Meet-the-Team

Senior Warden

Ken Baxter

Overall Role
The Senior Warden, an elected member of the vestry, serves as a key lay leader and
partner to the rector, working closely to support the life and mission of the parish. 
The Senior Warden provides positive, solution-focused leadership that fosters
community, recognizes achievements, and ensures effective governance. They
maintain confidentiality, encourage open communication, and help prevent conflict
through direct dialogue. 

Specific Responsibilities

• Meet regularly with the rector to plan, address concerns, and guide the congregation toward its vision and goals.
• Ensure that policies regarding employee and volunteer conduct are upheld and support the rector in addressing any misconduct.
• Assist in identifying and recruiting new leaders.
• As needed, represent the congregation in the community, help prepare fospecial events, and take initiative to advance the work and well-being of the church.

Junior Warden

Tracy Le

Summary of Role
The Junior Warden is a lay officer of the congregation, a member of the Vestry, and a primary liaison between the parishioners and the church leadership. They are deeply invested in the health and harmony of the church community. Often referred to as the "People’s Warden," this individual serves as an approachable, receptive "open ear" for the congregation. The Junior Warden ensures that the voices of the people—both their concerns and their compliments—are heard, valued, and brought before the Vestry. This role exhibits listening deeply, asking clarifying questions, and making people feel heard and respected, all while handling sensitive or personal information with appropriate confidentiality and grace.

Key Duties
● Receptive Presence: Serve as a visible and accessible point of contact for parishioners during coffee hours, after services, and at parish events.
● Feedback Management: Receive feedback, suggestions, concerns, and compliments from the congregation with a non-judgmental and pastoral heart.
● Communication Bridge: Discerningly bring relevant congregational feedback to the attention of the Rector, Senior Warden, and the full Vestry to ensure leadership remains responsive to the community’s needs.
● Partner to the Senior Warden: Assist the Senior Warden in their duties, acting as a sounding board and stepping in to lead or facilitate meetings if the Senior Warden is unavailable.
● Vestry Leadership: Participate fully in the governance and discernment of the Vestry, representing the pulse of the congregation in strategic decisions.
● Convention Delegate: Serve as an elected representative of the parish at the Diocesan Convention.
● Voice of the Parish: Vote on diocesan matters and report back to the congregation on the wider work of the Episcopal Church within the diocese.

Military Outreach

Brian Rideout

Overall Role
The Military Liaison serves as a bridge between St. Clement’s and the local military community (e.g., Camp Pendleton), fostering connection, communication, and care for active duty service members, veterans, and their families. As a member of the Vestry, the Military Liaison brings awareness of military-related needs and perspectives to church leadership, helping shape outreach, pastoral care, and community engagement.

Specific Responsibilities
Representation: Serve as a voice and advocate for military families, veterans, and active-duty personnel within the Vestry and broader parish.
Outreach & Engagement: Develop and maintain relationships with local military bases, chaplains, and military support organizations to identify partnership opportunities and offer spiritual support.
Suppport & Hospitality: Coordinate church efforts to welcome and integrate military individuals and families into the life of the parish, especially those who are new to the area or transitioning out of service.
Resource Connection: Help connect military-affiliated parishioners with appropriate spiritual, pastoral, and practical resources (e.g., counseling, deployment support, veteran services).
Education & Awareness: Promote understanding within the congregation of the unique challenges faced by military families, such as deployment, transition, and reintegration.
Special Events & Recognition: Assist in planning events such as St. Clement’s Marine Corps Birthday / Veterans Day Service, and prayer services for peace or deployment blessing.
Pastoral Collaboration: Work closely with clergy and pastoral care teams to ensure military members and their families receive appropriate support during times of need.

Evangelism

Tony Manger

Overall Role
The Evangelism chairperson is responsible for welcoming all new people who attend
service at St. Clement’s. They are often the first point of contact and serve as a
consistently friendly face for newcomers.

