Meeting Minutes of November 19, 2009
6:30 – 8:30 PM
Opening (Debra, from the Holy Qur’an and Chinese proverb)
Present: Nancy MacLean, Bob Morse, Chris Dow, Elsa Peters, Debra Andrews, Sally Hinckley, Andy Ellis, Phil Whitney, Roger Addor, Carrie Skeffington, John McCall, Chris Keiter
Review agenda: approved as presented.
Review October minutes: approved as presented.
Minister’s Time:
John - Shared document “Realities of the World in Which We Minister”, highlighting the following points:
Total membership has declined 60%, while budget has increased by 16 times since 1961.
Change in worship attendance.
2008 Trinity College Study on Religion shows fastest growth in “none of the above” religious group.
Maine is the 3rd least religious state of all US states.
Challenge: All forms of organized religion are on decline.
Maine UCC conference fact: FCC is one of three with highest attendance.
Where to go from here? High vitality churches have vision, strong lay leaders and recruitment/evangelistic strategies/plans.
Building the church by building the message – importance of defining vision.
John’s document will be shared with Growth Group, Visioning Subcommittee, and Pastor Parish Relations Committee.
Elsa - Advent, overwhelmed, very busy.
Discussions:
Fundraising Criteria (continued from October) – Nancy presented the Guidelines and the reworked fundraising form; discussion re: placement of Hilltop Guild catering and Discovery Center in Guideline #6; decision not to include Discovery Center on list; Christmas Gift Appeal is for Community Crisis Ministries; Long Creek is the Giving Tree; Sub Sale is by Youth Ministry. The form was approved and will be distributed via the Beacon, the Teams, and Church office.
Business Referral Directory update – Don Russell drafted a concept paper that presents the intended policy for this project. Council recommends that document be simplified and reviewed at a later date with Don present.
Annual review by auditors - Council recommends that Discovery Center and Holly Daze Bazaar be included in Annual Review.
Budget Committee - Meetings to be held on 11/24, 12/7, 12/14, 1/11. Will consider more comprehensive budget.
Rosella Loveitt bequest - Chris will ask Budget Committee to explore ways in which to use remaining 80% of funds; it will be included as part of the budget proposal that will be presented at the December Council meeting.
Discovery Center (pre-school) budget update - No church help is being requested by the Discovery Center’s board at this point; they have had a discussion of using one less classroom to save rent.
Website redesign discussion is in process. Administration Team is involved.
Sanctuary railing discussion - Administration Team is in process of getting feedback from Congregation.
Discussions on how businesses may promote to church members – Should this type of activity be encouraged? Comments from Council members: It could be a slippery slope, shuffling boundaries of what church membership means; there is a general discomfort with concept – too materialistic regarding some ideas, but ok with Community Crisis Ministries/Holly Daze Bazaar silent auction enterprise. Decided to not pursue at this time.
Sanctuary rental discussion – tabled until future meeting.
Update on Church vision discussions – group will meet in January.
Vote on additional nominations - tabled until future meeting.
SL&W: 1 vacancy
EG&F: 1 vacancy
Other Business: none at this time.
Adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Next meeting: December 17th; Opening/Recorder: Matt
Recorder: Debra Andrews
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Diversity Committee
Meeting Minutes of 11-15-09
Present: Deb Theriault; Connie Baskett, Fran Rowell, Carol Scheffler, Pam Hermann, John Howard, Mike Kasputes, Dolores Broberg, John McCall, Joan Carrier.
Deb opened the meeting with the reading of the childrens’ book God’s Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams and LeUyen Pham..
Deb asked that each of us hold in our prayers Kathy Cotter and her mother who is dealing with health issues.
It was the consensus that our participation in the Pride Parade (June), the Interfaith March for No on 1 campaign (October) and talk by Rev. Marvin Ellison (October) were all positive experiences for participants.
Feelings about and reactions to election results were informally discussed. There was agreement that though saddened by the results, looking back only five years ago, great progress has been made and that its increasingly clear that religious conviction should not have a place in shaping public policy.
Themes for Diversity Sunday (1/17/10) were discussed and it was decided that we should underscore the need for all in the congregation to feel safe in discussing divisive issues openly without fear of discrimination. Moreover, even though we might not achieve consensus, the congregation’s members should still feel loved, revered & valued as parts of the whole body of the church.
John M. read the Epistle for that Sunday: 1 Corinthians12:.1-11 and beyond. They seemed particularly appropriate for our chosen theme. Ways of illustrating this theme were discussed in which various unlike parts come together to make a whole. Visuals such as a heart, the figure of Jesus as in the body of Christ, a circle, the outline of the church, an elephant (as in the old folktale) were mentioned. Mike suggested having the congregation learn two disparate parts of a song which by themselves lack harmony but when sung together, create beautiful music. Deb will ask Shirley Curry for recommendations and also ask about an appropriate anthem.
