JOURNEY LUTHERAN CHURCH - VISION BOARD MEETING MINUTES
The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm on February 23, 2016 with a devotion by Pastor Brad
Present: Pastor Brad, Meredith Hink, Wendy Evert, Dave Pehl, Jim Welander, Sara Sykora, Jeremiah Boardman and Julie Rudolph
Absent: Bob Tracey, Eric Davidson
Old Business
Jim Welander started the discussion on whether there had been any more action on the Mission Endowment Fund that was introduced to the Vision Board at the January meeting and presented to the Congregation at the Annual Meeting. The new Vision Board members were given information about the fund.
It was suggested that the JourneyFest event be combined with the culmination of the Journey Forward Campaign in May. Plans for celebrating the end of Journey Forward are still in the works but will be recognized with a celebration.
It is planned that a Capital Improvement fund be part of the 2017 budget. Jim Welander motioned to accept this and Wendy Evert seconded motion.
Financial Report
The new furnace has been installed and bill will be paid in February.
The new choir room piano has been received and paid in full from designated giving.
The Pastor Pension payments have not been paid for Pastor Brad Dec-February. There has been ongoing discussion with Portico on how/what has to be paid in order to contribute to Pr Brad’s retirement account. Portico is requiring us to provide Life & Disability Insurance in order to make the monthly contribution at the cost of almost $125 each month. The Vision Board approved this expense at the request of the Bishop and will be paid out of the Pension/Health Insurance Exp budget line. Wendy Evert motioned to accept and Sara Sykora seconded motion.
The February financial report was presented and Meredith Hink motioned to accept and Jim Welander seconded motion.
Accountability Covenant
An Accountability Covenant has been developed and will be for members & visitors who are listed on the Sex Offenders list.
· The paperwork has been approved by the Synod lawyer and sent to our insurance carrier, Church Mutual for approval.
· The Covenant will be presented to the Congregation for approval.
· There is no immediate need to get this document approved, but does need to be addressed.
New Business
Jim Welander has been looking into expanding the Wifi connection in the Sanctuary and will need a layout/blueprint of the building to get an accurate estimate of cost. Julie R will locate building blueprints.
Meredith shared with the VB that an upcoming “GPS” workshop called “I’m on the Vision Board, now what?” is being planned for April 2nd and the members of our Vision Board are encouraged to attend. Meredith has been to other GPS workshops and has found them informative and well worth the time.
Pastor Brad has asked each member of the Vision Board to share a Bible Story in place of a devotion each month. Each member has chosen a month.
Call Committee
The Call Committee has been meeting almost weekly in order the complete the Site Profile Survey that will be sent to the members of the Congregation. The Survey will be sent by email and paper copies will be available at the back of the Sanctuary. Request for the Congregation to complete the survey will be made in the Journ-E and Service folders and the deadline will be March 21st.
Khadijah Islam has requested to step down from the Call Committee due to her school schedule. Jeremiah Boardman has been asked to fill her position and has accepted.
Mission Statement
Pastor Brad would like the Vision Board to develop a “Purpose Statement” which would be a shorter and more easily remembered Mission Statement. The proposed statement would be:
Walking with Jesus
Opening Scripture
Breaking Bread WOBS
Sharing Good News
Another version could be
Journey with Jesus
Opening Scripture JOBS
Breaking Bread
Sharing Good News
A Mission Statement should show the purpose and direction of a Congregation
· The primary goal of a Congregation is discipleship – the sharing of God’s Word
· One of the biggest challenges of a church is having members being only Sunday Christians
o We need to encourage discipleship
o Encourage members to share how their faith shapes their life
Pastor Brad shared a diagram of a triangle: Up with God; In with Discipleship; Out with Community.
Sara Sykora proposed starting with the Mission Statement and taking two words from each line and using that as our Purpose Statement.
Jim Welander stated that the Mission Statement should not be allowed to become static and should be reviewed on a continual basis as the Congregation changes.
Congregation Vitality Survey
The Vision Board members were asked to complete a Congregation Vitality Survey. This is a survey that measures the strengths and challenges of a Congregation. From the responses received it was shown that there is a real acceptance of trying new things and a general excitement for the future of Journey.
· The results of the survey will be shared with the Teams to help focus on strengths and challenges
Halfway Creek Lutheran Church
Halfway Creek is currently looking for a new Pastor with the resignation of Pastor Jean Pagliaro.
They are looking to maintain the Youth Program that has been developed and will need encouragement and support during this transition. Journey will continue to collaborate with Halfway Creek. Supply Pastors have been scheduled for Services through Easter and it is expected that they will be receiving an Interim Pastor soon.
Vision Board Members
The 2 newest members of the Vision Board were welcomed and Team assignments were decided upon.
President Meredith Hink – Service
Vice President –
Wendy Evert – Worship Team, Call Committee liaison
Jim Welander – Outreach Team
Dave Pehl – Fellowship Team
Sara Sykora – Faith Formation Team
Eric Davidson – Finance Team
Jeremiah Boardman – Youth and newly appointed to Call Committee
The VB members are encouraged to continue reaching out to their Teams and keep the lines of Communication open.
Synod Assembly Representatives
We are looking for two members to serve as Synod Assembly Representatives. A notice will be placed in the Journ-E and Service Folders looking for volunteers. The Assembly will be held at Luther College in Decorah IA on June 10-12.
Action Items
· Find 2 Synod Assembly Representatives
The meeting adjourned at 8:00pm.
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March15th at 6:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Julie Rudolph
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