Meeting Minutes of November 4, 2010
Recorder: Guy Gledhill
Present: Ron Bennett, Guy Gledhill, Deb Sandler, Chris Mills, Jim Otis and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order: Jim called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Per the rotation schedule Guy will record this meeting and run the next meeting.
Minutes of the Admin. Team October 7, 2010 Meeting: Reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Finance: Things are looking great, we may do OK for 2010; $27,284 was projected for a loss, and we do better as we near the end of year.
Tenant Update: Sawyer Road house - we are still dealing with a dog issue. Cindy will talk with Pam about what was discussed between Pam and the tenant. We are working on getting this tenant back to her full rent. We lowered last year due to a loss in job. We discussed the commercial space, corner house, first floor. We have a 1,000 sq. ft. and will put up a large sign outside. If we get no takers, we may list with a commercial broker. Top floor corner house doing great.
Planned Giving: Ron is still working on this and will place another article in the Beacon.
Committee Reports:
Counting: Chair, Peggy Murray is doing well.
House: Chair, Guy Gledhill.
• The house committee is working on pricing at this time for a system that will allow us to switch from oil to natural gas to heat our church anytime we wish. We would be able to switch back and forth.
• We had a discussion on the east wall of the Guptill Hall, moisture in the wall affecting the paint. We are continuing to watch and get ideas that will fix it once and for all.
• We are watching the steeple repair work and making sure that we fixed the leak before we get into paint the Sanctuary.
• We are also obtaining price for signage in the church to better direct people.
Insurance: We are still working on this item for review.
NEW BUSINESS:
New Budget: We went over the Admin. Team budget for 2011. We adjusted our Rental Property income as we still have the corner house 1st floor empty. We also adjusted our room rentals due to the Discovery Center situation. We did discuss rental increases for the two houses in future times. Our expenses were in line with an increase to utilities, price of oil. The budget was accepted as changed.
Choir: Discuss the need to replace chairs in the undercroft for choir practice; this will come out of Shirley’s budget. This year, the Eskimos are buying the first set.
Beacon: Discussed the need to get communication to the members. Talked about emailing the Beacon, but all do not read all emails sometimes. Mailings can be expensive. Placing some in the Narthex for members to pick up on Sundays. This will always be a continuing discussion.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday December 2, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 8:16 p.m.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Growth Group
Meeting Minutes of 12/6/10
Recorder: Elinor Redmond
Members present: Rick Angell, Elinor Redmond, Dave Allen, Sue Ross and John McCall.
Rick opened the meeting with a heartfelt and inspiring prayer.
Rick commented that the things we do as a group have a ‘shelf life’. That is, they seem exciting and effective for a while and then the effects wear off. He said our group’s task is to keep things fresh and continue to look at what we do. An example is asking people to sit in different seats. People moved around for a while – and had a lot of comments about it – and now seem to be back where they were in the past. Dave said that urging people to move was a means to an end, a way to get people to talk with someone new. John said he thinks people have an increased awareness of who is around them. Many are looking out for new people.
We proceeded with our update:
1. Friendship Sunday:
Was Friendship Sunday a success? John said there were addresses for 3 new couples on the Friendship pads. There were others there who did not sign in with their information. We could have done more ‘publicity’ – the new website will give us the ability to send out notices more easily. We agreed to repeat this ‘feel-good’ event.
2. Verbal invitation to groups using the building:
John has spoken with 2 groups. Al-Anon (meets Saturday mornings in the Community Room) is reluctant unless there is a scheduled open meeting. They would rather hand out fliers or read a provided statement. AA would love to have us come. The rep is checking with others in the group (meets Saturday afternoons @ 1 in the Music Room). John will contact the Alzheimer’s Support Group.
3. Welcome Notes:
Darla has agreed that the Prayer Shawl group will write welcome notes. Elinor worked on a draft of the text. She and Dave will continue that process. The notes will be written on church note-cards, which include a Bible verse on the inside. Jen will supply the PS group with copies of files created from the Friendship pads of the names of new visitors so that they receive them for their gatherings on Tuesdays. After sending the note, the sheet will be marked with a date and the word ‘sent’. Sue will connect with Darla on the details.
4. Bookmark:
Dave has an idea of using a pineapple symbol (hospitality) and the Vision on the bookmark. We will enlist help from Bryan after the holidays.
5. Welcome Brochures:
The new brochures are in the pews and look great. We discussed other materials made available. How much information do newcomers need (is the full welcome packet necessary or overwhelming?)? How many brochures should be in the pew racks? Who has oversight? Rick will discuss with SL&W.
6. Church signage:
We took a stroll around the church, noting existing signage and speculating on what might improve it. We particularly noticed the lack in the Narthex. Dave will continue the ‘inventory’ process.
7. Hospitality Moments:
From last month’s minutes: “We will provide the next hospitality moment in January. An idea is to use quotes from the Bible that reference welcome.”
8. Growth Group Membership:
Each member will talk with 1 person about the Growth Group and the possibility of joining before the next meeting. Sue talked with Sara Bloom, a new member. She would be glad to be a resource to our group. We discussed inviting her to a meeting so that we can hear her perspective and suggestions.
Next meeting: Monday, January 10, 2011
Recorder: Elinor Redmond
Members present: Rick Angell, Elinor Redmond, Dave Allen, Sue Ross and John McCall.
Rick opened the meeting with a heartfelt and inspiring prayer.
Rick commented that the things we do as a group have a ‘shelf life’. That is, they seem exciting and effective for a while and then the effects wear off. He said our group’s task is to keep things fresh and continue to look at what we do. An example is asking people to sit in different seats. People moved around for a while – and had a lot of comments about it – and now seem to be back where they were in the past. Dave said that urging people to move was a means to an end, a way to get people to talk with someone new. John said he thinks people have an increased awareness of who is around them. Many are looking out for new people.
We proceeded with our update:
1. Friendship Sunday:
Was Friendship Sunday a success? John said there were addresses for 3 new couples on the Friendship pads. There were others there who did not sign in with their information. We could have done more ‘publicity’ – the new website will give us the ability to send out notices more easily. We agreed to repeat this ‘feel-good’ event.
2. Verbal invitation to groups using the building:
John has spoken with 2 groups. Al-Anon (meets Saturday mornings in the Community Room) is reluctant unless there is a scheduled open meeting. They would rather hand out fliers or read a provided statement. AA would love to have us come. The rep is checking with others in the group (meets Saturday afternoons @ 1 in the Music Room). John will contact the Alzheimer’s Support Group.
3. Welcome Notes:
Darla has agreed that the Prayer Shawl group will write welcome notes. Elinor worked on a draft of the text. She and Dave will continue that process. The notes will be written on church note-cards, which include a Bible verse on the inside. Jen will supply the PS group with copies of files created from the Friendship pads of the names of new visitors so that they receive them for their gatherings on Tuesdays. After sending the note, the sheet will be marked with a date and the word ‘sent’. Sue will connect with Darla on the details.
4. Bookmark:
Dave has an idea of using a pineapple symbol (hospitality) and the Vision on the bookmark. We will enlist help from Bryan after the holidays.
5. Welcome Brochures:
The new brochures are in the pews and look great. We discussed other materials made available. How much information do newcomers need (is the full welcome packet necessary or overwhelming?)? How many brochures should be in the pew racks? Who has oversight? Rick will discuss with SL&W.
6. Church signage:
We took a stroll around the church, noting existing signage and speculating on what might improve it. We particularly noticed the lack in the Narthex. Dave will continue the ‘inventory’ process.
7. Hospitality Moments:
From last month’s minutes: “We will provide the next hospitality moment in January. An idea is to use quotes from the Bible that reference welcome.”
8. Growth Group Membership:
Each member will talk with 1 person about the Growth Group and the possibility of joining before the next meeting. Sue talked with Sara Bloom, a new member. She would be glad to be a resource to our group. We discussed inviting her to a meeting so that we can hear her perspective and suggestions.
Next meeting: Monday, January 10, 2011
Music Committee
Meeting Minutes of December 2, 2010
Present: Shirley Curry, Kim Early, Anna O’Connor, Sheryl Kieran, Peg Carmichael, and Trudi Bakke.
1. October Minutes - reviewed and accepted.
2. Updates:
• Chairs – The Eskimos have donated $400. to start purchasing chairs for the choir room. Shirley will order the first batch of chairs. The Music Committee has requested a new line in the budget for the remaining batches of chairs.
• Robe Repair – Trudi is working on the Children’s Choir robe repairs.
3. The 2011 proposed budget was handed out. It has already been submitted to Cyndi Alden.
4. Christmas Vespers will be held on December 12th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The committee agreed to volunteer to do/bring the following:
• Request table set-up – Kim
• Tablecloths and Paper Products – Sheryl
• Centerpiece - Anna
• Hot Cider – Kim, Peg, Anna
• Tea and Half & Half – Anna
• Cookies – Kim, Trudi, Sheryl, Peg
Trudi will make a pulpit announcement regarding the vesper service on Dec. 5th and will ask Elsa to make one on Dec. 12th. Kim will look for volunteers to hand out programs at both entrances to the sanctuary for the service.
5. Other business:
• Shirley reported that David Wallace has consulted on the organ shutters. He thinks he can work on the shutters to make improvements.
• The 10:00 Christmas Eve service is in good shape and Shirley is still working on the 7:00 service.
• The number of children in the Children’s choir continues to be an issue. The committee discussed the possibility of no choir and keeping the choir, but not singing every month. This could give the children a longer practice timeframe so they could perhaps sing on their own without the adult choir,
The next meeting is set for March 3, 2011.
Present: Shirley Curry, Kim Early, Anna O’Connor, Sheryl Kieran, Peg Carmichael, and Trudi Bakke.
1. October Minutes - reviewed and accepted.
2. Updates:
• Chairs – The Eskimos have donated $400. to start purchasing chairs for the choir room. Shirley will order the first batch of chairs. The Music Committee has requested a new line in the budget for the remaining batches of chairs.
• Robe Repair – Trudi is working on the Children’s Choir robe repairs.
3. The 2011 proposed budget was handed out. It has already been submitted to Cyndi Alden.
4. Christmas Vespers will be held on December 12th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The committee agreed to volunteer to do/bring the following:
• Request table set-up – Kim
• Tablecloths and Paper Products – Sheryl
• Centerpiece - Anna
• Hot Cider – Kim, Peg, Anna
• Tea and Half & Half – Anna
• Cookies – Kim, Trudi, Sheryl, Peg
Trudi will make a pulpit announcement regarding the vesper service on Dec. 5th and will ask Elsa to make one on Dec. 12th. Kim will look for volunteers to hand out programs at both entrances to the sanctuary for the service.
5. Other business:
• Shirley reported that David Wallace has consulted on the organ shutters. He thinks he can work on the shutters to make improvements.
• The 10:00 Christmas Eve service is in good shape and Shirley is still working on the 7:00 service.
• The number of children in the Children’s choir continues to be an issue. The committee discussed the possibility of no choir and keeping the choir, but not singing every month. This could give the children a longer practice timeframe so they could perhaps sing on their own without the adult choir,
The next meeting is set for March 3, 2011.
Spiritual Life and Worship
Meeting Minutes of December 2, 2010
Recorder: Tex Haeuser
Attending: Debbie Riley, Elaine Brownell, Rick Angell, Dana Wiggins, Tex Haeuser, Frank Arsenault and Rev. John McCall.
Opening Prayer: Dana led the group in a prayer based on an appreciation by Depok Chopra that common to most religions is an awareness of an incomprehensible transcendence, the rich fulfillment that comes from this awareness, and a deep joy and energy that comes from sharing this awareness with others.
Minutes: After a follow-up from John on the budget discussion in the minutes—the initial budget meeting has occurred—the team unanimously approved the November 4th minutes as motioned by Debbie and seconded by Rick.
Church List: John indicated (a) that John and Shelly Porter have moved to Bangor and will be transferring their church membership and (b) that Thyra Porter has confirmed after considerate inquiry that she is unlikely to be returning to church after several years of absence. Debbie moved and Rick seconded to move John & Shelly Porter and Thyra Porter to the inactive list. Unanimous approval.
Minister’s Time: John gratefully thanked the team and the rest of the congregation for their prayers and support regarding his back surgery and recovery.
In response to John’s question, the team confirmed that EG&F handles the cake and baby Jesus birthday party (SL&W has a number of responsibilities during Lent).
Advent & Xmas: Elsa has indicated that a number of the changes for the lighting of the candles that she previously had proposed likely will need to wait until next year to be implemented due to her recent double duty. The candelabra, however, will be installed on the 19th, earlier than usual.
For Christmas, Elsa is rewriting the 7:00 service and John is amending the one at 5:00. Part of the 7:00 adjustment is due to needing to better fit the talents of this year’s Children’s Choir. The 10:00 service will be the same.
John will be announcing and putting out the sign-up sheets for reader volunteers for the 10:00 service.
Debbie asked if we advertise our Christmas services. John said that we have done so in the past but that this year’s budget can’t support it. There will, however, be a big play about it on the website, and the local papers do publish notices. Debbie suggested taking a picture of the pageant and sending it to the Press Herald as they likely would print it. Dana will ask Randall Landry if he will take some shots.
Dana mentioned that they are shooting for Jan. 1 for the launch of the new website (which everyone is eagerly confident will be very cool).
Confirmation: Elsa has proposed clarifying that EG&F has the education responsibilities for confirmation by (with some simplification of the details) adjusting items in the budgets for EG&F and SL&W so that there is a Cake and Confirmation line item in the EG&F budget and that the Confirmation item in the SL&W budget is retasked to Membership and Lent & Easter. SL&W still will have a role in the spiritual aspects of confirmation. Elaine will send Elsa an email documenting the team’s unanimous support for the idea.
Old Business: Regarding Cyndi’s response about covering the expense of the table Debbie acquired for Davidson Lounge, Debbie got a check—case closed.
On a related note, Debbie brought up the need to bring the décor of Davidson Lounge a little more up to date; the vacuous Monet print (in the albeit attractive gold frame) was cited as an example. John mentioned that Phyllis Davidson left a bequest for the periodic upkeep of the Lounge and that he would check on the balance of the fund. The team thought that getting the ideas from some of the younger families might be useful in getting a more modern feel for what in effect is the Church’s living room.
Other Business: Dana suggested that the Jan. 2nd communion be by intinction. John agreed.
Dana mentioned volunteers are needed for this Sunday’s communion. Elaine and Tex raised hands, and Rick mentioned that Scott Berry had volunteered.
Dana said that the sign out in front of the Church is not wearing well; it seems weather-beaten. Dana will see if Adam Solinsky, who built the frame, will look at it. The company who did the signs should be asked to look at it also given that it hasn’t been up very long.
Travel: Debbie will be taking a very exciting trip to Africa; Frank recently returned from a vacation in London.
Next Meeting: Due to known absences, the next meeting will not be on the sixth but instead will be on Jan. 13th.
Next Agenda: Tex
Next Minutes: Frank
Recorder: Tex Haeuser
Attending: Debbie Riley, Elaine Brownell, Rick Angell, Dana Wiggins, Tex Haeuser, Frank Arsenault and Rev. John McCall.
Opening Prayer: Dana led the group in a prayer based on an appreciation by Depok Chopra that common to most religions is an awareness of an incomprehensible transcendence, the rich fulfillment that comes from this awareness, and a deep joy and energy that comes from sharing this awareness with others.
Minutes: After a follow-up from John on the budget discussion in the minutes—the initial budget meeting has occurred—the team unanimously approved the November 4th minutes as motioned by Debbie and seconded by Rick.
Church List: John indicated (a) that John and Shelly Porter have moved to Bangor and will be transferring their church membership and (b) that Thyra Porter has confirmed after considerate inquiry that she is unlikely to be returning to church after several years of absence. Debbie moved and Rick seconded to move John & Shelly Porter and Thyra Porter to the inactive list. Unanimous approval.
Minister’s Time: John gratefully thanked the team and the rest of the congregation for their prayers and support regarding his back surgery and recovery.
In response to John’s question, the team confirmed that EG&F handles the cake and baby Jesus birthday party (SL&W has a number of responsibilities during Lent).
Advent & Xmas: Elsa has indicated that a number of the changes for the lighting of the candles that she previously had proposed likely will need to wait until next year to be implemented due to her recent double duty. The candelabra, however, will be installed on the 19th, earlier than usual.
For Christmas, Elsa is rewriting the 7:00 service and John is amending the one at 5:00. Part of the 7:00 adjustment is due to needing to better fit the talents of this year’s Children’s Choir. The 10:00 service will be the same.
John will be announcing and putting out the sign-up sheets for reader volunteers for the 10:00 service.
Debbie asked if we advertise our Christmas services. John said that we have done so in the past but that this year’s budget can’t support it. There will, however, be a big play about it on the website, and the local papers do publish notices. Debbie suggested taking a picture of the pageant and sending it to the Press Herald as they likely would print it. Dana will ask Randall Landry if he will take some shots.
Dana mentioned that they are shooting for Jan. 1 for the launch of the new website (which everyone is eagerly confident will be very cool).
Confirmation: Elsa has proposed clarifying that EG&F has the education responsibilities for confirmation by (with some simplification of the details) adjusting items in the budgets for EG&F and SL&W so that there is a Cake and Confirmation line item in the EG&F budget and that the Confirmation item in the SL&W budget is retasked to Membership and Lent & Easter. SL&W still will have a role in the spiritual aspects of confirmation. Elaine will send Elsa an email documenting the team’s unanimous support for the idea.
Old Business: Regarding Cyndi’s response about covering the expense of the table Debbie acquired for Davidson Lounge, Debbie got a check—case closed.
On a related note, Debbie brought up the need to bring the décor of Davidson Lounge a little more up to date; the vacuous Monet print (in the albeit attractive gold frame) was cited as an example. John mentioned that Phyllis Davidson left a bequest for the periodic upkeep of the Lounge and that he would check on the balance of the fund. The team thought that getting the ideas from some of the younger families might be useful in getting a more modern feel for what in effect is the Church’s living room.
Other Business: Dana suggested that the Jan. 2nd communion be by intinction. John agreed.
Dana mentioned volunteers are needed for this Sunday’s communion. Elaine and Tex raised hands, and Rick mentioned that Scott Berry had volunteered.
Dana said that the sign out in front of the Church is not wearing well; it seems weather-beaten. Dana will see if Adam Solinsky, who built the frame, will look at it. The company who did the signs should be asked to look at it also given that it hasn’t been up very long.
Travel: Debbie will be taking a very exciting trip to Africa; Frank recently returned from a vacation in London.
