Church Council

Meeting Minutes of December 17, 2010
Recorder: Roger Addor

Present: Roger Addor, Andy Ellis, Nancy MacLean, John McCall, Bob Morse, Peggy Murray, Elsa Peters, Robin Reinhold, John Shoos, Carrie Skeffington, and Phil Whitney.
Absent: Matt Early, Sally Hinckley, and Carl Murphy

The meeting was opened at 6:30 p.m. by Nancy MacLean followed by a poem and prayer by Roger Addor.

The November minutes were approved. Clarification was requested for the statement to support the July Seacoast Mission “using the offering on Mission Sunday, February 13, 2011”. The part of the offering going to this cause will be revisited at the January meeting, probably to include a special appeal and dedication of the loose plate offering.

John McCall was welcomed back after his successful back surgery and recovery and expressed a thankful sense of rejuvenation. He reported a few delays in getting the much improved website up and running, but expects it to be serviceable about mid-January.

The nomination of Scott Ayre for a one-year term and Tom Hamerski for a two-year term to Education, Growth, and Fellowship was unanimously approved.

In the absence of Budget Chairperson Matt Early, Andy Ellis reported for the Budget Committee. Business Manager Cyndi Alden was invited to the meeting to interpret the printed proposed budget, the current financial status, and the projected income and budget for 2011. The situation as it was presented shows a $17,000 deficit likely in closing out the 2010 fiscal year. The budget as proposed for 2011 of over $500,000 would appear to exceed projected income by about $27,000, at the lowest. There is about $38,000 existing in a “rainy day” fund accumulated in past years, but this amount is insufficient to cover both of these contingencies, assuming it was used for this purpose.

• We talked about the need to contact all people who have not renewed their pledges for next year. John Shoos reported that the Stewardship Committee has plans for phoning. Some Council members volunteered to help with the calls. John McCall suggested, and it was agreed upon, that following the next meeting of the Stewardship Committee on January 6, a letter should go out to the congregation describing the financial situation and asking for people to reconsider their financial commitment. The Council needs more information on estimated income to make final decisions about the budget and may be faced with making budget cuts.

• John also asked the Council to put on next year’s agenda an effort to divine longer term projections of membership, income, costs, programs and whatever might impact on moving ahead more predictably.

• The legal status of the Discovery Center: Council members agreed to set up a sub-committee to research this (hopefully, Matt Early, Andy Ellis, with consultation by past Moderator Dan Cummings, who worked on the by-laws during the change in governance).

Bob Morse and Peggy Murray will recruit church members to attend the Cumberland Association Installation meeting on January 20.

Elsa Peters was asked to take a few minutes at several Council meetings starting in February to inform Council members on the organizational set-up for the United Church of Christ. How are we interconnected with the other churches locally and beyond?

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

Next meeting is January 20, 2011.