St. Jude Pastoral Council

Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Participants: Don Cairns (Chair), Fr. Dave Rogerson (Pastor), Bob Stephens, Bob Johnson, Lauren Sing, Debbie McCormick, Suzanne Henderson,

Absent :Anusha Fernando, Tim Thompson, Bob Clancy, Gary Smith

A planning meeting was held by the Pastoral Council prior to the 7:00 pm informational meeting on Tent City being held in the downstairs Parish Hall.  The planning meeting began @ 6:30 pm with individual check –in, and an opening prayer. Guests were introduced; Taya Vercelli; parishioner & speaker at the informational meeting, Paul Johnson; parishioner & moderator for the informational meeting.

A discussion about Tent City was held. The drafted agenda for the informational meeting was reviewed &  established. Ground rules & guidelines were set for the speakers. Guests were excused as the council discussed the decision making process for Tent City following the informational meeting. All council members present gave input regarding how they felt about St. Jude Parish hosting Tent City now or in the future.

The council members adjourned to the Parish Hall at 7:00 pm to attend the informational meeting.

The pastoral council meeting resumed at 9:15 pm following the informational meeting. A discussion was held regarding new information & perspectives gained from the guest speakers at the informational meeting. Each council member reported whether or not they felt the same as before the meeting or if they now had a different opinion regarding the hosting of Tent City.

The following issues were discussed on terms of being very important to have completed prior to hosting Tent City at St. Jude Parish

·   Hosting an open neighborhood informational meeting,

·   Timely notification to the local residences

·   Following City Ordinances, by obtaining the proper permits, so as to avoid fines, law suits, and a bad reputation for Tent City.

Fr. Dave informed us that the possibility of  temporary indoor shelter in the parish hall was discussed with Tent City , but this was deemed not in keeping with the identity of a tent incampment.

A motion was made to tell the representatives of Tent City the Pastoral Council of St. Jude Parish in Redmond, WA has made the following decision. No, we can not host Tent City at this time, although we have a strong desire to host in the future. We want to go through the normal permitting process and work with you on the time frame.

The motion was amended to include the following:  If your appeal with the City of Woodinville is rejected on Friday, 6/16/06 we will still be open to a dialogue with you to discuss the use of our Parish Hall as an emergency sanctuary.

The amended motion was seconded and passed.

The meeting adjourned at 10:00 P.M. following a closing prayer.

Respectfully submitted, Debbie McCormick