Next Meeting: Due to known absences, the next meeting will not be on the sixth but instead will be on Jan. 13th.
Next Agenda: Tex
Next Minutes: Frank
Administration Team
Meeting Minutes of December 2, 2010
Recorder: Ron Bennett
Present: Ron Bennett, Guy Gledhill, Chris Mills, Rod Redstone and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order: Guy called the meeting to order at 7:07 pm. Ron agreed to record this meeting and run the next meeting in January.
Minutes of the Admin Team November 4, 2010 meeting: reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Financial results through November 30 were presented by Cyndi. The year is 92% complete. Revenues are at 90.3% of year’s budget. Decrease in revenues is due to reduced tenant rental income and reduced room rental income.
Expenses are at 90.8% of year’s budget. Decrease in expenses is due to lower spending by each of the teams. The most significant item affecting the A Team is reduction in utilities (fuel oil) which is at 68.7% of the year’s budget at November 30. Because fuel oil for 2011 will probably be over budget due to significantly rising prices, a decision was made to completely fill the oil tanks at the end of 2010.
Tenant Update: Tenant at 509 Sawyer Street house is unlikely to be able to pay our previously suggested rent increase in January according to Cyndi.
A new tenant will be occupying the first floor commercial unit at 331 Cottage Road for an artist studio. Rent is $1,200 per month and could begin by mid-December 2010. No repairs will be required. Guy indicated that we will consider installing a programmable thermostat in the first floor unit.
Insurance Renewals: No discussion.
Team Member Replacement: Ron stated that Scott Stacey has indicated that he would like to become a member of the A team in June. He will attend the next meeting to get to know the members.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Counting: No report. All appears to be going well.
House: Guy reported the following:
• The east wall of Guptill Hall is continuing to blister. It is being continually evaluated to determine if the wall is leaking. If it is leaking through porous concrete, outside excavation might be required to apply sealing.
• The steeple repairs of last summer appear to be successful in keeping water out.
• A suggestion was made to set the sanctuary thermostat lower by 2 degrees on Sunday mornings. Two team members indicated that the sanctuary was too hot the past few Sundays.
Planned Giving: Ron indicated that he is working on a fourth article to appear in an upcoming issue of the Beacon.
NEW BUSINESS:
There was discussion of an email from Elsa to Jim & Cyndi on November 16 concerning the Cornerstone Fund. It appears to be mutual fund tied in to the UCC that promises a rate of return on a five year investment of 4.5% vs. 3% for five year CD’s. To receive the extra1.5% return, an investor must designate a “give-back” gift of at least 10% to a UCC church. The fund’s securities are not insured by the FDIC or any other entity. The members of the A team were somewhat concerned about promoting this type of investment idea without more information. Ron agreed to discuss the Cornerstone Fund with Elsa.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday January 6 at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 7:51 p.m.
Recorder: Ron Bennett
Present: Ron Bennett, Guy Gledhill, Chris Mills, Rod Redstone and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order: Guy called the meeting to order at 7:07 pm. Ron agreed to record this meeting and run the next meeting in January.
Minutes of the Admin Team November 4, 2010 meeting: reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Financial results through November 30 were presented by Cyndi. The year is 92% complete. Revenues are at 90.3% of year’s budget. Decrease in revenues is due to reduced tenant rental income and reduced room rental income.
Expenses are at 90.8% of year’s budget. Decrease in expenses is due to lower spending by each of the teams. The most significant item affecting the A Team is reduction in utilities (fuel oil) which is at 68.7% of the year’s budget at November 30. Because fuel oil for 2011 will probably be over budget due to significantly rising prices, a decision was made to completely fill the oil tanks at the end of 2010.
Tenant Update: Tenant at 509 Sawyer Street house is unlikely to be able to pay our previously suggested rent increase in January according to Cyndi.
A new tenant will be occupying the first floor commercial unit at 331 Cottage Road for an artist studio. Rent is $1,200 per month and could begin by mid-December 2010. No repairs will be required. Guy indicated that we will consider installing a programmable thermostat in the first floor unit.
Insurance Renewals: No discussion.
Team Member Replacement: Ron stated that Scott Stacey has indicated that he would like to become a member of the A team in June. He will attend the next meeting to get to know the members.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Counting: No report. All appears to be going well.
House: Guy reported the following:
• The east wall of Guptill Hall is continuing to blister. It is being continually evaluated to determine if the wall is leaking. If it is leaking through porous concrete, outside excavation might be required to apply sealing.
• The steeple repairs of last summer appear to be successful in keeping water out.
• A suggestion was made to set the sanctuary thermostat lower by 2 degrees on Sunday mornings. Two team members indicated that the sanctuary was too hot the past few Sundays.
Planned Giving: Ron indicated that he is working on a fourth article to appear in an upcoming issue of the Beacon.
NEW BUSINESS:
There was discussion of an email from Elsa to Jim & Cyndi on November 16 concerning the Cornerstone Fund. It appears to be mutual fund tied in to the UCC that promises a rate of return on a five year investment of 4.5% vs. 3% for five year CD’s. To receive the extra1.5% return, an investor must designate a “give-back” gift of at least 10% to a UCC church. The fund’s securities are not insured by the FDIC or any other entity. The members of the A team were somewhat concerned about promoting this type of investment idea without more information. Ron agreed to discuss the Cornerstone Fund with Elsa.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday January 6 at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 7:51 p.m.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Church Council
Meeting Minutes of November 18, 2010
Recorder: Phil Whitney
Present: Roger Addor, Matt Early, Andy Ellis, Sally Hinckley, Bob Morse, Carl Murphy, Carrie Skeffington, Peggy Murray, Robin Reinhold, John Shoos and Phil Whitney. Absent: Nancy MacLean and John McCall.
The meeting was opened at 6:30 p.m. by Matt Early followed by a prayer by Phil. The Oct. 21 Minutes were approved after correcting the word MISSION with the word VISION in paragraph 5 on page 1.
MINISTER’S TIME: Elsa gave a follow-up on John’s progress since surgery. His return to work is anticipated for Monday, November 22.
The anticipated start of the UCC new website will be delayed by several weeks. New start up date is uncertain.
SEACOAST MISSION: (Refer to Mission Meeting Sunday E-mail from Laurie Cary distributed to Council members on Nov. 18.) Elsa is organizing a mission trip to Downeast Maine. She asked for Council approval of this plan which will take a volunteer UCC group to the Millbridge/Cherryfield area for one week – July 24-29, 2011 - to support the Seacoast Mission with their care and support of children and the aged. Activities, not yet specified, will be mainly refurbishing. She also wishes approval of using the offering on Mission Sunday, February 13, 2011 toward helping defray the coast of travel, food, supplies etc. estimated at $5,000. The Council unanimously approved this request. The Rev. Scott Planting who administers the Seacoast Mission will give the sermon here on Mission Sunday.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT: Matt, who heads the budget review sub-committee of the Council, welcomed John Shoos as the sixth sub-committee member. Matt expressed optimism regarding the pledges received as of Nov. 18. when compared with pledges received at this date in past years. Four more meetings are scheduled before a final statement can be presented to the church on 1/30/2011. Scheduled meetings are 11/29/10, 12/13/10 (first draft for Council review), 01/10/11 and 01/13/11 (final draft for Council review).
Morgan Stanley, investment advisors for the church, have reported total worth of church equity holdings as well over one million as of 10/31/10.
Fuel costs so far for 2010 are down from 2009 due to a more energy efficient system and a warmer year.
DELEGATES: Matt pointed out that the Council is responsible for naming six delegates per year. Last month Peggy Murray and Bob Morse volunteered as delegates for a meeting in New Gloucester; the topic was “Providing a Safe Church” and both were impressed with the presentation. The Council encouraged Peggy and Bob to prepare a summary for the Council and Bob was asked to continue recruiting Delegates.
STRUCTURE OF UCC: Council members felt unclear about the structure of the UCC local and state organizations. Elsa gave a brief review of this, but it was felt more clarification was needed. The ministers will give more tutoring on this in the next month or two.
DISCOVERY CENTER: Matt mentioned that budget timing may be a problem for the Discovery Center; i.e. their budget goes from September to June so that when they submit a budget to the church in November, they may not know what enrollment they will have for the Jan. – June spring session or especially for the Sept. – Dec. fall session. Only a few less students than anticipated will decrease their income by a significant amount.
TEAMS: For the moment all teams seem happy with their number of members. No further discussion.
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Recorder: Phil Whitney
Present: Roger Addor, Matt Early, Andy Ellis, Sally Hinckley, Bob Morse, Carl Murphy, Carrie Skeffington, Peggy Murray, Robin Reinhold, John Shoos and Phil Whitney. Absent: Nancy MacLean and John McCall.
The meeting was opened at 6:30 p.m. by Matt Early followed by a prayer by Phil. The Oct. 21 Minutes were approved after correcting the word MISSION with the word VISION in paragraph 5 on page 1.
MINISTER’S TIME: Elsa gave a follow-up on John’s progress since surgery. His return to work is anticipated for Monday, November 22.
The anticipated start of the UCC new website will be delayed by several weeks. New start up date is uncertain.
SEACOAST MISSION: (Refer to Mission Meeting Sunday E-mail from Laurie Cary distributed to Council members on Nov. 18.) Elsa is organizing a mission trip to Downeast Maine. She asked for Council approval of this plan which will take a volunteer UCC group to the Millbridge/Cherryfield area for one week – July 24-29, 2011 - to support the Seacoast Mission with their care and support of children and the aged. Activities, not yet specified, will be mainly refurbishing. She also wishes approval of using the offering on Mission Sunday, February 13, 2011 toward helping defray the coast of travel, food, supplies etc. estimated at $5,000. The Council unanimously approved this request. The Rev. Scott Planting who administers the Seacoast Mission will give the sermon here on Mission Sunday.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT: Matt, who heads the budget review sub-committee of the Council, welcomed John Shoos as the sixth sub-committee member. Matt expressed optimism regarding the pledges received as of Nov. 18. when compared with pledges received at this date in past years. Four more meetings are scheduled before a final statement can be presented to the church on 1/30/2011. Scheduled meetings are 11/29/10, 12/13/10 (first draft for Council review), 01/10/11 and 01/13/11 (final draft for Council review).
Morgan Stanley, investment advisors for the church, have reported total worth of church equity holdings as well over one million as of 10/31/10.
Fuel costs so far for 2010 are down from 2009 due to a more energy efficient system and a warmer year.
DELEGATES: Matt pointed out that the Council is responsible for naming six delegates per year. Last month Peggy Murray and Bob Morse volunteered as delegates for a meeting in New Gloucester; the topic was “Providing a Safe Church” and both were impressed with the presentation. The Council encouraged Peggy and Bob to prepare a summary for the Council and Bob was asked to continue recruiting Delegates.
STRUCTURE OF UCC: Council members felt unclear about the structure of the UCC local and state organizations. Elsa gave a brief review of this, but it was felt more clarification was needed. The ministers will give more tutoring on this in the next month or two.
DISCOVERY CENTER: Matt mentioned that budget timing may be a problem for the Discovery Center; i.e. their budget goes from September to June so that when they submit a budget to the church in November, they may not know what enrollment they will have for the Jan. – June spring session or especially for the Sept. – Dec. fall session. Only a few less students than anticipated will decrease their income by a significant amount.
TEAMS: For the moment all teams seem happy with their number of members. No further discussion.
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Spiritual Life and Worship
Meeting Minutes of November 4, 2010
Recorder: Elaine Brownell
Attending: Tex Haeuser, Dana Wiggins, Rick Angell, Debbie Riley, Elaine Brownell
Review of October Minutes – Approved as read.
Vote to place the following members on inactive list:
The following have moved out of state and have not (yet) requested letters of transfer:
Mark and Kathy Gandolfo; Mitsuko Fowler
ADVENT – (from Elsa’s e-mail) A discussion was held regarding John and Elsa’s desire to make the lighting of the candles during advent a more inclusive and meaningful experience for the entire congregation. Changes being considered include:
1) Installing the candelabra at the beginning of Advent instead of during Christmas week - each week lighting more candles until they are all lit on Christmas Eve.
2) Moving the advent wreath closer to the congregation, perhaps where the baptismal font is, and/or adding another wreath, perhaps in the back of the sanctuary or on the altar.
3)Asking acolytes to bring the light of Christ out of the sanctuary during the last hymn–bringing light closer to the congregation and symbolizing the light of Christ going into the world.
Committee liked the idea of having the candelabra lit from December 19th thru the 26th. Concerns were aired, however, regarding safety during busy services (pageant, etc). The idea of moving the advent wreath closer to the congregation or adding another wreath during advent was also well received. Regarding the “moving of the light” at the end of the service, committee members thought that this would be very effective and meaningful – either carried by the acolytes or perhaps the family lighting the candles during that service. The committee agreed to leave the details to John and Elsa. *
WEBSITE – (Dana) The church’s website will soon be up and running. It was noted that individual websites and e-mails will not be included – only those of the general contact person. Groups are being reminded not to include personal e-mails in the writing of minutes.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES – (Rick) The need for updates regarding emergency procedures was discussed. Those responsible for implementing these procedures, including drills, must be informed and “trained” to respond to an emergency. Further exploration, discussion and communication with Council will follow.
NEW TABLE IN DAVIDSON LOUNGE – (Debbie) Debbie purchased a table for Davidson Lounge from Cherished Possessions to replace the one that is currently in the sanctuary. The cost was $131.00. Debbie will check with Cyndi regarding monies to cover the cost – either from segregated funds or money from 2010 budget.
BUDGET - The 2011 SL & W Budget will remain the same as 2010:
Altar Care and Worship Supplies $400
Confirmation and Membership $700
Devotional Booklets $500
Signing $500
TOTAL $2100
Next Meeting: December 2, 2010
Agenda/Meeting: Elaine
Minutes: Tex
Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
Recorder: Elaine Brownell
Attending: Tex Haeuser, Dana Wiggins, Rick Angell, Debbie Riley, Elaine Brownell
Review of October Minutes – Approved as read.
Vote to place the following members on inactive list:
The following have moved out of state and have not (yet) requested letters of transfer:
Mark and Kathy Gandolfo; Mitsuko Fowler
ADVENT – (from Elsa’s e-mail) A discussion was held regarding John and Elsa’s desire to make the lighting of the candles during advent a more inclusive and meaningful experience for the entire congregation. Changes being considered include:
1) Installing the candelabra at the beginning of Advent instead of during Christmas week - each week lighting more candles until they are all lit on Christmas Eve.
2) Moving the advent wreath closer to the congregation, perhaps where the baptismal font is, and/or adding another wreath, perhaps in the back of the sanctuary or on the altar.
3)Asking acolytes to bring the light of Christ out of the sanctuary during the last hymn–bringing light closer to the congregation and symbolizing the light of Christ going into the world.
Committee liked the idea of having the candelabra lit from December 19th thru the 26th. Concerns were aired, however, regarding safety during busy services (pageant, etc). The idea of moving the advent wreath closer to the congregation or adding another wreath during advent was also well received. Regarding the “moving of the light” at the end of the service, committee members thought that this would be very effective and meaningful – either carried by the acolytes or perhaps the family lighting the candles during that service. The committee agreed to leave the details to John and Elsa. *
WEBSITE – (Dana) The church’s website will soon be up and running. It was noted that individual websites and e-mails will not be included – only those of the general contact person. Groups are being reminded not to include personal e-mails in the writing of minutes.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES – (Rick) The need for updates regarding emergency procedures was discussed. Those responsible for implementing these procedures, including drills, must be informed and “trained” to respond to an emergency. Further exploration, discussion and communication with Council will follow.
NEW TABLE IN DAVIDSON LOUNGE – (Debbie) Debbie purchased a table for Davidson Lounge from Cherished Possessions to replace the one that is currently in the sanctuary. The cost was $131.00. Debbie will check with Cyndi regarding monies to cover the cost – either from segregated funds or money from 2010 budget.
BUDGET - The 2011 SL & W Budget will remain the same as 2010:
Altar Care and Worship Supplies $400
Confirmation and Membership $700
Devotional Booklets $500
Signing $500
TOTAL $2100
Next Meeting: December 2, 2010
Agenda/Meeting: Elaine
Minutes: Tex
Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Mission and Outreach
Meeting Minutes of October 7, 2010
Recorder: Maureen Clancy
Attendance: Sandy Dyer, Co-chair, Sarah Randall, Co-chair, Laurie Carey, Elsa Peters, Mike Kasputes, Kristen Silva, Richard Parker, Maureen Clancy
Opening Meditation - Mike Kasputes provided the opening reflection.
Review Minutes – The September minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer’s Report - Mike Kasputes provided the Treasurer’s report which was approved as written. The quarterly dispersements and One Great Hour of Sharing were included.
Minister’s Moment - Elsa Peters informed the group about the summer retreat plans for the Downeast Coast of Maine with the Maine Coast Mission. Tthere will be room for 50-100 people, teens are welcome, no skills necessary and more to come. A member of Maine Coast Mission will be the guest speaker on Mission Sunday. Elsa also mentioned the next Micah Project - the fall clean up at the Pilgrim Lodge scheduled for October 30.The Pilgrim Lodge is also fundraising for the cost to repair the boardwalk. The Mission Team approved a $400 donation from the discretionary funds.
New Business:
• Laurie reported that the Mission Mall will need gift cards, the Team agreed to $200-250 from the discretionary fund of the budget. Laurie will let Linda know to order the cards.
• Sandy reported that we are short 1 team member. Should we try to recruit or go forward with the existing team? Since we will be losing 4 members in June, the team agreed it would be advisable to seek a new member. Laurie agreed to call Tom and Suzanne Linder to inquire about membership.
• Sarah reported that she met with Greg about a connection with the Fair Trade Coffee and Holy Joe’s. Greg agreed to seek more information and get back to us. Any fundraising effort will need to be cleared through Council before we can proceed. The question was also asked about Maine based efforts to support the troops and if that would be an easier outlet. Elsa will look into. Mike asked if the Maine National Guard had a regular Chaplin and if there might be a fundraising need on this end, Elsa agreed to ask about active duty Chaplains.
• We agreed to hold more discussion on Mission Sunday until the December meeting.
• Sandy inquired about the Maine State Prison Pastoral Fund. This was a group on our list of groups supported but it had been awhile. Jan had agreed to check; we will put this on next month’s agenda.
• Sarah reported that 2 thank you notes were received from Habitat and Iris Network.
