Council Members Present: Katherine Corneilson, Pastor Ross Goodman, Maile Hedlund, Mark Olson, Dana Ramish, Alison Roberts, Brian Sniffen, Wendy Stack, Chris Trost, George Wilson.
Also Present: Vicar Dan Eisenberg.
Absent: Heather Sheridan.
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.
We shared highlights of what’s new in our lives.
The agenda was accepted.
Dana Ramish then led a devotion. Next month, Wendy Stack will lead devotions.
The minutes of November were accepted as amended.
We’ve received more than projected for 2012.
We’ve spent much less than projected in 2012, due to personnel gaps and lower than expected utility costs. We expect to carry about $35000 from this year into next.
The current budget proposal is to receive $412k and to spend $545k, for a deficit of about $110k. Our pledges at this point are about $70k lower than last year. We can start making phone calls.
The annual meeting is January 13; we have to present a balanced budget to the congregation. We should meet on the seventh, then.
We agree by acclamation and consensus to host a showing of the film Half the Sky in January.
This year’s budget plan includes $15k for a part-time facilities manager. Should this be? Or should we try to fold this into an existing job, like the parish administrator or (as is traditional) the sexton. It sounds hard to find the hands-on parts of these skills in common with the contract-management parts and the secretarial tasks of the parish administrator.
Right now, this work falls on Diane—and we need her limited number of hours directed elsewhere.
Consensus seems to be that we should look for a highly organized person to do both contract and project management and also to be the full-time parish administrator. Maybe we can post three job descriptions, and we’ll see what comes of it.
Dana asks what we’ll do if the budget plan doesn’t come together: do we drop this entirely?
Motion 1. We agree to have only one service on January 27 at 9:15am, with the congregational meeting to follow. moved, seconded, carried.
We’ll also cancel Godly Play, with nursery care for kids. Confirmation class and older should please attend the meeting.
Vicar Eisenberg reports that his Gather Groups are off to a good start. Thirty-eight have signed up, with another two promising to sign up this week. The adult catechism class is going well on Wednesday nights—they asked to meet for longer. May the confirmands so ask! The young adult group went bowling this week, but they weren’t very young. Sounds like this should move to a social outing group, and if there’s ever a young adult core they can take it back. Confirmation class is getting ready for next year, arranging some interfaith and ecumenical field trips to Catholic, Evangelical, Reform Jewish, and Islamic sites of worship.
Pastor Goodman speaks about his recent pastoral care duties; the pastor to whom he was attending passed away last week. Keith Anderson came back to Redeemer to perform the funeral. There were more babies and more visitors last Sunday.
A great crowd went down to Sanctuary to pack meals last week. Lots of good work. The youth mission trip may have to move to upstate New York to accommodate its size.
After his annual review with the personnel committee, he expects to return next year.
The Social Ministry fund put $1000 in his discretionary fund. He’s now working to talk some families into receiving that help.
Pastor Goodman gathers us in prayer and leads communion at 8:35pm.
Respectfully submitted, Brian Sniffen
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Next regular council meeting: 7 January 2013 at
7:30pm.
Next congregational meeting: 27 January 2013 at
10:30am, after the sole 9:15 service.
These minutes can be found online at http://evenmere.org/~bts/Church/.