LORD OF GRACE COUNCIL MINUTES
January 16, 2007
7:00pm
Members Present: Vicki Shearer, Pandora Larsen, Pastor Moe, Mike Stein, Corliss Jenkins-Sherry, Pastor Hermansen, Dan Scott, Don Lawler, Joan Travis, Carol Buuck
Intern: Andrew Schlecht
Not Present: Chris Pendleton, Ron Paul
I. Call meeting to order
Vicki Shearer called the meeting to order at 7:05
II. Opening Prayer: Don Lawler
III. Modifications to and approval of Minute
Joan moved to approve the minutes as written. Mike seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Review of Action items
-Don will report at the next council meeting regarding the options and cost for re-keying and or using a key pad (June 2006) Cost to re-key will be approximately $500 with Any and All Lock Company. Re-keying will happen in approximately two months. Don will have a draft security policy at the October meeting. (October 2006) (January 2007) The re-keying process cannot be completed until the front doors are replaced. This will hopefully be completed in the next six weeks. Continue
Mike will research the crack on the sanctuary and possible repair. September 2006
Andrew met with Bob Sisley from Chestnut Construction regarding cracking of drywall. Bob is sending out his general superintendent, Bill Wright, who also has extensive experience with drywall to review cracking. No structural damage related to the crack in the sanctuary. The crack can be caulked and painted. However, the North wall in fellowship bowing out wall. We will cut out a piece of the drywall to what is happening inside the wall. Then structural engineer will come back to make recommendations. Repairs will begin soon. Continue
Dale, Chris, Don, Vicki will establish a Worship Enhancement Team by next council meeting. Team is being developed. October 2006 Completed
Don moved to approve the following members to the Worship Enhancement Committee: Dave Tweedy, Jim or JoAnne Ash, Ken George, Mark Campbell, Judy Klinger, Ken and Barbara Kurtz, Jerry and Mary Ellen Soma . Pandora seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
IV. Pastors’ Reports
See Attached Reports
V. Ministry Team Reports
Youth: Chris Pendleton
See Attached Report
Property/Building: Mike Stein
See Attached Report
Outreach: Corliss Jenkins-Sherry
See Attached Report
Gift Giving: Don Lawler
No Report Submitted
Worship/Stephen Ministry: Dan Scott
See Attached Report
Education: Pandora Larsen
See Attached Report
Fellowship: Joan Travis
See Attached Report
Treasurers Report: Ron Paul
A checking account for Heritage Girls will be set up as part of the Charter.
VI. New Business
A. Update on Minister of Leadership position
Interviews will begin January 26, 2007. The position will begin mid-February.
B. Mileage for Employees
See attached policy.
The standard mileage established by ELCA will be used.
Don moved to adopt the policy as written. Mike seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
C. Wage Increase for Cappie Bennett (cap at $900 per month)
Vicki proposed raising the hourly rate to $10.70/hour with a maximum of 84 hours per month. Cappie will be
required to keep a record of her hours. This increase includes a 3.3% cost of living increase and a 3.7% merit
increase for a total of 7%.
Dan moved to accept the proposal. Don seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
D. Approval of storage shed for Outreach
Debbie and Steve Pickard submitted various options for off site storage.
Mike and Don will look into the options presented.
E. Safe Access
Don will change the safe code
F. Nominating Committee/date for annual meeting
The Annual Meeting is scheduled for May 2, 2007.
Vicki will contact the nominating committee, Len Mowinski, Tom McKenna, Natalie Janke, Jim McCarty, and
Julie Salaz. The Vice-President, Fellowship, Outreach, Worship, and Treasurer positions will be open or are open
for reelection. Synod assembly representatives also need to be elected.
F. Pre-school
The pre-school will start submitting a monthly report.
See attached report
Don moved to appointment Pandora as the official council liaison for the preschool. Dan seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
G. Phone system
Mike will investigate new phone systems.
H Front Door
The front door is a mess. Don recommended replacing the front doors
Don will research cost and kinds of doors.
I. Sabbath Rest
Rest week is scheduled for Feb. 12-18, 2007. Dale, Chris and Andrew will begin announcing this week.