• On November 7 Mission will be hosting the coffee hour. We also agreed to host on Jan. 9 and 16 as well. This involves set up at 9 a.m., baking, making coffee, and clean up. We will also sell Fair Trade coffee that day and put out any information we wish to promote. Mike, Sarah, Laurie and Kristen agreed to bring something or bake. Richard will bring cider. Sandy will bring munchkins. Sarah and Sandy agreed to make up a board or display to promote the Mission Trip, to inform on the groups we support, and to ask for feedback on groups members think we should support.
Other Business:
• Laurie reported that Kendra Palmer said she would do the Thanksgiving Baskets again this year. Sandy agreed to follow up with her - her number is 523-9010. We agreed it was OK for Jen to start taking names for baskets.
• We decided to drop Rethinking Christmas for now, without Carol we had lost steam on this idea.
• Recipients of the Christmas Offering would be determined next meeting.
• Mike reported that budget requests will be coming up soon. The team agreed to ask for flat funding.
• Sandy agreed to contact Jenn Hardin and Bob Morse to confirm the Christmas Giving Tree and Mitten Tree projects.
• Maureen agreed to do the Beacon article for the Christmas Offering. That will be due November 15.
Closing – Mike Kasputes provided the closing reflection. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.
Next meeting:
Thursday, November 4
Co-chair – Sarah Randall
Meditations – Kristen Silva
Recorder - Richard Parker
Recorder: Maureen Clancy
Attendance: Sandy Dyer, Co-chair, Sarah Randall, Co-chair, Laurie Carey, Elsa Peters, Mike Kasputes, Kristen Silva, Richard Parker, Maureen Clancy
Opening Meditation - Mike Kasputes provided the opening reflection.
Review Minutes – The September minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer’s Report - Mike Kasputes provided the Treasurer’s report which was approved as written. The quarterly dispersements and One Great Hour of Sharing were included.
Minister’s Moment - Elsa Peters informed the group about the summer retreat plans for the Downeast Coast of Maine with the Maine Coast Mission. Tthere will be room for 50-100 people, teens are welcome, no skills necessary and more to come. A member of Maine Coast Mission will be the guest speaker on Mission Sunday. Elsa also mentioned the next Micah Project - the fall clean up at the Pilgrim Lodge scheduled for October 30.The Pilgrim Lodge is also fundraising for the cost to repair the boardwalk. The Mission Team approved a $400 donation from the discretionary funds.
New Business:
• Laurie reported that the Mission Mall will need gift cards, the Team agreed to $200-250 from the discretionary fund of the budget. Laurie will let Linda know to order the cards.
• Sandy reported that we are short 1 team member. Should we try to recruit or go forward with the existing team? Since we will be losing 4 members in June, the team agreed it would be advisable to seek a new member. Laurie agreed to call Tom and Suzanne Linder to inquire about membership.
• Sarah reported that she met with Greg about a connection with the Fair Trade Coffee and Holy Joe’s. Greg agreed to seek more information and get back to us. Any fundraising effort will need to be cleared through Council before we can proceed. The question was also asked about Maine based efforts to support the troops and if that would be an easier outlet. Elsa will look into. Mike asked if the Maine National Guard had a regular Chaplin and if there might be a fundraising need on this end, Elsa agreed to ask about active duty Chaplains.
• We agreed to hold more discussion on Mission Sunday until the December meeting.
• Sandy inquired about the Maine State Prison Pastoral Fund. This was a group on our list of groups supported but it had been awhile. Jan had agreed to check; we will put this on next month’s agenda.
• Sarah reported that 2 thank you notes were received from Habitat and Iris Network.
• On November 7 Mission will be hosting the coffee hour. We also agreed to host on Jan. 9 and 16 as well. This involves set up at 9 a.m., baking, making coffee, and clean up. We will also sell Fair Trade coffee that day and put out any information we wish to promote. Mike, Sarah, Laurie and Kristen agreed to bring something or bake. Richard will bring cider. Sandy will bring munchkins. Sarah and Sandy agreed to make up a board or display to promote the Mission Trip, to inform on the groups we support, and to ask for feedback on groups members think we should support.
Other Business:
• Laurie reported that Kendra Palmer said she would do the Thanksgiving Baskets again this year. Sandy agreed to follow up with her - her number is 523-9010. We agreed it was OK for Jen to start taking names for baskets.
• We decided to drop Rethinking Christmas for now, without Carol we had lost steam on this idea.
• Recipients of the Christmas Offering would be determined next meeting.
• Mike reported that budget requests will be coming up soon. The team agreed to ask for flat funding.
• Sandy agreed to contact Jenn Hardin and Bob Morse to confirm the Christmas Giving Tree and Mitten Tree projects.
• Maureen agreed to do the Beacon article for the Christmas Offering. That will be due November 15.
Closing – Mike Kasputes provided the closing reflection. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.
Next meeting:
Thursday, November 4
Co-chair – Sarah Randall
Meditations – Kristen Silva
Recorder - Richard Parker
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Mission and Outreach
Meeting Minutes of November 4, 2010
Recorder: Richard A. Parker
Attendees: Sarah Randall – Chair, Jan Bosse, Laurie Cary , Mike Kasputes, Suzanne Linder, Richard Parker, Kristen Silvia, Elsa Peters (part time)
OPENING:
Kristen opened the meeting with a reading from Kahlil Gibran on working; Susanne Linder was welcomed as a new member to the team.
OCTOBER MINUTES:
Minutes approved as submitted.
MINISTER’S MOMENT:
SPEAKER FOR MISSION SUNDAY 13 FEB: Scott Planting from the Maine Seacoast Mission. Still to be confirmed.
MICAH PROJECT: Because of too many other commitments, Gretchen has resigned as coordinator. A new coordinator is needed.
HOLY JOE’S CAFÉ: Elsa did not receive a response from the UCC. She is looking elsewhere for information and support.
MAINE SEACOAST MISSION TRIP JULY 24-31, 2011: Elsa distributed information including an estimated budget of $5070 (assuming 20 participants). The two primary items discussed were recruitment of participants and ways to raise money. There are already three definite attendees. The trip will be advertised at next week’s coffee hour and in future bulletins. The Maine Seacoast Mission will also be the focus of Mission Sunday (see above). Other recruitment opportunities will be taken as they present themselves. It was decided that half of the Christmas Offering will be used to defer costs. Additionally, Laura will ask the Administration Team if special offering envelops can be placed in the pews for Mission Sunday and beyond.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
Mike distributed the report. The collections for NIN (Neighbor’s in Need) significantly exceeded last year’s. See Mike’s report for additional information.
OLD BUSINESS:
CHRISTMAS OFFERING: Historically, half of the offering goes for local support and half to support an organization with a global perspective. It was decided that this year’s Christmas offering will be distributed as follows:
- Local Half – to be used to defer the costs of the Mission Trip (see above).
- Global Half – to Common Hope – an organization that supports education and family needs of children is Guatemala. Richard is to send Sarah and Maureen supporting information and contacts so that Maureen can prepare a notice for the bulletin.
COFFEE HOUR: Mission team is the sponsor this coming Sunday.
NEW BUSINESS:
THANK YOUs: Thank you notes were received from Union Theological Seminary, Pilgrim Lodge, Day One, and Preble Street.
2011 BUDGET: Proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 must be submitted in December. After two years of budget cuts, it was decided to propose that the budget be increased to the level it was in 2008 – i.e. $21,000.
POTENTIAL NEW CHARITY - GLSEN - This is an organization that works with homosexual high school students. They have asked if they could be added to our fund distribution list. The decision was deferred until we learn more about this group. Laurie will bring additional information to the December meeting.
REVIEW OF CHARITIES SUPPORTED BY THE CHURCH’S MISSION: The GLSEN discussion raised the need to periodically review and re-qualify the charities and organizations supported by our church. To this end, it was decided that a program to review the organizations on our Outreach List would be put in place by the second quarter of 2011.
CLOSING:
Kristen closed the meeting with a reading from Kahlil Gibran on giving.
Recorder: Richard A. Parker
Attendees: Sarah Randall – Chair, Jan Bosse, Laurie Cary , Mike Kasputes, Suzanne Linder, Richard Parker, Kristen Silvia, Elsa Peters (part time)
OPENING:
Kristen opened the meeting with a reading from Kahlil Gibran on working; Susanne Linder was welcomed as a new member to the team.
OCTOBER MINUTES:
Minutes approved as submitted.
MINISTER’S MOMENT:
SPEAKER FOR MISSION SUNDAY 13 FEB: Scott Planting from the Maine Seacoast Mission. Still to be confirmed.
MICAH PROJECT: Because of too many other commitments, Gretchen has resigned as coordinator. A new coordinator is needed.
HOLY JOE’S CAFÉ: Elsa did not receive a response from the UCC. She is looking elsewhere for information and support.
MAINE SEACOAST MISSION TRIP JULY 24-31, 2011: Elsa distributed information including an estimated budget of $5070 (assuming 20 participants). The two primary items discussed were recruitment of participants and ways to raise money. There are already three definite attendees. The trip will be advertised at next week’s coffee hour and in future bulletins. The Maine Seacoast Mission will also be the focus of Mission Sunday (see above). Other recruitment opportunities will be taken as they present themselves. It was decided that half of the Christmas Offering will be used to defer costs. Additionally, Laura will ask the Administration Team if special offering envelops can be placed in the pews for Mission Sunday and beyond.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
Mike distributed the report. The collections for NIN (Neighbor’s in Need) significantly exceeded last year’s. See Mike’s report for additional information.
OLD BUSINESS:
CHRISTMAS OFFERING: Historically, half of the offering goes for local support and half to support an organization with a global perspective. It was decided that this year’s Christmas offering will be distributed as follows:
- Local Half – to be used to defer the costs of the Mission Trip (see above).
- Global Half – to Common Hope – an organization that supports education and family needs of children is Guatemala. Richard is to send Sarah and Maureen supporting information and contacts so that Maureen can prepare a notice for the bulletin.
COFFEE HOUR: Mission team is the sponsor this coming Sunday.
NEW BUSINESS:
THANK YOUs: Thank you notes were received from Union Theological Seminary, Pilgrim Lodge, Day One, and Preble Street.
2011 BUDGET: Proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 must be submitted in December. After two years of budget cuts, it was decided to propose that the budget be increased to the level it was in 2008 – i.e. $21,000.
POTENTIAL NEW CHARITY - GLSEN - This is an organization that works with homosexual high school students. They have asked if they could be added to our fund distribution list. The decision was deferred until we learn more about this group. Laurie will bring additional information to the December meeting.
REVIEW OF CHARITIES SUPPORTED BY THE CHURCH’S MISSION: The GLSEN discussion raised the need to periodically review and re-qualify the charities and organizations supported by our church. To this end, it was decided that a program to review the organizations on our Outreach List would be put in place by the second quarter of 2011.
CLOSING:
Kristen closed the meeting with a reading from Kahlil Gibran on giving.
Education Growth and Fellowship
Meeting Minutes of November 4, 2010
Attendance: Karen Pierce-Souza, Elsa Peters, Jennifer Fetting, Tom Hamerski, Scott Ayre
A. Updates on Team Responsibilities
1) Library and Scholarship: Scott reported that Scholarship is fine; not much happening now, since the real work starts in January. Karen reported that she talked to Kathy and the library is also going well; Kathy is trying to get the library weeded out. She’s open to suggestions regarding new books for purchase. The preference is to use local businesses such as Nonesuch books, which the EGF committee fully supports.
2) Sunday School: Carolyn was unable to attend this meeting and, therefore, there was no Sunday School update.
3) Faith Formation: Elsa sent us her update. One concern she brought up was the teenage Sunday School teaching policy, which is outdated and no longer fully applicable to the church. We, as a committee, voted to overturn the current policy and adopt a new guidline: to allow teenagers (who had been through Confirmation) younger than 16 to be able to teach Sunday School classes.
4) Coffee Hour: Jen reported that coffee hour is going wonderfully well; lots of volunteers and enthusiasm and helpful people this fall. Hopefully this continues all year. I think that much of this is due to all the committees and teams volunteering – really going very well.
5) Nursery: Jen reported that we still need a way of informing the nursery parents who volunteer to help in the nursery that they have to fill out Safe Church background check forms. Jen will post a sign; Scott suggested that there also be handouts with information on who to contact to get the sheets, so we’ll do that too.
6) Growth/hospitality: There was an inquirer’s meeting on Oct 26. Karen and Tom helped out with refreshments and chatting up the inquirers. After talking to some of these inquirers, it sounds like overall the night went really well. The new members are being welcomed into the church on Nov. 7. We need to find a photographer. Since Randall Landry (the usual photographer) isn’t able to be there, Jen will bring her camera and Tom will take the pictures.
B. Other really important stuff
1) 2011 budget requests – we decided on our budget requests; Tom
is entering them into a spreadsheet and sending them in to the powers that be.
2) New team member recruitment – we’re putting this on hold for now, since Scott Ayre has agreed to join the EGF team for a year (whohoo!)
3) Upcoming hospitality things for which we need to split up responsibility,
according to my binder
a. Jesus’ birthday – We need to get in touch with some of the parents
of younger children, people who may be willing to help with setup/cleanup for this event at the 5:00 service on Christmas Eve.
Attendance: Karen Pierce-Souza, Elsa Peters, Jennifer Fetting, Tom Hamerski, Scott Ayre
A. Updates on Team Responsibilities
1) Library and Scholarship: Scott reported that Scholarship is fine; not much happening now, since the real work starts in January. Karen reported that she talked to Kathy and the library is also going well; Kathy is trying to get the library weeded out. She’s open to suggestions regarding new books for purchase. The preference is to use local businesses such as Nonesuch books, which the EGF committee fully supports.
2) Sunday School: Carolyn was unable to attend this meeting and, therefore, there was no Sunday School update.
3) Faith Formation: Elsa sent us her update. One concern she brought up was the teenage Sunday School teaching policy, which is outdated and no longer fully applicable to the church. We, as a committee, voted to overturn the current policy and adopt a new guidline: to allow teenagers (who had been through Confirmation) younger than 16 to be able to teach Sunday School classes.
4) Coffee Hour: Jen reported that coffee hour is going wonderfully well; lots of volunteers and enthusiasm and helpful people this fall. Hopefully this continues all year. I think that much of this is due to all the committees and teams volunteering – really going very well.
5) Nursery: Jen reported that we still need a way of informing the nursery parents who volunteer to help in the nursery that they have to fill out Safe Church background check forms. Jen will post a sign; Scott suggested that there also be handouts with information on who to contact to get the sheets, so we’ll do that too.
6) Growth/hospitality: There was an inquirer’s meeting on Oct 26. Karen and Tom helped out with refreshments and chatting up the inquirers. After talking to some of these inquirers, it sounds like overall the night went really well. The new members are being welcomed into the church on Nov. 7. We need to find a photographer. Since Randall Landry (the usual photographer) isn’t able to be there, Jen will bring her camera and Tom will take the pictures.
B. Other really important stuff
1) 2011 budget requests – we decided on our budget requests; Tom
is entering them into a spreadsheet and sending them in to the powers that be.
2) New team member recruitment – we’re putting this on hold for now, since Scott Ayre has agreed to join the EGF team for a year (whohoo!)
3) Upcoming hospitality things for which we need to split up responsibility,
according to my binder
a. Jesus’ birthday – We need to get in touch with some of the parents
of younger children, people who may be willing to help with setup/cleanup for this event at the 5:00 service on Christmas Eve.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Church Council
Meeting Minutes of October 21, 2010
Recorder: Peggy Murray
Present: Nancy MacLean, Matt Early, John McCall, Andy Ellis, Bob Morse, Sally Hinckley, Phil Whitney, John Shoos, Carl Murphy, Robin Reinhold, and Peggy Murray
Absent: Carrie Skeffington, Roger Addor
Nancy opened the meeting and Peggy presented a meditation on honoring the saints among us.
John Shoos and Phil Whitney were introduced to the group.
Suzanne Lindner was nominated as a new member for the class of 2013 for Mission Outreach. Motion made by John Shoos and seconded by Bob Morse to accept the nomination. Unanimously approved. Scott Ayer and Tom Hamerski have agreed to join EG&F; Spiritual Life & Worship is still looking for one more member. We will act on these additions at the next meeting.
The minutes of the last meeting were approved as presented.
Ministers’ Report:
Elsa sent word that she had nothing to report.
John reported:
• that there were a number of positive comments following the October 10th service framing the Vision* Statement.
• The Web site should go live around November 5th (Friday). There is still a lot of text that needs to be created and posted, and the transition to the new process is taking some time. It does provide much more flexibility and “real time” updating capability. We will be able to upload MP3 recordings of sermons, etc. There will be a comprehensive search engine available. We have contracted with Vanco Systems (recommended by UCC) to support a “donate now” capacity for credit card donations. Chris Keiter will be our new Web Master and Aaron Scifres will be Code Master. We need to look into adding an “opt out of photograph” to our Sunday School registration form since pictures may be posted on the web site. We would not be attaching any names to pictures that are posted on-line. We also need to consider other organizations such as music groups, youth groups, etc. to determine how we obtain permissions.
• John is going to Concord, NH on Sunday, October 31st to preach at the South Parish UCC Church for the start of their 175th Anniversary celebration. Kitty Garlid, Director of Spiritual Services at Maine Medical Center and also a UCC minister, will be preaching here on that date.
Homecoming Sunday Feedback: the delay in starting classes seemed to work well for Church School, although some families were a bit confused, and the delay seemed a bit long. The pressure of preparation for a large fair was an issue in the past, but that has not seemed to bring the results expected. Elsa and John will bring options for dates to the Council next spring.
2011 Budget Committee: Moderator (Matt Early), John McCall, Cyndi Alden, Elsa Peters, Andy Ellis, plus (one additional volunteer is needed). There will be several meetings in November and December, once the Stewardship Campaign is complete, to finalize a proposed budget.
We reviewed the status of the 2010 budget. Pledges are at the level that we expect them to be at this time of year based on past experience. We generally see “catch up” at year end from a predictable number of people.
Nancy circulated a copy of the proposed “Consolidated Church Budget and Financial Reports” that contains the financial information of ancillary entities such as the Holly Daze Bazaar, the Discovery Center, etc. If it is presented as part of the budget package, it will need to be clearly noted that we are voting on the church budget only, and the other financial reports are being presented for information only.
Discovery Center Update: We included a reduced amount of $2500 for rent in the budget this year. There was an understanding that the $5000 was a loan, and that proposed budget assumed they would continue to pay the rent. Gretchen Reynolds is going to forward a copy of the most recent financial statement to Matt. They have two new students with a possible third coming on.
