Council Members Present: Pastor Ross Goodman, Mark Olson, Dana Ramish, Alison Roberts, Heather Sheridan, Brian Sniffen, Wendy Stack, Chris Trost, George Wilson.
Also Present: Vicar Jen Soltis.
Absent: Katie Corneilson, Maile Hedlund.
A quorum was gathered and we came together in God’s name at 7:35pm. A candle was lit to remind us that Christ is present with us as we meet.
The agenda was accepted.
Mark Olson then led a devotion on the quiet place from St. Augustine: “Lord, you were inside me when I was outside.”
Next month, Vicar Soltis will lead devotions.
The minutes of February were accepted. We missed January minutes; we’ll do them in April.
We are on track.
We’re running below budget, but within the typical margin of error for invoices arriving late. Snow removal has been, of course, quite cheap.
Motion 1. Approval of up to $2000 from n7 to support expenses for annual Midwife/Newborn project. moved, seconded, carried.
No discussion.
Motion 2. Approval of up to $500 from n7 to match funds raised for the Kids Care Meal Packing project. moved, seconded, carried.
No discussion.
Motion 3. Move that we ask the Nominating Committee to select a youth as a 3rd voting member to attend the 2012 Synod Assembly. moved, seconded, carried.
Several candidates are discussed. Mark suggests asking the nominating committee. The bylaws say that we can appoint representatives to other organizations.
Then we realize what our Safe Church policy says, and how difficult it’ll be to bring someone under eighteen. We might lean towards a young person over eighteen. Apparently elca considers anyone under 30 a youth or young adult.
Pastor Goodman reports that we have ten baptisms coming soon. One family from outside has asked about using this church for a baptism while traveling through the United States; we’ll see how that goes. Dana Ramish’s Functional Structures Working Group has finished its work. It’s time for its successor, perhaps a “Strategic Planning Group.” PG has recruited: Dana Ramish, Mark Olson, Pastor Goodman, George Wilson, Jen Nahn, Taryn Weaver, Kathy Devaney, Eric Vermilya, Jen Soltis, and Bob Waehler. Alison Roberts asks that we find a way to recognize in that group’s name and mission that this is about finding God’s plan for us, not planning ourselves with any confidence that our plans could come to pass.
The Synod’s “Do what matters to God” project has been looking for ways to express the theology of the vision statement selected last year, “Go where Love leads, serve where Love calls.” Across the Synod they’ll be celebrating “Doing What Matters Sunday” on May 13. They ask that we look for what we see breaking God’s heart, making him smile in the neighborhood and in the congregation, and what gifts of God we see in the congregation. They won’t ask about what’s breaking God’s heart in the congregation or for what gifts of God we might see outside the congregation.
Pastor Goodman been reading Full Catastrophe Living, a book about meditation and his notes on a seminar teaching it in a secular medical context. He’ll be taking an eight-week seminar on this; it’ll take a commitment of 45 minutes of meditation per day, six days per week.
Katie Osweiler will be leaving much sooner than expected; when her husband Victor returns from Afghanistan at the end of April, they’ll be assigned elsewhere.
Vicar Soltis reports she spent her day off meditating and hiking in the Fells. Confirmation is going well. The ninth graders (mostly) will be readers for the Maundy Thursday service. The “Doing what matters” events from the Synod have been focusing on what it’ll take to elect a new bishop. Her project helped bring meals to some of the families with new babies.
Pastor Goodman gathers us in prayer and leads communion at 8:40pm.
Respectfully submitted, Brian Sniffen
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Next regular council meeting: 9 April 2012 at 7:30pm.
These minutes can be found online at http://evenmere.org/~bts/Church/.