Meeting Minutes December 4, 2008
7:00pm
Present: Elinor Redmond, John McCall, Betsy Keiter, and Dana Wiggins
Opening: John offered a very nice opening prayer.
Review of November Minutes: We reviewed the November meeting minutes, but were not able to approve as we didn’t have enough team members for a quorum. We will need to add to agenda for January.
Minister’s Time:
Sabbatical
John handed out a draft of his sabbatical plan which highlights the various tasks to be covered by others in his absence. We discussed the areas in which SL&W would be responsible. Deacons will need to approve the final draft of the plan.
360 Review Process
Pastor/ Parish completed a 360 degree ministry review with Elsa this past Fall and now is assembling a group to conduct the same for John and his ministry. This review will take place January to April.
Christmas Eve Readers
Readers are needed for the 7pm and 10pm services. An announcement will be made during Sunday worship and Betsy will be in the Narthex with sign-up sheets after the service.
Christmas Eve Birthday Cake for Jesus
We’ll check with Margaret Thibodeau (EG&F) to coordinate the cake and party hosting to take place after the 5pm Family Christmas Eve service.
Budget
John indicated that pledges have been coming in slowly and we are currently short by a considerable amount. He is hopeful that the gap will close quite a bit with year end gifts and late pledges. We discussed in general the need to look at everything and everywhere for opportunities to reduce costs and expenses, but the opinion was that there didn’t seem to be a lot of fat in the budget. John gave a brief review of budgets that have passed in the last few years.
Hymnals:
Per Dana, final edits are currently being made to the new hymnal. Half of the purchase price for the hymnals has been paid from the North Church Memorial Fund with the hope of the other half being funded by individual member purchase(s) of hymnals recognized through book plates/ In Memory Of notes. The contract has been signed and received. Dana noted that Maggie Tucker who has been a facilitator of the process has been extremely helpful and great to work with in guiding Dana and the process.
Growth Committee:
Focus Groups
Per Elinor, the Growth Committee Will be conducting focus groups with new members and Jim Kupil will facilitate them.
Brand Identity
John said that he is hearing that our church has a certain identity in the community. He said it is recognized as ‘Unapologetically Christian and Forward Thinking,’ making a difference in the community, and being true to the “No matter who you are…you are welcome here” statements. John also referenced the “Power of Invitation and Welcome” article from the UCC.
Narthex
John indicated that it would be helpful to have an additional person or 2 available in the Narthex after worship to help escort/ shepherd new members/ visitors to coffee/ Wright Pavilion.
Miscellaneous:
• Dana spoke briefly of her experience visiting a mega church recently.
• Dana also indicated the Flower committee is in need of a couple of new people.
Closing:
Dana read a lovely closing from the book, The Human Dance. Book of Love and Gratitude.
Meeting ended at 8:15 p.m.
Next Meeting: January 8, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
Showing posts with label December 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label December 2008. Show all posts
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Mission & Outreach
December 4, 2008
Present: Laurie Cary, AnnElissa Leveque, Carol Scheffler, Greg Wyman, Sandy Dyer, Maureen Clancy, Sarah Randall, Linda Skinner
Sarah opened the meeting with a prayer from “Daily Bread”
November minutes accepted.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Greg reported a balance of $6250 to be disbursed and discretionary funds of $9,808. Noted that the name change for Social Witness Ministries and funding increase for the group were accepted.
Question was raised about payment to the flower committee for produce purchased for Thanksgiving alter display and food baskets. If/when bill is submitted it will be paid from discretionary fund.
SWM will be paying for an ad for Women in Harmony. Amount unclear; Greg will expedite.
No Council report. Laurie noted that the final draft of church bylaws has been e-mailed. Hard copies will be available later in 2009. Sandra added that the new bylaws allow teams to have more than six and members, and six consecutive terms are now allowed.
MINISTER’S MOMENT: Elsa announced that caroling to shut-ins would begin at 4:30 on Dec. 13, sponsored by Parenting Potluck group and open to all interested.
SUBCOMMITTEES: Mission Mall was well received and the Wright Pavilion was a great location. The 8 charities represented took in a total of $1,636.
Thanksgiving basket effort went smoothly – 30 baskets, 7 coupons. Kendra Palmer did a good job coordinating.
Fair Trade coffee arrived, to be sorted by the 14th. Some tea, pecans and coffee left over from Mission Mall are available for sale.
Christmas Giving Tree and Mitten Tree well under way. Distribution may be complicated by Bob’s knee surgery.
Micah Project volunteers are being lined up for the breakfast on the 29th. Elsa will follow up with e-mail reminders. Others will call their contacts before the 29th. Laurie asked Mission Team to be brainstorming about other organizations that could be added to the Micah Project through the year. Pilgrim Lodge annual cleanup a good prospect.
