The Church Leadership Council Minutes for the years 2021 and 2022 have been converted to discrete pdf documents that can be easily downloaded. Pre 2021 minutes will gradually be converted to downloadable pdfs.
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CLC Meeting
12/15/2020
Present: Ben Jones, John Drake, Wayne Hedrick, Linda Monk, Bob VanNorman, Jeremy Woody, Pam Hutchinson, Ron Woody, Rick Matthews, Bobby Jackson.
Absent: Silvia Mende, Jason Dobos
Also in Attendance: Anita Huling, Denise VanNorman
The meeting was opened and called to order at 6:04 with Ron Woody leading the group in an opening prayer.
Minutes
The minutes for the November CLC meeting were emailed prior to the meeting to the CLC members. Wayne made a motion to approve the minutes. Linda made a second and there was no discussion. The motion carried to accept the minutes into the record.
The minutes for the December 1st called meeting were emailed prior to the meeting to the CLC members. Jeremy made a motion to approve the minutes. John made a second and there was no discussion. The motion was carried to accept the minutes into the record.
Human Resources (John Drake)
John discussed the condition of all the staff. Vicki is improving, Rosie is off quarantine and back to cleaning the church for Vicki, Roxanne is off quarantine, Anita is back in the office as her health will allow her to be there and Wendy is waiting to here about her husband Dave’s Covid test results. A job posting for the bookkeeper position left by the passing of Betty Kelly was emailed to the congregation earlier this week. The HR committee would like to open it up to the church to acquire a candidate for the position before going public. Money is still be accepted through Sunday, December 20 for the Staff Gifts. As of today, we have collected $2580.00. The gift will be given to the staff with their regular pay checks on December 23rd. It was decided that the gift which would have gone to Betty will be given to her husband John.
Youth Activities (Wendy Williams)
Wendy was absent from the meeting. Her husband possibly has Covid and is awaiting results. Pastor Wayne said that she was planning on handing out treat bags to the youth. If Resurrection occurs in January, they will attend and have their Christmas party at that time.
Outreach (Bob VanNorman)
Denise reported that the church served 97 children from the Angel Tree and 55 families for the food baskets.
Trustees (Rick Matthews)
Rick discussed the possibility of purchasing a container to put outside the church to hold the overflow for the yard sale items. We currently have a storage unit which we pay for yearly. This would be a one time purchase of approximately $2000. We could cancel the storage which would save the church money. We would also have to estimate the aesthetic amount such as landscaping, leveling the ground, etc.
Lay Leader (Bobby Jackson) Bobby had Nothing to report
Lay Leader to Annual Conference (Linda Monk) Linda had Nothing to report
Finance Report (Bob VanNorman) The yearly budget was previously discussed and a final revision emailed to all members. A lengthy discussion was held and a motion was made by the finance committee to approve the report. For lack of a second, the item was tabled until the end of the meeting. The November financials were emailed to members prior to the meeting. A lengthy discussion was held and the report was accepted into the record.
Pastor’s Report (Wayne Hedrick)
- Pastor Wayne gave a summary of what he has done in the last few weeks since the last meeting.
- Silvia Mende has asked to be removed from the council due to work conflictions. John Drake will take her place on the Lay Leadership Committee. He will be off of the Personnel and the PPR Committees and will be a CLC member at large.
- The AA group has asked that they be allowed to meet inside the church when there is inclement weather. After a lengthy discussion, it was decided that as long as the church is closed, no groups will be allowed to meet inside the church building.
- The topic of reopening the church was then approached. During a lengthy discussion, several motions were made and later withdrawn. A motion was made by Rick to keep the church closed through the second Sunday of January due to the high numbers of Covid in our county and surrounding areas. The committee will meet in a called meeting on January 12 to discuss and revisit the possibility of reopening at that time. A second was made by Wayne and the motion was carried.
- Wayne would like to have a candlelight Christmas Eve service and communion outside in the parking lot. People would need to contact the office by December 23 to make a reservation. This will be for up to 50 people. He will also have a virtual service inside the church on Zoom and You-Tube for those who don’t wish to attend the outside service. It was decided that since it was an outside activity, Pastor Wayne can make the decision.
Chair Report (Ron Woody) Ron had nothing to report
Ron opened the floor to discussion of the 2021 budget again at this point. After a lengthy discussion, a motion from the Finance Committee was made by Bob and second was made by Wayne to approve. The 2021 budget as submitted reflecting:
Estimated Contributions: $265,000.00
Beginning Balance: $ 75,000.00
Total Available: $340,000.00
Budget Expenditures: $293,845.68
Ending Balance: $ 46,154.32
It was discussed that we would revisit the budget throughout the year as needed. On a Voice Vote motion carried with one nay vote.
Old Business: None to report
New Business: None to report
Adjournment was made at 7:25 with Jeremy closing in prayer.
Luminary United Methodist Church
Called Special Meeting to Discuss Reopening Plans and Access
December 1, 2020 at 6:00 PM (Zoom)
In Attendance: Ron Woody Chair, Rick Matthews Trustees, John Drake Personnel, Bobby Jackson Lay Leader, Jeremy Woody at-large, Pam Hutcheson at-large, Wayne Hedrick Pastor, Bob VanNorman Finance came in about 6:20 PM.
- Ron Woody opened the meeting with prayer at 6:00 PM.
- The CLC had a general discussion on the call of meeting of whether to open the church or continue to have virtual church.
III. Rick Matthews than shared his feelings on reopening stating that he thought that we probably needed to stay closed as Covid-19 was still spreading and a potential threat to our congregation. Ron then asked Jeremy as he is a health care worker what he thought, and Jeremy indicated that he thought it was probably not prudent to open yet. Pastor Wayne shared that the county as of that date was still running at 51.6 cases per 100,000 on the moving average and we now had 30 deaths. Rick reminded us that that the conference original policy was to keep churches closed if it was over 10 per 100,000
Rick Matthews made a motion to that effect and it was seconded by Bobby Jackson and passed unanimously.
III. Pastor than said that Angel Tree had set plans but was waiting to hear what the results of the meeting was before finalizing. He informed the group that the Angel Tree Team would like to setup four tables in the fellowship hall in each corner and wrap the gifts for the kids that they were purchasing (with mask and social distancing observed). Jeremy expressed concern about how and when the gifts would be received at the church and distributed to the families. At that point Kathi Matthews who was with Rick laid out for the group the plan of reception and distribution. There was general agreement that this was best and could take place according to their plan.
- At that point Ron asked if the group minded being canvassed about what they had heard about Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution in TN. The group indicated that they heard that there was to be some vaccine available in about two weeks for high risk individuals (Health Care). Ron expressed that there had been some misunderstandings about the availability cropping up at the health Department. He said that a small supply would arrive in about two weeks for 11 counties in TN for high risk distribution. He than asked what the group thought about when general distribution would take place and the consensus seemed to be March-April. There was also some discussion about the vaccine being two stage and that some people might fail to get the second shot and that it would be ineffective. Jeremy helped the group by sharing some of his knowledge with the group about how the vaccine works. Ron expressed gratitude for comments.
- Jeremy dismissed the CLC in prayer.
Humbly Submitted by
Rev. Wayne Hedrick
Acting Secretary
Luminary United Methodist Church
November 17, 2020
Church Leadership Council Minutes
Present: Ron Woody Chair, John Drake Personnel, Lynn Wright Worship, Robert VanNorman Finance, Linda Monk Lay Rep, Rick Matthews Trustees, At Large Members: Pam Hutchinson, Jeremy Woody, Ben Jones, Pastor Wayne Hedrick, Bobby Jackson Lay Leader joined at approx. 6:24 PM.
- Ron Woody called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM and Led the group in prayer.
- Ron had distributed the minutes from the October meeting in Anita’s absence. They were read and approved with Rick Matthews motion, Jeremy Woody’s second and a unanimous vote.
- John Drake reported for Personnel.
- a) John reported that Betty Kelly (Church Treasure/Bookkeep) and Anita Huling (Church Secretary) were sick. That Betty had a confirmed case of Covid-19 and that Anita had all the symptoms, but it hadn’t been confirmed. Pastor Wayne said the results would be back tomorrow.
- b) John then reported that Roxanne Cabrera (Choir Director) was sick three weeks ago and tested negative for Covid-19 but missed church while waiting on testing. The following week she was exposed at school to a child with Covid-19 and hence was quarantined until last Sunday when she returned to sing in service. Pam Hutchinson, Bill Hughes and Sandra Hedrick filled in during Roxanne’s absence.
- c) John then reported that Vickey Butler was involved in an auto accident a week ago Sunday breaking several ribs and her back and would be laid up several weeks for recovery but that we had Rosie Hill subbing in her absence.
- d) John then said we probably need a plan to cover for Anita’s absence. Pastor Wayne said he could cover for Anita while she is recovering. Rick Matthews asked Pastor Wayne what happens if he gets sick as he is awaiting his test. A decision was made to have a list put together of potential fill ins for Anita if needed.
- e) John then brought up Staff Christmas gifts. He said that the Personnel Committee would use a combination of historic precedence of percentages given and the amount of time during the year an individual worked to determine amounts. Advertising for additional giving to cover the gifts will begin after Thanksgiving in the Church Newsletter and Bulletins.
- Bob VanNorman reported for Outreach.
- a) Bob reported that the Outreach Committee met on November 12 to discuss funding for the upcoming year and the Angel Tree program.
- b) It was decided that Outreach would need:
– $3,000 for the Food Baskets
– $1,000 to Restock the Food Pantry
– $4,000 for Angel Tree
- c) The total would be $8,000 which is allocated in the budget already.
- d) He also stated that Denise is now running the Clothes Closet, but that it would not be open tomorrow due to Covid-19 issues.
- e) He also stated that Outreach is currently trying to get a tally on designated giving at this time towards it’s endeavors.
- Rick Matthews reported for the Trustees.
- a) Rick reported that due to the Boy Scout Sexual Liability case the conference had contacted us to file for standing in case of future liability. That without standing if future claims were made against the church, the church would be solely liable. That when the Scout program ended the Scout master absconded with the remaining Scout monies and this was a concern. Rick has filed for the church and has the paperwork receipt to prove This allows the church to make a claim against the Scout Trust Fund in the case of future liability.
- b) Rick also reported on the request for a statuette that was given in the name of Ruth Ann Walker be placed in the Narthex in her honor. John Drake is working on a display stand and a brass plaque dedicating it is in the works. Ron Woody asked that a vote be taken approving it’s placement. Pastor Wayne reminded the group that the Trustees while being wise to keep the CLC informed of its plans were under no requirement to get a vote of approval out of the CLC. It was at this time Rick indicated that the Trustees had not voted on it as he was unaware of the need. A vote of support was taken and the CLC approved the plan.
- Ron than asked if Linda Monk (Lay Rep) had anything to report and she said no.
- Bob VanNorman then reported for Finance.
- a) Bob indicated that a budgetary Finance sheet had been completed. Bob thought it had been distributed to the CLC, but in Anita’s absence it had not.
- b) Bob said that the church is currently running a deficit, but that giving looked like it would be higher than expected and instead of a $40,000 deficit it looked to be heading towards $25,000.
- c) He also stated that the church currently has around $50,000 in fund balance in checking and Money Market accounts. He believes and Ron Woody supported his belief that $50,000 reserve was considered the point at which the church set as a financial emergency level because it could restrict ministries.
- d) Bob than said the two months that hurt the church the most financially were March (the shut-down month) and June (Pastor Transition). He did not know why.
- e) Bob said that we could vote on the budget, but that we didn’t seem to have a Pastor Wayne informed the group that under policy a quorum is defined as those that are in attendance so a vote could be held. Linda Monk and others let it be known that they had not seen the budget (as Anita wasn’t available to disperse it) and were uncomfortable voting on it. It was decided it would be best to wait till the December meeting after the CLC has a chance to review it beforehand.
- f) Bob then informed the CLC that the PPP forgiveness paperwork had been submitted by him and Betty, that additional info had been requested and submitted and they were awaiting what they believed would be a favorable response.
- Ron then asked Pastor Wayne if he had anything to report.
- a) Pastor said he is continuing to Preach Sundays, conduct a Tuesday Night Bible Study and visiting on a select basis, but that with being exposed and awaiting test results visitation is out for the time being.
- b) Pastor Wayne also reasserted that he is more than willing to serve in Anita’s stead until she recovers.
- Ronnie than stated that he had nothing to report as chair.
- New Business:
- a) Jeremy asked about plans to meet staff responsibilities in response to Covid-19
– John stated that Rosie was picking up for Vickey
– Pastor Wayne said that he could cover for Anita.
– Others joined in a counseled the wisdom of having a list of servant/leaders that could fill in were needed. It was decided a bucket list would be created.
- b) Jeremy than asked about the plan for closing the Building and going back to virtual only format. Pastor Wayne reiterated what was in the plan he submitted. A vote was taken and approved unanimously. (See Attached Plan)
- c) Lynn Wright than spoke up about decorations in the sanctuary for Christmas. She said that traditionally there has been a very large Christmas Tree in the sanctuary that required several people to erect. Asked how the group felt about going with smaller trees as Covid-19 prohibited a large group gathering to erect the large tree. After discussion it was small trees were supported for this year’s decorations.
- d) Bob VanNorman also stated that they were working on a plan for the Angel Tree distribution that would both get the Angels selected off the tree via computer/phone and get them distributed as contactless as possible. This included drive up distribution using a coupon/ticket to claim their food boxes and gifts.
- e) Ron Woody then reminded us to be careful in this environment. He stated that the Covid-19 rates were very high with a 20% positivity rate. That many of the municipalities in the county had cancelled their Christmas parades, that some municipalities had shut down operations (Rockwood) and that looked like it was going to get worse before it got
- f) He then asked if anyone would pray us out. Jeremy volunteered and he prayed for us.
- g) A motion was made to adjourn, duly seconded and we adjourned.
CLC Meeting
October 20, 2020
Present
Ron Woody, Bob VanNorman, Linda Monk, John Drake, Rick Matthews, Bobby Jackson, Ben Jones(zoom), Silvia Mende, Pam Hutchinson(zoom), Jeremy Woody(zoom)
Absent
Wayne Hedrick and Jason Dobos
Also In Attendance
Anita Huling, Betty Kelly, Lynn Wright
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Ron who opened in prayer.
Gerry Hallcox (resigned) had resigned earlier in the year and without objection his resignation was accepted.
Minutes
The minutes for the September CLC meeting were handed out and emailed to members. Discussion was held regarding difference in amount given to Holston Homes after report was submitted. The change was made from $1500 to $1912. Motion was made by Bob and second by John to approve corrected minutes. Motion carried.
Human Resources (John Drake)
HR report was submitted and emailed to members prior to the meeting. Nursery worker Tammy Narramore will return as the main nursery worker when the nursery is allowed to restart. Her back-up will be Stacy Rogers. The AV tech attended services on October 18. He was oriented on the job and will begin his position on October 25. The HR budget for 2021 has been completed and submitted to the Finance committee for approval. There will be no salary increases in 2021 for staff members. The HR report was approved as written and accepted into the record.
Youth (Wendy Williams)
Wendy was absent due to scheduling conflict. Rick Matthews addressed matters on her behalf. The plans for Trunk or Treat have been changed this year. We cannot have it on the church grounds so it was changed to Blue Springs Boat Ramp. Rick suggested that this could be a liability for the church. It was suggested that the event be cancelled this year unless other plans could be made. Without any objection the Trunk and Treat would be cancelled for this year.
Outreach (Bob VanNorman)
Barnabas report for September was submitted and emailed prior to meeting. The report was accepted into the record.
Sherri Burnette will be coordinating the Angel Tree and Holiday baskets this year. A flyer was sent out to the community on October 9th with the dates and times for people to sign up. It will be done with Covid restrictions in mind.
Denise VanNorman has agreed to be over the Clothes Closet . She would like to reopen on October 27 with Covid rules in effect. A handout was presented to the CLC regarding the rules regarding the Clothes Closet.
Trustees (Rick Matthews)
Trustees report was submitted and emailed to members prior to meeting. It was accepted into the record. The yard sale is scheduled to be held in the spring. The area is filling up quickly and more storage will be needed soon.
Lay Leader (Bobby Jackson)
Nominations for CLC 2021 were submitted prior to meeting and emailed to members. All of the new members were added with the exception of a Lay Speaker to Annual Conference and the spot previously held by Gerry Hallcox. Bobby made a motion to accept the names submitted thus far and a second was made by Linda Monk. Motion carried and report accepted into record.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference (Linda Monk)
Nothing to report
Finance Report (Bob VanNorman)
The finance report was submitted and a copy was emailed to CLC members prior to the meeting. The month of September was discussed. Bob will look into when the PPP loan may be added to the books as revenue as the money has already been received. The report was accepted into the record.
The preliminary 2021 budget, revision 1, was submitted to the CLC. A lengthy discussion was held regarding various issues facing the church during this past year. The budget does not have to be approved before Charge Conference which is being held on November 8. The finance committee will take into consideration the discussion of various issues and “fine tune” with a possible revision 2 by November meeting.
Pastor’s Report (Wayne Hedrick)
Pastor Wayne is on vacation. No report submitted.
Chair Report (Ron Woody)
Nothing to report
Old Business
No old business
New Business
- Pastor Proposal for AA readmittance to building: Proposal was submitted to the CLC regarding reopening the building for AA use on Saturdays with restrictions. After discussion, Motion to reopen was made by Bobby and second by Linda. Motion carried.
- Pastor Proposal to reopen Sunday School: Proposal was submitted to the CLC regarding reopening Sunday School classes. After discussion, motion to reopen with Covid guidelines was made by Silvia and second by John. Motion carried.
- Pastor Proposal to restart Clothes Closet: Proposal was submitted by Pastor as well as Bob VanNorman to the CLC regarding restarting the Clothes Closet. After discussion, motion to reopen with Covid guidelines was made by Silvia with second by John. Motion carried.
- Pastor Proposal for Zumba readmittance to building: Proposal was submitted to the CLC regarding readmittance to the building for the Zumba classes. After discussion, motion to readmit Zumba classes to the building with Covid guidelines was made by John and second by Silvia.
- HR Proposal #1: Increase the salary ceiling of the AV Technician to $6,269.54 in 2021. John explained that the increase was a correction which needed to add the Medicare and FICA to the salary. It will be added, the salary will be increased and the 2021 budget will be adjusted to show this change. After discussion, motion was made by John and second by Silvia to accept the salary increase. The job description for the Audio-Visual Technician was submitted and accepted into record.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned by Ron at 7:15 p.m. and closing prayer was given by Bobby.
CLC Meeting
September 15, 2020
Present: John Drake, Wayne Hedrick, Linda Monk, Ron Woody, Jeremy Woody, Bob VanNorman, Bobby Jackson, Pam Hutchinson, Silvia Mende
Absent: Ben Jones, Rick Matthews, Gerry Hallcox, Jason Dobos
Also In Attendance: Anita Huling, Betty Kelly
Meeting was called to order by chairman Ron Woody at 6 p.m. who also opened the meeting in prayer.
Minutes
August minutes were submitted via email prior to meeting. Bob V. made motion to accept the minutes as written. Motion was second by Pastor Wayne. Motion carried and minutes were approved as written and accepted into record.
Human Resources (John Drake)
Report was submitted via email prior to meeting. John discussed hiring of new Audio/Visual Technician. Bob requested salary information be sent to him. The Pastor Salary report was also submitted prior to meeting via email. This report was deferred to New Business. The HR Report was accepted into the record.
Youth Activities (Wendy Williams)
Wendy was absent due to conflict with another meeting. Pastor Wayne reported that he had seen Wendy earlier and she said that she was working on in-person youth meetings as well as Trunk or Treat. It will be Trunk only this year and will take place at the church on Saturday, October 31 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Outreach (Bob VanNorman)
Bob said that we were not able to do the Backpacks for the schools this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We sent checks for $300 each to the three schools in Midway and one in Meigs County. We have received two households of furniture and home goods for the yard sale. Sherre Burnette is working on the Angel Tree and Christmas Baskets for this year. The interviews will be done via phone and pick up will be outside under the fellowship hall canopy. The clothes closet is not currently open and is not taking any donations. We donated $1912 to Holston Homes this quarter. Benevolence donated $500 and $1000 came from other donations. The Barnabas report was submitted and sent to members via email prior to meeting and entered into minutes.
Trustees (Rick Matthews)
Rick was not able to attend the meeting due to a death in the family. Jeremy gave the report for the Trustees. They are looking for a container to put on the property to use for yard sale and clothes closet instead of using the current storage unit we are paying for monthly in order to dispose of that expense. An estimate on the church steeple repair was given at $1850. Because of the height of the work, it would require more people as well as a bucket crane. The estimate was given by Woody Brothers Construction. Pastor Wayne thanked all of those who worked to move the donated items to the church and put them in the yard sale area. A piano was donated, and the family will pay to have it professionally moved. It will be placed in the choir room.
Lay Leader (Bobby Jackson)
Bobby thanked everyone for making the on-site outdoor services at John Knox a success. We are currently waiting on the Bishop to make an announcement on when the church can resume in house services.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference (Linda Monk)
Linda had nothing to report.
Finance Report (Bob VanNorman)
The Finance Report was submitted to members prior to meeting via email. Bob discussed the breakdown of the budget sheet. We are waiting to hear from Enrichment Credit Union on the status of the PPP loan and the paperwork we need to complete to receive forgiveness for the loan. We probably will not hear anything until after the election. The elevator contract, propane purchase, church insurance and fire alarm repair were yearly expenses that were incurred in August which caused us to be over budget. After further discussion of the report it was approved and accepted into the record. Betty suggested that we find a way to include church members on the Zoom calls who may be interested in attending the meeting if not in person. Ron suggested we talk with Lynn and Paul Wright about how to set it up. The financial report was accepted into the record.
Pastor’s Report (Wayne Hedrick)
Bible study is continuing Tuesday evenings via Zoom. Pastor Wayne said we have had good participation in the 9 a.m. outdoor services at John Knox. Nominating committee has met and is working on filling the upcoming vacancies for 2021. Pastor Wayne thanked the Trustees for helping him acquire the new desk in his office. He also thanked everyone for loaning him equipment to do work on the parsonage.
Chair Report (Ron Woody)
Ron had nothing to report.
Old Business
None to report.
New Business
The Pastor and non-voting CLC attendees were asked to leave. John provided rationale for the HR Team’s proposal concerning the Pastor’s 2021 salary. The motion was presented by the HR Team for “no change in the Pastor’s base salary or his total compensation package for 2021”.The motion was second by Silvia Mende. After discussion, the Motion was approved and added to minutes as presented.
Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 6:52 p.m. Jeremy Woody closed in prayer.
CLC Meeting
8/18/202
Present: Wayne Hedrick, Sylvia Mende, Bobby Jackson, John Drake, Ron Woody, Rick Matthews, Bob VanNorman, Linda Monk, Ben Jones, Pam Hutchinson
Absent: Jeremy Woody, Jason Dobos, Gerry Hallcox
Also in Attendance: Lynn Wright, Paul Wright, Wendy Williams, Anita Huling, Betty Kelly
Ron opened the meeting at 6:04 p.m. with prayer.
Minutes: Minutes from the July CLC meeting were emailed to members for their approval prior to the August meeting. Motion to accept minutes into the report made by Pastor Wayne. Motion was second by Bobby. Minutes were approved as written.
Human Resources (John Drake) Report was emailed to members prior to meeting. John discussed the PPP loan. Waiting on guidelines from credit union regarding forgiveness. We are still looking for an audiovisual technician. New Interim job descriptions are being worked on due to the Covid-19 closure. Performance reviews are being planned. Report was reviewed and accepted into the record.
Youth Activities (Wendy Williams) Wendy had questions regarding Trunk or Treat at the church in October. We will think about ways to do it and discuss further at the next meeting. Youth meetings continue weekly on line.
Outreach (Bob VanNorman) Barnabas report was emailed to members prior to meeting. Bob stated that the yard sale has been postponed until the spring. We will proceed with Thanksgiving baskets but we will not advertise. Work has been done in the clothes closet. We will remain closed and we will not take any donations until further notice.
Trustees (Rick Matthews) Trustee report was emailed to members prior to meeting. The report noted that we had to replace batteries in the fire alarm and the defibrillator unit. Ron asked why we didn’t have the fire alarm wired to notify authorities if there is a fire. Rick will research. We also had our yearly elevator inspection. Rick suggested that we put something on the marque regarding the yard sale being postponed. He and Kathi have been working on the yard sale room. They suggested that we set up appointments during the week for people to bring donations to the church so we don’t lose them. Sylvia asked how we would let people know about it and it was suggested that we put it in the newsletter. We have one storage unit and Rick and Kathi have worked on taking out some of the smaller items to make room for larger ones. It is about 2/3 full. We also have a storage unit next to ours of which the contents have been donated to the church for our yard sale. It was suggested that we look into purchasing a storage container to keep at the church. It will be investigated. It was also suggested that we could possibly have a smaller yard sale at the units to keep us from having to haul everything back to the church. The Golden Oposum award was given to Bruce Marshall for getting rid of the oposums at the parsonage. Report was approved and accepted into the record.
Lay Leader (Bobby Jackson) He is looking for nominations for CLC openings that will rotate off the first of the year.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference (Linda Monk) Report was emailed to members prior to meeting. Linda said the meeting was virtual and gave a quick synopsis of the topics in her report. Report was reviewed and accepted into the record.
Finance Report (Bob VanNorman) Report was emailed to members prior to meeting. Bob stated that we are waiting on instructions on how to proceed with the forgiveness of the PPP loan. Betty stated that they are working on sending out statements to the membership of their giving for the year as of July 31. Lynn suggested that we possibly add a place to give on the You Tube and Live Feed Service. This will be discussed at a later date. Report was reviewed and accepted into the record
Pastor’s Report (Wayne Hedrick) Wayne talked about the new Tuesday evening Bible study via zoom. He has also made limited visits outside the church to members. We are looking to have our first outdoor service this Sunday at the church outside the fellowship hall. If approved by the CLC, it will be submitted to the conference for approval.
Motion was made by Bob to accept the outdoor plan and send to the conference for their approval. The motion was second by john. Motion was approved and will be sent to conference.
We are also working on meeting at the John Knox Center on Sunday mornings as soon as it can be set up and approved. We are hoping to begin there on August 30th. Sylvia is still holding children’s church via zoom on Wednesday evenings. We are also handing out food bags at the back door for anyone who comes to the church requesting acceptance.
Chair Report (Ron Woody) Ron gave an update on the Covid-19 situation in Roane County. He also was appreciative of the church working with the election commission.
Old Business Lynn and Paul are still working on internet access at the facility and also the live streaming and You-Tube services. AA will keep two entrance cards to have limited access on Saturdays for their meeting. The Steeple situation is on hold until the church finances can better take care of the situation.
New Business
Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. with closing prayer by Bobby.
CLC Meeting – July 28, 2020
Attendance through Zoom included CLC members: Ron Woody, Silvia Mende, John Drake, Wayne Hedrick, Bobby Jackson, Ben Jones, Rick Matthews, Pam Hutchinson, and Linda Monk,
Guests included: John Tindall, Paul Wright, Betty Kelly and Wendy Williams. Lynn Wright served as the Zoom host.
Ron Woody called the meeting to order at approximately 6 p.m. and opened with prayer.
Minutes: He asked for any revisions or corrections to the minutes of the previous meeting. There being none, they were accepted.
The following reports were provided by committee members.
Human Resources. John Drake filed the report attached to the minutes on behalf of the HR Team. He thanked all who helped to get the parsonage ready to move into, and those who helped with the actual move. Many people were involved. John noted that we are now in week 13 of using the government relief money loaned to the church. The $34,000 will be spent by mid-August. Human resource evaluations are about to start. These will be difficult because the staff has not been able to do their full jobs due to the pandemic. Also, some staff have been doing work not in their original job descriptions. The HR committee will work with the staff to come up with interim job descriptions since several more months of non-normal church activities are anticipated. Due to scares of COVID infections, some staff have been sent home on short notice. Anita is currently waiting on test results. Regarding the AV job, it was posted on the church website, Facebook and INDEED. Three responses were received as a result of the INDEED posting but only one was a good candidate. Just a few hours before he was to be interviewed, he called saying he had accepted another job. The HR committee will refocus on looking for local expertise through word of mouth. The report was accepted with all in favor.
Youth. Wendy Williams reported that she continues to do 3 calls per week with her youth group. Two of the people have internet issues but are communicating with her through text.
Outreach. Bob Van Norman was not on the zoom call, but Betty was able to report that a report from the Barnabas group had been sent in and that one household had been helped with their utility bill. Ron indicated the Barnabas report which is attached to the minutes would be accepted in the meeting records. Rick Matthews report that the yard sale has been postponed until next spring. The outreach committee meeting minutes for July were included.
Trustees. Rick Matthews filed the attached Trustee report. He stated that the awning over the church office entry area has been put back up. Lots of help was needed to make that happen and it was much appreciated. Twenty-one people were involved with the facelift on the parsonage and Vicki, our church janitor, helped with the cleaning just before the move in. $4,000 was spent on the upgrade to the parsonage. The church steeple is still a problem. It will take a bucket truck and a long pole to do the work. Ron expressed appreciation for all of the work done and stated that the report would be accepted in the records. Report dated 7/21 included parsonage upgrades and amounts, listing of facelift items, and list of volunteers who assisted in the parsonage upgrades.
Lay Leader. Bobby Jackson officially welcomed Wayne Hedrick as our new pastor. He indicated he had heard compliments and no complaints. He and Linda Monk fulfilled their obligation to attend the Annual Conference by listening to the conference through a zoom meeting. He indicated that it was a weird experience and that there was very little discussion at the conference. Bobby presented a question to the group about whether people could come to use the church internet from the parking lot. Paul Wright was asked if the church internet could support that use. Paul responded that he saw no problem as long as the use was for doing homework. He said there could be problem if people tried to download movies.
Lay Leader to Annual Convention. Linda Monk was online and tried to give a report but her audio was not transmitting to us.
Finance Report: Betty Kelly reported in place of Bob Van Norman. She indicated that the amount of money in the bank, $80,436.14 looks good but $21,952.51 is from the PPP loan. Without the loan money, the Net Operating funds are $58,483.62. She proposed that credit cards be terminated for those who have left the church (Susan Garrott, Melissa Boring, and Chuck Griffin) and that credit cards be re-issued to Anita Huling, Wayne Hedrick, and Bob Van Norman with a $5,000 spending limit on each card. Wayne Hedrick made that a motion which John Drake seconded. There was no opposition so the motion passed. Ron Woody asked if the PPP loan was being recognized as revenue. Betty explained that the financial report cannot show the loan as income until the loan is forgiven. Application for forgiveness will be made. Report was submitted prior to meeting for review and is attached to the minutes.
Pastor’s report. Wayne expressed appreciation for the welcome that he has received, mentioning all of the help with moving in and the dinners he and Sandy have been invited to in homes of church members. Wayne listed all of the visits and meetings that he has participated in since his arrival. He hopes to get a bible study started very soon through zoom.
Chair Report.
Regarding old business-Ron Woody mentioned that he had talked with the head of the TCAP program in Roane County and plans to chat with him/her again regarding any potential candidates to assist with AV work at the church.
Regarding new business: Proposals from the Pastor were submitted in writing to be made part of the minutes. Ron Woody noted that Pastor Wayne is proposing that we stop requesting pre-registration for Sunday Services and asked Wayne to expand. Wayne explained that no more than 30 people have attended in-house church at any one time. He believes pre-registration is an impediment to people coming to church. He suggests we need to continue to monitor who comes by checking member lists to capture most arrivals and adding contact information of guests as needed. A motion was made by John Drake to send the church opening plan to the district superintendent for amendment. It was seconded by Bobby Jackson and the motion carried.
The question was brought up generically about allowing people into the church during lock-down periods and by non-members or for community events. Following is a summary of the issues and conclusions. The specific cases discussed were the AA meetings originally sponsored by Lee Garrott, individuals requesting food, use of the church as an election voting center and use of the church WIFI for doing homework.
Regarding the AA meetings, there were questions about how the church was being used, (i.e. bathrooms, chairs, etc.), who was coming in, and about whether a non-member should continue to have a key to the inside rooms of the church. Pastor Wayne stated his belief that the church has a moral obligation to support the AA group. Wayne explained that he has talked directly with Lee Garrott and understands that Lee is the only person coming in to get chairs and AA supplies. The group is meeting outside under the carport. Wayne was at the church when they were meeting last Saturday and expects to often be at the church on Saturdays when they are meeting. Wayne proposed that the AA group be allowed to continue using the church for meetings when the church re-opens with a restriction to use of one room and one bathroom. Wane said he would talk further with Lee to make sure it was understood that the church would be minimally used and that the chairs would be sanitized by the group after use. It was suggested that the Sunday morning sanitizing staff also re-sanitize the chairs. It was questioned whether Lee should continue to have the AA key, another person noted that there were many people no longer attending the church that still have AA keys. If we ask one person for their key, we should be asking others also.
Regarding the use of the church for the election, again Pastor Wayne expressed his belief that the church needs to honor its traditional commitments to the community. He had discussed the use of the church with the district supervisor and got approval for allowing use for voting. The question of requiring masks was brought up. It was agreed that mandating masks could cause problems, but that it would be a good idea to have a table at the entry offering masks to all who enter. This is being done by other church voting centers. It was also mentioned that there would be a need to have church member volunteers work shifts at the church on election day.
Regarding the handing out of food, Betty explained that food was being taken to the door – no one was coming in. There was concern about Betty handing out food and she indicated that others were doing that. Wendy Williams said she would volunteer to come in on Tuesdays to hand out food bags if needed. Pastor Wayne also indicated that he did not mind handing out food bags.
Regarding use of the church WIFI by community members for things such as homework. This was only discussed to the extent that Ron Woody asked Paul Wright his opinion on whether our current internet WIFI situation could support any use by the community. Paul’s response was some use was certainly possible. Mention was made of individuals possibly using the WIFI sitting in the parking lot. No further discussion of details or further actions related to this item were addressed.
Pastor Wayne dismissed the meeting with a prayer at approximately 7 p.m.
CLC Meeting
June 16, 2020
Members: Chuck Griffin, Ron Woody, Bob VanNorman, John Drake, Rick Matthews, Jeremy Woody,
Silvia Mende, Pam Hutchinson, Bobby Jackson, Ben Jones
Also in Attendance: Anita Huling, Betty Kelly, Wendy Williams, Lynn Wright, Paul Wright
Absent: Jason Dobos, Linda Monk, Gerry Hallcox
Call to Order at 6 p.m. by Bobby Jackson, filling in for Ron Woody.
Chuck opened the meeting with prayer
Minutes
Motion to approve minutes by John, second by Pam. Minutes approved as submitted.
Human Resources (John Drake)
Written report sent to all members via email. Information received that PPP Loan program has been extended to 24 weeks. Vicki will work on cleaning the church on a more regular basis since we are beginning in person services June 21. She may also clean parsonage. Timeline for pastor transition was discussed.
Youth (Wendy Williams)
Nothing new to report. Possibly working on an outdoor activity soon.
Outreach (Bob VanNorman)
The church is ready to open on June 21. Signage, tape on floor, pews marked off, etc. All supplies needed are on hand also. Ushers are in place for both services. The clothes in the clothes closet have been sorted and ready when the decision is made to reopen. Food pantry will remain closed but bags are made up when needed and placed in the choir room to be handed out when needed.
Trustees (Rick Matthews)
There were 17 people who worked on the parsonage this past Saturday. Approximately $2500 will be spent to update and repair various parts of the house and grounds. After church this Sunday from 12 noon until 2 p.m. the congregation will be invited to tour the parsonage. Rick notice the steeple looked bad and upon further inspection it was noted that there was mold covering it. Jeremy will investigate on repairs and report back to the trustees. The awning for the office door is being repaired and should be back within 6-8 weeks.
Lay Leader (Bobby Jackson)
Nothing to report
Lay Leader to Annual Convention (Linda Monk)
Linda attempted to join the meeting but was unable to participate due to technical problems.
Finance Report (Bob VanNorman)
Written report was emailed to members prior to meeting for consideration. Bob stated that we had been given up to 24 weeks to use the PPP loan given to us by the government. He said we shouldn’t have a problem spending it on salaries, etc. Discussion on the written report was covered by Bob and the report was accepted. He also stated that he was meeting with the ushers via computer/phone at 7 p.m. following this meeting to discuss preparation for this Sunday’s in person services.
Pastor’s Report (Chuck Griffin)
Pastor Chuck expressed his gratitude to the CLC committee for the outpouring of love from the church this past Sunday. He will be in the office for a while next week to finalize everything and do some homebound visits.
Chair Report (Ron Woody)
Ron attempted to join the meeting on line but was unable to participate because of technical problems.
Old Business
Nothing to report
New Business
Consider a recommendation by the HR Team to hire a part-time audio-visual technician. (see draft job description) A job description was presented to the group via email prior to the meeting. The position will be up to 8 hours a week with the annual salary not to exceed $6000. This person will cover the sound room, visual coverage such as facebook, website and live coverage of service. This position will need to be filled as soon as possible. Lynn and Paul will be support and backup when needed. Sherri and Bill Hughes have expressed an interest in volunteering in being trained to also be used as backup. Bob V. was concerned about which fund the monies would come out of. This will be something that the finance committee will have to talk about. The motion carried to hire a part-time audio-visual person with Bob being the only no vote.
Adjournment
Motion made by Bobby to adjourn the meeting. Second by Bob. Meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
Called CLC Meeting
June 4, 2020
Present: Chuck Griffin, Ron Woody, John Drake, Linda Monk, Bobby Jackson, Bob VanNorman, Pam Hutchinson, Silvia Mende, Jeremy Woody, Rick Matthews
Absent: Gerry Hallcox, Ben Jones, Jason Dobos
Also in Attendance: Anita Huling, Betty Kelly, Wendy Williams, Roxanne Cabrera, Lynn Wright, Paul Wright
Called meeting to discuss the re-opening of the church after receiving the email from the Bishop. Members were present via conference room, internet and phone.
Meeting was started at 6 p.m. with opening prayer by Ron.
Pastor Chuck then became the moderator for the remainder of the meeting. He discussed the email received from the Bishop regarding steps that are required to be taken in order to re-open the church building for worship. There are 8 main preparation steps that are needed in order to comply with the requirements. These steps were discussed in length.
There are also 4 non-negotiable areas that must be met in order for the church to resume in-person worship. These include the wearing of protective face masks, social distancing, attendance registration and cleaning of the facility prior to and in between services. A lengthy discussion on each of these areas was held.
Pastor Chuck spoke about having the service continue on Go To Meeting and also a possibility of parking lot worship. Lynn and Paul discussed the logistics of using FM and possible interference with the sound system and any other reception. It was decided to put drive-in worship on hold for now.
Silvia discussed the issue of cleaning the church. It was decided that Anita and Vicki would make a list of supplies needed.
Rick will check with the insurance carrier to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed from them.
