Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Church Council

Meeting Minutes of 12/17/09

In attendance: Nancy MacLean, Bob Morse, Chris Dow, Elsa Peters, Debra Andrews, Sally Hinckley, Andy Ellis, Phil Whitney, Roger Addor, Carrie Skeffington, Chris Keiter, Cyndi Alden, Matt Early.

Opening – Matt prayer for God’s blessing and Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Review Agenda – accepted.

Review November Minutes – accepted.

Minister Time – Elsa. John absent due to illness. Christmas time’s busy schedule going along well. Sunday service 12/20 at 11:00 with Children Christmas Pageant at 9:00.

Discussions
1. Vote on SL&W Nomination – Tex Haeuser accepted.
2. Fundraising Criteria – Nancy MacLean led discussion. Will incorporate last month’s changes, distribute to Teams, and publish in the Beacon after the Holidays.
3. Business Referral Directory – Chris Keiter provided update that it is being worked on by Don Russell and Chris with follow up in January after Holidays.
4. Website Redesign – Committee consisting of John, Elsa, Chris Keiter, Dana Wiggins, Rod Redstone, and Guy Gledhill held meeting and are waiting for draft request for proposal to be submitted by web consultant.
5. Sanctuary Railing – No further update from Administration Team at this time. Follow up after Holidays.
6. Church Vision – Nothing further to report at this time. Follow up after Holidays.
7. Budget – Chris Keiter reported and presented draft 2010 budget. Budget Committee consists of Chris Keiter, Chris Dow, Matt Early, John McCall, and Cyndi Alden. Committee has held three meetings to date. Further Committee meeting scheduled 1/11/10 with goal of printing final proposed budget 1/20/10 with presentation to Council for discussion and approval 1/21/10 with print to congregation on Sunday 1/24/10 and congregational vote on Sunday 1/31/10. Pledges still anticipated for 2010 which will drop current operating deficit forecast of approximately $56,000 to approximately $16,000. Committee to closely monitor pledge progress between now and final budget proposal. Stewardship sending out letter to non-pledging households for support. Pledge revenue formula based on actual pledges less 4% shrinkage plus 7% unpledged based on historical collection experience. Proposed total expense decrease of $10,000 from 2009 budget with majority of line items maintained flat with prior year budget or actual spending, including staff salary. Savings primarily in heating fuel and youth minister and church secretary staffing changes. Budget assumes Discovery Center capable of continuing to pay rent of approximately $5,600 annually. Adjustment of this rent, including ½ rent being evaluated and considered for final budget proposal. Brief discussion surrounding Discovery Center and short term and long term plan. Further discussion on January agenda. Consolidating financial statement to include the Discovery Center, Rummage Sale, Holly Daze Bazaar, and CCM to be considered at later date along with plans to establish a committee that will review with the congregation ideas on how to close the budget gap in the future.

Other Business – None presented.

Adjourned at 8:00 p.m.; Next Meeting January 21, 2010; Recorder: Dave.

Respectfully Submitted: Matt Early

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Spiritual Life and Worship

Meeting Minutes of November 5, 2009

Attending: Elaine Brownell, Betsy Keiter, Dana Wiggins, Debbie Riley, Rick Angell, John McCall.

Opening Prayer by Dana

Review of October Minutes: Approved.

John McCall:
- Asked that we decide what to do with the old Pilgrim Hymnals. There are many left and there does not seem to be interest within the congregation. We decided that: Dana will make a few calls to find a possible solution We will donate them to the Bazaar (November 21st) to be given away. We will recycle the remainder of the hymnals.

- Discussed the growth or lack of growth of Protestant Churches and the decline of organized religion in general. We reviewed two articles printed recently that explain and outline this trend. Members here at FCC tend to be cautious and reserved and outreach is difficult. We discussed the need to reach out to the younger generation to make them feel that they matter to this church. We reviewed the inactive list and agreed to send letters to members who have not attended or supported the church for many years.

Elsa:
- Asked that a member of SLW Team attend and participate in the Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service at Thornton Heights Methodist Church on November 23rd. Betsy and Debbie will attend and participate.

- Is concerned that the children do not understand the fact that the collection is connected to the life of the church. We discussed taking the children’s collection during the children’s message in the Sanctuary.

- Asked that we consider having a monthly Children’s Chapel Service on Communion Sunday. Many supportive ideas were discussed including , pre-training and orientation to teach the structure and meaning of a worship service, and the respectful way to behave in the chapel. Debbie also suggested that the ministers make an appearance at these services to connect with the children.

Betsy:
- Asked that we review a letter that she wrote from the SLW Team to the Cumberland Association Committee on Ministry in support of her desire to become a Commissioned Minister of Administration and Communication at the conference level. We approved the letter and it will be sent.

- Reported that it is confusing and stressful when ushers try to serve communion and usher on the same Sunday. We will try to avoid this multi - tasking in the future.

Rick:
- Reported that the Growth Group is ready to pair up guests and parish hosts. Many other welcoming ideas are being discussed and implemented by this committee.

Dana:
- Reported that the Flower Committee is organizing a bountiful harvest presentation for Thanksgiving and poinsettias for Christmas.

Debbie:
- Brought a new hymnal with a new book label, designed by Brian Wiggins. The SLW Team agreed that it was lovely. Debbie will complete this task by Christmas or sooner!

Debbie and Elaine:
- Will look for a table for the Davidson Lounge that is now being used in the Sanctuary as a Communion Table.

Next Meeting: December 3, 2009
- Debbie will set the agenda and lead the meeting.
- Elaine will take minutes.

Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted by
Debbie Riley

Church Council

Meeting Minutes of November 19, 2009
6:30 – 8:30 PM


Opening (Debra, from the Holy Qur’an and Chinese proverb)

Present: Nancy MacLean, Bob Morse, Chris Dow, Elsa Peters, Debra Andrews, Sally Hinckley, Andy Ellis, Phil Whitney, Roger Addor, Carrie Skeffington, John McCall, Chris Keiter

Review agenda: approved as presented.

Review October minutes: approved as presented.

Minister’s Time:
John - Shared document “Realities of the World in Which We Minister”, highlighting the following points:
 Total membership has declined 60%, while budget has increased by 16 times since 1961.
 Change in worship attendance.
 2008 Trinity College Study on Religion shows fastest growth in “none of the above” religious group.
 Maine is the 3rd least religious state of all US states.
 Challenge: All forms of organized religion are on decline.
 Maine UCC conference fact: FCC is one of three with highest attendance.
 Where to go from here? High vitality churches have vision, strong lay leaders and recruitment/evangelistic strategies/plans.
 Building the church by building the message – importance of defining vision.
John’s document will be shared with Growth Group, Visioning Subcommittee, and Pastor Parish Relations Committee.

Elsa - Advent, overwhelmed, very busy.

Discussions:
Fundraising Criteria (continued from October) – Nancy presented the Guidelines and the reworked fundraising form; discussion re: placement of Hilltop Guild catering and Discovery Center in Guideline #6; decision not to include Discovery Center on list; Christmas Gift Appeal is for Community Crisis Ministries; Long Creek is the Giving Tree; Sub Sale is by Youth Ministry. The form was approved and will be distributed via the Beacon, the Teams, and Church office.

Business Referral Directory update – Don Russell drafted a concept paper that presents the intended policy for this project. Council recommends that document be simplified and reviewed at a later date with Don present.

Annual review by auditors - Council recommends that Discovery Center and Holly Daze Bazaar be included in Annual Review.

Budget Committee - Meetings to be held on 11/24, 12/7, 12/14, 1/11. Will consider more comprehensive budget.

Rosella Loveitt bequest - Chris will ask Budget Committee to explore ways in which to use remaining 80% of funds; it will be included as part of the budget proposal that will be presented at the December Council meeting.

Discovery Center (pre-school) budget update - No church help is being requested by the Discovery Center’s board at this point; they have had a discussion of using one less classroom to save rent.

Website redesign discussion is in process. Administration Team is involved.

 Sanctuary railing discussion - Administration Team is in process of getting feedback from Congregation.

Discussions on how businesses may promote to church members – Should this type of activity be encouraged? Comments from Council members: It could be a slippery slope, shuffling boundaries of what church membership means; there is a general discomfort with concept – too materialistic regarding some ideas, but ok with Community Crisis Ministries/Holly Daze Bazaar silent auction enterprise. Decided to not pursue at this time.

Sanctuary rental discussion – tabled until future meeting.

Update on Church vision discussions – group will meet in January.

Vote on additional nominations - tabled until future meeting.
SL&W: 1 vacancy
EG&F: 1 vacancy

Other Business: none at this time.

Adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Next meeting: December 17th; Opening/Recorder: Matt

Recorder: Debra Andrews

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Diversity Committee

Meeting Minutes of 11-15-09

Present: Deb Theriault; Connie Baskett, Fran Rowell, Carol Scheffler, Pam Hermann, John Howard, Mike Kasputes, Dolores Broberg, John McCall, Joan Carrier.

Deb opened the meeting with the reading of the childrens’ book God’s Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams and LeUyen Pham..

Deb asked that each of us hold in our prayers Kathy Cotter and her mother who is dealing with health issues.

It was the consensus that our participation in the Pride Parade (June), the Interfaith March for No on 1 campaign (October) and talk by Rev. Marvin Ellison (October) were all positive experiences for participants.

Feelings about and reactions to election results were informally discussed. There was agreement that though saddened by the results, looking back only five years ago, great progress has been made and that its increasingly clear that religious conviction should not have a place in shaping public policy.

