Parish Council Minutes

September 27, 2005

The moderator began the meeting at 7:08 PM. In attendance were Phil Johnson, Chris Gehret, Randy Russell, Mike Dunfee, Susan Lambe, Hugh Penney, Dwight Decker, Bruce Gist, Tony Lucia and George Hayden. Linda Ladd offered the meditation. The minutes of the August 15^th meeting were approved.

Pastor’s Report: Mike met with Linda Ladd and Phil Triffletti to discuss Open and Affirming. He recommended holding a congregational meeting after church on Sunday, October 30^th to listen to people’s personal comments on this matter. Mike, Linda and Phil would then take the comments from this meeting and move forward. Mike moved to hold this meeting, discussion ensued and it was decided that this forum would take place on October 16^th after church. Barbara Langill will be asked about childcare. Mike also informed that the Worship Team is being restructured and that there will be a confirmation class this year.

Next, council reviewed the first draft of the mission statement. Randy was our coordinator for this discussion. It was decided that the group that drafted the statement would meet again to incorporate the ideas discussed.

Financial Update: Bruce informed us that weekly giving since the beginning of September has doubled when compared to the summer. Dwight reported that our total income is down $20,000 from our plan to date. Tower Day School projected contributions are up from their original plan. Our total expenses are on budget, even though utilities and property costs are high.

Search Committee: Phil reported that the search group has met twice and is currently working on our church profile. Decisions to be made include the financial package, defining the pastor’s role and our internal reporting structure. Much work has been accomplished on our CCC profile.

Missions Committee: Chris reported that this month’s activities included collecting money for Church World Services for Hurricane Katrina victims, collecting used cellphones for HAWC and collecting school supplies for Haven from Hunger.

Membership Committee: Tony reported that the committee is currently updating the church website, planning a Friday night movie night and planning a table at the Flea Market. Their next meeting is on October 19^th.

Stewardship: Hugh gave an extensive overview of this year’s stewardship program. A new, 3-year theme is being suggested. This theme’s main idea is that 1% of family income should be everyone’s increase to their pledge. A motion was made to endorse this theme to the congregation. The motion was approved. Hugh also moved to change the church’s fiscal year from the current January to December calendar to July through June. This motion also included changing our committee and council term calendar to begin in September instead of January. The motion was approved. This means we will have our annual meetings in June. The final motion made was to continue with our split pledge (split between church expenses and missions) for this year’s campaign. This motion was also approved. Council members are to review the first drafts and the tithing sheets for the stewardship campaign and send feedback to Hugh. Training for lead givers will begin, and Dedication Sunday will be November 6^th.

Moderator’s Report: Phil informed us that problems with our parking lot persist, the Properties Commission is working to resolve them. He also informed us that this would be Bruce’s last year as our financial secretary. On Stewardship Sunday, November 6^th, the Tower Exchange group will be recognized for their many years of service to CCC.

The moderator adjourned the meeting at 9:55 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Susan Lambe, Recording Clerk