NEW BUSINESS: Interfaith May 3, 2009, walk proposed for Habitat for Humanity. Looking for FCC volunteers to organize meetings, create teams, staff event, etc. Mission Team does not wish to become involved but will put an article in the Beacon and pass the info along to YM.
QUARTERLY DIBSURSEMENTS: We allotted $750 each to Konbit Sante, Southern Poverty Law, UCC Coalition, Frannie Peabody, Open House, Family Crisis Shelter, Grace Street and Good Shepherd, with the remaining $250 going to our own food pantry.
In discussing candidates for disbursement, concern was raised that we need to update our list of charities and screen them through a rating program like Charity Navigator. Maureen has access to a list of Maine agencies, which she will provide for our reference.
It was also suggested that we offer some explanation of the charities we serve through Beacon announcements or on the bulletin board.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Recorder: Linda Skinner
Present: Laurie Cary, AnnElissa Leveque, Carol Scheffler, Greg Wyman, Sandy Dyer, Maureen Clancy, Sarah Randall, Linda Skinner
Sarah opened the meeting with a prayer from “Daily Bread”
November minutes accepted.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Greg reported a balance of $6250 to be disbursed and discretionary funds of $9,808. Noted that the name change for Social Witness Ministries and funding increase for the group were accepted.
Question was raised about payment to the flower committee for produce purchased for Thanksgiving alter display and food baskets. If/when bill is submitted it will be paid from discretionary fund.
SWM will be paying for an ad for Women in Harmony. Amount unclear; Greg will expedite.
No Council report. Laurie noted that the final draft of church bylaws has been e-mailed. Hard copies will be available later in 2009. Sandra added that the new bylaws allow teams to have more than six and members, and six consecutive terms are now allowed.
MINISTER’S MOMENT: Elsa announced that caroling to shut-ins would begin at 4:30 on Dec. 13, sponsored by Parenting Potluck group and open to all interested.
SUBCOMMITTEES: Mission Mall was well received and the Wright Pavilion was a great location. The 8 charities represented took in a total of $1,636.
Thanksgiving basket effort went smoothly – 30 baskets, 7 coupons. Kendra Palmer did a good job coordinating.
Fair Trade coffee arrived, to be sorted by the 14th. Some tea, pecans and coffee left over from Mission Mall are available for sale.
Christmas Giving Tree and Mitten Tree well under way. Distribution may be complicated by Bob’s knee surgery.
Micah Project volunteers are being lined up for the breakfast on the 29th. Elsa will follow up with e-mail reminders. Others will call their contacts before the 29th. Laurie asked Mission Team to be brainstorming about other organizations that could be added to the Micah Project through the year. Pilgrim Lodge annual cleanup a good prospect.
NEW BUSINESS: Interfaith May 3, 2009, walk proposed for Habitat for Humanity. Looking for FCC volunteers to organize meetings, create teams, staff event, etc. Mission Team does not wish to become involved but will put an article in the Beacon and pass the info along to YM.
QUARTERLY DIBSURSEMENTS: We allotted $750 each to Konbit Sante, Southern Poverty Law, UCC Coalition, Frannie Peabody, Open House, Family Crisis Shelter, Grace Street and Good Shepherd, with the remaining $250 going to our own food pantry.
In discussing candidates for disbursement, concern was raised that we need to update our list of charities and screen them through a rating program like Charity Navigator. Maureen has access to a list of Maine agencies, which she will provide for our reference.
It was also suggested that we offer some explanation of the charities we serve through Beacon announcements or on the bulletin board.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Recorder: Linda Skinner
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Green Action Group
December 4, 2008
Present: Janis Albright, Louise Davis, Sarah Ellsworth, Leslie Gatcombe-Hynes, Barbara Merrill, Dick Merrill, Elsa Peters, Ed Saxby, Jim Van Hoeven
Ed Saxby led our meeting and each person had an opportunity to share particular concerns.
The Mission Board approved a $50 honorarium for our October speaker Ray Sirois. Leslie provided a card which we all signed and expressed our appreciation to Ray.
The Mission Outreach Team will be including in their budget request an item for the Social Witness Ministries Fund. This will provide a source for expenses like an honorarium. Greg Wyman will keep us informed.
Barbara spoke with Guy Gledhill, a member of the House Committee of the Administration Team and invited him (or a Committee member) to come to one of our meetings and educate us about the work his group is doing regarding greening our church.
Barbara suggested we consider the possibility of working with the Eskimos, the Hilltop Guild, and the church school in suggesting programs relating to our stewardship of the earth. This would give us an existing group with whom to work in our educational efforts.