It was suggested that we end the service by the entire congregation holding hands and singing “Many Gifts, One Spirit”.
Pam, Joan, Deb, Mike & John M. agreed to work as a sub-committee to flesh out these ideas. They will set a meeting date & e-mail any concerns that come up before our nest meeting.
John M. closed with a prayer.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, December 15 at 5:00 p.m.
Submitted by: Carol Scheffler
Present: Deb Theriault; Connie Baskett, Fran Rowell, Carol Scheffler, Pam Hermann, John Howard, Mike Kasputes, Dolores Broberg, John McCall, Joan Carrier.
Deb opened the meeting with the reading of the childrens’ book God’s Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams and LeUyen Pham..
Deb asked that each of us hold in our prayers Kathy Cotter and her mother who is dealing with health issues.
It was the consensus that our participation in the Pride Parade (June), the Interfaith March for No on 1 campaign (October) and talk by Rev. Marvin Ellison (October) were all positive experiences for participants.
Feelings about and reactions to election results were informally discussed. There was agreement that though saddened by the results, looking back only five years ago, great progress has been made and that its increasingly clear that religious conviction should not have a place in shaping public policy.
Themes for Diversity Sunday (1/17/10) were discussed and it was decided that we should underscore the need for all in the congregation to feel safe in discussing divisive issues openly without fear of discrimination. Moreover, even though we might not achieve consensus, the congregation’s members should still feel loved, revered & valued as parts of the whole body of the church.
John M. read the Epistle for that Sunday: 1 Corinthians12:.1-11 and beyond. They seemed particularly appropriate for our chosen theme. Ways of illustrating this theme were discussed in which various unlike parts come together to make a whole. Visuals such as a heart, the figure of Jesus as in the body of Christ, a circle, the outline of the church, an elephant (as in the old folktale) were mentioned. Mike suggested having the congregation learn two disparate parts of a song which by themselves lack harmony but when sung together, create beautiful music. Deb will ask Shirley Curry for recommendations and also ask about an appropriate anthem.
It was suggested that we end the service by the entire congregation holding hands and singing “Many Gifts, One Spirit”.
Pam, Joan, Deb, Mike & John M. agreed to work as a sub-committee to flesh out these ideas. They will set a meeting date & e-mail any concerns that come up before our nest meeting.
John M. closed with a prayer.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, December 15 at 5:00 p.m.
Submitted by: Carol Scheffler
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Education Growth and Fellowship
Meeting Minutes of November 4, 2009
Recorded by: Margaret Thibodeau
Team members attending:
Jana Frank, Ginny Gledhill, Karen Pierce, Carolyn Foster, Margaret Thibodeau.
The meeting began with the approval of October’s Minutes.
Karen reported that the Library and Scholarship committees are both well organized, and that things are going along fine.
Jana shared that volunteers are signed up to serve and bake for Coffee Hour for November. She has not needed to send out a whole-church email yet, as people are volunteering to help by using the signup sheets available at coffee hour. For November 8th, the 275th Celebration committee will be providing a sheet cake. People have requested sanitizing lotion be available during coffee hour. Margaret will check with Tom to see if less coffee is being prepared, and if the large coffee pots are left for him to clean each Sunday. The Mission Board has contacted Jana and asked to host Coffee Hour sometime in January.
The Nursery is going along fine, Ginny announced. Information sheets are posted, and signup sheets are available. Parents appear to be staying as needed when more than two children are present in the nursery.
Margaret shared that there was an Inquirer’s Meeting October 20th. There were three prospective members attending. New Members Sunday is November 15th. Dave Allen, from Growth Group, was not able to attend this meeting, but reported that the group is working on “parish hosts”-matching up new parishioners with congregation members for support.
Carolyn shared her perspective on Sunday School, and further explained her hopes and concerns for the program as discussed previously with Elsa. Carolyn is impressed by the commitment of the Sunday School teachers, who are very prepared and responsible. The program is going well overall, and the children are having fun. The last Christ Kid’s Club had three adult helpers, which is necessary with such a large group of children attending. Carolyn observed that the children love the idea of the “club”, that there are several high-spirited students, and that Elsa does a wonderful job. The superintendent appears to be circulating more amongst the classrooms, offering support to the teachers. Carolyn also explained her observations and hopes for the Children’s Offering, a monthly group worship time on Communion Sundays, and reevaluating our semester model of recruiting teachers. The EG&F Team would like to explore each of these areas further at future meetings. The team wondered what the current teacher’s feedback might be regarding some of these proposals.