Themes for Diversity Sunday (1/17/10) were discussed and it was decided that we should underscore the need for all in the congregation to feel safe in discussing divisive issues openly without fear of discrimination. Moreover, even though we might not achieve consensus, the congregation’s members should still feel loved, revered & valued as parts of the whole body of the church.

John M. read the Epistle for that Sunday: 1 Corinthians12:.1-11 and beyond. They seemed particularly appropriate for our chosen theme. Ways of illustrating this theme were discussed in which various unlike parts come together to make a whole. Visuals such as a heart, the figure of Jesus as in the body of Christ, a circle, the outline of the church, an elephant (as in the old folktale) were mentioned. Mike suggested having the congregation learn two disparate parts of a song which by themselves lack harmony but when sung together, create beautiful music. Deb will ask Shirley Curry for recommendations and also ask about an appropriate anthem.

It was suggested that we end the service by the entire congregation holding hands and singing “Many Gifts, One Spirit”.

Pam, Joan, Deb, Mike & John M. agreed to work as a sub-committee to flesh out these ideas. They will set a meeting date & e-mail any concerns that come up before our nest meeting.

John M. closed with a prayer.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, December 15 at 5:00 p.m.

Submitted by: Carol Scheffler

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Education Growth and Fellowship

Meeting Minutes of November 4, 2009
Recorded by: Margaret Thibodeau

Team members attending:
Jana Frank, Ginny Gledhill, Karen Pierce, Carolyn Foster, Margaret Thibodeau.

The meeting began with the approval of October’s Minutes.

Karen reported that the Library and Scholarship committees are both well organized, and that things are going along fine.

Jana shared that volunteers are signed up to serve and bake for Coffee Hour for November. She has not needed to send out a whole-church email yet, as people are volunteering to help by using the signup sheets available at coffee hour. For November 8th, the 275th Celebration committee will be providing a sheet cake. People have requested sanitizing lotion be available during coffee hour. Margaret will check with Tom to see if less coffee is being prepared, and if the large coffee pots are left for him to clean each Sunday. The Mission Board has contacted Jana and asked to host Coffee Hour sometime in January.

The Nursery is going along fine, Ginny announced. Information sheets are posted, and signup sheets are available. Parents appear to be staying as needed when more than two children are present in the nursery.

Margaret shared that there was an Inquirer’s Meeting October 20th. There were three prospective members attending. New Members Sunday is November 15th. Dave Allen, from Growth Group, was not able to attend this meeting, but reported that the group is working on “parish hosts”-matching up new parishioners with congregation members for support.

Carolyn shared her perspective on Sunday School, and further explained her hopes and concerns for the program as discussed previously with Elsa. Carolyn is impressed by the commitment of the Sunday School teachers, who are very prepared and responsible. The program is going well overall, and the children are having fun. The last Christ Kid’s Club had three adult helpers, which is necessary with such a large group of children attending. Carolyn observed that the children love the idea of the “club”, that there are several high-spirited students, and that Elsa does a wonderful job. The superintendent appears to be circulating more amongst the classrooms, offering support to the teachers. Carolyn also explained her observations and hopes for the Children’s Offering, a monthly group worship time on Communion Sundays, and reevaluating our semester model of recruiting teachers. The EG&F Team would like to explore each of these areas further at future meetings. The team wondered what the current teacher’s feedback might be regarding some of these proposals.

The Team read the rest of Elsa’s Faith Formation update, which included information on adult faith formation, Confirmation, and the upcoming special event: A Veggie Tale movie scheduled for November 14th. The event could use some additional volunteers, and the EG&F Team suggested sending home a flyer with children Sunday which promotes the event, and asks for volunteers. Margaret will follow-up with Elsa before the movie night to see if more help is needed.

Two church members have asked to coordinate the Advent Workshop, and the Team is appreciative of their efforts. The Team decided we would like to host Jesus’ Birthday, after the family service Christmas Eve.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, December 3

Growth Group

Meeting Minutes of 11/9/09

Members present: Rick Angell, Dave Allen, Elinor Redmond, Kendra Palmer, John McCall Absent: Jim Kupel, Stan Jordan, Sue Ross.

John opened the meeting at 5:30 p.m. with a prayer.

I. Parish Host Candidates/Match-Ups
John said that 3 people attended the Inquirer’s Meeting and that 4 people will join the church next Sunday. There is a longer list of people interested who are new to church-going. John identified 3 people who might want a Parish Host at this point:
- a man moving here from Wisconsin. His wife is not here yet.
- a woman who recently lost her job and decided to visit the church she has long driven by.
- a couple moving to the Betsy Ross home.
We identified people from the Parish Host meeting who might be good matches. Several matches have already occurred spontaneously.

Pilot plan for matching up ‘pairs’:
John will have conversations with the guests this week and offer a match. He will contact Rick who will then contact the PH to see if there are interested/available. When he has a ‘yes’, he will contact the guest and tell them to anticipate a call. Kendra will keep a master list of people going through the program. She will send an update whenever we have a new match.

II. Materials for Guests (People new to our church)
Elinor brought copies of the Welcome Packet and a list of documents provided by John. We agreed there is far more information in the packets than is needed when people arrive at church for the first time. Much of that information can be provided by Parish Hosts. We identified 3 essential fliers: welcome, children & families, open & affirming, plus a current copy of The Beacon. We want to have lucite racks in the church containing other fliers so that people can choose their area of interest and so that they are always available to any interested person.

We looked at the current fliers in the pew racks. We suggest eliminating outdated pledge cards and the ‘Meetinghouse Musing’ card. We recommend creating a combined offering envelope with a place to check to designate pledge or Community Crisis offerings. Elsa re-designed the fliers two years ago, adding the graphic ‘branding’ and working on the text. Elinor will meet with her to get her opinion and see if she wants to work on an update. This flier would also be placed in the pews.

Looking at the fliers themselves, we thought moving titles to the top so that they can be read when they are in racks and adding the web address made sense. The ‘Welcome’ folder would be more readable in a bullet format (not so dense with text). as well as removing the phrase ‘A Visitor Packet’. The word ‘guest’ should designate individuals who are new to attending our Church.

We discussed involving the youth in the responsibility of keeping materials current. Care should be taken involving the pew racks as Betty Deschenes enjoys her responsibility of keeping them tidy.

III. Top Action Choices
We went around the room with people offering their top choices for future actions. Kendra will send out a master list and we can add it to the minutes. We will assign responsibility for various tasks in future.

IV. Hospitality Tips
Dave’s foray into announcing a hospitality tip was successful. He had a couple of great conversations during coffee hour with people he had not previously met.
Rick will provide the next tip – he will begin by reviewing Dave’s tip (during coffee hour, talk with someone you have not met before) and then adding his own. Elinor will offer a tip in December.

The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.

NEXT MEETING: Monday, December 14 @ 5:30 p.m.


Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond

Mission and Outreach

Meeting Minutes of November 5, 2009

Present: Laurie Cary; Greg Wyman; Carol Scheffler; Sarah Randall; Sandy Dyer; Maureen Clancy

I. Meeting Opens
Greg opened the meeting with a reading on taking time and slowing down. The Minutes from the October meeting were approved as written. Laurie noted that 3 more thank you notes were received from the Sept. disbursements: Preble Street Teen Center, Iris network and Habitat for Humanity.

The team agreed to volunteer Richard to help update the mailing list and records on organizations that receive donations from the Mission Team; Laurie will check with him.

II. Treasurer’s Report
Greg gave the Treasurer’s report. The remainder of the funds will be spent in December when we make our final disbursements for 2009. Laurie and Greg have prepared the budget for 2010 which has the same margin increase as 2009. The total requested for 2010 is $58,425.00; no increase was requested for the special support fund.

III. Minister’s Moment
Elsa is away at a family reunion. The team discussed the hygiene kits for the Church World Services but since no additional information has been given, we agreed to postpone to 2010.

Sandy agreed to follow up on the Christmas giving program at Long Creek.

Laurie informed the group of the request from the Fur Cultural Revival to give a presentation at the Church about their project to address the needs in Darfur. The team agreed to review the website – www.furculturalrevival.org and decide on presentation time at the December meeting. Maureen mentioned a book she is reading about refugee resettlement work; she agreed to send the book title in the minutes – This Flowing Toward Me: A story of God arriving in stranger, by Marilyn Lacey, R.S.M.

IV. Old Business
Laurie reported that the responses from the Micah project mailing were anemic; only 11 were received. The team agreed to continue with the Preble Street Soup Kitchen and Habitat for Humanity projects for the time being and then reevaluate. Laurie will contact Preble Street and Maureen will contact Habitat for Humanity and bring the proposed dates to the December meeting. Laurie will bring a copy of the list of respondents to the next meeting as well.

The Emergency Pantry Food Drive resulted in 60 bags being donated. Sandy mentioned that peanut butter and jelly and cereal were items that are always in need since they go in every donation bag. The team also discussed the need for personal hygiene items since they cannot be purchased with food stamps or vouchers. We will schedule these drives at the next meeting and discuss whether a quarterly drive would be the best way to keep supplies strong.

V. Social Witness Ministries
Laurie reported that the Green Action Team is reforming under the name Earth Stewardship. They will meet the last Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. and will focus on having a speaker or movie at each meeting.

VI. Special Offering
The Christmas Fund happens on the Christmas Eve service and is for the retired minister’s fund. The team agreed that the Christmas Offering for 2009 would be for the Bread for the World program and Community Crisis Ministries. Laurie will draft and submit an article for the Beacon and check on the envelope distribution. Team members agreed to help with the envelope distribution if necessary. We also discussed ILAP, Long Creek and Safe Passage as possible donation sources but agreed to discuss those organizations as part of the December disbursements.

