June 19, 2008
Present: Matt Brucker, Dan Cummings, Sally Sutton , Sally Hinckley, Chris Dow, John McCall, Stan Jordan, Nancy Maclean, Phil Whitney, Jean Siulinski, Carol Zechman, Shirley Curry, Ellie Chatto, Chris Keiter
Not Present: Paul Gray, Deb Andrews, Dave Allen, Elsa Peters
1) Nancy provided opening prayer.
2) Review of Agenda and Approve Minutes.
Dan presented agenda, addition requested for discussion of Council opening.
Dan asked for any comments, acceptance of revised minutes that were distributed, they are approved.
3) Ministers’ Time
John McCall. Elsa Peters is on way to New York for her Grandfather’s memorial service and we send our prayers with her.
In our last meeting Council approved a building space use by George Pressley. John found out the next day that other members of the church staff were not as comfortable as he presumed, as he had inferred that there was energy and interest that it turns out may not have been there. Three different staff members expressed concerns about scheduling and building use and potential conflicts with office equipment use, room usage etc.
John McCall has contacted Mr. Pressley and explained how and why we were choosing to not move ahead in sharing space. Mr. Pressley expressed that he understood, had other options to explore and that he thanked us for our consideration and contacting us to clarify the situation so quickly.
4) Personnel Recommendations
Ellie Chatto was present to talk about the Youth Ministry position.
Aaron French, a 1st year student at Bangor Seminary in Portland, applied for Kim Early’s Sunday School Coordinator position and has experience with Youth Ministry. Elsa would like to focus on Sunday School, working with the teachers and curriculum. That would allow Aaron to focus on the older than Sunday School kids, i.e. Youth Ministry. The Personnel committee has approved him as their choice. He will be here at least 2 ½ years more as a full time student. Aaron has a degree in Classics and has taught Religion classes. Discussion around how this changes Elsa’s job description. John talked about the fact that there are three pieces of this proposal
A. Revise Elsa’s job description to include Sunday School and remove Youth Ministry
B. Approve/be aware of the readiness of the Personnel committee to move forward and hire Aaron French
C. Authorize Ellie to complete and sign an employment agreement with Aaron French to start in late August and to be compensated a base salary of $9,000 year.
The impact of having Elsa as the Sunday School leader is that we would move Christ Kids Club from the first week of the month to the last week of the month to ensure her presence at the communion service. It would also require some additional lay speakers.
5) Chancel Project
Chris Keiter presented an update on the project. Funding of the project was reviewed first. We had previously stated that the project was estimated to be around $50,000. $2,000 from Music Fund. $4,000 from North Church Memorial Fund. Fundraising and sale of unused choir pews would contribute as much as has been raised by July 15th. Unrestricted Endowments would fund the balance, as needed.
The last source of funding that was considered was the Organ Maintenance Fund for about $7,000. Shirley Curry was present and shared that she is concerned that this was not the intended use of that fund. The bottom line from Shirley’s perspective is that we should not touch these funds for a new capital project thus compromising our flexibility to conduct organ maintenance and repairs in a timely manner.
Chris Keiter talked about how not drawing upon the Organ Maintenance Fund increases the Unrestricted Endowments funds that would be drawn upon by an additional $7,000. This would reduce the annual operating expense budget by 3% times the $7,000, or $210 per year. The Council agreed that we will not be using funds from the Organ Maintenance Fund for this project.
Fundraising has been slow. Chris asked Cyndi how much has been received and she stated $500. It has been placed in the Beacon the last three times. There was discussion about conducting a separate mailing. We agreed to send a separate mailing that may stand out more than a paragraph in the Beacon.
6) Council Operations
a. Bylaws : Next Steps
There was some discussion around how “finalized” are the bylaws and do we need to meet again with a 2nd workshop to work through some additional language issues and content changes. There was consensus that there does not appear to be a great deal of urgency in delivering this to the congregation. However, there may be concerns about the Council losing memory around what has been done and having to regain momentum. Dan will send out possible dates for a special meeting in July and we will seek to maximize attendance by coordinating calendars.