Specific Responsibilities

• Invite newcomers to coffee hour after mass
• Speak with / socialize with newcomers to make them feel welcome at coffee hour and after mass
• Provide a welcome gift of sorts, such as a welcome basket or a blue St. Clement’s mug
• Facilitate a newcomers dinner with Father Patrick to welcome them to the church (once annually)
• Find sponsor homes and facilitate with the church secretary the Anchor Dinner Series, held five-eight times / year
• Reorder Welcome coffee mugs as needed
• Encourage and facilitate parishioners to serve as ushers as the “first friendly face” a newcomer sees

Qualifications

• An inherent curiosity in others
• Willingness to talk to people from all walks of life
• Good organizational skills

Registrar

Marylou Siddall

Overall Role 
The position of Registrar on St. Clement’s Vestry is predominantly one of recordkeeping.  The primary role of the Registrar is to attend monthly meetings and take the minutes, following the agenda set out by the Senior Warden.  The draft minutes are sent to the Senior Warden and Parish Priest before being circulated to the Vestry members for approval and later posted in the Parish Hall  

The role of Registrar ensures that the information discussed at Vestry meetings is available to all parishioners and allows us to maintain transparency in the day-to-day operations at St. Clements 

Specific Responsibilities 

• Attending monthly meetings  
• Taking accurate minutes/notes during the meeting 
• Preparing Draft minutes in a timely manner to be distributed for approval 
• Maintaining a notebook with all information provided at monthly meetings

Communications

Bonnie Carlson

Overall Role
This position is about St. Clement’s communications within / to its parishioners and its messaging within / to the local community and South Orange County. It includes written (mailed/handouts), electronic (website, email blasts, social media), andtraditional media.

The role of Communications allows us to create more actionable messaging to our parishioners and to attract new members / be recognized as a leader in the San Clemente community and beyond.

Specific Responsibilities
 Marketing Plan and Market Research
o Develop a 3-year plan for Centennial Anniversary
o Conduct a survey of parishioners in setting goals
o Research St Clement’s activities / achievements since founding
o Communicate plans with parishioners / community / media
o Plan special celebration events for Centennial year
 Manage website to keep it updated – work with others who develop graphics
and web architecture
 Develop streamlined communications (weekly bulletins, flyers) to be clear,
actionable, and impactful
 Manage external communications / ads / public relations
 Coordinate with community partners when needed
 Create a presence in social media

Worship Coordinator

Joelle Thompson

Overall Role

The Worship Chairperson helps ensure the smooth, reverent, and welcoming flow of our church’s worship life. They serve as the primary point of contact for the lay ministers who support our weekly services, making sure every liturgical role is filled with care and intention. This ministry calls for strong organizational and communication skills, a love of liturgy, and a heart for service. Collaboration with clergy, staff, and volunteers is essential to fostering a spirit of participation and shared leadership in our parish community.

Specific Responsibilities

●    Scheduling: Create and distribute the quarterly schedule for all Readers and Masters of Ceremonies (MCs) for both the 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Sunday services, ensuring volunteers receive timely information and reminders.

●    Volunteer Coordination: Recruit, train, and support a dedicated team of volunteer lay ministers, serving as their primary contact for questions, updates, and scheduling needs.

●    Special Services: Coordinate and schedule lay ministry volunteers for special liturgies – including Good Friday, Easter, Christmas, and monthly Taizé services – helping these moments of worship feel meaningful and well-supported for the entire congregation.

●    Communication: Maintain clear, consistent communication with the Rector, parish office, ministry leaders, and all lay ministers to ensure each service flows smoothly and the congregation can engage fully in worship.

●    Vestry Member: Provide updates at monthly vestry meetings, represent the needs and perspectives of the worship ministries, and help align worship practices with the mission and life of the parish. As a member of the vestry, the Worship Chair also participates in the shared leadership of the parish, contributing to decisions about our facilities, resources, and long term health.

Christian Education

Laura Clemmons

Overall Role:  
The position of the Education Vestry member is to communicate with the Educational
Staff about what is ongoing with Children’s Education and other Educational Classes at
St. Clement’s on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis.

Specific Responsibilities:
The specific responsibility that this position requires is staying in contact with the
Sunday School teacher and anybody else who is providing Educational Classes for
children, teens and adults at St. Clement’s.

Qualifications: 
The qualifications for this role is the willingness to communicate with the educational    
leaders of the church and report any changes and/or M updates to the vestry members
at the monthly vestry meetings.