VII. Subcommittees
The Mission Mall is set for Nov. 21, 2009; Sarah, Carol and Greg will all be there participating.

The Thanksgiving Basket project is underway. 25 baskets will be provided to needy families; donations will be collected the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

The Giving Tree will be available 11/29-12/13.

The Mitten Tree will be up for 12/20 service.

VIII. New Business
Carol opened the conversation about the Advent Conspiracy project that Elsa had sent for our team. The team agreed that we want to choose a new name that has a more positive connotation. We agreed that the concept was great and that Carol’s idea of collecting ideas and making a book about how to rethink the giving spirit of Christmas was great but that we did not have enough time this year to get it accomplished. We agreed to have Carol draft an article for the Beacon and to begin the booklet by collecting ideas. Carol will send a draft article to the Team.

IX. Wrap Up
Sunday coffee orders will be taken 11/8 and 11/15; Greg will be there but would appreciate any help. The team agreed to host coffee hours on 1/10 and 1/17 if needed and to serve Fair Trade coffee. Laurie will confirm the hosting needs.

The next meeting will be held December 3, 2009. Mike will give opening and closing remarks and Richard will take notes.


Respectfully Submitted,
Maureen Clancy

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Administration Team

Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2009

Present: Cyndi Alden, Ron Bennett, Guy Gledhill, Jim Otis, Eben Marsh, Jim Otis, Deb Sandler. Absent: Chris Mills.

The meeting was called to order by our presiding pro tem Chair Deb Sandler at 7:00 p.m. EDLST. Eben Marsh was appointed Meeting Secretary.

The Minutes of the September 17, 2009 Meeting were approved without change.

Old Business:
Financial Statements and Budget
1. The Financial Statements were reviewed and discussed. Monthly rental revenue was a discussion point as we were in a changeover of tenants. Cyndi expressed that the Budget and budgeted revenues were in line with projections. It was noted that the Church had contracted its heating oil cost at $1.94. Accolades were pronounced.
2. Council Financial Concerns: Jim has drafted a report of his meeting with the Church auditor in which several recommendations were suggested for their consideration. To date, he has not received a response from the Council / Auditor.

Tenant Review
1. Tenant Updates: There was a discussion of various changes and improvements that could be made to make additional rental units at 329 Cottage Road to make the downstairs a commercial rental space, and the upstairs into residential space. Some clean up suggestions were made for 509 Sawyer following the long term tenant there leaving this month.
2. The Church rental properties are rented in Craig’s List and a lawn sign will be posted.

Rummage Sale Update
1. It was reported that $4500.00 was taken in.

Committee Reports:
House Committee
1. Guy reported that work will be done at the 329 Cottage Road rental. There is no Gardening Committee. There was a discussion on the issue of the Sanctuary fire alarm. There will be a House Committee meeting later this fall.
2. All in all, lots of improvements have made, and the Church is felt to be in generally good condition.

Planned Giving
1. There was no report to make. The committee felt that it should not be pro-active at this time due to the state of the economy.

Financial Review
1. There should be a contingency plan in the event there are no counters present on any given Sunday.
2. Peggy Murray appeared and gave our committee a very comprehensive and reassuring report of the organization and activity of the Counting Committee.
3. Detailed discussion was held on the following matters:
• Program financial guidelines.
• The budget.
• Whether there needs to be a Management Letter.
• Council concerns.
• Setting up a financial accounting system that would be used by each Church committee / group.
• Awaiting the Council’s response to Jim’s letter.

New Business:
1. Web Site Redesign – John has raised the matter of updating the Church Website. Following a discussion, it Jim will ask John to ask the Council to approve spending some amount of money to authorize the A Team select a consultant and proceed with this project. Jim will compose an email to John outlining an approach to toward getting this started.

2. Chris to ask Rod Redstone about his interest to join the A Team.

The Meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

The next A Team meeting will be November 5, 2009.

Respectfully composed and submitted by Eben Marsh, meeting secretary.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Growth Group

Meeting Minutes of October 19, 2009

Members present: Rick Angell, Dave Allen, Elinor Redmond, Kendra Palmer, John McCall.
Absent: Jim Kupel, Stan Jordan, Sue Ross.

The meeting opened at 5:40 p.m.

John brought several brochures from other churches.

**indicates future action

I. “The Plan”:
We went over Dave’s master plan, step by step:
1. Brochures: Jim incorporated changes based on the Parish Host meeting.

2. Team/Group summaries: in process – Dave remarked that achieving 80% is a good goal.

3. Materials for PH reference manual: Elinor and John will meet early next week. We discussed the challenge of keeping materials updated and possible use of the web in future.

4. Recruit hosts: 10 people attended the meeting and were enthusiastic. Rick (and Stan) will make more calls.

5. The first meeting was held.

6. Identity of guests to be hosted: our first thought considered new members signed up through the Inquirer’s Meeting. Later we discussed how to identify potential hostees within a few months of their starting to attend our church. They could also be people who did not respond to or declined an invitation to attend an Inquirer’s meeting.

7. Host training: This will consist of a brief (45 minute meeting). The group will spend ½ hour brainstorming ideas and 15 minutes touring the building. John will ‘train’ Rick to do the tour. We will look for a time to get the group back together ASAP. Dave and Rick will target a time.
We discussed how to match people up. It makes sense to look for affinities (children in Sunday school, etc.). The process can take place during a PH meeting.

8. Pilot a few relationships: Dave will e-mail the people who came to the PH meeting.

II. Parish Host Brochure
We discussed the changes Jim made to the brochure. We suggest being consistent in talking about guests (not newcomers). Dave will write ideas for the brochure, including moving the part about being a welcoming presence in the Narthex under expectations. Ushers can be welcomers also.

III. Kendra’s List
Kendra created another version of her master idea list which included symbols to denote the source of each idea. We may already do some of the suggestions. She made a separate list which breaks the ideas into themes for various church groups. Not all tasks are ‘for sure’ choices.

**HOMEWORK FOR THE NEXT MEETING: Identify your own top 5 ideas and bring them to the next meeting. These ideas should have the most impact with the least difficulty.

John suggested having a brief hospitality tip at the beginning of Sunday’s service. We decided it would be provided during the announcement time by a member of our group. Dave will do the announcement on 10/25, Rick on 11/22, Elinor on 12/20. This schedule is tentative. We arbitrarily chose a Sunday late in the month.

IV. Materials
We discussed what materials are available for guests when they first visit. What is in the pew racks? Kendra brought a sample pew card, “For Our Guest” which helped a person navigate the cues of the service and told about the UCC. We looked at the (extensive) welcome packet provided in the Narthex. We will review and talk about guest materials at the next meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

NEXT MEETING: Monday, November 9 @ 5:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond

Church Council

MEETING MINUTES OF OCTOBER 15, 2009

Opening: Moderator Chris Keiter called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.

Members present: Chris Keiter, Nancy MacLean, Roger Addor, Deb Andrews, Chris Dow, Matt Early, Andy Ellis, Sally Hinckley, Bob Morse, Carrie Skeffington, Phil Whitney. Ministers present: John McCall and Elsa Peters.

Guest: Pam Howard

Minutes review: September meeting minutes were approved.

Ministers’ time: From John: As part of the review process, Pastor Parish Relations (PPR) worked with Elsa and John on defining goals. In January the PPR will meet with Council to go over these goals and how they relate to the vision statement of the church (underway).

John shared a copy of an article about challenges of “oldline” churches like ours and the challenges of keeping the church vital.

Annual meeting of Maine UCC Conference: Maine UCC has changed significantly in last 2 years: downsizing, part-time pastors, merging/closing churches.

Approval of Nomination: Carolyn Foster for EG&F

Budget Committee: committee includes Moderator (committee chair), Sr. Minister, 2 Council members (Matt Early, Chris Dow), and Business Manager (Cyndi Alden).

Fundraising Criteria: There was a suggestion to have all groups complete a fundraising form, including established events (Bazaar, Rummage Sale, Eskimo cookie sale, etc). Deb and Nancy will re-type the application and include some other points for a future discussion. Do we need more structured criteria, or do we want to use the general guidelines and take each request as it comes? Email Deb or Nancy with any input/ideas. Next meeting we will plan to come to a consensus.

Discovery Center (DC): Pam Howard (the DC Director) presented information about their budget. Enrollment is down and they are looking at a $6000 deficit this year, after ending last year with a $5000 deficit. Questions for the bookkeeper: What accumulated savings/cash flow is there? Also unsure of how much Barb Adams Scholarship money is left. The question of charging rent to the Discovery Center was raised. The income from the DC rent is part of the church budget. Pam will get financial information to Chris, and he will get it to Council members through email. Decisions can then be made.

H1N1 Flu Virus: Hand sanitizer is available at the entrance to sanctuary, chapel, and in Wright Pavilion. Elsa will write an article for the Beacon: a general reminder to stay home if you’re sick, use hand sanitizer, etc.

Web Site Design: Discussion to redesign website to accommodate some beneficial changes: on-line giving, Sunday School registration, linking business referral list, newer look, appeal to younger generation, etc. Money is not in the current budget for this. One web designer is available for a no-cost consultation to look at the needs and wants of the church website. Council Fund has uncommitted funds available that could be used to fund the website redesign. The Council gave its approval to look into options and costs. Proposal: offer tutorial for seniors and others who would like instruction on accessing the web.

Business Referral Directory: Since the website cannot be modified to accommodate the Business Referral Directory at this time, we are proceeding with a paper-only version that can be moved to the website at the appropriate time. Chris collected feedback from the Council on Don Russell’s first draft of the Business Referral Directory process and guidelines. Chris will work with Don Russell to reword the proposal.