There is no regularly scheduled Council meeting in July or August.
b. Choose Moderator/Vice Moderator
Floor was open to discussion around options. Chris Keiter was raised as a possible Moderator candidate effective immediately. Chris agreed to accept the position. Carol Zechmann volunteered as the Vice Moderator. There was consensus agreement of these choices by the Council.
c. Other Business
Council Vacancy
1. We have 11 of our 12 openings full. We have had a member withdraw themselves from Council. The group generally commented that they would like to fill the 12th spot. Chris Keiter reviewed the list of current Council members to refresh members.
2. Some names were suggested to fill the vacancy. Some discussion around having another male member to provide some gender balance with Paul Gray, Dan Cummings and Stan Jordan going off of the Council. Chris Keiter will approach a candidate, and if that doesn’t pan out, Chris agreed to correspond with Barbara and to distribute a list of all new member males that have joined in the last two years and to have some email discussion.
Respectfully submitted by Matt Brucker
Showing posts with label June 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label June 2008. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
New Hymnal Committee
June 26, 2008
Attending: Elaine Brownell, Barbara Merrill, Dana Wiggins, Barbara Powers, Bruce Lockwood, Dolores BrobergExcused: Evie Strom, Deb Theriault, Carrie Skeffington, Lynn Howard, Shirley Curry, Betsy Keiter
We met to organize information for the upcoming Book Talks with the congregation. We listed "Frequently Asked Questions", searched for hymns (requested by the survey participants) and made notes on formats within the 4 hymnals of choice. We made a poster showing the key strengths and weaknesses of the books in regard to durability, authenticity of lyrics and favorites within the books.
Music surveys continue to come in and are being included in the results.
Book talks were offered to the congregation on June 29 at 8:30 and 10:45
We had no participants for the early session but the 10:45 was well-attended and filled with lively discussion. Very good questions asked and information shared.
Next steps — Discuss Book Talk results and survey results — Look at 4 publishing options again— Designate a sub group to list favorite songs (from our survey) for an updated Songs of the Spirit if used in conjunction with the new hymnal — Confirm the fee we pay as a church, to use music, will extend copyright permissions for the songs we may bind into the Truth and Light Hymnal.
4 published options:
New Century - $14.50 plus shipping- black cover
- order anytime for delivery within 2 weeks
Truth & Light - $17 per including delivery in March 2009
- standard issue, 9th printing (red w/silver type) order by Dec. 1
- with custom cover on standard issue book by Nov.1
- with custom binding of our favorites within the standard book by Oct.15**
Chalice Hymnal - $16.19 with red cover, church name imprinted
- delivery within 1 month
Worship and Rejoice - $15 - church name imprinted
-delivery within 1 month; blue, red or green cover
** custom bind-in within The Hymnal of Truth and Light requires copyright permissions on included music. Our church has paid a fee that grants rights for music used in the church and we will confirm that this fee extends to new SOS selections.
Next meeting is July 10 at 5PM.
Submitted by Dana Wiggins
Attending: Elaine Brownell, Barbara Merrill, Dana Wiggins, Barbara Powers, Bruce Lockwood, Dolores BrobergExcused: Evie Strom, Deb Theriault, Carrie Skeffington, Lynn Howard, Shirley Curry, Betsy Keiter
We met to organize information for the upcoming Book Talks with the congregation. We listed "Frequently Asked Questions", searched for hymns (requested by the survey participants) and made notes on formats within the 4 hymnals of choice. We made a poster showing the key strengths and weaknesses of the books in regard to durability, authenticity of lyrics and favorites within the books.
Music surveys continue to come in and are being included in the results.
Book talks were offered to the congregation on June 29 at 8:30 and 10:45
We had no participants for the early session but the 10:45 was well-attended and filled with lively discussion. Very good questions asked and information shared.
Next steps — Discuss Book Talk results and survey results — Look at 4 publishing options again— Designate a sub group to list favorite songs (from our survey) for an updated Songs of the Spirit if used in conjunction with the new hymnal — Confirm the fee we pay as a church, to use music, will extend copyright permissions for the songs we may bind into the Truth and Light Hymnal.
4 published options:
New Century - $14.50 plus shipping- black cover
- order anytime for delivery within 2 weeks
Truth & Light - $17 per including delivery in March 2009
- standard issue, 9th printing (red w/silver type) order by Dec. 1
- with custom cover on standard issue book by Nov.1
- with custom binding of our favorites within the standard book by Oct.15**
Chalice Hymnal - $16.19 with red cover, church name imprinted
- delivery within 1 month
Worship and Rejoice - $15 - church name imprinted
-delivery within 1 month; blue, red or green cover
** custom bind-in within The Hymnal of Truth and Light requires copyright permissions on included music. Our church has paid a fee that grants rights for music used in the church and we will confirm that this fee extends to new SOS selections.
