Special Congregational Meeting Minutes
July 19, 2020
11:15 a.m.
Call to Order – The meeting was called to order by Libby Lindstrom at approximately 11:25 a.m.
Opening Prayer – Pastor John Scheusner
Roll Call/Quorum – Mary Rosas, Council Secretary, announced that the required quorum was met
CLC Update/Thank You
Libby read Karolyn’s report. Karolyn expressed thanks that the CLC teachers were paid during the COVID shut down and that medical insurance for two teachers was continued. She reported that the CLC opened for the summer session on June 1st and will open the fall session beginning August 10th. There were no known COVID cases among the children.
Strategic Plan – Libby began the discussion of the Strategic Plan (Beverly had stepped out to run copies of the Strategic Plan). Beverly returned and the discussed switched to the budget.
Budget – Beverly Byers
We have been operating with a full council since February 2020. We requested and received a PPP loan of $120,000 which enabled us to keep CLC teachers ASLC staff paid. The expectation is that the full amount will be forgiven making it a grant rather than a loan. If we should have to pay a portion of it back, it will be a 5-year loan at 1% and won’t be a problem to repay. We currently have $1.1 million in liquid assets.
Since the beginning of 2020, we purchased washing stations for the CLC to comply with COVID protocols. The observation windows for two CLC classrooms were finished, and we dealt with a sewage backup at a cost of approximately $73K, with only around $6,500 out of pocket. We also had to repair damage done by an A/C drain issue which caused water damage in the prayer room. Other regular maintenance has been done by volunteers, including Mary Rosas, John Barnes and Don Scheeler, including replacement of light bulbs with conversion of some of them to LED, landscaping, light plumbing, projector install, etc.
The capital budget was reviewed first. $75,000 has been allocated to the sanctuary roof replacement. The playground remodel is projected to be around $25,000. Parking lot repair has been estimated to cost around $15,000. There are other smaller dollar items included. Digital signs were not included as they are currently on hold.
Beverly then reviewed the operating budget. Main difference between the original budget set last November and the proposed amended budget have to do with the lack of income from CLC tuition due to the mandated COVID shut down along with continuation of pay for the CLC teachers during the shut down. At the point when the PPP loan is forgiven, the numbers will look better as the $150K will become income and will offset the payroll expenses. Some other expenses increased both on the CLC and the ASLC sides due to additional investment needed in equipment and supplies that related to the health and safety of people who are coming into the building. No payroll increases are included in the amended budget.
Beverly requested a motion to approve the budget so discussion could follow. Celia Hirschenhoffer moved to accept the budget as presented. John Barnes seconded the motion. Beverly invited any questions. Celia inquired if the $13,000 amount for copiers for was for rental or were we buying the machined. Beverly indicated that the amount covered annual rental for two copier/printers and three staff printers. Marc Funderburk inquired if we were actually expecting to receive the $141K in offerings from June to December that is part of the remaining income budget. Beverly suggested that reducing the projected amount by another $50K would be a more conservative approach. Celia amended her motion to reflect the $50K reduction in the income budget. John Barnes seconded the amended motion. Lynn
Gustafson had a question regarding the added budget item for a praise team director. Beverly explained that because of COVID issues, it may become necessary to look for a director so the budget line was added as a precaution. Lacking any further questions, Beverly asked for a show of hands in favor of the amended budget. The motion passed.
Strategic Plan – Libby resumed her presentation of the strategic indicating three main areas of focus being
communications, property maintenance and spiritual growth.
In the communications area, Julia has been key in improving our Facebook and online presence and has updated our website to be more user friendly and appealing. She has also updated our brochure. Julia is seeking volunteers in the areas marketing and website coding and design.
In the area of property maintenance and improvement, continued attention to the appearance of our building and grounds is necessary to attract new members. Certain capital projects mentioned during the budget discussion are key to their continued upkeep. The Atrium refresh is another area of focus since it is the first area that visitors see as they enter our building. The hope is that more attention can be devoted to that area in the near future.
In the area of spiritual growth, four key areas were identified, enhanced Bible studies, prayer ministry, stewardship growth, and personal spiritual growth. Several members of the congregation have been invited to lead the areas, Sandy Vatthauer for the prayer ministry, Marc Funderburk for stewardship growth and Lynn and Dave Gustafson for the Bible study area. We plan to meet with these individuals to develop a detailed plan for how to implement our goals. COVID considerations will dictate how these meetings are able to happen (Zoom or other online platforms).
An informal poll of members resulted in the following areas of interest:
Mid-week Bible study
Sunday morning Bible study
Mission trip
Fellowship events
Quads/Triads
Women’s group
Libby opened up the discussion to questions. People had questions on how to participate in the online fellowship events and online Bible studies. Stacey Welch suggested using Google Docs for a survey option. Celia felt the Atrium is a good venue for Bible studies. Celia also thanked the church for paying the teachers during the shut-down. “I love it when churches do the right thing!”
Closing Prayer – Pastor John
Adjournment – Libby motioned to adjourn the meeting. Patti Scott seconded. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Rosas
Council Secretary