Discussion was entered regarding the correct way to approach social distancing. What entrance to use, signage, possible roping or taping off the area, blocking of pews, masks and sanitizer available at entrance, etc.
There will be no Sunday school for the foreseeable future. We are only going to concentrate having the main services for now and work our way up to full Sunday activities.
We need to make it clear, without offending anyone, that at-risk people should not attend and continue with on-line worship.
Chuck discussed the possibility of having people register on-line for each service in order to keep the amount of people in the sanctuary under 50. Anita would keep track of this and would cut off the service registration at 50. It was also discussed that we may have to go to a third service. After a lengthy discussion, most agreed that we would not have a problem with the amount of people attending because the congregation is older and many will choose to stay home and attend church on-line. The times for the services was discussed. No decision was made at this time.
Rick suggested that we set a date to begin with in-person worship and have a small sub-committee follow up with the logistics of what we need to do to make this a reality. A motion was made by Bobby Jackson and seconded by Silvia Mende to begin in person worship on June 21 with the time of the services to be determined within the next week subject to a plan being approved by the Conference. Vote was taken and motion was passed.
It was decided that the small sub-committee would be comprised of Chuck, Anita, Bob, Linda, Silvia, Lynn and Paul. We must have a written plan submitted and approved by the conference before we can begin in- person services.
Chuck suggested that the small group meet 6 p.m. Monday, June 8 in the library to develop logistics. We will possibly have another full CLC meeting next Thursday, June 11 to discuss what was decided in the sub-committee. The small group appointed by the chair as follows: Chuck Griffin, Anita Huling, Bob VanNorman, Linda Monk, Paul Wright, Lynn Wright, Silvia Mende, John Drake, Wendy Williams.
Meeting was closed in prayer by Bobby Jackson at 7:10 p.m.
** Footnote to previous meeting
On Wednesday, June 10 by mail vote, the CLC approved the Luminary Re-opening Plan with an affirmative vote of 11 yes. It was submitted to the Conference by the Pastor.
CLC Meeting
5/19/2020
Present: Chuck Griffin, Ron Woody, Bob VanNorman, John Drake, Rick Matthews, Jeremy Woody, Silvia Mende, Jason Dobos, Linda Monk, Pam Hutchinson
Absent: Bobby Jackson, Gerry Hallcox, Ben Jones
Also In Attendance: Betty Kelly, Anita Huling, Lynn Wright, Paul Wright, Wendy Williams
Meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Ron Woody. The meeting was held via phone and computer.
Minutes
The minutes of the April CLC meeting were emailed out to members prior to the meeting. John made a motion to accept the minutes as presented. Rick seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.
Human Resources (John Drake)
John presented a handout which was previously emailed to members. The church received a PPP loan from the government in the amount of $33,987.00. This is to cover payroll, pastor pension, pastor insurance, utilities (electric, water, gas, phone and internet) over the next 8 weeks. The dates are 4/29-6/23. In order for the loan to be forgivable, we must show that we have used the loan for the above mentioned costs during this eight week period. At the end of that time, any monies not spent will be returned in order to receive forgiveness for the loan amount used. There is a webinar on Friday that John and the HR committee will attend in order to make sure they are understanding the situation. It was also discussed that Pastor Chuck will be leaving with his last day to preach being June 14. His last day of church responsibility will be June 30. The new pastor, Wayne Hedrick, will take over his responsibilities on July 1 and his first sermon will be July 5. Luminary will pay for Pastor Wayne’s moving expenses as well as helping with the unloading at the parsonage. The church will also provide temporary storage if needed. The HR report was approved and accepted as written and discussed.
Youth Activities (Wendy Williams)
Wendy reported that the youth are still doing three Zoom calls each week with good attendance. This will continue until further notice. The Youth Report was accepted.
Outreach (Bob VanNorman)
We received a $1000 grant from the Holston Foundation for our food pantry. Kathy Matthews will work with Walmart to order in bulk when it becomes available to do so. The food distribution in Kingston has been cancelled. The church has been giving out food during the pandemic and is open for curbside pickup on Tuesdays between 10 a.m. and Noon. Food has been given out at other times also as needed. The clothes closet has been closed. We have lost some volunteers due to the fear of the pandemic. We will need to secure at least three volunteers when we open back up. Bob stated that they are going to go into the clothes closet this week and switch out the winter clothes for summer clothes. He also stated that we need to be thinking about how we are going to distribute our Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets this year. The report was approved as discussed.
Trustees (Rick Matthews)
Rick stated that there would be a Trustees meeting Wednesday, May 20 at 6 p.m. A written report from the Trustees was emailed to CLC members prior to the meeting. A list of parsonage repairs as well as estimated expenses and purchases was presented. These tasks will be completed by June 24, which will be the move in day for Pastor Wayne. He will update weekly on the progress. A work day will be scheduled at the parsonage in the near future. The awning over the door entrance to the office is in bad shape. Rick took it down last week and put it in the fellowship hall. It has been estimated to cost $780.00 to repair. This will be done by the same company that originally placed the awning. Rick will take the awning to be repaired, pick it up and install himself. This should take approximately 6-8 weeks. A motion was made by John to approve the purchase. A second was made by Linda. The motion was approved.
Lay Leader (Bobby Jackson)
Bobby was absent due to being out of town. No report was given.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference (Linda Monk)
A handout was emailed to the CLC members prior to the meeting regarding a summary from Conference Secretary, Reverend Terry Good. It was discussed how the Annual Conference will look this year.
Finance Report (Bob VanNorman)
The Finance Report was emailed to CLC members prior to the meeting. Bob discussed the PPP loan of $33,987.00. This money was placed in a savings account. As of this date, we have spent approximately $5800.00. A spreadsheet will be kept in order to keep track of the account. We must be able to account for the money in order to receive forgiveness for the loan. We need to discourage people from donating to the church through Paypal. The fees are too high when a deposit is made. Also, members are to be urged to not flag their donations as designated in order to be able to use the money where needed. The report was accepted as written.
Pastor’s Report (Chuck Griffin)
Chuck stated it is not known when the Bishop may allow the churches to resume in person services. We do have FM capabilities to have parking lot worship if needed. As of now, the worship will continue online and on phone until notice is given from the Bishop to resume normal operations.
Chair Report (Ron Woody)
Ron stated that he had been working diligently with the county regarding the pandemic situation. As of today, we have had 9 cases in Roane County during the outbreak period with only one active case currently in our county.
Old Business
Lynn and Paul Wright sent a handout via email to the CLC members regarding Live Stream Worship. It consisted of requirements, options and cost estimates. After a lengthy discussion, is was decided to start with the Good Starter System which will cost approximately $500 in supplies and possible part-time help in the sound room (4-5 hours per week). We will try to do some testing with possible worship in the sanctuary by Chuck. Lynn and Paul will give an update at the June meeting.
New Business
No new business
Closing prayer was led by Jeremy. Meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:10 p.m.
CLC Meeting
4/21/2020
Present: Ron Woody, Chuck Griffin, Bobby Jackson, John Drake, Jeremy Woody, Rick Matthews, Pam Hutchinson, Linda Monk, Silvia Mende
Absent: Bob VanNorman, Gerri Hallcox, Ben Jones, Jason Dobos
Also in Attendance: Anita Huling, Betty Kelly, Wendy Williams, Lynn Wright, Paul Wright
Meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Ron. The meeting was held via phone and computer.
Minutes
Minutes of March meetings were sent via computer prior to the meeting for consideration. Upon discussion, Chuck made motion to accept the minutes for 3/13/20 meeting as presented. Second was made by John. Minutes were accepted as written. Motion by John to accept minutes of 3/17/20 meeting. Second was made by Jeremy. Minutes were accepted as written.
Human Resources (John Drake)
Team report was sent out via computer prior to the meeting for consideration. Discussion was led by John regarding the Coronavirus relief available to the church. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), was identified as the most feasible for our situation. An initial application was made on April 9 for the amount of $31,762. This will cover payroll and utilities for the church. The application was returned by the bank asking for more information. The application was resubmitted on April 20 with a new amount requested of $33,987. Motion was made by John to accept the monies if offered. Second by Rick. Motion carried. Discussion was also held regarding the re-opening of the church. Silvia and John are working on a plan to declutter and disinfect the children and nursery areas of the church before reopening. More information will be upcoming. HR Report accepted as written.
Youth Activities (Wendy Williams)
Wendy discussed that the Spring Fling, which was scheduled for April 11, had been cancelled due to the church closure for the virus outbreak. Plans are to reschedule later in the year. She has been meeting with the youth via computer three times a week. Sunday mornings at 11:45 a.m. for Sunday School, Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. for Bible study and Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. for fellowship and study. The participation has been good thus far.
Outreach (Bob VanNorman)
Outreach report was sent out via computer prior to the meeting for consideration. Report was read by Ron in Bob’s absence and accepted.
Trustees (Rick Matthews)
Trustees report was sent out via computer prior to the meeting for consideration. Rick discussed the report and it was accepted as written.
Lay Leader (Bobby Jackson)
Bobby had nothing to report.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference (Linda Monk)
Linda stated that the conference has been postponed to possibly mid July or August with a possible change of location. Waiting to receive information from the District. Chuck stated that the annual meeting has been postponed until August of 2021.
Finance Report (Bob VanNorman)
Finance Report for March 31 was sent out via computer prior to the meeting for consideration. Also, a financial report for April was also included. Report was covered by Ron in Bob’s absence and accepted as written.
Pastor’s Report (Chuck Griffin)
The online worship of the church will continue until further notice. Chuck stated that we need to schedule community events safely when the church is reopened. These events should be for all the different age groups. We are looking into possibly continuing the online services even after the church is reopened. Giving to the church has been above average during this time.
Chair Report (Ron Woody)
Ron stated that Gov. Lee has proposed reopening the state on May 1. There will still be some restrictions. We are waiting to hear from the Bishop when the church is allowed to reopen.
Old Business
Nothing to report
New Business
Livestreaming Proposal was sent out via computer prior to the meeting for consideration. John and Lynn discussed the proposal of looking into live streaming the church service on Sunday mornings. A lengthy discussion was held and it was decided that they would continue to gather information and prices to see if it is feasible.
Adjournment
Closing prayer was led by Jeremy. Ron adjourned the meeting at 7 p.m.
CLC Meeting
3/17/2020
Present: Ron Woody, Bobby Jackson, Silvia Mende, Chuck Griffin, Gerry Hallcox, Ben Jones, John Drake, Bob VanNorman, Jeremy Woody, Linda Monk, Pam Hutchinson, Rick Matthews
Absent: Jason Dobos
Also in attendance: Anita Huling, Wendy Williams, Betty Kelly
Meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Ron. The meeting was held via phone and computer.
Minutes
Minutes were previously emailed to all members for review. Discussion was held regarding minutes as submitted. Motion to accept by Bob, second by Pam to accept the minutes as presented. Motion carried and approved.
Human Resources (John Drake)
Report was sent via email to all members. John discussed that Jane Bailey has replaced Karen Drake as the liaison for choir director and musicians. Discussion about the church closure was held. John assured the CLC that the church would try to keep as much of the staff working as possible during this shut down for the virus outbreak. The HR committee is working on a plan if the shutdown should last for an extended period of time.
Youth Activities (Wendy Williams)
Wendy updated the council on youth activities stating that they had online Sunday School this past Sunday. They will also have youth meeting online Wednesday and Bible study online Thursday using Zoom. The trip to Main Event scheduled for March 29 has been cancelled. She is waiting to see how long the shutdown will be in order to plan the Spring Fling which is scheduled for April 11.
Outreach (Bob VanNorman)
Bob discussed that we would not be opening the clothes or food closets. We have a bin with bagged food by the back door for anyone needing assistance. We can hand it to them outside the door. Kathi Matthews has agreed to refill bags as needed. The outreach fund is in good shape at this time. They will be going through all the food and discard any expired items.
Trustees (Rick Matthews)
Rick stated that we need to be careful spending designated funds. Everything regarding Trustee spending needs to have his approval.
Lay Leader (Bobby Jackson)
Bobby stated that we need to be prayerful and mindful of spending any money during this time as we are not aware of what the future holds or just how long this shut down will last.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference (Linda Monk)
Linda had nothing to report
Finance Report (Bob VanNorman)
Finance report for February was emailed to all council members before the meeting for review. Bob led an in-depth discussion regarding the finances of the church. It was discussed how to manage the incoming tithes and gifts during this time of the church closure. Bob has been talking to Becky Woody at the bank and has several options to consider. He will also talk with the Oak Ridge Methodist Church to see how they work their program of online giving. It may be something that we want to initiate and continue using after the crisis is over. It was also discussed that older members do not use the internet very much and this may not be a good option for them. We could possibly send out self-addressed, stamped envelopes to them to return their tithes and gifts to the church. Operating funds versus dedicated funds was discussed in depth. Finance report was accepted.
Pastor’s Report (Chuck Griffin)
Chuck discussed how the service went online this past Sunday. There were a few “Glitches” but it was an overall success. He is working on modifying it to better suit all members. Roxanne and Briana are working on music that can be recorded and used for the online services. Chuck is also working on using videos. He stated that this crisis will probably go beyond March 27th.
Chair Report (Ron Woody)
Ron discussed that he has been working diligently on the government end of this crisis. He stated that we need to be aware, as a church, of the elderly and children and their needs during this time. It was discussed that we could possibly open our kitchen once or twice a week during the shut down to cook meals for the community and hand them out at the cars should the crisis time be extended. Bobby will talk to Mid-East and see if they can work out a viable solution to working together. Chuck suggested that we ask for volunteers and form a kitchen committee that could work on this project should we need it.
Old Business
Nothing to report
New Business
Silvia discussed that we would need to do sanitation and cleaning before the church re-opens. She will get with the custodian and go over proper cleaning techniques. Anita will continue to clean door handles and areas where people have come in and out of the church.
Ron led the council in a closing prayer
Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
Called CLC Meeting
Friday, March 13, 2020
12 noon via conference call/global computer call
Attendance:
Chuck, Bob, Jeremy, Rick, Bobby, Ron, Pam
Also in attendance:
Anita, Betty and Wendy
Meeting was opened in prayer by Chuck.
Ron asked Chuck to facilitate the meeting.
Chuck spoke regarding the suggestion that the Bishop had emailed regarding the closing of the churches for at least 2 weeks due to the Corona Virus. Chuck then suggested that we close the church building and keep it locked at least until 3/27. The church would remain in ministry with daily updates on email and website. Possible phone conference calls or computer conference calls for worship service.
Ron agreed and said it may take a couple of weeks for everything and everyone to calm down.
After much discussion, it was decided to shut down the physical church for at least two weeks. Anita will remain in the office every day and the custodian will continue to clean. Anita will wipe down handles and make a path for Betty to come to her office without fear of contamination.
Chuck will be on vacation next week in Jonesboro but will stay in touch through computer, website, email and phone.
John will get with Chuck and put a message on the church sign.
Anita will change the phone greeting.
Depending on how long we will need to be closed, we will need to discuss mailings for giving and volunteers to help with food distribution, etc.
Chuck will head up the things that need to be done.
The regular CLC meeting will be held via conference call/computer Tuesday, March 17 at 6 p.m.
Anita will email the minutes to this meeting and any other correspondence before the regular meeting so everyone can have a chance to review.
The conference call was ended at 12:35 p.m.
Luminary UMC CLC Minutes
February 18, 2020
Present: Chuck Griffin, Ron Woody, John Drake, Linda Monk, Bobby Jackson, Bob VanNorman, Pam Hutchinson, Silvia Mende, Jeremy Woody, Rick Matthews, Jason Dobos
Absent: Ben Jones, Gerry Hallcox
Also In Attendance: Anita Huling
Meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Ron Woody
Ron opened with prayer.
Minutes
Minutes for January 2020 CLC meeting were presented to CLC. Motion made to accept as presented. Second by Bobby and approved.
Human Resources
John distributed a handout of the staff liaisons for 2020. Karen would like to be removed from the list and a replacement is being sought. She will remain as liaison until that time. The HR committee meets the second Monday of each month. It should be resolved by the March meeting. John made a motion to accept the liaison list. Second by Bob and report was approved.
Youth Activities
Wendy was absent and there was no youth report.
Outreach
Bob stated that the computer in the finance office was having problems and he was unable to provide a written handout. 12 people were served last month in the clothes/food closet. $400 was spent to help people with electric bills.
Trustees
Rick provided a handout of the status of the trustees. Repairs were made to the septic tanks. Parts and labor were $295.00. The children’s wing hallways were painted with the supervision of trustee Jeremy Woody. Narthex door problem was corrected. Jason is working on replacing all the bulbs in the building. Contract was done with Preston Woody for rental of a storage unit. Appreciation was given to John Drake for building the caabinet in the library. Priorities for this upcoming month are:
- Repain hallways in office, choir room and classrooms area.
- Ground floor window cleaning.
- Door stop relacement and additional stops upstairs.
- Canopy repair over outside office door.
Lay Leader
Bobby will attend the upcoming district training session in Athens on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference
Linda is preparing for the upcoming conference
Financial Report
Bob announced that he will be covering for Betty as bookkeeper while she is out. He requested that Ron sign any check requests so as not to have a conflict of interest. Ron agreed. Bob also stated that the old bookkeeping computer was going down. A new one was purchased. Shepherd’s Staff and payroll is on backup and should transfer over with no problems. Ron requested that he be able to attend the finance committee meetings in order to become more familiar with the process. Linda had questions regarding the deficit and a lengthy discussion was held regarding this and what it means in the upcoming year. Bob made a motion to accept the financial report. Bobby made a second and the report was approved.
Ministry Report
Pastor Chuck distributed a handout regarding our status of attendance during the first seven weeks of this year. He plans to use video during our Lenten to enhance the scripture time.
Chair Report
Ron wants to make sure that each grop and each committee recognize their responsibility for budget line items. Again, he reiterated that he would like to be a part of the finance committee meetings when possible.
Old Business
No old business
New Business
No new business
Adjournment
Motion made to adjourn. Second by Bobby. Metting was adjourned at 6:35 p.m.
Luminary UMC CLC Meetings
Church Leadership Council
January 21, 2020
Present: Chuck Griffin, John Drake, Linda Monk, Bobby Jackson, Gerry Hallcox, Bob VanNorman, Pam Hutchinson, Silvia Mende, Jeremy Woody, Rock Matthews, Jason Dobos
Absent: Ben Jones
Also in attendance: Anita Huling, Wendy Williams
Meeting was called to order by Bobby Jackson
Pastor Chuck opened with prayer
Minutes
Minutes for October, November and December were presented to CLC and approved
Human Resources
A breakdown of the staff gift monies received and distributed was provided. Stacey Rogers has been hired as a nursery worker to work for Tammy Narramore while she is out due to surgery. He is looking to enroll her in an infant CPR class. He is working on Liaisons for the year and will report tot he CLC when in place.
Youth Activities
Wendy reported on the activities in November and December. The auction made $1900. They were involved in the Angel Tree and shopping. 6 young adults attended the Passion conference the end of December and 6 youth are scheduled to attend Ressurection next weekend. February should be a quiet month.
Outreach
Bob reported on tyhe Outreach Committee meeting and submitted a copy of the agenda. The members present voted to extend food offering, every four weeks, to all who come seeking food, regardlwss of their address. It was also voted to allow 10 pieces of clothing for each individual up to 30 pieces per household. A sorting party was held on January 9th at 9 a.m.
Trustees
Rick discussed the activities that have taken place since November and distributed a handout to members with a breakdown. All plumbing in the parsonage master bath area was replaced at $1300. Skylight at parsonage was removed, patched, shingled and touched up at $1400. The office doorbell at the church was replaced at $40. A cabinet was built in the library to enclose wiring by John Drake. A bill has not been received. Priorities for the month are: to repain the children’s wing hallway walls. Sylvia and some volunteers have agreed to help; Window cleaning on the ground floor; door closures at main entrance; Anita mentioned that Linda Huling, the artist who painted the murals called and said she would come and touch them up whenever necessary.
Lay Leader
Bobby thanked Pastor Chuck for having an impromptu meeting after church regarding the status of the United Methodist Church.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference
Linda is the local delegate and Bobby, John and Karen are the district delegates.
Financial Report
Bob distributed a handout regarding finances during 2019 including operating cash, endowment fund and dedicated funds. It was discussed in depth. He will work on presenting a program to the congregation explaining the breakdown.
Ministry Report
Pastor Chuck distributed a handout to the CLC regarding our worship attendance averages covering 2017: 127, 2018: 99, 2019: 105, and the first three weeks of 2020:114. Nomination was made by Pastor Chuck to make Ron Woody CLC Chair through December 31, 2020. No second was required. Nomination was approved. It was discussed that due to Ron’s various duties in the community, a change in the CLC meeting dates may have to be altered from month to month.
Chair Report
Nothing to report
Old Business
No old business
New Business
No new business
Adjournment
Motion made to adjourn by Bobby. Second by Bob. Meeting dismissed.
December 17, 2019
During the November meeting it was voted to cancel the December CLC meeting. Reports were emailed to interested parties and attached to this notice.
November 19, 2019
Present: Chuck Griffin, Bill Hughes, John Drake, Mike Beard, Missy Richardson, Gerry Hallcox, Bob VanNorman, Becky Woody, Sandra White, Linda Monk, Pam Hutchinson
Also in attendance: Betty Kelly, Anita Huling, Wendy Williams
Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Becky Woody.
Chuck opened with prayer.
Minutes
The minutes from the October CLC meeting were inadvertently left out of the packet information. Anita will email October minutes along with the November minutes for members to approve.
Human Resources
John announced that Anita Huling has been hired as the Church Secretary. Her first day was Wednesday, Oct. 30. She trained with Melissa for two and a half days. Everyone introduced themselves and welcomed her to the church.
Youth
Wendy said we had around 75 in atendance for the Trunk or Treat last month. Upcoming events for the youth are: Angel Tree shopping and dinner, Dec. 4; Angel tree gift wrapping Dec. 7; Christmas party Dec. 21; Passion Conference Dec. 31-Jan. 2; Resurrection Conference Jan. 24-Jan 26.
Outreach
Bob reported that we had more than 100 names for the Angel Tree. There were around 25 guests at the clothes closet Nov. 19. We have lost our lease on the storage container so we are going to try to clean out some of the larger items in the clothes closet area such as pool table, etc. to make more room for storage. We have received a lot of donations over the past few weeks. The outreach committee is planning a meeting for Nov. 26.
Trustees
Rick distributed a handout with information regarding Trustee issues. Under pending projects, it was decided to remove the skylight in the parsonage because of leaking. The committee will get estimates and check on insurance to see if it may be covered.
Finance
Sandra reported that the church had $16,030.68 collected for the yard sale. She made a motion that this amount be moved to the regular budget. The motion was approved. A plan to use the money for an electronic sign was left tabled. The yard sale money goes to the general fund. The committee will make sure that the congregation is made aware.
The 2020 budget was discussed and presented to the committee for approval. After discussing, Mike moved the budget be approved as it was.
Sandra suggested that the congregation should be educated on the budget and how it works. A power point presentation was suggested by Bob VanNorman, possible on a Wednesday evening in the sanctuary.
Becky handed out a draft of a letter that could possibly be sent to the congregation explaining budget matters. It will be looked over by CLC and discussed later.
Ministry
Chuck discussed the upcoming Advent/Christmas seasons as well as the congregation’s knowledge of tithing and what it means.
Metrics
Mike went over the metrics handouts. Two were inadvertently left out and will be sent ot attendees via email.
New Business
Mike handed out a copy of a letter to CLC regarding maintaining an adequate amount of income in the operating fund.
Sandra is researching the formation of a grief support group. She has to have herself and at least one other person to facilitate. CLC voted to support her endeavor.
Other Business
Becky asked about our meeting in December. She said that next month’s meeting would be her last as chair of the CLC due to work changes. Chuck will look for a replacement.
Orientation for new CLC members will be Jan. 7. It was suggested by Becky that we not have a December meeting and begin again after the first of the year. It was approved.
Adjournment
Becky moved to close the meeting. Meeting adjourned.
October 15, 2019
Present: Chuck Griffin, Bill Hughes, John Drake, Mike Beard, Missy Richardson, Gerry Hallcox, Bob VanNorman
Absent: Becky Woody, Sandra White, Linda Monk, Bobby Jackson, Pam Hutchinson
Also in Attendance: Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring
Chuck opened with prayer.
Minutes
Missy recommended approving the minutes. By consensus the minutes were approved.
Human Resources
John said that Stephen left last month as pianist. At the time of the last meeting, HR was ready to talk to someone else about the position. Briana Wells was offered the job and accepted. HR continues to search for a new church secretary. There were no responses to the job posting on the website. The job was posted on Indeed.com, gathering 35 applicants. Five candidates have been interviewed thus far. HR would like to have some overlap with Melissa if possible.
John motioned to approve some overlap, which will cost extra. By consensus it was approved.
Betty said the budget can’t be changed, if funds go over, they go over, but the anomaly will be understood.
Bill Hughes, Chuck and John Drake did a walkthrough of the parsonage as a part of the requirements for Charge Conference. John said there are some repairs that need to be made, such as fixing a leaking skylight, and a waterline that is made of PVC and has burst twice. It was recommended by a plumber that the pipes be switched to copper. These repairs need to be appraised and added into the budget next year. John said this is a Trustee matter.
HR has worked on a budget for next year.
Youth Activities
Chuck read a report from Wendy about youth activities. Trunk or Treat is coming up on Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m. Candy donations and helpers are needed for the event. Items have been purchased for the Youth and Young Adult Silent Auction using points from the church credit cards. More donation items are needed for the auction.
The youth are coming up with a theme for a pamphlet related to their events. Resurrection and The Passion Conferences are coming up.
Outreach
Bob said there are 7 volunteers in the Clothes Closet; hoping for at least 8 total. They have a rotating schedule. The Clothes Closet is averaging 12 people per visits. The outreach Committee is reviewing what visitors can receive, making sure practices and rules align. The committee will discuss the next time they meet.
Chuck mentioned to the CLC that Rick Matthews if available to take over as trustee chair before Jan. 1. All were in favor.
Finance
Betty said the church about broke even between expenses and incoming last month; short $460. Bob asked when budget was due to be approved by the CLC. Betty said it will probably come up in November. There will be one more budget team meeting.
Charge Conference
Chuck passed out a sheet for the Church Leadership Council, pending approval, of individuals up for council and committee roles for next year and beyond. This includes Rick Matthews as Trustee Chair, Silvia Mende on HR and Lay Leadership, Jeremy Woody on Lay leadership and Trustees and Jason Dobos on Trustees.
Chuck motioned to approve the oncoming members. By consensus the motion was approved.
Charge conference is at 6 p.m., October 20 at Decatur UMC. Copies of the paperwork that will be submitted were passed out and reviewed. Signatures of approval were needed from some of the council members on the CLC before the paperwork is submitted to the district office.
Chuck asked is anyone had questions. Chuck motioned to approve the Charge Conference paperwork in bulk. By consensus the motion was approved.
Anyone is welcome to attend Charge Conference.
Metrics
Mike went over the monthly attendance averages and benevolence averages based on the metric charts he produced. Attendance average is 110. Benevolence has helped people this year in over 1100 occasions. These charts are included in the minutes.
Additional Item
Bob asked if there was any feedback from the letter sent out about the yard sale and church sign? Melissa said that letter can be circulated again. Bob stated that in December the matter of approving the church sign will be discussed again. This will be added as an agenda item for December.
Missy motioned to close the meeting. Meeting was adjourned.
September 17, 2019
Present: Becky Woody, Bob Van Norman, Bobby Jackson, Gerry Hallcox, Bill Hughes, Chuck Griffin, John Drake, Sandra White, Missy Richardson,
Absent: Mike Beard, Linda Monk, Pam Hutchinson
Also in Attendance: Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring, Wayne Tipps, Wendy Williams
Chuck opened with prayer.
Minutes
Sandra motioned to accept the minutes with minor corrections to some of the wording. Minutes were approved with corrections.
Human Resources
John said the staff evaluations are complete for this year. A copy of an updated secretary’s job description was included in the CLC packet. John went over highlights of items that were changed. Melissa will stay under the previous job description until November 1. Under qualifications the job has been opened up to church members as well as non-church members; the previous description was non-church member only. This expands the pool for finding a candidate. The candidate will need to maintain confidentiality. Having a church member enhances concern about confidentiality and employee discipline in the role. Betty Kelly is a member and an employee and this has worked out well.
There are no defined benefits. Under the old job description there are 9 paid holidays if the holidays fall on a work day, and two week’s vacation. These items have been omitted from the new job description
For a fully qualified candidate the job will be $13 an hour. It is being advertised at $11-13 an hour. The job will be 27 hours, with an additional 8 hours per month to cover CLC matters if needed.
Dollar wise everything will work out the same. This will include a paid 30 minute lunch break.
Other items are similar to the previous job description.
The job has been posted on the website, and distributed on Facebook, as well as the church bulletin. It will also be included in the church newsletter. It was decided against posting it in the newspaper. Discussions about placing it on Indeed.com have taken place.
The church accompanist job description is current, having been reworked in the spring. It specifies that the accompanist covers the 8 a.m. service when Pam is not available. The financial arrangement is that the accompanist will be paid per trip. Steven is planning on leaving in the next week or two. There is someone that has been approached about the position. If this does not work, a search will begin.
HR is ready to do staff raises and budgeting next month. Finance will need the figures before the budget is figured out.
Youth
Trunk or Treat coming up. Silent Auction is in November. Two young people were baptized and one confirmed. The youth are going to Dollywood on Saturday. Wendy and the youth are working on Passion and Resurrection Conferences and perhaps an in-town retreat. Volunteers are needed for Trunk or Treat and wares for the Silent Auction.
Finance
Last year the Finance Committee voted to use the rewards points from the church credit cards for the youth and items that can be used for the Silent Auction. It helped financially with the auction last year; many electronics were purchased. If not used, the points just sit there. Betty said there are many points, over 100,000 points this year, which translates to $1000. Betty requested to use these points on a regular basis to purchase items for the Silent Auction, or for anything the church may need that can be purchased through the program. The points cannot be cashed in for money. Last year 600-700$ was spent, including a laptop for the youth.
Sandra motioned to approve the credit card points to donate the money to the youth, including purchasing items for the Silent Auction unless something is needed for the church . The motion carried to use the funds.
The Finance Committee met recently. Mike Beard produced a graph that included information from 2016 until last month. Sandra voiced a concern last month about the church not getting as much in offering as previous years. Sandra said last August vs this August the operating funds are down $7000. The dedicated funds are about the same, about $1000 difference.
Last November, the dedicated funds were $3,000 more than they are now. The net operating is $3,000 more. Members have voiced concern to her about the offering. She does not think we are in a crisis mode, but she believes it is something everyone needs to be aware of.
The Yard Sale balance is currently $9,956, though there are still some outstanding bills that need to be paid out of that. Right now the balance in the account is $17,295. Sandra asked to reconsider the motion last month to purchase the church sign, and to shelve the motion for now. Bob VanNorman said the church is 15% under in income. If we take that and run it through the year the budget will break even. He said if we are going to run a tight budget, then buy the sign, and come to the congregation saying that operating funds are low, that is not ideal. He said to delay the purchase of the sign based on what operating expenses look like until the end of December.
Sandra said many good things are going on at the church, such as Children’s Church, that will need more funds next year. The budget will need to be increased for next year.
Sandra motioned to delay the purchase of the church sign, to table the motion, until the end of the year. By consensus the motion was approved.
The Finance Committee will meet on November 5 to discuss the budget; but will not be able to finalize until they know the salaries.
Outreach
Bob VanNorman wants to have at least 8 volunteers for the Clothes Closet, at 1 three hour shift every two months. Wade and Kay Rucker, Jane Bailey and Bob VanNorman have volunteered. Mary Beth will continue to volunteer while she is here. Bob is looking for at least 3 more volunteers, in addition to the current volunteers. Bob will act as coordinator. The work-day set for the 18th is cancelled. Mary Beth finished the job and switched out all the clothes for the season.
There was a request that a synopsis of the CLC minutes go into the newsletter. The minutes are currently posted on the website and on the bulletin board. Bob suggested bringing that motion up next month or to shut it down.
Outreach discussed a thrift store model. To move to that model, will it move onsite or offsite? Bob is going to look at other thrift stores in the area. Traffic has been up the past couple weeks in the Clothes Closet. The committee will discuss more at the next meeting.
Currently visitors to the Clothes Closet receive 10 items and people can come every week. Food is given out once a month currently. The food is for anyone in Roane County. Once a month a team will come in to sort. Bob will keep a schedule up.
Church Sign—Bob said the factory that produces church signs has a warranty on their signs for 5 years.The company out of Clinton has a warranty of 5 years on labor.
Trustees
The Lay Leadership committee is working on finding a new chair.
Pastoral Report
Charge Conference paperwork is being worked out. The paperwork needs to be in on Oct. 17 at the district office. Charge Conference is October 20 at 6 p.m.
Becky asked if there was a volunteer that could run next month’s meeting. October 15 would be the time of the next meeting. The Charge Conference paperwork would be looked at then. Bob volunteered to run the next meeting. Becky designated Bob Van Norman as chair for the October meeting.
Additional Business
Wayne Tipps asked to rescind the offer of the Lamplighters with Wayne as chairman, to run the yard sale, that was discussed two meetings ago. He said Kathi and Rick Mathews did a wonderful job running it this year. Chuck said all that is needed is to make a new motion that outreach will run it, with a designated chair each year.
Chuck motioned for outreach to take charge of outreach each year, and the outreach committee designate a chairman each year. By consensus, the motion was carried.
It will be communicated with the congregation how much was made this year at the yard sale and what is being done with the funds. Sandra said we did not know how much the final total is, but will after all the bills are paid.
Lights out: Gerry said there are some lights out in the bathrooms. Betty mentioned that there are replacement lights. Gerry volunteered to put them in if she can find the lights.
Pastor’s Salary
The voting members of the CLC conferred to set the pastor’s salary for 2020.
John Drake stated that the Human Resources Team was making a motion that the pastor’s salary be increased by 2% in 2020.
After a brief discussion of the Team’s rationale, the motion was passed.
Meeting adjourned.
August 20, 2019
Present: Sandra White, Bill Hughes, Mike Beard, Melissa Richardson, Becky Woody, John Drake, Pam Hutchinson, Bobby Jackson, Bob VanNorman, Gerry Hallcox
Absent: Linda Monk
Also in Attendance: Wendy Williams, Wayne Tipps
Minutes
Becky asked if there were any corrections for the minutes from the last meeting?
Sandra motioned to accept the minutes. By consensus the minutes were approved as written.
Human Resources
John Drake discussed staff evaluations. All have been completed except for the pastor’s, which has been deferred until September 9. The evaluation is composed. He expressed appreciation for the supervisor’s and the liaisons.
On September 9 HR will discuss the pastor’s salary for 2020. It needs to be established before Charge Conference. They will try to bring it back to the CLC next month as a proposal.
John said nursery worker Tammy Narramore attended a CPR course and is certified in infant CPR.
John stated that at the end of October church secretary Melissa Boring is resigning. He said HR has been looking at the job description for the position and has done some work on it. At the beginning of September they will begin looking for a replacement. Next month HR will have more information about the job description and the hiring process.
Youth
The Youth have finished up their studies in Sunday School and on Wednesdays. They will be starting Acts in Sunday School, the gospel of John in bible study, and Genesis on Wednesday nights.
Trunk or Treat is in October, the Silent Auction in November, and a Christmas party in December. In January comes the Passion and Resurrection Youth Conference.
Trustees
Missy said they received an email about a door being stuck in the ladies’ restroom. Gerry came in and worked on it. He said someone told him a light was out in the men’s bathroom.
Sandra said Betty had insurance bills come in that trustees normally sign. Bills are being paid, and when a new chair comes in, she will go over them.
Chuck said he reached out to Z Bednarski, based on a suggestion, to see if she might be interested in becoming chair. She is considering it. Chuck will run it by the Lay Leadership team if she indicates interest.
Church Sign
Becky inquired about the church sign, which Dave Beeson had been working on. Bob said he spoke to the codes division at Roane County. They said the sign has to have a 15 feet set back, cannot flash, it can roll and scroll. It can be as large as desired. The current sign is 31 feet back.
Sandra stated that there is a capital reserve fund in place. If there are sufficient funds at the end of the year, $3000 is placed in the fund at that time. It is for replacing heat and air units, and items of that nature. Some funds were used for the roof. She said another thing to talk about was funds for the sign. When she read the previous month’s minutes, the group had discussed yard sale money that was in the reserve fund, and using outreach funds. Bob stated he thought the idea was to use yard sale money that was not allocated last year, and what was brought in this year.
Bob discussed Yard Sale. The outreach committee met recently. There have been many volunteers and good participation. There will be a flyer going out.
He discussed a recent request for a stove, but the person requesting was outside of our area. They were advised of other avenues, and told a stove was among the yard sale items.
Sandra said there is $7,338.55 in last year’s yard sale money. Mike said if a motion was made, it needed to include the sign and the proposed financing.
Sandra mentioned the reserve fund has almost $31,000 in it.
Bob motioned to use yard sale funds to purchase the electronic sign to promote communication with the community.
Mike asked if the motion was contingent upon the balance of the reserve fund exceeding $17,000. The funds are not there now, but are projected to be after the yard sale. He suggested including the contingency in the motion. Bob said the total for the sign was $17,000.
The motion was brought forward again. By consensus the motion was carried.
Lay Leader
Bobby said there were 13 children in Children’s Church on Sunday, with many new people.
Finance
Sandra said expenses are up and giving is down, even with more attendance. She said usually July is a big month for giving, this month is not. She said the dedicated funds have remained steady. Chuck asked if people are shifting funds toward dedicated? She didn’t see that unless something special has come up. She said there are some folks that dedicate exclusively to outreach.
She said there are people that are not attending, and others that have passed. Finance will look at that when the budget is done this year. Becky asked if it was a lack of understanding in about what it takes to keep things running? Sandra agreed it could be.
Mike said you look at a balance sheet and see a positive balance. He spoke about looking back. He said if he had the tabular data he could put it into a graph. Sandra said it was decided to have a net operating fund of $65,000 and it is not at that point currently. She said they may not be able to put $3000 into capital reserve.
Sandra stated that some members expressed concern about having moved from small groups to a council. Chuck suggested having a meeting to look at the data, and figure out what the communications points are and communicate that. Sandra reminded everyone that the church bought gas and that was a significant amount, and insurance has gone up. The Finance team plans on meeting and will communicate important points, particularly since retiring the debt.
Pastoral Report
Charge Conference is October 20 at 6 p.m. at Decatur UMC. Chuck needs the paperwork in at the District Office a week ahead for review. He will convene lay leadership to see who is rolling off and dealing with trustee chair. CLC chairs will be receiving paperwork over the next few days.