Next meeting is July 10 at 5PM.
Submitted by Dana Wiggins
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Administration Team
June 9, 2008
Present: Guy Gledhill, Ron Bennett, Jim Otis and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager). Absent: Deb Sandler, Eben Marsh and Chris Mills.
Call to Order at 7 P.M. by Guy, and Jim was appointed Secretary and Chair of the next meeting.
OLD BUSINESS:
Finance: Cyndi explained that pledge receipts were lagging behind similar to prior years at this time. There was a $(34,793) loss through June 5 vs. a budgeted loss of $(28,176). There was concern about spiking utility expenses; Cyndi will email us options for our oil contract in July and we will make a decision then.
Tenant Update: Both Sawyer St. tenants are late for their June rent as of today.
Planned Giving: Ron and Chris are working on the committee composition and they will try to have a suggested approach at the next meeting (September).
Bulletin Board Policy: Chris is in charge of this and we felt this should be tabled until the next meeting to give him a chance to offer input.
Swarthmore Road Update: Guy hasn’t heard from Jaime Schwartz yet. Jaime was going to get a petition signed by residents and deliver it to Guy, who would then deliver it to the City.
Committee Reports:
Counting: Chair Brian Wallace has been doing a great job and has got the counting program very well organized, including a counting schedule through August 3.
House: Chair Guy Gledhill discussed the highlights in their June 3 meeting report of the House Committee. All routine maintenance and planned improvement projects are on schedule. Guy also discussed some of the details concerning the chancel reconfiguration.
Personnel Committee: Chair is Ellie Chatto. Elsa will be taking over a portion of Kim Early’s responsibilities. Kim’s primary responsibilities will be taken over by a person coming to us from Bangor Seminary. Also, Tom Conlon was hired to work on Saturdays and his pay will be charged as a separate line item.
New Business:
None.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 7 pm.
Meeting adjourned 7:41 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Otis
Present: Guy Gledhill, Ron Bennett, Jim Otis and Cyndi Alden (Business Manager). Absent: Deb Sandler, Eben Marsh and Chris Mills.
Call to Order at 7 P.M. by Guy, and Jim was appointed Secretary and Chair of the next meeting.
OLD BUSINESS:
Finance: Cyndi explained that pledge receipts were lagging behind similar to prior years at this time. There was a $(34,793) loss through June 5 vs. a budgeted loss of $(28,176). There was concern about spiking utility expenses; Cyndi will email us options for our oil contract in July and we will make a decision then.
Tenant Update: Both Sawyer St. tenants are late for their June rent as of today.
Planned Giving: Ron and Chris are working on the committee composition and they will try to have a suggested approach at the next meeting (September).
Bulletin Board Policy: Chris is in charge of this and we felt this should be tabled until the next meeting to give him a chance to offer input.
Swarthmore Road Update: Guy hasn’t heard from Jaime Schwartz yet. Jaime was going to get a petition signed by residents and deliver it to Guy, who would then deliver it to the City.
Committee Reports:
Counting: Chair Brian Wallace has been doing a great job and has got the counting program very well organized, including a counting schedule through August 3.
House: Chair Guy Gledhill discussed the highlights in their June 3 meeting report of the House Committee. All routine maintenance and planned improvement projects are on schedule. Guy also discussed some of the details concerning the chancel reconfiguration.
Personnel Committee: Chair is Ellie Chatto. Elsa will be taking over a portion of Kim Early’s responsibilities. Kim’s primary responsibilities will be taken over by a person coming to us from Bangor Seminary. Also, Tom Conlon was hired to work on Saturdays and his pay will be charged as a separate line item.
New Business:
None.
Date of Next Meeting: Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 7 pm.
Meeting adjourned 7:41 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Otis
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Spiritual Life and Worship
June 6, 2008
Present: Debbie Riley, Betsy Keiter, Bryan Wiggins, Dana Wiggins
Richard Angell, John McCall, Elsa Peters
Opening Prayer: Bryan opened with a thought provoking prayer
Review of Minutes: Minutes were approves as read with no corrections.
