November 9, 2009 Stated Session Meeting
Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church
Stated Session Meeting, November 9, 2009-Park home
Attending: Elders Lynne Hoerter, Marcia Ladd, Wes McGraw, Stephanie Miller, Michelle Morehouse, Ed Park, Vicky Raymond, Chuck Rickard, Jerry Wehmueller, Mary Donna Pond (Clerk), Jack Zollinger (Treasurer), and the Rev. Mindy Douglas Adams (Moderator).
Mindy Douglas Adams called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Michelle Morehouse led with an opening devotion using Philippians 3:12-14 followed by prayer.
Leadership Development. Ed Park led a discussion of chapter 7 of E. Stanley Ott’s Twelve Dynamic Shifts for Transforming Your Church. He explained the work of the Acts 16:5 team and their vision for developing leadership and discipleship within our congregation.
Concerns and Celebrations; Agenda Approval; Approval of Minutes; Correspondence. Celebrations and concerns were shared. The agenda was approved by common consent. The minutes of the October 11, 2009, Called Session meeting and the October 12, 2009, Stated Session meeting were approved following a motion by Jerry Wehmueller, seconded by Marcia Ladd. Correspondence from Deep River Mediation was emailed to the Session prior to the meeting. A brochure from the Theological Education Foundation was circulated.
Pastor’s Report. Mindy reported that she will be in San Francisco Sunday through Wednesday attending a meeting of the Committee on Theological Education at San Francisco Theological Seminary there. Mitzi Lesher-Thomas will be on call during Mindy’s absence. Mindy thanked the Session for their faithfulness and their regular attendance at meetings and expressed her deep appreciation for each person’s involvement. Mindy also reported that she has been elected one of Salem Presbytery’s delegates to the 219th meeting of the General Assembly, to be held in St. Paul/Minneapolis July 3-10, 2010.
Treasurer’s Report. Jack distributed the Balance Sheet and Report of Revenues and Expenses through October 2009. Pledge payments are lagging but third quarter contribution statements were mailed late in the month. Some members of the Session reported they had not gotten a quarterly statement and Jack said he will look into that. Jerry reported that we have not gotten bills for rent of the school space despite repeated requests so those expenses are not reflected on the R&E report. Michelle again asked if the contributions for Take and Read had been identified; Jack will work with Janet to locate those donations which may have been put in the General Pass-through account.
QUADRANT REPORTS
Community. A written report was distributed prior to the meeting.
Outreach. The following motion came from the committee regarding our commitment to Take and Eat Food Pantry:
1. Re-commit $5,000 from the Reserve account to the building project, to be dispersed upon commencement of construction.
2. Maintain our current commitment to purchase food for the second Tuesday of each month’s distribution (funded by personal donations and grant funds).
3. Maintain our current commitment to provide donated foods via First Fruits and Vegetables Sunday.
4. Maintain our commitment to provide volunteers to assist with distribution on the second Tuesday of each month.
5. Commit to providing leadership on the board of directors once the pantry is incorporated.
Michelle explained that she is now a co-leader for the pantry through the transition to incorporation. Drawings of the site and proposed building were circulated. Some significant changes, including the possibility of increasing square footage, are being considered. The motion passed without dissent. Michelle will communicate the commitments to the leaders at the pantry.
Education. A written report was distributed prior to the meeting. The Seekers class will begin a new study in January, reading and discussing Just Hospitality: God’s Welcome in a World of Difference by Letty Russell. The Youth in the congregation will be invited and encouraged to apply to attend the 2010 Youth Triennium. A motion to add $300 to the 2010 youth ministry budget line to assist with expenses for this event was made by Marcia Ladd, seconded by Stephanie Miller, and passed without dissent.
Fiduciary. A written report was distributed prior to the meeting.
Personnel. Mindy was asked to leave the meeting while Marcia proposed the committee’s recommendations for staff Christmas bonuses. Bonuses recommended are: $100 for Nana Morelli, Janet Askew, Aviva Enoch, Mitzi Lesher-Thomas, and Marilyn Shugart; $50 for Kelly Hunter; $500 for Mindy Douglas Adams. These amounts would be "grossed up" so that the net amount of the bonus will be that stated above. The total is less than has been budgeted for 2009 bonuses. Following brief discussion, the motion passed without dissent. Mindy returned to the meeting.
Finance. The finance committee did not meet last month.
Building Planning. Lynne reported that the feasibility study is proceeding, that the thirteen top-givers will be interviewed individually and that an online survey will then be available to everyone in the congregation. We hope to have results of the feasibility study in December. Lynne asked that the Session pray for God’s blessing on us as we take this next bold step.
Worship. Vicky reported that the Inclusion Committee is exploring the possibility of representatives from the More Light and/or Covenant Network visiting Chapel in the Pines. The Liturgical Arts committee is working on banners and other elements to enhance the worship space at the school.
OLD BUSINESS
Campus Ministry Board Representative. Stephanie reported that Julia Trimmer has agreed to be our second representative on the PCM Board and will attend the December meeting. The ministry is challenged to maintain a level of intimacy and connectedness even when the number of students attending has grown quite large. They are also considering PCM’s sources of support, particularly from New Hope Presbytery.
Officer Retreat. Stephanie and Jerry gave their impressions of the recent Officer Retreat, which served as the year’s joint meeting of the Session and Board of Deacons. Stephanie especially appreciated the visioning exercises, thinking about our response to cultural change. Times for reflection, word/share/prayer, and the meditative walk were also highlights. Jerry appreciated the opportunity to get to know one another better and he enjoyed the singing. He also remarked that the location was quite appropriate.
NEW BUSINESS
Communion service to homebound. Mindy and Mitzi have been making plans to have communion served to homebound members and asked that Elders and Deacons sign up for one visit in the coming year. Currently there are three households who will be offered the opportunity: Lu Stephenson, the Mammens, and Nell Morgan (Rachel Stevens’ mother). Ed asked about the possibility of serving communion to others at Carolina Meadows. Mindy explained that Carolina Meadows has a communion service monthly under the auspices of UPC; our serving would just be for our congregation.
October Presbytery Meeting Report. Michelle reported on the meeting in High Point on October 20. She said it was her first meeting as a Commissioner and that she enjoyed the three sermons and the hour-long lecture on John Calvin. There were no controversial matters. She particularly appreciated the encouragement for churches to "put a face" on their ministries as they share them with the congregation. She also learned about the importance of saying thank you to the congregation whenever possible. She came away with some ideas for promoting the Pennies for Hunger offering we receive once a month. Mindy encouraged every Session member to serve as a presbytery commissioner at least once during his or her service on the Session. Mary Donna agreed to email information about the next two Presbytery meeting dates and locations.
Next Meeting. There is a Called Session meeting Sunday, November 15, for the purpose of receiving new members. Time and place TBA. Mindy encouraged attendance at one of the Presbytery-sponsored Healthy Congregation workshops. Mitzi Lesher-Thomas plans to attend the December 13 workshop in Reidsville. The next Stated Session meeting will be December 14 at the Hoerter’s home.
Following a time of silence, Mindy led a closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Donna Pond, Clerk Mindy Douglas Adams, Moderator
Approved by Session December 14, 2009