Chuck presented a draft of the plan that is going to General Conference 2020 (Indianapolis Plan) that has the most traction. It is not the only plan. It was put together by a diverse group. Using placeholder names it describes splitting up. Annual Conferences would vote first on which group to join, then individual churches would vote if they did not agree with what happens at their Annual Conference. UMC Next came out with a plan that was similar to one presented at the last called conference. With all the options churches will still remain in a Methodist body, just with a new name.
Attendance and Metric Review
Mike said we are looking at the same graphs. He hesitated to put the trend line on the graphs. He reminded it was a monthly average of the attendance. He can provide further information on the trend if desired, he saw it as coming from 8 a.m.
Mike said with benevolence, he said there is over 1000 people we generally impact. He said spending is not going to change much until November and December.
John Drake said he and David had planned to do a parsonage inspection. It will be part of the Charge Conference paperwork. He will need a trustee rep.
Meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
CLC Meeting
July 16, 2019
Present: Chuck Griffin, Becky Woody, Melissa Richardson, Pam Hutchinson, John Drake, Mike Beard, Bill Hughes, Bobby Jackson, Linda Monk
Absent: Betty Kelly, Sandra White
Also present: Silvia Mende, Vickey Beard, Wayne Tipps, Lynn Wright, Melissa Boring, Wendy Williams
Chuck opened with prayer.
Minutes
Linda said she actually wanted to clarify things about the elevator, and provided a list of safety precautions for riding the elevator. She asked for additional information to be added to the Annual Conference Report, such as missed names for individuals being commissioned, and correcting names. She provided a copy of her report. Bobby asked for a sentence stating he had asked an item to be tabled to be struck from the previous month’s minutes.
Missy motioned, seconded by Bobby, to accept the minutes with changes. The motion was carried.
Children’s Church
Silvia Mende-Caulfield spoke to the group about the Children’s Church coming up. She had taught Children’s Church in the past and is working on bringing back the program. It will be the same format as was done in the past, taking place during the late service, after noisy offering. Kids will be taught one story from the bible each week. Lynn Wright has been helping Silvia to develop the program. The children will be acting out the bible stories and there will be props incorporated into the lessons. The children will be doing arts and crafts as well, as well as time to play in the playground. Children’s Church is offered for children ages 4-12. Silvia will teach them the bible stories in a structured fashion and will take the top 52 bible stories of the bible and do this over the course of a year. Parents from the community that Silvia spoke with were interested in the program, and she will be contacting them to let them know the program is being offered.
Lynn and Silvia checked into Safe Sanctuary training and the rules. There needs to be at least two adults present under Safe Sanctuary. Every week a different person will come in to assist Silvia with Children’s Church. Jazmin Meza will be helping as well. She helped at Spring Fling and was very good with the children. She will be coming in as a helper.
Part of the plan is that a core group of children will come in and train with the bible stories and more kids can come in. Silvia said it is creative outreach, and a creative way to teach. Children’s Church will start August 11. The information about it will go out in the bulletin and in the newsletter.
The children will be called to Children’s Church out of the late service, and after the children have collected the money for Noisy Offering. According to Silvia there will be no drop-offs this year. The parents need to be in the church building during Children’s Church.
Silvia wants kids to know that church is fun.
YMCA Weight Loss Program
Vickey Beard would like to propose bringing in the YMCA Weight Loss Program to Luminary, and offer it to people in the community. Vickey is a trainer in the program. She will offer it for $50 for 12 weeks, meeting once a week, with all of the variety of the different subjects offered each session. It is $100 offered at the YMCA. Vickey brought a flyer and an FAQ about the program, as well as a proposal. She said the program would need to start out in the late afternoon/early evening so that people who work can attend. Vickey is covered by the YMCA to offer a program at the church. She proposed to offer the program and asked about offering it in the fall before the holidays, or in January. It is a behavior management type small group, not exercise. Information builds and there is accountability, there is tracking of calories, etc. She said this is to teach people motivation to lose the weight without it being an exercise program, and to do it themselves. Bobby asked if there was a minimum number of people? Vickey said at least 8. She said she would like to offer this before Thanksgiving. Vickey will bring all of the materials. Vickey is not going to take any pay as this is her ministry. She has a marketing campaign planned. Any facility fees will be waived.
Bobby moved to approve the program, seconded by Pam to approve the program, and wave the fee for building use. The motion was approved.
Vickey will get a sign-up sheet and will give a starting date. The marketing director will put something together for the newsletter.
Human Resources
John Drake spoke first about job descriptions. He said there are descriptions for each staff member, each in a variety of conditions, but most are pretty good, and HR continuously monitors and updates each description. Each year when an HR liaison is appointed they are asked to meet with the staff person they are assigned to. Each liaison person gives a copy of the job description to the staff member and asks for feedback. Some job descriptions were recently updated, such as Betty’s in the role of bookkeeper. Another, the piano accompanist, Steven Brown, was updated. This is a more recent job description, from four or five years ago. It was rewritten to be more clear and concise, and to reflect how the current employee is compensated. John said in the future HR would need to look at the work scope of a job position, or at changing the financial arrangement for a job. If there is a major change in a job description, HR would bring it to the council. He said if anyone wanted to look at a job description for a staff member they are welcome to look at it. John has electronic copies of the job descriptions, and HR members have hard copies. Job descriptions are important at evaluation time, they list the duties of each staff member, and those duties are what HR evaluates staff members by. Last week HR initiated the staff evaluations for 2019. They hope to have the evaluations done by August 12. He said if anyone wants to speak to a liaison they are welcome, if they have any input. John is the liaison person for Pastor Chuck, Gerry Hallcox is liaison for Wendy, Karen Drake is liaison for Roxanne and Steven, Linda Monk is liaison for Melissa, Bobby Jackson is liaison for Betty, and Bill Hughes is liaison for custodian Vicki Butler.
He said they won’t be doing the evaluations for Tammy Narramore yet since she is so new. They will wait at least six months.
Nursery
Missy covered for Tammy recently as she was sick, and she noticed that the nursery needed some updates. She provided a handout of estimates for items that she suggested the nursery needs, such as paint, a new tv, etc. She asked for approval to establish a team to look into prices for items needed, and to report back at a later time. She said it is important to have the area look inviting. She said the Sunday School rooms need to be updated and she suggested tackling one at a time, starting with the nursery. She will look for help from other people in the process. Bobby asked if she is seeking permission to spend money yet? She said no, she is asking to establish a team, not permission to spend yet.
Mike asked how this lined up with the budget when it is time to spend money? He said this is a major maintenance item, or capital vs operations. He said it is the next step, but does not need to be decided on right now.
Bobby motioned to allow Missy to move forward on establishing a team and getting numbers, seconded by Mike. The motion was approved.
Youth
Wendy reported that the Youth Dessert Auction took place recently and did very well. They took in almost $2600 after costs. The youth are planning on doing a hike and on having a fun event in the next few weeks.
Outreach
Bill Hughes read a report from Dave Beeson. The report stated that the Trustees and Bob VanNorman made a motion to accept the Oak Ridge sign bid of $17,000, to pay for the bid they suggested using money from the Yard Sale designated Outreach Fund and a one-time special fund with contributions from the congregation. Becky said the council discussed it quite a bit at the last meeting, but asked if they are ready to vote? Bobby asked how big the sign would be? Chuck said it would fit what is currently there. Vickey expressed concern about it being small, and said that it might be hard to read from the road. Mike mentioned the importance of code compliance. He delved into all this a few years ago, and there was a fine line between an electronic sign, and one that has motion. The church is in an A1 code which will not allow motion such as a waving American flag, but it can have a message, and the church name. There is a safety concern.
Bobby asked if we need to find out about codes? The trustees and Bob had looked at other churches, and this is the same sign that the Baptist church in Harriman has. Mike said the codes come in by location. Luminary is not a city church. Mike said what is proposed may be in compliance, but if there is a hard proposal, he can check out the codes for the area. Mike said that the answers can be found out.
Becky said it sounds like the council is not yet ready to vote. She said the proposal needs to be tabled until the codes are worked out and the presenter is there in person. Bobby said to vote on it or someone has to make a motion to table it. Chuck made a motion; to approve it contingent on a clear understanding that it does meet all codes. Mike said the funding seems to come from three sources: yard sale, outreach designated, and contributions. Details about the finances are needed. Chuck withdrew his amendment based on the other issues. Bobby moved to table this item until there is a better understanding. In the meantime the codes can be researched. Chuck said clarity was needed on the codes, and how much was needed from each account. Dave Beeson is in charge of this project, with Bob VanNorman’s assistance.
Bobby motioned to table it until finding out about codes and finances, seconded by Missy. The motion was approved.
Lay Leader
Bobby said that he is very excited about what Silvia and Missy had to say.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference
Linda passed around a list of all the names of the Lay Delegates to General Conference, and the Clergy Delegates to General Conference. The other side contained the names of the Lay Jurisdictional Delegates and Clergy Jurisdictional Delegates to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. General Conference will be held May 5-15, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference will be held July 15-18 in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.
She said elections were interesting, as you vote many times, not just once. She has the ages by some of the younger people’s names. Before the Conference began there was a statement signed by some leaders in the ministry that said we need younger people, therefore younger people have been elected. Eight out of the 26 are 35 or under, and 5 are under 40 years of age. Last year when she went she noticed a lot of older individuals. Her thought was those people were very dedicated to come all the way there. She said it is good to know we have Wendy working with the younger people.
She said there is a report from the camping and retreat ministries. There are several camps. The camps in the community are an outreach item that are located in different areas. The camps consist of Camp Bays Mountain, Camp Dickenson, Camp Lookout and Camp Wesley Woods. They hosted over 3,280 campers in 2018; 52% are from Holston churches and of those 660 made first time commitments to Christ and 800 rededicated their lives. The other 48% of campers were unchurched individuals or from other denominations.
Linda asked if Luminary had a representative to Holston Conference? Pam said it was her father, Gene Standridge. Linda spoke about an insert about Holston Home that was included in the 5th Sunday bulletin recently, as the church supports Holston Home. Through many avenues of care Holston Home brought healing and transformation to 646 children and youth, 30 youth completed high school, 24 are attending college or vocational schools, 61 children made professions of faith and 32 were baptized, 8 students went to Guatemala and Jackson, Mississippi on mission trips, where they conducted bible schools for children. A Christian Life Center is to be completed this month and dedicated in early September. There is a downtown building that has been remodeled to provide a coffee house for the community, and a place for care and ministry.
She talked about the resolutions passed by the conference. The first two were included in the Book of Reports, and were introduced last year, and had to do with the inclusion of women in ministry and leadership positions, and in the black churches. In Holston Conference, 5 of the 9 district superintendents are women, as is the bishop. She pointed out that among the CLC almost half are men, and half are women. The third resolution was controversial, that was introduced from the floor. Another one was substituted for it, the wording from the first one was changed. The conferences in the western part of the United States have had resolutions where they have spoken out against the traditional plan. The wording of the first resolution contained the word apologize. A second one was supported, the wording was changed, mainly to change the word from apologize to grieve. Linda provided a copy of the statement. It was 573 to 301 as the vote. The second one was the one that was passed.
Linda shared information about a covenant that everyone was asked to agree to and be a part of. She brought a copy of that. This was presented by District Superintendent Kim Goddard, who will be a delegate to the 2019 Conference. She read the covenant aloud to the council.
Linda plans on speaking about missions in the next meeting.
Ministry Report
Chuck is excited about the Children’s Church. He said he came to know Christ through Children’s Church and he is excited about how this program is being developed, and teaching the bible stories. He said this is one of the best ways a Children’s Church has been proposed.
Old Business
Attendance
Mike said there is an upward trend long-term in attendance, from a low average. He said it appears to be sustained, and to largely stem from the 8 a.m. service.
Benevolence Metrics
Not much change. Mike stated the big dollar months are November and December.
Worship Chair-Lynn Wright
Lynn said that last time everyone felt like they needed to understand better about Children’s Church, and the interaction between Children’s Church and what they might think about the timing of the worship times. She has not had a chance to speak to parents of the children, and would like to. She said Silvia has, and can defer to her. She said we can start with Silvia’s vision in a trial form without any change whatsoever. Lynn does believe based on her previous interviews and talking to parents of small children, they need to get them home before noon, particularly if they are very young. Lynn said changing the late worship time to at least 10:30 a.m would be supportive of Children’s Church. Vickey asked about how that would impact Sunday School. Lynn passed around a summary of the different times and schedule options that were previously put forward. There were five of them.
The report summarizes what would happen to Sunday School in each of the options. For the one she mentioned, it would not impact Sunday School. She said it would only impact break times, by shortening them. Either two 15 minute breaks or a ten and a 20 minute one. Linda said we need to make a decision about this. She said when Shelly researched a time change, many 11 a.m. attendees stated they would like a time change to 10:30 a.m. Silvia confirmed that Children’s Church would be taking place during the late service. Linda suggested setting the date out a little bit, and state this is when we will start, and talk to the congregation so that they have an opportunity to understand. She suggested starting this time change when Children’s Church begins, which is August 11. Mike asked if Lynn’s work team was ready to make a recommendation to one of the five time change options? Lynn said her work team agreed to have the council make the decision, as their job was to present the options. She said she would be satisfied with any of the time changes proposed. As she spoke it became apparent that option 1 on the list might be the favored one. Option 1 has 8-9 a.m. for the first service, with a 10 minute interval, Sunday School from 9:10-10:10 a.m., break and fellowship as well as choir rehearsal would be 20 minutes, and the late service would be from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Chuck worked out the times on a board. He said the first service is about 45 minutes and everyone could keep to this. He said to go to 8-8:45 a.m., with a start to Sunday school at 9-10 a.m. There would be a half an hour break before starting the second service at 10:30 a.m. He is trying to avoid starting on the 10’s and the 15’s because it is more difficult to make it work. He has tried it before in other settings and said everyone always falls to the times ending in a zero. Mike said this option is very practical and Wayne said it was very good from a choir perspective. Mike stated that this option gives a very good established Sunday School time. He asked Silvia if jumping to 10:30 a.m. would work for Children’s Church? She said yes. Mike stated that the first Sunday after Labor Day is September 8. Chuck said this is a fairly easy transition. Silvia stated that starting Children’s Church on August 11 at 11 a.m. , then moving to 10:30 a.m. at a later date is fine with the Children’s Church. Mike said that it is important to communicate the information, and that the CLC endorses it.
Becky said it is nice to have a 30 minutes break. Mike said Linda is right, it is important to act and stop analyzing. Wayne said that in Lynn’s study about time changes a large part of the 11 a.m. crowd favored an earlier meeting time. Mike said it is an easy sell, but we need to be deliberate, and visible as leaders of this congregation. Chuck said you can’t force people to be where they don’t want to be, even if other people would like to have them there. Linda said in the study of the services the 8 a.m. attendance is steadier than 11 a.m. Bobby said John is right, there are two separate congregations in our church. Lynn said that there are some in the 8 a.m. crowd that are not opposed to attending a later time, but they would like to meet earlier than 10:30 a.m. Missy said change is hard and that this is a first step, and a smaller change. Perhaps another change could come later. Chuck said the driver on combining the services was an energy level thing. He said we don’t fix the problem by combining services, we fix the problem by drawing new people into the church. He said the focus is in the right place, and bring in new people. Linda pointed out that Silvia may need volunteers from the earlier service for Children’s Church.
Missy asked if it was time to make a motion for a change in time, beginning in September, seconded by Bill. Mike said to be specific about the date. Missy asked if it was because of communication that the change couldn’t begin on August 11? Chuck said it should not be a problem to start earlier, so long as communication could be done earlier. Missy suggested that perhaps someone from the CLC could talk to congregation each Sunday about the change in time. Mike agreed, and said that it was important to hear from different CLC members. Linda suggested having someone from each of the Sunday School classes communicate this. Mike asked the benefit of doing this sooner rather than later. Bobby said that there would only be two weeks to communicate if the time changes occurred on August 11. He said people are on vacation, and getting ready to go back to school. Silvia would rather not have the time change tied to Children’s Church, as this program is already introducing a change everyone would need to get used to. After some discussion it was decided that it was better to introduce the time change in September.
Missy motioned to introduce the time change, section 1A with minor adjustments suggested by Chuck on 9/8, seconded by Bill Hughes. The motion was approved.
Yard Sale
Wayne said in the minutes there was a suggestion that the yard sale be discontinued after this year. He saw no evidence that it was voted on, but he asked a member of the committee why the suggestion was made, and they told him it was because there was no one to run it. Wayne said the yard sale began in 2004, and that it has become an important source of revenue for the church. He said he’s been involved every year. He said it typically brought in 40-50 people as volunteers, and fellowship. He sees many values in keeping the yard sale, for example funds from a past sale paid for all the kitchen equipment. He said the sale also worked with the Health Fair in the past, and stated that the Fair was a great outreach ministry too.
He said this topic needs to be clarified. Wayne volunteered to run it the sale with the support of the Lamplighter’s class, starting next year. He proposed to continue having the yard sale as an outreach in the church.
Bobby moved to allow the Lamplighters to take over running of the yard sale, seconded by Missy.
Chuck said he is not against the yard sale, but has some concerns. He said the value of the space used by items for storage is keeping other things from happening in that space. He asked if there is anything else that can be done with the items? Mike said once programs are in place, with planning, visions, and financing, then these items could be moved off site. Wayne reminded that the church has been renting a storage unit for years. Chuck said there may be an opportunity cost program. Vickey said the yard sale brings many people in from the community. Chuck said the large space is very valuable, and that the space could be used as an important part of the Children’s Program. He thinks the vision is already taking shape. He said as the yard sale continues we may need to get ahead of the storage issue. Bobby said an issue is that there is no heat and air upstairs. Chuck said we don’t need to attack the yard sale, that is not what he is about. The cost of using that much square footage is expensive. Chuck asked about the square footage of the building and the building cost. Wayne said the building is over 20,000 square feet and cost 1.4 million. He said only 10,000 of it was developed. He said there was a plan on the table to study it years ago, and a plan was drawn, but the plan did not come to fruition. He said get on with that vision first, then address the storage issue. It was estimated in 2004 that it would be about $400,000 to put in the heat and air. He said he suspects that has more than doubled. Wayne said there is a great lack of storage in the building. Chuck said it is just a bigger issue that will need to be dealt with eventually.
Bobby motioned to continue the Annual Yard Sale, hosted by the Lamplighters, seconded by Missy. The motion was approved.
Mike motioned to adjourn, seconded by Missy. The motion was approved.
CLC
June 18, 2019
Present: Becky Woody, Chuck Griffin, Bob VanNorman, Linda Monk, John Drake, Pam Hutchinson, Gerry Hallcox, Dave Beeson, Bobby Jackson, Bill Hughes, Missy Richardson
Not in Attendance: Mike Beard, Sandra White
Also in Attendance: Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring, Wayne Tipps, Wendy Williams, Roxanne Cabrera (video)
Chuck opened with prayer.
May Minutes
John said a change was needed regarding the motion made about the church Facebook page. One change was to clarify that UM News should be changed to the United Methodist News Service, to clarify. He said another sentence should be changed to better get to the point of what was meant. It should read “proposed postings to Luminary’s Facebook page related to human sexuality will continue to be rejected.”
Linda tried to clarify that riding the elevator alone when no one is in the building is of consequence. The elevator failed twice, the phone in the elevator will only call Kone operator (out of state), the Kone operator calls out a repairman in Knoxville who drives to Luminary. Previous cost was $1100. Cell phones will probably not work in the elevator. So if there is no one in the building there is no one to help get the stranded person out of the elevator. A sign will be posted.
Correction: Wendy had attended the May meeting.
Bill motioned, seconded by Bob to accept the minutes as corrected.
Arts Camp
Roxanne joined the meeting by video. She is planning on having different sessions throughout each day of camp. There will be assessment meeting after the first day to talk about what the campers are interested in. Roxanne has created a volunteer schedule; Betty has a copy in the office and sent it around the table so that any CLC members interested could sign up.
Roxanne also had questions about the budget. She mentioned that Stephen had been compensated last year and would like to be compensated again this year for working at the camp.
Chuck had looked into having a professional painter come in to teach some of the kids attending camp. He said that he would need to contact the woman that teaches within the next day or two. It would work out to be about $900 dollars if there were at least 40 kids. They would schedule a block for it on Wednesday.
Vacation Bible school has some funds in place according to Betty. She said the total for last year was around $1600. She said that included expenses for food. She said there is some money from the yard sale that has not been designated elsewhere.
Missy recommended taking money from yard sale funds. Bob suggested that there should be a sit-down session to bring a cost to the table, and then to vote on it. He didn’t want to vote on it without some planning first. Linda Monk agreed. Chuck suggested dropping the painting component if it is a major concern. There is still the need to pay Stephen. Betty said there is an approved budget line, and Bob asked if we knew the cost? Roxanne said she thought Stephen’s pay was $900 last year. The overall budget was $1600 last year. Chuck said we may not hit that high of a total as the camp is only going on for a week this year. Roxanne said most expenses will be for Stephen’s services, meals, and arts supplies. She has some resources from her classroom and will also get items at Dollar Store. There is $750 in the budget for camp, with an additional donation of $350.
Roxanne said because we won’t know the total number of children until the morning of arts camp, it is difficult to give an estimate for the art teacher. Roxanne has a list of crafts she will be having the kids do. She said she has a few activities that she would love for people to do together.
Roxanne has most activities at 20 minutes. A tentative schedule for camp week created by Roxanne was passed out to the CLC. There are different rotations of activities. She will have simpler things for younger kids, with games.
Roxanne has resources for music as she teaches music for middle school. Chuck asked if there were any questions?
Bob made a motion to transfer $800 from yard sale over the $1000 already in the budget, to cover any additional expenses for camp. John Drake seconded.
By consensus the motion was approved.
HR
There is a new nursery worker, Tammy Narramore. She started two weeks ago and is safe sanctuary trained. John said they are looking into CPR training for her and basic first aid. Missy wants to try working with a paid worker and a volunteer worker at this time.
Youth
Tomorrow is the BBQ Dinner and Dessert Auction. 90 invitations were sent out for it. The youth may do a hike later in the summer.
Outreach
Outreach met on June 10 in a special meeting. They discussed helping Ashley Williams and discussed about there being a missions account with funds in it. There is also the benevolence account. The Outreach Committee were aware that they could help her with funds from the missions account but were uncertain if they could transfer funds over from the Benevolence account. They decided that it was a good idea to support Ashley, as it is in line with the mission of Outreach.
They also discussed 2018 in expenses. Bob said there are a few things that won’t be on there from a budget standpoint, such as Angel Tree, because it is a break even, and receives funds from donations. Holiday baskets was a big issue. In 2017 $4300 was spent, in 2018 it was over $5000. For two years it averages $4600. Bob projected spending $8,000 for the year, and the General Benevolence fund has $22,000. He said the budget needs changed or find better ways to use the funds. Betty reminded everyone that the Outreach Committee was going to remind people this summer that they can donate through the year to holiday baskets to alleviate pressure at holiday time, and that holiday baskets are combined with Angel Tree, so that they support each other. Bob said they are setting up a new account for the food pantry since they are spending more. They spent $1600 last year.
Bob got a quote from a local company about an electronic church sign from a company called Value Signs in Oak Ridge for $17,000, which is turnkey with training. He got a quote from another company in Seattle, with local representation for $16,000. He mentioned offering license plates to church members, which has been discussed before. He needed to know if it was an okay to go ahead and put out sign-up sheets if someone wants any. No minimum order is needed. The money from license plates would go toward the church sign.
Betty asked where the money would come from to pay for the sign. Bob suggested yard sale for some, but the entire total would not come from that account. He said there would need to be a fundraiser to secure the rest of the money. Chuck asked if the sign has any permanent features, such as personal logos, with a United Methodist branding. Bob said the features of the current sign would still be there, with the current logo. He said the sign would be similar to the electric sign at the Baptist church in Harriman. Becky suggested doing some additional research, to check out the local company’s work. Missy asked about maintenance on the sign. Dave had checked with South Harriman Baptist Church that used Value Signs for their electronic sign, and they told Dave there was very little maintenance.
Trustee
Dave reminded the council about the vultures having eaten away at the rubber around the stack outside. Dave has not seen any water coming through. The damage had been caulked by Robbie and his company. It will not last forever and will require maintenance. A new pipe and boots are needed.
Betty said the new elevator permit has come in and has been posted. The propane for next year has been taken care of.
Linda Monk’s Report about Annual Conference
Linda read her report from Annual Conference. She felt more confident this year, as it was her second time attending. She took the mission offering of $331 for the opiate crisis. The total offering for the conference was $129,733. A speaker by the name of Tim Hilton was there to talk about opiate abuse, and how someone becomes addicted. He spoke about it being an ongoing addiction for the rest of the person’s life. There is a small window when someone may want to change, and the church needs to learn to recognize when that window occurs. A woman by the name of Stephanie Struner shared numbers, and the need for faith communities and churches to get a more comprehensive approach of helping people. She said more than five people die every day because of opiate addiction in the Holston Conference. Linda said we may be able to get Tim Hilton’s presentation, or some of the others’ presentations on dvd if we wanted small groups to see them.
Luminary contributed 24 health kits for the Hands on Mission. The total cost was $422.51. We received $300 in donations from the congregation, so $122.51 was used from General Missions. There was a total of 9,422. Some of the medical kits are already on their way to Africa. The value of the kits was $222,131. She delivered the kits to Sweetwater UMC. Linda met a woman named Greer Heatherly there with a group that visits a storage facility in Louisiana that also inspects the kits. Linda said Rick and Kathi Matthews did the shopping for the kits, and Wendy and the youth put them together.
Laity and clergy delegates and alternates were selected. Linda is preparing a list with bios that she will make available at a later time. It is a younger delegation selected this year. There was a resolution for a closure of 8 churches in the district, and a moment of silence for the closing of Hiwassee College. Services for the recognitions of retirees, ordination, commissioning and memorials took place. Carol Russell was a member of the retirees, who attends here.
Chuck thanked Linda. She had not only attended but volunteered to be a teller.
Finance
Betty said the bottom line is better. Next month will not be so good. Propane was bought for the year and a quarter of the insurance payment came out. June is usually an expensive month.
Update from Chuck
Chuck is on vacation the week of July 4. He said that the Sunday of that week could be a singing service with appropriate hymns for the time of year. Chuck asked if everyone would want to roll those two services together that day since it is a singing service. Roxanne can handle the service. After discussion, it was decided that was a good idea. Announcements will go ahead and go out about the service. It will be at 11 a.m. on July 7.
Old Business
Worship Committee Presentation
(from special meeting on May 30)
Missy said the report was well done from what she could see, and that a lot of work went into it. Becky received 4 responses for feedback on the report. Becky read a note from Sandra. The note stated that communication needs to be done better between CLC and the congregation, including letting everyone know that a six-month research project was projected. She cautioned to make sure people knew that the CLC was not making any decisions lightly and without much consideration.
Linda stated that she not opposed to whatever was ultimately decided but does not like the feeling of separation that exists. She said changes should be made to feel more unified. She said if two services continues the time should be shortened between the services, and between the services and Sunday School, so that if would give more of a sense of unity if everyone was together. Bob asked, if we combine, do we lose members? He said we are losing more members than we are gaining. Lynn said she thought very few would leave if services combined, based on her research. John said attendance has been low, particularly at 11 a.m. Attendance at 11 a.m. has been in the 60s on some Sundays.
John said that trend of decline has been going on for a while, it is obvious by looking at Mike’s metric chart. John said he fears the human sexuality issue will be working against us, and it may get a little worse before it gets better. He said we can’t have a service with 30, then a service of 60, and was concerned about how it would appear to visitors coming in. They would wonder what was wrong. He said that eventually this would need to be looked at. He agreed that Sandra had a good point about communication.
Pam is in favor of retaining a worship service at 8 a.m. It is what brought her here many years ago. Lynn commented that whatever was decided in this meeting, there needs to be a communication with the congregation, particularly in the next newsletter. She agreed with Sandra about needing better communication. Sandra had also suggested, not in writing, to have a meeting where the congregation is invited to specifically talk about the service times, combining or not, and let their opinions be heard, and that nothing is being considered lightly. Linda said let them be aware we are considering the congregation’s thoughts and experiences. She said to let the congregation know that the CLC is struggling with the decision and ask them for their prayers and insight. If things are changing, how are they changing? If things change, do I want to be here, or not be here? It’s not something that can be done quickly.
Missy asked if it was hard to make a decision to go from one service to two when that decision was made long ago? Bobby said no, as the crowds were so large. Dave said many people are not willing to stand up and voice their opinion, that it would be better to let people vote by anonymous ballet. Bill said he came here for the first time on an Easter Sunday and said that the church was packed. He said that the combined service with the larger congregation had that same energy. If there was an open meeting with people from both services, he said to ask what a solution could be to developing a children’s ministry, and any other problems there are in having two services.
Betty said she felt like the group was good about talking to people, but she stated that there are people that wanted to have their opinion heard. She said by combining services they didn’t take away anyone’s particular service, they took away everyone’s and combined it. Everyone made a sacrifice. She said that was never really brought out. Since people have such strong statements and opinions, she said people need to be given the opportunity to speak. Gerry suggested having an anonymous ballot. He said we won’t know until we do something like that.
Wayne said there is a stronger feeling of wanting to stay in the 8 a.m. crowd vs the 11 a.m. crowd. He stated we will lose people if we move to one service. He agreed with Linda, about cutting down time between services. He said there was too much dead time between services. He was concerned that we would lose people if we moved to one service.
Bobby asked if the issue was two services or staffing. Becky said there is no staffing problem at 8 a.m. Bobby suggested moving Sunday School to a different time, and the service to 10:30 a.m. Becky asked if there was a way to summarize the information from the worship report so that it can be presented to the congregation. She said if everyone could see each side’s reasons it might help. She wasn’t sure if the plan was defined well enough to move on. There was no real clear path. Lynn agreed there is no clear path. Lynn said what she presented could be condensed to one page. Becky agreed, but to make sure they see how much work Lynn put in.
Becky asked if we should wait until the issue in the denomination has been more resolved. Chuck said there is a bigger issue happening than worship time. He said he has no great opinion on what is better. He said the bigger issue is reaching out to people. He said he will go along with setting the matter aside for now and moving on. He said he doesn’t know if changing worship time helps with reaching people. He said we need to commit as a group and as individuals about telling people about Jesus.
Becky reminded everyone about the desire for a Children’s Church, and that is where everyone is agreed. Chuck said to see about designing a way to bring in children’s time. He said there are more children at 8 than an 11. Lynn said having something before 11 would be better for families.
Gerry suggested having Children’s Church at 10 a.m. Becky said to develop a plan first before Children’s Church rolls out. Silvia Mende and Lynn are developing this. Silvia will likely order more books as resources, etc., and Lynn said she would like to have another service to go to as an adult, if Children’s Church is developed. Becky suggested focusing on the Children’s Church plan, and deferring the service times topic, as Children’s Church develops.
Missy said shortening the time, and putting a focus on Children’s Church is a good idea. Lynn will continue to work, and she asked if we could put an article in the newsletter about Children’s Time, and how to arrange the services to support it. She will send something out for the CLC by email first. Linda suggested having Children’s Church ready for back to school time.
Tax Exempt
Betty said we now have new Tax Exempt forms. They are now available to pick up for anyone that uses them.
Bill motioned to adjourn, seconded by Chuck.
CLC Meeting
May 21, 2019
Members Present:
Chuck Griffin, Becky Woody, Sandra White, John Drake, Linda Monk, Bill Hughes, Missy Richardson, Bobby Jackson, Bob VanNorman, Pam Hutchinson, Gerry Hallcox
Members Absent:
Dave Beeson, Mike Beard
Non Member Present:
Betty Kelly
Becky Woody called the meeting to order and asked Chuck to open with a prayer.
Chuck read a prayer from a prayer book.
Becky asked for any corrections to the March minutes. Sandra will ask Melissa to add the amendments that were made to the February minutes to the March minutes. Melissa did change the February minutes. Sandra made a motion to accept the minutes with the amendments, Missy made the 2nd, motion carried.
HR- John Drake provided a Human Resources Liaisons 2019. Each staff member has a lay person that will work with them throughout the year. First they will review job descriptions which will help with the evaluation process. This list will be updated in January-February as people rotate off.
Missy Richardson has a list of volunteers for the nursery for June. The list is complete for the 11 AM service and Melissa will post the names and phone numbers of the volunteers. Missy is still working on volunteers for the 8AM service. There is a need for someone in case there are visitors that have to take a child to the nursery in the middle of the service.
Missy did send information to TCAP with no results. Missy and John are still trying to find someone for the full time paid position.
Youth- Wendy reported that there were approximately 100 people at the Spring Fling with about 40 volunteers. Youth dessert auction is scheduled for June 19th with a bar-b-que dinner planned. Sandra will not be available but will check with Mike Hixson to see if he will volunteer to auction the desserts.
Outreach- Bob VanNorman submitted the proposed guidelines for outreach for approval. They were approved by all the members of the outreach committee.
Bobby Jackson questioned #4 (Propose to provide payments (utility etc) only to the company providing the service. Not to the individual) and stated that cash should never be given. Bob said that was why the guidelines are being set. Becky questioned if gift cards are kept on hand for emergency. Bob and Betty said no as gift cards would be like cash.
There was not a vote on the policy.
Bob praised Betsy Farr for the Midway High School Senior Project. A report was shared.
Charity Check is being used.
Bob and Betty will get together to reconcile the budget for Outreach.
Bob- License plates were mentioned then jumped to the sign. Cost of equipment for sign would be around $ 11,000.00 with total cost around $16,000.00. Obviously sale of license plates will not cover this. Bob recommended using the yard sale proceeds toward the sign and he suggested discontinuing the yard sale after this year. The space used for the yard sale prevents possible completion to the 2nd floor. Becky questioned when planning starts for the yard sale. Prep starts as soon as it is over. As of right now Rick and Cathie Matthews are do the prep work and Bob will run the actual yard sale.
As of now there is $ 7,923 in the 2nd floor completion designated fund. There is $ 7,000 left from the yard sale last year that could be used toward the new sign or as needed.
Completion of the 2nd floor would require new HVAC systems, sprinkler system for the 1st and 2nd floor. Total completion would be a big ticket item. No decision was made.
Trustees, Dave was not present. Betty did report that Spectrum was in and working. Chuck recommends not posting password on the walls.
Bobby Jackson said Nadine would like the plate that the Scholarship committee received be hung. Chuck and Wendy both offered to handle this.
Lay leader- Bobby Jackson didn’t have anything to report.
Lay leader to Annual Conference- Linda Monk. Annual Conference is May 9th-12th and the Special Offering is for the Opiod Epidemic. Hands on Mission is school kits for Liberia. Linda would like to do approximately 24 kits at an estimated cost of $25 each. She has asked the congregation and UMW for a donation toward this but would like CLC to agree to fund any remaining balance. Sandra made a motion to fund the kids out of the General Mission fund. Bob 2nd the motion. Motion carried without discussion.
Delegates for the 2020 General Conference will be elected at Annual Conference. Dates for General Conference is May 5th-15. Linda has downloaded the list of nominees and can share with anyone interested. Becky requested a copy.
Linda would like to share the amount raised for UMCOR and thank the congregation. Betty thinks this was done, but will check.
Finance- Sandra White reported that giving was down for April and expenses up. The giving is inline with this time last year and there was 3 payroll period in April as well as the expense for the new freezer.
Sandra shared the giving report. There were 3 graphs based on the budget giving for last year. It was broke down into increments, number of households, total given and an average. Question was do we make this information available to all members or just this group. Bobby made a motion to make it available to all members, since there are no names on the report. Bob, as an accountant does not think anyone should be given a copy, if someone wants to see it, let them see it but not have a copy.
Chuck 2nd the motion. Motion passed with Bob abstaining.
Ministry Report- Chuck stated that he and Roxanne propose to have a Summer Christian Arts Camp on either June 17-21 or June 24-28; 9 AM – 3PM, with a preference for June 24-28. It would be a 3 part camp; Roxanne would have music, Chuck would have writing and 3rd part would be visual arts. They are still looking for someone to handle the 3rd part. There would be lunch, snacks and playtime each day.
They learned last year there was not enough expertise for just a music camp.
Becky suggested looking into Painting with a Twist or something similar.
Chuck made a motion that the CLC approve a Summer Christian Arts Camp on June 24th-28th, 9-3. Bill Hughes 2nd the motion, motion passed without discussion.
Becky reminded everyone of the special called CLC meeting for May 30th at 6 PM. The propose of the meeting is to review Lynn Wrights report. There will not be any other business discussed at this meeting.
Old Business- Mike Beard was absent
New Business- Facebook and Church Website – John Drake reported that as of now the policy for Facebook is to keep all information regarding the human sexuality issue off of the Facebook site. The Call, The Holston Conference Newsletter, the United Methodist News Servcie and UMC.org all have articles and information related to this issue.
Members have posted comments and links, which have been deleted and has upset some people.
Bobby agrees that all members need to be educated, as it is an issue that we will be faced with in the coming years. Bill said if we don’t provide the information national news will pick and choose what to report.
Chuck stated that all post now have to be reviewed before they are add to page. This is done by him or Melissa. Issues and decisions facing the church do not need to be played out on social media.
John made a motion that Chuck will add a link to the Facebook page and Website “If you are looking for information on human sexuality and the UMC” with a link to UMnews. There will also be a statement that all inflammatory post will not be posted.
Bill 2nd the motion, motion carried without further discussion.
Becky asked if there was a written policy in place now? John said not really there was just a procedure that was followed. Becky asked “have we done enough”.
Linda shared Bob Monk’s concern about people riding the elevator when there were in the building alone and suggested we ask people not to use the elevator when alone. Chuck suggested posting signs on the elevator doors “Not wire to ride when alone”.
There is a working phone in the elevator.
Bob made a motion to adjourn, 2nd by Bill.
CLC
March 19, 2019
Present: Chuck Griffin, Becky Woody, Sandra White, Dave Beeson, Linda Monk, Mike Beard, Missy Richardson, Pam Hutchinson, Gerry Hallcox, Bobby Jackson, Bill Hughes, Bob VanNorman
Also in Attendance: Wayne Tipps, Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring
The meeting opened with a prayer.
Minutes
Several amendments were made to the February minutes. Sandra White moved to approve the minutes with the amendments, seconded by Missy Richardson. By consensus the minutes were approved with amendments.
Human Resources/SPR
Lee sent a resignation to Becky effective immediately. He asked to stay on the CLC as an at-large member if a replacement could be found on the council. Chuck approached John Drake on behalf of the Lay Leadership team to take on the role of SPR chair. There were no candidates available that were already on the council.
In the future it is hoped to have a future candidate for a chair position shadow an existing chairperson in order to make the transitions smoother. Lee was informed that John Drake had been recommended as SPR chair by the Lay Leadership team.
Becky presented the recommendation of John Drake as SPR chair to the council and requested approval. The approval was granted with no opposition.
Youth Activities
The younger children are having a movie time on March 31. Spring Fling is coming up on April 20. An outreach flyer will be sent out before that time.