VIII Closing Prayer/Adjournment
Pastor Dale Moe’s Council Report—Jan. 2007
1) Thank you to all of you for your partnership in the Gospel. I am truly amazed by your talents and your commitment. Blessed faith journey to all of you as we enter Epiphany. I am ever grateful for your partnership in the Gospel.
2) Goals for the immediate future: a) The EDGE service—seeking to evangelize this worship service at all levels. b) Establishing and Working with the new office person—Minister for Leadership and staff Support. (Assimilating a yearly check-list for the events and activities that take place in our many and varied ministries. I.E.—see hand-out). c) Establishing a Lenten theme, team and schedule—“The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements” and agenda for the Lenten season—2007. (Lent has always been a high spiritual season for us and I/we will seek to continue this.). d) Dreaming dreams for ministry in this place—visioning our future, and reflecting on where God has brought us and where God seeks to lead us. (The information from the facility development team and the survey will enhance this emphasis. I will also be providing four Wed. evenings beginning Jan. 17th from 6-7:00p.m. to address this notion: ‘Dream dreams for our ministry’. Questions will be pondered anew asking: “God, where have you brought us? Where are we at? And where would You have us to go?”). e) New member classes—to promote, recruit and teach. These classes will be offered March 4, 11, 18 and the reception of New Members will be Sunday March 25th.
3) Sabbath Rest Week—the week of: Feb. 12-18. We encourage all folks to be in devotion, mediation, family (household time). This is the week before Ash Wed and the Lenten journey.
4) Thank you to Cindy Rosemore for her dedication and efforts she displayed in the church office. Also, I am thankful that she remains with us in a new capacity in our pre-school.
Pastor Chris Hermansen’s Council Report—Jan. 2007
Worship Team
Vicki and I have this team in place, or very close to it, and will be
calling a meeting in the next few weeks. A great deal of the possible
vision for this team hinges on other teams in the church (facility team,
tech team, organ team, etc). We hope to find the best way possible for
these groups to work together to reach all of our goals.
Youth
Chris P., JoAnne Shank and I met to discuss some of the goals for the
youth program in the coming months. We set the dates for a ski trip, a
youth fundraiser and a summer trip. We also looked at better preparing
the
week to week activities. From my experiences with this group the majority
of the participants seem to desire a "hang-out" time more than
anything
else. I have tried on numerous occasions to facilitate a more spiritual
and
intellectual focus but this have not been received well and have caused a fair
amount of frustration on my part. To fill the void for those members of
the
youth program that desire more structure and a spiritual focus the idea at
the moment is to invite them to join the college group. I have spoken
with
the regular members of this group and they are open to this approach. It
is
my hope that this will alleviate some of my frustration and allow for a
stronger group. The spiritual needs of the youth will still be addressed
and met but in a more implicit manner.
Church Clean-Up
As Carol asked it is no coincidence that this is taking place a week before
my wedding. I would like the church to look as nice as it can for mine
and
Gina's big day but I also think it is a good excuse to give our building
some much needed attention. I know some emails have gone back and forth
about this and Mike and I plan to talk on Sunday but I hope that this can be
an event that gets some work done but also allows for some fellowship. I
like to set lofty goals and I hope we can get around 50 people here on Feb
10th. As the planning continues I hope this can be a well organized and
productive day. Your thoughts, encouragement and involvement are
appreciated.
Communication With-In the Church
This has been something that I found personally challenging and have heard
expressed by other individuals within the church. If we do get together
in
February for a retreat I hope this can be one of our main objectives.
Within the church there are a lot of people working very hard but I seldom
see people working together to maximize our efforts. Pastor Dale and I
have
tossed around the term "streamlining" our ministry approaches.
I would
rather us have three or four great events then ten to fifteen so-so
events.
The way that I see this happening is if we strive to work together on things
and cooperate with our goals. If we continue in our current direction I
fear we might experience burnout from those individuals that are putting
forth so much effort. This a challenge for me as much as it is for the
entire church, but the more we strive to work together the more fruitful our
efforts will become. Again if we meet next month I hope this can be a
portion of our discussion.
Publicity/EDGE Service
You may remember an email went out about this last week. I didn't get much
of a response so either we will need to buy something or find a way to snap
a picture we can use ourselves. Pastor Dale has also brought up the idea
of
having someone stand on the corner with a sign (such as the home builders
do) letting people know about or EDGE service. Keep the ideas coming so
we
can continue to share Christ with others.
