Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Council Informational Conference Call
July 30, 2010 (Approved)
Present by Phone: Jeff Schlumpberger, Kim Cozad, Tom Heinrich, Dick Ruohoniemi, Lois Helms, Gregg Bendtsen, Fred Sibben, Michael Follestad, Lynn Bohm Absent: Marian Hutchens
The Council Informational Conference Call took place by phone at 7:00 pm July 30, 2010. President Jeff Schlumpberger requested the meeting to bring two items to the attention of the Congregational Council.
- In April, May and June Charlie Olson had to move money from the General Fund to the Building Fund to cover the mortgage payments for those months for a total of $4000.00. We have enough funds to cover the mortgage payment for the month of July.
2. The Executive Team has been grappling with the Co-Pastor model and wanted to get comments from the full Council. Jeff Schlumpberger and Tom Heinrich met with the Bishop of the ELCA. The Bishop asked what Prince of Peace wants for the future and where we want to go as a Council and church as a whole. Jeff invited Glendy Ose from the Synod to attend the August 17th Congregational Council meeting and asked the Council to think about how we want to structure our leadership at Prince of Peace and bring questions, comments and concerns to the meeting on the 17th.
The meeting concluded at 7:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Lois Helms
Secretary
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Council Meeting
June 15, 2010 (Approved)
Present: Tom Heinrich, Dick Ruohoniemi, Lois Helms, Jeff Schlumpberger, Pastor Jim Carlson, Marian Hutchens, Charlie Olson, Pastor Hal Stoa, Gregg Bendtsen, Kim Cozad, Pastor Luke Schmidt, Lynn Bohm Absent: Fred Sibben, Michael Follestad
Call to Order: Jeff Schlumpberger called the meeting to order at 7:00.
Devotions: Lois Helms led opening devotions.
Vicki Weber and Lowell Larson attended the beginning of the meeting to give a report on the Giving Team. Vicki is now the Chair Person and Lowell is Vice Chair. Pastor Hal is the resource person and their advisor. Vicki handed out a breakdown showing the structure of the Giving Ministries Leadership Team. The team was formed to increase awareness of giving at Prince of Peace and to increase participation and get members involved in financial support. We need to add to the membership rolls and increase attendance by having a vision that people get excited about. Jeff Schlumpberger talked to them about the Thrivent Advocacy program and they will look to fill the advocacy position.
Adoption of Agenda: One change was made to the agenda. A motion was made by Gregg Bendtsen and seconded by Dick Ruohoniemi to adopt the agenda as amended. Motion carried.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Gregg Bendtsen and seconded by Kim Cozad to approve the minutes from the May 18, 2010 Council meeting as written. Motion carried.
Five-Minute Ministry Team Updates:
Sunday Morning Experience – Marian Hutchens reported that they have had one meeting. Kevin Maenert will chair the team.
Community Life – Kim Cozad – They had a meeting Monday night. They are going to do backyard barbeques starting in July. They will talk about membership expectations-what does Prince of Peace mean to you? Kick-off Sunday in the fall will have a homecoming theme.
Spiritual Development – Michael Follestad has stepped down from this team. Dan Ficken will be the chair and Pastor Jim will meet with him.
Inreach – Gregg Bendtsen – Much effort went into the telecare calls. They are auditing to see how many of the telecare survey forms came back.
Mission Outreach –Lynn Bohm – They have had one meeting. They have identified what they have now and will reach out to the City of Brooklyn Park and Boy Scouts. They are also looking at a coffee café at Prince of Peace and will check with nursing homes to see what their needs are.
Reports of Officers:
Treasurer/Business Administrator:
May 2010 Revenue and Expenditure – May receipts are down compared to last year. There is a continued downward trend between the budget receipts and the actual receipts. Disbursements are still down compared to budget so we are meeting our goals. Building/Mortgage Fund receipts continue to fall below expenses so Charlie had to move another $1,000 from the General Fund to keep the Building Fund positive. All cash balances are positive. Charlie will give a report to the congregation in July.
There was discussion about the budget and what expectations are for giving and receipt of estimates of giving during stewardship. The Stewardship Committee met and they are looking to have different people speak on Consecration Sunday on why they love this church.
