Congregational Council Meeting – October 27, 2011
Medina United Church of Christ, Congregational
October 27, 2011 Congregational Council Meeting Minutes
We are called to live our Christian faith daily, loving God, growing spiritually and serving others.
Matthew 22:36-39
Council Members Present: Mark Woodling, Carl Skorepa, Don Canfield, Dave Edinger, Gil Brucken, Ron Greinke, Dan Hunter (ex-officio)
Council Members Absent: Beth Hari, Jane Langol, Nick North, Becky Weber, Dave Weber
Staff Present: Neal Sadler, Mariah Marlin-Warfield, Kelly Charnley
Call To Order & Opening
Moderator Mark Woodling called the meeting to order and opened with a personal reflection about his boss named Dallas who just retired and how a particular adversity in Dallas’ family has been transformed into a positve in an unexpected and inspiring way. Joys and concerns of those present were shared. Lacking a quorum (requiring seven Council members present), formal approval of the September 22, 2011 minutes was postponed.
Stewardship Update
For the benefit of Adam and Logan Usher, observing from the Confirmation class, Gil Brucken began his report with a brief explanation of the Stewardship process and the “three buckets of money” for operating, mission and capital expenditures. Gil reported being encouraged with where we are just these few days past Stewardship Sunday: the total number of pledges turned in is down slightly compared to last year (which may be due in part to Stewardship Sunday falling earlier this year), but in spite of this, monies pledged are nearly on pace with last year. Kelly Charnley added that of the 114 pledges turned in to date, 44 show an increase over last year, 58 are the same as last year, 10 are decreased from last year, and 2 are new pledges. Given the economy, Gil added, these results are seen as good so far, and there is reasonable hope that this year’s pledged monies may top last year’s by approximately 5%. Next, a follow-up letter will be sent to members who have not yet pledged, followed by personal phone calls. The goal is to wrap up the campaign by Thanksgiving.
UCC Mission: 1 Update
Pastor Neal reviewed the various goals of the Mission: 1 hunger campaign being promoted by several Teams: Mission (food ingathering and cash drive), Discipleship & Education (cereal ingathering), Justice & Witness (letter-writing campaign), Hobby Horse (soup ingathering) and Evangelism (banner, publicity, “Each One Bring One”). The worship services on November 6 will have a Mission: 1 emphasis. Neal and Kelly expained how the office responds when approached directly by people in need. Kelly reported that the office typically gets 1-2 calls of this nature per day.
Holiday Decorating
Jan Coleman will again oversee the Christmas tree decorating. Volunteers will gather to do other decorating in the sanctuary on November 20 at 4 pm, with pizza afterwards. The December 4 Community Design Committee Holiday Home Tour, which our church had agreed to be a part of, has been cancelled as too few homeowners had interest in participating. The event may be scheduled at a later date. On the plus side, Neal noted that the response from our members regarding this hoped-for event was very positive; many had come forward with offers to assist in a variety of ways.
Brief Team Reports (Resource/Additional)
Property & Grounds: Dave Edinger proclaimed that the generosity of the congregation came through to the tune of $50,000 and that “The Big Dig” project has been paid in full. And, there is no water in the crawlspace! The new grass has already been mowed, ahead of Halloween as hoped. Fencing will be kept in place for a time because the ground is so wet and still settling in places.
Finance: Ron Greinke, piggybacking on Dave’s report, announced with great fanfare that there is now enough money in the capital improvement fund to buy a half of a window (!), but 2012 monies pledged for capital improvements will begin to replenish this fund. Kelly reported that operating figures through 9/30/2011 are showing a surplus of approximately $3,500, a picture that is expected to improve even a bit further in October, pointing toward a possible positive year-end. Neal added that significant savings have emerged in the staff health insurance area, between Mariah now being placed in a new category for staff under age 40 (approximately $6,000 savings), the federal rebate (approximately $5,000), and plan changes made last year with the staff taking on higher deductibles. Kelly also noted that 2012 budget figures have been submitted by all teams except Property & Grounds and Staffing and that property insurance quotes have been sought from three carriers.
Staffing: Neal noted that year-end staff reviews are underway.
Hobby Horse Preschool: Mark anounced that the Preschool Team has prepared a draft of a bylaws document for itself. Mark asked Dan Hunter to send this draft as an attachment to the October minutes so Council members can read it and be prepared to discuss and hopefully approve it at the November Council meeting.
Brief Team Reports (Purpose)
Worship: Neal reviewed the holiday schedule: Christmas Eve services at 6:00, 9:00 and 11:00 (like last year) and one 10:30 service only on December 25 and January 1. The choir will present its special holiday music at 10:30 on December 4 and the children’s Christmas program will be presented at 10:30 on December 11. A Hymn Sing is planned for Annual Meeting Sunday (February 5).