Volunteerism: Nancy asked that we review the “From Stressed to Blessed” document with a focus on the section “Reviewing What Is” and also the “Encouraging Voluntarism and Ministries” document. Phil is going to check with Jen in the office to see what happens with new member interest forms (“Participation Opportunity Sheet”) and how they are routed to appropriate committees, etc.
The Council is responsible for finding or serving as Delegates. The next meeting is the Annual Meeting of Cumberland Association in New Gloucester on Sunday, October 24th from 2:30 – 5:00 p.m. Peggy Murray will attend and she and Bob Morse agreed to work on a list of people who might act as Delegates.
Rick Angell has asked, on behalf of the Ushers, that the emergency procedures be updated since they have not been updated since 1997. Nancy will check with the office to see who will handle that.
Meeting adjourned at 8:29 p.m.
Next Meeting is November 18th.
Phil Whitney will be the opener/recorder.
* - noted correction
Recorder: Peggy Murray
Present: Nancy MacLean, Matt Early, John McCall, Andy Ellis, Bob Morse, Sally Hinckley, Phil Whitney, John Shoos, Carl Murphy, Robin Reinhold, and Peggy Murray
Absent: Carrie Skeffington, Roger Addor
Nancy opened the meeting and Peggy presented a meditation on honoring the saints among us.
John Shoos and Phil Whitney were introduced to the group.
Suzanne Lindner was nominated as a new member for the class of 2013 for Mission Outreach. Motion made by John Shoos and seconded by Bob Morse to accept the nomination. Unanimously approved. Scott Ayer and Tom Hamerski have agreed to join EG&F; Spiritual Life & Worship is still looking for one more member. We will act on these additions at the next meeting.
The minutes of the last meeting were approved as presented.
Ministers’ Report:
Elsa sent word that she had nothing to report.
John reported:
• that there were a number of positive comments following the October 10th service framing the Vision* Statement.
• The Web site should go live around November 5th (Friday). There is still a lot of text that needs to be created and posted, and the transition to the new process is taking some time. It does provide much more flexibility and “real time” updating capability. We will be able to upload MP3 recordings of sermons, etc. There will be a comprehensive search engine available. We have contracted with Vanco Systems (recommended by UCC) to support a “donate now” capacity for credit card donations. Chris Keiter will be our new Web Master and Aaron Scifres will be Code Master. We need to look into adding an “opt out of photograph” to our Sunday School registration form since pictures may be posted on the web site. We would not be attaching any names to pictures that are posted on-line. We also need to consider other organizations such as music groups, youth groups, etc. to determine how we obtain permissions.
• John is going to Concord, NH on Sunday, October 31st to preach at the South Parish UCC Church for the start of their 175th Anniversary celebration. Kitty Garlid, Director of Spiritual Services at Maine Medical Center and also a UCC minister, will be preaching here on that date.
Homecoming Sunday Feedback: the delay in starting classes seemed to work well for Church School, although some families were a bit confused, and the delay seemed a bit long. The pressure of preparation for a large fair was an issue in the past, but that has not seemed to bring the results expected. Elsa and John will bring options for dates to the Council next spring.
2011 Budget Committee: Moderator (Matt Early), John McCall, Cyndi Alden, Elsa Peters, Andy Ellis, plus (one additional volunteer is needed). There will be several meetings in November and December, once the Stewardship Campaign is complete, to finalize a proposed budget.
We reviewed the status of the 2010 budget. Pledges are at the level that we expect them to be at this time of year based on past experience. We generally see “catch up” at year end from a predictable number of people.
Nancy circulated a copy of the proposed “Consolidated Church Budget and Financial Reports” that contains the financial information of ancillary entities such as the Holly Daze Bazaar, the Discovery Center, etc. If it is presented as part of the budget package, it will need to be clearly noted that we are voting on the church budget only, and the other financial reports are being presented for information only.
Discovery Center Update: We included a reduced amount of $2500 for rent in the budget this year. There was an understanding that the $5000 was a loan, and that proposed budget assumed they would continue to pay the rent. Gretchen Reynolds is going to forward a copy of the most recent financial statement to Matt. They have two new students with a possible third coming on.
Volunteerism: Nancy asked that we review the “From Stressed to Blessed” document with a focus on the section “Reviewing What Is” and also the “Encouraging Voluntarism and Ministries” document. Phil is going to check with Jen in the office to see what happens with new member interest forms (“Participation Opportunity Sheet”) and how they are routed to appropriate committees, etc.
The Council is responsible for finding or serving as Delegates. The next meeting is the Annual Meeting of Cumberland Association in New Gloucester on Sunday, October 24th from 2:30 – 5:00 p.m. Peggy Murray will attend and she and Bob Morse agreed to work on a list of people who might act as Delegates.
Rick Angell has asked, on behalf of the Ushers, that the emergency procedures be updated since they have not been updated since 1997. Nancy will check with the office to see who will handle that.
Meeting adjourned at 8:29 p.m.
Next Meeting is November 18th.
Phil Whitney will be the opener/recorder.
* - noted correction
Spiritual Life and Worship
Meeting Minutes of October 7, 2010
Recorder: Debbie Riley
Attending: Dana Wiggins, Debbie Riley, Rick Angell, John McCall
Opening Prayer by Dana
Review Of September Minutes - Approved
John McCall:
• Reported that we are off to a good start this church year. There seems to be vitality and energy within the church community. Shirley Curry is trying to breath new life into the children’s choir as there are few members this year.
• Discussed the downturn in attendance at churches during the past 20 years. We are experiencing similar decline, however not as severe as many other churches in our area. Our open and affirming statement has brought many to our doors and affirms our commitment and reputation as a welcoming and comfortable congregation. John gave us an article to read that expands upon this issue.
• Dana mentioned that Elsa is not planning to lead an Advent worship opportunity this year. Elsa is planning to offer a Prayer Practice series of meeting in place of this
• The committee approved an expenditure for bibles to be purchased for this year.
• On-line registration for church school went very well this year. An all out effort is being made to update and expand the email addresses of our members.
• Homecoming Sunday went well, but many felt that the late start to the year felt too late and that we might want to return to the First Sunday after Labor Day next year!
• World Communion Sunday went well also. SL&W forgot about out responsibility to serve coffee. Thanks to Dana for shopping and pulling together a wonderful array of goodies at the last minute.
• Reminder - Friendship Sunday is November 21st.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Recorder: Debbie Riley
Attending: Dana Wiggins, Debbie Riley, Rick Angell, John McCall
Opening Prayer by Dana
Review Of September Minutes - Approved
John McCall:
• Reported that we are off to a good start this church year. There seems to be vitality and energy within the church community. Shirley Curry is trying to breath new life into the children’s choir as there are few members this year.
• Discussed the downturn in attendance at churches during the past 20 years. We are experiencing similar decline, however not as severe as many other churches in our area. Our open and affirming statement has brought many to our doors and affirms our commitment and reputation as a welcoming and comfortable congregation. John gave us an article to read that expands upon this issue.
• Dana mentioned that Elsa is not planning to lead an Advent worship opportunity this year. Elsa is planning to offer a Prayer Practice series of meeting in place of this
• The committee approved an expenditure for bibles to be purchased for this year.
• On-line registration for church school went very well this year. An all out effort is being made to update and expand the email addresses of our members.
• Homecoming Sunday went well, but many felt that the late start to the year felt too late and that we might want to return to the First Sunday after Labor Day next year!
• World Communion Sunday went well also. SL&W forgot about out responsibility to serve coffee. Thanks to Dana for shopping and pulling together a wonderful array of goodies at the last minute.
• Reminder - Friendship Sunday is November 21st.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Education Growth and Fellowship
Meeting Minutes of October 7, 2010
Attendance: Karen Pierce-Souza, Elsa Peters, Jennifer Fetting, Scott Ayer, Tom Hamerski
I. Agenda
A. Updates on Team Responsibilities:
1) Karen updated us on Library and Scholarship. In both cases, things are good and nothing needed for now.
2) Carolyn was unable to attend tonight’s meeting, so we didn’t get an update on the Sunday School, but at least one Sunday School teacher seems to think it’s going well.
3) Elsa gave us her Faith Formation update. We voted on choices for the children’s offering
a. Camp Sunshine
b. Winter Kids
c. Pilgrim Lodge
4) Jen reported that Coffee Hour is going shockingly, amazingly well. People and groups are being wonderful about volunteering and that is great. We’re filled up through Christmas!
B. Other items:
1) Homecoming Sunday
a. None of us had heard any feedback from other people re: the new setup, other than people liked the coffee hour that day.
b. EFG committee liked it better
c. Not sure how it will work next year
2) Nursery – We need those parents who volunteer to help downstairs to do background checks for Safe Church. There is no such list, however, so we need to figure out a good way of identifying these parents and getting the necessary forms to them.
3) Two potential new members of the EFG team visited today, Tom Hamerski and Scott Ayer. Tom is on board (whohoo!) and Scott is thinking about whether he has time and will let us know.
Attendance: Karen Pierce-Souza, Elsa Peters, Jennifer Fetting, Scott Ayer, Tom Hamerski
I. Agenda
A. Updates on Team Responsibilities:
1) Karen updated us on Library and Scholarship. In both cases, things are good and nothing needed for now.
2) Carolyn was unable to attend tonight’s meeting, so we didn’t get an update on the Sunday School, but at least one Sunday School teacher seems to think it’s going well.
3) Elsa gave us her Faith Formation update. We voted on choices for the children’s offering
a. Camp Sunshine
b. Winter Kids
c. Pilgrim Lodge
4) Jen reported that Coffee Hour is going shockingly, amazingly well. People and groups are being wonderful about volunteering and that is great. We’re filled up through Christmas!
B. Other items:
1) Homecoming Sunday
a. None of us had heard any feedback from other people re: the new setup, other than people liked the coffee hour that day.
b. EFG committee liked it better
c. Not sure how it will work next year
2) Nursery – We need those parents who volunteer to help downstairs to do background checks for Safe Church. There is no such list, however, so we need to figure out a good way of identifying these parents and getting the necessary forms to them.
3) Two potential new members of the EFG team visited today, Tom Hamerski and Scott Ayer. Tom is on board (whohoo!) and Scott is thinking about whether he has time and will let us know.
Music Committee
Meeting Minutes of September 30, 2010
Present: Shirley Curry, Kim Early, Anna O’Connor, Sheryl Kieran, and Peg Carmichael
1. Reviewed and accepted September 9 minutes.
2. Updates:
• Folders - $260. was spent from the special music fund to purchase new black folders for sheet music. The folders have arrived!
• Chairs – Shirley will be meeting with Guy Gledhill to discuss the chairs in the choir room. Shirley will seek Guy’s advice on topics like attaining funds and whether to replace all the chairs at once or in increments.
• Robe Repair – Trudi will be contacting Shirley regarding the Children’s Choir robe repairs.
3. For the 2011 proposed budget, Shirley recommended cutting the Piano Maintenance line from $800. to $600. and the Instruments for Special Occasions line from $700. to $400. for a total reduction of $500. If it is determined that we need a new line for Chair Repair, we will request $500.
for that line. The Hymn License Fee needs to go up from $230. to $245. as
the fee has gone up. Removing the Child Care line was also discussed.
4. Christmas Vespers will be held on December 12th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The committee agreed to volunteer to do/bring the following:
• Request table set-up – Kim
• Tablecloths and Paper Products – Sheryl
• Centerpiece - Anna
• Hot Cider – Kim, Peg, Anna
• Tea and Half & Half – Anna
• Cookies – Kim, Anna, Sheryl, Peg
5. Other business:
• Shirley sent out a letter to all eligible children about the Children’s Choir.
• Anna will wash and iron the Bell Ringer’s cloth.
• Peg will wash the piano cover from the choir room.
The next meeting is set for December 2nd.
Present: Shirley Curry, Kim Early, Anna O’Connor, Sheryl Kieran, and Peg Carmichael
1. Reviewed and accepted September 9 minutes.
2. Updates:
• Folders - $260. was spent from the special music fund to purchase new black folders for sheet music. The folders have arrived!
• Chairs – Shirley will be meeting with Guy Gledhill to discuss the chairs in the choir room. Shirley will seek Guy’s advice on topics like attaining funds and whether to replace all the chairs at once or in increments.
• Robe Repair – Trudi will be contacting Shirley regarding the Children’s Choir robe repairs.
3. For the 2011 proposed budget, Shirley recommended cutting the Piano Maintenance line from $800. to $600. and the Instruments for Special Occasions line from $700. to $400. for a total reduction of $500. If it is determined that we need a new line for Chair Repair, we will request $500.
for that line. The Hymn License Fee needs to go up from $230. to $245. as
the fee has gone up. Removing the Child Care line was also discussed.
4. Christmas Vespers will be held on December 12th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The committee agreed to volunteer to do/bring the following:
• Request table set-up – Kim
• Tablecloths and Paper Products – Sheryl
• Centerpiece - Anna
• Hot Cider – Kim, Peg, Anna
• Tea and Half & Half – Anna
• Cookies – Kim, Anna, Sheryl, Peg
5. Other business:
• Shirley sent out a letter to all eligible children about the Children’s Choir.
• Anna will wash and iron the Bell Ringer’s cloth.
• Peg will wash the piano cover from the choir room.
The next meeting is set for December 2nd.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Education, Growth and Fellowship
Meeting Minutes of October 7, 2010
Attendance: Karen Pierce-Souza, Elsa Peters, Jennifer Fetting, Scott Ayer, Tom Hamerski
I. Agenda
A. Updates on Team Responsibilities:
1) Karen updated us on Library and Scholarship. In both cases, things are good and nothing needed for now.
2) Carolyn was unable to attend tonight’s meeting, so we didn’t get an update on the Sunday School, but at least one Sunday School teacher seems to think it’s going well.
3) Elsa gave us her Faith Formation update. We voted on choices for the children’s offering
a. Camp Sunshine
b. Winter Kids
c. Pilgrim Lodge
4) Jen reported that Coffee Hour is going shockingly, amazingly well. People and groups are being wonderful about volunteering and that is great. We’re filled up through Christmas!
B. Other items:
1) Homecoming Sunday
a. None of us had heard any feedback from other people re: the new setup, other than people liked the coffee hour that day.
b. EFG committee liked it better.
c. Not sure how it will work next year.
2) Nursery – We need those parents who volunteer to help downstairs to do background checks for Safe Church. There is no such list, however, so we need to figure out a good way of identifying these parents and getting the necessary forms to them.
3) Two potential new members of the EFG team visited today, Tom Hamerski and Scott Ayer. Tom is on board (whohoo!) and Scott is thinking about whether he has time and will let us know.
Attendance: Karen Pierce-Souza, Elsa Peters, Jennifer Fetting, Scott Ayer, Tom Hamerski
I. Agenda
A. Updates on Team Responsibilities:
1) Karen updated us on Library and Scholarship. In both cases, things are good and nothing needed for now.
2) Carolyn was unable to attend tonight’s meeting, so we didn’t get an update on the Sunday School, but at least one Sunday School teacher seems to think it’s going well.
3) Elsa gave us her Faith Formation update. We voted on choices for the children’s offering
a. Camp Sunshine
b. Winter Kids
c. Pilgrim Lodge
4) Jen reported that Coffee Hour is going shockingly, amazingly well. People and groups are being wonderful about volunteering and that is great. We’re filled up through Christmas!
B. Other items:
1) Homecoming Sunday
a. None of us had heard any feedback from other people re: the new setup, other than people liked the coffee hour that day.
b. EFG committee liked it better.
c. Not sure how it will work next year.
2) Nursery – We need those parents who volunteer to help downstairs to do background checks for Safe Church. There is no such list, however, so we need to figure out a good way of identifying these parents and getting the necessary forms to them.
3) Two potential new members of the EFG team visited today, Tom Hamerski and Scott Ayer. Tom is on board (whohoo!) and Scott is thinking about whether he has time and will let us know.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Diversity Committee
Meeting Minutes of October 17, 2010
PRESENT: Joan Carrier, Dolores Broberg, Pam Hermann, Kathy Cotter, Connie Baskett, Deb Theriault, and John McCall.
Deb opened the meeting with a prayer by Mother Theresa.
OLD BUSINESS:
We began the meeting with a recap of the Pride Parade in June. Joan and Deb both attended as well as Mike Kasputes, Carol Scheffler, Steve Ferris, Ed & Jill Saxby, and Elsa, and all marched behind the banner in the parade. As always, we were well received. Deb was interviewed by Channel 6 and was on TV. Joan noted that she heard a parade attendee shout out “tell God that” when he read our banner about God’s inclusive love. We were all glad that we participated and continue to have a presence at this important Pride event.
RCAD - John brought us up-to-date on the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination. John & Andrea and Elsa are all members (Elsa is on the Board). The committee formed (initiated by the Maine Civil Liberties Union) during the campaign for gay marriage and has been funded for another year. Hopefully the group will continue to do their important work if the funding ends.
“A Fish Out of Water” - This well-done film challenges common passages from the Bible used to condemn homosexuality. It was recently shown at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church; unfortunately, none at the meeting today were able to attend. Deb has seen it and shared it with Elsa, and it is the hope of RCAD to show it in areas such as Lewiston/Auburn and York County. Elsa will keep us informed about this.
John's Report - John brought us up to date on the closing of Williston-West UCC. The congregation has joined with the folks at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Portland (who has welcomed gays and lesbians for sometime and been “censured” by their denomination). It seems to be a good fit, and it is hoped that they will continue to grow.
NEW BUSINESS:
Deb mentioned in light of the recent suicides by several young people who were gay or perceived to be gay that we should try to support GLSEN as much as we can. Joan reminded us that GLSEN does have a table at the Mission Mall during the Holly Daze Bazaar, and Deb will contact Laurie Cary to see if they are in the Mission budget. We also need to make sure we support the ONA Coalition, which is the part of the UCC that helps churches on their journey to becoming Open & Affirming.
Diversity Sunday 2011 - Diversity Sunday will fall on January 16th (MLK, Jr. weekend Sunday as usual). John said he has heard there will not be an MLK, Jr. Breakfast that has historically been put on by the NAACP in Portland and instead there may be an invocation held on Sunday evening, January 16th.
We all tossed around ideas for the service. Elsa had just preached on “Coming Out”, and Dolores felt that we all hide behind masks sometimes and perhaps this would be a good topic. It then turned to the idea of each person’s uniqueness being celebrated, the idea that no two of us in the whole world is exactly alike. (like snowflakes! ) Another important theme was “being fully present” when we listen to someone. Pam shared a story of someone with early Alzheimer’s being forgetful and people seemingly bothered by it, but had they known this person’s “story” they would’ve been more compassionate. John suggested perhaps we have a series of vignettes telling people’s stories such as this one.
