In the Episcopal Church, the main lay leadership of a parish is called the vestry. At St. Mark’s the vestry consists of the rector and twelve lay parishioners elected to staggered three-year terms. These elections take place at the parish annual meeting, which is held the last Sunday in January.
The vestry has four officers: a senior warden, who leads both the vestry and the parish in the absence of the rector; a junior warden, who by tradition exercises a leadership role in property matters; a treasurer, who is responsible for tracking parish accounts; a clerk, who is responsible for keeping minutes and serving as secretary of the corporation. St. Mark’s also has a chancellor, or legal officer.
It is common in the Episcopal Church for the vestry to serve as a sounding board for the rector and to assist them in ministry to the parish. The vestry at St. Mark’s follows this practice. The vestry meets once a month and has an obligation to ensure the financial health of the parish. A typical meeting includes a report from the treasurer and a review of the budgetary performance of the parish.
The vestry members also guide, support and review the work of other committees, which include both vestry and non-vestry members, and who minister directly to the parish. The vestry tries to monitor this work and to provide assistance where possible. Vestry members are individually assigned to particular ministry areas.
(Years in parentheses indicate when each member’s term expires.)
Maggie Grover (2026)
Senior Warden
Contact the Senior Warden.
Phil Caruthers (2027)
Junior Warden
Contact the Junior Warden.
Lizzy Creager (2025)
Betsy Hada (2027)
Mark Hemhauser (2027)
Jan Lewis (2026)
Joseph Lough (2025)
Iris Ratowsky (2026)
Heather Readhead (2025)
Wayne Steward (2027)
Margo Wesley (2025)
Paul Young (2026)
Contact the vestry.
Other Officers
Margo Strakosch
Treasurer
Nancy Evans
Clerk
John Harding
Chancellor