Meeting 7/28/2011
July 28, 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, Jane Langol, Nick North, Dave Edinger, Ron Greinke, Don Canfield, Gil Brucken, Dan Hunter (ex-officio)
Council Members Absent: Beth Hari, Dave Weber, Becky Weber
Staff Present: Neal Sadler, Kelly Charnley
Call To Order & Opening
Moderator Mark Woodling called the meeting to order and opened with an inspirational reading about the word Can’t, followed by a prayer. Since the May 26, 2011 minutes were not approved because a quorum was lacking at the June Council meeting, Mark asked for a motion to approve both the May 26 and June 23, 2011 Council minutes. After the updates and clarifications to the June 23 minutes shown immediately below were noted, Nick North made a motion to approve both the May and June minutes; Gil Brucken seconded. Motion carried. Joys and concerns of those present were shared.
Updates and Clarifications to June 23, 2011 Council Minutes
Update: Karen Leidy has been reimbursed the $600 for expenses related to her recent licensure as an accredited lay minister. Instead of this cost being underwritten by the Worship, Mission and Evangelism Teams as was suggestd at the June Council meeting, the cost was covered by funds from the Worship Team budget and by funds from a line item in the Staff budget.
Update: Kelly Charnley reported that the $500 honorarium to be paid to the Homeland Singers for the August 7 concert has been covered, the cost split evenly between Memorial Gifts and the Music budget. A free-will offering will still be taken that day to go toward the cost of the picnic lunch.
Clarification: Gil noted, contrary to the June minutes, that he is not abandoning the Stewardship Team. The June announcement should have been that his schedule prevents him from leading the Stewardship effort, but he still intends to participate and assist as time permits. Gil will continue to serve on Council as Stewardship Team liaison.
Report on Review of Custodial Concerns
Mark reported on last week’s special meeting at which custodial concerns were aired. Recent history was reviewed and pros and cons of our current approach (Mark’s Cleaning Service with Derrel Larsen providing part-time assistance) vs. having a staff custodian were examined.
Near-term recommendations coming out of last week’s meeting: change Mark’s Cleaning Service from current Tuesday & Friday to Sunday night & Friday; designate a volunteer supply clerk to inventory and purchase supplies and see that they are stored in accessible locations (a notice for this position will run in the Messenger); continue to make use of Derrel Larsen’s services for some tasks.
Longer-term recommendations: work toward having a staff custodian present from 8 a.m. till noon weekdays. This could be one individual or a combination of part-timers, which could include Derrel. It was noted that with recent layoffs in Medina City Schools that skilled custodians may be available and looking for work. In addition to working on cleaning tasks on a more regular schedule, a custodian present in the building could respond to the various inspectors, meter readers, etc. who come by, relieving other staff of these interruptions. The efforts of our custodian(s) could be supplemented by Mark’s Cleaning Service as needed (and, it is hoped, less often over time). Youth Service Days like the one conducted this July (youth undertaking projects around the church building and grounds) will be repeated in the future. All-Church Cleaning Days will be planned, perhaps for this coming November (before Christmas decorations go up) and March. For these All-Church Cleaning Days, the Property & Grounds Team could identify the jobs to be done, Time & Talent could recruit volunteers (till that Team is manned, this would be Council’s job), and perhaps a lunch could be planned for the volunteers.
Endowment Initiatives
Jane Langol, joined by Endowment Team member Ginny Hall, reviewed the status of the Endowment Fund (grown to approximately $153,000 since its 1995 inception) and outlined a planned giving campaign that is being formulated. CPA Bert Humpal is guiding this project, which will encourage current gifts and final planning-type gifts. This will be a face-to-face approach, likely preceded by a mailing. Literature has been reviewed from churches in Reynoldsburg and elsewhere. It was stressed that an Endowment campaign is not intended to compete in any way with the Stewardship campaign. The Endowment Team meets again in October. Jane added that the Endowment Team’s photo notecard sale has netted $85 to date.
Continued Team Staffing Challenges
As noted in preceding months, the Time & Talent Team remains unstaffed and, except for Gil’s involvement as Council Liaison and helper as noted above, the Stewardship Team remains unmanned as well. Many phone calls have been made, in addition to pleas in the Messenger and from the pulpit. Neal suggested that he will join with Mark, Carl, and Val Perkins to review lists and come up with names.
Stewardship Campaign
Gil noted that preliminary steps in the fall Stewardship campaign usually begin soon after Alive on the Square (this year, September 11). Gil will set up a planning meeting; Mark will attend. The tentative plan would be similar to the approach taken in recent years: mailings and a series of testimonials during worship services in which members share their connection to the church, e.g., “I’m getting something out of this; that’s why I give.”
August 7 Homeland Singers Event
Plans are in good shape. Caring Team is coordinating the food. Cindy’s husband will grill. Evangelism Team will set up. Property & Grounds will schedule work on the drainage project so as not to interfere with this event. Flyers have been made and distributed. (More are available in the office.)
Leadership Picnic
This planning meeting/picnic gathering will take place Sunday, August 28 at the Sadler home. Meeting 4:00 to 5:30; supper to begin around 5:30. Sadlers will provide meat and beverages; other are asked to bring a dish to share. Council members, Team chairs, and all staff will be invited; spouses will be invited to join in for the meal. Thanks to Neal and Carolyn for hosting.