It was decided we would have a sub-committee meet with John to give this idea more shape and shake out the best parts of it all. Dolores, Pam, and Connie all agreed to be on the sub-committee. Once the minutes are shared with those not present at the meeting, if any of them wants to be on the sub-committee they are welcome to join. Members can email the committee to let us know of their interest. Once the ideas are discussed and whittled down to a workable topic, everyone will get their part to work on for the service in January.
The next meeting will be determined after the sub-committee meets, and Deb will also find out from Shirley when extra choir rehearsals for Christmas are set to begin so we’ll know when the best time for everyone will be.
Deb closed with a reading of some words of Anne Frank.
Respectfully submitted,
Deb Theriault
PRESENT: Joan Carrier, Dolores Broberg, Pam Hermann, Kathy Cotter, Connie Baskett, Deb Theriault, and John McCall.
Deb opened the meeting with a prayer by Mother Theresa.
OLD BUSINESS:
We began the meeting with a recap of the Pride Parade in June. Joan and Deb both attended as well as Mike Kasputes, Carol Scheffler, Steve Ferris, Ed & Jill Saxby, and Elsa, and all marched behind the banner in the parade. As always, we were well received. Deb was interviewed by Channel 6 and was on TV. Joan noted that she heard a parade attendee shout out “tell God that” when he read our banner about God’s inclusive love. We were all glad that we participated and continue to have a presence at this important Pride event.
RCAD - John brought us up-to-date on the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination. John & Andrea and Elsa are all members (Elsa is on the Board). The committee formed (initiated by the Maine Civil Liberties Union) during the campaign for gay marriage and has been funded for another year. Hopefully the group will continue to do their important work if the funding ends.
“A Fish Out of Water” - This well-done film challenges common passages from the Bible used to condemn homosexuality. It was recently shown at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church; unfortunately, none at the meeting today were able to attend. Deb has seen it and shared it with Elsa, and it is the hope of RCAD to show it in areas such as Lewiston/Auburn and York County. Elsa will keep us informed about this.
John's Report - John brought us up to date on the closing of Williston-West UCC. The congregation has joined with the folks at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Portland (who has welcomed gays and lesbians for sometime and been “censured” by their denomination). It seems to be a good fit, and it is hoped that they will continue to grow.
NEW BUSINESS:
Deb mentioned in light of the recent suicides by several young people who were gay or perceived to be gay that we should try to support GLSEN as much as we can. Joan reminded us that GLSEN does have a table at the Mission Mall during the Holly Daze Bazaar, and Deb will contact Laurie Cary to see if they are in the Mission budget. We also need to make sure we support the ONA Coalition, which is the part of the UCC that helps churches on their journey to becoming Open & Affirming.
Diversity Sunday 2011 - Diversity Sunday will fall on January 16th (MLK, Jr. weekend Sunday as usual). John said he has heard there will not be an MLK, Jr. Breakfast that has historically been put on by the NAACP in Portland and instead there may be an invocation held on Sunday evening, January 16th.
We all tossed around ideas for the service. Elsa had just preached on “Coming Out”, and Dolores felt that we all hide behind masks sometimes and perhaps this would be a good topic. It then turned to the idea of each person’s uniqueness being celebrated, the idea that no two of us in the whole world is exactly alike. (like snowflakes! ) Another important theme was “being fully present” when we listen to someone. Pam shared a story of someone with early Alzheimer’s being forgetful and people seemingly bothered by it, but had they known this person’s “story” they would’ve been more compassionate. John suggested perhaps we have a series of vignettes telling people’s stories such as this one.
It was decided we would have a sub-committee meet with John to give this idea more shape and shake out the best parts of it all. Dolores, Pam, and Connie all agreed to be on the sub-committee. Once the minutes are shared with those not present at the meeting, if any of them wants to be on the sub-committee they are welcome to join. Members can email the committee to let us know of their interest. Once the ideas are discussed and whittled down to a workable topic, everyone will get their part to work on for the service in January.
The next meeting will be determined after the sub-committee meets, and Deb will also find out from Shirley when extra choir rehearsals for Christmas are set to begin so we’ll know when the best time for everyone will be.
Deb closed with a reading of some words of Anne Frank.
Respectfully submitted,
Deb Theriault
Administration Team
Meeting Minutes of October 7, 2010
Present: Ron Bennett, Deb Sandler, Jim Otis, Rod Redstone, Guy Gledhill, Chris Mills and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order: Jim called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Minutes of the Admin Team Sept. 9, 2010 meeting: reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Financial results through October 7 were reviewed. The year is 77% complete. Revenues stand at 72% of the year’s budget.
Expenses are about 79% of the year’s budget. Overall, actual income and expenses vs. the budget appear reasonable. The actual loss was $(57,244) vs. a budgeted loss of $(27,289). The financial report was unanimously accepted. Cyndi agreed to: (1) cutting off statements on the last day of the month and (2) quarterly summaries of major maintenance work item expenditures. A discussion regarding the audit cost vs. budget was held and it was determined that it was higher than budget due to Discovery Center inclusion and to a mistake on the budgeted amount. Cyndi will get the Discovery Center cost broken out by end of November.
Tenant Update: Cyndi contacted the tenant at 509 Sawyer Street house via e-mail to ask about increasing rent to $900/month on Jan 1 but did not receive a response. Cyndi will contact the tenant again and get a response. The committee discussed and agreed that there should be an annual inspection of the house. There is also the issue of the dog. Cyndi will contact Pam Howard about the status of the dog and will brief the committee at the next meeting. The downstairs commercial space at 331 Cottage Road is still vacant. Jim will contact Roxanne Cole regarding the property. In the next lease a clause will be inserted to have the lease automatically renew with a 3.5% increase unless 30 days notice is given.
Chancel Railing: This item is complete and will be removed from next month’s agenda.
Church Signage and Rummage Storage: Guy will contact Dave regarding the signage.
Church insurance renewals and possible agent review: Ron will contact Scott Stacy and see if Scott would like to attend the next administration meeting in order to discuss review of Church Insurance. We may also want Pension/Health reviewed as part of the process.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Counting: We have a very responsive group of counters right now. We have established a process of scheduling on a quarterly basis that seems to be working well. We only had one "missed" Sunday over the summer and the ushers handled that by locking the plates up and it was taken care of on Monday. Generally counters only need to serve 5 times a year or so and they are doing a great job covering for each other if conflicts come up.
House: Maintenance on the balcony ceiling will be delayed until after the winter to ensure that there will not be any more leaks from the roof and steeple.
Planned Giving: Ron will do another article in the Beacon before the end of the year.
Fuel Oil Strategy: Guy reported that he could get fuel oil for .10 over rack price from Frederick Brothers. The administration team believes that we should continue to wait until the market stabilizes. We will review four vendors for fuel and maintenance, Frederick Brothers, Giroux, Webber and Dead River. The House committee will be asked to put fuel conversion onto their agenda.
Homecoming Sunday, Sept. 19: The council voted to change the day's events so there was no need for us to be present with a formal table display and sign-up.
A Team Member Replacements: Ron and Chris will be off the team next June and we have to provide for new replacement members. We have not yet come up with an overall replacement strategy.
NEW BUSINESS:
Web Site: There was a discussion at Eskimos that they might not be mentioned in the new web site. Jim contacted Chris Keiter after our meeting and he said that the Eskimos as well as other church groups are in the new web site and there will be contact info.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 8:23 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Rod Redstone
Present: Ron Bennett, Deb Sandler, Jim Otis, Rod Redstone, Guy Gledhill, Chris Mills and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order: Jim called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Minutes of the Admin Team Sept. 9, 2010 meeting: reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Financial results through October 7 were reviewed. The year is 77% complete. Revenues stand at 72% of the year’s budget.
Expenses are about 79% of the year’s budget. Overall, actual income and expenses vs. the budget appear reasonable. The actual loss was $(57,244) vs. a budgeted loss of $(27,289). The financial report was unanimously accepted. Cyndi agreed to: (1) cutting off statements on the last day of the month and (2) quarterly summaries of major maintenance work item expenditures. A discussion regarding the audit cost vs. budget was held and it was determined that it was higher than budget due to Discovery Center inclusion and to a mistake on the budgeted amount. Cyndi will get the Discovery Center cost broken out by end of November.
Tenant Update: Cyndi contacted the tenant at 509 Sawyer Street house via e-mail to ask about increasing rent to $900/month on Jan 1 but did not receive a response. Cyndi will contact the tenant again and get a response. The committee discussed and agreed that there should be an annual inspection of the house. There is also the issue of the dog. Cyndi will contact Pam Howard about the status of the dog and will brief the committee at the next meeting. The downstairs commercial space at 331 Cottage Road is still vacant. Jim will contact Roxanne Cole regarding the property. In the next lease a clause will be inserted to have the lease automatically renew with a 3.5% increase unless 30 days notice is given.
Chancel Railing: This item is complete and will be removed from next month’s agenda.
Church Signage and Rummage Storage: Guy will contact Dave regarding the signage.
Church insurance renewals and possible agent review: Ron will contact Scott Stacy and see if Scott would like to attend the next administration meeting in order to discuss review of Church Insurance. We may also want Pension/Health reviewed as part of the process.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Counting: We have a very responsive group of counters right now. We have established a process of scheduling on a quarterly basis that seems to be working well. We only had one "missed" Sunday over the summer and the ushers handled that by locking the plates up and it was taken care of on Monday. Generally counters only need to serve 5 times a year or so and they are doing a great job covering for each other if conflicts come up.
House: Maintenance on the balcony ceiling will be delayed until after the winter to ensure that there will not be any more leaks from the roof and steeple.
Planned Giving: Ron will do another article in the Beacon before the end of the year.
Fuel Oil Strategy: Guy reported that he could get fuel oil for .10 over rack price from Frederick Brothers. The administration team believes that we should continue to wait until the market stabilizes. We will review four vendors for fuel and maintenance, Frederick Brothers, Giroux, Webber and Dead River. The House committee will be asked to put fuel conversion onto their agenda.
Homecoming Sunday, Sept. 19: The council voted to change the day's events so there was no need for us to be present with a formal table display and sign-up.
A Team Member Replacements: Ron and Chris will be off the team next June and we have to provide for new replacement members. We have not yet come up with an overall replacement strategy.
NEW BUSINESS:
Web Site: There was a discussion at Eskimos that they might not be mentioned in the new web site. Jim contacted Chris Keiter after our meeting and he said that the Eskimos as well as other church groups are in the new web site and there will be contact info.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 8:23 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Rod Redstone
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Mission and Outreach Team
Meeting Minutes of September 2, 2010
Recorder: Laurie Cary
Members present: Sarah Randall, Sandy Dyer, Laurie Cary, Kristen Silvia, Jan Bosse, Maureen Clancy and Associate Minister Elsa Peters.
Members absent: Mike Kasputes, Richard Parker and Kendra Palmer.
Kendra Palmer met with Laurie Cary prior to the meeting to resign from the Team as she has found new employment out of the Portland area and will not be able to attend the meetings. She will be able to lead the Thanksgiving Day Baskets project this year, however. We’re sorry to lose her on the Team but wish her well in her new job.
Meeting begins: 7:10 p.m. with Sarah leading the meeting.
Sandy Dyer led the opening reading with a prayer on the spirit of giving by William Sloan Coffin.
Roundtable introductions were made followed by sharing of special times during the summer.
Homecoming Sunday is September 19, 2010. Mission Outreach had decided in the spring that we would not have a booth this year, and would instead volunteer a couple of Sundays to serve coffee hour and share our projects with other parishioners and invite their involvement.
Treasurer’s Report: None as Mike Kasputes is absent due to illness.
Minister’s Moment: In recognition of Labor Day, Elsa invited Christopher Teret from the Southern Maine Labor Council to speak as part of her sermon on September 5th.
Gretchen Reynolds is trying to line up a Micah Project for the month of October. Our Youth Group will be going to Pilgrim Lodge on Saturday October 30th to help with the end-of-summer clean up.
A Mission Trip is scheduled for July 24–July 30, 2011 to Downeast Maine to work with the Maine Seacoast Mission. There is not fee for lodging or food, except a request for money for supplies. Elsa hopes to have at least ten volunteers for painting and other work depending on the skill level of the volunteers.
The following Thank You notes were received since the last meeting:
• South Portland Cape Elizabeth Emergency Food Pantry
• Gwen Moore – Children of China fund
• The Center for Grieving Children
• Andover Newton Theological School
• Protestant Hospital Ministry
• United Church Christ – Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
• Shalom House
• Serenity House
• Oxfam of America
• Preble Street
Special Offerings: Neighbors in Need will be received on Sunday, October 3rd. Laurie is preparing the articles for the Beacon and will contact Betty Deschenes with the date to place the envelopes in the pews.
Mission Sunday: will be held Sunday, February 13, 2011. Several themes were discussed; a decision will be made at the October meeting, along with a planning schedule.
Sarah Randall re: Holy Joe’s Café – this program provides UCC Exchange coffee to our troops in the Middle East. Discuss further at October meeting.
Quarterly Disbursements: $500.00 each for a total of $3,500.00 to the following Maine non-profits:
• Union Theological Seminary
• Preble Street Lighthouse Shelter
• Day One
• Equality Maine
• Habitat for Humanity
• Iris Network
• Pilgrim Lodge
Jan Bosse volunteered to check on Maine State Prison Pastoral Fund, a Maine Special Support that we have not allocated funds to in several years.
Long Creek Birthday Cakes: Maureen states that she has been approached by Long Creek contact Emmy Brown. Ms. Brown is trying to determine how many churches donate birthday cakes to Long Creek to be sure all cottages receive one. Our cake goes to Spruce House, which is a boy’s cottage.
Sandy closed the meeting with a rereading of William Sloan Coffin’s prayer.
Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Recorder: Laurie Cary
Members present: Sarah Randall, Sandy Dyer, Laurie Cary, Kristen Silvia, Jan Bosse, Maureen Clancy and Associate Minister Elsa Peters.
Members absent: Mike Kasputes, Richard Parker and Kendra Palmer.
Kendra Palmer met with Laurie Cary prior to the meeting to resign from the Team as she has found new employment out of the Portland area and will not be able to attend the meetings. She will be able to lead the Thanksgiving Day Baskets project this year, however. We’re sorry to lose her on the Team but wish her well in her new job.
Meeting begins: 7:10 p.m. with Sarah leading the meeting.
Sandy Dyer led the opening reading with a prayer on the spirit of giving by William Sloan Coffin.
Roundtable introductions were made followed by sharing of special times during the summer.
Homecoming Sunday is September 19, 2010. Mission Outreach had decided in the spring that we would not have a booth this year, and would instead volunteer a couple of Sundays to serve coffee hour and share our projects with other parishioners and invite their involvement.
Treasurer’s Report: None as Mike Kasputes is absent due to illness.
Minister’s Moment: In recognition of Labor Day, Elsa invited Christopher Teret from the Southern Maine Labor Council to speak as part of her sermon on September 5th.
Gretchen Reynolds is trying to line up a Micah Project for the month of October. Our Youth Group will be going to Pilgrim Lodge on Saturday October 30th to help with the end-of-summer clean up.
A Mission Trip is scheduled for July 24–July 30, 2011 to Downeast Maine to work with the Maine Seacoast Mission. There is not fee for lodging or food, except a request for money for supplies. Elsa hopes to have at least ten volunteers for painting and other work depending on the skill level of the volunteers.
The following Thank You notes were received since the last meeting:
• South Portland Cape Elizabeth Emergency Food Pantry
• Gwen Moore – Children of China fund
• The Center for Grieving Children
• Andover Newton Theological School
• Protestant Hospital Ministry
• United Church Christ – Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
• Shalom House
• Serenity House
• Oxfam of America
• Preble Street
Special Offerings: Neighbors in Need will be received on Sunday, October 3rd. Laurie is preparing the articles for the Beacon and will contact Betty Deschenes with the date to place the envelopes in the pews.
Mission Sunday: will be held Sunday, February 13, 2011. Several themes were discussed; a decision will be made at the October meeting, along with a planning schedule.
Sarah Randall re: Holy Joe’s Café – this program provides UCC Exchange coffee to our troops in the Middle East. Discuss further at October meeting.
Quarterly Disbursements: $500.00 each for a total of $3,500.00 to the following Maine non-profits:
• Union Theological Seminary
• Preble Street Lighthouse Shelter
• Day One
• Equality Maine
• Habitat for Humanity
• Iris Network
• Pilgrim Lodge
Jan Bosse volunteered to check on Maine State Prison Pastoral Fund, a Maine Special Support that we have not allocated funds to in several years.
Long Creek Birthday Cakes: Maureen states that she has been approached by Long Creek contact Emmy Brown. Ms. Brown is trying to determine how many churches donate birthday cakes to Long Creek to be sure all cottages receive one. Our cake goes to Spruce House, which is a boy’s cottage.
Sandy closed the meeting with a rereading of William Sloan Coffin’s prayer.
Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Growth Group
Meeting Minutes of 10/4/10
Members present: Rick Angell, Elinor Redmond, Sue Ross, Dave Allen, John McCall. We send our apologies to Stan for needing to schedule the meeting without him. Every member is important and we look forward to seeing him at the next meeting.
Dave will ask different members to provide the opening for each meeting. He opened the meeting with a prayer.
Dave sent out the following documents before the meeting: Growth Group Ideas (a table listing activities spotlighted at the last meeting), Friendship Sunday Ideas, and 2 versions of the Welcome brochure. We followed the Growth Group Ideas table along with the meeting agenda.
1. Friendship Sunday: John said we have not had a designated ‘Bring a friend to church Sunday’ in 3 years. We need several rounds of notice in the Beacon and a postcard as a tangible reminder for people to take with them from worship. We agreed to go ahead with planning for Sunday, November 21st. Tasks were divided as follows:
• Rick will announce the event during a hospitality moment on Sunday, Nov. 7
• Elinor will create a written invitation (postcard) for people to mail to a friend.
• Elinor will write the Beacon article
• Sue will talk with EF&G about the Growth Group’s hosting the coffee hour.
• John will plan the sermon with a theme around friendship/making people feel welcome. He may include a way for the congregation to actively participate in the service.
• Mandy Shumaker will be giving the children’s story. Dave will ask her to use a friendship theme.
• John will call Robin invite if the Joyful Noise to sing.
• Sue will talk with Elsa about having the Sunday School groups make posters for the church
2. Invitation to Worship in Thanksgiving baskets: Dave will contact missions and he will create the invitation.
3. Article for Beacon on hospitality: Elinor is working on it.
4. Verbal invitation to groups using building: John will contact AA and Al Anon to ask whether there is a time to visit them with the invitation.