Thanks again for the work that you all put forward, and may we continue to
work for the sake of the Gospel.
Grace and Peace
Pastor Chris
Intern Pastor Andrew Schlecht’s Council Report
January 2007
It is hard to believe the New Year is upon us. My goals for the next few months:
1) Develop our first Easter Vigil Service for Saturday, April 7 at 7:00 PM. There are four parts to the service: service of Light (begins with bonfire and candle processional into the sanctuary), service of the Word, service of Baptism and finally communion. The service will be about 1-1/2 hours long. In the early church the Easter Vigil was the most important celebration of the entire year.
2) Working with Pastor Dale to develop some discipleship groups as a new paradigm for LOG. Also evaluating how it might impact our confirmation program.
3) Continue working with Carol Nichols on the Grief Support Group. Hoped to attend a training session in March if I can obtain grant money from Thrivent. Otherwise I will forgo the training.
4) Continue with prayer service on Wednesday mornings. John Reeves is helping to lead the service. He has been a great blessing! It is my hope that the service will continue once I leave.
5) Continue to serve Craycroft Towers. We had a marvelous worship service, dinner and desert on December 23. Pastor Chris and Debbie Pickard helped to coordinate the event. The youth also participated—they baked cookies, served dinner, set up and cleaned up and helped lead worship. The Preschool made Christmas tree ornaments. They are awesome! The residents were in awe to experience Christ’s love. Thanks to everyone!
6) Continue to work with the facilities committee as we look at current and future needs as our “old people will see visions and young people dream dreams!” Anticipate helping to lead a workshop with the congregation in February.
7) Personal goals: Pray, read scripture and have fun with my wife and kids! Val, Jonathan, Ellie and I have even started bowling together on a league on Thursdays! Jonathan and my team is named the “Holy Rollers!” Of course I would love to lose a few pounds….
I lead my first funeral on January 5 for William H. Lloyd at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park. Over 500 people attended. Bill was the founder of Lloyd Construction, former employer and a friend who loved the Lord with every fiber of his being. It was a great honor and blessing; we mourned while we celebrated his life and faith.
I survived the week of Pastor Dale’s and Pastor Chris’s vacations. Hopefully I didn’t wreak too much havoc! Thanks for your loving support and encouragement.
Members of the congregation continue to open their homes and their hearts to me and my family. We are very blessed by all of you! Thank you for all you do in Christ’s name!
Grace and peace, Andrew Schlecht
Lord of Grace Council Meeting January 16, 2007 Property
1. Outside cleanup tentatively scheduled for February 10 (Week before Pastor Chris’s wedding).
i. Cub Scouts to perform work
ii. Will meet with CS representative to go over what we want done
2. Was asked to look into adding lights in Sanctuary to illuminate banners on back wall
3. May want to consider replacing front doors
4. Cracks in Sanctuary/Fellowship Hall caused by expansion and contraction.
i. Pastor Andrew met with Chestnut Construction
Caulk/repaint cracks
Lord of Grace Council Meeting January 16, 2007 Outreach
1. We are collecting medicines and toiletries for the
Corner of Love and
diapers for Casa de los Ninos and Brewster center for the month of January.
2. We are looking at some ways to increase donations to the Marana food
bank.
3. We may have a community project slated for January helping folks with
yard clean-up.
4. There is a Valentines Day dinner that LOG will be hosting at Tucson house
on Wednesday, February 14th.
Submitted by Corliss Jenkins-Sherry
Education Report for January 2007submitted by Pandora Larsen
1. Vacation Bible School is scheduled for the second week in June 2007.
2. Faith talk and Kid’s Church started back up January 7, 2007.
3. MOPS report submitted by coordinator Gina Posey: MOPS starts back up again on Jan 17 and will continue through the spring. The last day of MOPS is May 2. We are currently trying to recruit steering team members for the fall '07 year. We are trying to get more members of Lord of Grace on the steering team. We are always looking for volunteers to help with our Moppets program. Many of our current volunteers may not return to help in the fall.