News from John McCall:
There are two schools of thought regarding special Sundays with a specific worship focus. Some folks think they are wonderful and thought provoking, and others are not interested and want John to preach every Sunday. It is John’s opinion that we need to discuss this issue at length in the fall and that we might want to come up with a policy that maintains our style of worship, but does not eliminate special Sundays.
There will be an inquirers meeting on June 22nd. Six families will be at the meeting. Tex and Elinor have agreed to attend the meeting as representatives of the S,L&W committee.
There have been four applicants for the position of Sunday School Superintendent with one candidate who seems to be a perfect fit. The may be some shifting of responsibilities among existing staff with this personnel change. The details are being worked out by the committee.
Homecoming Sunday will continue to be the Sunday after Labor Day. The consensus seemed to be that maintaining consistency was more important than change at this point.
The renovations to the Sanctuary will be completed by August 2nd. Pew moving day will be June 22nd - All are welcome to join with others to move the pews from the Chancel.
North Church Memorial Fund: We voted unanimously to use $4000. from the fund for the Sanctuary Restoration.
Theft from the Sacristy: Miscellaneous items have been recently stolen from the sacristy. The doors will now be locked !
Hymnal Committee Update: One hundred surveys have been returned. Book Talks will be held on June 29th from 8:30 - 9:15 and 10:45 - 11:30 to compare the four Hymnals that have been selected. The selection process is moving along smoothly.
Deacons Name tags: This discussion will be continued...........................
News from Elsa Peters:
Church members have asked Elsa to plan a service of Animal Blessing which is a traditional service, more familiar in other Protestant Denominations. This service will be held on September 28th at 4:00 PM.
Elsa is wondering if there might be room for a third worship service opportunity that might accommodate and include young families who do not attend church on Sunday mornings. It might take place on Sunday evening. We discussed the pros and cons of this idea. More to come...........
Graduating High School Seniors will be recognized at the June 15th Sunday Service.
Next Meeting: July 3rd at 7:30
Meeting was adjourned around 9PM.
Submitted Respectfully by
Debbie Riley
Present: Debbie Riley, Betsy Keiter, Bryan Wiggins, Dana Wiggins
Richard Angell, John McCall, Elsa Peters
Opening Prayer: Bryan opened with a thought provoking prayer
Review of Minutes: Minutes were approves as read with no corrections.
News from John McCall:
There are two schools of thought regarding special Sundays with a specific worship focus. Some folks think they are wonderful and thought provoking, and others are not interested and want John to preach every Sunday. It is John’s opinion that we need to discuss this issue at length in the fall and that we might want to come up with a policy that maintains our style of worship, but does not eliminate special Sundays.
There will be an inquirers meeting on June 22nd. Six families will be at the meeting. Tex and Elinor have agreed to attend the meeting as representatives of the S,L&W committee.
There have been four applicants for the position of Sunday School Superintendent with one candidate who seems to be a perfect fit. The may be some shifting of responsibilities among existing staff with this personnel change. The details are being worked out by the committee.
Homecoming Sunday will continue to be the Sunday after Labor Day. The consensus seemed to be that maintaining consistency was more important than change at this point.
The renovations to the Sanctuary will be completed by August 2nd. Pew moving day will be June 22nd - All are welcome to join with others to move the pews from the Chancel.
North Church Memorial Fund: We voted unanimously to use $4000. from the fund for the Sanctuary Restoration.
Theft from the Sacristy: Miscellaneous items have been recently stolen from the sacristy. The doors will now be locked !
Hymnal Committee Update: One hundred surveys have been returned. Book Talks will be held on June 29th from 8:30 - 9:15 and 10:45 - 11:30 to compare the four Hymnals that have been selected. The selection process is moving along smoothly.
Deacons Name tags: This discussion will be continued...........................
News from Elsa Peters:
Church members have asked Elsa to plan a service of Animal Blessing which is a traditional service, more familiar in other Protestant Denominations. This service will be held on September 28th at 4:00 PM.
Elsa is wondering if there might be room for a third worship service opportunity that might accommodate and include young families who do not attend church on Sunday mornings. It might take place on Sunday evening. We discussed the pros and cons of this idea. More to come...........