5. Handwritten notes for newcomers: These notes would be mailed to first-time guests. They would be identified by their names on the friendship pads. We focused on process. If we have a generic note, does it matter if the address is in different handwriting? We discussed enrolling a group to write the notes. The church would supply paper, stamps and the text for the note. Rick will talk with Darla about whether the Prayer Shawl group would be willing to take on this project.
6. Bookmark: Dave will work on the bookmark. ‘Keep it simple’
7. Ushers: Rick has scheduled a meeting for Sunday, November 7th. Topics include demeanor, posting (where ushers stand), seating particularly welcoming people near newcomers. Rick wants to provide a handout to remind ushers of the points discussed. Sue suggested keeping a copy with the carnations. Also, Rick will e-mail the points to each team on the week of its turn.
8. Welcome Brochure: We looked at the 2 versions of the brochure. We did not have the most recent version from our group and Elsa had based her version on the ‘older’ text provided. We agreed we need to have the Mission segment inside the brochure. John will work on the Open and Affirming text. He wants it to more precisely follow the wording voted upon by the congregation. The group preferred using the more traditional headings (‘worship’, ‘music’, etc.). We decided to keep it simple and not use any photos. The UCC was formed in 1957. Dave will work with Bryan Wiggins to bring together the ideas.
9. Church Signage: Dave is working with the A-Team.
10. Building Tours: Rick will give tours to new people as requested.
11. Hospitality Moments: Dave had prepared a list of ideas for hospitality moments. He will speak on October 17th and ask the congregation what Hospitality means to them. Rick will be providing the moment on Nov. 7th when he announces Friendship Sunday. We hope Stan will agree to appear in December.
Next meeting: Monday, November 8th.
Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond
Agenda items for next meeting:
Friendship Sunday
Welcome brochure
Walk down ‘Growth Group Ideas’
Elinor will do the opening
Members present: Rick Angell, Elinor Redmond, Sue Ross, Dave Allen, John McCall. We send our apologies to Stan for needing to schedule the meeting without him. Every member is important and we look forward to seeing him at the next meeting.
Dave will ask different members to provide the opening for each meeting. He opened the meeting with a prayer.
Dave sent out the following documents before the meeting: Growth Group Ideas (a table listing activities spotlighted at the last meeting), Friendship Sunday Ideas, and 2 versions of the Welcome brochure. We followed the Growth Group Ideas table along with the meeting agenda.
1. Friendship Sunday: John said we have not had a designated ‘Bring a friend to church Sunday’ in 3 years. We need several rounds of notice in the Beacon and a postcard as a tangible reminder for people to take with them from worship. We agreed to go ahead with planning for Sunday, November 21st. Tasks were divided as follows:
• Rick will announce the event during a hospitality moment on Sunday, Nov. 7
• Elinor will create a written invitation (postcard) for people to mail to a friend.
• Elinor will write the Beacon article
• Sue will talk with EF&G about the Growth Group’s hosting the coffee hour.
• John will plan the sermon with a theme around friendship/making people feel welcome. He may include a way for the congregation to actively participate in the service.
• Mandy Shumaker will be giving the children’s story. Dave will ask her to use a friendship theme.
• John will call Robin invite if the Joyful Noise to sing.
• Sue will talk with Elsa about having the Sunday School groups make posters for the church
2. Invitation to Worship in Thanksgiving baskets: Dave will contact missions and he will create the invitation.
3. Article for Beacon on hospitality: Elinor is working on it.
4. Verbal invitation to groups using building: John will contact AA and Al Anon to ask whether there is a time to visit them with the invitation.
5. Handwritten notes for newcomers: These notes would be mailed to first-time guests. They would be identified by their names on the friendship pads. We focused on process. If we have a generic note, does it matter if the address is in different handwriting? We discussed enrolling a group to write the notes. The church would supply paper, stamps and the text for the note. Rick will talk with Darla about whether the Prayer Shawl group would be willing to take on this project.
6. Bookmark: Dave will work on the bookmark. ‘Keep it simple’
7. Ushers: Rick has scheduled a meeting for Sunday, November 7th. Topics include demeanor, posting (where ushers stand), seating particularly welcoming people near newcomers. Rick wants to provide a handout to remind ushers of the points discussed. Sue suggested keeping a copy with the carnations. Also, Rick will e-mail the points to each team on the week of its turn.
8. Welcome Brochure: We looked at the 2 versions of the brochure. We did not have the most recent version from our group and Elsa had based her version on the ‘older’ text provided. We agreed we need to have the Mission segment inside the brochure. John will work on the Open and Affirming text. He wants it to more precisely follow the wording voted upon by the congregation. The group preferred using the more traditional headings (‘worship’, ‘music’, etc.). We decided to keep it simple and not use any photos. The UCC was formed in 1957. Dave will work with Bryan Wiggins to bring together the ideas.
9. Church Signage: Dave is working with the A-Team.
10. Building Tours: Rick will give tours to new people as requested.
11. Hospitality Moments: Dave had prepared a list of ideas for hospitality moments. He will speak on October 17th and ask the congregation what Hospitality means to them. Rick will be providing the moment on Nov. 7th when he announces Friendship Sunday. We hope Stan will agree to appear in December.
Next meeting: Monday, November 8th.
Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond
Agenda items for next meeting:
Friendship Sunday
Welcome brochure
Walk down ‘Growth Group Ideas’
Elinor will do the opening
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Growth Group
Meeting Minutes of 9/20/10
Members present: Rick Angell, Elinor Redmond, Sue Ross, Dave Allen
Several members checked in at the start of the meeting. We are very sorry that Kendra has moved and will miss her valuable insights.
Review of minutes: We used the minutes of the June meeting to remind us of what we hope to accomplish: 1. growth through more people worshipping and 2. welcoming all who come. The challenge for our small group is to determine how many people can work on each project, to accomplish tasks outside of meetings and to focus on a few things that we think will be of most value.
1. More people worshipping (Question for John - what do we do now to advertise and attract?) Our discussion ranged freely and touched on points made in past discussions.
• Elinor suggested holding church suppers for the community. Dave questioned whether that would be a fundraiser? Most likely it would be an event which would pay for itself. The group felt it would be a lot of effort with an unsure return.
• Put invitations to worship in the Thanksgiving food baskets. Putting invitations in the food pantry baskets was declined by the food pantry team Dave will contact the mission team.
• Elinor will write an article about hospitality for the Beacon. Rick will send her his article from last year. We will solicit the congregation for their ideas on how to draw people to our church.
• Elinor demonstrated the type of talk (invitation to worship) which might be given to groups such as AA that meet at our church. Consensus was that would be a good and easy action to take.
• Rick is offering tours of the building.
• Sue spoke about a family night at another church. It was an event focused on activities/entertainment for children such as a comedian.
• Friends Sunday. This concept generated a lot of enthusiasm and ideas. It is simple and achievable. It could start with a ‘hospitality moment’ during worship. We suggest (these ideas need approval from John) targeting Thanksgiving Sunday (Nov. 21st), as has been done in the past. We will have several notices and announcements. We will generate a written invitation which worshippers can use to invite a friend (or 5). The Sunday School can make posters to hang about the building. ‘Friends’ can be the focus of the service. The Growth Group can sponsor the coffee hour.
2. Making people feel welcome (what we do now): We looked at the list of favorite ideas from other churches which we generated on May 10th:
• Street signs: Rick found we would need to take an example of our suggested sign to the SP City Council and say why we feel we need signage. The group decided that our church has good visibility and signage is not needed at this time.
• We looked at the hand-written welcome note Dave received during his visit to the Falmouth Congregational Church. We could solicit volunteers with good handwriting to pen the notes and mail them to newcomers (or provide in the Narthex). Consensus was to do this
• We looked at the simple bookmark provided by the same church. We could put one in every hymnal as well as offer it to newcomers. It is a simple, tangible way to get our contact information into people’s hands. We should include our new church vision. Consensus was to take this on.
• Rick plans to meet again with the ushers, focusing on friendly demeanor and providing an usher at the entrance near the pulpit. Sue said she ushered at the spot and was met with enthusiasm. Dave offered to work with Rick on the agenda/message to the ushers.
• Church welcome documents: Sue and Elinor met over the summer. The group is very happy with the progress she made on a new welcome bulletin. We should include the new church vision on the pamphlet. Dave will forward the vision wording to the group. We had a few suggestions such as including more specifics about Mission Outreach (Dave will draft a summary). Dave will ask Dana or Brian Wiggins to look over the document for graphic advice. Susan will send Dave an electronic copy of the wording once she has made changes resulting from our discussion. We foresee its being offered to visitors by being placed in pew racks, etc. We will find out what approval is needed.
Next meeting: possibly October 4 or 6. Dave will do an e-mail to find out the best date.
Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond
Members present: Rick Angell, Elinor Redmond, Sue Ross, Dave Allen
Several members checked in at the start of the meeting. We are very sorry that Kendra has moved and will miss her valuable insights.
Review of minutes: We used the minutes of the June meeting to remind us of what we hope to accomplish: 1. growth through more people worshipping and 2. welcoming all who come. The challenge for our small group is to determine how many people can work on each project, to accomplish tasks outside of meetings and to focus on a few things that we think will be of most value.
1. More people worshipping (Question for John - what do we do now to advertise and attract?) Our discussion ranged freely and touched on points made in past discussions.
• Elinor suggested holding church suppers for the community. Dave questioned whether that would be a fundraiser? Most likely it would be an event which would pay for itself. The group felt it would be a lot of effort with an unsure return.
• Put invitations to worship in the Thanksgiving food baskets. Putting invitations in the food pantry baskets was declined by the food pantry team Dave will contact the mission team.
• Elinor will write an article about hospitality for the Beacon. Rick will send her his article from last year. We will solicit the congregation for their ideas on how to draw people to our church.
• Elinor demonstrated the type of talk (invitation to worship) which might be given to groups such as AA that meet at our church. Consensus was that would be a good and easy action to take.
• Rick is offering tours of the building.
• Sue spoke about a family night at another church. It was an event focused on activities/entertainment for children such as a comedian.
• Friends Sunday. This concept generated a lot of enthusiasm and ideas. It is simple and achievable. It could start with a ‘hospitality moment’ during worship. We suggest (these ideas need approval from John) targeting Thanksgiving Sunday (Nov. 21st), as has been done in the past. We will have several notices and announcements. We will generate a written invitation which worshippers can use to invite a friend (or 5). The Sunday School can make posters to hang about the building. ‘Friends’ can be the focus of the service. The Growth Group can sponsor the coffee hour.
2. Making people feel welcome (what we do now): We looked at the list of favorite ideas from other churches which we generated on May 10th:
• Street signs: Rick found we would need to take an example of our suggested sign to the SP City Council and say why we feel we need signage. The group decided that our church has good visibility and signage is not needed at this time.
• We looked at the hand-written welcome note Dave received during his visit to the Falmouth Congregational Church. We could solicit volunteers with good handwriting to pen the notes and mail them to newcomers (or provide in the Narthex). Consensus was to do this
• We looked at the simple bookmark provided by the same church. We could put one in every hymnal as well as offer it to newcomers. It is a simple, tangible way to get our contact information into people’s hands. We should include our new church vision. Consensus was to take this on.
• Rick plans to meet again with the ushers, focusing on friendly demeanor and providing an usher at the entrance near the pulpit. Sue said she ushered at the spot and was met with enthusiasm. Dave offered to work with Rick on the agenda/message to the ushers.
• Church welcome documents: Sue and Elinor met over the summer. The group is very happy with the progress she made on a new welcome bulletin. We should include the new church vision on the pamphlet. Dave will forward the vision wording to the group. We had a few suggestions such as including more specifics about Mission Outreach (Dave will draft a summary). Dave will ask Dana or Brian Wiggins to look over the document for graphic advice. Susan will send Dave an electronic copy of the wording once she has made changes resulting from our discussion. We foresee its being offered to visitors by being placed in pew racks, etc. We will find out what approval is needed.
Next meeting: possibly October 4 or 6. Dave will do an e-mail to find out the best date.
Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond
Church Council
Meeting Minutes of September 16, 2010
Recorder: Carrie Skeffington
Present: Andy Ellis, Sally Hinckley, Nancy MacLean, Roger Addor, Bob Morse, Carrie Skeffington, Matt Early, Peggy Murray, Robin Reinhold, Carl Murphy, John McCall, Elsa Peters
Excused Absent: Phil Whitney, John Shoos
Nancy opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Carrie shared some reflections from Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The minutes from June’s meeting were accepted.
• There are contact sheets with the calendar of the year available for all members, along with copies of the bylaws and church budget.
• We introduced ourselves to each other and shared our occupations/skills.
• John spoke about our Safe Church Policy. Frank Knowles will make a presentation during Sunday’s worship service.
• There is feedback that members of the congregation don’t always read the on-line Beacon. Question for future discussion: How do we best communicate to our congregation?
• Gretchen Reynolds and Scott Berry, members of the board of the Discovery Center, joined us for a discussion of the budget situation of the Discovery Center. Currently there are three employees: director, teacher, and floater. Due to low enrollment, the schedule has been modified to a 3-day week. Director’s salaries will be reduced by 25% starting in January with an additional decrease for the school year of 2011. They are requesting a $5000 loan from the church, which would help them meet expenses for the current school year. We agreed to provide a $5000 loan from the unrestricted funds of the church, and requested that the Discovery Center Board provide quarterly updates and a year-end review in June.
• The church received a donation Of $1,000 from the Nancy Wynne Estate. We agreed toaccept the gift and the money will go into the undesignated invested funds.
• Homecoming Sunday is this Sunday, September 19th. Fellowship time is in Wright Pavilion.
• Our vision statement was sent to the teams and has been in the Beacon. There was a suggestion to make the vision statement the theme of a church service: FCCUCC – A Christian Family: Loving, Welcoming, Serving. We will put the vision statement in the bulletin and again in the Beacon.
• The new web page should be up and running the first of November.
• Team vacancies: SL & W: 1 vacancy; EF & G: 3 vacancies (there are 2 possible candidates.) Stewardship has gained new members since June.
• Nancy read a thank you note for the Pilgrim Lodge camperships given to one family.
• Nancy has agreed to continue as moderator and Matt will be vice moderator of the council.
• Topic for future discussion: volunteerism and the tasks assigned to each of the teams. Nancy will get copies of the document to us for a future meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:26 p.m.
Next meeting: October 21, 2010
Recorder and Devotions: Peggy Murray
Recorder: Carrie Skeffington
Present: Andy Ellis, Sally Hinckley, Nancy MacLean, Roger Addor, Bob Morse, Carrie Skeffington, Matt Early, Peggy Murray, Robin Reinhold, Carl Murphy, John McCall, Elsa Peters
Excused Absent: Phil Whitney, John Shoos
Nancy opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Carrie shared some reflections from Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The minutes from June’s meeting were accepted.
• There are contact sheets with the calendar of the year available for all members, along with copies of the bylaws and church budget.
• We introduced ourselves to each other and shared our occupations/skills.
• John spoke about our Safe Church Policy. Frank Knowles will make a presentation during Sunday’s worship service.
• There is feedback that members of the congregation don’t always read the on-line Beacon. Question for future discussion: How do we best communicate to our congregation?
• Gretchen Reynolds and Scott Berry, members of the board of the Discovery Center, joined us for a discussion of the budget situation of the Discovery Center. Currently there are three employees: director, teacher, and floater. Due to low enrollment, the schedule has been modified to a 3-day week. Director’s salaries will be reduced by 25% starting in January with an additional decrease for the school year of 2011. They are requesting a $5000 loan from the church, which would help them meet expenses for the current school year. We agreed to provide a $5000 loan from the unrestricted funds of the church, and requested that the Discovery Center Board provide quarterly updates and a year-end review in June.
• The church received a donation Of $1,000 from the Nancy Wynne Estate. We agreed toaccept the gift and the money will go into the undesignated invested funds.
• Homecoming Sunday is this Sunday, September 19th. Fellowship time is in Wright Pavilion.
• Our vision statement was sent to the teams and has been in the Beacon. There was a suggestion to make the vision statement the theme of a church service: FCCUCC – A Christian Family: Loving, Welcoming, Serving. We will put the vision statement in the bulletin and again in the Beacon.
• The new web page should be up and running the first of November.
• Team vacancies: SL & W: 1 vacancy; EF & G: 3 vacancies (there are 2 possible candidates.) Stewardship has gained new members since June.
• Nancy read a thank you note for the Pilgrim Lodge camperships given to one family.
• Nancy has agreed to continue as moderator and Matt will be vice moderator of the council.
• Topic for future discussion: volunteerism and the tasks assigned to each of the teams. Nancy will get copies of the document to us for a future meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:26 p.m.
Next meeting: October 21, 2010
Recorder and Devotions: Peggy Murray
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Administration Team
Meeting Minutes of September 9, 2010
Present: Ron Bennett, Deb Sandler, Jim Otis, and Rod Redstone. Excused: Guy Gledhill, Chris Mills and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order: Ron called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Jim agreed to record this meeting and run the next meeting in October. Rod volunteered to do this the next time.
Minutes of the Admin Team June 3, 2010 Meeting: reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Financial results through September 9 were reviewed. The year is 69% complete. Revenues stand at 65% of the year’s budget. Highlights include the Per Capita Contributions at 179% of the year’s budget, lower net rental income due to vacant commercial space and less than market residential rent, and lower pledge receipts (normal for this time of year).
Expenses are about 73% of the year’s budget. This probably is due to the possibility that the Sept. 9 statement includes payroll for more than the 9 days and that the annuity and insurance has been paid for the entire year.
Overall, actual income and expenses vs. the budget appear reasonable. The actual loss was $(49,612) vs. a budgeted loss of $(27,289). The financial report was unanimously accepted.
Discussion items with Cyndi next month are: (1) cutting off statements on the last day of the month and understanding when payroll is paid; (2) quarterly summaries of major maintenance work item expenditures; and (3) higher actual audit costs.
Tenant Update: The tenant at 509 Sawyer Street house is now paying $800 per month (up from $700). In order to provide a long notice, we would like Cyndi to contact the tenant before the October meeting to see if increases are possible to $900 at 1/1/11 and $1,000 at 7/1/11 (this is estimated to be the full market rent). The upstairs tenant at 331 Cottage Road is paying $750 per month for this newly renovated space. The downstairs commercial space at 331 Cottage Road is still vacant and we have had only one inquiry. We need to discuss more aggressive marketing with Guy at the next meeting. We also discussed our standard lease and thought that an automatic renewal (unless either party gives an advance 60 day notice, etc.) with an inflation increase should be considered with the next tenant.