The Team read the rest of Elsa’s Faith Formation update, which included information on adult faith formation, Confirmation, and the upcoming special event: A Veggie Tale movie scheduled for November 14th. The event could use some additional volunteers, and the EG&F Team suggested sending home a flyer with children Sunday which promotes the event, and asks for volunteers. Margaret will follow-up with Elsa before the movie night to see if more help is needed.
Two church members have asked to coordinate the Advent Workshop, and the Team is appreciative of their efforts. The Team decided we would like to host Jesus’ Birthday, after the family service Christmas Eve.
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, December 3
Recorded by: Margaret Thibodeau
Team members attending:
Jana Frank, Ginny Gledhill, Karen Pierce, Carolyn Foster, Margaret Thibodeau.
The meeting began with the approval of October’s Minutes.
Karen reported that the Library and Scholarship committees are both well organized, and that things are going along fine.
Jana shared that volunteers are signed up to serve and bake for Coffee Hour for November. She has not needed to send out a whole-church email yet, as people are volunteering to help by using the signup sheets available at coffee hour. For November 8th, the 275th Celebration committee will be providing a sheet cake. People have requested sanitizing lotion be available during coffee hour. Margaret will check with Tom to see if less coffee is being prepared, and if the large coffee pots are left for him to clean each Sunday. The Mission Board has contacted Jana and asked to host Coffee Hour sometime in January.
The Nursery is going along fine, Ginny announced. Information sheets are posted, and signup sheets are available. Parents appear to be staying as needed when more than two children are present in the nursery.
Margaret shared that there was an Inquirer’s Meeting October 20th. There were three prospective members attending. New Members Sunday is November 15th. Dave Allen, from Growth Group, was not able to attend this meeting, but reported that the group is working on “parish hosts”-matching up new parishioners with congregation members for support.
Carolyn shared her perspective on Sunday School, and further explained her hopes and concerns for the program as discussed previously with Elsa. Carolyn is impressed by the commitment of the Sunday School teachers, who are very prepared and responsible. The program is going well overall, and the children are having fun. The last Christ Kid’s Club had three adult helpers, which is necessary with such a large group of children attending. Carolyn observed that the children love the idea of the “club”, that there are several high-spirited students, and that Elsa does a wonderful job. The superintendent appears to be circulating more amongst the classrooms, offering support to the teachers. Carolyn also explained her observations and hopes for the Children’s Offering, a monthly group worship time on Communion Sundays, and reevaluating our semester model of recruiting teachers. The EG&F Team would like to explore each of these areas further at future meetings. The team wondered what the current teacher’s feedback might be regarding some of these proposals.
The Team read the rest of Elsa’s Faith Formation update, which included information on adult faith formation, Confirmation, and the upcoming special event: A Veggie Tale movie scheduled for November 14th. The event could use some additional volunteers, and the EG&F Team suggested sending home a flyer with children Sunday which promotes the event, and asks for volunteers. Margaret will follow-up with Elsa before the movie night to see if more help is needed.
Two church members have asked to coordinate the Advent Workshop, and the Team is appreciative of their efforts. The Team decided we would like to host Jesus’ Birthday, after the family service Christmas Eve.
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, December 3
Growth Group
Meeting Minutes of 11/9/09
Members present: Rick Angell, Dave Allen, Elinor Redmond, Kendra Palmer, John McCall Absent: Jim Kupel, Stan Jordan, Sue Ross.
John opened the meeting at 5:30 p.m. with a prayer.
I. Parish Host Candidates/Match-Ups
John said that 3 people attended the Inquirer’s Meeting and that 4 people will join the church next Sunday. There is a longer list of people interested who are new to church-going. John identified 3 people who might want a Parish Host at this point:
- a man moving here from Wisconsin. His wife is not here yet.
- a woman who recently lost her job and decided to visit the church she has long driven by.
- a couple moving to the Betsy Ross home.
We identified people from the Parish Host meeting who might be good matches. Several matches have already occurred spontaneously.
Pilot plan for matching up ‘pairs’:
John will have conversations with the guests this week and offer a match. He will contact Rick who will then contact the PH to see if there are interested/available. When he has a ‘yes’, he will contact the guest and tell them to anticipate a call. Kendra will keep a master list of people going through the program. She will send an update whenever we have a new match.
II. Materials for Guests (People new to our church)
Elinor brought copies of the Welcome Packet and a list of documents provided by John. We agreed there is far more information in the packets than is needed when people arrive at church for the first time. Much of that information can be provided by Parish Hosts. We identified 3 essential fliers: welcome, children & families, open & affirming, plus a current copy of The Beacon. We want to have lucite racks in the church containing other fliers so that people can choose their area of interest and so that they are always available to any interested person.