Sanctuary Railing: Discussion of need of a railing going up to the chancel. The Council approved looking into the proposal, sketches and cost.


The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Submitted by Carrie Skeffington

Administration Team

Meeting Minutes of April 2, 2009

Present: Ron Bennett, Deb Sandler, Guy Gledhill, Chris Mills, Jim Otis, Cyndi Alden, Eben Marsh
Guest: Nancy MacLean, special guest from the Council.

The meeting was called to order by the Meeting Chair Deb Sandler at 7:05 p.m.

Chris Mills was appointed Meeting Secretary and Chair for the next meeting.

The minutes of the March 5, 2009 meeting were reviewed and approved with the corrected spelling of Stephen Popp’s name.

OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Cyndi lead a review of our financial statements .Everything looks on course with the 1st quarter behind us. The scholarship interest account was negative due to disbursements after an initial approval of a dollar amount.

Tenant review: Stephen Popp moved out on April 1, according to Cyndi. There was discussion on pursuing rent still owed by Popp. It was decided by the team to put it behind us. Guy will do a walkthrough of the property on 4/3. Any damages will be deducted from security deposit, as will back rent. Cyndi will send a final billing to Popp.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Counting: Brian Wallace reports that he is all set for counters for Palm Sunday & Easter. He will be selecting a new chair for the next year.

House: Guy reports all is well. Prudy Wiggins will get work party together for church grounds; much of work will be spreading mulch. Found and repaired minor water leaks. Major leak in community room; it appears to have come in around window during major storm. Guy discussed awarding “heating control” bid to Maine Controls which is a division of Mechanical Services. There were three bids. Maine controls won with a bid of$16,680. We will be able to implement this control system on our current computer system. The other bids would have required purchase of a separate computer. The church should save $4500 per year, which would be a 4-5year payback. With this system the heat can be controlled from home. We also are looking into dual burners for boiler for cost savings. 3rd floor windows will be done this fall. Oil bid recently locked in at $1.94.9

Planned Giving: no report

NEW BUSINESS:
Nancy MacLean from the Council met with us to see how we were doing with the new paradigm of church governance. The A-team reported, it took the 1st year to smooth out, but all agreed, things were running fine with no problems to report.

Nancy raised a concern of Council & church members of accounting of monies raised by subgroups that do not flow through the budget, i.e. - Eskimos, rummage sale, etc. Nancy stated there is no serious concern, other than having a full accounting of monies raised in the church. Discussion centered on these groups being a footnote in the annual budget. Cyndi will check with auditor on this issue.

Nancy also wanted feedback on the idea of a business referral bulletin board, which would consist of church members who could provide a service to members of the church. Although the A-team saw benefits to this, it was agreed it could also make for complications. It was agreed by the A-team to keep referrals the old fashioned way, word of mouth.

Ron & Jim will attend Council meeting on 4/16.

Jim will be contact person for A-team for next year.

Nominations: Jim & Deb were nominated to 3 year terms on the A-team.

Next meeting: May 7, 2009

The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.


Respectfully submitted by: Chris Mills, Meeting Secretary

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Music Committee

Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2009

Present: Shirley Curry, Kim Early, Anna O’Connor, Sheryl Kieran, Trudi Bakke

1. Reviewed and accepted September Minutes.

2. Updates:
Debriefed on Homecoming Sunday – consensus was that less people strolled by the music table possibly due to the set up sprawling over different areas of the church.

Anna spoke with Sue Stevens and was informed that there was no longer a need to borrow the clavinova.

Kim reported that she attempted to contact the Organ Clearing House twice by phone and received a message saying that the number was not taking calls. She also sent an e-mail and received no response. The committee talked about donating the organ to a church that is in need of one. Kim will talk with Elsa and John about this.

3. The 2010 proposed budget line items were reviewed. Shirley would like to see any money left in the Organ Maintenance Sanctuary line and the Handbell Repair line at the end of the year to be transferred into segregated accounts. Shirley reported that if something happens to the organ we would be looking at thousands of dollars in repairs and that it would also be very pricey to appropriately box up, ship and have the handbells repaired if needed. Kim will ask Cyndi Alden if this is a possibility.

4. Christmas Vespers will be held on Sunday, December 13th at 5:30 p.m. Committee members will arrive at 5:00 p.m. to set up for the reception that will follow the program. Tasks were volunteered for as follows…
• Beacon article and pulpit announcement - Anna
• Reserve room and request set up – Kim
• Learn how to work the heat in Wright Pavilion and unlock the front door - Kim
• Centerpiece - Anna
• Paper products - Sheryl
• Tea – Trudi & Anna
• Cider – Trudi, Anna & Kim
• Christmas cookies - all

5. Shirley requested to use some funds from a segregated account to have a trumpeter at the December 13th 10:00 a.m. service. The committee approved this request. Sheryl will check with Matt Leberge to see if he would be interested in playing. Shirley also said that she would love to have more people in the choir!

Mission and Outreach

Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2009

Present: Laurie Cary, Carol Scheffler, Mike Kasputes, Sandy Dyer, Greg Wyman, Richard Parker, and Sarah Randall.

Opening Reading: Sarah read from the book of Hebrews Chapter 11, about faith.

After two spelling corrections; Deb Theriault and Glsen, the minutes of September 3rd were accepted.

Treasurer’s Report: Greg Wyman
- Two disbursement letters were returned, incorrect address. Greg will check into it and resend. A Thank You note was received from Bangor Theological Seminary.
- Will start budget planning for 2010 next month.
- Maine Council of Churches 20/20 vision campaign has been completed, our pledge to this has been met. After a discussion and vote it was decided we would continue our support to this, having it come out of the “Special Support In Maine” part of the budget.
- Board voted to make a special donation for the victims of the recent Tsunamis in American Samoa and Indonesia. A donation of $500 will be sent to the American Red Cross.

Ministers Moments: Elsa Peters
- Micah project responses are starting to come in.
- UCC conference was last weekend; pamphlets about “Our church’s wider Mission” sent to be disbursed to the congregation. Discussed best way to do this, decided to put in pew racks and have an article in the Beacon about where to find the pamphlets.
- Opportunity for board members to attend a seminar “Just Practice”, Friday- Saturday November 6th and 7th in Worcester, MA. It’s a New England UCC Justice and Witness event. Elsa is unable to attend.

Old Business:
- Micah Project ; will table discussion until November.
- Homecoming Sunday; mixed feelings on success of overall event. Mike gave the idea of perhaps promoting one group each Sunday during coffee hour. Would give more focus to that group.
- Special offering Neighbors in Need this Sunday, October 4th.

Subcommittees:
- Fair trade coffee; orders have been collected and sent. Expecting shipment this next week. Will need sorters, Greg will e-mail team with time and date for sorting.
- Food Pantry; Sarah spoke with Gail Dransfield, pantry is very low on food. Time for a “Food Drive”. Sarah will make an announcement during Chapel service this Sunday, October 4th. Carol will announce at the 10:00AM service. Pass out bags and lists October 11th, and collect donations October 18th.
- Mission Mall; have six charities so far, looking for two more. Carol will contact and invite “Florence House”, a new facility for homeless women. Sarah will contact and invite “Grace Street Ministries”, a ministry for street people.

Open Discussion:
- Carol reminded us to “save the date”, October 22nd at 7:00 p.m.here at FCCUS. Dr. Marvin Ellison will speak on Marriage Equality. Then on October 15th, Bishop Gene Robinson will be speaking at St. Luke’s.
- Sandy told us that for June-September 15th our food pantry served 130 families from South Portland and Cape Elizabeth.

Closing Reading: Sarah finished the reading from Hebrews
Chapter 11.

Meeting ended at 8:20 p.m.

Recorder: Sarah Randall

Next Meeting: November 5th.

Opening/Closing Prayer: Greg Wyman

Recorder: Maureen Clancy

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Education, Growth and Fellowship

Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2009
Recorded by: Margaret Thibodeau

Team Members attending: Jana Frank, Ginny Gledhill, Margaret Thibodeau, Karen Pierce, Carolyn Foster and Elsa Peters.

The meeting began with the approval of September’s Minutes.

The Team discussed Homecoming Sunday, which occurred on September 13th. Due to rummage sale items collected in Guptill Hall, Homecoming Sunday tables were spread throughout the hallways and meeting rooms of the church. EG&F provided beverages in Wright Pavilion, and food items were dispersed amongst the tables, in the hope to encourage people to walk around, and visit the various groups and committees represented. The event seemed to go smoothly, although the recruitment of volunteers was not any better than in previous years. A larger table was needed for Sunday School registration. People appreciated that healthy food options (grapes, pineapple, etc) were available in addition to traditional baked goods.

The coordination of Coffee Hour continues to be a challenge. A few volunteers do sign up each Sunday on the sign-up sheets available at Coffee Hour, however, the EG&F contact (Jana Frank) still spends a good deal of time each week making phone calls and enlisting help. Margaret makes sure that supplies (cream, milk, AJ, tea, etc) are stocked in the kitchen each week. It is the goal of the EG&F Team to recruit a small committee to head up Coffee Hour. This committee would organize coffee hour each Sunday, and report to Jana, as was the original intent when the EG&F Team was organized. Jana will contact the church office, and have a whole church email sent out requesting volunteers, as well as a notice put in the next bulletin. She will also try to recruit while making the coffee hour calls. Margaret will talk to Tom about the amount of coffee made (seems to more than enough), and emptying the coffee pots, which are too heavy for many of the volunteers.

Ginny is heading up the Nursery this year. She circulated for the Team’s approval, the notice posted in the nursery, asking parents not to leave more than one child with Diane alone. A signup sheet will be available in the nursery asking parents to help with coverage.

