Church Council

Meeting Minutes of January 15, 2009

Present: John McCall; Elsa Peters, Andy Ellis, Phil Whitney, Nancy Maclean, Sally Hinckley, Chris Dow, Deb Andrews, David Allen, Sally Sutton, Jean Siulinski, Chris Keiter, Cyndi Alden (for discussion of budget)

Sally Sutton read the opening prayer.

Budget Proposal Discussion – Chris K. presented the budget proposal from the Budget Committee. Highlights of the budget include the fact that for 2008, there was only a deficit of $3,730 when a much greater deficit had been anticipated. This was the result of the Teams limiting their spending at the end of the year and the very supportive response of the congregation in the final weeks of the year. Consequently, much more money is now available in the Retained Earning Segregated Fund for use in the 2009 Budget. Chris reviewed the proposed budget and answered questions. The 2009 budget takes advantage of some of the segregated funds as well as an anticipated $19,520 from the Retained Earnings Fund. Chris cautioned the Council that this is still not a balanced budget and that we continue to operate with a deficit. The Council approved the 2009 proposed budget to be voted on by the congregation.

Review of the Agenda – Chris K. reviewed the agenda and added the discussion of a bequest to the agenda.

Review of December Minutes – The December minutes were reviewed. It was pointed out that the minutes should note that Jane Eberle is a State Representative from South Portland.

Ministers’ Time – John reported that Christmas and Epiphany went wonderfully. He also stated that he was touched by the responsiveness of many people regarding the year-end financial situation. He also mentioned that there would be some exciting programs in the next several months.

In his sermon on 1/25 John will thank people for their support. Chris K. will also express appreciation as part of his presentation of the budget.

Elsa discussed some programs. She suggested that it may be appropriate for Community Crisis Ministries and the Mission Outreach to discuss how the work of the two programs might be congruent. She mentioned that on 2/8 there will be a program for 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th graders and their parents to discuss confirmation. There will be some heart to heart conversations going on in the coming year.

Budget and Bylaw Review Meeting on January 22 – There will be a meeting to allow members of the congregation to ask questions about the proposed bylaw changes and the proposed budget. Everything will be ready and out to people before Sunday morning. There was discussion about how to make these available electronically. An e-mail will be sent to those who have provided their addresses with the hidden website address for how to access these documents.

There was discussion about who should attend on Thursday and it was suggested that it not be a large group, but that it should include people who can both explain the budget and the bylaws. John, Chris K., Nancy and Sally H. will attend on behalf of the Council.

Allocation of a New Bequest – An unrestricted bequest of $2,700 has been received from the estate of Leslie Andrews. The gift allocation formula was reviewed. 10% ($270) will go to the Mission Fund. 10% ($270) will go to the Major Maintenance Fund. The remainder will be invested in the unrestricted endowments, with the income to support the annual budget. Nancy suggested and the Council agreed that the Council recommend to the Mission Board that their portion of the bequest ($270) be sent to OCWM.

Date of the Annual Meeting – John recommended that the 2009 Annual Meeting be held on May 31st and the Council agreed. Recognizing Elders and 50 year-members will take place on June 7th.

Growth Group – Dave reported that this group is looking for ways to grow the church both in terms of more members and greater attendance. Last Sunday the Growth Group held a focus group to get a better insight about how to make improvements. The overall objective is to develop an extravagant welcome for people to join and participate in the church. Another effort of the Growth Group is to set-up a Parish Host Program. This will be a group of people who are trained and skilled at being open and welcoming. As people start to attend they will be appointed a parish host (if they want one) who will give them a better introduction to the church. The goal is to get this initially started in a couple of months and then after some experience, really get it up and running in the fall.

Discussion of Future Topics to Tackle – Chris K. lead the discussion about future issues for the Council to tackle. Ideas include:
- asking members of the Teams to come to a Council meeting, have Council members attend Team meetings.
- articulate the Church’s Vision Statement – what is special about our church?
- CCM and Mission Outreach relationship – look at assumptions that underlie both
- discussion about alternative sources of income.
- Center for Progressive Christianity – a loosely affiliated national program that looks beyond doctrines that have traditionally defined Christianity.

The Council set its priorities:
- the Vision Statement may logically be first.
- CCM and MO and how they relate to each other and the rest of the church.
- Team/Council connections – the Council can serve as a promoter of the Teams; the Teams/Council can invite feedback from congregation.
- Volunteerism – get a better understanding of how we can improve this in our church.

At the next Council meeting the Council will discuss:
- how the Council interacts with the teams.
- start the conversation about the Vision Statement.
- discuss meeting with Teams – and as we visit Teams, ask what they would like to see the Council work on.
- schedule one of the Council’s committees/month to present to the Council (Pastor/Parish, Investment Oversight, Stewardship, Personnel), starting with the Investment Oversight Committee.
- Elsa will talk to Mission Outreach to help them sit-down with CCM. The Council just needs to wait to see what happens.

Minutes prepared by: Sally Sutton