Outreach
Bob VanNorman presented an update. There is a core group of nine people working in outreach, with several people in advisory roles. The first meeting of the committee voted Bob in as chairman. They looked at the major short-term goals, including developing rules for giving, how exceptions to those rules would be handled, creating a budget for each group, and who would run each of the groups, including running the food pantry and handling holiday baskets.
A meeting took place earlier in the day, regarding something Linda Monk will speak about later, with the outreach groups’ approval.
The outreach group is looking into using Charity Check, a program that will allow the church to keep track of what is given, and to contact other churches. There is also a tool that will help the church to know where to send people if there is a need that is not offered here. It is $180 for the year and will help with record keeping as well.
Linda Monk spoke about March 31 being UMCOR Sunday. This is the group that distributes the flood buckets. The offering that will be collected on the 31st is for administrative cost and advertising for UMCOR. Linda asked if it was agreeable with the CLC to present this request. The outreach committee recommends this to the CLC. Becky asked for approval of the recommendation from the CLC. All were in favor of the recommendation.
Trustee
The freezer was installed. It was $2395, instead of the $2500 that was expected. Betty brought to Dave’s attention an internet and phone deal that Charter Spectrum was offering. It will cut the internet and phone bill in half. Right now the church is paying around $145 per month, and with Spectrum it would be $64.88. The trustee committee met to discuss this plan and are recommending a change in internet and phone provider from AT&T to Spectrum, provided they will give the same set up as now. The plan price is guaranteed for two years. Bob VanNorman mentioned that AT&T may match the price for up to a year, as he as personally had this happen recently.
Betty mentioned that the church will have to keep AT&T for the landline in the elevator. This is a separate bill already.
Becky asked if further research needed to be done. Dave made a motion to approve this plan, seconded by Mike. By consensus the recommendation was approved.
Tom, the former groundskeeper, has returned to working for the church.
Ministry Report
Chuck confirmed that there will be joint holy week services with Shiloh Baptist. Holy Thursday and communion will take place at Shiloh, with Chuck preaching, and Good Friday will take place at Luminary with Adrian, the pastor from Shiloh preaching. Each music team from the respective churches will handle home base. Each service will take place at 7 p.m.
Easter Sunday the sunrise service will take place at 7 a.m., with another service at 11 a.m. It will be more musically inclined.
Chuck and Roxanne are planning for another camp this summer. It may be an arts camp in order to expand what can be offered. The days and time the camp take place may be shorter than last year. A family introduced to the church by the music camp last year have recently begun attending.
The church name will be displayed on the Midway Youth League uniform. Chuck is personally taking this on.
Finance
The church is in line with the trend from the past few years regarding giving and expenses. The giving and expense breakdown outlines what the current trend is. Sandra received a request from someone in the congregation, they wanted a list of contributions, minus anyone’s name. She discussed it with Chuck, and she is going to create a step, how many people are giving on this step, and so forth. Chuck said that the stair step thing is done by a lot of churches during fundraising time. People can see the commitment of people giving to the church and can sometimes be inspired. It is best done in conjunction in reminder of what giving ten percent is. Mike suggested Sandra produce the list, show it to the individual that made the request, and then take it with her. Bob suggested Sandra produce the list and show it to the CLC first, and they will decide what to do from there.
Chair Report
Church Sign
Junior Morgan wrote in a couple suggestions, including having an electronic church sign. This idea had been examined by the CLC in the past. Mike Beard had researched the codes about having an electronic sign. In our zone, an electronic sign in allowed, but it cannot have motion. Bob VanNorman had been in contact with companies that produce electronic church signs. He had spoken to a BB Blackburn who has done signs for churches, and looked at the church sign, and found out what he would recommend. Blackburn quoted a price of $11000 in material, 4000 to install, including internet installation. All signs move. It is graphics vs a rolling screen. Rolling in a different line of text at 60 seconds would keep it out of violation. He quoted a total of $16500.
This came up after Junior had made the suggestion about the license plates, and what to do with the license plates. Bob had some license plates made up with the church name on it and distributed it to the 8 o’clock class. Junior said he had at least fifteen people committed, at twenty-five dollars. Bob asked where Junior wanted the money to go, and Junior had mentioned the sign, which is how Bob got involved. Bob asked everyone to think about it, his proposal is to establish a fund of $16500, with the license plates as the kickoff for a fundraiser, and he would volunteer with Junior to lead this. He proposed to bring it up again next month.
Who Do I Ask List
Junior proposed updating a list that was used in the past called the Who Do I Ask, containing names of people that had been over various functions in the church. Becky said that it is helpful to know who to go to. Bob raised concerns about having people’s phone numbers on a public list. People working in Outreach have been harassed at times if people have learned their phone numbers. Bob volunteered to speak to Junior.
Sandra said he likely meant it to go out to people in the church, and Missy suggested simply having the person’s name only, and the church number listed. Becky asked what answer to give to Junior regarding the contact. Bob did not wish to have outreach volunteers listed.
When this list came out it was needed as a list of contact names were not as easily able to be listed online, etc.
Service Time Change
It was brought up in the last meeting that the research about a possible service time change is still ongoing. Lynn Wright had volunteered to do research about it and is working on a thorough report. Becky asked if a service time change was still something everyone was interested in, and if research into it was something that needed to be continued. Sandra pointed out that this research was not only being done to determine if there would be a service time change, but also to better carry out combined services.
Becky asked if we were looking at a formal presentation of the information presented soon, or if there was support that could be offered. Lynn and everyone helping her has contacted people in both services, visitors, etc. and asked them their opinions on music and more. The report she is working on is reportedly very long and thorough. There is no formal time frame for the report to be made.
Mike suggested inviting Lynn to the next meeting and ask for a report on what she has found so far. Becky will email Lynn about her ideas on a timeline. It was decided that hearing her report is important before any decisions are made.
Metrics
Mike presented the metric information containing information about outreach and attendance. Total benevolence spending for 2016: 11000, 2017: 17000, 2018: 15000, 15000 for the past 12 months. The metrics graph is included in the minutes. Mike said you present data because it generates questions. The benevolence graph reports how the funds are dispersed. It is strictly expenditures.
The metrics present the long term data.
Nursery
Missy spoke about searching for a nursery worker. She has four volunteers, but is in need of more. She has reached out to TCAT, Tennessee College of Applied Technology, to see if there is anyone that might be interested in working. She will turn it back over to the SPR once she receives some resumes. She needs a job description for TCAT, and likely a background check will be conducted.
Missy said she was looking around the website, and suggested putting up the youth and children’s activities on a regular basis, and volunteered to help with that.
Sandra motioned to adjourn the meeting.
CLC Meeting
February 26, 2019
Present: Chuck Griffin, Melissa Richardson, Becky Woody, Mike Beard, Bill Hughes, Bobby Jackson, Lee Garrott, Dave Beeson, Bob VanNorman, Gerry Hallcox, Linda Monk, Sandra White
Also in Attendance: Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring, Wendy Williams
Chuck opened the meeting with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Mike asked for a change under Old Business regarding the metric. This change was applied.
Missy Richardson motioned to approve as amended, seconded by Dave Beeson.
By consensus the motion was approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources/SPR
HR met on February 5 and discussed the pastor selection process. The subsequent report was forwarded to the DS.
A search is still ongoing for nursery workers. Church members have filled in where possible. The Sunday School Superintendent is assisting in the search. Missy met with Candi Hutchinson and Melba Levy. They recommended she speak with Bob VanNorman about how the usher plan works. This plan might somehow be adapted for nursery workers. If someone approaches Missy about the position she would refer back to HR. A family attended recently that needed use of the nursery. The council discussed the need for at least two workers.
Both Lee and Linda attended the training session held recently in Athens.
Youth Activities
Spring Fling/Easter Egg Hunt is on April 20. Wendy reported that 7 kids and 2 adults attended Resurrection. She currently has an average of 10 youth attending weekly meetings. She discussed a joint venture with the youth and young adults coming up, but had no other details at this time. She is in the midst of planning a mission trip.
Outreach
Linda read the outreach report for January.
Trustees
The trustees have picked out a new freezer. Dave brought the information about it as a recommendation to the CLC, and for approval to move forward on purchasing. The price is just under $2500 before shipping.
Dave requested approval to purchase the freezer, seconded by Lee.
By consensus the request was approved.
Dave asked about requesting donations to help cover the cost of the freezer. Sandra recommended informing people the item has been purchased and letting them know they can donate if they wish. The council discussed using funds from the general budged to purchase the freezer.
The former groundskeeper, Tom, has moved back to the area, and has stated that he is available to return to his former position. He was paid at a rate of $140 per visit. Dave Beeson will call Tom and ask him to return. He will also contact the groundskeeper that worked at the church last year to let him know.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference
Linda is not able to attend the General Conference debriefing meeting on March 3 in Athens. She asked that other CLC members attend to represent the church. This meeting is an open event. Lee, Susan, Betty and Chuck said they would make an effort to attend.
Lay Leader
Bobby Jackson reported that there were 8 or 9 people that attended the Prayer Service on Saturday. He said the service went well.
Finance
Income and expenses were down in January, which is typical for that time of year. Sandra, Bob VanNorman, Susan Garrott, Denise VanNorman, Rick and Kathi Matthews, Linda Jones, and Betsy Farr to try and form a new outreach committee, to set guidelines and budgets for spending, and to explore new outreach opportunities. There was a request for more detailed records on individual people receiving assitance. There was a spreadsheet kept years ago, but has not been updated in about five years. Bob had received a lot of information from Susan. He said Susan has agreed to remain as chair.
Sandra met with Denise VanNorman, Sherri Burnette and Kathi Matthews to talk about the budget for Angel Tree and Holiday Food boxes. They talked about combining the money into one fund. They talked about ideas for raising money, and they will follow through on that. There is a fear of loss in support in food boxes. There are not as many people buying a food box during the holidays.
Dedicated Funds
Sandra discussed what the general funds are and what dedicated funds are. Dedicated funds are used for specific items. Combining Angel Tree and Holiday food boxes may be combined into one dedicated funds so that the money can be used for any of those items as needed.
Betty said that if any committee member wanted a more detailed financial report on a monthly basis to simply let her know.
The dedicated funds had been streamlined several years ago.
Sandra said it is $2500 to start a new dedicated fund, and it must have a plan to continue funding.
Attendance
Mike has provided a metric graph that presents attendance information.
General Conference 2019
The traditionalist plan with amendments passed. Amendments were being addressed during the last day of General Conference. At the time of the CLC meeting the discussion was still ongoing.
Old Business
Update on Worship Attendance Metric
The metrics present the history, both for attendance and benevolence. The information is presented in both tabular and graphical form. Becky asked how the information presented was making people feel. Metrics present the facts.
New Business
Combined Service
Lee reminded that last year at this time the council discussed the summer service time. He said it would be a good idea to be thinking about it, as a decision would be needed soon so planning can begin. Last year it was discussed to begin thinking about it during the spring.
Lynn Wright has been researching the best way to do things if the services are combined. She has a lengthy report that she has been working on. She is working on summarizing it. She may be asked to come to the next meeting to report.
Metrics
Mike asked do we need a motion to include metrics in the minutes from now on.
Chuck motioned to include it in the minutes, seconded by Lee.
The motion passed by consensus, and the metrics will be added to the minutes.
Lee moved to adjourn the meeting at 7 p.m.
CLC Meeting
January 15, 2019
Present: Becky Woody, Missy Richardson, Linda Monk, Mike Beard, Gerry Hallcox, Dave Beeson, Bill Hughes, Chuck Griffin, Pam Hutchinson, Bob VanNorman, Bobby Jackson
Absent: Lee Garrott, Sandra White
Also in Attendance: Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring
Chuck opened the meeting with a word of prayer.
Becky greeted new CLC members, Dave Beeson, Bob VanNorman and Gerry Hallcox.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Mike suggested having more clarity on the attendance reported in the minutes, presenting data, refer to the metric data. With a few corrections, Missy made a motion to approve, seconded by Dave.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources/SPR
Becky read an email from Lee, who is currently in Florida. He stated that while SPR did not formally meet, team mates are formulating their responses to the superintendent’s questions on the pastoral selection form individually, so that they might complete the process in a timely manner in the February 2019 meeting.
Youth Activities
The young adults recently attended the Passion Conference in Atlanta. Missy reported that her son Will had a good time. Resurrection is coming up towards the end of the month.
Outreach
Linda read the outreach report from Susan. She asked for suggestions about ways to dispense visitor bags in an easier way. She tries to discreetly hand out bags before worship when she notices there is a visitor. She also said it was important to make sure we are following up with visitors.
Mike asked how the Food Pantry items are acquired. It is through donations, and sometimes it is purchased using Benevolence funds. Luminary has also been the recipient of the Kingston Post Office Food Drive the past few years.
Trustees
The propane ran out recently, and when it does the gas valves stay open and there are leftover fumes from the pipes, which explains the gas smell in the church recently. The regular driver for Tellico Propane left his position and the new driver is still learning the route. He will now check the tanks recently, as will someone at the church. We now have propane.
We bought another 1800 gallons of propane, and we had had a surplus that normally rolled over, but it did not this time. The money was refunded to the church account.
The vacuum cleaner broke down and could not be fixed. A new one was purchased for the custodian.
The replacements for the outside lights have been purchased and will be put in place when the weather improves. There is also a new spotlight for the flag.
John Kelly knows where to purchase items for vent repair. Someone will need to tear into the drywall to check.
A repair person had come by to check out the freezer. He said he couldn’t replace the compressor. The compressor needs replaced, along with valves, and would need freon. Dave reported that this would cost between $1500-1800, as well as the cost of labor. He looked around and the price to buy a new freezer costs around $2,000-2800. He consulted with John Kelly, and John thought it would be better to replace it, rather than paying for the part and labor.
Becky inquired about looking into finding a local person that could do repairs now, or in the future.
The council discussed whether it was best to bring a big item to the CLC to decide, or to the trustee sub-committee. Becky asked if we should set up a policy on how to handle this type of request. She asked if this type of request should continue to be brought to the council. The group agreed it was the easiest way.
Becky suggested to Dave to get a better idea of the final cost, find a local repair person, and then to present a proposal.
Lay Leader to Annual Conference
Linda Monk had recently attended a conference meeting that allowed people to express their opinions on The Way Forward. She reported that the speakers were very prepared, and that several plans were discussed.
Finance
Betty presented statements for the end of the month. There are a few changes to be made, but the bottom lines will not change. She said we are up $4,857.67 in the Net Operating Fund from December 2017 to December 2018.
Ministry Support
Chuck discussed the Luminary UMC council list, as well as a history of how Luminary came to develop the CLC structure and how it functions. He provided written handout called “Procedure and Policy Statement for Luminary UMC.
CLC members come on for a span of three years. After they roll off they cannot come back on for at least a year, so that new people can come on. Having the CLC structure reduces the number of meetings.
Chuck spoke about Robert’s Rules of Order. He had several copies of the book and let the council members know they were welcome to take a copy. The CLC has referred to these rules since its inception. The council discussed many topics, such as the fact that the CLC chair does not sit on any other committees, the CLC normally functions by consensus, but if something does require a vote, a more formal way of handling an item can be done.
Becky asked if there was any interest in the training event coming up in February in Athens.
Old Business
Membership Information Update
An insert was placed in the bulletin asking for updated member information. Several updates have come in, and the insert ill continue to be periodically run.
License Plate
Bob VanNorman had looked into how much it would be to purchase a license plate that contained Luminary’s name, after the suggestion came from Junior Morgan last month. The cost would be around 25. Bob mentioned that he had looked at bumper stickers, and Chuck said he had noticed personalized stickers that could be placed on a car window. Becky suggested that Bob call Junior to see if he had meant to have a fundraiser related to the license plates, etc.
Attendance and Benevolence Metric, Holiday Food Baskets
Lee Cates and Mike Beard continue to work on putting together a benevolence and attendance metrics system. Mike wants to reflect the value of events, not the number of events.
One of the bits of information caught was that the cost of holiday benevolence items changed. The price was $4100 this year versus $4700 last year. Mike want to find out why through the metric system, in order to better report things.
Betty mentioned that this year Benevolence and Angel Tree now have separate funds. Becky mentioned that Sandra wants to do a mid-year notice that donations to holiday funds can be made throughout the year. There was also talk about moving the flood buckets to summer.
Mike said that he and Lee Cates would present not one month, but several months so that it would be easier to see a trend in attendance and spending, etc. He said it might be best to track it in dollar amounts.
Mike presented a chart for attendants in metrics, broken down into weeks. Becky stated that it is sometimes difficult for lay people to read that type of chart. Mike said the information could be presented as monthly/weekly averages. He asked if everyone would like to see monthly totals. Chuck said that it is best to look at worship attendance long-term.
New Business
Bobby Jackson mentioned a piece of property known as the Murray property is possibly available for purchase. It is a five acre plot of land located behind the cemetery. It is owned by a Ms. Linda Murray. It touches the current church property. He said it would probably cost around $40,000.
Sunday School Superintendent
Missy Richardson has accepted the role of Sunday school Superintendent.
Bob VanNorman motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:15 p.m.
December 11, 2018
Present: Chuck Griffin, Becky Woody, Sandra White, Missy Richardson, Bill Hughes, Mike Beard, Lee Garrott, Linda Monk, Sherri Burnette, John Tindall
Absent: Shelly Jones, Denise Van Norman, Pam Hutchinson
Also in Attendance: Bob Van Norman, Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring, Bobby Jackson, Lynn Wright, David Beeson
Chuck opened the meeting with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
With a few corrections, Sandra made a motion to approve, seconded by Missy.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
HR had concluded the staff salary adjustments in October. They met recently to discuss staff gifts. Lee received the annual District Superintendent’s letter to the SPPR/HR chair. The DS asks the chair to do a review of the pastor’s job performance, and asks that input from church members be considered, but not solicited. HR may try to meet between Christmas and the New Year.
Children’s Activities
There are ongoing plans for children’s events. Everything has been paid for.
Youth Activities
The Youth Silent Auction raised $2,412, which is the highest amount ever made. Wendy has events planned through April for the youth.
Outreach
Linda Monk read the outreach report for October and November.
Trustees
The bell in the bell tower (that can be pulled by hand), had become unhinged from its frame. Sherri had someone come out and fix it. The rope to pull it has been placed out of the way. It would be very costly to fix. Bobby Jackson said that it was a dinner bell. Betty suggested taking it down for display since it can’t be used. Dave Beeson estimated that it weighed around 200 lbs.
Two of the security lights have been replaced. There is a roof leak from the exhaust vents that buzzards pecked at. It is a small leak, and John Kelly is taking a look at it to determine the best course of repair. It needs a new seal, and then placing the vent cover back in place.
Finance
A giving and expense breakdown was presented; the church is below budget for this year. Many people are giving at the end of the year, which is a trend before taxes. The finance group met recently. A total of $284,000 was projected for 2018, $261,000 was spent.
The proposed budget for next year was presented. The budget included information such as salary proposals for next year. There is no nursery worker included; it is a paid position. Betty took what was already spent and projected what will be spent for the year, and included that information in a handout.
Lee asked about dedicated funds. Dedicated funds have minor dedicated funds under the majors.
Some of the increases to the budget are for salaries and utilities. We need to buy gas. Worship has asked for $500 extra for advertizing.
Sandra motioned to approve the 2019 budget, with the included salary increases, seconded by Mike Beard.
By consensus, the finance committee approved.
UMW
The UMW met recently for the first time in six months. The bills have continued to be paid. The group is going to try and meet quarterly in the evenings, and plan on doing “fun nights.” They want to try and do things for people locally. They are looking at meeting on the second Tuesday of the month.
Sunday School Superintendent
Someone is needed in the position of Sunday School Superintendent. The responsibilities include being a person that Sunday school teachers can approach in order to get materials for classes, decide how things will be paid for, etc. Chuck said that the position is structured so that the person does not have to be on the CLC, but can be if a member wanted to volunteer.
Sandra motioned to find someone for the role.
All approved.
Consultation
Chuck elaborated on what Lee had mentioned earlier about consultations with the DS. The pastor also meets with the DS in January. He will submit a form that contains his wishes.
CLC Chair Report
This is a new topic that is for the CLC chair to discuss things that come in. Becky discussed the Hiwassee District Training & Vision event coming up on February 10 in Athens. She discussed briefly the news on the Way Forward handout, on how the Way Forward will not impact the church’s foundation.
Becky proposed having a short orientation for the new CLC members coming on next year. This will take place at the beginning of January. She will email everyone after Christmas to see who might be interested.
New Business
Church Tracking/Metric Design
Analysis of Church Spending
Mike Beard presented an update on the metric tracking. Metrics allows you to focus on key things which can change, such as attendance and budget. He presented graphs on attendance and church budget. He encouraged everyone to think about the “whys.” He and Lee Cates have been working on the metrics for several months now. They looked at the Benevolence budget, working with Susan Garrott to identify important items.
Combining Services
Lynn Wright has been doing some research about the combination of worship services that was explored last summer. She spoke to a number of people both worship volunteers, and otherwise, all who have differing opinions. The biggest reason people felt uncomfortable about the summer trial is down to poor communication. It was felt that the final two services were a good representation of what could be achieved. Communication had improved at that point. Others polled expressed concern about what kind of activities can be done to reach children and families. More research will be done.
Other Business
Becky plans to put topics suggested by church members that want to discuss something under “other business.” Junior Morgan submitted some ideas about updating congregational telephone numbers. The council discussed various ways to do that. Bob Van Norman suggested creating an insert for the bulletin to request an update to members’ info.
Mike mentioned being sure to include on the insert the reasons behind the request. The intended purpose is to update church records. An eventual hard copy of updated information will be available upon request in the church office.
Bob motioned to create an insert, with a disclaimer, seconded by Lee.
By consensus the council approved.
There was also a suggestion from Junior to have a Luminary license plate. Bob Van Norman said he would look into it.
Missy suggested having a form, or putting something out so that people would know they can submit items to the CLC for discussion.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:21 p.m.
October 16, 2018
Present: Chuck Griffin, Linda Monk, Mike Beard, Sandra White, Denise VanNorman, Melissa Richardson, John Tindall, Shelly Jones
Absent: Lee Garrott, Sherri Burnette, Becky Woody, Bill Hughes, Pam Hutchinson
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring, Betty Kelly, Wendy Williams
Chuck opened the meeting with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Mike made a motion to approve, seconded by Linda.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
HR met and approved guidelines for hiring another nursery worker at a rate of $50 from 8 a.m.-noon. For the immediate future the volunteer program will stay in place.
Children’s Activities
Shelly reported that there were eleven children in attendance at a recent party at Becky’s home. Mike Beard presented a children’s study lesson. This Sunday there will be a meal and movie time with a message from Pastor Chuck.
Youth Activities
Trunk or Treat is coming up in two weeks and planning is well underway. The Silent Auction follows in November.
Children
The children have an event coming up in November. They will be participating in Trunk or Treat later this month. The movie night held at the church recently went well.
Outreach
Outreach met recently. Susan Garrott is open to the idea of another person or committee taking over for Yard Sale, as she has been over it for a long time.
Angel Tree interviews start on Thursday, and will be conducted for the next three weeks. Guidelines will be given out to the people interviewed, and the church works with other churches and agencies to make sure there are no crossovers on who applies for help.
The Clothes Closet could still use a few more volunteers. A new person visited the close closet recently because she saw it advertised in a recent flyer. She found clothing for her children for school.
There was some discussion of adding a small fee for the Clothes Closet items. This would cut down on the problem of people reselling, and help others who have a hard time asking for help.
Linda Monk read the most recent Outreach report.
BARNABAS GROUP
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards sent—15
Cards sent to Seniors and Shut-ins: 0
Calls: 1
Visits: 4
Visitor bags—0
Visitors—5 (does not include visiting family members or visitors to special Christmas services)
FOOD MINISTRY—MEALS (meals delivered for illness, surgery, shut-ins)
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered—8
FOOD PANTRY
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out—25
(bags of food weigh approximately 10 lbs. each)
CLOTHES CLOSET
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting clothes closet—31
UTILITY AND OTHER OUTREACH HELP
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity—2
Water: 0
Rent: 0
Lay Leader to Annual Conference
Linda mentioned that on November 4 there is an Evangelism Conference at Keith Memorial, and asked if anyone was interested.
There is an upcoming district training event at Keith Memorial, on Feb. 10.
Finance
Giving is up. Expenses are similar to what they were this time last year. Went from 10% under, to 8% under.
The final figure for the yard sale is $10,520.32.
Some funds have come in for the flood buckets and the holiday food baskets. Items are coming in for the flood buckets, and dates for when they are being assembled will be coming up soon.
Ministry
Attendance is still down, with and average of 115. It was at 126 at this time last year. New people are coming in, but not at a fast enough rate to make up for regular attendees moving to shut-in status, etc.
Work is taking place on a solid list of shut-ins.
There is a judicial council meeting in October. The Way Forward plans are up for discussion.
Charge Conference Paperwork
Charge Conference takes place soon. Chuck went over all the paperwork. The council discussed asking Gerry Hallcox to join the Trustee Committee, as well as SPR. The council approved it, and Pastor Chuck will ask him.
The council voted on approving the Charge Conference paperwork.
By consensus the matter was approved.
Old Business
Copyright
Mike Beard said that it is the responsibility of the congregation to assign this to the creator. There was discussion of excess benefit. If Chuck is given copyright privilege, and sales are high, the IRS could question the church.
Mike had reviewed Chuck’s paperwork from the lawyer Chuck contacted, and said that what he read was fair.
Mike motioned to approve Chuck’s request.
By consensus the council approved. Becky will sign the paperwork.
Church Tracking/Metric Design
Analysis of Church Spending
Mike Beard has been working with Lee Cates on tracking church spending using a metric system. He said a metric is a graph. He said it is good to track spending at the church in order to ask questions later. He and Lee will continue to track, and he will discuss this more at the next meeting.
Church Budget
The budget is being worked on, and the finance group plans on meeting soon. They asked to let them know if anything needs changed.
December Meeting
After some discussion the council agreed to hold the next meeting on December 11.
The meeting was adjourned at 7 p.m.
September 25, 2018
Present: Becky Woody, Sandra White, Melissa Richardson, Sherri Burnette, Linda Monk, Lee Garrott, Mike Beard, John Tindall, Shelly Jones, Chuck Griffin, Bill Hughes, Pam Hutchinson
Absent: Denise VanNorman
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring, Betty Kelly, Wendy Williams, Gary
Chuck opened the meeting with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Lee made a motion to approve, seconded by Sandra.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resource
HR met recently and discussed the pastor’s salary. The matter was passed to finance.
The pastor’s job review is complete, and other staff job reviews are in process.
A handout of the youth leader’s job description, and the youth program description was handed out. Neither document refers to younger children, or to a list of children’s activities. Nothing was changed in the program document, or job description.
HR asked the council if they would approve the job description, and move Wendy from interim, to permanent status as Youth Leader
Lee motioned to install Wendy as the official Youth Leader.
By consensus the motion was approved.
There has not been a nursery worker for the past three weeks. Lee has suggested looking for a group of rotating volunteers to work during each service, as well as Sunday School. Becky asked if there might be any younger women or older women in the community that could serve in the role. Lee recommends the volunteer approach, and plans on setting out a sign-up sheet and asking church members if they might be interested.
Children’s Activities
Shelly reported that there were eleven children in attendance at a recent party at Becky’s home. Mike Beard presented a children’s study lesson. This Sunday there will be a meal and movie time with a message from Pastor Chuck.
Youth Activities
Trunk or Treat is coming up on October 31. Wendy has started a weekly bible study for interested youth; right now there are four attending, with two more saying they will attend the next study.
The Silent Auction is coming up in November. Housing and tickets have been arranged for both the Passion Conference, and Resurrection.
The youth would like to go on a mission trip next summer. They hope the fundraisers will go well.
The council discussed moving Silent Auction/Thanksgiving Dinner/Veteran’s Recognition in November because the third Wednesday falls during Thanksgiving week. They discussed ideas about how to carry out the Thanksgiving Dinner. One idea is to ask Sunday schools classes to be in charge of a different food item. Sandra and Becky said they will speak with the Sunday Schools. Linda suggested asking people that don’t regularly attend Sunday School as well. They will consult with people that have been in charge of the Thanksgiving Dinner in the past.
The council decided to move all these activities to the 14th of November.
Outreach
Linda Monk read the most recent Outreach report. She mentioned that Linda Jones would like some help with outreach meal prep and delivery.
BARNABAS GROUP
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards sent—6
Cards sent to Seniors and Shut-ins: 14
Calls: 3
Visits: 3
Visitor bags—1
Visitors—6 (does not include visiting family members or visitors to special Christmas services)
FOOD MINISTRY—MEALS (meals delivered for illness, surgery, shut-ins)
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered—6
FOOD PANTRY
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out—20
(bags of food weigh approximately 10 lbs. each)
CLOTHES CLOSET
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting clothes closet—29
UTILITY AND OTHER OUTREACH HELP
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity—1
Water: 1
Gas/Food Card for someone with relative in UT hospital: 1
Gasoline for someone’s car: 1
Rent: 0
Special Food: 1
Way Forward/Conference
Linda Monk mentioned that the best places to find information about the Way Forward, including a schedule of district discussions or the Conference is to look at “The Call” publication, released by the Holston Conference, or the Methodist News Digest.
She will be attending a discussion in Cleveland in October.
Trustees
A handyman was at the church recently and changed lights in the steeple. Wet ceiling tiles have been replaced near the back door.
The trustees are looking for volunteers to check the air filters in the church on a monthly basis. Melissa Richardson and Bruce Marshall have volunteered to help.
Charge Conference
There is a Charge Conference coming up next month. The council will go over paperwork next month prior to the Conference taking place. Z Bednarski has asked to be confirmed as a Lay Speaker, and she has taken an advanced course. Chuck has recommended her as a Lay Speaker.
Flood Buckets
Chuck recommended that the church put together Flood Buckets again this year. There are leaders in place for the activity.
Sandra said the church has seed money, and recommended taking $6,000.
The total cost last year was $6,753, with donations coming in at $4,122 for one hundred flood buckets and kits.
It was recommended to take the first $2,000 out of Missions, as there is over $2300 in the account. The balance would come out of the Yard Sale account.
Finance recommended leaving the yard sale money in the account and using it as needed. There is $10,818 in the account. There is a final bill for the dumpsters coming up, but there should still be around $10,000 in the account.
If Benevolence or Angel Tree needed funds, it could come from the Yard Sale account.
Seed Money of $4,000 will be taken out of the Yard Sale and later put back as contributions are received. Donations from members are anticipated. Donations received will replace the seed money taken, with the yard sale being returned first, then missions.
Last year the buckets and kits were advertized as a certain cost for donations.
Sandra, and the Finance Committee recommended leaving the yard sale money in the Yard Sale Fund, backed by John.
By consensus the motion was approved.
Way Forward
Chuck said that the judicial council will meet on October 22 and review the three primary commissions, to determine if all are constitutional or not.
Finance
Finance recommends using $6,000 from Seed Money, with $2,000 from Missions. Donations will go back in the Yard Sale account first.
By consensus this was approved.
Angel Tree
The Angel Tree Fund is usually closed out at the end of Angel Tree activities. However, donations for Angel Tree have come in all year. Sandra asked, with a recommendation from the Finance Committee, that Angel Tree become a permanent fund.
Sandra motioned to make this a permanent fund.
By consensus this was approved.
Committees
The Finance Committee met recently about a few items. An analysis of church spending is desired. Criteria is needed for what the church wants. Chuck mentioned that there is a church member, Lee Cates, that can help.
Sandra said there is a need for larger base Benevolence and Trustees Committee. She said there is a need for a better knowledge of history, and that information being passed on when people roll off of the council, and new people come on.
It was recommended that there be a larger group/committee for Benevolence and Trustees.
Chuck mentioned that the CLC is meant to form sub-committees as needed, as well as small teams as needed, temporary teams, ministry teams, etc. The CLC shapes Mission and Vision.
Sandra reminded the group that nominations for new council members is coming up. She said that most new nominated members have attended at least one meeting before they officially begin.
Becky stated that there is a policy in place on how to form a committee.
Sandra said that Benevolence and Trustee needs more help, and that it is not fair to ask one person to make all the decisions.
Copyright Request
Mike Beard said a plan was needed to reconcile Chuck’s request for copyright on his sermons and writings. He suggested revisiting the pros and cons, and to set a deadline to decide by the end of the year.
Becky said she will send out all of her information about it to the council. Chuck had already presented the recommendation of his lawyer, a copyright release document that requires a signature.
Analysis of Church Spending
Mike Beard stated that someone with experience in analyzing businesses is needed. He mentioned keymetrics. He suggested reporting trends on a weekly basis, involving Lee Cates, who was mentioned earlier.
Becky asked what the involvement was on the finance part?
Mike said Lee would do a better job analyzing the finance side. Chuck mentioned he had already spoken to Lee about it. He suggested putting Mike and Lee together to speak.
Sandra discussed guidelines for outreach help, such as there being a maximum of $50, etc. These do not apply to church members. The guidelines are from 2010. Mike suggested analyzing data from Susan Garrott concerning Outreach.
Church Sign
Sherri said there is a need to improve the information on the church sign. It doesn’t change frequently enough. She said it shouldn’t be Chuck’s sole responsibility to change it.
She stressed the need to find someone who could change it on Sunday or Monday each week, and asked that this request be advertised.
Red Cross
The renewal agreement with Red Cross has been taken care of.
Becky adjourned the meeting at 7:13 p.m.
August 21, 2018
Present: Becky Woody, Linda Monk, Pam Hutchinson, Mike Beard, Denise Van Norman, Shelly Jones, Lee Garrott, Sandra White, Missy Richardson, John Tindall, Bill Hughes
Absent: Chuck Griffin
Also In Attendance: Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring, Wendy Williams, Junior Morgan, Lynn Wright
Wendy opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Sandra made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Missy.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Agenda Item The topic of the service schedule will be moved from Old Business to new.
Human Resources HR recently conducted an evaluation of the pastor position. In January, the HR committee lost two people, and this led to missing data. Lee brought two people on; a past council chair, and someone that had rolled off the committee. He now has the input of seven people.
HR met recently and Lee submitted the pastor’s job evaluation to the church committee, stating that it had been completed. The review stops with the HR committee.
Linda mentioned that more discussions should be made, and suggested that anyone coming onto the HR committee should be on the current CLC. This is something for the nomination committee to possibly review.
HR was given a rating system used in previous years for job evaluations. It may be time to reevaluate this system. Chuck has a 4.1 on the 1-5 star scale.
Lee mentioned that Charge Conference is coming up in October.
Youth Activities The youth recently had a swim day, with 15 adults and youth attending.
Resurrection tickets have been purchased, but a place to stay is still needed. A house is lined up to stay in for the upcoming Passion Conference, and tickets will be purchased soon. The September newsletter will contain more information about both of these events.
There are discussions of going on a mission trip in the future. The Silent Auction is coming up in November. Wendy would like to meet with Missy Richardson and Jan Hashmi since they planned it in previous years.
Items have been purchased for the Silent Auction with reward points from the church credit cards. Everything was “free.” A laptop for the youth director was purchased as well with the reward points. There had been well over 200,000 points, 194, 800 were used, 17870 points remain.
The Passion Conference is January 2-4, 2019, and Resurrection is January 25-27, 2019.
Sandra made a motion to take $1000 from Youth and place it in Children’s Activities, seconded by Lee.
By consensus the motion was approved.
Trunk or Treat is coming up in October.
Children’s Ministry Shelly updated the CLC on upcoming activities for the kids. They will have one event a month for 5th grade and under. Some activities will take place at the church; others will be in private homes of church members. Trunk or Treat is one of the upcoming activities.
The children will have a bible story taught to them, and it is hoped that a different member will share the bible story each time.
Outreach
Linda shared the latest Outreach Report, from the month of July.
BARNABAS GROUP
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards sent—6
Cards sent to Seniors and Shut-Ins–0
Calls—2
Visits-6
Visitor bags—2
Visitors—12 (does not include visiting family members)
FOOD MINISTRY—MEALS (meals delivered for illness, surgery, shut-ins)
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered—15
FOOD PANTRY
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out—32
(bags of food weigh approximately 10 lbs. each)
CLOTHES CLOSET
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting clothes closet—33
UTILITY AND OTHER OUTREACH HELP
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity—0
Rent—0
Special Food-1
Yard Sale Items will be set up for the Yard Sale next week. There have been several people that have volunteered so far.
Trustees To replace the road clean up sign the church would have to register with TDOT.
Sheet rock will be put up in the sanctuary on Thursday.
Backpack Project Backpacks from the church were recently delivered to the high school and middle school. It was asked to advertize this more next year, and allow for more volunteers. It was suggested to put information about it in the next flyer, and asking for volunteers.
Finance Finances are in better shape with incoming expenses. The net operating fund is down slightly. Finances are in good shape overall.
Sandra asked if anyone was planning on taking over the LAF Lunch. There is some money in that account. She also mentioned that there are some funds in the account for Ladies’ Day.
Way Forward
John Tindall mentioned there was more information available online. Linda mentioned that there is a 92 page document of information, detailing the different plans. Sessions are coming up soon to communicate this information, including a Q&A session with delegates attending the February meeting.
The three plans will be discussed at the meeting in February, and the delegates will be voting on different resolutions.
Joint Service with Shiloh The pastor from Shiloh Baptist asked if we would be interested in having a joint worship service with them the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The council discussed if there was interest, and will revisit this during the next meeting.
Worship Service Schedule Becky suggested everyone take a turn to speak in order to give their opinion of the worship schedule.
Bill said he likes the new schedule, including the energy and the music. He thinks it works well for the congregation size. He plans on attending no matter what time worship takes place.
Linda likes the blended service, and having Pam play the piano. She feels like it is a good way for the church to continue to grow. She has noticed more visitors, including repeat visitors. She agreed that the one service was good for a church of this size.
Missy has spoken with a couple church members who said they would like the one service time to remain. She also likes it. She said that because it was advertized as a temporary arrangement that it should end after Labor Day and go back to two services. She suggested going back to one service next year.
Sandra stated that she had someone tell her that they wanted to go back to the 8 a.m. service time. She agreed that the one service time was meant to be a trial. She likes the combined service. She expressed concern about new people coming in, and the reactions to going back to two services. She said it can be difficult for people with health issues to attend an early service.
Mike has no personal preference. He stated he views this as an exercise in leadership challenge. He said to evaluate in the future.
Sherri agreed with Bill. She plans on attending either way, as this is her church. She likes the combined service, and seeing everyone. She acknowledged that it was a trial, and also suggested reviewing it later on. She said some parishioners may not return, but that as a council we can’t base decisions on whether or not some parishioners might leave.
Lynn said she hopes a decision is reached by consensus rather than a majority vote. She likes both services, but plans to stay no matter what. She likes the energy of the combined service. From a worship standpoint, she said the soundroom volunteers will stay on no matter what. She stated there was no backup with volunteers.
