The 2023 All Souls Annual Meeting will be held on June 11 in the undercroft after a combined 11:00 AM Mass. The meeting agenda will include:
Election of Senior Warden, Vestry Class of 2026
Church Officer Reports on: 2023 Budget; Clergy Transition/Rector Search, HVAC and Roof Projects
Results of Election
New Business
Lists of eligible voters will be posted in the narthexes and the undercroft. Please review the list and send an email to membership@allsoulsdc.org if you find any errors or discrepancies. Instructions for absentee voting will be published approximately two weeks before the meeting.
Per Article III, Section 11.2(b) of ourbylaws, any eligible voter who is unable to attend the meeting and wishes to vote must request an absentee ballot from the parish office during the two weeks before the Annual Meeting.Their completed ballot must then be received before the day of the Annual Meeting (by Saturday, June 10) to be valid. Remember: Anyone who requests an absentee ballot may not also vote at the annual meeting. A forthcoming email will have instructions to request an absentee ballot.
The Nominations Committee is grateful to everyone who has put their names forward for the Vestry Class of 2026 and Senior Warden. Our nominees are as follows (one for each opening available):
Vestry Class of 2026
vEnessa Acham An All Souls member since 2012, vEnessa is standing for a second term as vestry member. She is thankful to be a part of the All Souls Community where she has participated in meetings, workshops, and retreats tending to the sustainability and relevancy of our parish. She feels called to follow Christ in caring for self, loved ones, and neighbors in our backyard and across the globe. As Hospitality Committee lead, she hosts fellowship gatherings and engages others to also host. She is also an altar server, Bell Ringer Guild leader, and active participant in Adult Forums.
Personal Statement: I am thankful to GOD to be with all of you, the All Souls Parish, where we have worshiped, praised, and served together. I have the wonderful opportunity to serve alongside dynamic leaders and dedicated supporters. My prayer is to continue this journey as your advocate on the All Souls Vestry.
Kurt Jacobs attends All Souls with husband Brian and daughter Emily. Kurt and Brian were married at All Souls in 2013, and Emily was baptized at All Souls in 2015. Kurt is an active member of the Outreach Committee and All Souls' EfM group, and spearheads our efforts with Samaritan Ministry. Kurt has been active in leadership in Episcopal churches for many years, having served on vestries and as Warden. He is interested in the appropriate care of our beautiful building and gardens as well as the growth of All Souls with parishioners who are engaged in furthering its good works, sense of Christian community, and vitality.
Lisa Watson is standing for Vestry after completing Stephanie Vestal’s term ending in 2023 following Stephanie’s move to Arkansas. Lisa has been a member of All Souls since 2002, raising her two daughters there from Sunday School through college. Lisa’s deepest passion at All Souls is the healing ministry, where she is regularly blessed by the connection with our congregation. She also frequently assists in the service as acolyte and has participated in other ministries over the years. Lisa believes the greatest immediate priority to ensure a bright future for our parish is the work to identify and call a full-time rector.
Senior Warden for 2023 - 2025
Embry Howell has has been a member of All Souls since the late 1980s, along with her husband, Joe, and their children before they left home. She has been an alto member of the choir since that time. She has served on the vestry, and been a member of EfM. Currently she leads (with Jeff Wells) the All Soul efforts to settle an Afghan refugee family in partnership with two other parishes. She also has led efforts at All Souls to settle two other Afghan families over the past several years. She is a member of the Diocesan Reparations Committee. Professionally, Embry has a long career as a public health researcher, most recently with the Urban Institute. Currently she is mostly retired, but still works occasionally as a consultant doing evaluations of programs in Sub-Saharan Africa and other countries. She has close connections with the Cleveland Park and Woodley Park communities, where she and her family have lived for 50 years.
The Vestry is the governing board of the parish and consists of the Rector, the Wardens and lay members. (Originally the word referred to the room where the priest would put on his vestments, at which time local laity would meet with him to discuss the affairs of the parish. Later, the word came to refer to the leaders, instead of the room.)
The Rector presides at meetings of the Vestry which handles the parish’s business and temporal matters. Additionally, the Vestry serves as a council of advice for the Rector. The Episcopal Church uses a representative form of government and members of the Vestry are elected at the Parish’s annual meeting. The Vestry serves many of the functions served by boards of directors or trustees of other organizations or businesses. As its primary responsibility, the Vestry oversees the parish’s financial health. In partnership with the rector, it develops and approves the annual parish budget. The Vestry also serves as an advisory council to the rector who by church law is the parish’s chief liturgical and pastoral officer.
While all meetings of Vestry are open to the public, it is a courtesy to let the Rector or Senior Warden know that you would like to attend. The Vestry reserves the right to go into an executive session (according to the By-Laws of the Parish and the Canons of the Episcopal Church) in the event that sensitive or personal information is discussed.
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