Amy Litvinov, Vestry President
The December meeting of Vestry at TLC was called to order by Amy Litvinov, Vestry President. Martha Good, led a moment of meditation
on the meaning of Advent. The minutes from the November meeting were approved. Vestry approved a resolution bestowing the title of
Minister of Music Emerita upon Mrs. Karen Eddinger for her service and commitment to the musical traditions we treasure at Trinity Lutheran
Church, Reading.
Vestry discussed the formation/repopulation of the Evangelism and Media Committee. If anyone is interested in serving on this committee
please reach out to Jenn Smith, vestry liaison or Travis Schick, committee chair/member.
The Stewardship Campaign has been very successful. A total of 58 pledges were received at the time of the December meeting with an increase of nearly $65,000 in pledge amount over the previous year. The commitment of TLC members to the financial security of our church community is inspiring. We, the Vestry of TLC, strive to be good stewards of what we receive from God and from our members that we may serve our church and our community.
Vestry received the Property Committee Report with highlights concerning upcoming large projects focusing on the Steeple and the ceiling in the Nave, which may include restoration of the remaining Tiffany windows. Along with smaller projects including updating/ replacing the sprinkler system in the garden and needed sewer/plumbing repairs.
The Property Manager search has been completed, and Mr. John McKeon was hired to fill this part-time position. Prior to his retirement from full-time employment, he served as lead engineer to several large facilities in the area and came to TLC with excellent qualifications.
The cottage meetings will continue through the end of January with Vestry then meeting in early March for a….. I was told it is not a retreat because we are meeting at TLC, so perhaps it can be called Brainstorm Bonanza, Think Tank Trinity or Visionary Vibes. Whatever we call it, Vestry will be meeting to move forward with some of those things that have been identified through the cottage meetings.
Erica Hofmann presented the Treasurer’s report. Giving is on budget for 2024 and December is historically a month of increased giving. Additionally, our parking lot income has increased significantly from previous years. However, there were expenses overages in property and income. These have been addressed in the 2025 budget as to avoid any shortfall we experienced in the 2024 budget. Investment income is also strong with a total increase of over $240,000. Vestry approved the December Treasurer’s Report.
Pastor Hans reported that he received information from the NEPA Synod that a former employee of the Synod (he resigned in July 2024), Travis Woodfield, has been federally indicted for crimes relating to child sex abuse including transporting a minor over state lines. This matter is an open criminal case with no convictions as of the December meeting. Please note that TLC Vestry requires all employees, both called and lay staff, to undergo criminal background checks and ChildLine clearances. I, your vestry president, ask each of you to continue to safeguard our children and make sure that they are always with the supervising eye of a known adult while in our building and participating in Trinity activities.
