IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH
COUNCIL MEETING
Minutes
October 4, 2004

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Gathering

John called the meeting to order @ 7:10 p.m., and Teresa provided devotions.

Preparing

Review of Previous Council Minutes:

MOTION by Teresa Barcy, SECONDED by Bob Carter:

TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 COUNCIL MINUTES AS WRITTEN.

UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.

Treasurer's Report:

Fred reviewed the September Treasurer's reports, noting a deficit of $9,999.17 at September 30, 2004.  He also provided details on the separate line item of CDs by committee and/or special accounts.  He explained that the interest earned on the specific CDs has not been specifically attributed to the budget. 

MOTION by Matt Cermak, SECONDED by Bill Paulins:

TO APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 2004 TREASURERS REPORTS AS WRITTEN.

UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED.

Fred requested that all outstanding receipts be provided to him as soon as possible, so that a complete accounting can be completed in a timely fashion.

Committee Reports:

Health Ministries: No Council action required.  Depression screening will be ongoing this week.  Healing Service will be conducted October 17, 2004.

Management: No Council action required.  Still looking for written policies from each committee, in the hopes of completing a Policy Manual

Outreach: No Council action required.  They are having continuing discussions on how to handle the new member ministry, as well as working toward small group ministries to assist in some of their programs.

Parish Education: No Council action required.

Property: No Council action required.  They will soon be posting a listing of duties needed for fall cleanup day.  We were reminded to reinforce with our committees that if something goes wrong with the building (i.e., plugged toilets, etc.), it is up to all of us to notify the church office as the facilitator to get things done!  We also must all be respectful of ongoing maintenance and repair items, and obey posted instructions (i.e. don’t move this, don’t open this door, etc.)  We were advised that the 2004 Phase III Sidewalk Repairs invoice was $3,861.29 (our share).  There is $3,700 in a special maintenance fund to cover.  The first invoice in the amount of $250 isn’t due until January 1, 2005. 

Stewardship: No Council action required.  Matt read correspondence from Jim Teahan, Financial Recording Secretary, regarding the condition of our givings.  The third quarter 2004 total givings were down 10% from the third quarter 2003.  There have been only 2 weeks this quarter where contributions have equaled or bested our budget goal.  Fewer people are contributing weekly, and for the year we’ve received almost $32,000 less than budgeted needs (but we are not spending to budget, either).  Further discussions will be continuing regarding this issue.  On the Hanging of the Greens Sunday, this year Stewardship Committee intends to simultaneously recognize Committee Sunday.  We will include a Pig Roast for the potluck, along with perhaps some temple talks leading up to that Sunday.  The target is to have 65 families commit a pledge in giving toward next year (up from 40 families offering pledges for the last year).  The goal is not necessarily to increase the dollar amounts of pledges, but the total number of pledges received. 

Some discussion followed that in addition to decreased givings, our attendance has also been reduced by approximately 10%.  Perhaps we need to evaluate that area as well.

Youth:  No Council action required. 

Worship: No Council action required.

Memorial & Special Gifts: No Council action required.

Pastor Rick: No Council action required.

Serving

Larry Kruth, representing Management Committee, presented the proposed budget for 2005.  They met with most committees, in an attempt to move line items more appropriately by committee, as well as to discuss increases and/or decreases to each budget.  He went through each budget, but highlighted some items specific to the Management Committee budget.  For example, in lieu of a salary increase, Pastor Rick had requested an additional week of vacation.  Ultimately, the decision was made to increase his vacation by one week, and increase salary by $1,000 – in an attempt to meet Synod payroll guidelines.  Additionally, the line item budget for a guest pastor was increased substantially, due to the additional week of coverage needed, and also to bring us more in line with Synod recommendations for paying a guest pastor.

After review and discussion, the following motion was made:

MOTION by Dan Landry, SECONDED by Mike Proper:

TO ACCEPT THE 2005 BUDGET AS PROPOSED AND RECOMMEND TO THE CONGREGATION FOR THEIR APPROVAL.

UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.

Correspondence:  We have a request from the Gold Diggers 4-H group to meet once a month either here or in the 501 building (8-10 kids + a parent). 

MOTION by Mike Proper, SECONDED by Bob Carter

TO ALLOW THE GOLD DIGGERS 4-H GROUP TO USE THE FELLOWSHIP HALL IF NO SCHEDULING CONFLICTS EXIST WITH OTHER GROUPS, COORDINATED THROUGH THE CHURCH OFFICE.

UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.

We also received a request from Sandra Bair, Bill Paulins & Larry Kruth to be recognized by the Council as the Sound System Planning Task Force.  They are looking for 2 additional members, as well as a representative from Property Committee and Parish Education to meet with them at 7:30 p.m. on October 12, in Pastor Rick’s classroom at the church.

MOTION by Bob Carter, SECONDED by Orv Erickson

TO RECOGNIZE THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED SOUND SYSTEM PLANNING TASK FORCE.

UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED.

Council Nominations: Discussion ensued regarding the potential vacancies.  Currently, it appears that most individuals who are at the end of their first, two-year term will agree to serve for an additional term, if nominated.  There may be approximately 5 vacant positions.  The nominees must be in place prior to the next Congregational meeting.  Contact Matt Cermak with suggestions.

Further discussion surrounded the upcoming vacancy in the Treasurer position.  Matt Cermak will contact Nathan Flanders to discuss a potential position on Council, as well as the Treasurer position.  We will request that Fred Koos create a transition plan for his departure and training of a new individual.  We would like to get training started as soon as possible, in order to ensure a smooth transition.

We have some new volunteers for the Board of Governors for the Endowment Fund.  The Vice President of Council is an ad hoc representative, and we have a few other volunteers.  Matt will continue pursuing, and we would like to have this wrapped up by January 2005.

We briefly reviewed the status of our goals: we are attempting to gather individuals for the property evaluation committee.  The vision statement team will reconvene soon.  A small group coordinating team is in the works.  The Council restructuring is underway with a small group of Council members.  The Youth Ministry Task Force is preparing a report for management committee review.   The communications support team is currently inactive, and the Bridgebuilder review is ready for a final analysis.

Reference to the church planning calendar for November and December 2004: Management has Council devotions and announcements at the 10:30 service on communion Sundays and communion assistants for November, and Health Ministry has the same responsibilities in December.  John also reminded us to begin preparing the Committee Annual Reports, which are due to Denise at the end of the year.

The Annual Congregational Meeting is set for November 7, 2004 immediately following the 2^nd service, and the next regular Council Meeting is scheduled for November 2 at 7:00 p.m.

MOTION by Dan Landry, SECONDED by Matt Cermak

            TO ADJOURN THE MEETING.

UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.

We closed with the Lord’s Prayer at 8:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Note: Copies of committee minutes and reports, as referred to in the Council Minutes, can be obtained in the church office.