We looked at the current fliers in the pew racks. We suggest eliminating outdated pledge cards and the ‘Meetinghouse Musing’ card. We recommend creating a combined offering envelope with a place to check to designate pledge or Community Crisis offerings. Elsa re-designed the fliers two years ago, adding the graphic ‘branding’ and working on the text. Elinor will meet with her to get her opinion and see if she wants to work on an update. This flier would also be placed in the pews.
Looking at the fliers themselves, we thought moving titles to the top so that they can be read when they are in racks and adding the web address made sense. The ‘Welcome’ folder would be more readable in a bullet format (not so dense with text). as well as removing the phrase ‘A Visitor Packet’. The word ‘guest’ should designate individuals who are new to attending our Church.
We discussed involving the youth in the responsibility of keeping materials current. Care should be taken involving the pew racks as Betty Deschenes enjoys her responsibility of keeping them tidy.
III. Top Action Choices
We went around the room with people offering their top choices for future actions. Kendra will send out a master list and we can add it to the minutes. We will assign responsibility for various tasks in future.
IV. Hospitality Tips
Dave’s foray into announcing a hospitality tip was successful. He had a couple of great conversations during coffee hour with people he had not previously met.
Rick will provide the next tip – he will begin by reviewing Dave’s tip (during coffee hour, talk with someone you have not met before) and then adding his own. Elinor will offer a tip in December.
The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: Monday, December 14 @ 5:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond
Members present: Rick Angell, Dave Allen, Elinor Redmond, Kendra Palmer, John McCall Absent: Jim Kupel, Stan Jordan, Sue Ross.
John opened the meeting at 5:30 p.m. with a prayer.
I. Parish Host Candidates/Match-Ups
John said that 3 people attended the Inquirer’s Meeting and that 4 people will join the church next Sunday. There is a longer list of people interested who are new to church-going. John identified 3 people who might want a Parish Host at this point:
- a man moving here from Wisconsin. His wife is not here yet.
- a woman who recently lost her job and decided to visit the church she has long driven by.
- a couple moving to the Betsy Ross home.
We identified people from the Parish Host meeting who might be good matches. Several matches have already occurred spontaneously.
Pilot plan for matching up ‘pairs’:
John will have conversations with the guests this week and offer a match. He will contact Rick who will then contact the PH to see if there are interested/available. When he has a ‘yes’, he will contact the guest and tell them to anticipate a call. Kendra will keep a master list of people going through the program. She will send an update whenever we have a new match.
II. Materials for Guests (People new to our church)
Elinor brought copies of the Welcome Packet and a list of documents provided by John. We agreed there is far more information in the packets than is needed when people arrive at church for the first time. Much of that information can be provided by Parish Hosts. We identified 3 essential fliers: welcome, children & families, open & affirming, plus a current copy of The Beacon. We want to have lucite racks in the church containing other fliers so that people can choose their area of interest and so that they are always available to any interested person.
We looked at the current fliers in the pew racks. We suggest eliminating outdated pledge cards and the ‘Meetinghouse Musing’ card. We recommend creating a combined offering envelope with a place to check to designate pledge or Community Crisis offerings. Elsa re-designed the fliers two years ago, adding the graphic ‘branding’ and working on the text. Elinor will meet with her to get her opinion and see if she wants to work on an update. This flier would also be placed in the pews.
Looking at the fliers themselves, we thought moving titles to the top so that they can be read when they are in racks and adding the web address made sense. The ‘Welcome’ folder would be more readable in a bullet format (not so dense with text). as well as removing the phrase ‘A Visitor Packet’. The word ‘guest’ should designate individuals who are new to attending our Church.
We discussed involving the youth in the responsibility of keeping materials current. Care should be taken involving the pew racks as Betty Deschenes enjoys her responsibility of keeping them tidy.
III. Top Action Choices
We went around the room with people offering their top choices for future actions. Kendra will send out a master list and we can add it to the minutes. We will assign responsibility for various tasks in future.
IV. Hospitality Tips
Dave’s foray into announcing a hospitality tip was successful. He had a couple of great conversations during coffee hour with people he had not previously met.
Rick will provide the next tip – he will begin by reviewing Dave’s tip (during coffee hour, talk with someone you have not met before) and then adding his own. Elinor will offer a tip in December.
The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: Monday, December 14 @ 5:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond
Mission and Outreach
Meeting Minutes of November 5, 2009
Present: Laurie Cary; Greg Wyman; Carol Scheffler; Sarah Randall; Sandy Dyer; Maureen Clancy
I. Meeting Opens
Greg opened the meeting with a reading on taking time and slowing down. The Minutes from the October meeting were approved as written. Laurie noted that 3 more thank you notes were received from the Sept. disbursements: Preble Street Teen Center, Iris network and Habitat for Humanity.