Carolyn reported that Sunday School had started smoothly. The suggestion was made for the Superintendent each Sunday to circulate amongst the classrooms, and be a visible support to the teachers. Often the younger ages need assistance with bathroom trips, etc, and the superintendent could be helpful at these times. The idea of a “pager system” for teachers of the younger grades was discussed by the Team.

The next Inquirer’s Meeting is Tuesday, October 20th, and Margaret will provide refreshments. New members will be inducted on Sunday, 11/15.

Elsa reviewed the Faith Formation update. There are many children registered for Sunday School, including several new families. Christ Kid’s Club, with almost 50 students attending, needs some adult assistance and adjustment in the program to empower the 7th & 8th graders. The Adult Faith Formation Committee met, and has much enthusiasm around focusing on themes for our congregation’s exploration. Several other opportunities are available this fall for adult faith exploration and study. The Veggie Tale event is scheduled for November 14th at 6:30, and several parents have already volunteered to assist.

Margaret reviewed Aaron’s Youth Ministry update. Aaron had asked the group’s opinion on offering the youth an opportunity to visit a temple. The Team was supportive of this activity.

Margaret will send the completed “Growth Group” forms to Dave Allen, and ask if he would like to join the Team at the next meeting in November.

The Team also reviewed and updated the “Church Contacts” list for the office, and progress on the Nametag Committee.

Next meeting: Thursday, November 5th

Spiritual Life and Worship

Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2009

Attending: Elaine Brownell, Betsy Keiter, Dana Wiggins, Debbie Riley, Rick Angell, John McCall.

Opening Prayer by Debbie.

Review of Sept. Minutes – Approved as written.

World Communion Sunday – plans were made to serve communion at 4 places in the sanctuary to symbolize the 4 corners of the world. The SL&W team will help serve and ushers will direct congregants to the closest quadrant.

Inquirer's Meeting – scheduled for Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Wright Pavilion – Dana will represent SL&W.

Growth Group – Rick reports that a Parish Host Inquirer's Meeting will be held after church on 10/3 to give information about this new program offered to newcomers in our church. Parish hosts might sit in church with a new family, or give a tour of our church or go along to coffee hour with them and introduce them to others. The Growth Group would like to encourage our church members to be more welcoming.

Hymnal Memorial Bookplates – Bryan Wiggins drew the design that Debbie and Dana have submitted – the group approved the design with a few color changes and now the memorial text is being entered and copy fit into the bookplate before printing and applying to inside covers.

Altar Table - The server in Davidson Lounge has been used for communion this past year and the SL&W has found its size and design fits well in the sanctuary – we would like to move it there on a permanent basis for communions. We will look for a new piece of furniture to replace the Davidson Lounge piece.

Communion Servers – Betsy will train new servers and organize a list of servers for the coming year.

Team Leadership – Sending the agenda will rotate as follows for future meetings: Dana/ November, Debbie/ December, Elaine/January, Rick/February, Betsy/March, Dana/April, Debbie/May, Rick/June.

Next Meeting: November 5 at 7 p.m.

Adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Dana Wiggins

Monday, October 5, 2009

Food Pantry

Meeting Minutes of September 23, 2009

PRESENT: Betty Crane, Nance Driscoll, Burt Randall, Barbara Merrill, Gail Dransfield, Jan Files, Nancy Senger, Sandy Dyer, Judy Hardy.
ABSENT: AnnElissa was sick with the flu.

Kathy Sahrbeck has had to retire from our group. She, along with her great personality, will be missed. We did have a nice surprise, though. Nancy Senger has rejoined our group for a few months. Welcome back, Nancy.

BALANCE:
I’m sorry, but didn’t get the amount, but we spent the $3,242.00 that was a grant given to us by the United Way, on food and gift certificates. We have $400.00 in gift certificates left from that amount to give out.

REQUESTS:
June – Sept. Families / 130; Adults / 220; Children / 220

OLD BUSINESS:
Gail wrote thank you notes to Peter & Marcia Webber and to Peoples Methodist Church for their donations. Nancy Senger will get the names of other donors from the office & write them thank you notes. We made $80.00 to put into our piggy bank from our swap last Sunday, Sept. 20th.

NEW BUSINESS:
We decided to have a table with the Mission Mall at the Holly Daze Bazaar this year. Nancy Senger will set up and man the table for us after talking to AnnElissa to see what is needed. Sandy Dyer will make up gift certificates to give out and a alist of pantry foods needed.

Theft Problem: We had a problem this summer with some people stealing gift certificates out of bags. We discussed not giving certificates and giving powdered milk, but decided to still give the certificates. Any bags not picked up when Jen leaves on Friday will be put in the pantry. Gift certificates are to be put in the bottom of the bags. Jen is to tell people when they call that the food will be re-shelved if left here 3 days.

Mailings: Gail requested mailings be sent to community churches, schools & police departments. We want to remind people that we are here for those in need and to ask for whatever donations they can give. Jan will be writing the letters for the mailings.

Subs: If anyone needs a sub, when they get a name for the sub, it is up to the person asking for the sub to do a group email and let everyone know who that person is.

Thanksgiving: It was suggested when people call for food that Jen tell them that if they should want a basket that they should order Nov. 1st through Nov. 15th. They should also know that it will not hurt their pantry standings.

Emergency Help: Betty & Barb will make some new listings for Emergency help to put in bags and to give to Jen. Barb will also check on 411# and see exactly what it means.

Casserole Bags: We will once again start making our casserole bags. Need small bags and also any kind of bags for food. Will put a notice in the Beacon for bags and will also make up notes to put into food bags to ask people to recycle and bring us back their bags.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, 1/21/10

Respectfully submitted by Jan Files.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Administration Team

Meeting Minutes of September 17, 2009

Present: Cyndi Alden, Ron Bennett, Guy Gledhill, Chris Mills, Jim Otis, and Deb Sandler.
Absent: Eben Marsh

The meeting was called to order by the Meeting Chair Ron Bennett at 7:00 p.m. Deb Sandler was appointed Meeting Secretary.

The minutes of the June 4, 2009 meeting were reviewed and accepted.

Old Business:
Financial Statements and Budget:
Cyndi provided a review of our financial statements and budget. revenues are approximately on budget except for rental property. Expenses are in line with budget.
On utility costs: Guy reported that the computer system is fully in place. It allows for remote control of the heating and cooling in each room. It will also calculate by zones where we are loosing heat. This hopefully will help us bring down the utility costs.
Jim recommended that Cyndi breakout item #5020 Rental Property into #5020 rental property income and #5021 rental property expenses so that we have a clearer picture of the rental properties budget.

Tenant review:
329 Cottage - Downstairs: rental is in place and going well. Upstairs: Dottie is moving by October 1st. She has had mice and fleas in the past month. She thinks the mice were from left over food the former downstairs tenant left behind. She has set many traps and caught 4 mice. She thinks she has trapped them all. She has also set off 7 bombs, but has not been able to eliminate the fleas. We will exterminate after she leaves.(or before) The apartment needs paint, bathroom fixtures, reglazing of the tub, new kitchen sink, closet work, windows, insulation and electrical work. These expenses will come out of the major maintenance account and were noted in the CNA report as to be done during a tenant turnover. Cyndi will advertise an opening for Nov. 1st for $700/m.

509 Sawyer, Bungalow: In May we authorized Cyndi to negotiate a lower rent with the tenant since she had lost her job. Rent went from $1000. to $750. In June Lisa, the tenant, got a new job…that job has fallen through.
Even though our lease states that there are ‘no pets allowed’ Cyndi gave Lisa verbal permission to have a dog. Over the summer the tenant took down the gate that separates her yard from the Discovery Center playground and allowed her dog to poop there. She was verbally asked multiple times by Cyndi and Pam Howard to clean up the poop and the cigarette butts. When she did not comply Cyndi, Tom and Pam met on August 27th and sent her a letter asking her to please find a new home for her dog by Sept 14th. She did not.
The ‘no pets allowed’ clause in the lease was waived by Cyndi’s verbal ok. The letter has officially replaced that clause and Lisa is now in violation of the lease. As a result we asked Cyndi to hand deliver her a letter stating that if your dog is not out by Oct 1st, we will serve you with a notice to vacate the premises.
(Update 9/23/09: Cyndi delivered the letter to Lisa on 9/18. On 9/22 Lisa responded that she has found a temporary home for her dog, starting 10/3, while she looks for new housing. She asked if it was ok to wait 2 days and make the transfer on the weekend. The A-Team, via e-mail, has agreed to that accommodation.)

Report of meeting with independent accountants: Jim, Ron and Cyndi met with Lori-Anne Wilson and Wayne Smith of Smith & Associates on September 10th, 2009 to talk about last year’s financial statement review. Simply put, it was recommended that small groups, such as the Eskimos and Hilltop Guild can be ‘forgiven’ from being included in the financial statement, but other programs, such as Holidaze Bazaar and Discovery Center should be included. It was a very comprehensive meeting and we had much discussion. Jim will write up minutes of that meeting to share with the Council.

Homecoming Sunday update: Deb reported that she had a table and was able to get two volunteers for the Garden Committee. Beyond that it was quiet with great baked goods.

Committee Reports:
House: Guy reported that
o Windows have been replaced on the 3rd floor in both the Sunday School and Community rooms.
o Painting is being completed on the office front.
o We are exploring an $8000. option to convert our oil burner to an oil or gas burner with the flick of a switch depending on the cost of oil or gas at the time.
o C,F&G has asked us to explore the idea of putting hand sanitizer dispensers on the walls throughout the church.