Outreach

Stuart Herriges

Overall Role

Outreach includes many ministries that engage and connect St. Clement’s to our
community and/or groups outside our usual sphere of influence. The primary goal of
Outreach is to share information, offer support, build relationships, and promote
services to those in need. Effective outreach helps raise awareness, foster
collaboration, and encourage participation to help to make this world a better place
as best we can.

Specific Responsibilities

• Support Family Assistance Ministry by coordinating with the city to have aannual Hunger Walk; promote volunteerism of St. Clement’s parishioners to the FAM Thrift Store in Laguna Niguel; “adopt” several families at Christmas to provide gifts for their children.
   
• Promote Laundry Love by working with a local laundromat to clean and dry the belongings of the unhoused; raise awareness and funds to support this effort.
   
• Support the San Clemente Military Family outreach by creating baby showers and other events for the families of service members.
   
• Manage the Comfort from the Cold, a program that provides a warm bed for the unhoused during the colder winter months, and attend to insurances, and bedding materials as needed.

    Support other ministries that may need our assistance.

Buildings and Grounds

Skip Melville

• Regularly advise the Rector and Vestry members of Buildings and Grounds status

• Identify issues not noted by the Sexton and ensure corrective actions are taken

• Manage / Oversee projects necessary for the continued good operation and appearance of the facility (eg: window repairs, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, lighting, etc.). Handle general building repairs and upkeep.

• Manage, and as needed develop, maintenance / repair budgets approved by Parish Leadership, i.e. Rector and Vestry

• Work with government agencies, as needed, to make modifications to exterior portions of the building (eg: window replacement, installation of permanent structures on the property like the pergola in the courtyard).

• Review, monitor, and oversee Preventative Maintenance (PM) programs/contracts (eg. termite issues, fire protection, kitchen equipment, etc.).

• Ensure grounds are maintained: watered, trimmed, lawns mowed and trash picked up

• Ensure all activities comply with safety regulations

• Maintain records, prepare reports, and coordinate with Parish leadership on facility needs.

• Special Projects: Plan, schedule, and oversee maintenance and renovation projects, including assisting with new facility projects. Coordinate with external contractors for larger projects.

Finance

Francis Viscount

Overall Role
The Vestry Finance position concerns keeping the Vestry and Parish aware of the overall financial condition of the St Clement’s and its use of sound financial practices with regard to handling money, making financial decisions, and keeping the members of St Clement’s informed.  Additionally, this position should ensure that the Vestry is well-informed about the financial implications of pending decisions before they are made.   

Specific Activities
Coordinate communications with Vestry member responsible for Stewardship Campaign so that  members of the parish understand how their pledges support the ministry and mission of St Clement’s.

Develop communications to the parish that provide sufficient information so that Vestry and parish members are informed about the general state of the St Clement’s financial condition and are aware of any immediate or pending issues with large financial significance.

Continuously review Financial Policies and Procedures and Practices of St Clement’s
a.    Study whether existing practices are adequately documented and implemented
a.    Handling of income and expenses
b.    Disbursements
c.    Providing accessible reports so that Vestry members and Parishioners can keep themselves informed
d.    Practices related to establishing contractual agreements with Vendors
e.    Proposing new policies or procedures when necessary to maintain good financial oversight by Vestry

Coordinate with the Rector and Treasurer in preparation of a preliminary annual budget and guide the process of Vestry Budget development through its approval at the Annual Meeting.

Treasurer

Mike Morris

Latino Ministry

Ben Turner

Stewardship

Brian Saunders

Overall Role
1. Provide vision, leadership and coordination for congregation’s year-round stewardship efforts.
2. Encourage a spiritual understanding of generosity as a response to God’s abundance.
3. Implement an annual stewardship campaign that invites members to make thoughtful, prayerful
financial commitments.

Specific Responsibilities
1. Set the campaign timeline and goals.
2. Recruit a stewardship team
3. Ensure consistent messaging through announcements, written communications, and personal
witness.
4. Cultivate a culture of generosity by promoting education about proportional giving, planned
giving, and legacy gifts.
5. Promote an appreciation of all types (time, talent, treasure) of gifts.

Qualifications
1. Collaborative leadership.
2. Discretion with confidential information.
3. Commitment to spiritual and financial health of the parish.