Church Council

Meeting Minutes - February 25, 2010

Present: Chris Keiter, John McCall, Andy Ellis, Bob Morse, Chris Dow, Matt Early, Elsa Peters, Sally Hinckley, Dave Allen, Carrie Skeffington, Roger Addor.

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Chris Keiter. Roger opened with a short essay on the use of the 86,400 seconds we are allotted each day, followed by a prayer.

Minutes for January were reviewed and adopted.

Minister’s Time: John was pleased to report that Sue Stevens, a long time active member of our congregation, is starting a formal process to become a Commissioned Minister within the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Elsa reported that the Adult Faith Formation class is using a new curriculum during the Lenten season.

Budget: Chris reported on the successful completion and congregational acceptance of the 2010 church budget.

The Budget Committee, as a follow-up to the budget just passed, is working on a way to incorporate into the 2011 budget an accounting of monies raised and used by groups not currently included, e.g. the Holly Daze Bazaar and the Discovery Center. There was a lot of discussion about what this change means. Chris will develop a sample of what that might look like to help further the discussion.

The Budget Committee is also entertaining ideas for new fund raising possibilities. Sally Hinckley and Carrie Skeffington will work with Chris on this.

Website Design: Requests For Proposals (RFPs) for updating our website were sent to six website companies. Responses are due back by March 5th.

Annual Meeting: The date agreed upon is May 23. The meeting will be held immediately after service.

Sanctuary Railing: Eben Marsh, from the Administration Team, took us to the sanctuary to describe the railings that have been proposed for the stairs that go from the main sanctuary level to the first level of the chancel. The Council liked the design and thinks that it is a worth while effort. The projected cost is $2,500. A total of $1,300 has already been pledged, including $1,000 from Dick and Barbara Merrill (many thanks!) The Council discussed and approved having the Administration Team solicit the remaining funds from the congregation.

Bulletin Boards: A request through Bob Morse by the Eskimos to be able to set up an easel to publicize events was turned down. This means of communication has been considered before by the Council and rejected as being too intrusive. The need for a review of effective use of current bulletin board space, with the agreement that space should be offered to the Eskimos, was recognized. Elsa agreed to pursue the review.

Christ Kids Club Fundraiser: Elsa submitted a completed Fundraiser Form to allow the Club to sell tickets for a church dinner to be held on Saturday, May 1. They will be in charge of ticket sales and in the preparation and serving of the meal. Proceeds are to go to Haiti relief. The Council gave its approval

Church Vision: Elsa reported that the Vision Committee has come up with a set of six questions which will be presented to all church members. The Committee plans to use the responses to draft a vision statement, with fall homecoming as a completion target.

Pastor Parish Relationship Report: The document “Reflecting on Our Ministry,” which had been distributed to Council members by Ken Ross and Mandy Schumaker at last month’s council meeting, was opened for further discussion of the evaluation process. The consensus appears to be, both from the minister’s and the Pastoral Parish Relations Committee point of view, that this newly developed format, although quite exhaustive and time consuming, served as an effective means of refocusing an array of attributes central to an effective ministry and to the better incorporation of the laity in achieving goals. Parish Relations has recommended a four or five year interval for repeating the process; they will check in with John and Elsa about every 6 months regarding their development objectives.

Other Business: Spiritual Life and Worship submitted the name of Frank Arsenault to become a member of the Class of 2012. Council approved.

The Food Pantry requested approval to distribute brochures on healthy eating. This allows them to apply for a $500 grant, to the benefit of the Pantry. Council approved.

Discussion of the article “From Stressed to Blessed,” distributed by Elsa for discussion this month, was postponed until the March meeting.

Adjourned: 8:27 p.m.

Recorder: Roger Addor