Chancel Railing: We tabled this until next meeting when there are more members present. An article was inserted in a Beacon last June describing the railing and requesting additional contributions. No response to date as far as we know.
Church Signage and Rummage Storage: Guy noted last June that there was available storage area in the basement at 331 Cottage Road that could be used for storing rummage items. Guy was going to contact the first floor (commercial) tenant for approval, but that is not needed now since the tenant moved out. The church basement is now being used for rummage sale storage. We tabled this so we can get an update on rummage storage and signage from Guy at the next meeting.
Church insurance renewals and possible agent review: Ron has discussed possible roles with the agent who nicely offered to help in any way. Roles could include being an advisor/consultant or an agent making a bid. We tabled this so we could discuss this at the next meeting when Cyndi and other A Team members are present.
COMMITEE REPORTS:
Counting: No formal report. We are not sure who is the new coordinator/chair for the 2010-2011 year. Jim will contact the Counting Committee and get an update.
House: Deb reported the following:
• The House Committee (HC) met last Tuesday to vote on awarding the 2nd half of the contract to complete the steeple job to Mid Maine Restoration (MMR)(steeplejacks). In June, the HC, after receiving 4 bids, awarded the contract toMMR to inspect the steeple and assess what work was needed to be done to repair the leaking that has caused substantial staining in the balcony ceiling. Last month company personnel went up on the steeple with Tom to do that inspection. Highlights included very complex issues such as poor flashing and caulking around the urns, caulking at the base of the copper steeple, reproofing the cake tiers, rebuilding the 4 louvers and replacing the bottom “quoins” above the roof. The gutter system seems to be working OK. The HC voted on a selected list of work items totaling $17,222 that they feel will correct the leaking problem. Not included in this was the cost for the 2nd day of evaluation and the removal of staging (estimated $4,000), so the total cost will be about $21,000 (Cyndi later told us that the final amount paid to MMR was $20,385). Deb will also check on the contractor warranty/guarantees with the HC.
• The next issues on the HC agenda include having the balcony ceiling fixed and repainted and also painting the sanctuary.
Planned Giving: Ron will do another article in the Beacon before the end of the year.
NEW BUSINESS:
• Homecoming Sunday, Sept. 19: We haven’t heard about any program and we’ll listen for an update this Sunday.
• Fuel Oil Strategy: There are apparently large surpluses of gas and oil on hand right now. However, there are many factors that affect the price, which could stabilize soon. We agreed that we would lock in at $2.35 if the opportunity presented itself before Sept. 30. We also agreed that it is OK to wait longer to watch the market and to consider not even having a contract through the heating season.
• A Team Member Replacements: Ron and Chris will be off the team next June and we have to provide for new replacement members. We need to think of recruiting strategies.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 8:34 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Otis
Present: Ron Bennett, Deb Sandler, Jim Otis, and Rod Redstone. Excused: Guy Gledhill, Chris Mills and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order: Ron called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Jim agreed to record this meeting and run the next meeting in October. Rod volunteered to do this the next time.
Minutes of the Admin Team June 3, 2010 Meeting: reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Financial results through September 9 were reviewed. The year is 69% complete. Revenues stand at 65% of the year’s budget. Highlights include the Per Capita Contributions at 179% of the year’s budget, lower net rental income due to vacant commercial space and less than market residential rent, and lower pledge receipts (normal for this time of year).
Expenses are about 73% of the year’s budget. This probably is due to the possibility that the Sept. 9 statement includes payroll for more than the 9 days and that the annuity and insurance has been paid for the entire year.
Overall, actual income and expenses vs. the budget appear reasonable. The actual loss was $(49,612) vs. a budgeted loss of $(27,289). The financial report was unanimously accepted.
Discussion items with Cyndi next month are: (1) cutting off statements on the last day of the month and understanding when payroll is paid; (2) quarterly summaries of major maintenance work item expenditures; and (3) higher actual audit costs.
Tenant Update: The tenant at 509 Sawyer Street house is now paying $800 per month (up from $700). In order to provide a long notice, we would like Cyndi to contact the tenant before the October meeting to see if increases are possible to $900 at 1/1/11 and $1,000 at 7/1/11 (this is estimated to be the full market rent). The upstairs tenant at 331 Cottage Road is paying $750 per month for this newly renovated space. The downstairs commercial space at 331 Cottage Road is still vacant and we have had only one inquiry. We need to discuss more aggressive marketing with Guy at the next meeting. We also discussed our standard lease and thought that an automatic renewal (unless either party gives an advance 60 day notice, etc.) with an inflation increase should be considered with the next tenant.
Chancel Railing: We tabled this until next meeting when there are more members present. An article was inserted in a Beacon last June describing the railing and requesting additional contributions. No response to date as far as we know.
Church Signage and Rummage Storage: Guy noted last June that there was available storage area in the basement at 331 Cottage Road that could be used for storing rummage items. Guy was going to contact the first floor (commercial) tenant for approval, but that is not needed now since the tenant moved out. The church basement is now being used for rummage sale storage. We tabled this so we can get an update on rummage storage and signage from Guy at the next meeting.
Church insurance renewals and possible agent review: Ron has discussed possible roles with the agent who nicely offered to help in any way. Roles could include being an advisor/consultant or an agent making a bid. We tabled this so we could discuss this at the next meeting when Cyndi and other A Team members are present.
COMMITEE REPORTS:
Counting: No formal report. We are not sure who is the new coordinator/chair for the 2010-2011 year. Jim will contact the Counting Committee and get an update.
House: Deb reported the following:
• The House Committee (HC) met last Tuesday to vote on awarding the 2nd half of the contract to complete the steeple job to Mid Maine Restoration (MMR)(steeplejacks). In June, the HC, after receiving 4 bids, awarded the contract toMMR to inspect the steeple and assess what work was needed to be done to repair the leaking that has caused substantial staining in the balcony ceiling. Last month company personnel went up on the steeple with Tom to do that inspection. Highlights included very complex issues such as poor flashing and caulking around the urns, caulking at the base of the copper steeple, reproofing the cake tiers, rebuilding the 4 louvers and replacing the bottom “quoins” above the roof. The gutter system seems to be working OK. The HC voted on a selected list of work items totaling $17,222 that they feel will correct the leaking problem. Not included in this was the cost for the 2nd day of evaluation and the removal of staging (estimated $4,000), so the total cost will be about $21,000 (Cyndi later told us that the final amount paid to MMR was $20,385). Deb will also check on the contractor warranty/guarantees with the HC.
• The next issues on the HC agenda include having the balcony ceiling fixed and repainted and also painting the sanctuary.
Planned Giving: Ron will do another article in the Beacon before the end of the year.
NEW BUSINESS:
• Homecoming Sunday, Sept. 19: We haven’t heard about any program and we’ll listen for an update this Sunday.
• Fuel Oil Strategy: There are apparently large surpluses of gas and oil on hand right now. However, there are many factors that affect the price, which could stabilize soon. We agreed that we would lock in at $2.35 if the opportunity presented itself before Sept. 30. We also agreed that it is OK to wait longer to watch the market and to consider not even having a contract through the heating season.
• A Team Member Replacements: Ron and Chris will be off the team next June and we have to provide for new replacement members. We need to think of recruiting strategies.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 8:34 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Otis
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Food Pantry
Meeting Minutes of September 17, 2010
Present: Gail Dransfield, Barbara Merrill, AnnElissa Leveque, Cyndi Alden, Judy Hardy, Janice Files.
Balance: $4,642.12
Requests: May 10 – August 10, 2010
Families / 101 – Adults / 191 – Children / 152
Old Business:
• Newark’s Restaurant brought in cans of food from their can for lobster promo. Healthy Food gave us a mini grant of $500.00. We had donations from Cape Lions, People’s Methodist Bible School, Spurwink School, and a couple of others that I am afraid I didn’t get.
New Business:
• It seems like we jumped over old business & went right to new. We discussed putting notes in our outgoing bags to tell people to call if they want a Thanksgiving basket. It was decided not to do that unless we get the go ahead from the Mission Board.
• CALL IN ON DUTY DAY BY 9:00 TO TELL JEN OR CYNDI YOU ARE ON. IF YOU NEED A SUB, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND ONE AND THEN CALL THE CHURCH & LET THEM KNOW YOU HAVE CALLED IN A SUB & WHO IT IS.
• We are calling our pantry list to see if everyone is still interested in doing the pantry. We have FRANCIS JANE on for MON. - - CYNDI for TUES. - - BERT for WED. - - PRUDY for THURS. - - & JANICE for FRI.
• Gail will contact Betty Crane to see if she is still going to help fill the recipe bags with her. Natalie Charles will be asked to do shopping, Mary Ann McGreehan, Sandy Dyer & Barbara Merrill are subs. Barbara Merrill will do gift card for food & Judy Hardy will do the gift cards for cash donations. Cyndi will chair our meetings from now on.
• We have long term approval from the Council to sell our not so usual food that we collect, after church. (Sorry, but don’t know what to call some of it.) Council says absolutely not outdated food. There is a box in the pantry to put outdated food and it is there for the taking. Otherwise it will have to be thrown away.
• IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAKE A NOTATION ON THE FOOD PANTRY CARD, DESK TABLET AND TELL JEN AND CYNDI WHEN A PERSON DOES NOT PICK UP THEIR FOOD AND IT IS RETURNED TO GENERAL STOCK. If you don’t it may make them ineligible if they would call again in a 2 month period.
Our next meeting will be Jan. 13, 2011 at 4:00 in the Laity Room. We hope we have a good turn out.
Respectfully Submitted,
Janice Files
Present: Gail Dransfield, Barbara Merrill, AnnElissa Leveque, Cyndi Alden, Judy Hardy, Janice Files.
Balance: $4,642.12
Requests: May 10 – August 10, 2010
Families / 101 – Adults / 191 – Children / 152
Old Business:
• Newark’s Restaurant brought in cans of food from their can for lobster promo. Healthy Food gave us a mini grant of $500.00. We had donations from Cape Lions, People’s Methodist Bible School, Spurwink School, and a couple of others that I am afraid I didn’t get.
New Business:
• It seems like we jumped over old business & went right to new. We discussed putting notes in our outgoing bags to tell people to call if they want a Thanksgiving basket. It was decided not to do that unless we get the go ahead from the Mission Board.
• CALL IN ON DUTY DAY BY 9:00 TO TELL JEN OR CYNDI YOU ARE ON. IF YOU NEED A SUB, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND ONE AND THEN CALL THE CHURCH & LET THEM KNOW YOU HAVE CALLED IN A SUB & WHO IT IS.
• We are calling our pantry list to see if everyone is still interested in doing the pantry. We have FRANCIS JANE on for MON. - - CYNDI for TUES. - - BERT for WED. - - PRUDY for THURS. - - & JANICE for FRI.
• Gail will contact Betty Crane to see if she is still going to help fill the recipe bags with her. Natalie Charles will be asked to do shopping, Mary Ann McGreehan, Sandy Dyer & Barbara Merrill are subs. Barbara Merrill will do gift card for food & Judy Hardy will do the gift cards for cash donations. Cyndi will chair our meetings from now on.
• We have long term approval from the Council to sell our not so usual food that we collect, after church. (Sorry, but don’t know what to call some of it.) Council says absolutely not outdated food. There is a box in the pantry to put outdated food and it is there for the taking. Otherwise it will have to be thrown away.
• IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAKE A NOTATION ON THE FOOD PANTRY CARD, DESK TABLET AND TELL JEN AND CYNDI WHEN A PERSON DOES NOT PICK UP THEIR FOOD AND IT IS RETURNED TO GENERAL STOCK. If you don’t it may make them ineligible if they would call again in a 2 month period.
Our next meeting will be Jan. 13, 2011 at 4:00 in the Laity Room. We hope we have a good turn out.
Respectfully Submitted,
Janice Files
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Education Growth and Fellowship
Meeting Minutes of September 2, 2010
Attendance: Carolyn Foster, Karen Pierce-Souza, Elsa Peters, Jennifer Fetting
Agenda
A. Updates on Team Responsibilities
Karen: Library and Scholarship
1) Karen talked to Kathy (& Deb?)
2) They are weeding out the old books to sell at the Rummage Sale.
Carolyn: Sunday School
1) teachers needed! At the time of the meeting, 1 person signed up for next semester, no one for 5,6,7,8, no backups.
2) Carolyn and Elsa are making calls.
3) Meeting for Sunday School teachers on 9/13 at 6:30 p.m.
4) Curriculum online.
5) Carolyn is still working on the closet, she needs help.
6) C. has an excellent idea: teachers keep plastic boxes o’ supplies in each room. Big plastic tub for returning supplies, that will be put away by grown-ups who will keep things tidy.
Elsa: Faith Formation
1) Elsa had sent us her update via email.
Jen: Coffee Hour/Lemonade
1) Lemonade on the porch seemed to go okay, except the one week when Tom wasn’t around and no one had set things up and no one had volunteered and people got surprisingly upset. Let’s not re-create that.
2) Jen is meeting w/ Jana to get list of people willing to help.
3) Sign-up sheet on easel at coffee hour.
4) Can I get a blurb thingy asking for volunteers in the bulletin or in the Beacon? Or maybe not asking, maybe just letting people know we are looking for volunteers? Just as a way of reaching people who are 1) regular churchgoers and 2) not already on my list and 3) willing to help.
5) Jen is going to email committee heads offering them and their teams (also small group heads) the opportunity to host coffee hour and share their awesomeness with the church.
B. Other really important stuff
1) Homecoming Sunday
a. It is on the September 19th.
i. Concurrent with the Sunday School open house.
b. What are we going to do?
i. After a long but entertaining digression with the SL&W team (nice to meet them), we decided to skip the Guptill Hall thing with each group having tables.
ii. Instead, we’re doing a more-elaborate coffee hour in Wright Pavilion.
iii. People can get their coffee and goodies before/during/after bringing their kids up to meet the teachers.
iv. Trying to get people to bring things by signing up at coffee hour/ making calls.
2) Recruiting new team members
a. Nursery person?
i. We need someone to help Deanna.
ii. This is a pretty sensitive situation.
iii. New update since the meeting: Stephanie Cooke has written up a little thingy for the nursery parents for this weekend so that they can understand that there is a volunteer aspect, as an assistant to Deanna.
b. Ideas/ phone calls/ suggestions.
i. C, K, and J split Elsa’s list of suggestions up among themselves and will be making calls. Hopefully this will take care of the problem.
ii. Otherwise, we’ll need to do more brainstorming.
Attendance: Carolyn Foster, Karen Pierce-Souza, Elsa Peters, Jennifer Fetting
Agenda
A. Updates on Team Responsibilities
Karen: Library and Scholarship
1) Karen talked to Kathy (& Deb?)
2) They are weeding out the old books to sell at the Rummage Sale.
Carolyn: Sunday School
1) teachers needed! At the time of the meeting, 1 person signed up for next semester, no one for 5,6,7,8, no backups.
2) Carolyn and Elsa are making calls.
3) Meeting for Sunday School teachers on 9/13 at 6:30 p.m.
4) Curriculum online.
5) Carolyn is still working on the closet, she needs help.
6) C. has an excellent idea: teachers keep plastic boxes o’ supplies in each room. Big plastic tub for returning supplies, that will be put away by grown-ups who will keep things tidy.
Elsa: Faith Formation
1) Elsa had sent us her update via email.
Jen: Coffee Hour/Lemonade
1) Lemonade on the porch seemed to go okay, except the one week when Tom wasn’t around and no one had set things up and no one had volunteered and people got surprisingly upset. Let’s not re-create that.
2) Jen is meeting w/ Jana to get list of people willing to help.
3) Sign-up sheet on easel at coffee hour.
4) Can I get a blurb thingy asking for volunteers in the bulletin or in the Beacon? Or maybe not asking, maybe just letting people know we are looking for volunteers? Just as a way of reaching people who are 1) regular churchgoers and 2) not already on my list and 3) willing to help.
5) Jen is going to email committee heads offering them and their teams (also small group heads) the opportunity to host coffee hour and share their awesomeness with the church.
B. Other really important stuff
1) Homecoming Sunday
a. It is on the September 19th.
i. Concurrent with the Sunday School open house.
b. What are we going to do?
i. After a long but entertaining digression with the SL&W team (nice to meet them), we decided to skip the Guptill Hall thing with each group having tables.
ii. Instead, we’re doing a more-elaborate coffee hour in Wright Pavilion.
iii. People can get their coffee and goodies before/during/after bringing their kids up to meet the teachers.
iv. Trying to get people to bring things by signing up at coffee hour/ making calls.
2) Recruiting new team members
a. Nursery person?
i. We need someone to help Deanna.
ii. This is a pretty sensitive situation.
iii. New update since the meeting: Stephanie Cooke has written up a little thingy for the nursery parents for this weekend so that they can understand that there is a volunteer aspect, as an assistant to Deanna.
b. Ideas/ phone calls/ suggestions.
i. C, K, and J split Elsa’s list of suggestions up among themselves and will be making calls. Hopefully this will take care of the problem.
ii. Otherwise, we’ll need to do more brainstorming.
Spiritual Life and Worship
Meeting Minutes of September 2, 2010
Attending: Elaine Brownell, Dana Wiggins, Debbie Riley, Frank Arsenault and Rick Angell (excused: Tex Haeuser and John McCall)
Opening Prayer – by Dana.
Review of June Minutes - approved as written.
Homecoming:
• On Sunday September 19
• Sunday School Open House will be at 11:30 for children and parents to find their classes, meet the teachers and ask questions about the curriculum.
• All church school registration will be online this year- with Teachers Orientation on Sept. 13.
• EF&G will host an extra special coffee hour in the Wright Pavilion.
• SL&W met with the EF&G committee (Jennifer Fetting, Carolyn Foster and Karen Pierce Souza) to work on plans for the traditional homecoming fair, how many tables and where they will be placed – but after hearing of the church school open house, we thought sign up tables would not be necessary as the parents will be upstairs primarily.
• In lieu of a table we will host the coffee hour in Wright Pavilion on Sunday, October 10
to tell about our groups and encourage sign-up volunteers.
Dick will communicate our coffee hour hosting date of Oct 10 to the point person of EF&G.
Update on Usher Team:
• Team C has confirmed Zachary Culver as new point person for Team C starting October
Beacon Concern: Are enough people reading the Beacon?
• SL&W asks if we read the Beacon as much now as when it was delivered to our homes - the answer was "No" from all present- none like to take the time to read longer documents when going through email volume.