Lee said that as HR chair he has observed that the one service has been a good thing for the church. He said the church is not here to have service times at people’s convenience. He knows of one family that has not attended because the combined service time did not work out for them over the summer. He likes the energy of the combined service, but plans on attending either way.
John stated that most of the feedback he has received concerning the combined service has been positive. Everyone he spoke with likes the energy, and seeing all the other church members. He said he believes we are a more welcoming church in the combined service.
Junior has seen no statistics or income concerning the combined service. He said that what he has observed is how everyone feels. He has been attending Luminary a long time, and stated he is of the opinion that the 11 a.m. service “needs” the 8 a.m. service to help them out. He said the early service usually had around 35 people, and that it was less formal with the choir. He stated that the only time having two services is a problem is during the winter if weather is bad. He knows of some folks that left after the services were combined. He did not want to try and invite anyone to attend if a decision on service time could not be made.
Shelly said she researched the most popular church service time, and the answer she found was a 10 or 10:30 a.m. service time. If we go back to two services, she hopes to keep an earlier time for the later service to keep it in that popular window.
Wendy stated she plans on attending no matter what. As youth leader, she said if the youth come at different times they don’t all see each other, or her.
Denise stated that she likes having one service no matter what the time is. She was able to meet new people, and appreciated all the music.
Pam said that a few people approached her, one wanted to go back to two services, the other was fine either way. She likes the smaller service. She was uncertain about making a final decision tonight, as she was not aware the vote would be occurring tonight. She is not certain the council should be making the decision for the entire congregation. She wasn’t sure how it would work out long term having paid musicians vs. unpaid.
Becky said she did not want anyone in the church to feel like they had the “wool pulled over anyone’s eyes.” She acknowledged that it was advertized as a trial. She feels like it switched from a trial run to seeming permanent. She stated that elements of the 8 a.m. service were not blended enough with the combined service. She is afraid the 8 a.m. group will lose out because they are a smaller group. She said the issues were not about time, but style. She is not sure if things would go back smoothly now. She is conflicted, as the loves the large group, but wants to abide by what was voted on. She said she has received 50/50 feedback. She will stand by going back because that is what was said.
Mike asked what the council should do as leaders? What fulfills the mission of church? He said to use intellect. He said the decision made tonight does not have to be forever. He said to allow a specific amount of time for a study, perhaps through Advent. He said the council is making the best decision it can; due process with a deadline.
Lynn didn’t formally know of a coordinated plan to have worship workers integrate worship services, and try to blend the two. Becky said the decision to combine the services was executed too hastily.
Becky suggested switching back to two services the Sunday after Labor Day as had been discussed at the previous meeting. She also suggested having a short discussion after service the following Sunday.
Sherri suggested that if anyone was not aware they were voting, not to go back to two services until everyone was ready to vote. It would be too confusing to switch back and then vote later on.
Wendy said there may be more people upset if we return to two services, but suggested doing what was best for the church.
The council members discussed goals. Wendy asked if the goal was to reach more people? She thinks one service meets the goal stated on the bulletin cover.
Lee said continuing on with one service is a good idea if we are doing a study.
Becky noted that everyone is still struggling with the decision, and Mike said no decision is a decision.
Becky asked how the choir has viewed the process of blending both services? Lynn said she hasn’t had a chance to talk to the them about their feelings with the service. John doesn’t see why there can’t be a little participation from everyone. Betty said the choir would love to have the people from the early service sing with them.
Mike stated we are trying to accomplish the mission of the church.
Linda noted that attendance has gone up the past two Sundays.
Mike said to come up with a plan and exercise it. Have a goal and deadlines.
Lynn said she is willing to get an organized study back to the council. She will be away most of September and needs a backup.
Lee suggested setting a goal to have the decision made by Daylight Savings Time. Linda suggested Advent as a good time.
Becky said that we need to have something to tell the people in the congregation.
Denise and Sherri both agreed there needs to be clear communication about what we are doing.
Becky noted that the council is struggling, and she doesn’t want a mistake to be made. She asked “how do we get ready? We need a game plan.” Sherri suggested having a moderator for a meeting to decide at another time.
Becky asked the council members not to deal in absolutes when communicating with members of the congregation. She heard some people on the council tell other members we were switching times permanently to 10 a.m. She reminded everything that that is not true, and does not represent the group well.
Linda observed meeting people at the one service that have been attending for a while, but noted she did not know them well prior. She urged people to meet each other.
Becky suggested possibly waiting to make a statement until after Chuck comes back from vacation, or after a week.
Shelly said we really need a decision for people who will ask. Denise asked if there are any other compromises that can be done?
Sherri asked if we wanted to take a vote tonight, or do we want to gather more data, such as the report from Lynn?
Missy asked if a person’s vote would really change after a week?
Mike said we need to complete a process, trying to lead, not just run a popularity contest.
Missy stated that we told the congregation we were going back and that it would be best to honor that statement, and Pam agreed.
Wendy asked if we did go back to two services, can we still go back to one service at a later time?
Some concern about not having enough support for 8 a.m. was expressed.
Denise suggested going back to two services so that there is no feeling of “pulling the wool over people’s eyes.” Work in the future with better communication.
Lynn stated that there needs to be more planning in the future.
Sherri said that she remembers in earlier discussions that this was an experiment for the summer, and that things would be evaluated at the end of the summer.
Mike said need to document the decision and attach an addendum to the minutes.
It was discussed that part of the reason for having one service over the summer was that there was going to be less worship leaders available.
Wendy suggested being forthright about going back and about possibly moving back to one service at a later time.
Sherri said if we go back to one service to wait until next summer.
Betty said a winter schedule and summer schedule is not a bad idea.
Becky stated that there wasn’t sufficient time to evaluate the decision, and to communicate to congregation that there was never any intention to “pull the wool” over anyone’s eyes. She said that it would be best to go back to two services, and to revisit the possibility of a combined service next summer. Next time communication will be better.
Sandra motioned to go back to two services on September 9, while letting the congregation know we will study this and next summer come back with better study and data. Missy seconded.
Council approved with one opposition.
Miscellaneous
Copyright Mike suggested keeping the topic of copyright as an open topic to be revisited soon.
Becky adjourned the meeting at 8 p.m.
July 24, 2018
Present: Chuck Griffin, Becky Woody, Missy Richardson, Sandra White, Sherri Burnette, Bill Hughes, Linda Monk, Lee Garrott, Shelly Jones, Mike Beard, Pam Hutchinson, John Tindall, Denise VanNorman
Also In Attendance: Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring, Wendy Williams
Chuck opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
A few corrections were made to the previous month’s minutes. Sandra made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Missy.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Human Resources
HR met on July 15 regarding the Youth Coordinator position. Youth is considered to be sixth grade and up, a children’s group is anything below that.
Wendy would like to work strictly with the youth; someone will be needed to help with younger children.
HR decided they would like involve the church council on this matter. Lee suggested the council form a work team to determine what the church wants on matters such as having two leaders for the different age groups, paid vs. volunteer leaders, one leader for both age groups, etc.
Becky stated that the council is committed to discussing this topic. It is more than can be decided and discussed in one meeting. The council is able to coordinate a team to review this matter.
Shelly agreed to be on the team, as did Chuck, Linda, Becky, Wendy, Pam and Missy. Linda suggested having someone on the team that could represent each age group. It was suggested that someone contact Melba Levy about joining. Shelly volunteered to be in charge of emailing the team, and setting up meeting times.
The team will meet to discuss how to structure a children and youth ministry program.
HR is working on completing a pastor’s evaluation. This will likely be completed before the next meeting time.
Youth Activities
The youth have a swimming day planned. Many of the older youth/young adults are interested in attending an event called the Passion Conference in January. It is an event for older youth and young adults specifically.
A young adult came to the youth group recently, and it was suggested that a third group for young adults might be formed. Wendy was of the opinion that the dynamic worked having the visitor integrated with the youth.
Wendy passed out a handout detailing the results from the Youth Dessert Auction. The net profit was $1,336.50.
Betty mentioned that the church has accumulated thousands of reward points on the Holston Charge cards. She suggested purchasing a dedicated youth computer, as well as items that can be auctioned off during the Youth Silent Auction. She asked for help and input.
Sandra motioned to approve Betty purchasing these items, seconded by Missy. By consensus the council approved.
Outreach
Linda requested that the outreach report be included in the monthly newsletter, along with the report of the minutes. She discussed the latest outreach report.
Statistics are for June 2018
BARNABAS GROUP
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards sent—4
Cards sent to Seniors and Shut-Ins–16
Calls—0
Visits-6
Visitor bags—0
Visitors—6 (does not include visiting family members)
FOOD MINISTRY—MEALS (meals delivered for illness, surgery, shut-ins)
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered—7
FOOD PANTRY
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out—29
(bags of food weigh approximately 10 lbs. each)
CLOTHES CLOSET
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting clothes closet—37
UTILITY AND OTHER OUTREACH HELP
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity—1
Rent—0
Special Food-1
Furniture (bed, sofa, kitchen table and chairs)-1
Trustees
The roadside litter cleanup sign was hit, and had been taken away. Sherri called about it, and there is a work order in place to have it replaced.
Bob VanNorman replaced the handle on Wendy’s office door.
The urinal in the men’s room has been repaired.
Finance
Giving is down, but higher than at this time last year. Sandra stated that she believed it would balance out.
Over $500 was raised for the musical group Sunnyside that came recently.
The quarterly statement (April-June) of the Maintenance Endowment Fund arrived recently. Becky said the $12,000 donation was reflected. The market value is now $103,528.18.
Ministry Report
Attendance is still down from this time last year. Many regular attendees have moved to shut-in status. This has happened with at least 20 people, perhaps more since last year.
There were a number of visitors during the past Sunday service. Chuck noticed a shift from regular attendance among some to semi-regular attendance. He has asked for any input to help remedy the situation. He could not pinpoint a crisis that led to a decline. It was noted that attendance is declining at other UMC churches, and that there is a cultural shift.
Chuck is putting items up on the church website about the called General Conference. The judicial council is going to review all petitions submitted to them and make sure everything is constitutional. There are more than those presented by The Way Forward committee.
There are talks to suspend the rules of Annual Conference and have an exit plan in place, then come up with a forward plan.
Delegates to the 2019 called General Conference are 95% the same as before. Chuck will communicate with the church as more information become available.
10 a.m. Service The council discussed if there was any negative or positive feedback about the 10 a.m. service time. One council member stated that a few people from their Sunday School class assumed the change was temporary. Another commented that around half a dozen people asked them how the one service decision came about, and expected things to go back to the way it was before.
It was stated that a few people may not come back to church as they do not want to stay late. Becky said we must respect what the majority want. Chuck stated that we are reassessing the 10 a.m. service. Mike said the council should speak about this to the congregation. He suggested announcing it to expand through September.
Once council member said she knew of at least one person that felt they should have had a vote. Chuck said it was important to receive the worship leaders/worker input. Lee said the amount of people that attend social time has decreased, but thought having an hour and a half like before was too long. Becky said her Sunday School class has not reduced in size, and Lee stated that his has remained the same as well.
Visitors seem to have adapted well to the 10 a.m. time. Sherri noted that it was nice to see everyone gathered together at one time. A council member noted that the early service did not get incorporated into the late service as well as it should have, though it was observed that the music has improved, noting that the songs are much more familiar. Chuck said this is something that is fixable. He asked if there is still interest in the blend.
Sherri asked what the goal was in doing this? Have we achieved these goals?
Denise Van Norman said the one service was easier as far as scheduling ushers. She stated it was important to rotate helpers, worship people, etc. to make sure everyone is being represented.
Sherri suggested taking a vote, while keeping in mind that you are voting for everyone you represent, not just for yourself.
Becky noted that Pam has been playing the organ instead of the piano, but prefers the piano. She asked how this worked best while having a paid pianist?
John said if we do go back to two services, how much gap time would be between them? He suggested meeting at 8:30, and perhaps shortening the Sunday School time to 45 minutes.
Chuck asked if it was a problem to have two different cultures under one church roof? Becky noted that everyone came together on important issues. Sandra noted that it is a very diverse group, but that everyone always came together. Becky said the church is very welcoming of all backgrounds, etc.
The question was asked if we can try and fix the problems bringing both groups together? Becky asked how everyone felt about the potential of losing people?
Lee talked about having a seasonal schedule, meeting early in the summer, later in the winter. Mike discussed going back to two services in the fall and winter, and one service in the summer. Sherri asked why we moved to one service? Was it for the music and worship? The council stated that it was an experiment.
Mike suggested returning to the prior schedule in September, with a message to the congregation that there is plan to try one service again next summer, and to present to the congregation what has been learned.
Sherri said there as a goal to have a full church, some goals were met, some were not. Not all goals were about coverage in the summer. It was noted that we could do well for the next few weeks. Chuck requested keeping the summer schedule until September 2, as there would be a guest preacher then.
The council discussed moving back to two services on September 9. The question was asked: can we pull off showing the benefits of one service? Becky requested revisiting this topic at the August meeting. In the meantime council members will get feedback from the congregation and will revisit this topic next month.
Miscellaneous Lee thanked Betty for helping with Wednesday night dinner and organizing supplies. He stated the need for having someone in charge of the kitchen, event planning, etc. Chuck and Betty emphasized the need for someone to be in charge of set up, take down, etc.
Betty noted that volunteer opportunities are listed on the church website. This has been announced in the past.
Linda asked if there was a team over the kitchen right now? There is not. Sandra said there needs to be a group.
Kathi Matthews was suggested as someone who might be interested, and she will be asked.
Supplies have been ordered so there is no need to cancel the August dinner.
Delegate to Annual Conference
Linda spoke about Hiwassee College, a 196 year old institution. They were recently commended for good service from Tracks 5 Year Review.
Copyright Mike suggested keeping the topic of copyright as an open topic to be revisited soon.
Becky adjourned the meeting at 7:35 p.m.
June 19, 2018
Present: Sherri Burnette, Mike Beard, Linda Monk, Becky Woody, Sandra White, Missy Richardson, Bill Hughes, Chuck Griffin, Shelly Jones, Pam Hutchinson, Denise Van Norman
Absent: John Tindall
Also In Attendance: Melissa Boring, Wendy Williams
Chuck opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
One minor correction was made to reflect that Denise was in attendance last month. Sherri made a motion to approve the minutes, backed by Denise.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Human Resources
Lee is out this month.
Youth Activities
Music Camp has wrapped up. There was a total enrollment of 57, with most of the enrolled in attendance. The children were fed lunch each day, as well as snacks.
It was suggested that next year it would be good to have a solid outline of activities. Planning should start early. It was also suggested that the number of weeks and hours be shortened.
Over 20 of the children that attended Music Camp came back for the Sunday morning service.
Wendy said she will stay on as interim Youth Coordinator through the summer. She would like to continue to work with the youth afterward in a volunteer role.
Questions were raised: is the church gaining anything by having large events? What are we doing for the kids here?
The youth dessert auction is coming up on June 20th.
Outreach
Linda Monk read the May Outreach Report:
BARNABAS GROUP
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards sent—8
Cards sent to Seniors and Shut-Ins–0
Calls—0
Visits-0
Visitor bags—0
Visitors—5 (does not include visiting family members)
FOOD MINISTRY—MEALS (meals delivered for illness, surgery, shut-ins)
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered—3
FOOD PANTRY
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out—45
(bags of food weigh approximately 10 lbs. each)
CLOTHES CLOSET
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting clothes closet—55
UTILITY AND OTHER OUTREACH HELP
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity—0
Rent—1
Tools for man going back to work—1
Trustees
There are no more AA keys available. A locksmith would need to be contacted about making more. A message will go out asking for people to turn in their keys if they are no longer needed.
There was one accident report from music camp; a minor injury. It has been filed.
A question was raised about whether or not the public can use the playground. The answer was yes, it is open to anyone, and there is insurance coverage.
There are only a few lights left to install. The church bells have been acting up, and Wayne is going to check on them.
The premium rate on the church insurance had dropped slightly.
The price for having the lawn mowed has gone from $120 per session to $230. The previous groundskeeper moved out of state and a new person had to be hired. The new groundskeeper is trying not to mow as often, though it is likely that expenses will exceed the $2700 budget. More will be budgeted for next year.
Delegate to Annual Conference
Linda shared a little of her experience at Annual Conference, and plans to share more in coming weeks.
The church sent close to $600 to the Sudan project. The total sent by the Conference was over one hundred thousand.
Luminary sent 24 backpacks for the Hands on Mission backpack project. The total sent by the Conference was 81,586 backpack kits.
Holston Conference is in the top 10 of conferences that give to UMCOR.
Linda included a handout showing the different restructured districts within Holston Conference, and one detailing the delegates for the Special Session 2019 that contained the following information:
Delegates for Special Session 2019
The Holston delegation, elected at Annual Conference 2015, will join other elected delegates participating in a Special Session of General Conference, to be held Fe. 23-26, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Holston delegation includes eight clergy members and eight lay members.
Clergy
Rev. Kim Goddard (leader)
Rev. Sandra Johnson
Rev. Carol Wilson
Rev. Randy Frye
Rev. Mark Flynn
Rev. Paul Seay (alternate)
Rev. Dennie Humphreys (alternate)
Lay
Emily Ballard
Becky Hall
John Tate
Robert Lockaby
Karen Wright
Joyce Moore (alternate)
John Eldridge (alternate)
The total number of delegates participating in the Special Session is 864, about 58 percent from the United States and about 30 percent from Africa.
Holston Members are invited to join other United Methodists in a prayer plan that began June 3 and will continue through February 2019. Phase 3 of the “Praying Our Way Forward” initiative involves:
A weekly Wesleyan 24-hour fast from Thursday after dinner to Friday mid-afternoon.
Praying for the church’s mission daily from 2:23 through 2:26 (a.m. or p.m.)
More information about the prayer plan is available at UMCPrays.org and will also be provided in future editions of The Call.
What can you do?
The Holston Conference delegation invites church members to share their questions and concerns by emailing delegation@holston.org
Additionally, following publication of the Bishops Report, July 8, 2018, the above delegates will be available for meetings around the conference, TBA.
Finance
A copy of the Music Camp expenses was reviewed. The budget was $500. Expenses went over by $118.15, which was covered by donations from parents. Sandra recommended moving funds from Benevolence to cover the remaining expenses.
Sandra motioned to take the funds from Benevolence, backed by Denise. By consensus the motion was approved.
Giving is still under, and spending is slightly up. This is similar to the pattern during the summer last year. The net operating fund has remained unchanged from last month.
Ministry Report
The attendance average is still down. The council discussed keeping up with some of the interested families and children involved in Music Camp, perhaps by inviting them to future activities.
The Sunday school teachers will meet and discuss how best to reach middle school age kids, etc.
Job Description for Youth Coordinator Discussion took place about whether or not it is better to have one person for all age groups, or two, one for youth and young adult, and one for children.
When Lee is back a committee or work team will form to help in completing a new job description.
July CLC Meeting The July meeting time has been moved to July 24.
Potluck Dinner There was a discussion about possibly having a fundraiser for Angel Tree during the potluck Community Dinner for “Christmas in July.” Discussed moving the dinner to the 25th, but ultimately it was decided to keep it on its regularly scheduled day.
Sunday School Times There was discussion about having a standard Sunday School time at either 8:30 or 9 a.m. Wayne Tipps represented the Lamplighters class in the discussion.
Becky suggested having kids Sunday School teachers available at 8:45 a.m. to accept kids so that parents/grandparents could easily attend their 9 o’clock Sunday school classes.
Copyright Mike suggested keeping the topic of copyright as an open topic to be revisited soon.
Becky adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
May 15, 2018
Present: Becky Woody, Bill Hughes, Linda Monk, Lee Garrott, Sherri Burnette, John Tindall, Chuck Griffin, Denise Van Norman
Absent: Mike Beard, Shelly Jones, Pam Hutchinson, Missy Richardson, Sandra White
Also In Attendance: Melissa Boring, Betty Kelly, Wendy Williams
Wendy opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Sherri made a motion to move, backed by John.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Human Resources
HR met on Monday, May 14. Two documents from HR were reviewed in the meeting, a Youth and Young Adult Director job description, and a description of a proposed Youth & Young Adult program.
Becky asked if some of the parents who have children moving into the young adult category were consulted at all. Lee responded that more parents will be included in the process in the future.
HR recommended for approval on both of the documents so that they could move forward with the hiring process, and setting a program in place. The question was asked if this job description was a lot different from the prior job description for a Youth Leader. Lee responded that it was. The focus is more on youth and young adults, with an understanding that the youth will assist in activities directed toward younger children, such as VBS and Halloween. Sherri asked if the Youth and Young Adults Director position would be doing planning for these events.
Chuck mentioned that there would need to be a children’s leader, a volunteer position, with a children’s ministry team.
Sherri suggested making it clear to an applicant that they are not doing planning for children’s events. The youth will be assisting, but the children’s ministry team would coordinate the children’s events.
There was a question about whether or not the young adults would want to be separated out into their own group on Sunday mornings. Chuck said that focusing on young adults is more about maintaining a relationship through the week, and in their lives.
Wendy pointed out that there is a significant number of middle school age kids that mix in with the youth on Wednesdays.
Chuck said that there is a need to develop a good program for families. Becky emphasized the need for good communication with the youth and young adults, particularly in coordinating events for them.
Lee noted that it was important to not forget about the younger children. Chuck replied that this is why a children’s ministry team is needed. He said that it was important to define the Youth & Young Adult Director position first.
A question was raised regarding why the Youth and Young Adult Director position is a paid one, while anything to do with the younger children is not. There are not enough funds right now.
Lee asked if HR needed to spend more time on the job description. Becky, with the council agreeing, said that more definition was needed for the role, and for the role of a children’s person and children’s team.
Chuck said that he will find out what is involved in developing a children’s ministry team. How much to spend etc. He suggested having two paid positions, a children’s leader, and a youth and young adult leader.
Becky stressed the need to always be ready in case we get a large group of kids; to always have things planned.
Lee withdrew the request to approve the job description and program description. He asked for direction in his role as HR coordinator; and in what direction to take HR. Linda suggested forming a team and adding a few more people.
Lee motioned to approve extending Wendy’s role as Youth Coordinator, on a month-by-month basis for now. This motion was backed by Sherri.
By consensus the council approved.
Youth Activities
There is now more information and a tentative activity schedule available for the Summer Music Camp. As of the time of the meeting eleven kids have signed up, all from the community outside of the church. The ages range from 4-15.
Roxanne requested feedback on the activity schedules. She wants to find out how many volunteers we may need, what kinds of supplies, etc.
Betty mentioned that there is money in the community dinner fund to cover meals for the kids.
Steven will be compensated for his time working during the camp. He asked for $15 an hour for 36 hours, but is negotiable. This is under the average for musicians.
Some VBS funds will also go toward funding the camp. Roxanne has a $1500 budget. Some funds will come from Benevolence, and some from Youth. No more than $500 will be taken from these accounts.
Linda suggested Roxanne ask volunteers for specific times and roles.
Choir members have already been asked if they would like to volunteer. For each group of kids they need at least two people.
Outreach
Linda Monk read the April Outreach Report.
Statistics are for April 2018
BARNABAS GROUP
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards sent—16
Cards sent to Seniors and Shut-Ins–5
Calls—1
Visits-4
Visitor bags—1
Visitors—7 (does not include visiting family members)
FOOD MINISTRY—MEALS (meals delivered for illness, surgery, shut-ins)
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered—15
FOOD PANTRY
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out—14
(bags of food weigh approximately 10 lbs. each)
CLOTHES CLOSET
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting clothes closet—28
UTILITY AND OTHER OUTREACH HELP
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity—2
Gave sofa to 1 family—older couple
Gave the following to homeless family who had saved money and was buying a house.
(Family has 4 children)
Gave sofa and 2 chairs
Linens for all their beds (sheets, blankets, bedspreads and/or comforters) plus lots of towels
Bought 3 mattresses and 3 bed frames
LUMC received all PO Food Drive food from the Kingston PO again this year.
Approximately 6 truck loads
Denise asked if Angel Tree received funds from the church yard sale. Funds from the sale go to Benevolence, and help for Angel Tree comes from that same account. She spoke about having a “Christmas in July” fundraiser for Angel Tree. Becky suggested that this would be a good idea for any area that has a shortfall. She suggested having a cake auction at the same time.
Trustees
The elevator wall and the church office have been painted. New mulch was put down in the playground area.
The parking lot lights are ready to be installed.
Delegate to Annual Conference
Linda Monk has ordered supplies for backpacks that will go to Hands on Mission.
The time is approaching to ask for funds for the Sudan. This will come after the backpack project.
Finance
In April of 2017 there was $55,406.75 in net operating funds. There is over $16,000 more now.
Giving has been up recently, and having the mortgage paid off has helped to recover funds used to pay for the roof.
Foundation money has increased by $18,000 since December.
There was a surplus of $6,000 in income over expenses this month.
Only 9.3 % under what was budgeted this year.
Ministry Report
Chuck would like to see at least two or three life groups continue to meet. He has more materials they can use, but wants to meet with the life group leaders who have groups that wish to continue.
Chuck and Becky asked the council thoughts about having just one service time at 10 a.m. over the summer. The musicians would all work together, and have been notified and expressed interest. This would possibly make running the soundroom easier.
The goal would not be to lose the essence of each service, but to merge them. The Sunday Schools could meet at different times, either before or after the church service. It would be up to each class to decide what works best for their group.
It was stressed that this is a trial only.
The council voted to begin this trial on June 3.
Becky adjourned the meeting at 7:42 p.m.
April 17, 2018
Present: Becky Woody, Shelly Jones, Bill Hughes, Sherri Burnette, Mike Beard, Lee Garrott, Pam Hutchinson, Chuck Griffin, Denise Van Norman, Linda Monk, John Tindal
Absent: Sandra White, Missy Richardson
Also In Attendance: Melissa Boring, Betty Kelly, Wendy Williams
Chuck opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Sherri made a motion to move, backed by Mike.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Human Resources
HR met on the second Monday of the month. They talked about recent Easter activities.
A job description for the Youth Director will be available soon.
The Music Camp is coming up this summer. Safe Sanctuary requirements will be followed, and training will be available.
The United Methodist Men organized a Trash Pickup day recently. There were 11 volunteers, and 39 bags were filled.
Youth Summer Music Program
There will be an emphasis on a different instrument each day.
Games and activities are planned. The children and youth attending will learn about music, instruments and recording music. The kids will have outdoor time as well.
Roxanne hopes to bring in additional help, as well as volunteers from the church.
The council discussed what happens if the church playground is used. They want to be sure that it is in good condition. Mike Beard is going to measure the playground and research prices on mulch. Becky suggested asking people to donate mulch.
Outreach
Linda Monk read the March Outreach Report.
Outreach Report for 04/17/18 CLC Meeting
Statistics are for March 2018
BARNABAS GROUP
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards sent—9
Cards sent to Seniors and Shut-Ins–12
Calls—3
Visits-4
Visitor bags—0
Visitors—4 (does not include visiting family members)
FOOD MINISTRY—MEALS (meals delivered for illness, surgery, shut-ins)
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered—8
FOOD PANTRY
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out—20
(bags of food weigh approximately 10 lbs. each)
CLOTHES CLOSET
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting clothes closet—39
UTILITY AND OTHER OUTREACH HELP
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity—1
On May 12 the Post Office Food Drive will take place. Volunteers from the church will be needed to take items upstairs and unload trucks.
Lee stated that the UMM will help with the Food Drive.
Youth
Wendy gave a report on current youth activities. The youth continue to meet on Wednesdays every week; currently they are studying the Book of John.
Average youth attendance is anywhere between 8-10.
Wendy discussed the desire to find people that would be willing to feed and serve the youth meals on Wednesdays, in the effort to forge connections between them. A youth support team.
She also spoke about the Spring Fling and the Easter Egg Hunt, and talked about the Resurrection Eggs which were very well received. The event was successful, with around 49 kids and 48 or so adults attending.
The youth had made posters for the event. They have been quite active in all of the activities.
Trustees
A painting project is coming up on April 28. The wall near the elevator and the church office will be repainted.
The new lawn person has started. He is paid $230 per time. Right now he is mowing the lawn weekly.
Sherri asked the council if it should move to every other week. The budget will be spent too quickly if it is every week. Betty said there is likely some room in the budget somewhere.
After some discussion it was decided that it’s okay to stay on a weekly schedule through the wet months, but move to having the lawn mowed less during the summer.
Sherri has made inquiries to find out who fertilized for dandelions in the past. It might be possible to have some church members do this.
All of the equipment is in to replace the lights in the parking lot and near the exterior doors.
Delegate to Annual Conference
Linda Monk is the delegate to Annual Conference this year.
She spoke about the Hands on Mission project coming up. She will be attending a briefing about it on May 20. More information about it will go out soon.
Linda is making inquiries about school backpacks.
Finance
Betty reported that the church still has a deficit. Expenses are a little high this month, but not terrible. The net operating fund is only down $400.
The church received a sum of $12,000 to go toward maintenance endowment.
Ministry Report
Attendance is still lower than normal. Chuck asked for suggestions.
The second week of the Life Groups meeting is still underway. Each group runs and average of 5-6 people. There are currently six groups. Chuck would like to see at least two of the groups continue past the six week mark.
Copyright Discussion
Chuck asked the council who they think owns a pastor’s sermons. It is not clear by law where the ownership should be attributed, with the pastor, or with the congregation. He would like to potentially publish some of his sermons.
He would need a copyright agreement in order to use the sermons. He presented a document to the council asking for permission to publish. This agreement would need to be notarized.
The council and Chuck will do some research into the matter and come back with their findings.
A called Conference is coming up next year about issues within the United Methodist Church. Chuck plans on meeting with the Sunday School groups the next few weeks about it.
The official church roll will be reviewed soon.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 by Becky Woody.
March 20, 2018
Members present: Linda Monk, Bill Hughes, Sandra White, Becky Woody, Chuck Griffin, Melissa Richardson, Pam Hutchinson, Lee Garrott, John Tindall, Sherri Burnette, Shelly Jones
Absent: Denise VanNorman, Mike Beard
Also in Attendance: Betty Kelly, Melissa Boring
Chuck opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Lee made a motion to approve, backed by Sandra.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
HR met and discussed staff pay rates, and what the bookkeeper should be paid when filling in for the church secretary.
It was recommended that the bookkeeper receive the usual rate regardless of what job she does.
That general principal was approved by the council.
The council discussed paid holidays received by the church secretary. This will be reviewed when it is time to fill this position again.
HR plans on meeting the second Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m.
Chuck and Wendy Williams are working on a job description for the Youth Director. An advertisement for the job description should be ready by May. It is hoped that the role will be permanently filled before the next school year begins.
Sherri asked if there would be someone in charge of the younger children. Chuck replied that it would likely not be a staff position; but that a team of people committed to children’s ministry would need to form.
Liaisons to church staff will be discussed by HR in the future.
Linda Monk noted that anyone on HR is available to church members if they need to speak about any concerns.
Outreach
Linda Monk presented an Outreach Report from the previous month, written by Susan Garrott.
Statistics from February 2018
Barnabas Group
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards Sent-22
Calls-2
Visits-1
Visitor bags-3
Visitors-3 (does not include visiting family members or visitors to special services)
Food Ministry
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered-5
Food Pantry
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out-40
(bags weigh approximately 10 lbs each)
Clothes Closet
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting Clothes Closet-65
Utility and Other Outreach Help
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity-4
Kerosene-2
Gave food, clothing, sofa and chair to burned out family.
Trustees
After receiving the letter about insurance coverage discussed at the previous meeting, Sherri checked with Holston Conference regarding the Church Mutual Insurance we carry, to determine if our coverage is lacking anywhere. Holston Conference said that so long as we are with Church Mutual we are fine. We also have an umbrella policy that will cover any issues that might come up.
There are four lightbulbs that still need to be replaced in the sanctuary. There are lights out in the ladies restroom and kitchen. Those lights are being purchased and will be replaced soon.
There are a few painting projects coming up, including the church office, the elevator wall, and another wall in the narthex.
Lay Leader
John Tindall noted that Karen Drake, Della Marshall, and Lynn Wright have cleaned up shelving upstairs. They have arranged the Altar Guild closet, and a place where the tablecloths are stored.
Finance
Sandra noted that finances are slightly “in the hole,” but not in a terrible predicament. Offering will be close unless there is a significant donation. She reminded the council that finances fluctuate. The end of the year is normally when the figures increase dramatically. The finances are still in decent shape and should level off as normal.
Ministry Report
Chuck reported that attendance is down. He has spoken with other local clergy about the matter and their churches are experiencing a similar trend. There is speculation that it is flu, or the fear of it.
There is also a time period of seeing elderly regular attendees getting sick. Chuck also said that there is an evangelism problem, and stressed the importance of trying the life groups. They are meant to invite outside people. It is a way for people outside of the church to learn about Christianity in a less formal, or intimidating setting. It is important for the leader of a life group to invite people.
Easter is coming up. A full page ad has been taken out in the Roane County paper reporting the times. A flyer will follow.
Chuck mentioned a vote that is coming up in the Holston Conference. The Way Forward Commission has been considering the subject of homosexual marriage/clergy within the United Methodist denomination. A called General Conference will take place next February that will discuss this matter. Several options are being discussed, and more news coverage of this matter will likely be forthcoming.
An exit plan for churches will be offered, no matter what the outcome.
Old Business
The Summer Music Program will take place on June 4-15 (weekends excluded). Roxanne and Steven will be running it. More information is forthcoming.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:52 p.m.
Church Leadership Council
Feb. 20, 2018
Members present: Mike Beard, Linda Monk, Lee Garrott, Pam Hutchinson, Becky Woody, Sandra White, Sherri Burnette, Missy Richardson.
Absent: Bill Hughes, Chuck Griffin, Shelly Jones, John Tindall, Denise VanNorman.
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring, Betty Kelly, Roxanne Cabrera
Pam opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Sherri made a motion to approve, backed by Sandra.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Becky asked everyone to contact her ahead of time if they will be unable to attend a meeting.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
HR met the first week of February to discuss routine items. Their goal is to meet monthly. An HR report for the District Superintendent has been completed and submitted. They would like to select a permanent Youth Director later on.
Outreach
Linda Monk presented an Outreach Report from the previous month, written by Susan Garrott.
Statistics from January 2018
Barnabas Group
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards Sent-8
Visitor bags-1
Visitors-3 (does not include visiting family members or visitors to special Christmas services)
Food Ministry
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered-3
Food Pantry
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out-43
(bags weigh approximately 10 lbs each)
Clothes Closet
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting Clothes Closet-30
Utility and Other Outreach Help
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electricity-5
Propane-1
Trustees
The sanctuary lights have all been changed to LED. Lee Garrott and Bob Monk have replaced a broken tile in the narthex.
Work is being carried out in order to fix the lights in the parking lot. A sample light fixture has been acquired and will be tried out.
Bob Monk has been keeping up with improvements and maintenance on the elevator. The gateway system has been installed, and the landline will be discontinued eventually. A call can now be made to a call center if someone is trapped inside. Several phone numbers of local members are posted in case of emergency.
Sherri had recently received information from a mailing that discussed insurance recommendations/suggestion found in the Book of Discipline. According to what she read the insurance currently used by the church is lacking in a few areas. It should be noted that nothing is required; everything is suggested by the Conference in the Book of Discipline.
Sexual Misconduct: It is suggested that this coverage be in an area between 1-3 million. In order to meet this suggestion the church would have to pay an additional $3-400 a year.
Criminal Employee/Dishonesty: It would be an additional $78 a year to meet this suggestion.
The church has an umbrella policy. It would cover the sexual misconduct. Trustees will check on this amount. Becky suggested bringing this topic back up if it proves to be worth pursuing.
Summer Music Camp
Choir Director Roxanne Cabrera presented the topic of the church having a summer music camp. It would take place sometime in June, and would span a 1-2 week period, possibly daily from 9-3 p.m.
The camp would primarily be directed at high school and middle school age young people. They would learn about music, possibly also arts and crafts. They would learn about many different types of music: African American spiritual drumming, instrumental and classical music, guitar, piano, Contemporary Christian Music, etc. All of this would culminate in a music concert or musical at the end.
Roxanne and pianist Steven Brown will be over this project. They would like to see 12 or more kids sign up. Depending on the numbers, high school and middle school might split into two different groups.
Several members of the CLC asked about Vacation Bible School, and what could be done to incorporate younger children. Roxanne mentioned that might know someone that could work with a younger group.
Compensation would be needed for Steven (gas, etc.), and any instructor that might be brought in to teach the younger kids. Funds could potentially be pulled from the Youth or VBS account.
Roxanne and Steven plan on asking church members to volunteer to help. They would also like to see choir members participate.
In order to advertise, someone could speak with local drama and musical programs. The schools will certainly be informed.
Becky asked Roxanne to come up with a formal proposal.
Missy Richardson suggested having a one day VBS, something akin to the Spring Fling or Halloween.
The council briefly discussed ways to link VBS for younger kids and the Music Camp; perhaps at the final concert. It was also suggested Steven and Roxanne dialogue with Wendy Williams.
Sandra made a motion to authorize Roxanne to plan the event and fund it, backed by Missy.
By consensus the council approved.
Finance
Finances are still okay. They are down; many contributions were done toward the end of last year. Expenses were up a bit because of replacing lights etc.
There’s a possibility that some contributions could be done by credit card.
There was a question about doing an IRA deduction directly to the church. This is where the Legacy
Foundation can step in and help.
Betty received a report about reward points on the church credit cards. There are over 100,000 points. The council discussed what could be purchased with the points. It’s possible new equipment for Wendy Williams or the youth. Discussion was raised about buying some electronic items and then using them in the Silent Auction to raise funds. Sherri suggested getting speakers for the narthex or nursery so that anyone patrolling the building or working in the nursery can hear the sermon.
Becky adjourned the meeting at 7 p.m.
CLC
Jan 16, 2018
Present: Becky Woody, Sandra White, Linda Monk, Pam Hutchinson, Bill Hughes, Chuck Griffin, John Tindall, Shelly Jones, Denise VanNorman, Sherri Burnette
Absent: Melissa Richardson, Mike Beard, Lee Garrott
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring, Preston Woody, Wendy Williams
Chuck opened the meeting with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Sandra made a motion to approve, backed by Linda.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
Lee is out of town so there was no formal report.
Linda Monk, as a member of the HR sub-team gave a statement expressing a concern about the hiring process for church staff. She stated that hiring someone is a serious business and should not be voted upon through email communication. She called upon the HR sub-team to develop a hiring policy to present to the council. Chuck mentioned that Lee, as HR chair, had expressed a wish to develop procedures as well.
Becky read aloud an email from Lee. He has asked for an extension on the HR report that is given to the Conference. He plans on holding an HR team meeting soon.
Youth Activities
Wendy Williams presented a report on the youth; 8 youth and 3 adults attended Resurrection this month. The weekend went well.