Counting: Peggy Murray has taken over as chair of the counting committee for the 2009-2010 church year and all is well.
Planned Giving: Ron & Chris will write a short article for the beacon to be submitted and reviewed at the next A-Team meeting.

New Business:
Web design: Discussion tabled until our next meeting.

New A-Team members: Chris agreed to call Rod Redstone, a new church member who expressed interest in being on the A-Team, to share ideas of the various committees he could join now and explore his joining the A-Team next June when we rotate off.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:09 p.m.

The next meeting will be held on October 1st, 2009.

Respectfully submitted by: Deb Sandler, Meeting Secretary

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Music Committee

Meeting Minutes of September 10, 2009

Present: Shirley Curry, Kim Early, Anna O’Connor

1. Reviewed and accepted May minutes.

2. Discussed plans for Homecoming Sunday. Kim will call Robin Reinhold to see if she is interested in continuing the Joyful Noise Choir and will make sign up sheets for that, the Children’s Choir, the Meeting House Choir, the Hilltop Ringers, and the Music Committee. Anna will hang some posters and man the table on Homecoming Sunday.

3. Committee members agreed to divide the writing of the thank you notes to those who volunteered for Summer Music.

4. After listing the Reed Organ on Craigslist and having Tom Saturley check with his contacts about auctioning the organ, with no success on either avenue, during the 2008-2009 church year, Kim reported that she contacted the Organ Historical Society and the Organ Clearing House over the summer. The Organ Historical Society does not deal with selling or buying of organs. The Organ Clearing House charges a finders fee, generally paid by the purchaser, which is $1,200 or 5% of the sale, whichever is greater. Kim agreed to contact the Organ Clearing House again to find out if the value is only 2,000 what the finders fee would be. The committee also discussed the possibility of not being able to sell the organ. Options include giving it away or leaving it as is.

5. Shirley reported that Sue Stevens had requested to use the clavinova at the Maine Conference Annual Meeting. Anna volunteered to check with Sue to see if she was still interested in borrowing it and if so if the church or even the conference has insurance for the clavinova to leave the building.

6. The committee set the following dates for its meetings for 2009-2010.
October 1st
December 3rd
February 4th
March 4th (if needed)
May 6th
Meetings will be held at 7 p.m. (Note: Easter is on April 4th in 2010.)

Monday, September 14, 2009

Spiritual Life and Worship

Meeting Minutes of September 3, 2009

Attending: Elaine Brownell, Betsy Keiter, Dana Wiggins, Debbie Riley, Rick Angell, John McCall

Opening Prayer by Betsy

Review of June 9 Minutes – Approved as written

Request from Sue Stevens – Sue has been the Executive Assistant at the Maine Conference office for 2.5 years and has grown in her faith while serving in matters of administration and communication there. As a continuation of her faith journey she is beginning her second year of studies to become a Commissioned Minister, one of three types of authorized ministers within the UCC. Commissioned ministers would not perform duties of an ordained minister but would specialize in their own area of expertise within the operation of the church. Sue asks for our support as she continues her studies. Betsy will craft a letter that will be reviewed at our next meeting. At that point we'll discuss a submission in the Beacon describing Sue's endeavor and our support of it.

Homecoming Sunday and Fair – Signup sheets were produced and will be on the tables this Sunday. SL&W tables will be in the Gallery opposite the curved wall hallway. Other groups will be set up throughout the church encouraging members to visit and learn about each group. Rick, Dana and Betsy and Debbie will be answering questions and acquiring new members for SL&W sub-groups of Greeters, Ushers, Acolytes, Narthex, Communion, Chancel, Worship Leader, Altar Flowers . We also hope to sign another member for SL&W to fulfill the minimum number. (Music and Lay Visitation, sub-groups of SL&W, will have their own sign up people.)

Salt and Light – Elsa has requested the SL&W create a worship moment about salt to tie in with the Homecoming 2009 theme of Salt and Light, reflecting on Matthew 5:13-16. We opted to talk as a group about salt in our language, expressions, food, cravings and needs. We'll start with definition of salt from the dictionary and assign characters to speak - such as an "old salt", a "salt of the sea" etc.

Hymnal Memorial Bookplates – Debbie and Dana will meet again to work on the book plates, estimating 2 weeks to finalize design, 2 weeks for printing with a target date of Oct. 4 for placement.

Website Update – Upgrades to the site would enable online forms for Sunday school registration, Youth Group permission slips, a link for web based donations, photo additions, more organized information, easier readability and navigation. John has a contact interested in discussing a site upgrade with us. Chris Keiter, Elsa, John, Dana and other interested members will form a group that will consult with the web-designer regarding available options, our priorities, and moderating costs. Once a new site is launched, text and photo updates can be made by a point-person, a volunteer within our church, to whom we can send new and changing content.

Altar Table - With communion going smoothly from the lower placement of the communion table, it's time to consider a table that can stay in the sanctuary rather than be moved each month from from Davidson Loung. A smaller, lighter and more portable table was suggested. We discussed costs of ready made or custom built. Debbie suggests submitting a diagram and dimensions to the Windham Correctional Institution for an estimate as they have an amazing woodworking shop with work being done by the inmates.

Multimedia in Worship Service - After discussion and research on multimedia worship services, Rick is tabling the idea due to lack of time to pursue start up and content development. He hopes the subject can be taken up at another time.

Discussion on John Attending SL&W Meeting – John will continue to meet with SL&W this year.

Next Meeting: Oct.1, 2009

Adjourned at 8:55 PM

Respectfully Submitted,
Dana Wiggins

Mission and Outreach

Meeting Minutes of September 3, 2009

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Laurie Cary. Carol Scheffler offered the opening meditation by reading the Beatitudes.

All members were present: Laurie Cary, Maureen Clancy, Sandy Dyer, Mike Kasputes, Richard Parker, Sarah Randall, Carol Scheffler and Greg Wyman, and also Rev. Elsa Peters. We all gave brief introductions around the table.

It was noted that the secretary’s report omitted a discussion of a possible donation to GLSEN. Other than that the report was accepted as written. Laurie reported that thank you notes were received from The Wayside Soup Kitchen, Spurwink Services, Serenity House, the Protestant Hospital Ministry, Andover-Newton Theological Seminary, and The Center for Grieving Children, as well as Friends of the World Food Program, which received $949.60 from the Easter offering. The treasurer’s report was reviewed and accepted with thanks.

Elsa spoke about the upcoming Annual Meeting of the Maine Conference. The theme of the meeting will be “Justice”. She also described a program which will be featured during Advent called “The Advent Conspiracy”, which encourages people to make Christmas less commercial.

We discussed the Micah Project and made plans for an all-congregation mailing. Sandy will prepare the letter for the mailing. A “Mission Moment” will be given on Sunday, September 20th about the program. Maureen will speak at the chapel service and Carol at the 10 o’clock worship. A possible project for this year might be assisting with loading a truck for Konbit Sante.

Sarah described plans for the Homecoming table, featuring an umbrella theme. It was also mentioned that the newly renovated Emergency Food Pantry will be open that morning.

Sarah will get in touch with AnnElissa regarding the next food drive.

Quarterly disbursements of $750 each were designated for:
Habitat for Humanity Bangor Theological Seminary
The Iris Network Equality Maine
Day One Shalom House
Preble Street Lighthouse Shelter (for teens)
Maureen spoke about the Chestnut Street Family Shelter and will look into the possibility of making a donation there.

The program for high school students, GLSN, was discussed and it was decided to give them a $200 donation, from discretionary funds, for transportation to meetings. A check will be given to Deb Therrien.

The next Special Offering will be Neighbors in Need, on October 4th. Laurie will prepare publicity.

We were reminded of the Rummage Sale scheduled for October 24th and advised that helpers will be needed during the week before and for clean-up afterward.

Carol closed the meeting by reading the Beatitudes from “The Message” translation.

Respectfully submitted,
Sandy Dyer

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Diversity Committee

Meeting Minutes of June 7, 2009

Present: Kathy Cotter, Carol Scheffler, Connie Baskett, and Deb Theriault.

Kathy opened the meeting with a reading from “Prayers for 1,000 Years”, a compilation by Elizabeth Roberts.

The minutes from the last meeting were approved.

OLD BUSINESS
“TYING THE KNOT”: The plan for today’s meeting was to watch “Tying the Knot”, a documentary about same-sex marriage. Since the DVD was not available for the meeting, Deb volunteered to have a cookout/potluck at her house for the movie and a brief meeting on Sunday, August 23 after church.

SPHS GSA: After the presentation on Diversity Sunday by Betsy Parsons of GLSEN (Gay-Lesbian Student Education Network), the Diversity Committee asked how we could support them. Betsy told us one of their biggest needs was transportation to the GLSEN meetings. In our effort to help South Portland High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance get their students to the GLSEN meetings, it was decided that we would put an article in the Beacon telling people what we are doing to help (purchasing a gas card), that some folks have already stepped forward to help, and letting others know how they can help if interested.* Deb and Carol will put something together right after the meeting in time for this week’s Beacon. There is a Council meeting on June 18 when formal fundraising for this will be discussed (Carol will be attending). A donation directly to GLSEN in the future was also discussed.