Graduating High School Seniors will be recognized at the June 15th Sunday Service.
Next Meeting: July 3rd at 7:30
Meeting was adjourned around 9PM.
Submitted Respectfully by
Debbie Riley
Monday, June 16, 2008
Mission and Outreach Team
June 5, 2008
Present: Laurie Cary, Chair; Linda Skinner, Marilyn Andress, John McCall, Greg Wyman, Carol Scheffler, Jim Van Hoeven, Sandy Dyer, Sarah Randall, AnnElissa Leveque, Elsa Peters; Guest: Eben Marsh
Laurie opened the meeting at 7:00PM
Eben presented pictures & a talk describing his Honduras Mission Trip taken earlier this Spring. It was obvious that Eben felt the experience was extraordinary. The Team hopes that his presentation can be shared with more of the congregation, perhaps at a forum in the Fall following Worship.
Linda opened the formal meeting with a reading and prayer from the UCC Devotional website.
Laurie welcomed the new members, Sarah Randall and Sandy Dyer, and thanked out-going member Marilyn Andress for her service on the Team
Document Distribution:
Minutes of 05-01-08 Meeting (e-mailed earlier), Treasurer’s Report (additional copies will be e-mailed to members), updated service assignments and updated MOT membership list. 2008/2009 Recorder & Opening Prayer schedule is not yet ready. Linda will be recorder for our meeting in September.
Secretary’s Report:
Minutes approved as read.
Treasuer’s Report:
Linda reported disbursements for Elder Programs. From the Mission Fund, the contributions to Myanmar and $50.00 to Maine Council of Churches as acknowledgement of the talk by Anne Burt have been the only expenditures. The Easter Offering has been disbursed with the funds being split between the Salvation Army & Preble Street Resource Ctr. There is an additional $10.00 remaining from One Great Hour of Sharing which Cyndi will add to the check for Blanket Sunday.
Council Report for 05/16/08 Meeting Highlights:
- Council looking for a volunteer to maintain the church website
- Have had a significant number of people joining the church & expect another group to join next month
- Chancel project is on track to begin in June
- By-laws reflecting the new governance structure almost completed
Minister’s Moment:
- Elsa reported that she has a group of about 15 interested in participating in a Mission Trip. The group has chosen Humane Borders for its project. Humane Borders’ primary focus is to provide water to migrants dying of thirst as they cross the border into the U.S. In addition to hauling water, the group may do whatever they can to respond to the needs of the project. Elsa would like the Team to consider how this project can become part of the entire congregation’s ministry, not just the effort of a small group.
- Elsa (and John) encouraged everyone to complete the hymnal survey.
- Elsa has set up a blog where all group minutes will be posted at the end of the month. Go to http://meetinghousehillminutes.blogspot.com. Any minutes should still be sent to Barbara Stevens. You will find minutes archived as far back as April on the left of the opening page under “Labels”. Thank you, Elsa.
Old Business:
Fair Trade Coffee subgroup - Greg reported that the initial offering went well with the exception of three orders still waiting to be picked up. AnnElissa has called the 3 owners. As Greg is reluctant to continue to take up Cyndi’s office space, he will personally deliver the orders if not picked up by Sunday. Carol reported that Cyndi indicated that she has no problems with the coffee ordering/distribution process to date. Elsa remarked that co-op members have had inquiries from friends and neighbors about the coffee which will increase volume of coffee ordered & also might result in additional people coming to church! Next order dates are July 13th & 20th, with distribution occuring on the Sunday following order receipt from Bridgewater. Carol circulated a request for feedback from that will be given to co-op members on the next distribution date.
New Business:
Fort Kent As a result of the recent flooding, many of the residents of this area are experiencing hardships that are not being met, including the need for hygiene & personal care products. The Falmouth UCC church is acting as a collection site. Jodie Ramsey has volunteered to drive the collection to Ft. Kent on June 6th & has asked if we would be willing to contribute something toward the cost of gas. It was agreed to give Jodie $100.00 toward this expense. Jodie plans to go to Ft. Kent again in July. AnnElissa will post a list of the items needed on the Mission bulletin board. Jim suggested that something be put in the Beacon to not only alert the congregation to the needs of Ft. Kent but also to make folks aware of this personal ministry by Jodie.