Discipleship & Education: Mariah reported that FISH is going well and that there are still some teacher openings. The October 23 hayride ended up being held in Boyert’s barn. 40 boxes have been packed by elementary youth for Operation Christmas Child. Additional boxes can be turned in up till November 20. Elementary youth are also collecting pop tops, a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House. Other dates: Rake & Run, Nov 6; Confirmation Class tour at Community Services Center, Nov 10; tea for high school youth group mentors and middle school bowling outing, Nov 13; youth group hot chocolate and bake sale at Candlelight Walk, November 19 (Cathy Fafrak will also play the organ for this event); high school youth group service project at Cups Café, Nov 20. Also, Cathy Fafrak and/or Elaine Brent plan to perform 2-3 Advent organ recitals this season; dates and times to be announced.
Evangelism: Don Canfield announced that the Evangelism Team has added Jen Cockrell to its roster, but will soon lose Amanda Honnert with her upcoming move. The Team will review its accomplishments and unfinished business from 2011 and goals for 2012 at its next meeting.
Mission: Neal reported that the Mission Team has been busy with Mission: 1 initiatives and with trying to disburse funds left in its budget. The Team voted to release funds for Special Ministries (assistance for those who approach the office with special needs as discussed earlier), to match the congregation’s total cash contribution to Mission: 1 (to be divided equally between Neighbors In Need and the UCC East Africa relief fund) with an equal contribution to three local food banks (divided among Medina Community Services Center, St. Paul’s Free Farmers Market, and the Medina United Methodist Food Pantry), and to to pay Operation Christmas Child shipping expenses.
Caring: Neal reported that the Caring Team has been busy. Coffee hours have been covered through the fall but the Team will seek to fill open dates in the coming months. Circle of Caring is organizing the delivery of crafts to older members.
Justice & Witness: Mariah reported that J & W has prepared four sample letters for the letter-writing component of Mission: 1. The Team is also looking at the National Office’s “Justice Led” curriculum, a non-issue based program that connects justice to Christian Faith. Neal added that Stewart Jones will be attending a TBI conference in February.
Pastors’ Reports
Pastor Mariah: Mariah announced the theme at the Gathering services during Advent will be “Waiting For God.” Mariah also put in a plug for the preaching workshop she will lead on November 12 from 11:00 to 3:00 (includes lunch). Finally, Mariah noted that she will be on vacation November 14-21.
Pastor Neal: Neal noted that he, Mariah, Karen Leidy, and possibly Crell Johns will attend the EOA Fall Meeting on October 29. Neal observed that the “Managing Conflict” workshops, being lead by Gene Kraus, are going well, with two sessions remaining on November 3 & 10. A men’s fellowship gathering with pizza and a speaker will be held on Friday, November 4 at Abbottino’s. New members will be received on November 6. The music program planned by Miki Saito and friends will be held on November 12 in the sanctuary. A dinner that same evening will be put on by the Costa Rica mission group. Free-will offerings at both the dinner and the music program will go toward a scholarship fund for future Costa Rica trips. The next Costa Rica trip is on the calendar for this coming February 12-21. 11 to 12 are planning to make the trip (7 from here, 5-6 from Chicago), with a few more considering it. November 18-19 is the EOA Church Vitality Workshop. Neal will attend; possible attendees from the congregation include Mark Woodling, Carl Skorepa, Don Canfield, and Crell Johns. Neal also mentioned that the Time & Talent survey is still being reviewed; introduction of it has been postponed till January.
Neal asked if a leaders’ retreat should be put on this coming year, like last year’s gathering at Western Reserve Masonic Community (WRMC). If so, a date and location must be picked and a speaker sought. “Yes” is the apparent consensus. February 11 (the Saturday after Annual Meeting) is the likely date; WRMC worked well last year and its availability for that date will be explored. As Moderator Elect, Carl volunteered to assist with the planning of this event and suggested that he may be able to come up some activities for the retreat. Neal, noting that last year’s program dealt largely with the nuts and bolts of the transition from the old to the new constitutional structure, expressed hope that this year’s program could focus more on visioning: sharing dreams of what this church could do or be. Neal and Carl will further discuss retreat ideas ahead of the November Council meeting.
Discussion ensued as to ways to promote more cooperative, ecumenical activities among Medina churches (Neal sees encouraging signs of interest in recent months coming from some Medina Ministerial Association members), ways for our church to be more visible and take advantage of its location (Dave Edinger suggested continued exploration with Main Street Medina), and ways to promote greater interaction among our church’s various leadership Teams (Mariah cited Alive on the Square and Mission: 1 as events that have brought together multiple Teams). Neal also suggested that it is not too early to begin thinking about the 200th anniversary of our church’s founding. Worship services began in 1817 and the church was formally established in 1819.
Mariah led the Council in closing prayer and Mark adjourned the meeting.
Next Council meeting: Thursday, November 17, 2011
Respectfully recorded and submitted, Dan Hunter, Clerk