The team agreed to volunteer Richard to help update the mailing list and records on organizations that receive donations from the Mission Team; Laurie will check with him.
II. Treasurer’s Report
Greg gave the Treasurer’s report. The remainder of the funds will be spent in December when we make our final disbursements for 2009. Laurie and Greg have prepared the budget for 2010 which has the same margin increase as 2009. The total requested for 2010 is $58,425.00; no increase was requested for the special support fund.
III. Minister’s Moment
Elsa is away at a family reunion. The team discussed the hygiene kits for the Church World Services but since no additional information has been given, we agreed to postpone to 2010.
Sandy agreed to follow up on the Christmas giving program at Long Creek.
Laurie informed the group of the request from the Fur Cultural Revival to give a presentation at the Church about their project to address the needs in Darfur. The team agreed to review the website – www.furculturalrevival.org and decide on presentation time at the December meeting. Maureen mentioned a book she is reading about refugee resettlement work; she agreed to send the book title in the minutes – This Flowing Toward Me: A story of God arriving in stranger, by Marilyn Lacey, R.S.M.
IV. Old Business
Laurie reported that the responses from the Micah project mailing were anemic; only 11 were received. The team agreed to continue with the Preble Street Soup Kitchen and Habitat for Humanity projects for the time being and then reevaluate. Laurie will contact Preble Street and Maureen will contact Habitat for Humanity and bring the proposed dates to the December meeting. Laurie will bring a copy of the list of respondents to the next meeting as well.
The Emergency Pantry Food Drive resulted in 60 bags being donated. Sandy mentioned that peanut butter and jelly and cereal were items that are always in need since they go in every donation bag. The team also discussed the need for personal hygiene items since they cannot be purchased with food stamps or vouchers. We will schedule these drives at the next meeting and discuss whether a quarterly drive would be the best way to keep supplies strong.
V. Social Witness Ministries
Laurie reported that the Green Action Team is reforming under the name Earth Stewardship. They will meet the last Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. and will focus on having a speaker or movie at each meeting.
VI. Special Offering
The Christmas Fund happens on the Christmas Eve service and is for the retired minister’s fund. The team agreed that the Christmas Offering for 2009 would be for the Bread for the World program and Community Crisis Ministries. Laurie will draft and submit an article for the Beacon and check on the envelope distribution. Team members agreed to help with the envelope distribution if necessary. We also discussed ILAP, Long Creek and Safe Passage as possible donation sources but agreed to discuss those organizations as part of the December disbursements.
VII. Subcommittees
The Mission Mall is set for Nov. 21, 2009; Sarah, Carol and Greg will all be there participating.
The Thanksgiving Basket project is underway. 25 baskets will be provided to needy families; donations will be collected the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
The Giving Tree will be available 11/29-12/13.
The Mitten Tree will be up for 12/20 service.
VIII. New Business
Carol opened the conversation about the Advent Conspiracy project that Elsa had sent for our team. The team agreed that we want to choose a new name that has a more positive connotation. We agreed that the concept was great and that Carol’s idea of collecting ideas and making a book about how to rethink the giving spirit of Christmas was great but that we did not have enough time this year to get it accomplished. We agreed to have Carol draft an article for the Beacon and to begin the booklet by collecting ideas. Carol will send a draft article to the Team.
IX. Wrap Up
Sunday coffee orders will be taken 11/8 and 11/15; Greg will be there but would appreciate any help. The team agreed to host coffee hours on 1/10 and 1/17 if needed and to serve Fair Trade coffee. Laurie will confirm the hosting needs.
The next meeting will be held December 3, 2009. Mike will give opening and closing remarks and Richard will take notes.
Respectfully Submitted,
Maureen Clancy
Present: Laurie Cary; Greg Wyman; Carol Scheffler; Sarah Randall; Sandy Dyer; Maureen Clancy
I. Meeting Opens
Greg opened the meeting with a reading on taking time and slowing down. The Minutes from the October meeting were approved as written. Laurie noted that 3 more thank you notes were received from the Sept. disbursements: Preble Street Teen Center, Iris network and Habitat for Humanity.
The team agreed to volunteer Richard to help update the mailing list and records on organizations that receive donations from the Mission Team; Laurie will check with him.
II. Treasurer’s Report
Greg gave the Treasurer’s report. The remainder of the funds will be spent in December when we make our final disbursements for 2009. Laurie and Greg have prepared the budget for 2010 which has the same margin increase as 2009. The total requested for 2010 is $58,425.00; no increase was requested for the special support fund.
III. Minister’s Moment
Elsa is away at a family reunion. The team discussed the hygiene kits for the Church World Services but since no additional information has been given, we agreed to postpone to 2010.
