December 12, 2012 Stated Session Meeting
Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church
Stated Session Meeting, December 12, 2011 – CITP Adult Classroom
Attending: Ruling Elders Lynne Hoerter, Forrest Johnson, Marcia Ladd, Cindy Massey, Michelle Morehouse, Vicky Raymond, John Walkup, Jerry Wehmueller, Mary Donna Pond (Clerk), Jack Zollinger (Treasurer), The Rev. Mitzi Lesher-Thomas and the Rev. Mindy Douglas Adams (Moderator). Deacon representative: Amanda Briggs. Excused: Rachel Stevens
The meeting was called to order by Mindy Douglas Adams at 6:30 p.m. Michelle Morehouse led the opening devotion, ending with prayer. Mindy welcomed Amanda as the Deacons’ representative. The agenda was amended and approved. Pastoral concerns and celebrations were shared.
Leadership Development. Mindy invited each person present to share one thing that makes him/her hopeful.
Approval of Minutes. John moved that the Minutes of the November 14, 2011 Stated Session meeting be approved. The motion was seconded by Vicky and passed without dissent.
Correspondence. Mindy shared a letter of thanks from the West Chatham Food Pantry for books donated through Take and Read. Mary Donna gave Jack the pledge card received from Salem Presbytery.
Pastor’s Report. Mindy briefly reported on the whirlwind of the past few weeks and the move into the new building. She thanked everyone for their attendance and participation in the Officer Retreat.
Treasurer’s Report. Jack had distributed the lengthy auditor’s review of the 2010 books and invited anyone with questions to contact him. The Balance Sheet and report of Revenues and Expenses through November was distributed. We continue to be doing well with revenues exceeding expenses and no draw on reserves to date. Jerry and Jack reported that they can find no record of the church ever filing for and receiving refunds for state sales tax. Janet is now working on filing for these refunds which should be fairly substantial. Jerry said he thinks we are allowed to file for up to four years of previously paid taxes.
QUADRANT REPORTS
Community Quadrant. Lynne Hoerter will become chair of the Community quadrant in January.
Outreach. Michelle reported on the proceeds from the Alternative Gift Market. One more week remains for people to make donations. A fifth church, The Church of the Holy Trinity-Chatham, has joined the Take and Eat Food Pantry consortium and have already stepped into some important volunteer jobs.
Education Quadrant. No report.
Fiduciary Quadrant
Stewardship. Jerry reported that about 55 pledge cards have been returned with pledges around $168,000. This is almost exactly where the pledge total was this time last year. Follow-up letters will be sent to those who have yet to pledge. Mindy will review the list prior to mailing for pastoral or other concerns.
2012 Budget. Jerry reported that until we have a firmer handle on pledges, the 2012 budget can not be finalized. There are also a few expense items for which accurate estimates have yet to be calculated. An effort to record fixed assets is underway. Questions about pay rates for Sunday childcare and custodial services were asked and discussed.
Worship Quadrant
Vicky reported that sign-ups for new "teams" will continue with people signing up for areas in which they would like to serve (ushering, communion preparation, etc.). More hymnals have been ordered. New information inserts are needed in some of the pew registers.
OTHER REPORTS
Building Committee Report. The Session gave a standing ovation for Lynne and the work of the Building Committee. The newly created Building and Grounds Committee will now assume all oversight for the building. Bruce Raymond is chairing that committee and has invited Shirley Wilson, Karen Atkins, David Webster, and Dana Staats to serve and the committee will report to the Fiduciary Quadrant. Mindy explained that the Art Committee, chaired by Beverly Chapin, will remain separate from the Building and Grounds Committee. The Art Committee will make decisions on art work throughout the building with the exception of the Sanctuary; the Liturgical Arts committee of the Worship Committee has decision-making authority for art in the Sanctuary. A decision has yet to be made on where this committee will be located within the quadrants. The Art Committee must be comprised of two or more people and must remain within its spending budget.
Loan Report. Jerry reported that the last loan draw will be made December 22. It is not yet possible to report a final cost as several items have yet to be accounted. Bruce Raymond has identified most of the overages for CT Wilson so we are close to knowing the final total. At this point, no new spending should be initiated, until we see where we stand, even though there are a small number of things remaining to be done. Requests for all future spending need to go through the new Building and Grounds Committee. The Session again thanked Lynne for her service as chair of the Building Committee.
OLD BUSINESS
Wedding Guidelines. Mary Donna has put together a first draft of wedding guidelines and they are under review. She reported the results of a Survey Monkey poll of the Session regarding the various fees to charge for wedding coordinator, musicians, custodian, and pastors. Mindy reported that a request has been received for a wedding to be held in July 2012. The bride lives in the area; the groom lives in Charlotte. Following brief questions and answers, John moved that the wedding be approved on the condition that the couple use Chapel in the Pines wedding staff and agree to the guidelines, when finalized. Marcia seconded the motion which passed unopposed.
Covenant Network. John stated that he felt the important decision on whether to join the Covenant Network had not been adequately studied and requested that Cindy, who had brought the motion to the Session in September, withdraw the tabled motion and ask that the Inclusion Committee provide more information so that a fuller consideration of the decision can be made. Cindy graciously agreed to do so and the tabled motion was removed.
NEW BUSINESS
The agenda item for Building Dedication had been dealt with at a previous meeting. John asked for a brief recess and invited several Session members to join him in another room. During their absence, those remaining discussed the worship service the previous day. Concerns over parking, spacing of chairs, and other small details were discussed.
John’s group returned. With no other business to discuss, Mindy led a closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Donna Pond, Clerk
Approved by Session January 9, 2012