Alive on the Square
Neal saluted Carl for having done most of the work to get this September 11 event organized. Teams (Caring, Worship, Discipleship & Education, Music) are handling various tasks. John Chiller will set up the sound system. The theme of this year’s joint worship service with Second Baptist will be “Ministries of Reconciliation/Ambassadors for Christ.” It has come to our attention that some members of St. Paul’s Episcopal have expressed interest in participating. They are certainly welcome and this will be communicated. First Christian has always been invited, too, but has not participated in recent years.
Brief Resource Team Reports
Finance: Kelly shared the Operating Budget report thru June, noting that things are on track. In addition, Kelly reported that she has been following up to make sure the earlier-applied-for staff medical insurance tax credit (approximately $5,500 expected) will be received. Kelly also shared Hobby Horse Preschool’s year-end report. Hobby Horse finished the year with a $3,403 profit. A portion of the profit has been added to Hobby Horse’s reserve, bringing the reserve to approximately $26,000 (the reserve goal being $30,000). The $1,509 remainder of the Hobby Horse year-end profit has been transferred to the church’s capital project fund. Ron Greinke noted that the Finance Team did not meet this past month.
Stewardship: Gil reported that Stewardship did not meet, but shared preliminary research on electronic message boards that Council had discussed earlier in the year. A system with three monitors (sanctuary, East Room, Fellowship Hall) could cost from $13,000 to $15,000. Gil added that this could be phase-able, e.g., a one-monitor set-up might cost $7,000. This is simply FYI at this point.
Property & Grounds: Dave Edinger reported that the big project for August is the drainage repair. Things have been scheduled to minimize parking lot disruption, with the work in that area slated to start after the August 7 Homeland Singers event and to be completed before the start of the fall Hobby Horse term. Gil asked if this work will solve the problem or be a phased approach. Dave responded that the problem should be substantially solved. In the course of this project, Dave added that a few trees will need to be removed, to be given away, if possible, or discarded. Looking at other areas, Dave noted that a boiler specialist will be doing maintenance during shut-down before fall, an annual expense of $6,000 to $8,000, and that some roof repairs will be undertaken as the weather cools. Regarding the kitchen, Dave reported that the problem that made a natural gas odor present has been corrected and that a kitchen vent replacement will now prevent cold air from coming in.
Time & Talent: Speaking up for what the church by-laws define as a Time & Talent Team responsibility, Kelly noted that the church should consider conducting a membership review, the last one being undertaken in 2007. Kelly shared a list she prepared of members who should be reviewed and a letter used in the 2007 review. Neal will review and edit the list. Jane asked Neal if he routinely contacts non-attendees. Neal said he generally does not, unless tipped off to do so.
Staffing: Jane made a motion that Council approve Stuart Root being added to the Staffing Team roster. Dave seconded. Council approved.
Brief Purpose Team Reports
Evangelism: Don Canfield noted that the idea of condensing new member classes from four sessions to two is being further reviewed, with additional material being covered by hand-outs. On this same subject, it has been noted that the Spiritual Gifts Assessment questionnaire given to new members is too long. This may be an issue for the Time & Talents Team to review at some future point.
Worship: Nick North noted that Jim Kiser, who has been pro tem chair of the Worship Team, feels he should not be chair, since he is also a staff person. The Worship Team scribe position, heretofore held by Cathy Fafrak, is now being passed around for the same reason. Jane noted that the July 10 hymn sing service, organized by Nick and Jim, was outstanding. Dave agreed, adding that other hymn sings should be held at times of the year when attendance is greater. Nick suggested that a Christmas or Easter-themed hymn sing could be planned. On a different subject, Nick noted that it has been ncie to see lay persons signing up to help with the 8:15 service when needed.
Pastors’ Reports
Pastor Neal: Pastor Neal reported on the Costa Rica mission trip, noting that the group was able to bond with the community there and get closer to the culture, which he hopes we’ll be able to build upon over time. This year’s group was able to economize on lodging by dividing between a private home and a youth hostel; the savings compared to expected hotel costs was given to the family whose home the group worked on for further finishing and furnishings. Neal feels that these trips have a profound effect on those who go. Neal added that scheduling might be easier for our parishioners if the trip is moved from summer to late winter or early spring; this idea will be further explored. Neal announced that he will be out of the office August 14-22, participating in a continuing education event in Colorado. Neal also announced that our Reconciliation Team is offering additional opportunities this fall. The one-day workshop “Discovering Your Conflict Style” will be repeated on September 15. A four-session conflict management class will be offered on Thursday evenings, October 6 & 20 and November 3 & 17.
Important Dates
Sunday, August 28: Leadership Picnic at Sadlers
Sunday, September 11: Alive On The Square & community 9/11 observance
Sunday, September 18: Rally Day, Sunday School begins
Thursday, September 22: Next regular Council meeting
Saturday, September 24: Fifty-Year Member Luncheon
Closing
Neal led the Council in closing prayer and Mark adjourned the meeting.
Next Council meeting: Sunday, August 28, 2011 (Planning Meeting/Picnic at Sadlers)
Respectfully recorded and submitted, Dan Hunter, Clerk