4. The Preschool team will be meeting on a regular basis and submitting a report to council.
5. I am working on the new Christian education calendar and it will be available to the congregation in the next week or so.
6. Activities for the kids during the Lent are being planned as well.
7. The Facility Enhancement Team started passing out surveys this past Sunday. We will continue to do so for the entire month of January. The information will be compiled. A report will be submitted by the next council meeting. Please encourage everyone to fill out a survey. We want everyone’s input (including all of you). Extra surveys are in a box in the church office under Shannan’s desk, if anyone needs them.
Lord of Grace Council Meeting January 2007 Youth
Some of the thought for the High School kids is that the 1st and 3rd Sunday would be the 'Hang Out Time'. The 2nd and 4th would be some type of outing. One outing would be something fun and the other would be some sort of Outreach. Some brainstorming has occurred to come up with ideas for each.
We also discussed the High School Youth having one trip a year that is fun and is funded by the Youth and/or youth parents. A second trip in the year would be an outreach or service trip in which we would assist with some fundraising and pay some costs out of the youth budget.
So last we left it we have discussed the possibility of a youth fund raiser in April to raise money for the outreach trip. This would be a 'Cowboy Cookout' and we would be involving Joan's fellowship assistance.
We have not discussed a whole lot about the 7/8 graders and the elementary kids programs...more to come.
From Pastor Chris's Report...
Youth
Chris P., I and JoAnne Shank met to discuss some of the goals for the
youth program in the coming months. We set the dates for a ski trip, a
youth fundraiser and a summer trip. We also looked at better preparing
the
week to week activities. From my experiences with this group the majority
of the participants seem to desire a "hang-out" time more than
anything
else. I have tried on numerous occasions to facilitate a more spiritual
and
intellectual focus but this has not been received well and has caused a fair
amount of frustration on my part. To fill the void for those members of
the
youth program that desire more structure and a spiritual focus the idea at
the moment is to invite them to join the college group. I have spoken
with
the regular members of this group and they are open to this approach. It
is
my hope that this will alleviate some of my frustration and allow for a stronger
group. The spiritual needs of the youth will still be addressed
and met but in a more implicit manner."
Chris Pendleton
LOG Council – Youth
Lord of Grace Council Meeting January 16, 2007 Fellowship
January, so far, has been a time of 'catch up' and 'clean up'. The kitchen is now being left in good condition on a weekly basis. Corliss and I emptied the freezer of outdated food and gave it a good cleaning before restocking it with cookies, etc.
A Feb.9th Valentine dinner and party is being planned as an adult fellowship event. By the end of the month sign-up sheets for our Lenten soup suppers will be ready (beginning Ash Wednesday, Feb. 21st).
I will also be recruiting people for the church cleaning project on Feb. 10th.
Submitted by Joan Travis, fellowship
Lord of Grace Council Meeting January 16, 2007 Worship
Now that we are through the "busy month", I will start contacting members of the organ committee to get some ideas of what everyone is looking for. As Vicki and the pastors requested, we will narrow it down to a couple of models to present to the council. In other news, Pastor Dale, Vicki, and I met with Erin Bernheim to discuss the current nursery volunteer situation. Erin will oversee the other nursery attendants, and will report to us if they are still having problems with individuals not showing up, etc.
Preschool Committee Meeting January 11, 2007
Committee Members attending:
Eleanor Offutt; Pandora Larsen; Virginia Ehler; Gina Posey; Shannan Heston; Wayne Lundeberg; Gail Shultz; Cathy Lundeberg
Current enrollment: 87
Monthly Tuition: $9500.00
Bank Balance: See attached
Enrollment for next year
Tuition
Current tuition is 2 days per week - $ 95
3 days per week - $120
5 days per week - $160
The Committee approved an increase in rates for the 2007-2008 school year as follows:
2 days per week - $100
3 days per week - $130
5 days per week - $175
Enrollment
Dates for 2007-2008 will be Feb 14-28 for current students and Lord of Grace Congregation members
Remaining spaces will be opened up to the public on March 5
Advertising
Committee members will follow up on advertising in March 1 issue
Continental Ranch Shannan
Countryside – Gail
Continental Reserve – Gina
Lord of Grace Newsletter – Cathy
Sunday morning slides – Wayne