Wendy is teaching the youth from the Book of John each Wednesday. She is reviewing and organizing records in the youth leader’s office, as well as speaking with youth and parents about activities.
Outreach
Denise presented a report about Angel Tree and Holiday food boxes. Denise, Sherri Burnette and Kathi Matthews conducted interview prior to the holidays. A total of 92 food boxes were distributed, and 145 children were given gifts for Christmas. This is the largest number of children the church has helped.
There was a lot of volunteer help which made the distribution process run smoothly. Angel Tree gifts amounted to a total of $4,458.00. Donations to Angel tree amounted to a total of $4,230.00. $228.00 was taken from Benevolence to cover gifts.
Next year the team heading up Angel Tree plans on asking help from volunteer shoppers. The Angel Tree will be set up a week earlier.
The Yacht Club donated $2,250.00 toward Angel Tree. $5500 was spent on food boxes for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Outreach Report from December 2017
BARNABAS GROUP
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards sent—8
Visitor bags—2
Visitors—2 (does not include visiting family members or visitors to special Christmas services)
FOOD MINISTRY—MEALS (meals delivered for illness, surgery, shut-ins)
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered—3
FOOD PANTRY
Chair: Kathi Matthews
Bags given out—34
(bags of food weigh approximately 10 lbs. each)
CLOTHES CLOSET
Chair: Betsy Farr
People visiting clothes closet—49
UTILITY AND OTHER OUTREACH HELP
Chair: Susan Garrott
Kerosene—1
FINAL NUMBERS
CHRISTMAS AND THANKSGIVING FOOD BOXES
Chair: Sherri Burnette
Thanksgiving Boxes—45 (given to 40 families)
Christmas Boxes–92 (given to 85 families)
Note: Larger families got 2 boxes
ANGEL TREE GIFTS TO CHILDREN
Chair: Denise Van Norman
No. children given gifts–145
Trustees
Lights are out in the sanctuary and are difficult to replace. Sherri is looking for a professional to come in and change all of the lights. New LED lights have been purchased. Becky gave her a name and number of an electrician that does commercial property work.
Lights in the parking lot are not working properly, and it’s possible the light kits are not functioning. New kits will be purchased and the lights will be repaired.
Elevator: A company called Cone is now handling elevator maintenance. They have not yet replaced the phone, but the call button on it was reprogrammed to contact a call center through Cone. Instructions about what to do if stuck in the elevator are posted inside, with a more detailed manual located in the “elevator room.” The church pays $30 a month for service from Cone, this includes state required maintenance checks.
Finance
Finances are in good shape right now. There is $68,000 in the net operating fund; it was $38,000 this time last year.
Giving may be low in January compared to the first month of 2017. Many members gave extra during the month of December.
The books will be closed out for the year later this week. The church was over on income, under on expenses for the year.
The numbers were in the red for the elevator fund, the extra funds came out of building maintenance.
Legacy
A statement comes out every quarter from the Holston Conference Maintenance Endowment Fund. Becky presented the Quarterly Statement from the Foundation. She explained the form to the group and will be including it each quarter with the CLC meeting packet.
A withdrawal was taken for the roof in 2017; normally funds would only be taken out for maintenance of the building. The current market value of the fund is $85,430.21. A committee oversees the fund and makes changes accordingly.
Donations made during 2017 for a total of $6,000 will be added to the principal balance..
A separate amount to house dividends will be set up. Dividends will be withdrawn twice a year and put into a money market account that is much more accessible if we need to make a withdrawal for maintenance.
Ministry Report
Attendance is down 10 people from 2016 to 2017. The shut-in list has grown.
Chuck presented a report on small groups, more precisely called life groups. A six week run of these groups will begin in April, and will focus on a study series. The hope is that the people participating will invite friends and neighbors.
Materials to accompany the life groups will be developed in-house. Information about the groups will start coming out next month.
The life groups will not replace existing groups such as Sunday School. They are meant to run together.
Miscellaneous
Bill Hughes spoke to the group about a program he used to produce called “Messages from Santa.” It was successful in the places where it ran. He is willing to bring this back to help with holiday outreach. He can set it up in a more modern way, online instead of on cd.
Becky adjourned the meeting at 7 p.m.
CLC Meeting Minutes
December 4, 2017
Present: Chuck Griffin, Linda Monk, Betty Kelly, Becky Woody, Missy Richardson, Preston Woody, Bill Hughes, Denise VanNorman, Mike Beard, John Tindall, Susan Garrott, Shelly Jones, Sherri Burnette and Lee Garrott
Absent: Sandra White
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring
Chuck convened the meeting and nominated Becky Woody as CLC chair for this month, and for 2018. This was seconded by Preston Woody.
By consensus the motion was approved.
Chuck then led the group in prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
The minutes from the October meeting were reviewed. Sherri motioned to approve, seconded by Preston.
By consensus the motion was approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
The church is down by one employee.
HR provided an article for the newsletter and bulletin asking for donations to provide a year-end bonus for church staff.
Plans for Resurrection are underway for the youth.
Several parents have jumped in to help with the children’s programs.
There may be someone coming onboard to help with the education aspect of the youth/children’s program. On Wednesday, December 20 a Children & Youth Christmas event is planned, with a potluck dinner to follow.
The youth may be asked to help pack boxes on the 16th of December.
Worship
We are down 4 from last year, 126 vs. 131.
Outreach
Susan read the outreach report.
Trustees
A new storage shed has been installed. The trustees and the United Methodist Men purchased this to hold scaffolding and yard items.
Additional Items
Fire Alarm
The church is not required to have an alarm or a monitoring system according to a review of the church insurance policy.
A technician from Safe-T-Security came out on November 26 to check the fire alarm system. He said the system is still functional. The alarm had been going off because of ground fault issues. He said the company could check the ground faults, but it would likely cost around $2,000.
He said that it is now a requirement to have the alarm checked every year.
If the church decided to replace the system everything would have to be replaced, including lights, due to new regulations. A complete replacement would cost $20,000+.
If sprinklers are installed at any time a monitoring system will need to be added to the fire alarm that is capable of calling the fire company. This service would cost around $50 per month.
Church Roof
A final check came in at an amount of $631 from the insurance company. The total received for the roof was $27,282.36.
Lay Leader
John reminded everyone that it was time to vote on a new name for the restructured district. Anyone can vote.
Finance
Betty presented the financial report. In the packet of information for the council a finance report for October & November was included.
The council discussed the end result of the Hurricane Mission Project and the Silent Auction. Sandra had sent along the following recommendation for the funds to receive the excess funds from the hurricane relief:
“There is approximately 6500. We need to replace the $2,000 taken from the capital reserve account and I think we need to put another $2,000 in the account. $1000 to the community dinner fund to replace part of the money taken out. Even though we aren’t having the weekly dinner the coffee, plates and other kitchen items are bought from this account. The balance to stay in missions.”
Susan motioned to approve moving the funds, seconded by John.
By consensus the motion passed.
The budget for 2018 was presented and discussed.
Becky asked for approval from the council. All yeas.
The motion passed.
Giving is up. We are currently at $100% of our budget for this year. Giving to dedicated funds is up.
Legacy Giving
Legacy Giving was briefly discussed. More information from this group will come next year.
New Business
Betty invited the CLC to participate in serving communion as a means of serving the church body, and letting them know who the council members are. A sign-up sheet is available in the narthex for anyone interested.
Small Groups in the Methodist Tradition
Chuck brought up the idea of developing small groups that operate in the Methodist tradition.
Defibrillator
Sherri went over with the council how to use the defibrillator should the need arise. It is located in the church narthex.
Becky closed the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
CLC Minutes
Tuesday, October 24
Pastor Chuck opened with a word of prayer.
Minutes
Amendments were made to the previous month’s minutes. A tabular account of buckets/health kit efforts will be added (where the money came from). Betty and Sandra can provide the tabular account. Follow up with e-mail for final approval.
Change to “district lines are changing. WE will be in what is currently numbered District 8 as of Jan. 1.
Edits from Susan’s notes.
Human Resources
Preston provided an update to staff lists.
Youth update: Pastor Chuck noted there are now two teams, one for education and one for activities.
Finance
The Final Yard sale figures are $8,477.30
Worship Attendance
Within 2 of 2016 at 127.
Outreach
See Susan’s notes.
Trustees
We did get recoverable depreciation back. Hoping we will get $500+ discovered during work.
Alarm system: in-house section and communications system. The comm system was never connected. To set up that system it is $49.95 a month. The alarm had been going off. All batteries were replaced. It was going off because of a ground fault.
The alarm system is older and new parts can’t be ordered. The tech that checked the alarm quoted $200 for a communicator that will call outside the building. $120 per hour for labor to install.
Does the church insurance believe we have a call system in place? Would money be thrown away if the call system in purchased and we end up replacing the entire system? How much is it to replace the entire system?
Camera System: Chuck asked if the cameras are actually recording anything?
Pay Raises
The CLC voted on raises for staff in 2018:
Roxanne: 5%
Steve Brown: none, just started.
Melissa: 4%, two weeks paid vacation (58 hours)
Inside Custodian (Vicki): 4%
Nursery Workers: 2%
Betty: 4%
Youth director: maintain budget line of $10,000
Vote on Lay Speaker
The council voted on Z Bednarski being recommended as a lay speaker:
HR recommends reapproval.
2 in favor.
8 opposed.
Discussion around the subject of the Trinity and her inability to accept it as doctrine. Bob Monk notes: “The vetting process has failed her.”
Charge Conference
Charge Conference Documents were approved, including reaffirmation of prior vote establishing church roll.
CLC Meeting
September 19, 2017
Present: Mike Beard, Denise Van Norman, Chuck Griffin, Preston Woody, Sandra White, Betty Kelly, John Tindall, Cathy Turner, Sherri Burnette, Bob Monk, Shelly Jones
Absent: Missy Richardson, Bill Hughes
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring, Hester Breeden, Kathi & Rick Matthews
Chuck opened with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
The minutes from the August meeting were reviewed. The minutes will be amended to say that the roof on the church had been replaced, not just fixed.
Betty motioned for approval, seconded by Cathy.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Flood Sensors
Church Mutual had presented an offer of installing flood sensors. The council spent some time discussing the pros and cons.
Mike Beard voted no, seconded by Sherri Burnette.
By consensus the council voted no.
Sub-team Reports
Finance
The expenses for August were down; the net operating fund has remained the same.
The Yard Sale brought in $8539.00, after kitchen expenses and the renting of an extra dumpster.
Sandra presented a budget report which included funds needed for UMCOR. The council discussed possible available funds to draw support from, such as Community Dinners, Mission, Ladies Day, Yard Sale and Health Fair.
Bob suggested committing to 100 buckets for UMCOR. It was stated that $6500 is needed to produce this number of buckets. It was suggested funds be used from the Yard Sale to initially purchase the items for the buckets. Chuck suggested also producing 100 hygiene kits. Buckets are $65, kits are $12, with $1 for shipping. The plan is to put the buckets together at the church.
Sandra suggested moving $4,000 from the Yard Sale into the capital reserve fund. If any money is left over after helping with UMCOR buckets it will move into the reserve fund (from Yard Sale).
If $8,000 is taken from different funds with overflow-$3,000 from Missions, $2,000 from Community Dinner, $1,000 from Health Fair, with the rest from Yard Sale, all fees would be covered for the buckets and hygiene kits.
Mike Beard motioned to approve, seconded by Preston Woody.
By consensus the council agreed.
Human Resources
Hester joined the CLC to discuss current youth activities. Funding is in place and recent outings have been taken. Youth attendance for the outings is down; ways to combat this was discussed, such as having more indoor activities.
It might be beneficial to get a van in the future. Cost and commitment would need to be researched.
Trunk or Treat is coming up and the youth will be helping with it.
The council discussed the pastor’s salary. Preston recommended a 5% increase.
This motion was approved.
Trustees
The roof replacement has been completed. Pictures have been sent to the insurance company for potential additional funding.
There is a Blood Drive coming up the next Friday.
Additional Items
A lay leader meeting will take place. District layouts are changing in January.
Bob closed the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
CLC Meeting
August 15, 2017
Present: Bob Monk, Betty Kelly, Chuck Griffin, Bill Hughes, Cathy Turner, Mike Beard, Sherri Burnette, Denise Van Norman, Susan Garrott, John Tindall
Absent: Sandra White, Shelly Jones, Missy Richardson
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring
Chuck opened with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
The minutes from the July meeting were reviewed. Betty motioned for approval, seconded by Susan. By consensus, the minute were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
A team met recently to discuss Vacation Bible School and improvements that can be made.
The youth had a couple of outings that included a rafting trip and swimming. There are several more activities planned for the fall.
HR will meet in the next week to discuss evaluations. The budget for next year will be addressed soon.
Finance
It was a good month, with $6700 more brought in than was spent. The net operating fund is currently at around $54k. The net operating fund will not decrease in the bank for roof repairs; this will come out on the dedicated side. The CLC asked for a report detailing expenses for the next meeting.
Worship Attendance Report
Worship is down slightly compared to last year’s average, but up from the previous month.
Outreach
Preparations for the Yard Sale are on track and the key volunteer positions are covered. Many volunteers have come forward. The hope is to welcome newer members and church attendees.
The trailer is staying and will continue to be used b the Clothes Closet.
Trustees
The roof will be replaced next week. Work will be completed before Yard Sale set up. Sections of the parking lot will be blocked depending on where they are working.
Ushers will go over fire safety procedures.
There was not much response for finding new people to work on tasks around the church. There might be a special “Task Day” in the works. This will involve food and fellowship.
Old Business
Elevator
There is now a signed and paid contract on the elevator for this year. The elevator tech is due to come by and test out the system within the next week. After that the elevator will be up and running. The company will provide a box with a 24hour answering service. It will be tested to see if there is a signal. A dedicated phone line for the elevator will remain.
All of this will cost $2,000+ per year. The question of how to pay was raised. A budget item will be set aside and paid for out of a dedicated account.
Mike motioned to make the elevator expenses a line item, and this was seconded by Susan.
By consensus the CLC agreed.
CLC Formation Procedure
Chuck provided a document detailing council formation procedures. He asked for the council to review it and consider approving it as a policy.
Sherri motioned for approval, seconded by Cathy.
By consensus the CLC approved.
Charge Conference
Charge Conference is Sunday, November 5 at 3 p.m. at Kingston UMC. All paperwork is due on October 16. A called meeting of the CLC might take place the week of October 16 in order to approve all documents. The DS wants everything approved before Charge Conference.
Church Mutual
Church Mutual wishes to provide sensors to us for 3 years in order to detect internal flooding. Questions were raised: Will insurance be impacted if this is not done? If it does not, is this a desired arrangement?
The sensors can be returned after three years. Betty is going to call to see if this will impact the premium.
CLC Meeting
July 18, 2017
Present: Betty Kelly, Sandra White, Chuck Griffin, Cathy Turner, Sherri Burnette, Bob Monk, Missy Richardson, Bill Hughes, Susan Garrott, Shelly Jones, John Tindall
Absent: Denise Van Norman, Mike Beard, Preston Woody
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring, Gene Standridge
Chuck opened with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
The minutes from the May meeting were reviewed. Susan motioned for approval, seconded by Cathy.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
VBS went smoothly and the children that attended enjoyed themselves. There was improvement in some areas from the year before. Attendance was lower and it was asked if something different could be done to improve it. The numbers may have been lower because VBS occurred just before the 4th of July. Baseball/softball was also still happening.
The youth have two outing events coming up later in July.
Finance
Expenses are up this month, but everything is still in the positive. The net operating fund is below fifty thousand.
Worship Attendance Report
Worship is down from the previous year; 131 vs. 139.
Outreach
The Yard Sale is coming up during Labor Day weekend. There are some issues completely filling the trailer outside that is used by the Clothes Closet. Discussions with the company that own the trailer are occurring in order to work out a solution. We would like to keep the trailer here.
Trustees
The trustees will continue discussions about the roof and elevator.
Old Business
Church Roof
Gene Standrige attended the meeting and gave insight into the installation of the roof. He had done some research into possible solutions, including a patching system. He said that there is a beam that might be causing some of the issues. Discussion about whether to repair or replace the roof took place.
*At a called meeting later in the week it a vote was taken to repair or replace the roof. It was decided to replace the roof.
Elevator
Bob has been in contact with an inspector in Nashville. Safety tests will need to be conducted by a qualified technician, and the church will need to enter into an agreement with a company staffed by qualified technicians. Once safety tests have been passed a state inspector will come out and determine if the elevator is up to code. These inspections will be routine.
The council discussed the best ways to have communication set up in the elevator. Right now there is a push-button system but it may not be ideal. Additional methods of communication were discussed.
Sandra motioned to allow Bob permission to enter into an agreement with an elevator company and a second line of communication, seconded by Susan.
By consensus the motion was approved.
Church Membership Roll
An official roll was presented, with permission to make any necessary changes in the future. This roll will be presented at Charge Conference in the presence of a District Superintendent.
Sandra motioned to approve the roll and allow future changes, seconded by Betty.
By consensus the motion was passed.
Bob closed the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
CLC Meeting
June 20, 2017
Present: Betty Kelly, Sandra White, Chuck Griffin, Bob Monk, Sherri Burnette, Cathy Turner, Missy Richardson, Shelly Jones, Preston Woody, Susan Garrott
Absent: Mike Beard, Denise Van Norman, John Tindall, Bill Hughes
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring
Chuck opened with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
The minutes from the May meeting were reviewed. Betty motioned for approval, seconded by Cathy.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
The youth recently had a fishing day on the Woody’s property. Nine kids came for the event.
VBS is coming up in a week and everything is nearly in place.
HR met recently and talked about sending out evaluations.
Finance
Finances are down this month. There were gas and elevator related expenses that came up and giving was down. The bills were around $6,000 more than what was brought in.
Worship Attendance Report
Attendance is within two of last year’s average. The counting is more specific.
Outreach
Susan presented a report of Outreach activities. Help is needed for the yard sale, both with the sale itself and with selling select items online. This will be advertised in the bulletin.
Trustees
Landscaping chemicals have temporarily been moved to the old scout trailer.
An emergency form is being developed that will inform the reader as to how to shut down the elevator. This will be placed somewhere that will make it easy to access. The council members went through the procedure and succeeded in shutting down the elevator.
The council then discussed having an elevator service agreement. They also discussed the status of the present phone line assigned to the elevator. A way to pay for the elevator service agreement was discussed. Chuck suggested that everyone table this matter so that the trustees could find out more information.
An insurance claim for damage to the roof has been established. There is a six month time frame to receive a better rate. There is some additional information needed that was not included in the insurance claim.
The trustees suggested that it might be a good idea to send a claim to the shingle manufacturer. The laws regarding this and receiving a claim from the insurance company will need to be looked into.
More information is needed before a final decision can be made. This topic will be revisited at the next meeting, or at a called meeting.
Bob closed the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
CLC Meeting
May 16, 2017
Present: Chuck Griffin, Sherri Burnette, Bill Hughes, Cathy Turner, Shelly Jones, Denise Van Norman, Preston Woody, Bob Monk, Betty Kelly, Susan Garrott
Absent: Mike Beard, Melissa Richardson, Sandra White
Also in Attendance: Melissa Boring
Chuck presented a reading from 1 Corinthians. It spoke about community and eating together. He then led the group in prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
The outreach report will be added. Betty motioned for approval, seconded by Cathy.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
The youth have not done many extra activities this month partly because of conflicts such as prom and graduations. They are meeting on Wednesdays each week. A hiking trip may still be in the future. A fishing trip is still on the schedule for June.
We are still down a nursery worker. Many people are working on trying to find someone.
VBS is still on track and is being planned. It is the 24-28 of June.
Finance
The reserve fund has gone up, it is now at $55,000. April was a good month for the church budget; we brought in $13,000 more than was spent. Council discussed the purpose of the Maintenance Endowment Fund and how it is structured.
Worship Attendance Report
Still down by 11. We are at 135 as an average right now.
Outreach
Susan presented a report of Outreach activities. There were several volunteers to help with the Kingston Post Office Food Drive.
Trustees
Volunteers are still needed for maintenance around the church. New mulch may be purchased for the playground. The groundskeepers are doing a good job.
Sherri gave a report of having met with Southern Signs. The estimate for an electronic sign is $21,810.00.
Around $2,000 was spent for propane, Dave Beeson negotiated. We have enough now for roughly two years unless there is a very cold winter.
A room divider was bought for one of the classrooms.
There are weeds in the cemetery where the trees were taken down. Roundup may be an option for clearing them. A decision will be made once the debris from the tree is removed.
A representative from the insurance came out to look at the roof and the problem with leaking in the sanctuary. There is some loose decking. There is a buckled spot in the roof, somewhere near the pastor’s office. The shingles according to the rep are in good shape. One part of the roof is in better shape than another. The leak may be from wind driven rain. It pushes enough to pick up the shingle and allow moisture in. A report is forthcoming.
Sherri talked to Church Mutual about the gravel lot. They said it is covered under the land we have insured.
Wednesday Night Dinner
Attendance has declined, sometimes it is erratic. Some of the people that are not attending services due to illness may not also be attending on Wednesday. During the summer there will be some attendees that only come then. Some changes to the menu might happen, perhaps more carb friendly etc. Chuck asked if adding a weekly communion would be beneficial, to the end of the meal, keeping it simple? Adding more activities was suggested.
It was agreed that something more was needed. Need to be better about engaging with new people, not just saying hello, but sitting and engaging with them.
Perhaps the meals could have different sponsors, groups like Sunday School classes, men and women groups. They could plan the menus, etc.
It was decided to add a salad bar to the menu each week.
Bob closed the meeting at 7 p.m.
Church Leadership Council
April 18, 2017
Present: Bob Monk, Cathy Turner, Bill Hughes, Preston Woody, Melissa Richardson, Sandra White, Susan Garrott, Denise VanNorman, Sherri Burnette, Chuck Griffin, John Tindall
Absent: Shelly Jones, Mike Beard
Also Present: Melissa Boring, Betty Kelly
The meeting was called to order by Bob Monk and opened with a prayer from Pastor Chuck Griffin.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Susan voted to approve the minutes, seconded by Cathy.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Human Resources
A report of the recent Youth Dessert Auction was given. There were 14 youth present at the dinner and $2450+ was raised.
During the Spring Fling 10 youth were present, 61 kids came for the Easter Egg Hunt. 7 people stayed to watch The Passion of the Christ.
A hiking trip is in place for May. The youth may go fishing and see a baseball game in June.
Vacation Bible School is planned for June 24-28 in the evening. The theme is “Hero Central.”
We are still down one nursery worker.
Finance
The maintenance endowment fund is currently at $89,850.00. The reserve fund is at $41,943.00. The church has received several donations recently for memorials.
Attendance
The average for the first 16 weeks in the year was discussed. It was noted that during that time New Year’s Day occurred, as well as a missed service because of winter weather.
There are a few church members that are not able to come regularly because of illness. Couple attendance has dropped, perhaps because of travel. There are also some young adults in college that are not able to attend as regularly.
There is a difference of 11 people from this time last year.
Outreach
On May 13 the church will be the recipient of the Kingston Post Office Food Drive.
March 2017 Statistics
Barnabas Group
Chair–Linda Monk
Cards mailed–14
Visitor gift bags given out—0
Phone calls—6
Email-1
Food Ministry to prepare/deliver meals to sick, shut-ins, people needing a meal
Chair–Linda Jones
Meals delivered–15
Clothes Closet
Chair–Marie Wolf
Visits to Clothes Closet–48
Food Pantry
Chair–Lelia Slauenwhite
Food bags given out–31
Food bags weigh about 10 lbs each
Bills Paid for Electric, Water, etc.
Chair—Susan Garrott
Electric–2
2 Tires for vehicle
Visitors to the worship services–5
LUMC will receive food donations from the Kingston PO Food Drive for the 3rd year
Saturday, May 13
Trustees
Bruce Marshall and Liz Watson have volunteered to do some work on the church grounds. There are some others interested in helping.
The lights outside under the overhand have been replaced.
Hester Breeden, Nadine Jackson and Shelly Jones have been asked to look at the playground to determine if there are any issues. Bruce and Liz will also take a look.
John Kelly cut the power to the church sign. The lights had been having many issues and replacing them had not fixed the problems.
The fire extinguisher and the oven hood were checked recently and found satisfactory.
Lynn Wright is looking into ways to add sound from the sanctuary to the nursery.
A church wide email will go out to find people to help with church matters.
Fundraising
The team has met recently and discussed several matters.
Children’s Ministries
There is nothing new to report at this time.
Church Sign
Sherri met with the Southern Signs company. They came out and looked at the church sign and thought that the existing structure could be utilized. They will come back with different sign options and estimates.
Mike had submitted a form about developing agricultural districts. In this report is contained rules about signs and advertisements in rural areas. A digital sign may not be possible. The legal side of things will need to be investigated before a decision could be made.
Clean Up at Cemetery
The church had paid to have trees cut that threatened the cemetery. There is a small amount of debris that will be cleaned up. There is also a small area of grass that will need to be cut on a regular basis.
Yard Sale Items
A few large items have been left at the church for the yard sale. Communication will go out letting folks know that someone at the church needs to be alerted so that these items can be placed in storage. Electronics will not be accepted.
Wednesday Night Dinner
This topic has been tabled until next month.
Policy Review
Building Use-a section will be added to emphasize that if the building is used for profit, part of that will be tithed to the church.
Defibrillator
The council will take time out and make sure everyone knows how to use the defibrillator. This may also be something for the ushers to know.
Key Card Reader
A key card reader will be installed soon.
The meeting was closed by Bob Monk.
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
March 21, 2017
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Bob Monk, John Tindall, Cathy Turner, Chuck Griffin, Sandra White, Betty Kelly, Denise Van Norman, Sherri Burnette, Susan Garrott, Preston Woody, Shelly Jones, Mike Beard
Members absent: Bill Hughes, Missy Richardson
Also in attendance: Hester Breeden
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
One correction was made to the minutes.
Bob proposed to approve the minutes, seconded by Cathy.
Proposal: To approve the February minutes.
By consensus the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
The council discussed the installation of Jake Cannon as the new piano player. He will receive the same rate of pay as the previous pianist.
Bob motioned to approve Jake Cannon as pianist. By consensus, the council agreed.
Hester Breeden presented an update on youth activities. The youth have helped to decorate the Stations of the Cross posters that will be utilized during the Easter service.
On April 5 the 2nd annual “Live Dessert Auction” will take place. The youth will help to cook supper, followed by an auction of donated desserts to raise funds for future youth activities.
On April 15, the Saturday before Easter the youth will be present at the Easter Egg Hunt and the Spring Fling.
They plan on hiking in April or May, likely on a Sunday afternoon. Adult volunteers are needed.
Ron and Becky Woody would like to sponsor another fishing event on their property for the youth, as they did last year.
A meeting for VBS planning is happening soon. A theme will be chosen, as will a date and time.
Denise asked if the acolytes wanted a set schedule. Hester will find out if one is needed.
Finance
The net operating fund is now over forty thousand. Offering is down; income will exceed expenses this month.
It was discussed that having a van available to the youth for activities would be a good idea. This is something to revisit at another time.
Worship Attendance Report
Worship attendance is still down. It is something that will be monitored.
Committee Reports
Outreach
February Report
Barnabas Group
Chair–Linda Monk
Cards mailed—18
Phone Calls Made–1
Food Ministry to prepare/deliver meals to sick, shut-ins, people needing a meal
Chair–Linda Jones
Meals delivered–7
Clothes Closet
Chair–Marie Wolf
Visits to Clothes Closet–51
Food Pantry
Chair–Lelia Slauenwhite
Food bags given out–21
(Food bags weigh about 10 lbs each)
Bills Paid for Electric, Water, etc.
Chair—Susan Garrott
Electric–2
Visitors
(Actual visitors—not number of visits)
Chair—Barnabas Group
Visitors to Worship Service–7
Trustees
Sherri is working on building work teams under different headings (plumbing, electrical, etc.). A working email list of potential volunteers has been developed; they will be contacted and those interested can be put into work teams. More information will be forthcoming.
There has been several responses directed to the trustees regarding items that need fixed around the church.
Bruce Marshall and Liz Watson have volunteered to help with landscaping at the church.
Fundraising
Susan reported that the team is looking into what is needed, how things would be funded, and at what level of planning.
Children’s Ministries
The team has not met recently, but plan to do so soon. The children’s bulletins may not be utilized after this year.
Additional Business
Choir Fundraising
The Roane State Community Choir has volunteered to present a program here on April 30 at 7 p.m. They will split any donations they received with the church. They are presenting the program in order to raise funds for an overseas trip. A second concert is on the schedule for May 21 at 3 p.m. Slade Trammell will perform and donate any proceeds. All proceeds will benefit the church choir.
John Tindall motioned to approve the choral program, seconded by Susan Garrott.
Proposal: To approve the choral program.
By consensus the council approved.
Church Sign
Bob asked for the council’s opinion on the current state of the church sign. It was noted
that there have been issues with the lights, and the plastic has become brittle.
Ways of improving the sign’s presentation were discussed, such as adding some external lights. The council also discussed the possibility of one day installing an electronic sign. Bob had contacted Value Signs in Oak Ridge and found out some information about this type of sign.
The electronic signs are wi-fi controlled, in color, and last and estimated 15-20 years. They cost 20-25 thousand.
Bob proposed forming a team to find out the best solution. Mike Beard was appointed to research the mechanics of refurbishing the current sign. Sherri Burnette will call Southern Light Company and find out more information about electronic signs from another company.
Wedding Policy
A copy of the current wedding policy was given to the council members for review.
Someone (trustee) is needed to check the facility after an event has been held. This is to ensure that everything has been returned to the state in which it was found. This will determine if someone that has rented the facility will receive a refund on their cleaning deposit.
Key Card Reader
Chuck presented a report on the topic of a key card reader being installed at the church. He and Sherri Burnette sat with a representative from ADT Security to discuss switching to a card system for accessing the building, in an effort to make the building more secure.
The door leading to the church offices will have a card reader installed. The installation of the card reader, along with a package of 25 cards is estimated at $1399. A locksmith will need to be called in separately to change the outside locks. This change will only impact external locks; all inside locks will remain the same.
Extra cards can be ordered, though cost will need to be researched.
Bob asked the council to discuss the pros and cons of this possible change, as well as deciding upon a total price point that everyone is comfortable with. Capping it at a $3,000 range was discussed.
Mike Beard motioned to approve the decision, seconded by Cathy Turner.
Proposal: To install a key card reader on the external door and change the external locks.
By consensus the council approved.
Karate Class
Pastor Chuck would like to begin a karate class for younger children, and possibly an aerobics class inspired by karate. He requested the purchase of an 18×18 mat that can be broken down and stored. The mat has a total cost of $500. He asked if there were any funds available.
Hester proposed using funds from youth.
Sandra White motioned to authorize purchase of the mat, John Tindall seconded.
By consensus the council approved.
The meeting adjourned at 7 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Council Minutes
February 21, 2017
In attendance: Bob Monk, Preston Woody, Susan Garrott, Cathy Turner, John Tindall, Shelly Jones, Sherri Burnette, Sandra White, Mike Beard, Missy Richardson, Betty Kelly
Absent: Bill Hughes, Denise Van Norman, Chuck Griffin
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring, Will Richardson, Lee Garrott
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
After a typo was corrected Betty motioned to approve the January minutes, seconded by Susan. The minutes were approved.
Sub-Team Reports
Human Resources
Preston discussed some issues that came up with the cabin during Resurrection and reported that the potential new nursery worker decided not to take the position.
Will Richardson, President of the Youth reported on the status of current youth activities. He thanked everyone who donated and helped with Resurrection, emphasizing that it is an important event for the youth and the adults. The sessions during Resurrection went well. Twenty-two individuals attended the event.
He stated that the youth would like to have more space for their meetings, as they desire to grow. They would like to make use of some space on the second floor of the church. Bob suggested that the youth come up with an idea of how much square footage would be ideal.
Finance
The net operating fund is $37,680.00. Finances for February look to be in good shape.
Attendance
Attendance is down from this time last year. There has been a holiday weekend and many out sick or traveling.
Outreach
Outreach Report
January 2017 Statistics
Barnabas Group
Chair: Linda Monk
Cards mailed-14
Phone calls made-3
Visitor gift bags distributed-1
Coffee Mugs given to new members-9
Food ministry to prepare/deliver meals to sick, shut-ins, people needing a meal
Chair: Linda Jones
Meals delivered-7
Clothes Closet
Chair-Marie Wolf
Visits to Clothes Closet-54
Food Pantry
Chair: Lelia Slauenwhite
Bags of food given-46 (bags weigh about 10 lbs each)
Bills Paid for Utilities & ect.
Chair: Susan Garrott
Electric-3
Phone cards-1
Gasoline card-1
Housing for Homeless Family-1
Visitors (Actual visitors-not number of visits)
Chair-Barnabas Group
Visitors to Worship Services-14
Methodist Men (Rotating Committee Report)
Lee Garrott reported on the UMM. Currently he and Mike Barron are sharing responsibility for the group. At present they have 6-8 regular attendees. The average age of the members is 70+.
The UMM is working with the trustees (on fixing things around the church) and would like to share a labor pool. They will be two separate groups, but will work together. Sherri Burnette and Lee are developing a separate call list for labor and participation on special projects.
Lee’s goals for the UMM are to add more of spiritual aspect to the projects the men work on, and to grow the organization as a whole. They would like to work more on projects that impact the wider community.
He reported that the primary fundraiser for the men is the Fish Fry each May.
The men have helped in previous years with providing a Sunrise Service Breakfast, helped by other groups. Lee proposed making this an official event and having other individuals take over responsibility, freeing the UMM to move onto other projects.
The council discussed continuing the Sunrise Service breakfast, and what that would involve, such as who would take over and how would it be funded.
Bob proposed making the Sunrise Service breakfast an annual event.
By consensus the council voted to approve it as an annual event.
It was suggested that the breakfast be part potluck, with extra needed items funded by money from the Wednesday Night dinner fund. Betsy Farr will be approached to possibly take over the event.
Trustees
Sherri is working on a phone and email list for work teams. There is a trustee concerns list located on the door of the church office that anyone can access.
Sherri had gotten an estimate for a new roof on the church, for later on down the road. A shingle roof would cost around $58,000, and a metal roof would cost over $260,000. A fund would need to be started eventually. This topic will be revisited later.
Fundraising Priorities Team
The team recently had a phone chat. Zain Hashmi recently joined the team. They discussed prioritization and what kinds of projects to have. They want projects that will support the church mission statement.
Children’s Ministries
Plans for VBS will begin soon. There are plans to have Hester come in to give a report to the council.
Membership Roll
A rough draft of the roll is complete. The draft will go into the narthex for a month for members to review. Feedback is welcome.
Finding out the status of adult children (of members) will be looked into.
Fundraising Request for Choir Easter Program
The choir would like permission to hold a fundraiser. Slade Trammell has offered to have a benefit concert. They would like to reach a goal of $1500. This will happen either on the 21st or 28th of May. This fundraiser would fund a Christmas event for this year.
It was stated that there is a possibility of having two programs.
Bob proposed approving the benefit concert, seconded by Susan.
By consensus the council approved.
Policies-Building Use
A copy of the current policy for use of the church building was distributed. The council was asked to review it and give feedback.
The meeting was adjourned at just after 7 p.m.
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
January 17, 2017
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Bob Monk, Melissa Richardson, Chuck Griffin, Preston Woody, Bill Hughes, Betty Kelly, Denise Van Norman, Cathy Turner, Sherri Burnette Shelly Jones and John Tindall.
Members absent: Susan Garrott and Sandra White.
Also in attendance: Lynn Wright.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the December meeting were presented and approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
Preston Woody discussed the youth activities list and stated that youth director Hester Breeden will soon present a plan of events that will cover the next several months. It was mentioned that Resurrection was coming up shortly.
Planning meetings for VBS are expected to begin in February.
Preston mentioned that Hester is still looking for guest speakers for the youth. She would like to have at least one person per month come in to lead the talk.
Shelly Jones stated that a new nursery worker by the name of Kayla was to start working soon. She gave a brief report on Rez Kids and said that it went well. There were a total of ten in attendance, counting adults and children. It was the first time anyone from the church had attended. The council discussed adding funds for this event to the budget in the future.
The HR team had met recently and discussed how to distribute staff gifts in the future. The church will have ten staff members in the future. They discussed including Pam Hutchinson with the staff instead of listing her as honorarium.
Finance
Betty Kelly reported that the church finances had an end balance of $32,625.80. However, the church spent $11,000 more than they brought in for the budget last year.
Bob Monk discussed the church operating funds, and presented a chart displaying what the net operating fund trend was for 2016 vs. what it would have been like if there was still a mortgage payment. The operating fund would have been very low.
Expenses went up in 2016, partly because there is more staff.
Bob brought up the idea of getting a new roof for the church later on. He asked trustee chair Sherri Burnette to look into an estimate. It was reiterated that that the church is by no means in a crisis, but structural repairs will be needed in the future.
Worship Attendance Report
Worship attendance was down for the start of the year vs. last January, partly because of holiday travel and weather conditions. In 2016 the church gained two people in average attendance.
Worship Report
Lynn Wright presented a worship report this month to the council. She expressed her desire to have another person take over some of the worship duties as she would like to scale back her workload. She is in need of someone to take over the lead on Altar Guild.
There is a team in place for communion set up and serving. There is also a team in place to decorate the narthex and sanctuary. She would like help with buying and checking supplies.
The ushering team is doing well, and one new person was added to the team this year. She would like to have someone take over coordinating the ushering team. Guidelines for ushers needs some updating.
There is a need for more formal greeters during the Sunday services.
Lynn presented an update on sound and visual support as well. Television screens have been installed in the sanctuary and are functioning properly. One wireless device is needed in the soundroom and a problem solving guide needs to be put together. There is a need for individuals to help in the soundroom.
A new computer and CD recorder has been purchased for the soundroom.
Lynn and the council discussed having a structured worship team that meets once a month and plans. Chuck will work with Lynn to develop this team.
Committee Reports
Outreach
Susan Garrott gave a report on our outreach efforts and provided a handout which included the following information:
Barnabas Group
Chair—Linda Monk
Cards mailed—13
Visitor gift bags given out—1
Food Ministry to prepare/deliver meals to sick, shut-ins, people needing a meal.
Chair—Linda Jones
Meals delivered—20
Clothes Closet
Chair—Marie Wolf
Visits to Clothes Closet—54
Food Pantry
Chair—Lelia Slauenwhite
Food bags given out—27
(Food bags weigh about 10 lbs each)
Bills paid for Electric, Water, etc.
Chair—Susan Garrott
Electric—3
Water—1
Propane—2
Licensed Electrician—1
Phone Card—1
Gasoline—1
FINAL NUMBERS
Thanksgiving Food Baskets
Chair—Sherri Burnette
Thanksgiving baskets—40
Christmas Food Baskets
Chair—Sherri Burnette
Christmas baskets—65
Angel Tree
Chair—Denise Van Norman
Number of children given gifts–96
Fundraising “Focus on Growth”
The Fundraising Priorities Team met this month. Susan & Lee Garrott and Becky Woody proposed changing the name to “Focus on Growth.” They discussed having fundraisers that would help support growth in the church. They want to have more activities, and wish to link their goals to the church mission statement.