Jim donated the book “Redeeming The Creation” by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson to the Green Action Group’s section of our church library. Louise added more articles to the reference notebooks she is creating for the library.
Elsa Peters met with us for a discussion on Communication.
We agreed to write articles relating to Earth stewardship for The Beacon on a regular basis. Articles for the Beacon should “educate the community and further their faith with this community”. The articles might be part of the Green Corner or they might fill up to a half page. Dick will do an article for the next Beacon.
Our minutes are posted on meetinghousehillminutes.blogspot.com. Elsa has an article in the current Beacon that includes information about blogs.
We are able to put announcements in the bulletin and just need to contact the Church Office.
Elsa encourages us to think about personal invitations (i.e. a telephone call) to encourage people “to participate in the things we care about”.
Ed suggested generating a list of people who would like to have access to a computer site where information about caring for our earth could be shared.
Ed would like to have a meeting in January or February where we generate ideas of what people can do themselves relative to greening their homes. Leslie talked about the Green South Portland group that is offering to help people make their homes more energy efficient. Jim will contact Roger Addor to see if the Eskimos might be interested in joining us in this effort. Sarah suggested presenting very practical ideas based on what people might benefit from right now—such as how you could prepare a meal for 6 people on $3. She also mentioned the concept of Eco Angels wherein we could help each other and share our skills and knowledge.
Janis reported on the work to complete our Mission statement and on some suggested additions to the book list she generated for our Green Space in the library. We will work on these at our next meeting.
Louise shared information about a 90 movie that she highly recommends for a program that we would arrange. Ed will look into this possibility.
Dick reported on a program he attended at Maine Audubon. Rick Renner, Portland architect and designer of 2 LEED Platinum-rated green building homes was the presenter.
Ed shared with us several relevant items of interest including work by the Maine Council of Churches and its Environmental Council and some thoughts about the new administration in Washington in January and possible impact on the environment.
We decided to continue meeting on the last Thursday of each month. Our next meeting will be Thursday, January 29, at 7 pm in Davidson Lounge. This arrangement has been cleared with Cyndi Alden.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Merrill
Present: Janis Albright, Louise Davis, Sarah Ellsworth, Leslie Gatcombe-Hynes, Barbara Merrill, Dick Merrill, Elsa Peters, Ed Saxby, Jim Van Hoeven
Ed Saxby led our meeting and each person had an opportunity to share particular concerns.
The Mission Board approved a $50 honorarium for our October speaker Ray Sirois. Leslie provided a card which we all signed and expressed our appreciation to Ray.
The Mission Outreach Team will be including in their budget request an item for the Social Witness Ministries Fund. This will provide a source for expenses like an honorarium. Greg Wyman will keep us informed.
Barbara spoke with Guy Gledhill, a member of the House Committee of the Administration Team and invited him (or a Committee member) to come to one of our meetings and educate us about the work his group is doing regarding greening our church.
Barbara suggested we consider the possibility of working with the Eskimos, the Hilltop Guild, and the church school in suggesting programs relating to our stewardship of the earth. This would give us an existing group with whom to work in our educational efforts.
Jim donated the book “Redeeming The Creation” by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson to the Green Action Group’s section of our church library. Louise added more articles to the reference notebooks she is creating for the library.
Elsa Peters met with us for a discussion on Communication.
We agreed to write articles relating to Earth stewardship for The Beacon on a regular basis. Articles for the Beacon should “educate the community and further their faith with this community”. The articles might be part of the Green Corner or they might fill up to a half page. Dick will do an article for the next Beacon.
Our minutes are posted on meetinghousehillminutes.blogspot.com. Elsa has an article in the current Beacon that includes information about blogs.
We are able to put announcements in the bulletin and just need to contact the Church Office.
Elsa encourages us to think about personal invitations (i.e. a telephone call) to encourage people “to participate in the things we care about”.
Ed suggested generating a list of people who would like to have access to a computer site where information about caring for our earth could be shared.
Ed would like to have a meeting in January or February where we generate ideas of what people can do themselves relative to greening their homes. Leslie talked about the Green South Portland group that is offering to help people make their homes more energy efficient. Jim will contact Roger Addor to see if the Eskimos might be interested in joining us in this effort. Sarah suggested presenting very practical ideas based on what people might benefit from right now—such as how you could prepare a meal for 6 people on $3. She also mentioned the concept of Eco Angels wherein we could help each other and share our skills and knowledge.
Janis reported on the work to complete our Mission statement and on some suggested additions to the book list she generated for our Green Space in the library. We will work on these at our next meeting.
Louise shared information about a 90 movie that she highly recommends for a program that we would arrange. Ed will look into this possibility.