PRIDE PARADE: The Pride parade will be held at noon on June 20, beginning at Monument Square. Deb has contacted Cyndi Alden, and a check has been sent registering us for the parade. Andrew & Elizabeth Lupien have volunteered to be the 2 traffic coordinators that were requested on the registration form. Those of us who can march with the church banner (Deb will bring banner) will meet in the Mitchell Road parking lot to car pool or meet in-town by noon. Deb will make an announcement on Sunday inviting anyone in the congregation who would like to join us to meet us to carpool or at Monument Square. We will also put an announcement in this week’s Beacon. Deb thought perhaps the Pride festival, which is held in Deering Oaks following the parade, would be a great way to publicize Marvin Ellison’s upcoming discussion on marriage equality at FCC on October 22. Since we don’t have a table at the festival, Deb will contact Equality Maine to see if it would be possible to put “flyers” with the information on their table.**

NEW BUSINESS
“TYING THE KNOT” showing for the congregation. We have planned to show “Tying the Knot” on September 20 after church. It has been suggested that we show it in the Community Room (Joan will check on availability), which has shades for the windows and is a large room, which will be more comfortable and have more room for chairs. Popcorn and refreshments will be served! Deb will check out the “Tying the Knot” website regarding permission to show the DVD to groups if there is no fee being charged, donations, etc.

YOUTH INVOLVEMENT: We discussed the involvement of the youth of the church in diversity related topics. It was noted that OWL (“Our Whole Lives”, a UCC program offered regarding sexuality) has been discussed in the past but there has been no interest. Elsa has mentioned that perhaps it could be part of the confirmation process. It was decided that we’d like to have Elsa/Aaron/Steve come and talk to us about Elsa’s suggestions in the past. We’d be happy to help in any way we can.

HOMECOMING: Homecoming is September 13. Deb volunteered, but it was agreed by all that perhaps there should be a discussion about the need for the Homecoming setup after church as it is now. We discussed the fact that no one stops at our table and never really has. Those of us who have represented other boards and committees noted the same experience. It was felt by all that the only table that attracts people at the presentations after church on Homecoming is the Sunday School sign-ups. We are hoping that perhaps a different model could be looked at for Homecoming in the future.

PREBLE STREET TEEN CENTER: Carol noted that there are lots of clothes for older kids in the Children’s Closet that could be sent to the Teen Center. Deb will regroup and plan on making an announcement to the congregation in the late summer (when new school clothes are being bought) regarding the donation of teen-sized clothing for the Teen Center. A box will be placed in the Narthex for these donations.

MARVIN ELLISON AT FCC ON OCTOBER 22: We discussed ways to publicize Marvin’s discussion on Marriage Equality. Deb has spoken with Elsa about making a poster and will follow-up on that. Everyone has volunteered to help with getting the posters up around the community. Kathy will contact local publications like the Sentry, the Forecaster, Cape Courier, Current, as well as SPTV. Deb will contact other area churches, the new Portland Daily Sun, and see if Bill Nemitz might be interested in writing something. It was also suggested that Marvin might like to bring along some of his books in case folks were interested in them.

UPCOMING CLASSES: Elsa’s upcoming bible study on marriage and John’s on the separation of church and state were mentioned. We all agreed we are very fortunate to have ministers who are so supportive and pro-active around the topic of marriage equality!

In light of this past year’s Diversity Sunday stories of “hidden” diversity in the congregation, it was hoped that perhaps in the future we could make such stories a part of worship on an occasional basis throughout the year.

NEXT MEETING: AUGUST 23rd COOKOUT/POTLUCK/MOVIE/MEETING at Deb Theriault’s house after church (just down the hill at 26 O’Neil Street). Bring a dish to share, we’ll have some food, fellowship, a movie, and a brief meeting!

HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER!!

Respectfully submitted,
Deb Theriault


* after the article for the Beacon was submitted, we were notified that it was edited as it seemed too much like fundraising. We need to be careful and make sure we clear things like this with the Council.

** regarding placing “flyers” regarding Marvin’s presentation on the Equality Maine table at the Pride festival, it was again requested that this be brought to the Council before doing so. Because of the dates, Council meeting June 18 and Pride festival June 20, we’ll have to see if timing allows if the plan is okayed.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Council

Meeting Minutes of June 18, 2009

Members present: Chris Keiter, Chris Dow, Sally Sutton, Nancy MacLean, Carol Zechman, Elsa Peters, Jean Siulinski, Sally Hinkley, Deb Andrews, Bob Morse, Carrie Skeffington, Roger Addor, and Andy Ellis.

Guest: Stan Jordan

New members: The Council welcomed new members Carrie Skeffington, Roger Addor, Bob Morse.

Minutes review: Minutes for the May Council meeting were approved.

Minister’s Time: Elsa discussed her selection of a topic for Homecoming Sunday: Jesus’ thoughts on salt and light.

Rummage Sale: The Council revisited the discussion from the previous meeting about items for the rummage sale currently being stored in Guptill Hall, and the subsequent conversation with Prudy Wiggins who has led the rummage sale for many years. The Council agreed that Prudy’s great efforts on behalf of the church in this role have been extremely valuable and expressed the hope that she will continue to lead the rummage sale in the future. The Council suggested that a backup plan be developed so that the rummage sale could continue even if Prudy were unable to lead it. The Council understood that the items for the fall rummage sale would remain in Guptill Hall until the sale, meaning that Homecoming Sunday would not be able to use all of the hall.

Vote on additional nominations: The Council voted on the following nominations: Council: Matt Early -- Nancy moved, Jean seconded, all approved.
SL&W: Elaine Brownell replacing Ed Saxby -- Nancy moved, Chris Dow seconded, all approved. The Council will wait until September to vote on nominations for the vacancies on the EG&F and SL&W teams.

Selection of Moderator and Vice Moderator: Chris Keiter will stay on as Moderator. Nancy MacLean agreed to be Vice Moderator. Elsa pointed out that Vice Moderator does not need to become Moderator the next year and Nancy suggested that we make sure this was included in the minutes.

Follow up regarding hospitality tasks: The Council decided that Jesus’ birthday cake did not need to be eliminated, and it was suggested that this item reside with SL & W in the division of hospitality tasks proposed at the previous Council meeting.
The new suggested division is:

SL&W: Ash Wednesday Breakfast, Good Friday Supper, Elder Luncheon, Jesus' birthday cake on Christmas Eve

EG&F: Church Picnic, Confirmation Celebration, Coffee Hours

Search Committee: New Minister Welcome, New Minister Installation

Pilgrim Lodge Camperships: 9-12 campers received camperships and Elsa reported that she had received several emails expressing thanks.

Business Referral Directory update: Chris Keiter gave an update on the discussion after worship on the 14th about a future Business Referral Directory for church members. The meeting was facilitated by Don Russell and Chris Keiter. Attendees were supportive of the idea. Some concerns were expressed at the meeting about limiting any liability for the church in relation to the listed business activities, but it was felt that this issue could be adequately addressed through a disclaimer on the website. At the council meeting, some concerns were expressed about “hacking”, but it was suggested that the risks posed to this site were no greater than those posed to the church’s present website. Further logistical details, such as who will update and maintain the site remain to be determined. Don Russell has agreed to lead the project.

Discussion of Diversity Committee request: The Council discussed a request from the Diversity Committee for donation of gas cards that had been published in the Beacon without the normal process of Council approval for fundraising efforts. It was decided that the article did describe a fundraising activity that should have been reviewed by the Council. As part of this discussion, it was suggested that the Council should develop clear criteria for the Council to use when evaluating whether a fundraising activity should be approved. Sally Sutton moved that the Council address this issue in the next year. Carol seconded, and the Council approved. Nancy volunteered to work on this and Deb agreed to assist. Without those criteria, the Council was not able to approve this fundraising activity at this time and will suggest the Diversity Committee approach the Mission Team regarding use of their funds or a portion of the Social Witness Ministries budget line item.

Budget oversight: Chris Keiter reported that the Administration Team is researching the possibility of a more comprehensive church budget, and the Council will continue to discuss in September. The Council also reviewed the year to date budget vs. actual and some questions were raised regarding lower than expected revenue in the Rental Property line, and higher than expected expenditures in the Youth Ministry line. Chris and Elsa will check to make sure that the money for the Sunday School curriculum was correctly drawn from the Supplies and Equipment line, and not from Youth Ministry.

Council members ending their terms: The Council thanked Sally Sutton, Jean Siulinski, and Carol Zechman for their energy, ideas, and support over the past few years as their terms come to an end.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Recorded by: Andy Ellis
Next meeting: September 17th
Opening/Recorder: TBD

Monday, July 6, 2009

Mission and Outreach Team

Meeting Minutes of June 4, 2009

Present: Laurie Cary, Sarah Randall, Greg Wyman, Carol Scheffler, AnnElissa Leveque, Linda Skinner, Maureen Clancy, Sandy Dyer.

Laurie opened the meeting with a meditation from The Upper Room booklet. A thank you note from the Cathedral Church of St. Luke Soup Kitchen was noted. Thanks were expressed to AnnElissa and Linda, who are leaving the team. Richard Parker and Mike Kasputes were announced as new members. Refreshments were enjoyed during the meeting.

The minutes of the May meeting were accepted.

The treasurer’s report was presented. $639.84 had been dispersed to the Elder Ministry program.

Disbursements of $750 were voted to:
• The Center for Grieving Children
• Serenity House
• Wayside Evening Soup Kitchen
• Andover-Newton Theological School
• Spurwink Services
• The Protestant Hospital Ministry

The planned painting project at Friendship House was cancelled because of wet weather.

The Micah Project was discussed. We hope to form a subgroup of volunteers to organize projects. An all-congregation mailing is planned for the fall to create lists of interested people and ideas for projects. Sandy will prepare a draft of the letter for the September meeting. Possible projects were discussed, including reading at elementary schools, the Iris Network, and helping at the PROP office.

The Food Pantry bags will be collected this coming Sunday.

Laurie is following up on the request from the Parish Host program for descriptions of programs and subgroups, for information to be given to new members.

Sandy and Maureen agreed to take over the monthly purchase of birthday cakes for Long Creek Youth Center.