China Earthquake – It was agreed to send $1000.00 through Church World Service to help the relief effort in China. A contribution of $1000.00 for the victims of the typhoon in Myanmar had already been agreed upon via e-mail.
Homecoming Sunday, September 7th. – Sandy & Sarah agreed to oversee the MOT table for Homecoming. Requests for tables must be submitted to the church office bu August 1st. Laurie will e-mail the request form to the sub-committee chairs. Fair Trade coffee will be available for purchase & ordering at the table & Eben Marsh will be asked if he could have his presentation available.
Mission Mall/Holly Daze Bazaar – Carol reported that the Mission Mall/Holly Daze Bazaar will be on November 22nd, with the Mall continuing on Sunday after worship.. The MM sub-committee met at 6:30 (prior to the MOT meeting) & agreed on inviting 9 charities to participate. They are: Wayside Soup Kitchen, Gary’s House, Ronald MacDonald House, Crisis Ministries, Food Pantry, Seeds of Peace, Animal Refuge League, Safe Passage, and Community Cancer Center. Over the summer, sub-committee members will issue invitations to participate to these charities. Our next meeting will be at 6:30 PM on October 2nd (prior to MOT meeting).
Food Pantry Drive – Since the pantry shelves were recently filled to overflowing, it was decided (via e-mail) to postpone the Food Drive scheduled for June. Instead it was agreed to hold a food drive in September , with bags being handed out on Homecoming Sunday, September 7th.
Since time was growing short, it was decided to postpone team breakout for budget & education /social action subcommittees until September. It was agreed to make the following direct service contributions:
Andover Newton Theological School - $ 750.00
Serenity House 750.00
Habitat for Humanity 750.00
Preble Street (The Lighthouse Shelter) 750.00
Day One 750.00
Protestant Hospital Ministry 750.00
TOTAL $ 4500.00
As a contribution had been made to the UCC Coalition in December of 2007, it was decided to postpone a contribution to them until later in the year.
Team Feedback:
Jim again expressed the need to make the congregation aware of the personal ministries/missions of individual members, such as Jodie and Eben to not only acknowledge individual efforts but also to encourage the rest of the congregation to become involved in mission efforts.
Recorder: Carol Scheffler
Next Meeting: Thursday, September 4th at 7PM.
Recorder: Linda Skinner
Present: Laurie Cary, Chair; Linda Skinner, Marilyn Andress, John McCall, Greg Wyman, Carol Scheffler, Jim Van Hoeven, Sandy Dyer, Sarah Randall, AnnElissa Leveque, Elsa Peters; Guest: Eben Marsh
Laurie opened the meeting at 7:00PM
Eben presented pictures & a talk describing his Honduras Mission Trip taken earlier this Spring. It was obvious that Eben felt the experience was extraordinary. The Team hopes that his presentation can be shared with more of the congregation, perhaps at a forum in the Fall following Worship.
Linda opened the formal meeting with a reading and prayer from the UCC Devotional website.
Laurie welcomed the new members, Sarah Randall and Sandy Dyer, and thanked out-going member Marilyn Andress for her service on the Team
Document Distribution:
Minutes of 05-01-08 Meeting (e-mailed earlier), Treasurer’s Report (additional copies will be e-mailed to members), updated service assignments and updated MOT membership list. 2008/2009 Recorder & Opening Prayer schedule is not yet ready. Linda will be recorder for our meeting in September.
Secretary’s Report:
Minutes approved as read.
Treasuer’s Report:
Linda reported disbursements for Elder Programs. From the Mission Fund, the contributions to Myanmar and $50.00 to Maine Council of Churches as acknowledgement of the talk by Anne Burt have been the only expenditures. The Easter Offering has been disbursed with the funds being split between the Salvation Army & Preble Street Resource Ctr. There is an additional $10.00 remaining from One Great Hour of Sharing which Cyndi will add to the check for Blanket Sunday.
Council Report for 05/16/08 Meeting Highlights:
- Council looking for a volunteer to maintain the church website
- Have had a significant number of people joining the church & expect another group to join next month
- Chancel project is on track to begin in June
- By-laws reflecting the new governance structure almost completed
Minister’s Moment:
- Elsa reported that she has a group of about 15 interested in participating in a Mission Trip. The group has chosen Humane Borders for its project. Humane Borders’ primary focus is to provide water to migrants dying of thirst as they cross the border into the U.S. In addition to hauling water, the group may do whatever they can to respond to the needs of the project. Elsa would like the Team to consider how this project can become part of the entire congregation’s ministry, not just the effort of a small group.