Dick reported on a program he attended at Maine Audubon. Rick Renner, Portland architect and designer of 2 LEED Platinum-rated green building homes was the presenter.
Ed shared with us several relevant items of interest including work by the Maine Council of Churches and its Environmental Council and some thoughts about the new administration in Washington in January and possible impact on the environment.
We decided to continue meeting on the last Thursday of each month. Our next meeting will be Thursday, January 29, at 7 pm in Davidson Lounge. This arrangement has been cleared with Cyndi Alden.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Merrill
Administrative Team Meeting
Minutes of Meeting: December 4, 2008
Present: Ron Bennett, Eben Marsh, Deb Sandler, Guy Gledhill and Cyndi Alden.
The meeting was called to order by the Meeting Chair Eben Marsh at 7:05 p.m. Ron Bennett was appointed Meeting Secretary.
The minutes of the November 6, 2008 meeting were reviewed and accepted.
Old Business:
Financial Statements and Budget: Cyndi lead a review of our financial statements and budget. Revenues are slightly behind budget. Cyndi expects rents to be at the budgeted totals by year end. Because the Council has requested all teams to spend only truly necessary funds for the rest of 2008, Cyndi estimates that total expenses will be below budget, and the deficit which was originally budgeted at $-28,176 will come in at a lower deficit.
Tenant review: Our tenants were current in their rent payments through November. No rent payments have been received for December.
Planned Giving: Ron reported that Ellie Baker and Chris met on November 20. The committee intends to prepare messages to be inserted in the Beacon on a regular basis starting in late January or early February. Ellie will prepare the messages, which will be reviewed at the next PGC meeting on January 4. Ellie strongly believes that the message should be kept simple at first and emphasize bequests.
Bulletin Board Policy: The Bulletin Board Inventory prepared by Deb (see attached) was reviewed. The Team agreed with Deb’s comments on the attached Inventory and decided that no policy is required. A policy could negatively affect the life and spirit of the church.
Committee Reports:
Counting: No new report. To date, the system appears to be working fine.
House: Guy presented the report based on the House Committee Meeting Minutes (see attached). It was specifically pointed out that the burned out bulbs in the sanctuary chandeliers cannot be change by Tom until the choir pews saved by the Chancel Committee are removed from in front of the large ladder at the bottom of the stairs.
New Business:
The proposed By-Laws were reviewed. The Team suggested changing the first responsibility of the Admin Team at section 6.3 (A) from “oversight for establishing procurement policies” to “overseeing (or monitoring) procurement policies”. This change was suggested because the policies have already been established.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
The next AT meeting will be held on January 8, 2009.
Respectfully submitted by: Ron Bennett, Meeting Secretary
Present: Ron Bennett, Eben Marsh, Deb Sandler, Guy Gledhill and Cyndi Alden.
The meeting was called to order by the Meeting Chair Eben Marsh at 7:05 p.m. Ron Bennett was appointed Meeting Secretary.
The minutes of the November 6, 2008 meeting were reviewed and accepted.
Old Business:
Financial Statements and Budget: Cyndi lead a review of our financial statements and budget. Revenues are slightly behind budget. Cyndi expects rents to be at the budgeted totals by year end. Because the Council has requested all teams to spend only truly necessary funds for the rest of 2008, Cyndi estimates that total expenses will be below budget, and the deficit which was originally budgeted at $-28,176 will come in at a lower deficit.
Tenant review: Our tenants were current in their rent payments through November. No rent payments have been received for December.
Planned Giving: Ron reported that Ellie Baker and Chris met on November 20. The committee intends to prepare messages to be inserted in the Beacon on a regular basis starting in late January or early February. Ellie will prepare the messages, which will be reviewed at the next PGC meeting on January 4. Ellie strongly believes that the message should be kept simple at first and emphasize bequests.
Bulletin Board Policy: The Bulletin Board Inventory prepared by Deb (see attached) was reviewed. The Team agreed with Deb’s comments on the attached Inventory and decided that no policy is required. A policy could negatively affect the life and spirit of the church.
Committee Reports:
Counting: No new report. To date, the system appears to be working fine.
House: Guy presented the report based on the House Committee Meeting Minutes (see attached). It was specifically pointed out that the burned out bulbs in the sanctuary chandeliers cannot be change by Tom until the choir pews saved by the Chancel Committee are removed from in front of the large ladder at the bottom of the stairs.
New Business:
The proposed By-Laws were reviewed. The Team suggested changing the first responsibility of the Admin Team at section 6.3 (A) from “oversight for establishing procurement policies” to “overseeing (or monitoring) procurement policies”. This change was suggested because the policies have already been established.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
The next AT meeting will be held on January 8, 2009.
Respectfully submitted by: Ron Bennett, Meeting Secretary
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