Sandy agreed to follow up on the Christmas giving program at Long Creek.
Laurie informed the group of the request from the Fur Cultural Revival to give a presentation at the Church about their project to address the needs in Darfur. The team agreed to review the website – www.furculturalrevival.org and decide on presentation time at the December meeting. Maureen mentioned a book she is reading about refugee resettlement work; she agreed to send the book title in the minutes – This Flowing Toward Me: A story of God arriving in stranger, by Marilyn Lacey, R.S.M.
IV. Old Business
Laurie reported that the responses from the Micah project mailing were anemic; only 11 were received. The team agreed to continue with the Preble Street Soup Kitchen and Habitat for Humanity projects for the time being and then reevaluate. Laurie will contact Preble Street and Maureen will contact Habitat for Humanity and bring the proposed dates to the December meeting. Laurie will bring a copy of the list of respondents to the next meeting as well.
The Emergency Pantry Food Drive resulted in 60 bags being donated. Sandy mentioned that peanut butter and jelly and cereal were items that are always in need since they go in every donation bag. The team also discussed the need for personal hygiene items since they cannot be purchased with food stamps or vouchers. We will schedule these drives at the next meeting and discuss whether a quarterly drive would be the best way to keep supplies strong.
V. Social Witness Ministries
Laurie reported that the Green Action Team is reforming under the name Earth Stewardship. They will meet the last Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. and will focus on having a speaker or movie at each meeting.
VI. Special Offering
The Christmas Fund happens on the Christmas Eve service and is for the retired minister’s fund. The team agreed that the Christmas Offering for 2009 would be for the Bread for the World program and Community Crisis Ministries. Laurie will draft and submit an article for the Beacon and check on the envelope distribution. Team members agreed to help with the envelope distribution if necessary. We also discussed ILAP, Long Creek and Safe Passage as possible donation sources but agreed to discuss those organizations as part of the December disbursements.
VII. Subcommittees
The Mission Mall is set for Nov. 21, 2009; Sarah, Carol and Greg will all be there participating.
The Thanksgiving Basket project is underway. 25 baskets will be provided to needy families; donations will be collected the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
The Giving Tree will be available 11/29-12/13.
The Mitten Tree will be up for 12/20 service.
VIII. New Business
Carol opened the conversation about the Advent Conspiracy project that Elsa had sent for our team. The team agreed that we want to choose a new name that has a more positive connotation. We agreed that the concept was great and that Carol’s idea of collecting ideas and making a book about how to rethink the giving spirit of Christmas was great but that we did not have enough time this year to get it accomplished. We agreed to have Carol draft an article for the Beacon and to begin the booklet by collecting ideas. Carol will send a draft article to the Team.
IX. Wrap Up
Sunday coffee orders will be taken 11/8 and 11/15; Greg will be there but would appreciate any help. The team agreed to host coffee hours on 1/10 and 1/17 if needed and to serve Fair Trade coffee. Laurie will confirm the hosting needs.
The next meeting will be held December 3, 2009. Mike will give opening and closing remarks and Richard will take notes.
Respectfully Submitted,
Maureen Clancy
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Administration Team
Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2009
Present: Cyndi Alden, Ron Bennett, Guy Gledhill, Jim Otis, Eben Marsh, Jim Otis, Deb Sandler. Absent: Chris Mills.
The meeting was called to order by our presiding pro tem Chair Deb Sandler at 7:00 p.m. EDLST. Eben Marsh was appointed Meeting Secretary.
The Minutes of the September 17, 2009 Meeting were approved without change.
Old Business:
Financial Statements and Budget
1. The Financial Statements were reviewed and discussed. Monthly rental revenue was a discussion point as we were in a changeover of tenants. Cyndi expressed that the Budget and budgeted revenues were in line with projections. It was noted that the Church had contracted its heating oil cost at $1.94. Accolades were pronounced.
2. Council Financial Concerns: Jim has drafted a report of his meeting with the Church auditor in which several recommendations were suggested for their consideration. To date, he has not received a response from the Council / Auditor.
Tenant Review
1. Tenant Updates: There was a discussion of various changes and improvements that could be made to make additional rental units at 329 Cottage Road to make the downstairs a commercial rental space, and the upstairs into residential space. Some clean up suggestions were made for 509 Sawyer following the long term tenant there leaving this month.
2. The Church rental properties are rented in Craig’s List and a lawn sign will be posted.
Rummage Sale Update
1. It was reported that $4500.00 was taken in.
Committee Reports:
House Committee
1. Guy reported that work will be done at the 329 Cottage Road rental. There is no Gardening Committee. There was a discussion on the issue of the Sanctuary fire alarm. There will be a House Committee meeting later this fall.