• We'd like to direct this question to the Council to hear their opinion.
• We suggest a simple survey of our congregation to find when/how to make reading it more accessible. Would we benefit by a re-choice offered to members?
• If it were decided that the printed version gets read more often and if we would like to offset costs, it was discussed that businesses from our referral directory could purchase ad space.
Front Sign:
• After checking on the sign in front of the church on Cottage Road, we know that we need a flexible, double-sided, 2.5' X 6' grommeted vinyl sign with scoop cuts to allow wind to move through.
• Debbie Riley and Bryan Wiggins will get prices for comparison.
Acolytes:
Sandy Hansen would like the office to mail letters to the 3rd and 4th graders as a reminder that they can sign up to be an acolyte. She will schedule a date for training the new recruits.
Next Meeting: October 7, 7:00 p.m.
Team Leadership:
•Agendas: Dana/October, Frank/ November, Elaine/December, Debbie/January, Tex/February, Rick/March, Dana/April, Frank/May, Elaine/June
• Minutes: Frank/October, Elaine/November, Debbie/December, Tex/January, Rick/February, Dana/March, Frank/ April, Elaine/May, Rick/June
• Opening Prayer: Elaine/October, Debbie/November, Tex/ December, Rick/January, Dana/February, Frank/March, Elaine/April, Debbie/ May, Tex/June
Adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dana Wiggins
Attending: Elaine Brownell, Dana Wiggins, Debbie Riley, Frank Arsenault and Rick Angell (excused: Tex Haeuser and John McCall)
Opening Prayer – by Dana.
Review of June Minutes - approved as written.
Homecoming:
• On Sunday September 19
• Sunday School Open House will be at 11:30 for children and parents to find their classes, meet the teachers and ask questions about the curriculum.
• All church school registration will be online this year- with Teachers Orientation on Sept. 13.
• EF&G will host an extra special coffee hour in the Wright Pavilion.
• SL&W met with the EF&G committee (Jennifer Fetting
• In lieu of a table we will host the coffee hour in Wright Pavilion on Sunday, October 10
to tell about our groups and encourage sign-up volunteers.
Dick will communicate our coffee hour hosting date of Oct 10 to the point person of EF&G.
Update on Usher Team:
• Team C has confirmed Zachary Culver as new point person for Team C starting October
Beacon Concern: Are enough people reading the Beacon?
• SL&W asks if we read the Beacon as much now as when it was delivered to our homes - the answer was "No" from all present- none like to take the time to read longer documents when going through email volume.
• We'd like to direct this question to the Council to hear their opinion.
• We suggest a simple survey of our congregation to find when/how to make reading it more accessible. Would we benefit by a re-choice offered to members?
• If it were decided that the printed version gets read more often and if we would like to offset costs, it was discussed that businesses from our referral directory could purchase ad space.
Front Sign:
• After checking on the sign in front of the church on Cottage Road, we know that we need a flexible, double-sided, 2.5' X 6' grommeted vinyl sign with scoop cuts to allow wind to move through.
• Debbie Riley and Bryan Wiggins will get prices for comparison.
Acolytes:
Sandy Hansen would like the office to mail letters to the 3rd and 4th graders as a reminder that they can sign up to be an acolyte. She will schedule a date for training the new recruits.
Next Meeting: October 7, 7:00 p.m.
Team Leadership:
•Agendas: Dana/October, Frank/ November, Elaine/December, Debbie/January, Tex/February, Rick/March, Dana/April, Frank/May, Elaine/June
• Minutes: Frank/October, Elaine/November, Debbie/December, Tex/January, Rick/February, Dana/March, Frank/ April, Elaine/May, Rick/June
• Opening Prayer: Elaine/October, Debbie/November, Tex/ December, Rick/January, Dana/February, Frank/March, Elaine/April, Debbie/ May, Tex/June
Adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dana Wiggins
Music Committee
Meeting Minutes of September 9, 2010
Present: Shirley Curry, Kim Early, Sheryl Kieran, and Peg Carmichael
1. Reviewed and accepted May minutes.
2. Shirley reported that not all groups are having a table at this year’s Homecoming. The committee determined that we host a table in order to get the names and contact information of people who are interested in taking part in the music program in some way. Shirley shared that she rarely gets any new people through this method. The committee then decided not host a table this year.
3. The meetings of the Music Committee for the 2010-2011 year were set as follows:
September 30th
December 2nd
March 3rd
April 7th
May 5th (if needed)
We will continue to meet at 7:00 p.m. in Shirley’s office.
4. Other business:
In May, Shirley requested money from segregated account 3010 to purchase 35 black folders at ~$6.40 a piece. The Committee approved the request. Shirley will order the folders soon.
Shirley will talk with Guy Gledhill regarding replacing the chairs in the Choir Room Kitchen.
Shirley expressed concern over the number of children participating in the Children’s Choir.
The next meeting is set for September 30th.
Present: Shirley Curry, Kim Early, Sheryl Kieran, and Peg Carmichael
1. Reviewed and accepted May minutes.
2. Shirley reported that not all groups are having a table at this year’s Homecoming. The committee determined that we host a table in order to get the names and contact information of people who are interested in taking part in the music program in some way. Shirley shared that she rarely gets any new people through this method. The committee then decided not host a table this year.
3. The meetings of the Music Committee for the 2010-2011 year were set as follows:
September 30th
December 2nd
March 3rd
April 7th
May 5th (if needed)
We will continue to meet at 7:00 p.m. in Shirley’s office.
4. Other business:
In May, Shirley requested money from segregated account 3010 to purchase 35 black folders at ~$6.40 a piece. The Committee approved the request. Shirley will order the folders soon.
Shirley will talk with Guy Gledhill regarding replacing the chairs in the Choir Room Kitchen.
Shirley expressed concern over the number of children participating in the Children’s Choir.
The next meeting is set for September 30th.
Spiritual Life and Worship
Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2010
Attending: John McCall, Dana Wiggins, Rick Angell, Elaine Brownell, Debbie Riley, Betsy Keiter, and Tex Haeuser
May Minutes: Reviewed and approved as corrected.
Opening Prayer: Offered by Tex
Minister's Time:
John and Elsa will be offering a sermon series throughout the Summer, June 27- August 20, titled “First Followers”.
In the fall, John will be offering a 4 part series ~ evening study ~ focused upon either the book of Acts or a more in depth study of some of the first followers of Christ.
Discussed summer worship leader needs and requirements - Worship leaders are needed for the following dates: 6/27, 7/4, 7/11, 7/25, 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, & 8/22. Rick and Betsy will work on finding volunteers. A concern was raised that people may not know what is required of worship leaders.
As a side note: some members of the team expressed a concern that people aren't necessarily reading the electronic version of the Beacon. Perhaps a weekly all church email once a week with fewer articles or go back to paper or try to communicate in multiple ways. Should let Council know our concerns. Maybe have congregation choose again preferred method paper or digital communication. Betsy will let Chris Keiter know about this. (Per Chris, issue should be referred to the Admin Team because it deals with the office.)
New sign for outside: Debbie checked with Vistaprint. Cost is $30.00 single sided 2 ½' x 6. We need to provide image-ready. We decided to replace with duplicate of what had ripped ~ we had double-sided so would need 2 banners = $60.00. Debbie will continue to follow through on this replacement.
Confirmation Sunday: Elsa would like to eliminate the kneeling part of the service. There was good discussion within the Team resulting in a decision to go ahead with the service without having the confirmands kneel. We wonder what other churches are doing.
Elder Luncheon: Planning is in great shape ~ plenty of food is being prepared ~ servers, set-up, and clean-up volunteers are all set. 28 Elders have responded, but we are planning on a few extra just in case.
Tex and Darla will be presenting certificates to the new Elders during worship ~ The Rideouts and Helen Adams.
Homecoming: We've had some success but it may be due to the location we had last year. So, yes, we think it is fruitful. We don't have a problem having the 'fair' being a week later than traditional which would be September 19. We had enthusiastic discussion about scavenger hunt w/ prizes for kids.
FYI: The church is looking into making the Sunday School registration process electronic.
June 27th will begin summer schedule.
Rick Angell will be SL&W contact for the office.
Meeting adjourned 8:15 p.m.
Next Meeting: plan to meet first Thursday in September (9/2/10)
Respectfully submitted by: Betsy Westcott-Keiter
Attending: John McCall, Dana Wiggins, Rick Angell, Elaine Brownell, Debbie Riley, Betsy Keiter, and Tex Haeuser
May Minutes: Reviewed and approved as corrected.
Opening Prayer: Offered by Tex
Minister's Time:
John and Elsa will be offering a sermon series throughout the Summer, June 27- August 20, titled “First Followers”.
In the fall, John will be offering a 4 part series ~ evening study ~ focused upon either the book of Acts or a more in depth study of some of the first followers of Christ.
Discussed summer worship leader needs and requirements - Worship leaders are needed for the following dates: 6/27, 7/4, 7/11, 7/25, 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, & 8/22. Rick and Betsy will work on finding volunteers. A concern was raised that people may not know what is required of worship leaders.
As a side note: some members of the team expressed a concern that people aren't necessarily reading the electronic version of the Beacon. Perhaps a weekly all church email once a week with fewer articles or go back to paper or try to communicate in multiple ways. Should let Council know our concerns. Maybe have congregation choose again preferred method paper or digital communication. Betsy will let Chris Keiter know about this. (Per Chris, issue should be referred to the Admin Team because it deals with the office.)
New sign for outside: Debbie checked with Vistaprint. Cost is $30.00 single sided 2 ½' x 6. We need to provide image-ready. We decided to replace with duplicate of what had ripped ~ we had double-sided so would need 2 banners = $60.00. Debbie will continue to follow through on this replacement.
Confirmation Sunday: Elsa would like to eliminate the kneeling part of the service. There was good discussion within the Team resulting in a decision to go ahead with the service without having the confirmands kneel. We wonder what other churches are doing.
Elder Luncheon: Planning is in great shape ~ plenty of food is being prepared ~ servers, set-up, and clean-up volunteers are all set. 28 Elders have responded, but we are planning on a few extra just in case.
Tex and Darla will be presenting certificates to the new Elders during worship ~ The Rideouts and Helen Adams.
Homecoming: We've had some success but it may be due to the location we had last year. So, yes, we think it is fruitful. We don't have a problem having the 'fair' being a week later than traditional which would be September 19. We had enthusiastic discussion about scavenger hunt w/ prizes for kids.
FYI: The church is looking into making the Sunday School registration process electronic.
June 27th will begin summer schedule.
Rick Angell will be SL&W contact for the office.
Meeting adjourned 8:15 p.m.
Next Meeting: plan to meet first Thursday in September (9/2/10)
Respectfully submitted by: Betsy Westcott-Keiter
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Stewardship Committee
Meeting Minutes of June 15, 2010
Recorder: Gretchen Reynolds
Opening prayer lead by Gretchen.
Welcomed new addition Bill Campbell.
Touched on recruiting a few more people for Stewardship.
Introduction to stewardship coupled by John McCall and John Shoos/overview of what we do after we believe. Church takes care of the poor; clothing, housing and feeding people. We, as a committee, work to invite people of the congregation to have that sense and give what they can.
Also spoke briefly about the stewardship timeline. How we follow up with pledges, calling people to remind them/ask if they have given a consideration to their pledge this year (if we have not heard from them). Then the Council crafts a budget based on what people plan on giving. Build on what they feel is manageable.
We talked about a few ideas; big banquet, generous givers to come forward, photo book on what is happening in the church and pass it around and seemed to hit on one idea in particular that stuck.
A theme based on One Generation Talks to Another. Where we would have an older member of the church sit up front each week leading up to Consecration Sunday with a younger member in a dialogue of what this church means to them. Memories of the past and glimpses of the future. Print the dialogue each week in a bulletin insert. A few leading questions would be put forth before the service each week to allow the participants to better formulate their exchanges. Thoughts of starting with the older children and finishing with a younger child.
We brainstormed a few people:
• Barry Quinn / Roger Addor
• Phil Whitney
• Lauren Magnuson
• John McCall / Andy Mahoney
On Consecration Sunday restate some of the priceless comments and sum up “what does the church mean to you?”.
We also talked about creating a mural of “what the church means to me” from Sunday school classes.
Looked to meet July 13, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Recorder: Gretchen Reynolds
Opening prayer lead by Gretchen.
Welcomed new addition Bill Campbell.
Touched on recruiting a few more people for Stewardship.
Introduction to stewardship coupled by John McCall and John Shoos/overview of what we do after we believe. Church takes care of the poor; clothing, housing and feeding people. We, as a committee, work to invite people of the congregation to have that sense and give what they can.
Also spoke briefly about the stewardship timeline. How we follow up with pledges, calling people to remind them/ask if they have given a consideration to their pledge this year (if we have not heard from them). Then the Council crafts a budget based on what people plan on giving. Build on what they feel is manageable.
We talked about a few ideas; big banquet, generous givers to come forward, photo book on what is happening in the church and pass it around and seemed to hit on one idea in particular that stuck.
A theme based on One Generation Talks to Another. Where we would have an older member of the church sit up front each week leading up to Consecration Sunday with a younger member in a dialogue of what this church means to them. Memories of the past and glimpses of the future. Print the dialogue each week in a bulletin insert. A few leading questions would be put forth before the service each week to allow the participants to better formulate their exchanges. Thoughts of starting with the older children and finishing with a younger child.
We brainstormed a few people:
• Barry Quinn / Roger Addor
• Phil Whitney
• Lauren Magnuson
• John McCall / Andy Mahoney
On Consecration Sunday restate some of the priceless comments and sum up “what does the church mean to you?”.
We also talked about creating a mural of “what the church means to me” from Sunday school classes.
Looked to meet July 13, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Administration Team
Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2010
Recorder: Ron Bennett
Present: Ron Bennett, Deb Sandler, Guy Gledhill, Jim Otis, Chris Mills, Rod Redstone and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order - Deb called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Ron agreed to record this meeting and run the next meeting in September.
Minutes of the Admin. Team May 6, 2010 Meeting - reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Financial results through June 3 were presented by Cyndi. The year is 42% complete. Revenues stand at 35% of year’s budget, but endowment support of $48,750 had not been requisitioned by Cyndi as of June 3. If it had been received, revenue would be at 45.5%. Most exciting revenue item is the per capita contributions which now stand at 153% of year’s budget.
Expenses are at 44.7% of year’s budget. This appears to be in line as 50% of employee annuity and insurance has been paid. Also, Mission has paid out over 50% of its budget and will reduce second half payments to meet budget.
Tenant Update: Tenant at 509 Sawyer Street house has agreed to now pay $800. per month (up from $700). She will be contacted before year end to hopefully increase rent to $900. A new tenant at 331 Cottage Road has moved in at a rent of $750.
Chancel Railing: An article was inserted in the most recent Beacon describing the railing and requesting additional contributions. No response to date.
Church Signage and Rummage Storage: Guy reported that these issues are in progress. Guy did note that there is available storage area in the basement at 331 Cottage Road that could be used for storing rummage items. Guy will contact the first floor tenant for approval.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Counting: No report. Peggy Murray reported subsequent to the meeting that counting is all set through the summer.
House: Guy reported the following:
• The roof is complete. The total cost exceeded the amount reported last month by $9,000 due to extensive flashing required both at the steeple and at the chimney.
• Two birch trees at 331 Cottage Road will have to be removed as their roots are growing into the foundation.
Planned Giving: Ron’s third article appeared in the most recent Beacon. He will hopefully prepare a fourth article later this summer. Two individuals have indicated to him their intention to provide for the church in their wills.
Website Subcommittee: Guy announced that the web site design and implementation contract has been awarded by the committee.
NEW BUSINESS:
A church member who is an account executive at a local insurance agency has asked to review our property insurance. Ron agreed to contact the member to determine if he wants to be a volunteer consultant or become the church’s insurance agent. If he wants to volunteer his services, he will be invited to meet with the team. If he wants to be chosen as our agent, he will be asked to propose on our contracts next year, because annual policy renewals are due soon, and it would not be prudent to change agents on such short notice.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday September 9, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 7:58 p.m.
Recorder: Ron Bennett
Present: Ron Bennett, Deb Sandler, Guy Gledhill, Jim Otis, Chris Mills, Rod Redstone and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager).
Call to Order - Deb called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Ron agreed to record this meeting and run the next meeting in September.
Minutes of the Admin. Team May 6, 2010 Meeting - reviewed and accepted as written.
OLD BUSINESS:
Financial Statements and Budget: Financial results through June 3 were presented by Cyndi. The year is 42% complete. Revenues stand at 35% of year’s budget, but endowment support of $48,750 had not been requisitioned by Cyndi as of June 3. If it had been received, revenue would be at 45.5%. Most exciting revenue item is the per capita contributions which now stand at 153% of year’s budget.
Expenses are at 44.7% of year’s budget. This appears to be in line as 50% of employee annuity and insurance has been paid. Also, Mission has paid out over 50% of its budget and will reduce second half payments to meet budget.
Tenant Update: Tenant at 509 Sawyer Street house has agreed to now pay $800. per month (up from $700). She will be contacted before year end to hopefully increase rent to $900. A new tenant at 331 Cottage Road has moved in at a rent of $750.
Chancel Railing: An article was inserted in the most recent Beacon describing the railing and requesting additional contributions. No response to date.
Church Signage and Rummage Storage: Guy reported that these issues are in progress. Guy did note that there is available storage area in the basement at 331 Cottage Road that could be used for storing rummage items. Guy will contact the first floor tenant for approval.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Counting: No report. Peggy Murray reported subsequent to the meeting that counting is all set through the summer.
House: Guy reported the following:
• The roof is complete. The total cost exceeded the amount reported last month by $9,000 due to extensive flashing required both at the steeple and at the chimney.
• Two birch trees at 331 Cottage Road will have to be removed as their roots are growing into the foundation.
Planned Giving: Ron’s third article appeared in the most recent Beacon. He will hopefully prepare a fourth article later this summer. Two individuals have indicated to him their intention to provide for the church in their wills.
Website Subcommittee: Guy announced that the web site design and implementation contract has been awarded by the committee.
NEW BUSINESS:
A church member who is an account executive at a local insurance agency has asked to review our property insurance. Ron agreed to contact the member to determine if he wants to be a volunteer consultant or become the church’s insurance agent. If he wants to volunteer his services, he will be invited to meet with the team. If he wants to be chosen as our agent, he will be asked to propose on our contracts next year, because annual policy renewals are due soon, and it would not be prudent to change agents on such short notice.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday September 9, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Meeting adjourned 7:58 p.m.
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