- Elsa (and John) encouraged everyone to complete the hymnal survey.
- Elsa has set up a blog where all group minutes will be posted at the end of the month. Go to http://meetinghousehillminutes.blogspot.com. Any minutes should still be sent to Barbara Stevens. You will find minutes archived as far back as April on the left of the opening page under “Labels”. Thank you, Elsa.
Old Business:
Fair Trade Coffee subgroup - Greg reported that the initial offering went well with the exception of three orders still waiting to be picked up. AnnElissa has called the 3 owners. As Greg is reluctant to continue to take up Cyndi’s office space, he will personally deliver the orders if not picked up by Sunday. Carol reported that Cyndi indicated that she has no problems with the coffee ordering/distribution process to date. Elsa remarked that co-op members have had inquiries from friends and neighbors about the coffee which will increase volume of coffee ordered & also might result in additional people coming to church! Next order dates are July 13th & 20th, with distribution occuring on the Sunday following order receipt from Bridgewater. Carol circulated a request for feedback from that will be given to co-op members on the next distribution date.
New Business:
Fort Kent As a result of the recent flooding, many of the residents of this area are experiencing hardships that are not being met, including the need for hygiene & personal care products. The Falmouth UCC church is acting as a collection site. Jodie Ramsey has volunteered to drive the collection to Ft. Kent on June 6th & has asked if we would be willing to contribute something toward the cost of gas. It was agreed to give Jodie $100.00 toward this expense. Jodie plans to go to Ft. Kent again in July. AnnElissa will post a list of the items needed on the Mission bulletin board. Jim suggested that something be put in the Beacon to not only alert the congregation to the needs of Ft. Kent but also to make folks aware of this personal ministry by Jodie.
China Earthquake – It was agreed to send $1000.00 through Church World Service to help the relief effort in China. A contribution of $1000.00 for the victims of the typhoon in Myanmar had already been agreed upon via e-mail.
Homecoming Sunday, September 7th. – Sandy & Sarah agreed to oversee the MOT table for Homecoming. Requests for tables must be submitted to the church office bu August 1st. Laurie will e-mail the request form to the sub-committee chairs. Fair Trade coffee will be available for purchase & ordering at the table & Eben Marsh will be asked if he could have his presentation available.
Mission Mall/Holly Daze Bazaar – Carol reported that the Mission Mall/Holly Daze Bazaar will be on November 22nd, with the Mall continuing on Sunday after worship.. The MM sub-committee met at 6:30 (prior to the MOT meeting) & agreed on inviting 9 charities to participate. They are: Wayside Soup Kitchen, Gary’s House, Ronald MacDonald House, Crisis Ministries, Food Pantry, Seeds of Peace, Animal Refuge League, Safe Passage, and Community Cancer Center. Over the summer, sub-committee members will issue invitations to participate to these charities. Our next meeting will be at 6:30 PM on October 2nd (prior to MOT meeting).
Food Pantry Drive – Since the pantry shelves were recently filled to overflowing, it was decided (via e-mail) to postpone the Food Drive scheduled for June. Instead it was agreed to hold a food drive in September , with bags being handed out on Homecoming Sunday, September 7th.
Since time was growing short, it was decided to postpone team breakout for budget & education /social action subcommittees until September. It was agreed to make the following direct service contributions:
Andover Newton Theological School - $ 750.00
Serenity House 750.00
Habitat for Humanity 750.00
Preble Street (The Lighthouse Shelter) 750.00
Day One 750.00
Protestant Hospital Ministry 750.00
TOTAL $ 4500.00
As a contribution had been made to the UCC Coalition in December of 2007, it was decided to postpone a contribution to them until later in the year.
Team Feedback:
Jim again expressed the need to make the congregation aware of the personal ministries/missions of individual members, such as Jodie and Eben to not only acknowledge individual efforts but also to encourage the rest of the congregation to become involved in mission efforts.
Recorder: Carol Scheffler
Next Meeting: Thursday, September 4th at 7PM.
Recorder: Linda Skinner
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