual pledge.

We agree to completing the Safe Church workshops required by the Diocese.

Vestry Responsibilities - Parish Program (ministries) and Finances

  • Assist and advise the Rector. (Bylaws IV. I. 1)
  • Formulate the Parish Program (ministries) and fund the same. (Bylaws IV. I. 2)
  • Work with the Rector to establish parish policies and procedures. (Bylaws IV. I. 3)
  • See Bylaws IV. I for the full list of Vestry responsibilities.

Key points to remember:
Decisions to start or modify a ministry at St. Bart’s are made by a vote of the Vestry.
Decisions regarding fundraising and allocating funds are made by the Vestry.

Some examples of when you might contact the Vestry include:

  • An idea for starting or modifying a ministry at St. Bart’s.
  • Requests for ministry funding.
  • Requests for fundraising for special projects.

If would would like to start or modify a ministry at St. Bart’s or request funding for a ministry, talk with a member of the Vestry, the Parish Manager, or the Rector to begin the process.
The final decision will be made by a vote of the Vestry.

Parish Manager Responsibilities - Buildings & Grounds, Tenants, and Accounts payable

Sandy, our Parish Manager, has a variety of responsibilities that help to ensure that St. Bart's runs smoothly.

Sandy's primary responsibilities include:

  • Overseeing the Buildings & Grounds.
  • Managing the tenants (ongoing and short-term rental of space at St. Bart’s)
  • Overseeing Accounts Payable. Our bookkeeping services are provided by an professional bookkeeper; Sandy ensures that our bookkeeper receives bills to be paid and expenses to be reimbursed.

Some examples of when you might contact Sandy include:

  • A facilities request, including repairs and maintenance that need to be attended to.
  • If you have a question about renting space at St. Bart’s.
  • If you’d like to update your parish record, would like a pledge card, or would like a name tag.

Rector Responsibilities - Spiritual Care, Liturgy & Worship and Administration

Fr. Jeff, our Rector, is the priest responsible for the Parish of St. Bart's. He has a variety of responsibilities, many of which relate to the spiritual care of our parish family.

Fr. Jeff's main responsibilities include:

  • Overseeing Spiritual Care in the parish
  • Work with the Vestry to oversee the Parish Program (ministries) at St. Bart’s.
  • Oversee Liturgy and Worship.
  • He is also responsible for parish Administration including management of staff and leadership of the parish, both paid and volunteer, with the assistance of the Vestry.

Some examples of when you might contact Fr. Jeff include:

  • If you have a spiritual need.
  • If you have questions, ideas, or concerns about Liturgy & Worship.
  • If you have questions about general administration or concerns about a paid employee or volunteer.

Shared Responsibilities
• Work together to promote the spiritual welfare of the parish.
• Ensure effective and timely parish communication by listening to all voices.
• Establish and monitor ministries and services.
• Communicate with the community outside of St. Bart’s.
• Advocate for St. Bart’s as a whole.
• Practice healthy and honest communication with the parish and leaders.

Class of 2025
Mark Kliewer - Rector's Warden
Kathy Parenteau
Mary Meyers
Daniel Garcia

Class of 2026
Leslie Imes
Olivia Novak
Przemek Tokarski
Katie Sandmeier

Class of 2027
Nancy Johnson
Kevin Kimball
Anne Madden
Doug Smith

 

The Vestry is responsible for decisions to start a new ministry or sponsoring an event at St. Bart's.

If you are interested in starting a new ministry or sponsoring an event at St. Bart's, the first step will be to formulate your request to the Vestry.

To help in this process, the Vestry has developed the "Worksheet for Developing a New Ministry or Event at St Bart's" to help you to formulate and present your idea so that it can be refined, documented, and if appropriate communicated to the Vestry for discernment. 

It may be helpful to go through the information in the worksheet with the assistance of a Vestry sponsor who can help with questions and provide feedback on resources and existing ministries.

Please reach out to a Vestry member and download and begin working through the worksheet.

If you would like assistance connecting with a Vestry member, contact the office, or Sandy at sandy@stbartsbeaverton.org or Jeff+ at jeff@stbartsbeaverton.org

Click here to download a Worksheet for Developing a New Ministry or Event at St Bart’s