May 11, 2010 Council Meeting Minutes

President Brian Kalab called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.

Present: Brian Kalab, Jim Weisenbach, Jennifer Tanner, Butch Martin, Jeff Whitehead, Jill Maas, Rhonda Cole, Michelle Somogy, Gretchen Mitchell, Roy Wenzel, Kylene Binder, Kathy Torgerson, Rob Vereb, Dick Wendt

Absent: Dave VanBeek

Kathy Torgerson opened with devotions.

Agenda approved.

Minutes approved as amended.

Vision Team:
Rob Vereb shared theological paradigms. He also shared a summary sheet of purpose, goals, vision, and guiding principles from retreats. The vision team will be working on a draft of a purpose/mission statement for our congregation. Rob feels that we are on the right track, and is glad that people have participated in the retreats. The three to five year strategic plan for the congregation is being fleshed out.

Dick Wendt reported that the vision team will potentially be done in early fall. Council will take responsibility to model the principles of our congregation. There is a need for clear cut leadership through the church council. The vision team is doing a book study on The Power Surge.

Pastor Kutzke’s report:
We need to start advertising for Vacation Bible School. May 16 we will be confirming eight young people. Synod Convention is May 14 - 16. May 23rd we will have the Walstrom’s from the Massai Girls School lead services. (The benevolence budget will cover their mileage.) Ten to twelve new members in class, and we transferred in four new members. We would like to reach out to more Native Americans. There was one funeral last month. Flower baskets are up from Celeste Nielson. Several members have been hospitalized over the last few weeks. There was a healing service at the 8:30 worship hour. A Family Fun Fight sponsored by the church brought in about 600 people. There was a suggestion that the three or four choirs that performed together at Ebeneezer’s 100th celebration sing together at other events in the future.

There will be a Hamburger Throw Down with Ryan Brown and Brian Kalab May 30th. Peter Lee from Thrivent will be at Bethlehem June 27th. July 25th the Director of Friends of the Carpenter will be here. There will be a bible study this summer by Bruce Grigsby between services. Summer services will be at 8:15 and 10:30. 

Treasurer:
Butch reported that we were about $48,000 behind based on giving. Spending is down, but we are still in the red in our general fund by about $7,000. Average attendance is down. We are $2400 a week behind based on what people pledged to give and the estimation of giving by members who did not pledge. We are close to where we were with last year’s budget.

Jeff will put in the bulletin information on the budget and giving once a month. Estimated giving by members who did not return cards may have been too high. We may need to adjust our ministries budgets. Jeff suggested a team to get together to look at the budget. There is a Thrivent Giving Plus replacement program that we need more information on. Dave Lyman would be a good contact person. Jim Weisenbach moved that we form a task force composed of one personnel committee representative, two members at large from council, one vision team member, and one congregational member at large to meet as a group to look at immediate budget concerns and make recommendations. There was no second. 

Committee Reports:

The Memorial Committee meets quarterly. Kathy Torgerson reported a request for $500 for first aid classes for staff, ushers, and congregational members. Pastor Roiko requested small Bibles for all congregational members. It was decided that all new members would receive these Bibles, and they would be made available to congregational members for $12.

Men’s Ministry:
Roy reported that after five year wait, their turn for serving coffee at the southbound Smokey Point rest stop is coming up. No date has been set, but it will be soon. Someone is interested in buying rights to selective logging on the Kitsap property.

Property and Grounds:
Boiler replacement will be $28,450. We do not qualify for the grant from PSE . We may qualify for a different grant that would give us 10% off. The $100 damage deposit will be removed for Bethlehem members. How we collect money for funerals will remain the same at this time.

Employee Policy from Personnel Committee:
Jim moved to make a simple change in wording concerning staff comp time. Comp time accrued during a calendar year must be used in the next quarter of the year changed to comp time accrued during the calendar year must be used by the next two quarters of the year. Motion was seconded. Discussion ensued. There was a call for question by Jill Maas. Motion carried with Roy Wenzel abstaining.

Jim reported that the original seven personnel committee members are down to four people. He would like to have two more members preferably from contemporary service. These people need to be comfortable communicating by e-mail. Please e-mail suggestions of potential committee members to Jim.

There will be a special church council meeting at 2:15 on May 15, 2010 to discuss a budget task force. The retreat will be at the Village restaurant led by Dick Wendt.

Butch will lead opening devotions in June. We will close in the sanctuary.

We closed the meeting in prayer in the sanctuary.

Respectfully submitted,

Jennifer Tanner