2. All in all, lots of improvements have made, and the Church is felt to be in generally good condition.
Planned Giving
1. There was no report to make. The committee felt that it should not be pro-active at this time due to the state of the economy.
Financial Review
1. There should be a contingency plan in the event there are no counters present on any given Sunday.
2. Peggy Murray appeared and gave our committee a very comprehensive and reassuring report of the organization and activity of the Counting Committee.
3. Detailed discussion was held on the following matters:
• Program financial guidelines.
• The budget.
• Whether there needs to be a Management Letter.
• Council concerns.
• Setting up a financial accounting system that would be used by each Church committee / group.
• Awaiting the Council’s response to Jim’s letter.
New Business:
1. Web Site Redesign – John has raised the matter of updating the Church Website. Following a discussion, it Jim will ask John to ask the Council to approve spending some amount of money to authorize the A Team select a consultant and proceed with this project. Jim will compose an email to John outlining an approach to toward getting this started.
2. Chris to ask Rod Redstone about his interest to join the A Team.
The Meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
The next A Team meeting will be November 5, 2009.
Respectfully composed and submitted by Eben Marsh, meeting secretary.
Present: Cyndi Alden, Ron Bennett, Guy Gledhill, Jim Otis, Eben Marsh, Jim Otis, Deb Sandler. Absent: Chris Mills.
The meeting was called to order by our presiding pro tem Chair Deb Sandler at 7:00 p.m. EDLST. Eben Marsh was appointed Meeting Secretary.
The Minutes of the September 17, 2009 Meeting were approved without change.
Old Business:
Financial Statements and Budget
1. The Financial Statements were reviewed and discussed. Monthly rental revenue was a discussion point as we were in a changeover of tenants. Cyndi expressed that the Budget and budgeted revenues were in line with projections. It was noted that the Church had contracted its heating oil cost at $1.94. Accolades were pronounced.
2. Council Financial Concerns: Jim has drafted a report of his meeting with the Church auditor in which several recommendations were suggested for their consideration. To date, he has not received a response from the Council / Auditor.
Tenant Review
1. Tenant Updates: There was a discussion of various changes and improvements that could be made to make additional rental units at 329 Cottage Road to make the downstairs a commercial rental space, and the upstairs into residential space. Some clean up suggestions were made for 509 Sawyer following the long term tenant there leaving this month.
2. The Church rental properties are rented in Craig’s List and a lawn sign will be posted.
Rummage Sale Update
1. It was reported that $4500.00 was taken in.
Committee Reports:
House Committee
1. Guy reported that work will be done at the 329 Cottage Road rental. There is no Gardening Committee. There was a discussion on the issue of the Sanctuary fire alarm. There will be a House Committee meeting later this fall.
2. All in all, lots of improvements have made, and the Church is felt to be in generally good condition.
Planned Giving
1. There was no report to make. The committee felt that it should not be pro-active at this time due to the state of the economy.
Financial Review
1. There should be a contingency plan in the event there are no counters present on any given Sunday.
2. Peggy Murray appeared and gave our committee a very comprehensive and reassuring report of the organization and activity of the Counting Committee.
3. Detailed discussion was held on the following matters:
• Program financial guidelines.
• The budget.
• Whether there needs to be a Management Letter.
• Council concerns.
• Setting up a financial accounting system that would be used by each Church committee / group.
• Awaiting the Council’s response to Jim’s letter.
New Business:
1. Web Site Redesign – John has raised the matter of updating the Church Website. Following a discussion, it Jim will ask John to ask the Council to approve spending some amount of money to authorize the A Team select a consultant and proceed with this project. Jim will compose an email to John outlining an approach to toward getting this started.
2. Chris to ask Rod Redstone about his interest to join the A Team.
The Meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
The next A Team meeting will be November 5, 2009.
Respectfully composed and submitted by Eben Marsh, meeting secretary.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Growth Group
Meeting Minutes of October 19, 2009
Members present: Rick Angell, Dave Allen, Elinor Redmond, Kendra Palmer, John McCall.
Absent: Jim Kupel, Stan Jordan, Sue Ross.
The meeting opened at 5:40 p.m.
John brought several brochures from other churches.
**indicates future action
I. “The Plan”:
We went over Dave’s master plan, step by step:
1. Brochures: Jim incorporated changes based on the Parish Host meeting.
2. Team/Group summaries: in process – Dave remarked that achieving 80% is a good goal.
3. Materials for PH reference manual: Elinor and John will meet early next week. We discussed the challenge of keeping materials updated and possible use of the web in future.