Children’s Ministries
Some of the children recently attended Rez Kids.
Membership Roll
The work team has been able to lower the amount on the roll from 600 down to 456. The working list has been given to Joyce Woody and Bobby Jackson as they have been part of Luminary and the wider community for some time. They were asked to remove any names that they did not recognize, and if a person had not attended church for the past five years (apart from homebound) they were to be taken off.
Two groups of names will be remaining: a list with all the removed names, and ones that have been kept on the roll. These lists will be presented to the congregation at a future date for review. A list will be presented at the 2017 Charge Conference.
Additional Items
Canceling Church
The council discussed the procedure of cancelling church when the weather becomes dangerous. There is a procedure in place and that procedure will be communicated to the congregation.
Heritage Sunday
Preston proposed having a Heritage Sunday once more, or something along those lines to honor Luminary’s heritage.
Groundskeeper
A new groundskeeper, or a team of people are needed. The council discussed the best way to honor the former groundskeeper, Jean Creswick for all her hard work.
The meeting adjourned at 7 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
December 14, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Denise Van Norman, Bob Monk, Chuck Griffin,
Betty Kelly, Craig Hutchison, Susan Garrott, Sherri Burnette, John Tindall and Preston Woody
Members absent: Shelly Jones and Cathy Turner.
Also in attendance: Melissa Richardson and Sandra White.
The pastor recorded minutes as our secretary was out of town.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the November meeting were presented and approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
HR Chair Preston Woody noted that our youth director was recovering from knee surgery. We are in the midst of a confirmation class, which should lead to baptisms and confirmations in late December/early January.
Finance
Betty Kelly said some reporting discrepancies regarding finances have been resolved. A big part of the problem had to do with how yard sale money was recorded as donations continued to trickle in.
Betty and Dave presented the 2017 budget, which was based on the previous 12 months of giving and spending trends. They do anticipate some expenses being down in 2017 because of significant supplies in reserve, oil in particular. The proposed budget passed unanimously.
The group discussed an increasing tendency of givers to dedicate their tithes and offerings rather than applying them to the general budget. this could become a problem down the road, and the group agreed the matter needs further analysis and possible communication with the general congregation.
Worship Attendance Report
Worship attendance average remains at 135, the same number at this point in 2015.
Committee Reports
Outreach
Susan Garrott gave a report on our outreach efforts, which is attached.
Fundraising
The Fundraising Priorities Team will begin working in earnest in 2017.
Membership Roll
Much work remains to be done to establish a proper membership roll.
Additional Items
Ministry Teams
Bob Monk suggested in 2017 we begin to invite the leaders of various ministry teams to report on their work to the CLC. It also is a goal of our new leadership structure to do a better job of tracking and publicizing the existence of ministry teams in 2017.
Wednesday Night Dinners
Bob also presented data showing a marked decline in the Wednesday Night Dinner balance. The decline appears to be a combination of declining donations and the stocking of items for long-term use, such as paper products.
Groundskeeper
We also learned of Jean Creswick’s desire to step down as our volunteer groundskeeper. The CLC agreed we need to honor her in some way for her long, exceptional service, and recruit new volunteers in the process.
The meeting adjourned.
Respectfully Submitted,
Charles Griffin, Pastor
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
November 15, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Denise Van Norman, Bob Monk, Cathy Turner, Chuck Griffin, Shelly Jones, Betty Kelly, Craig Hutchison, Susan Garrott, Sherri Burnette and Preston Woody
Members absent: John Tindall.
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring and Sandra White.
Chuck opened with a prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the October meeting were presented. The council discussed how to pay new pianist Jennifer for special events and extra practices. This will be discussed further at a future date. The minutes will be amended to state that she is paid $125 per trip.
Susan moved to amend the minutes, seconded by Sherri.
By consensus the CLC agreed.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
The Youth Silent Auction fundraiser is on November 16. Trunk-or-Treat went well; it was estimated that over 60 children came. Resurrection is coming up for the youth in January.
HR met recently to discuss the budget for next year.
Finance
We are finally above 40k in the reserve fund. Over 42k is in the bank.
HR plans to increase the salary next year for the bookkeeper and the secretary. Evaluations for Roxanne and Jennifer will take place in June. Raises will be discussed at that time. Christmas bonuses are being gathered for all church staff.
The group discussed the fact that raises generally used to be given in January. They talked about issuing raises at different times throughout the year. The topic will be brought up at a future date.
Finances are still ahead than they were at this time last year. It has been one year since the church began the Debt Reduction program.
Worship Attendance Report
The weekly attendance average is up by 1.
Children’s Ministries
The sub-team has not met recently. The council discussed the children participating in the Our Girls Christmas program. The children may also go to Rez kids.
Chuck has had a lot of requests for little children to take karate lessons. He presented that idea to the council and they discussed starting a class for younger children. He asked if there was a children’s ministry already in place to direct the kids coming from karate. It will be discussed further. The goal is to involve children in the church
Membership List
The list continues to be revised. There is now a list of just over 300 names. The council discussed making sure to keep an eye on young adults that may have been overlooked from membership. Perhaps there is a need for a confirmation class.
Old Business
Fundraising
Looking at a cost benefit; more will be discussed after the first of the year.
New Business
Committee Reports
There used to be outreach and trustees reports. The council discussing adding these items to the minutes. Starting next month these items will be added to the agenda.
A doorbell was recently installed by the back door.
Finalization of Charge Conference
Pay packages are typically approved at Charge Conference but this did not happen this year. The need to approve a raise in the pastor’s pay came about during the council meeting, as the council has the ability to do so.
Preston moved to approve a raise in the pastor’s salary, seconded by Susan.
By consensus the council approved.
Lay Speakers
The current lay speakers are Ron Woody (certified lay speaker) and Z Bednarski (local speaker). The council voted to approve them as lay speakers for the coming year.
Motion to recommend Ron and Z.
The motion carried.
Wednesday Night Dinner
Bob proposed not to have the Community dinner during the week of Thanksgiving.
Additional Items
The next meeting will be moved to December 13 because of the holidays. The council members beginning next year will be invited.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
October 18, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Dave Beeson, Susan Garrott, Chuck Griffin, Bob Monk, Junior Morgan, Cathy Turner, Shelly Jones, Preston Woody, Craig Hutchinson, Sherri Burnette and John Tindall.
Members absent: Betty Kelly and Becky Woody.
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the September meeting were presented. One change was made to the minutes under new business: keeping the door locked when a staff member is working at the church alone. Eventually getting a door buzzer was discussed Susan motioned to get a door buzzer.
Proposal: To get a buzzer for the door.
By consensus from the CLC, the motion was approved.
Dave Beeson motioned to approve the minutes, seconded by Cathy.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
After searching for a few months a new pianist has been selected. Jennifer Gibson is the new pianist.
The church is still short one nursery worker.
An HR sub-group will meet to discuss a budget. Before the next CLC meeting the HR sub-group will recommend a staff raise.
Youth: The youth went on a hike recently, mostly middle school age kids. There is a plan in place to have an escape game in Knoxville for the high school students.
Finance
September was a good month; giving is up and expenses were down. The reserve fund is almost back up to $40,000, just $2600 short. It is hoped to meet the 40k goal next month.
Budget: Work will begin early in November on a budget for 2017. New finance team members will be invited to this meeting.
Worship Attendance Report
The weekly attendance average is up by 2.
Lay Leadership
The CLC was presented with list of proposed leaders for next year. The list includes all sub-team members. The list of proposed leaders will be discussed and voted on at Charge Conference on November 13.
The CLC discussed how nominations work. Anyone can volunteer or be suggested for a position. Anyone rolling off the council cannot be nominated again for at least a year. No married couples are allowed, and all individuals will roll off after 3 years of serving.
Old Business
Work Teams
Fundraising Priorities Team Ministries: Someone is needed to be a leader for this group. They would need to prioritize needs and come back to the CLC for approval.
Children’s Ministires Team: Shelly, Hester and Nadine have scheduled the children to go to Rez Kidz in January.
Membership Roll Team: The Membership list continues to be worked on. Many church members have come forward to help. A list of potential names to be removed will be presented for input from current members.
New Business
Pianist
Jennifer Gibson has been hired as the new pianist. The Finance committee has recommended setting her salary at $250 a week. Bob motioned to vote on this sum.
Proposal: To hired Jennifer as a salary of $250 a week.
By consensus the CLC has approved.
Alcoholics Anonymous
A representative, Dennis Laslow, from Alcoholics Anonymous has requested use of the church facilities for weekly meetings on Saturday mornings. There are no other nearby meeting places for this area.
Proposal: To allow Alcoholics Anonymous to meet at the church weekly.
By consensus the CLC approved.
Job Training Program
Church member Bettye Breeden has requested use of the church facilities to have a job training program. There is nothing of this nature happening south of the river. Bettye has much experience in this field. Chuck motioned to approve having the program.
Proposal: To have a job training program at the church.
By consensus the CLC approved.
Additional Items
Bulletin: The date will be included on the front of the bulletin. The Veteran’s Day dinner is on November 16 instead of the 9th.
Silent Auction: Advertise in the bulletin more strongly that this benefits the youth, and is not a yard sale event.
Sanctuary: The bolts located on the floor after the removal of the front pews will be removed. Craig proposed cutting off the bolts, and this was seconded by John.
Proposal: To cut down bolts.
By consensus the CLC approved.
Bob closed the meeting at 6:50 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
September 20, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk. A prayer was led by Pastor Chuck.
The members present were: Bob Monk, Chuck Griffin, Preston Woody, Betty Kelly, Craig Hutchinson, Becky Woody, Junior Morgan, Dave Beeson, Cathy Turner, Susan Garrott, Shelly Jones, Sherri Burnette and Denise Van Norman
Members absent: John Tindall
Approval of the Previous Month’s Minutes
The inclusion of a few missing names were added to the previous month’s minutes. Craig motioned to approve the changes to the minutes, Susan seconded.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub Team Reports
Human Resources
Youth
Preston presented a list of 2016 Youth activities, past and present events, as well as the number of youth that had attended past events. The Youth activities are going well.
Search for New Pianist
Wayne Duggan was offered the position of pianist for the 11 a.m. service but declined the offer of employment. HR has decided to include Roxanne in all future endeavors to find a pianist. Chuck placed an ad for a pianist on Craig’s List and linked it to all social media connected to the church. The guest pianist will not be available after September 25.
It was suggested that a broader search be done to secure a new pianist. Both Roxanne and Wayne Tipps will assist in the search.
Church Nursery
There is a lead on a new nursery worker.
Finance Report
The reserve fund has dropped from $35,000 down to $28,000. There was $10,000 less in giving this month than at this time last year. One factor that may have contributed to this decline is the fact that the month of August in the two previous years included five Sundays, this year did not.
Several bills (Holston tithe, payroll deposit, etc.) were not paid until August. The bills totaled around $3,000. There was $7,000 less in giving this month compared to what was given in July.
Worship Attendance Report
The attendance average is up from last year, 138 vs. 136.
Old Business
Work Teams
Fundraising Priorities Team: More people are needed to assist the fundraising team. Efforts will be made to find more individuals.
Children’s Ministries: Shelly and Nadine Jackson met recently and discussed who might be a good candidate to assist with assessing the needs of the children in the church. They will meet again soon to discuss further. It was suggested that we need to focus on three age groups, youth, tweens and children.
Chuck mentioned that he had spoken to Hester about Resurrection for Kids.
Membership Roll Team: Bob has put together a working list that includes 654 names. This list will need some serious trimming. It was mentioned that Bobby Jackson would be a good candidate to assess the list. Several other long-term members have been consulted as well. Efforts will be made to contact the people remaining and to take them off if they don’t respond.
Nomination Progress: Chuck will work on setting up a meeting very soon to discuss nominations.
New Business
Building Security Policy
A sub-team was formed recently consisting of Pastor Chuck, Steve Spry and Jason Dobos to discuss church security. Chuck presented a security proposal draft to the council. Highlights from the security proposal include having the greeters trained in basic techniques related to security, mostly observation. At least two individuals would function in these roles between 7:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. These individuals would rotate.
Securing the children’s wing is a priority during worship times. Security is also needed during special events at the church.
A security plan for church staff will be formed in the future. Forming a new way of accessing the building was discussed; this would be a future project. The idea of utilizing a card system or a code system to unlock church doors was discussed. This would certainly be something that would be introduced gradually. It was decided to keep doors locked if a staff member was working in the building alone.
Some things such as securing the doors in the children’s wing can be done right away, other security measures will be done in baby steps. Training would need to be provided to any individuals assisting in security.
Bob motioned to approve securing the doors in the children’s wing.
By consensus the council approved.
Bob discussed approving the security proposal in areas related to developing teams and securing physical aspects of the building. Junior motioned to approve the physical securing of the building, seconded by Dave.
By consensus the council approved.
Junior motioned to approve developing teams to observe and to report back at the next council meeting. Sherri seconded.
By consensus the council approved.
Additional Items
The yard sale profit was at $8,861.57 at the time of the September meeting.
Rose Griffin is working on an online directory that will be available to view on the church website. This would be a secure feature, able to be accessed only by church members.
The meeting adjourned at 7 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Melissa Boring
August 16, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk
The members present were: Dave Beeson, Craig Hutchinson, Bob Monk, Becky Woody, John Tindall,
Preston Woody, Junior Morgan, Denise Van Norman, Susan Garrott, Betty Kelly, Sherri Burnette and Chuck Griffin.
Members absent: Shelly Jones and Cathy Turner
Approval of previous Months Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the June meeting were presented. There was not a July CLC meeting. No changes were made. ———motioned to approve the minutes and ——-seconded.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub Team Reports
Human Resources
Preston discussed the church staff evaluations stating that the annual evaluations were complete.
For Seth, Melissa and Betty Kelly. Nadine is going to meet with a few of the parents and them finish the evaluation on Hester. Preston is going to propose that the support teams do the evaluations on the staff next year. No evaluations were done on the pianist or the custodian.
He is still working on getting a nursery worker. There was discussion on possibly just using volunteers on a rotating schedule so that hopefully with enough volunteers to draw from no one person would have to keep the nursery but every couple of months. Bob also discussed the possibility of another person supplying the snacks and program for the nursery thus having more volunteers interested in one of the split job duties instead of being responsible for everything.
Preston is going to discuss with Shelly and move forward with a plan ASAP.
Status of Youth
Preston reported that the youth had a back to school party at Nadine and Bobby Jackson’s pool.
He stated that there were 14 youth in attendance. He was most impressed with the youth’s participation in the VBS program with Nadine and Hester’s guidance.
There were discussions about the challenges of the different ages of the youth in trying to get their full participation in all the activities offered. All things considered, things are going well for the youth.
Hiring of a new Pianist
Brianna is leaving the end of August. Wayne and twelve others are working to find a replacement.
They have had one successful interview and have two more scheduled. This team does have a commitment from a temporary pianist as a last resort that is willing to fill in for the month of
September for $300.00 a week. The salary of the new pianist chosen does not have to be presented to the CLC if it is below the current salary for the position. If in the negotiations to secure a new pianist the salary needs to be increased, this will need to be presented to the CLC.
Finance Report
Dave reported that the finances are up a percentage to 15% under budget. July was a good month with five Sundays. Our “net operating funds in bank” are steadily increasing toward the $40,000 mark that we are striving to reach.
Worship Attendance Report
Attendance is showing a positive trend with an average of 140 per Sunday.
Legacy
Becky Woody reported that the Luminary Maintenance Endowment Fund has seen an increase reported June 30, 2016 a balance of $83,227.63 Account Market Value. The investment that we participate in called the Balance Growth Fund has a positive YTD of +6.47%.
Becky also discussed the New Grant deadline announced for fall of September 30, 2016. A brief discussion followed as to whether LUMC had any possible grant writers and if there were grants available that LUMC might apply for. No further discussion or decisions were made.
Old Business
Work Teams
Children’s Ministries: No plans as of yet and Shelly was not present to discuss.
Fundraising Priorities Team: Chuck has not held a team meeting yet.
Membership Roll Team: Bob reported that he almost has his first draft complete and he is still making progress. He plans to post the membership roll for all church members to review for additional input on the status of past members. The primary reason that we need an accurate roll
Is to be able to hold a church conference. In order for the church to possibly conduct important legal transactions, there must be an accurate roll to refer to as members come to the church conference to vote on important decisions.
Policy Booklet
Melissa was not present but Chuck stated that she is overseeing this project and will probably complete after the Yard Sale activities are over.
New Business
Bob brought up the possibility of forming a new committee to review the building security and safety needs during church services. The 11:00 service is abiding by an old policy that all the doors are locked except the doors leading into the Narthex, just before the 11:00 service begins.
The 8:00 service is not limiting access in any way at all due to members coming in for Sunday school. It was agreed that Chuck would form a core team of three to include Steve Spry and Jason Dobos and possibly others will be involved.
Bob also requested that each CLC member send him an E-mail detailing their thoughts on all the
Activities of the church that should be included in this safety planning.
CLC Vacancies for 2017
The Lay Leadership Team will begin work on filling the positions that will be rolling off in 2017. These members are: Becky Woody, Craig Hutchinson, Dave Beeson and Junior Morgan. Chuck also asked If you were a remaining member on the CLC, please contact him if you would like to discuss changing your position and responsibilities.
Sherri presented information on the possibility of Safe Sanctuary training. She has access now to a power point presentation that we could use to get new volunteers in compliance with our Safe Sanctuary program without having to wait on a church wide training session. More to come on how this will work.
Bob stated that he had found an interesting subscription that is available for $20.00 a quarter that could possibly be used for the children either in the nursery/SS program or the bags that are provided in the sanctuary during the services for the children. The CLC agreed that Nadine and Shelly could evaluate this product and move forward with our consent.
——-motioned to end the meeting and ————–seconded.
Meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Becky Woody (in Melissa’s absence)
June 21, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Dave Beeson, Sherri Burnette, Shelly Jones, Cathy Turner, Chuck Griffin, Bob Monk, Becky Woody, Craig Hutchinson, Betty Kelly, Susan Garrott, Denise VanNorman and Preston Woody.
Members absent: John Tindall and Junior Morgan.
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the May meeting were presented. One change was made to the minutes; it was noted that Gene Standridge had been speaker to the youth recently. Bob motioned to approve the minutes, Dave seconded.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
Ron and Becky Woody recently hosted a picnic for the youth at their home. There was a total of 16 present, 10 of which were youth. Hester had taken the kids out on the water and the event went well. The next big event coming up is VBS.
There is a need for a new nursery worker and a new choir director. Seth has accepted a new position and his last day will be June 26. The choir will not meet in July and Wayne Tipps can fill in until a replacement is found.
Finance
The finances are up a percentage point from last month, they are now 14 %. Expenses were higher this month so the budget is down to $32,000. Over 7000 gallons of propane was purchased at a steep discount and is expected to last up to possibly two years. A total of $6000 was spent on the propane. The propane is used for heating the church and in the kitchen.
The CLC members presented feedback on the monthly financial report that was included in the bulletin during the second week of June. It gives the review for the month and a yearly review. There was discussion of possibly listing extraordinary purchases on the report as they came up. It was decided to continue generating the monthly financial reports.
Worship Attendance Report
The weekly attendance average is up by 2.
Legacy
Legacy has a quarterly statement coming up in July.
Old Business
Copier
The council discussed switching to Thermocopy after looking at a proposal provided by the company. The new copy machine would be $96 a month for the lease, and the current copy machine is $197 a month.
Bob called for a vote and Susan seconded.
Proposal: To lease a machine from Thermocopy.
By consensus the CLC agreed.
Work Teams
Children’s Ministries: VBS is coming up in July.
Fundraising Priorities Team: There was a suggestion to add improving the acoustics in the Fellowship Hall to the team’s list of priorities. The team will come up with a list and present it to the council.
Membership Roll Team: A draft of a roll will be presented to the congregation at the end of August. Bob is speaking with longtime members to receive their input.
Sub-team Punchlists & Regular Meetings
The sub-teams are meeting. A Trustee Concerns list is available in the office. It is a way of communicating with the trustees any issues around the church.
Policy Booklet
An updated booklet is being worked on. It is hoped that a draft will be available for the July CLC meeting.
Defibrillator
Craig has been looking at purchasing a new defibrillator for the church. The cost of a standard model with standard batteries is under $2300. One will be ordered soon.
New Business
New Policy
It was discussed whether or not a new policy needed to be put in place regarding short—notice use of the church facilities. There were discussions that it was not needed unless problems arose. Bob called for a vote.
Proposal: To instate a new policy.
By consensus it was decided that a new policy was not needed.
Safe Sanctuary Approved Volunteers List
Sherri has made up a list of everyone that is currently Safe Sanctuary trained. This list will be posted on the bulletin boards. There was discussion of finding an online training.
Church Marquee
There was discussion of using the church marquee to regularly reflect short term special events such as dinners and funerals. There was also discussion of having a permanent sign listing church worship times.
Yard Sale
The yard sale is currently in the planning stages. Management of the Yard Sale is changing this year.
Cathy motioned to end the meeting and Craig seconded.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
May 24, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Dave Beeson, Sherri Burnette, Shelly Jones, Cathy Turner, Chuck Griffin, Bob Monk, Becky Woody, Craig Hutchinson, Betty Kelly, Susan Garrott and Junior Morgan.
Members absent: Denise VanNorman, John Tindall and Preston Woody.
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the April meeting were presented. Susan moved to approve the minutes, Cathy and Sherri seconded.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
Evaluations will need to be completed before the July CLC meeting. Gene Standridge was the latest speaker for the youth. The youth had a t-shirt fundraiser and plan to do more. The policy regarding fundraisers will be discussed at the next meeting.
Finance
Income variance dropped to 15%. Expenses are down. The net operating fund is at $30,000 and may drop over the next two months. Propane is needed ($6,000) and the church insurance is due in June. The church is still working on getting the operating fund back up to $40,000. The church audit was completed by Linda Jones and a report was submitted as part of the minutes and financial record.
Dave motioned to approve the audit report. Susan motioned to accept and Junior seconded the motion.
Proposal: To approved the submitted audit report.
By consensus the audit report was approved.
The council discussed a report of weekly budget needs. Betty looked over figures and presented a new presentation for the budget report. Dave presented an example of an offering report that had been used as an insert in bulletins in the past. He said it could be presented monthly or quarterly in the bulletin.
The council discussed leaving out the “weekly budget needed” amount in the offering report on the back of the bulletin. Instead it would be reported monthly or quarterly.
The council agreed to include a monthly financial report in the church bulletin starting the second week of June, and to drop the “weekly budget needed.”
Worship Attendance Report
The weekly attendance average is up by 5.
Legacy
The Legacy Team is open to suggestions about what they should be doing actively. They are set up to function if a gift to the church is given.
Old Business
Copier
A proposal will be provided by Thermocopy with price quotes and sent around to council members for review.
Work Teams
Children’s Ministries: The Children’s Ministries team will meet on May 25 to discuss VBS.
Fundraising Priorities Team: Becky Woody volunteered to be on this team with Chuck and Susan.
Membership Roll Team: The Membership Roll team met on May 24 to discuss setting up a working plan.
Wednesday Night Dinners
There will be coverage in the kitchen for several weeks. The United Methodist Men’s Annual Fish Fry has been postponed until June. The ice machine has been fixed.
New Business
Fundraising Policy Fundraising
Bob will meet with Preston and will see if the fundraising policy needs to be changed.
Sub-teams
The council discussed if the sub-teams were meeting regularly and if they were keeping punchlists of things to do. A list will be created for trustee matters and kept in the church office.
Policy Booklet
Melissa will start working on a policy book and will order it by sub-team. The policy booklet will be presented to the CLC in the future. A policy is needed for many items such as tablecloths and etc.
Distributing Directories
The council discussed putting pictures and information into an excel file. This information could be made available on the website and pictures and information could be added at any time. Rose Griffin has volunteered to do this as part of her high school community service. This information would need a login and password to access.
The council discussed how to distribute the extra directories. New members would receive one as would anyone listed in the directory that wished to receive one. They would also be given to current members and anyone else who participated.
Betty motioned to end the meeting at 7 p.m.
Bob seconded that motion.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
April 19, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Bob Monk, Denise VanNorman, Preston Woody, Dave Beeson, Susan Garrott, Cathy Turner, Shelly Jones, Craig Hutchinson, Becky Woody, Sherri Burnette and John Tindall.
Members absent: Chuck Griffin, Junior Morgan
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the March meeting were presented. Craig moved to approve the minutes, Dave seconded.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
An article ran in the newsletter asking for volunteers to help in areas such as the nursery, custodial matters and van drivers for the youth. The article will run again in the May newsletter. Hester Breeden’s daughter Jessica will be in the nursery part-time and for right now the nursery is covered. Preston held a sub-committee meeting discussing the nursery.
VBS has been scheduled for July 18-22. The theme is “Surf Shack, Catch the Wave of God’s Amazing Love.”
Several members of the church have participated as guest speakers for the youth; they are always looking for more speakers. Recently the youth went hiking.
Finance
The church continues to bring in funds in order to reach the goal of having the reserve fund back to the normal amount. We are also slightly behind in giving. An idea of having yearly totals reported in the bulletin was discussed. It was mentioned that there used to be a quarterly statement distributed. The report would include the year-to-date giving against the year-to-date giving income. Issuing a six month report was also discussed, as well as presenting income vs. cash flow in the report. The question “what is important for the congregation to see” was brought up. The council will review the best format to present to the congregation.
Funds have been donated to help purchase the monitors and equipment that will be placed in the sanctuary.
The church audit has been completed for the year. The report is now being prepared.
Worship Attendance Report
Worship Attendance is up. The average for 2016 is 145, the average for 2015 was 138, the average for 2014 was 126.
Legacy
Old Business
CLC Calendar & CLC Sub-Committees
The church will be honoring the graduates this year on May 1st.
Copier
We will contact Thermocopy about making a presentation. We will look at price quotes and the types of machines they have available.
Lighting Outside of the Soundroom
New lighting in the hallway outside of the soundroom will be taken care of soon.
Formation of New Work Teams
Several people have signed up for the various work teams: children’s ministries, fundraising priorities team and membership roll team:
Children’s Ministries: Hester Breeden, Shelly Jones (will help out), Nadine (suggested)
Fundraising Priorities Team: Susan Garrott
Membership Roll Team: Lee Garrott (supportive roll), Denise VanNorman, Bob Monk (lead)
Sanctum Worship
The attendance has ebbed and flowed. The service will run through Pentecost and will be evaluated.
Wednesday Night Dinners
There are concerns about having the youth clean up when they get out of their class on Wednesdays. It is late at night for them. The parents are not always able to assist in the cleaning. We need to make sure someone is cleaning up after the meals. Bob requested feedback. Perhaps the youth will be rotated with clean up teams.
New Business
Fundraising Policy
The CLC discussed the fundraising policy and the cake auction the youth recently held. There are limitations right now on how fundraisers are carried out. An evaluation will be done on what the Youth needs and how the policy can possibly be amended. Preston will investigate what the youth needs. The cake fundraiser was a success.
The reason for the policy is fundraiser fatigue. A financial aspect of the fundraising policy is needed. A donation of 10% of funds raised should be given to the church.
Additional Items
Trustee Matters
Five parking lights are out on the church property and will need to be replaced. It was discussed that we need a form or some regular method of communication to let the trustees know if something is needed at the church. Any water issues will be discussed with plumber Randy Slauenwhite. We will ask for a price quote.
Directory
Everyone that had a picture taken will receive a directory. We had 97 people have their picture taken. The directories should be in soon.
Defibrillator
The cost of a new defibrillator is $1800.
New Flag
A new American flag is needed at the church.
Bob closed the meeting at 7 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
March 15, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
The members present were: Bob Monk, Junior Morgan, Denise VanNorman, Preston Woody, Dave Beeson, Susan Garrott, Cathy Turner, Shelly Jones, Chuck Griffin and Craig Hutchinson
Members absent: Becky Woody, Sherri Burnette and John Tindall?
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the February meeting were presented.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
HR did not meet this month. The Youth Council met and will be having a Spring Fling during the Easter Egg Hunt. There is now a sign in sheet available for anyone that wishes to sign up to teach a youth class, and the youth is also in need of volunteers to help with picking up and returning a van during outings. The CLC discussed having a credit card set aside just for the youth.
The church is in need of a full time nursery worker.
Finance
Outstanding checks were causing some discrepancies with the finances but that has since been corrected. The church added $9,000 to the budget in one month with giving and not having a mortgage payment anymore; $27,000 is the net worth right now. Expenditures were much higher in January and lower in February. If things continue as they are the church is well on its way to recovery.
Worship Attendance Report
We are one below what it was this time last year.
Legacy
There are no new Legacy reports at this time.
Old Business
CLC Calendar
A draft of the CLC calendar was presented. All member of the council were asked to review it and add their input, including planning times and upcoming activities. All of these additions will be collected in the following meeting.
Copier
The contract for the copy machine is up in July. Other copy companies are being investigated.
Sanctum Worship
An ad and a flyer are going out about the new worship service. It is an experimental formal worship service that is family friendly. It is built around four-fold worship, modeled after ancient structures of worship but with modern elements added in.
Wednesday Night Dinners
There are two goals for the dinners: welcoming new people from the community and to have no money lost. The youth have volunteered to set up and help clean. They will be given $20
a week for their efforts.
Attendance of church members has drifted down, but more outside people are showing up. It is possible the funds may begin to drift so that is something to watch out for.
New Business
Formation of New Teams (CLC)
Fundraising Priorities Team: Might be good to have a team of people to prioritize items
that come up. This would be a long-term team.
Children’s Ministries Team: We need a children’s ministry council (most likely a volunteer position). They would plan out team activities for the younger kids.
Membership Roll Work Team: We need a team for developing a proper roll, perhaps drawing members outside the CLC. It was suggested we have a column asking for people to sign up for the different teams, perhaps running in next month’s bulletin etc.
These teams will be temporary sub-teams of the CLC.
Additional Items
More lights are needed upstairs in the hallway outside the elevator.
The defibrillator at the church has stopped working. It was proposed that we look for a new one.
Proposal: To approve the purchase of a new defibrillator.
By consensus from the CLC, the motion was approved.
The Kingston Post Office will be having a Food Drive on May 14. The church will be a recipient again this year.
Vacation Bible School: Hester Breeden, Nadine Jackson and Preston Woody are looking into a date for this year.
Bob closed the meeting at 7 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
CLC Minutes
Feb. 16, 2016
CLC Members in attendance: Bob Monk, Betty Kelly, Shelly Jones, Becky Woody, Sherri Burnette, Junior Morgan, Preston Woody, Chuck Griffin, Cathy Turner, Susan Garrott and John Tindall
Members absent: Dave Beeson, Denise Van Norman and Craig Hutchinson
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
Chuck opened with prayer.
Bob motioned that the January minutes be approved by the council. There were a few minor corrections made to the minutes. By consensus from the council the minutes were approved.
Human Resources
Hester Breeden has been hired as Youth Coordinator. She is in need of a liaison. Karen Drake has taken on the role of liaison to Seth O’Kegley. Jaime Kilby has been hired as a nursery worker until April. Someone else will need to be located at that time.
The HR sub-group met with Sherri Burnette recently regarding Safe Sanctuary. The topic of the Easter Egg Hunt was mentioned as was Bible School for this year. Hester will be handling Bible School but there is no firm date at this time. Hester may end up having 8-12 hours per week. The council discussed payment options for Hester.
The council discussed ways to have the youth involved, perhaps by developing a Youth Council. Hester will need an office and a computer. A plan was discussed to convert the current sewing room into Hester’s office and to move the Sewing Circle into the current youth room. The Youth currently meet in their Sunday School classroom.
Finance
Hester will be paid an exempt salaried position, with a sum of $10,000 a year. That sum will be divided into pay periods. Her official start date was set at Feb. 1, 2016.
The net operating fund is at $31,692. It is lower than anticipated likely because of January bills having been posted in December, and church having been canceled Jan. 24 because of bad weather.
Bob mentioned that it is important to keep track of the $4,000 that used to be paid for the mortgage. He suggested placing it in the reserve fund over the next 4-5 months so that the fund can be built back up to $40,000. It then would be kept in a separate account dedicated to capital needs.
Junior moved to place the $4,000 for the into the reserve fund until that fund exceeds $40,000, seconded by Chuck. The council agreed.
Susan suggested having a true audit done sometime at the church in the future. Bob suggested putting the line item in the budget for that next year.
The software issues have been mostly straightened out. The payroll software and Shepherd’s Staff were having problems communicating. A developer from Shepherd’s Staff worked on it and resolved the payroll issues.
Attendance
Attendance has remained consistent. It is the same average as it was this time last year, 133.
Legacy
One more member is needed for the Legacy team and there will most likely not be any events until the 2nd quarter of 2016. The team is in need of someone to help market the team and plan events.
Old Business
Performance evaluation and goal setting for church employees will take place in June or July.
A decision was made at a recent called meeting of the CLC to move forward on purchasing televisions for the church sanctuary. (This is on hold until reserve is above $40,000.)
At the called meeting there was a unanimous vote made by the council to hire Hester Breedon as Youth Coordinator.
The afternoon worship service will be happening during the Easter season. There are plans to advertise in the Roane County paper.
Additional Topics
The Easter egg hunt will take place the Saturday before Easter. A church flyer will go out before that time.
There are plans to discuss plans to replace the current church copy machine at a future meeting.
Respectfully Submitted by Melissa Boring
CLC Minutes
Jan. 19, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk.
CLC Members in attendance: Bob Monk, Becky Woody, Betty Kelly, Dave Beeson, Preston Woody, Junior Morgan, Sherri Burnette, Cathy Turner, Shelly Jones, Denise VanNorman, Craig Hutchinson, Chuck Griffin and John Tindall.
Members absent: Susan Garrott
Also in attendance: Lynn Wright, Melissa Boring
Chuck led the group in an opening prayer.
Human Resources
The HR sub-group had met recently. They interviewed for a new nursery worker but the job offer was declined. A search for a new nursery worker or volunteer continues. New liaisons were assigned, though one is still needed for Seth and for Briana.
Finance
Money taken out to cover the rest of the mortgage will need to be built back up.
Attendance
Down slightly from 2015 but still doing well. Many in the congregation have been out of town during the month of January.
Legacy
Becky mentioned that there is a new team. Karen Drake has rolled off the roster for 2016 and a replacement is needed. She mentioned that she has approached someone and will report at the next CLC meeting. Becky read over and discussed highlights of the Legacy charter.
She said that the Legacy group will most likely meet quarterly. They will have an event or series of events in 2016. It is possible that they will do a “lunch and learn” series about different subjects. The Legacy team has been looking for different hosts.
Minutes
Craig motioned to accept the minutes from the previous month. Dave seconded the motion and the minutes were accepted.
Old Business
The calendar of CLC events will be discussed at the next meeting.
“Ice the Debt”
Craig, Becky and Dave had recently met. They proposed to cover the remainder of the mortgage debt by paying for it out of the reserve fund. This will leave around $44,000 left in reserves. After the mortgage is paid off money will be put back in the reserve fund; essentially the church will be paying itself back.
The payment toward the budget will need to be paid to ORNL by Feb. 1. The total remaining is $18,363.38.
Craig motioned to pay off the remainder of the debt. Junior seconded and the motion was passed.
New Business
Dave brought up the subject of changing credit unions. The Finance Committee sub-team had met and discussed switching to an account with Federal Enrichment after experiencing various issues with ORNL.
The Finance team motioned to open an account with Federal Enrichment Credit Union. Junior seconded and the motion was approved.
Afternoon Service
Chuck discussed starting an afternoon service at the church. The service would take place at 1:30 p.m. on Sundays, following an after service lunch. The lunch meals would be funded through donations, like the Wednesday night dinners.
The new service would be prayer oriented, using old/early church prayers and liturgy. The core concepts of Christianity would be discussed. The service will involve Seth who has helped develop the concept. It will possibly start during Lent or Easter and is aimed at helping new Christians and those wanting a new understanding of their faith. It would run at least six weeks.
Proposal: to approve the new service.
By consensus the CLC approved.
Communication
The CLC discussed the need for improved communication. One week before each CLC meeting the Agenda, finance report and the approved minutes for the previous month would be send out church-wide. Reports on new membership and information about church activities will also be sent out.
AV Equipment
The CLC went to the sanctuary and listened to a demonstration from Lynn Wright (a team that works with the AV equipment had met and discussed the project) about purchasing new AV Equipment, mainly discussing acquiring new TV monitors to mount at the front of the sanctuary. Chuck and Lynn demonstrated where the monitors would be placed (to side walls on either side of the cross).
Lynn reported that there are 75 inch screens available for around $2,000. She recommended that size because anything larger jumps up much higher in price. She suggested making the font size larger so that text on the screens could be well viewed.
The screens would be mounted in such a way that they would swing out when in use but could be folded against the wall when not in use. Everything would cost less than $5,000. Lynn recommended purchasing new software and hardware in the future. A possible team for running this new equipment is Jill Hegland, Zain and Brandon Hashmi and Rose Griffin. Lynn proposed having a team of around six people to help care for and run the equipment.
The monitors would be used for music lyrics, prayer and possibly for playing videos. It could be used in the future for the afternoon service and for VBS when it returns.
Bob motioned for approval of the purchase for the AV equipment. Members of the CLC expressed concern that the congregation needs more information about the changes happening. It was decided that Lynn Wright and John Tindall will present this information to the congregation after each service on Jan. 24. Sherri mentioned that it would be helpful to pass out a half sheet containing bullets of information that the congregation could look over. The sheet would include information about the old equipment failing and why new equipment would be advantageous.
Bob called for a consensus to communicate the plan.
By consensus the CLC agreed.
Junior motioned for adjournment and Dave seconded. Bob closed the meeting at 7:50 p.m.
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
December 8, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Nadine Jackson. The members present were: Craig Hutchinson, Don Shepherd, Bob Monk, Junior Morgan, Chuck Griffin, Dave Beeson, Preston Woody, Betty Kelly, Nadine Jackson, Cathy Turner, Susan Garrott and Karen Drake. New members present were Shelly Jones, Sherri Burnette and John Tindall.
Members absent: Melba Levy and Becky Woody and new member Denise Van Norman
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring and Lynn Wright.
The new members of the CLC-Shelly Jones, Sherri Burnette and John Tindall introduced themselves. They will be formally joining the council in 2016. Don Shepherd, Melba Levy, Nadine Jackson and Karen Drake will be rotating off at the end of this year.
Chuck discussed adding a spot in the liturgy for the Jan. 3 service to honor the members of the CLC and to identify the new members to the congregation.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the November meeting were presented.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
HR has spoken to a few people about possibly stepping into a Youth Coordinator role. A written plan has been drawn up. The sub-team of HR will develop employee evaluation forms, and will most likely conduct evaluations in June 2016.