Laurie distributed lists of members, service assignments, officers, and the schedule for devotions and recorders.

Plans for Homecoming Sunday (September 13th) will be reviewed at the September meeting.

Members expressed thanks to Laurie for her hard work as Chair of the Team.

The meeting closed with a reading from Psalm 29.

NEXT MEETING:
Thursday, September 3rd, at 7:30 p.m.
Opening/closing devotions: Carol Scheffler
Recorder: Sandy Dyer

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Education, Growth and Fellowship

Meeting Minutes of June 4, 2009

Attendance: Margaret Thibodeau, Amy Foster, Terry LaPoint, Jan Bosse, Jana Frank, Rod Redstone.

Starting Time: 7:00 p.m.

Minutes – The 5/7/09 meeting minutes were read and unanimously approved.

Introductions were made and Margaret gave an overview of the Education Growth and Fellowship Team’s responsibilities for those who attended the meeting and are considering joining the Team.

Team Members Updates:
• Nursery (Amy) – Jenn Harle will cover most of the summer. A couple of names are there for backup.

Scholarship (Amy) – Scholarship has no needs at this time.

Elder Luncheon (Margaret) – People have volunteered and it’s all set.

Elsa’s Report – The Faith Formation Update prepared by Elsa was handed out and reviewed. The group discussed Homecoming and how to get people to sign up to volunteer. We will explore how other churches get people involved.
The Veggies Tales special event idea appealed to the team and an October or November evening was discussed. YM is still looking for adult volunteer.

Hospitality Events – Some hospitality events were reassigned to the Spiritual Life and Worship Team.

The meeting was concluded at 8:00 p.m.

Recorder: Amy Foster

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Administrative Team

Meeting Minutes of June 4, 2009

Present: Ron Bennett, Jim Otis, Deb Sandler and Guy Gledhill.
Absent: Eben Marsh, Chris Mills and Cyndi Alden.

The meeting was called to order by the Meeting Chair Jim Otis at 7:05 p.m. Ron Bennett was appointed Meeting Secretary.

The minutes of the May 8, 2009 meeting were reviewed and accepted.

Old Business:
Financial Statements and Budget: Cyndi provided a review of our financial statements and budget. Revenues are approximately on budget except for rental property. Expenses are in line with budget.

Tenant review: We are behind 6 months ($7,200) at 329 Cottage due to tenant turnover. Tenant at 509 Sawyer is current, but rent has been reduced to $700.

Guy reported that new tenant at 329 Cottage (Secure Control Systems) should be in by July 1. The rent will be $1,200 with a one year renewable lease. There will be unit fix-up required consisting of painting and floor work. Guy is currently dealing with South Portland Board of Zoning Appeals, and hopes to resolve tenant use approval soon.

Council Finance Concerns: In response to Council request, agreement was reached that a meeting with the independent accountants will be scheduled for this summer. Lori-Anne Wilson of Smith & Associates will be asked to meet with Jim, Ron & Cyndi to review last year’s financial statement review. At the meeting a protocol for the review should be established, with the understanding that the accountants will be reporting to representatives of the Administrative Team in the future.

It was also agreed that we should begin evaluating the internal control systems and procedures at the Church. Ron was requested to explore Church member CPA’s who might be able to conduct an internal control review without charge.

Groups within the Church whose activities are not currently included in the financial statements were discussed and will also be discussed at the meeting with Smith & Associates. One major group, The Discovery Center, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Church, was highlighted. Cyndi was requested to gather a file of historical records of the Church’s connection with The Discovery Center.

Growth Group: Jim will provide descriptions of all Administrative Team sub-groups for submission to the Growth Group.

Committee Reports:
House: Guy reported that the food pantry will be redone. Carpet will be removed and linoleum will be added. It will also be painted and have new shelves. Windows for the top floor have been ordered. Computerized thermostats have been installed throughout the Church.

Counting: Brian Wallace the following report:

The current plan is for me to schedule through the Labor Day weekend, to try to increase the number of counting teams, and to phase out of this function around the end of the summer. Then, depending on further discussions, either Peggy or Rick will take over the scheduling and training at that time for the remainder of the 2009-2010 church year. Beyond that, we anticipate the other person will be able to be the counting committee chair for the 2010-2011 church year.

We hope this arrangement will allow the counting process to continue smoothly over the next two years.

Brian

Planned Giving: Ron & Chris will meet this summer to prepare a poster and insert for September Beacon.

New Business:
Homecoming Sunday: Deb agreed to coordinate the Administrative Team’s involvement at Homecoming Sunday on September 13.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m.
The next Administrative Team meeting will be held on September 10, 2009.

Respectfully submitted by: Ron Bennett, Meeting Secretary

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Food Pantry

Meeting Minutes of May 28, 2009

Present: Gail Dransfield, Betty Crane, Frances Jane Addor, Sandy Dyer, Barbara Merrill, Kathy Sahrbeck, Judith Hardy, Joyce Freeman, Nance Driscoll, Burt Rendall.

Balance: $8,707.45

Requests: Jan. 9 – May 31 138 requests 244 Adults 180 Children

Old Business:
1. Thank You Notes
- Gail has written to Artascope for $80.00 donation, Kelly Amadei Scouts for food
collection, CE/SP Rotary, Cape Elizabeth H.S. National Honor Society,
CE Interact Club, CE Volunteer Club for food collection and $149.00 donation, United Way for $3,243.00 grant, People’s Methodist Sunday School food collection.
- Notes were written to Nicky Tibbetts, Barbara Sydleman, Holly Culver, and Kathy Cotter.
- Judith Hardy will write to AnnElissa Leveque and Ayres.
2. Pantry Remodeling Fund
- The Holly Daze Bazaar donated $750.00 for this project.
- “Let’s Make A Deal” coffee hour swap raised $104.25.
3. Staple Shopping Needs
- Please check expiration dates and donate soon to expire soups and pasta with each request.
- Sandy Dyer, Natalie Charles and AnnElissa will purchase food staples during the summer months using the United Way grant money. These staples include peanut butter, jelly cereals, canned fruits, small jars of mayo, crackers, toilet paper, coffee. Other items as needed, of course. Copies of sales receipts should be made for the grant accountability. Place in food pantry mail slot.
- Barbara Merrill will purchase $300.00 in $10.00 Hannaford gift cards. Families with 1-2 children will receive on $10.00 gift card. Families with larger numbers will receive 2 gift cards. Again, copies of receipts need to be placed in the food pantry mail slot for grant accountability.

New Business:
1. The Pantry received a grant of $3,243.00 from the United Way of Greater Portland.
- The grant stipulated that all money must go towards food inventories. There is also an accountability form to return once the funds have been spent. The form asks for the pounds of food purchased and an estimated number of people served. We decided to begin spending the grant money immediately.
- First, we are increasing the amount of the gift cards and buying a larger number of staples with each shopping.
- There is no time restriction.
- Nance Driscoll is making a general recipe for canned tuna casserole. Foods necessary for this casserole should be included in each order. It is hoped that this will use the overstocked pastas, creamed soups and tuna before their expiration dates.
2. Pantry Renovation
- Gail spoke with Tom (church sexton) Elsa and Cyndi regarding the timing and handling of the pantry renovation. It was decided to schedule the work when Tom was available to help and to use the kitchen in Guptill Hall to store the pantry foods.
- The Pantry is scheduled to be emptied on Monday, July 6, beginning at 9 a.m. All available volunteers with any family member are asked to help.
- Sandy Dyer will write a request for the Beacon asking for additional volunteers. Volunteers will also be needed the following week to move back.
- Fresh paint, new flooring and shelving are scheduled. Gail will contact Guy Gledhill with our timing request. We have $854.25 to contribute towards this project. Tom will probably ask to do the painting continuing with the standard church wall color. The committee is to purchase the shelving and will be asked to choose the flooring color when the Building Maintenance Team directs us to the type and store chosen by the team. Judith Hardy volunteered to choose the flooring color. Others are encouraged to join her.
- During the pantry renovation it was decided that we would distribute larger than usual Emergency Bags. 12-15 of these bags will be made up and stored in the closet across from the pantry before moving the pantry supplies to Guptill Hall on July 6. As requests come in, Jen will explain the pantry is offering emergency bags only. The volunteer must still place the bag in the stairwell, include any gift cards and staple the clients’ name on the bag. The gift cards, file boxes and yellow pad will be kept in the machine room in the office area. The regular accounting routine will continue.
- NOTE: Those given emergency bags during this time are eligible for a larger order once the pantry is back to routine.
- If all prepared bas are used before we move back to the pantry volunteers are asked to make more and to place them in the closet. Those who have difficulty carrying the bags upstairs should leave the full bags in the kitchen and send an e-mail alerting the group that they are ready to be brought upstairs.
3. Summer Office Hours (June 8 – Aug. 21): 8:00 a.m. – 12 noon
- Requests are filled to be ready the next day for pick up at 8:00 a.m. Requests calls on Friday are filled with an emergency bag Friday morning or regular bags will be available the following Monday morning.
4. Homecoming Sunday is Sept. 13
- AnnElissa will be asked to write an article for the Beacon by Aug. 31 announcing the annual Homecoming Sunday food collection. The new pantry should be open for all to see that morning.
5. Sensitive Client Issues
- Please write in red ink any specific requests from clients on the index file card. These requests would include food allergies, sugar and gluten restrictions, no toiletries, etc.
6. Summer calendars completed
- NOTE: Still need substitutes for Aug. 21 and Sept. 4. Please keep these dates in mind as that time nears.
- Email the group if you need to arrange coverage during the summer months.
7. Next meeting: Sept. 24, 2009 at 4 p.m. in Laity Room.