4. Recruit hosts: 10 people attended the meeting and were enthusiastic. Rick (and Stan) will make more calls.
5. The first meeting was held.
6. Identity of guests to be hosted: our first thought considered new members signed up through the Inquirer’s Meeting. Later we discussed how to identify potential hostees within a few months of their starting to attend our church. They could also be people who did not respond to or declined an invitation to attend an Inquirer’s meeting.
7. Host training: This will consist of a brief (45 minute meeting). The group will spend ½ hour brainstorming ideas and 15 minutes touring the building. John will ‘train’ Rick to do the tour. We will look for a time to get the group back together ASAP. Dave and Rick will target a time.
We discussed how to match people up. It makes sense to look for affinities (children in Sunday school, etc.). The process can take place during a PH meeting.
8. Pilot a few relationships: Dave will e-mail the people who came to the PH meeting.
II. Parish Host Brochure
We discussed the changes Jim made to the brochure. We suggest being consistent in talking about guests (not newcomers). Dave will write ideas for the brochure, including moving the part about being a welcoming presence in the Narthex under expectations. Ushers can be welcomers also.
III. Kendra’s List
Kendra created another version of her master idea list which included symbols to denote the source of each idea. We may already do some of the suggestions. She made a separate list which breaks the ideas into themes for various church groups. Not all tasks are ‘for sure’ choices.
**HOMEWORK FOR THE NEXT MEETING: Identify your own top 5 ideas and bring them to the next meeting. These ideas should have the most impact with the least difficulty.
John suggested having a brief hospitality tip at the beginning of Sunday’s service. We decided it would be provided during the announcement time by a member of our group. Dave will do the announcement on 10/25, Rick on 11/22, Elinor on 12/20. This schedule is tentative. We arbitrarily chose a Sunday late in the month.
IV. Materials
We discussed what materials are available for guests when they first visit. What is in the pew racks? Kendra brought a sample pew card, “For Our Guest” which helped a person navigate the cues of the service and told about the UCC. We looked at the (extensive) welcome packet provided in the Narthex. We will review and talk about guest materials at the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: Monday, November 9 @ 5:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond
Members present: Rick Angell, Dave Allen, Elinor Redmond, Kendra Palmer, John McCall.
Absent: Jim Kupel, Stan Jordan, Sue Ross.
The meeting opened at 5:40 p.m.
John brought several brochures from other churches.
**indicates future action
I. “The Plan”:
We went over Dave’s master plan, step by step:
1. Brochures: Jim incorporated changes based on the Parish Host meeting.
2. Team/Group summaries: in process – Dave remarked that achieving 80% is a good goal.
3. Materials for PH reference manual: Elinor and John will meet early next week. We discussed the challenge of keeping materials updated and possible use of the web in future.
4. Recruit hosts: 10 people attended the meeting and were enthusiastic. Rick (and Stan) will make more calls.
5. The first meeting was held.
6. Identity of guests to be hosted: our first thought considered new members signed up through the Inquirer’s Meeting. Later we discussed how to identify potential hostees within a few months of their starting to attend our church. They could also be people who did not respond to or declined an invitation to attend an Inquirer’s meeting.
7. Host training: This will consist of a brief (45 minute meeting). The group will spend ½ hour brainstorming ideas and 15 minutes touring the building. John will ‘train’ Rick to do the tour. We will look for a time to get the group back together ASAP. Dave and Rick will target a time.
We discussed how to match people up. It makes sense to look for affinities (children in Sunday school, etc.). The process can take place during a PH meeting.
8. Pilot a few relationships: Dave will e-mail the people who came to the PH meeting.
II. Parish Host Brochure
We discussed the changes Jim made to the brochure. We suggest being consistent in talking about guests (not newcomers). Dave will write ideas for the brochure, including moving the part about being a welcoming presence in the Narthex under expectations. Ushers can be welcomers also.
III. Kendra’s List
Kendra created another version of her master idea list which included symbols to denote the source of each idea. We may already do some of the suggestions. She made a separate list which breaks the ideas into themes for various church groups. Not all tasks are ‘for sure’ choices.
**HOMEWORK FOR THE NEXT MEETING: Identify your own top 5 ideas and bring them to the next meeting. These ideas should have the most impact with the least difficulty.
John suggested having a brief hospitality tip at the beginning of Sunday’s service. We decided it would be provided during the announcement time by a member of our group. Dave will do the announcement on 10/25, Rick on 11/22, Elinor on 12/20. This schedule is tentative. We arbitrarily chose a Sunday late in the month.
IV. Materials
We discussed what materials are available for guests when they first visit. What is in the pew racks? Kendra brought a sample pew card, “For Our Guest” which helped a person navigate the cues of the service and told about the UCC. We looked at the (extensive) welcome packet provided in the Narthex. We will review and talk about guest materials at the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: Monday, November 9 @ 5:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elinor Redmond
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