One nursery worker is staying on full-time and another has agreed to stay part-time. Another person will need to be hired or possibly there will be a sign-up for volunteers.
Chuck mentioned that there are new lay speaker requirements. The current lay speakers will need to be updated on the new requirements.
Finance
Finances have dropped a few percentage points and giving has been lower lately, thought it was higher on Dec. 6. There are no major expenses occurring right now.
A meeting may be called about the mortgage payment. A way to refinance the remaining amount will need to be determined before February. The net operating fund was also discussed.
Worship Attendance Report
Attendance averages remain largely consistent. The 2015 average is down by 1 from 2014. We have gained 13 new members and have baptized 1 baby this year.
Legacy
The Legacy team will not meet until after the first of the year. There are new items on the table in the narthex and there are plans to add a Legacy tab to the church website next year.
Old Business
Ice the Debt
The debt amount began at $114,400 and as of Dec. 8 is at $55,519. The church is still receiving donations. The mortgage payment each month is $4,023. Updates on the decreasing amount can be found on the finance door, the thermometer in the narthex and announcements in the bulletin and during Sunday services.
Safe Sanctuary
Sherri Burnette will continue to work with Safe Sanctuary. Look for more updates after the holidays. Work will be done on reestablishing the policy. There will be another training next year.
New Business
New Audio Visual Equipment
Lynn Wright presented a handout and spoke about the current audio-visual situation. The projector is 10 years old and is no longer produced; neither are parts for it. The controller for the projector is also having issues and the bulbs are getting old. One option is to get a new projector or it could be replaced entirely with T.V. monitors.
The monitors would cost around $2,000 while projectors would cost perhaps $7-12 thousand. Mounting wireless controllers and adapters could cost between $5-6 thousand.
A new team is needed to get items ready for each service, scripture reading, etc. A team is needed to gather information on what is the best option. The team will investigate price, specs, etc. and present a report. Lynn and Chuck would be part of this team.
Proposal: To develop a team to gather information.
By consensus the CLC agreed.
Performance Evaluation and Goal Setting for Church Employees
Evaluations will be done most likely in June of next year. Evaluation forms are being developed.
Calendar of Events for CLC and CLC Sub-Committees
Nadine presented a rough draft of a CLC monthly calendar for 2016. The CLC went over the draft and discussed the items listed. Suggested items were added, others will be added later and a master list will be produced.
A handout of a summary of the accomplishments from 2015 was also presented and discussed.
Additional Items
The group talked about acquiring a van or possibly leasing a van in 2016. Susan mentioned that Missions is in the process of giving a sum of $500 to Alex Richardson for an upcoming mission trip.
The light that was out in the front of the church is now fixed.
Nadine adjourned the meeting at 7:45 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Attachments:
Agenda
November Minutes
Finance: Report and graphs for November 2015.
Attendance Averages
Draft of Monthly Calendar
List of CLC Accomplishments
Article
November 17, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by Bob Monk. The members present were: Junior Morgan, Bob Monk, Don Shepherd, Becky Woody, Karen Drake, Cathy Turner, Preston Woody, Craig Hutchinson, Chuck Griffin, Dave Beeson, Betty Kelly, Melba Levy and Susan Garrott.
Members absent: Nadine Jackson.
Also in attendance: Melissa Boring.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the October meeting were presented.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
Human Resources
The Charge Conference was successful. There were three lay speakers approved, with one being new. HR is still working on finding someone to oversee the youth. There may be some changes among nursery staff, and the church may need to hire 1-2 new people.
Finance
The giving was slightly short in October, 6% under budget but the finances are still in good shape. Expense went up, partly because the carillon had to be repaired. The mortgage continues to decrease in the amount owed thanks to “Ice the Debt.” The debt amount should be in the 50,000 dollar range by February. Over $50,000 has been paid since the beginning and there have been additional pledges made. Funds will still be collected past the Nov. 15 deadline.
Worship Attendance Report
The attendance is the same as it was last year at this time.
Legacy
Information located on the Legacy table continues to be updated. The Legacy team will be rotating next year.
Safe Sanctuary
The team behind Safe Sanctuary plans to meet after the holidays. More events may be planned at that time.
Old Business
Thermostats
Five new thermostats have been installed in the building and are functioning
New Business
Budget for 2016
The council went over the budget for 2016 line by line. There was a Q & A session to discuss the budget. A change was made to the budget designated for church flyers. It was decided to keep the amount the same as previous years.
Proposal: To approve the projected 2016 budget.
By consensus the council approved.
Additional Items
There were several items that will be carried over until the next meeting, including performance evaluation & goal setting for church employees and a calendar of events for CLC & CLC sub-committees.
Bob adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Attachments:
Agenda
October Minutes
Finance: Report and graphs for October17 2015.
Attendance Averages
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
October , 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by CLC Chairman Nadine Jackson. CLC Members present were Nadine Jackson, Susan Garrott, Cathy Turner, Craig Hutchinson, Becky Woody, Chuck Griffin, Don Shepherd, David Beeson, Bob Monk, Junior Morgan, Betty Kelly and Preston Woody. Members absent: Melba Levy. Also in attendance: Melissa Boring.
Cathy Turner opened with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the September meeting were presented.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
• SPR
There is still a need for a youth director. There is someone who might be interested in the position. The CLC discussed the need for a plan when the custodian is on vacation.
The CLC discussed the budget for staff salary. There are plans to have the budget completed before the next meeting. The pastor salary will be approved before the Nov. 8 Charge Conference.
Finance
The church is down to 1% on budget. Expenses were up slightly but we are under budget by $1000.
• Worship Attendance Report
The attendance is the same as it was last year at this time.
• Legacy
There are no large events planned until next year when there is a new Legacy Giving team in place. Becky will be chair at that time. Other people still need to be chosen. A gift of $1000 was given to the foundation. There are plans to keep up with investment reports and with materials in the narthex.
Old Business
• Mortgage
The brochure for Ice the Debt has come out. There are plans to keep communication going through to the 15th of November. The debt will be down to $92,000 by Nov. 1. Updated figures are posted on the finance room door, on the thermometer in the narthex and on the church website. The debt had previously been $114,000. There are plans to better communicate with individuals that are not always able to attend church regularly about Ice the Debt.
• Safe Sanctuary
Several members attended the Safe Sanctuary training earlier in the month. Plans to having a follow up training for individuals unable to attend the previous training were discussed.
The CLC discussed the need to have a yearly approval of the Safe Sanctuary policy. This would likely happen mid-year and will be added to the CLC calendar. One item that needs to be addressed in the policy is cyber issues. There should also be a section discussing elder abuse.
It was suggested that Sherri Burnette be invited to assist and review the policy at the next CLC meeting.
New Business
• Preparation for Charge Conference
There is still some paperwork that needs to be completed for Charge Conference. The CLC discussed changing the name of the SPR Committee to Human Resources (HR) for next year as it is a more identifiable title.
Proposal: To change the SPR title to Human Resources.
By consensus from the CLC, the change was approved.
It was discussed that there is a need to approve the pastor’s salary for 2016 as well as the housing allowance. It was discussed that the pastor be given a 4% raise. A total of $8,000 was suggested as the amount of the 2016 housing allowance. The need to approve lay speakers for 2016 was also discussed.
Proposal: To approve the housing allowance, the pastor’s salary and the 2016 lay speakers.
By consensus from the CLC, the changes were approved.
The CLC also discussed the changes in individuals serving on the CLC in 2016.
Proposal: To approve the changes to the CLC.
By consensus the changes were approved.
• Additional Items
The CLC discussed the fact that make-up pictures for the directory would be occurring at the church. They mentioned important upcoming events such as the Health Fair in March, the Nov. 22 Hanging of the Greens, Angel Tree and Food boxes, the Christmas choir program and the Christmas Eve program. It was also mentioned that the church now has two new handicap signs placed before parking spaces at the church entrance.
Nadine adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Attachments:
Agenda
September Minutes
Finance: Report and graphs for September 2015.
Attendance Averages
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
September 15, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by CLC Chairman Nadine Jackson. CLC Members present were Nadine Jackson, Susan Garrott, Cathy Turner, Craig Hutchinson, Becky Woody, Chuck Griffin, Don Shepherd, David Beeson, Bob Monk, Junior Morgan and Preston Woody. Members absent: Betty Kelly and Karen Drake. Also in attendance: Melissa Boring.
Bob Monk opened with a word of prayer.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the August meeting were presented.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes with minor corrections.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
• SPR
It was reported that the SPR had not met recently. The SPR is still trying to locate someone to help with the youth. There are a few people who are interested in assisting.
The following question was raised: Is there a need for a daycare program in the area? With the closing of the Michael Dunn Center, need has increased in nearby areas.
Another question raised was who should clean the church when the custodian is not available. It was suggested that we have a list of people who might want to fill in.
Finance
David reported that the church has gained another 3% on the budget. We are down 6%. The apportionments are still being paid. We are 3% under expenses. The Yard Sale brought in around $8900, which is designated for community outreach projects. Finances are going well.
It was suggested that the budget needs amount be set apart from the offering amounts on the bulletin so that it is easier to locate. There are plans to start on the budget for next year soon.
• Worship Attendance Report
The attendance is up slightly from last year.
• Legacy
Becky reported that the Legacy group had recently met. The group is trying to regularly discuss the Foundation Statement. In their meeting they discussed the possibility of having an educational miniseries hosted at the church, perhaps offered during the Sunday School hour. Several members of the church would teach different subjects such as wills, taxes, IRA’s, new EMV chips and perhaps youth financial responsibility, all with a biblical viewpoint in mind. It was discussed that having meeting during the Sunday school hour would make it difficult for those who teach the children to attend. Becky said they could have another one-time event with a set important topic. It was suggested that an event with several people (experts) discussing different topics of interest could be held. It was decided that an email will be sent out that asks for ideas and suggestions.
It was also mentioned that there is a new legacy table set up in the narthex with related materials. Our thanks to John Drake and Wayne Tipps for designing and constructing this special table.
Old Business
• Mortgage
Chuck presented a communications plan for the 2nd Giving Campaign for the debt elimination effort. This is to explain what the need is and the goals related to eliminating the mortgage. A brochure will be developed which will explain what comes after the debt is paid. There will likely be a celebration on November 8 during worship to announce the outcome. The kick off will happen in October.
• Vision and Mission
There are small groups beginning to form. A women’s group is meeting and there are others potentially forming. There is a need for a young adult group. There are several new graduates at the church. A group could possibly meet in the evening.
• Outreach to children (Safe Sanctuary)
Sherri Burnette is leading a training on October 11 at 1 p.m. for Safe Sanctuary. Anyone working with children will need to attend. The Safe Sanctuary policy needs to be updated. The CLC will discuss it at the next meeting.
The Fall Festival was discussed. Chuck asked about how to engage people in the community and see what parent’s needs are in regard to their children and how best to communicate? Cathy mentioned that they will be doing interviews for Christmas at the church this year and Chuck asked if the interview process could be a way to help determine what the needs are for children. It was mentioned that the church had never had an ongoing event aimed at children, just one-time events. It was mentioned that it is important to engage with families from a Christian perspective.
It was determined that there will be no Fall Program at this time.
New Business
• District Conference
Cathy read Karen Drake’s report from the District Conference to the CLC. Luminary won a silver award. A copy of the report is available in the library.
• Evening Service
The subject of an evening service was discussed. One idea is to develop an evening seeker service that will involve Seth. They would like to reach younger people as well.
• Health Fair
March 14 is the possible date for the 2016 Health Fair. One concern raised was the possible problem with having it on a day that is not a holiday as it may not be convenient for working people. It was mentioned that the date change last year (because of bad weather) did not change attendance much.
• Handicapped Parking
There is a need for a handicap parking area with easier access to the narthex.
Motion: Agree to 2 Handicapped spots
By consensus the CLC agreed.
Nadine adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Attachments:
Agenda
August Minutes
Finance: Report and graphs for August 2015.
Attendance Averages
Oak Ridge District Conference Report
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
August 18, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by CLC Chairman Nadine Jackson. CLC Members present were Nadine Jackson, Cathy Turner, Karen Drake, Susan Garrott, Melba Levy, Dave Beeson, Bob Monk, Betty Kelly, Becky Woody, Chuck Griffin, Preston Woody, Craig Hutchinson, Junior Morgan and Don Shepherd. Also in attendance: Melissa Boring and Wayne Tipps.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the July meeting were presented. One mistake was noted and corrected.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
SPR: Preston reported that attendance is up an average of 20 people since Seth began. We still do not have a Youth Coordinator but Preston knew of someone who might be interested in helping with some of the youth activities.
Finance: Betty provided printouts of the monthly reports. Dave reported that the offering was in good shape. Expenses were ok and financially we are in good shape. Dave asked about including the monthly statement in the newsletter and Nadine asked about putting the financial reports on the bulletin board. It was requested to place copies of the minutes in the narthex.
Purchasing procedures were discussed. Craig mentioned that anyone needing to purchase items needed to go through the proper channels, Dave and Craig said the trustees needed to sign off on certain expenditures. Betty stated that on any account permission to spend money from that account is needed from the account head.
Worship Attendance Report: The attendance is back up on average by 3 people. Chuck said that we have several new visitors and potential people to join the church.
Legacy: Karen mentioned that there is a table dedicated to the Legacy group located in the narthex. It displays Legacy materials that are available for anyone interested to take. Becky said that the next meeting will be on September 8 at 6:30 p.m. They will be discussing items such as taxes.
New Business
Pianist Proposal: Preston said the subcommittee had met and he had communicated with Seth and Wayne. He turned the conversation over to Wayne. Wayne presented a statement about why it would be beneficial to keep a pianist. He said it would free Seth to conduct and communicate with the choir. Wayne explained the payment cost of Brianna in the proposal. Bob asked if for accounting purposes if it would be all salary. Junior asked what Seth’s original job description was. Craig mentioned it said the choir director would cover all and that was why there was extra on the salary. Wayne said the extra money in the salary was because Seth would be participating in all services and developing a seeker service. He would be moving into a worship leader type of role.
Preston said when he talked to Seth about retaining a pianist Seth was very open to the idea. Nadine proposed the question of whether or not to hire a permanent pianist for the remainder of the year.
Proposal: To hire a pianist for the remainder of the year.
By consensus the CLC agreed.
Dave suggested seeing how she works out with Seth until the end of the year. Nadine called for a vote to keep the salary at $100 per trip for the pianist until the end of the year, and to reevaluate the situation at that time.
Proposal: To retain the pianist’s current salary.
By consensus the CLC agreed.
Old Business
Mortgage: Bob reported that the subcommittee had met. They had decided that a 2nd Mile Giving Campaign would be set up. How long to run it is still being considered and it will possibly begin Sept. 30. He said Chuck will be communicating information about what a 2nd Mile Giving Campaign is. Karen asked if we will put some items out explaining what the goal is. There are plans to do that and Chuck said they may put out a brochure about it.
The goal of the 2nd Mile Campaign is to pay off the existing debt, with a goal of $118,000 to be raised by the 1st of February. Nadine asked who will watch over the campaign and Bob stated that the subcommittee will do that. Dave suggested putting information about it in the narthex.
Chuck suggested going with the campaign through early November. He said that there could be a Harvest theme attached to it. He said to have it be a one-time event. Becky and Bob thought it should be ongoing. Dave asked about putting out a “thermometer” in the bulletin showing how the funds are accumulating each week. The close out date will be November 8. Nadine called for a vote to go ahead with the 2nd Mile Giving Campaign.
Proposal: To hold a 2nd Mile Giving Campaign.
By consensus from the CLC the campaign was approved.
Safe Sanctuary: Chuck discussed the Fall Program for children and families. He said that we need people that are trained to do it and that since that is already happening we will just have everyone trained for Safe Sanctuary. Someone has contacted Holston about getting a trainer. Nadine said we will need to review the policy and it will be discussed at the next CLC meeting. Preston asked who was over Safe Sanctuary before. Nadine said that now the CLC would be responsible.
Chuck and Preston said they needed a team over it. Chuck suggested Connie. Preston suggested pulling in other people, perhaps Sylvia Mende, Missy Richardson, Pam Hutchinson or Sherri Burnette. It was mentioned that Jean Creswick had been over it before and might be asked. Nadine said we will review the policy at the next CLC meeting and talk about the team to review the policy.
Visioning
Chuck said that visioning will be discussed after the 11 a.m. service on August 23, 2015.
Fall Program
Chuck said they hope to pull in parents as well. Nadine said when looking at applications for grants you must have Safe Sanctuary training in place.
Additional New Business
Chimes: The CLC discussed problems with the chimes being delayed. It is being looked into.
Church Directory: Ken Hill is in charge of the new church directory. He has been meeting with companies and will likely have something set up for October.
Yard Sale and Additional Items:
The Yard Sale is happening in September.
Bob said we have 5 new thermometers.
Betty said we are addressing the issue about lights being out in the church parking lot.
Junior Morgan closed with a word of prayer.
Nadine adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Luminary (CLC) Church Leadership Council
July 25, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by CLC Chairman Nadine Jackson, and opened with a prayer by Chuck. CLC Members present were Karen Drake, Cathy Turner, Becky Woody, Susan Garrott, Bob Monk, Nadine Jackson, Chuck Griffin Craig Hutchinson, Dave Beeson, Betty Kelly and Preston Woody. Members absent were Junior Morgan, Don Shepherd and Melba Levy
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the meeting held on June 16 were presented.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
• SPR
Preston spoke about retaining accompanist Brianna Wells. There are plans to speak with Seth O’Kegley once he begins as Choir Director. Preston talked about Seth starting officially on August 2. He also mentioned that there is still no Youth Leader in mind and said that there are plans for the SPR sub-team to meet soon.
• Finance
Dave delivered the finance report. He said that the offering overall has been good. There were larger expenses in June but the apportionment has still been met. The church is currently only about 10% under budget.
o Monthly Reports
Betty distributed a full copy of the reports. Betty said that our expenses and budget are only about halfway through funds, despite June expenses. Propane had been purchased this summer as it is cheaper and the amount purchased should carry through the winter. Bob asked about getting specific reports for accounts. Betty said she can print out those reports. Nadine asked about possibly posting it on the board.
• Worship Attendance Report
Chuck reported that the average is down slightly from 2014, likely because last year the appointment change brought in bigger crowds.
• Legacy Giving Report
Karen and Becky reported that there is currently no new news regarding Legacy Giving.
New Business
• Mortgage Proposal
Dave said that the Finance sub-committee had met and discussed a mortgage proposal. They determined that it was ultimately a trustee matter. A decision will need to be made to pay off the mortgage. An offer was made by an anonymous person to take over the mortgage and pay it off as a lower percentage of 4 %. A letter was sent out to find someone to take it over. Another offer was made by a separate individual to take it over and allow the church to pay it back at 3 %. Bob Monk asked if this will be a transparent transaction. Bob asked about having a bond program to pay off the mortgage.
Chuck proposed having a phased gift campaign and Bob asked about the Debt Reduction Fund. A total of $104,000 would need to be raised. It was also mentioned that funds are needed for roof replacement and air conditioning. It was asked if these items be included as a packaged deal. Chuck again mentioned raising funds, making it a fundraising effort, perhaps tying it in with the vision statement.
Old Business
• Visioning Follow Up/ Visioning and Mission Statement
• Nadine suggested moving on to speak about the visioning statement. Chuck presented a one-page paper detailing a possible vision statement and listed and discussed short-term mission goals for the church such as small group establishment, outreach ministry aimed at children and their families and resource development. The group discussed more about the outreach ministry for children and how best to advertise. They talked about putting out a flyer and possibly renting a van to pick up kids in the area. Chuck mentioned presenting it to the congregation in the future.
Nadine asked about switching to the new vision statement. Karen mentioned adding the scripture it refers to in order to back it up.
Nadine asked for consensus to recommend to the church body the proposed vision statement: “A world conformed to Jesus Christ.”
By consensus the CLC agreed
Nadine asked about the proposed mission statement: “To draw people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”
By consensus the CLC agreed.
• Small Groups
Chuck talked about having small groups of different types. Nadine mentioned that having 3-5 solid groups running by January would be a success. She asked if this is something we should support. Becky said trying it could be a good thing to set as a goal.
Nadine asked if this could be considered one of the short-term mission goals?
By consensus the CLC agreed.
• Outreach
The CLC discussed the ministry aimed at kids in the area and their families, with a pilot program possibly running Oct 12-16.
Nadine asked for consensus.
By consensus the CLC agreed.
• Resource Development
This item needs more discussion for the finer points.
The CLC agreed that it can be addressed at the next meeting on Aug. 18. Bob will chair the sub-team for Resource Development. The team will be made up of Bob, Chuck, Dave, Craig and Becky.
Bob proposed replacing the 12 thermostats in the building with new ones controlled by the keyboard from the office. For right now new ones will be ordered for the Fellowship Hall, Sanctuary and Library.
Nadine adjourned the meeting at ¬¬¬¬¬¬7:30 p.m.
The next meeting will be held on August 18.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Attachments:
CLC Agenda
Minutes from June
Budget and Expenses Charts
Financial Statement Summary Ending June 30, 2015
Average Worship Attendance
Vision/Mission Proposal
June 16, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by CLC Chairman Nadine Jackson, and opened with a prayer by Nadine. CLC Members present were Dave Beeson, Karen Drake, Susan Garrott, Chuck Griffin, Nadine Jackson, Betty Kelly, Bob Monk, Junior Morgan, Cathy Turner and Becky Woody. Members absent: Preston Woody, Craig Hutchinson, Don Shepherd and Melba Levy. Also in attendance: Melissa Boring.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the meeting held on May 19 were presented.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
• SPR
Pat Hallcox is now the new liaison to the nursery workers. Seth O’Kegley has been hired as the choir director and will start on August 1.
• Finance
• Dave reported that the finances continue to do well. Finances are down 1% in budget from last month. The church is still paying the monthly apportionments. Expenses are down 6%. There was a large payment for propane made recently. Dave is finding out more about land acquisition near the church.
o Monthly Reports
Betty distributed a full copy of the reports. Nadine asked about the outcome of moving to new/fewer charter accounts. Betty said that it has been easier to keep track of the finances.
• Worship Attendance Report
Chuck reported that we are still ahead of where we were and attendance is still growing. There have been a lot of members on vacation but there have been several visitors.
• Holston Conference Report
• Karen Drake read her report from Annual Conference. She talked about Children in Poverty and reported that $1956.00 had been gathered from Luminary and 350 hours of service pledged. Luminary had also sent five kits to Africa.
• Legacy Giving Report
Karen and Becky reported on the Legacy Giving Campaign Provide & Protect Luncheon. There were 53 people in attendance.
New Business
• Children’s Program
Chuck talked about having a possible summer children’s program, with Ken Carden as the leader. Ken plans on having a meeting in order to discuss a summer feeding program for children in the area. There would be a trial run for three weeks this summer, three days a week. Food would be prepared here at the church. Questions were asked about transport and funding. The idea of asking for a written plan for the program was discussed, possibly distributed by email.
Proposal: To ask for a written plan.
By consensus the council agreed.
Old Business
• Visioning Retreat & Establishing Subteams
Chuck talked about developing a new vision statement in 2015. He also recommended developing small groups and passed out a packet about the subject from Barnabas Network International Online Resources for Churches. He pointed out that small groups function differently from Sunday School, and that normally they have a covenant. Nadine suggested involving the entire congregation in the process. Chuck said that the council could determine vision and focus. Chuck asked if the council could communicate about the small group discussion electronically and it was agreed upon.
• Safe Sanctuary
Nadine stated that there needed to be retraining for Safe Sanctuary offered. She asked how the church could handle it. Chuck suggested establishing a work team. Chuck and Nadine agreed to discuss how best to handle retraining.
• Building Improvements
The council discussed possibly repainting the building. They talked about future plans for the upstairs and agreed to revisit the topic after reviewing the status of the mortgage. Bob Monk suggested having a computerized system to set up heat and air.
Nadine adjourned the meeting at ¬¬¬¬¬¬7:40 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Attachments:
Meeting Agenda
Minutes for May meeting held on May 19, 2015
Financial Statement Summary Ending April 30, 2015
Financial Statement Summary Ending May 31, 2015
Income Graphs
Average Attendance
List of Conference Delegates
Small Groups articles
May 19, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6:01 p.m. by CLC Chairman Nadine Jackson, and opened with a prayer by Craig Hutchinson. CLC Members present were Dave Beeson, Karen Drake, Susan Garrott, Chuck Griffin, Craig Hutchinson, Nadine Jackson, Betty Kelly, Melba Levy, Bob Monk, Don Shepherd, Cathy Turner, Becky Woody, Junior Morgan and Preston Woody. Members absent: Becky Woody.
With Melissa on vacation, Pastor Chuck agreed to keep minutes.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Minutes from previous meeting read; three name-related corrections.
Reflection on Vital by Jorge Acevedo
Pastor Chuck provided the final teaching from the book “Vital,” leading a discussion on the impact of mission work on a congregation.
Sub-team Reports
• SPR
The group then discussed the hiring of Seth O’Kegley, agreeing to make him an offer of $22,500 after a motion by Junior Morgan, one seconded by Don Shepherd. It is understood Seth will have a role in the two morning service and in a seeker service in development.
• Finance
The finance report indicated we are doing better, running deficit of about $1,000 for the year, but this is largely because of reductions in expenditures. Some focus on giving is still needed.
o Monthly Reports
• Worship Attendance Report
Worship attendance continues to be up compared to the same number of weeks in 2014 (see attached report).
Old Business
• Legacy Lunch
Regarding the Legacy lunch: 31 registered so far; there still is some confusion about what will be presented. The committee and pastor will be emphasizing in upcoming announcements that no financial products are being sold.
New Business
• Ken Carden made a presentation on a Luminary Summer Food Program in development to feed children in poverty while teaching them about Jesus. This ties closely to the Annual Conference offering to help children in poverty. The team working on this program with Ken: Linda Jones, Cathy Turner, Sherri Burnette, Zdsislawa Bednarski, John Stephens, Jim Conway. The hope is to reach about 30 children in Southern Roane Northern Meigs area between the ages of 6 and 12 while using a screening-referral process. We also may partner with another church to help with transportation needs. No approvals needed now; the team hopes to come back with a plan for a three-week test program to run this summer.
• Dave Beeson raised additional new business:
1. Thermostats. Air running/not running at wrong times. Bob Monk to contact VEC for assessment regarding best way to operate our system.
2. Balloon Payment due Feb. 1, 2016. Need to prepare now, owe #132.220. Renegotiation at bank likely.
3. There is a possibility of acquiring land contiguous to church. Three siblings own property, 20-25 acres. Dave is looking into this further.
The group heard a reminder of our Visioning Day, to be held at the church June 13.
With no further business, the chair adjourned the CLC.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
April 21, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by CLC Chairman Nadine Jackson, and opened with a prayer by Karen Drake. CLC Members present were Dave Beeson, Karen Drake, Chuck Griffin, Craig Hutchinson, Nadine Jackson, Betty Kelly, Melba Levy, Bob Monk, Don Shepherd, Cathy Turner, Becky Woody, and Preston Woody. Members absent: Junior Morgan. Also in attendance: Melissa Boring.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from the March meeting held on March 24, 2015 were presented.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes were approved.
Sub-team Reports
• SPR
Preston presented his report on the current staff members. The topic of a new choir director was discussed. The position had been offered to candidate Tyler Owens. The other candidate is Kenneth Disney. The choir director will assist in all three services.
• Finance
o Monthly Reports
Betty Kelly and Mike Beeson presented the finance report. The church is below in income by $3,000. Dave presented the financial statement summary ending March 31, 2015, and also presented graphs. Betty said we are straightened out for mortgage and debt reduction payments.
• Worship Attendance Report
• Legacy Giving Report
A report on the activities of the new Legacy Giving group was presented by Karen Drake. She spoke about the Provide and Protect Luncheon. It will be taking place at the church on June 7 at noon. There will be child care available and it will be open for all ages. Karen invited all of the council members to attend. Inserts about the event with an RSVP attached will be included in the bulletin during the month of May.
• Lamp and Light Scholarship Report
A report about the Luminary Lamp and Light Scholarship was presented by Nadine Jackson. This year there were nine complete applications received. The church will be announcing the winner and giving out a certificate on May 3.
New Business
• Clothes Closet
A report about the Clothes Closet was presented by Susan Garrott. Linda Hewgley has stepped down as chairperson and new member Marie Wolf has taken over. The church will be working with an organization called Value Clothing in the future. Value Clothing collects overstock items to give to less fortunate countries and weighs them in bulk. The church will receive compensation by the pound for all overstock that can be used by Value Clothing. A 28 foot trailer will be parked at the church to collect the items. The trailer will be semi-permanent and the church will call Value Clothing to pick up the trailer when it is full.
Proposal, sponsored by Susan and co-sponsored by Betty Kelly: Place the trailer at the church
By consensus from the council the proposal was approved.
• $10 and 10 Hours
Holston delegate Karen Drake spoke about the campaign 10 $ or 10 hours. She said that the offerings are local. She asked if we should set a goal for the year to have 150 people pledge to give both time and money.
Proposal: Should this be a goal for the church?
By consensus the council approved.
Old Business
• CLC Retreat
A discussion about the Council retreat was presented by Chuck. He said that the A-Lodge at John Knox was available May 8-9 and May 22-23. In order to pinpoint a date that worked for everyone Chuck said that he would send by email a schedule that the council could place their available dates in so that the most suitable time could be determined. The council talked about having the retreat at the church during the month of June.
The council agreed to meet again on Tuesday, May 19.
Nadine adjourned the meeting at 7 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
March 3, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. by CLC Chairman Nadine Jackson, and opened with a prayer by Junior Morgan. CLC Members present were Dave Beeson, Karen Drake, Susan Garrott, Chuck Griffin, Craig Hutchinson, Nadine Jackson, Betty Kelly, Melba Levy, Junior Morgan, Bob Monk, Don Shepherd, Cathy Turner, Becky Woody, and Preston Woody. Also in attendance: Melissa Boring.
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes
Written copies of minutes from January 6, 2015 were presented. Pastor Chuck read an addendum concerning action taken via email to approve and pay district apportionments in full before the January 16, 2015 deadline. CLC gave approval by consensus to approve this expenditure. A check for $1170 was delivered to the district office on January 16, 2015.
Proposal: To approve the previous month’s minutes and addendum.
By consensus from the CLC, the minutes and addendum were approved.
Color Coded Consensus Aids
Nadine passed out visual aids (blocks of laminated, colored strips of paper) to be used when seeking a consensus from the group. She explained the meaning associated with each color:
Green-in support of the motion
Yellow-cannot fully support the motion or person has questions during discussion
Red-do not support the motion
Reflection on Vital by Jorge Acevedo
Pastor Chuck talked about the Vital Congregation book that the council had agreed to read at the previous meeting. He lead a brief discussion about the following areas outlined in the book: Spiritual pastoral leadership, Lay leadership development, Worship, Small Groups, and Service and Mission. CLC members shared impressions from reading the book. There was some discussion of how Luminary is doing in these areas. The CLC will continue to use this book as a guide.
Sub-team Reports
SPR
Preston discussed turning in his SPR report to the superintendent. He passed around a form about Luminary Staff and mentioned current vacancies such as the Youth Leaders position. Preston opened up the floor for questions.
Finance
Year-end Reports
Dave Beeson discussed the End of Year 2014 Summary.
Dave said we did well, but were $2000 short of the budget, but said that we had enough to cover expenses.
Monthly Reports
The group looked at the report for February 2015. Betty Kelly said we were under budget by about 20 % but that we will make it up in March. We were short because of services missed due to bad weather conditions.
Consolidation of Accounts
Dave mentioned the request in the January meeting to work on consolidation of accounts in the numerous dedicated funds. Sandra White had sent some recommendations to the CLC in an email. A form outlining those proposed combinations was provided for the CLC. Dave explained that there are just too many accounts which has led to confusion on where to put contributions. Some discussion about specific accounts and whether they should remain included the Ladies Day account and Youth Coordinator. CLC members felt the Ladies Day account should remain. Betty Kelly said that the funds in the Youth Coordinator account had originally been pulled from many other accounts and has led to some confusion. Dave suggested placing the Youth Coordinator fund into the Youth account. In an effort to educate the congregation, Dave will develop a short list of all dedicated accounts to be included as a bulletin insert for the congregation.
Proposal: To agree to the consolidation of dedicated fund accounts as presented by Dave Beason and Betty Kelly. The CLC agreed to the changes.
Church Credit Cards
Dave proposed closing the Regions credit card account. The Finance Sub-team recommends switching to cards through the Holston Conference Credit Union. These cards will not hold the person named on the card as being personally responsible for charges made.
Dave said that the cards will have the following names applied to them:
Susan Garrott
Linda Jones
Melissa Boring
Betty Kelly
These people use the cards the most, though others can still use them.
Proposal: To close the Regions credit card account; Obtain LUMC credit cards through Holston Conference Credit Union as presented by Dave Beeson and Betty Kelly
CLC approved by consensus.
Betty mentioned that we have created new expense vouchers specifically for credit card purchases. These forms are located in the mailbox outside the church office.
Worship Attendance Report
Pastor Chuck gave a report on average attendance. The report that was passed out to the CLC contained averages for the first nine weeks of 2013, 2014, and 2015. The report reflects that the congregation has grown.
New Business
SPR: Music Director
Our music director, Slade Trammell has resigned and has accepted a position with a church in Oak Ridge. Slade will stay with us through Easter, 2015. There was discussion of renegotiating Slade’s contract to convince him to stay at Luminary. There are individuals who would contribute $15,000 in supplemental salary for the next 2 years. With additional salary, additional duties in other services would be included.
Proposal: To set up a team to develop a job description for the pianist/music director position. The SPR sub-team will work out an offer for Slade. Preston Woody, Dave Beeson, Wayne Tipps, Chuck Griffin, Pam Hutchinson, and Melanie Hall or Denise May will be on the committee to provide input. The motion was sponsored by Dave Beeson and seconded by Melba Levy. The CLC gave consensus with the majority approving this action. Craig Hutchinson abstained, and three other members had reservations, but agreed to be supportive of the decision.
Policy for When Services are Canceled
Nadine mentioned the need for a weather policy and how we should proceed. Bob Monk said there should be some general inquiries done and to make use of the phone system. Chuck mentioned that the UMM have plans to keep the driveway and lot clear at the church. Melba suggested having one service on bad weather days. The group agreed to use the One Call system to cancel for bad weather. A written policy would serve as a guide, especially for new pastors to know how weather situations are typically handled. Concern for the safety of our members in route and on the church property when ice and snow are present should also be considered.
Proposal: Pastor Chuck will present a plan that can become our written policy.
The CLC gave consensus.
The CLC agreed to meet on March 24 at 6 p.m.
Nadine adjourned the meeting at 7:24.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Boring, Secretary
Attachments:
SPR: Luminary Staff Sheet
Finance: Listing of Existing Accounts and Proposed Combined Accounts, Financial Year End Summary, December 31, 2014, Month End for January, 2015 and February, 2015.
Worship: Attendance Averages Through Week 9 for 2015
Minutes for January 6, 2015 with Addendum
Jan. 6, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. and opened with prayer by Church Leadership Council Chair Nadine Jackson. CLC Members Present: Dave Beeson, Karen Drake, Chuck Griffin, Craig Hutchinson, Nadine Jackson, Junior Morgan, Bob Monk , Cathy Turner, Becky Woody, and Preston Woody. Also in attendance: Melissa Boring, Betty Kelly, and Sandra White.
CLC Members Not Present: Susan Garrott, Melba Levy, and Don Shepherd
Nadine turned the floor over to Pastor Chuck Griffin who briefly explained the goals and functions of the new committee as well as the structure. The group will seek consensus on most matters and follow Robert’s Rules of Order otherwise. Chuck opened the floor to questions and allowed CLC members to voice concerns about the process and our roles.
Chuck then proceeded to make recommendations to assist the CLC in our meetings.
Proposal: To order copies of Robert’s Rules of Order and to follow that structure. By consensus from CLC, approval is given to purchase copies of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Proposal: To have a standing finance report at scheduled monthly meetings. By consensus from CLC, it is agreed to have a monthly report from finance.
Proposal: Pastor Chuck asked Preston Woody if there should be a standing SPR report. Preston felt a monthly report from SPR was appropriate. By consensus from CLC, it is agreed to have a monthly SPR report.
Dave Beeson recommended there be a worship attendance report for every regularly scheduled meeting. CLC agreed.
Nadine inquired about monthly meetings. By consensus, it was decided to have monthly meetings for the present.
Recommendation from Pastor Chuck: To order copes of “Vital Churches Changing Communities and the World.” There was consensus from CLC to purchase books for those members who do not already have the book.
Recommendation from Pastor Chuck: To have Melissa Boring serve as recording secretary for the Church Leadership Council. There was consensus from the CLC to elect Melissa as recording secretary.
Recommendation from Pastor Chuck: To assign Craig Hutchinson as Trustee Chair. CLC approved by consensus.
Dave Beeson asked who gets a formal vote. Chuck explained that it will be the 12 lay members and ministry staff on the CLC. All meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend unless there is an employee issue that needs to be discussed with just the CLC members.
The council discussed who is on the council and the individual roles of everyone. (This information is available on the “Leadership” page of the church’s web site, and on the bulletin board outside the church office.)
Becky brought up a concern: If someone wants to be included on the council’s agenda, who would the person speak to? Chuck explained that it would be the pastor or the CLC chair. It is also appropriate for church members to talk to any CLC member if there is a concern, particularly if that concern involves the pastor or another staff member. The CLC member should then assist the church member in meeting with the pastor or taking whatever steps are necessary to address the situation, using Matthew 18:15-17 as a guide for communications.
In other business, Dave Beeson, chair of the finance subteam, made the following recommendations:
To place the money left over from the Boy Scout troop into the Capital Reserve Fund. CLC gave approval by consensus.
That dedicated funds be consolidated into larger accounts. The finance subteam will bring to the CLC a proposal for how this consolidation should be done. CLC gave approval by consensus.
Have Betty Kelly function as the interim bookkeeper and pay her for her time. CLC gave approval by consensus.
As a requirement of the pastoral appointment process, Preston Woody, chair of the SPR subteam, asked if the CLC wished to meet with Bishop McKee to discuss our pastoral appointment. By consensus, the CLC agreed there was no need for further discussion, and gave Preston and Pastor Chuck approval to complete any required forms.
Preston brought up the subject of hiring a youth minister. Pastor Chuck asked that we wait to see how a joint effort with Kingston UMC begins to take shape. Nadine also suggested the CLC might speak with our youth parents to determine if the needs of our youth are being met.
The group agreed the next council meeting will be February 17 at 6 p.m., with regular monthly meetings at the third Tuesday of each month.
Nadine brought the meeting to a close at 7:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Melissa Boring, CLC Recording Secretary
LUMINARY UMC 