November Grace Lutheran Church Vision Board Meeting Notes
The Grace Vision Board met on Tuesday November 11th, 2014 at the home of Alden Riley. All but
Bernard McDowell were present. During a delicious meal we discussed how to promote the
Smile.Amazon.com donation program at Grace. Some of the ideas revolved around presenting some
Power Point slides during the Opportunities and putting it on the Grace website.
The Vision Board then went on a “Mystery Tour” to Grace Lutheran Church to look at the building
with the eyes of a new visitor. Each Vision Board member assumed a certain role: a family with a
newborn; a family with teenagers; a retired person, etc. It was interesting to discuss the positive, as
well as the negative hospitality aspects of our facilities We will further discuss what we saw at the
next board meeting.
Pastor Mark presented the Proposed 2015 Budget to the Vision Board for discussion. As part of the
discussion, he presented the goals and objectives which the leadership and staff have developed in
the past four months. The Vision Board approved the Budget with the commitment to closely
monitor the finances so we will not over spend. The 2015 Proposed Budget will be presented to the
congregation in January 2015 for final approval.
October Grace Lutheran Church Vision Board Meeting Notes
The Grace Lutheran Church Vision Board met at the home of Bernard McDowell on Tuesday, October 2014. Kristina Hill (formerly Kristina Larson), a current Seminary student who wished to thank the board for a grant given to her, joined us for dinner. Great conversation and food (with sweet tea of course) were enjoyed by all. After dinner, the board discussed a study, “Can this class become welcoming”.
Important Discussion Points:
- Kate Morphew has accepted a new position as our new Connection/Volunteer Coordinator.
- We are saddened by Cathy Stoll‘s need to retire from her long ministry of love and food
from the Golden Rule Childcare kitchen. - We are excited for website changes and continued projects that are completed and being
worked on. - We anticipate the journey of unity with the Loving Generously series at the end of this
month.
September Grace Lutheran Church Vision Board Meeting Notes
The September 9th, 2014 Grace Lutheran Church Vision Board was held at Greg Ackerson’s home.
The Bible Study for the evening focused on Romans 12:9-10 – “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Our discussion centered upon how we can more inclusive to newcomers. The surprising part of the discussion was about “cliques” within a church. They are important and necessary, especially to help people feel connected to each other. However, the challenge for our leaders is this: the need to intentionally invite newcomers and regular attendees into the “cliques,” because it gives them a sense of belonging. We finished up by wondering how we might equip our leaders to leave every worship service with a determination to spend the first 3 minutes in the Narthex connecting with someone they don’t already know…perhaps even to a first-time visitor.
The Financial Report was positive and we gave thanks for the generous increase in summer regular offerings of about 4.5%! In addition, many of the summer building projects have been addressed:
- LED bulbs have installed in Narthex, Worship Center, and Fellowship Hall; (This will be a great savings of energy costs!)
- Hallway TV Monitors have been upgraded and replaced;
- New sound board for the Worship Center was purchased, installed, and equalized;
- New side speakers have been installed;
- New 80″ flat screen TV purchased and installed in Fellowship to replace aging and dull projector and screen;
- Parking Lot Lights have been partially repaired. We have received new fixtures to improve the lights near the sidewalks;
- Building has been cleaned, carpets shampooed, and general repairs have been made;
- 16 new light-weight tables have been purchased for the portables and classrooms;
- Insurance Claim for the lightning strike has not been completed or submitted;
Pastor Mark asked the Vision Board for input regarding staff needs in preparing the 2014-2015 Operating Budget. In addition, the Church Staff is starting to develop the various goals, objectives and strategies for their ministry areas. The Budget will be presented at the November Meeting.
The Vision Board heard an update from Pastor Steve on his Deep in the Burbs PhD project. The Board also discussed how to better connect with newcomers and further discussed website wording regarding requirements for those who want to be married at Grace.
The August 12th , 2014 Grace Lutheran Church Vision Board was held at Pastor Mark Hellmann’s home.
Trends in religious affiliation were discussed. The board and Pastor Mark discussed the trends in religious change and what that meant for our church and community. We discussed the importance of reaching those that do not have a current religious affiliation.
The vision board discussed expectations from the previous year, 2013-2014 and goals for the upcoming year, 2014-2015 along with a benchmarking project that we will discuss again in coming months.