Restricted activities for the month were in 50th Anniversary Apparel, Endowment Distributions, CEAP, Funeral Receptions. Kitchen, Quilters, Fair Trade Store, Wedding Fees, WOFL, Restricted Fund Income, Youth Plant Sale Funds and Youth Funds.
A motion was made by Lois Helms and seconded by Tom Heinrich to accept the Treasurer’s Report as written. Motion carried.
President’s Report:
Tater Daze Parade-You’re All Welcome – Jeff Schlumpberger handed out a sign-up sheet for the Tater Daze Parade to the Council and encouraged all Council members to attend.
Congregational Advocate Plan – Thrivent is changing to a Congregational Advocate program called Choice Dollars and the advocate will work with the Council and the Stewardship team. The Advocate will contact members of Thrivent who are members of the congregation and encourage them to give to Prince of Peace.
July Council Meeting Reminder – Jeff reminded the Council members that there is no Council meeting in July.
Media Coordinator Position Update – Luke will do the first round of interviews. Several applications have come in. The Personnel Team will then talk to Karen and other applicants who are interested in the position.
Council Member Fred Sibben Update – Fred has been called up to active duty in the Army Reserve and will be gone for nine weeks.
Nursery Coordinator Update – There is an opening for Nursery Coordinator and Katie Rykal and Pastor Jim are working on filling the position.
Quarterly Congregational Update – Charlie has set July 11th for the quarterly update to the congregation. He will talk about the fact that we are below budget but tightening belts and keeping expenses down. We are under budget but still have to be aware. The staff is doing a good job keeping expenses down.
There was discussion about putting the Pastoral breakdown on Enews and the screens in the sanctuary.
The evaluation of the Co-Pastor model will be discussed at the same time as the quarterly budget update. The Executive Team discussed the goals for the first six months and will discuss goals again in six months.
Trees in front of the new Stain Glass Window Update – The trees have been removed and replanted up north. The lighting is in and on until 11:00 p.m. Grant is working on lighting options for the area behind the altar.
Worship Survey Update – Pastor Luke said there is nothing earth-shattering in the surveys. Some people are dissatisfied and, on the other hand, some people really enjoy coming to Prince of Peace. The surveys need to be read carefully to see what the congregation is saying.
Nominating Team Update – Pastor Jim reported that they are making progress. They have a list of names and are doing one-on-ones. They have discussed looking for people based on the ministry teams that have been set up.
Mission, Vision & Values – There was discussion about the mission, vision and core values of the church. The vision meetings held last year formed the ministry teams and the number one vision was outreach and community service. The Prince of Peace CEAP team will meet with CEAP officials to see how to move forward on a partnership with them. Nursing homes are also an area where Prince of Peace can be of service. Discussions will continue.
Pastor’s Reports:
Pastor Jim Carlson handed out the 2009 Annual Report of the Synod for the Council members to read. He also handed out Stories of Faith in Action from the ELCA for the Council members to read to see what it means to be a part of the ELCA.
Pastor Jim is going on vacation at the end of the week in northern Minnesota and is looking forward to it.
Pastor Luke is going to talk about the step-up program to the congregation and talk about increasing his giving intentionally to see how that feels. Part of his mission will be to give people a chance to step up and give more. There will be a form for people to fill out. At the end of the summer there will be a get-together to see how the people felt when they stepped up their giving. He asked if that is something the Council would like to take part in. It is a positive way to approach our shortfall.
Pastor Hal Stoa will be preaching at St. Timothy’s in Columbia Heights for the next two Sundays.
Lynn Bohm pointed out that Marian Hutchins is the Director of the upcoming Via de Cristo weekend. She asked for prayers for them for the weekend.
Pastor Jim mentioned that Troy Wengler, his next-door neighbor, is donating a duplicator for cds that will do many at a time. It also has a labeler with it.
Pastor Luke asked that we also send a thank you to Tom Sanders who moved the trees for free.
Jeff brought a card for Natalia on the birth of her baby for the Council members to sign.
A motion was made by Tom Heinrich and seconded by Marian Hutchens to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned with prayer at 9:25 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Lois Helms
Secretary
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