5/28/15 Minutes -- Strategic Leadership Council
St. John United Church of Christ
Meeting duration: 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Attending: Tim Smith (chair), Theo Baldwin, Stan Bowling, Sandy Kerlin, Mitch Leigh, Melissa Stephens, Pastor Keith Haithcock
Guest: Louise Hall
Meeting opened with a meditation by Theo Baldwin, and a prayer by Tim Smith. All read the St. John Vision and Mission.
Consensus Items Approved: 4/23/15 SLC minutes, 5/28/15 Agenda.
Generative Discussion
Flooring projects (carpeting and concrete)
· Sandy Kerlin presented an update and proposals to address priority flooring updates throughout the church building. She worked with an architect colleague experienced in church buildings to gather recommendations on flooring needs, including carpeting and concrete.
o Quote for carpeting work received from Carpetland.
o Quotes for concrete restoration (polishing and staining) received from Cincinnati Concrete Polishing and Reflective Crete. Sanctuary space would need to be emptied for the concrete work, i.e., pews removed.
o Total quotes for carpeting and concrete repairs/restoration are $10,000-$12,000.
o The sanctuary floor would need to be cleared for the concrete work, i.e., pews removed.
· SLC discussed the proposal, including how to cover costs and raise funds to support this work. This work is not in the scope of spending on the Ludwig bequest.
· ACTION: Sandy will follow up on questions from SLC questions, including options for carpeting, durability of painted concrete, costs and options for clearing the sanctuary space. Sandy will bring an updated proposal to the June SLC meeting.
Proposals, Presentations, Planning
Insurance Coverage – Elevator, Illumination Youth Group (Sandy)
· St John’s insurance agent has indicated that the elevator can be added to our blanket insurance policy.
· Illumination Youth Group (IYG) impact
o St. John’s UCC is Newport has been the IYG fiscal agent; however, this has changed due to St. John’s withdrawal from IYG. As part of these changes, IYG needs to be added as a rider to St. John Bellevue’s liability insurance, at a cost of $600/year. This cost is billed back to the youth group.
· MOTION: Sandy moved that we contact the insurance company to add Illumination Youth Group (IYG) as an additional insured on St. John Bellevue’s insurance policy, and to request reimbursement for such costs from the IYG. Stan seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
· ACTION: Sandy will follow up with insurance company on both matters.
Building Usage Meeting
· Pastor Keith requested a special meeting of the Pastor, Building Use Coordinator (Donna Hoffman), and SLC to clarify intentions with increasing building usage, especially with the two goals of growing outreach and raising income.
· Meeting will take place after worship on Sunday, June 7.
New Members Update (Pastor Keith)
· 12 new members will join, and all are transfers from other churches. Six will join on each of two upcoming Sundays.
Synod Support: Next steps (Tim Smith)
· Theo will make announcement regarding the special Synod offering (gathered June 7) this Sunday, May 31.
o He will mention the need for cookie donations toward SONKA’s contribution to the Synod, with a deadline of Sunday, June 21. He will also secure a volunteer to deliver St. John’s cookies to Springboro UCC on Monday, June 22.
· Special offering in support of Synod will be gathered on June 7. Pastor Keith will prepare envelopes.
Red Bike “Bike Share” Program (Tim Smith)
· At the June SLC meeting, Jody Robinson (City of Bellevue) will discuss the Red Bike program and the installation of a bike station near the church front yard, on Ward Ave.
Stewardship Campaign (Tim Smith)
· Pledge deadline is Sunday, June 21. Letters will be mailed during the week of June 8. Discussion on distribution list and format (print, email) for stewardship campaign letter.
· Tim will contact members to deliver testimonials at upcoming worship services.
Broken Window Pane (Tim Smith)
· A broken pane has been discovered in the nursery. Tim will contact a potential volunteer who can fix it.
Transition to Next Council
· Sandy distributed a planning timeline outlining major tasks for SLC throughout the year.
· At the July meeting, SLC will complete annual appointments for many roles and groups, including Financial Secretary, Building Coordinator, Parking Lot Coordinator, and chairs and members of the Finance committee, Chancel committee, OMG committee, Pastoral Relations.
· SLC discussed a retreat for the transition of current and new SLC members.
Follow-up / Ongoing Items
Annual Meeting Follow-up (Tim Smith)
· For future meetings, there have been requests for more readable projected slides, as well as more print copies of meeting materials provided at the meeting time.
Illumination Youth Group (Pastor Keith)
· The additional financial burden for St. John UCC (due to withdrawal of St. John Newport) will likely be about $4,000. IYG costs are based on total membership of each participating church, not on the number of participating youth.
SLC Positions - Treasurer, President-Elect (Melissa Stephens)
· Melissa moved that SLC appoint Dale Sexton as SLC Treasurer, for a two-year term ending June 30, 2017. Sandy seconded. Motion passed, with one abstention.
· No update on filling the President-Elect position. SLC discussed options, and will continue discussion at the June SLC meeting.
Construction
· Hermes has some minor last items to complete. One more invoice is yet to be received and paid.
· Wooden coat hook boards still need to be re-hung.
Air Conditioning
· Pastor Keith explained configuration of the new air conditioning system and its schedule, in response to concerns about system appearing to be “on” at unoccupied times / off-hours.
Door Passes
· Some issues with non-working key cards have been addressed.
· Key cards will be tested in month of June, with the potential pilot return of keys by SLC members after this test period.
Autism Center / Building Use
· Melissa will share this information with Donna Hoffman.
Actions & Assignments, Next Meeting Preview
· All reviewed and confirmed actions and assignments arising from this meeting
· Tim asked for prayers for the Ohio Conference of the UCC for upcoming discussions regarding their future work.
· Thanks given to Bruce Horn for donation of a Samsung flat screen TV for the church lounge.
Next Meeting is 6/18/15 (3rd Thursday!) from 4-6 pm. Meditation: Stan Bowling.
SLC meetings are open and welcome to all.
Adjournment: Move to adjourn. Stan moved, Sandy second. Motion passed.
Closing prayer led by Pastor Keith
Minutes recorded by: Theo Baldwin, SLC Secretary