Lord of the Lakes Council Meeting Notes August 17, 2021
Members Present: Pastor Kevin Heffernan, Wayne Ludkey, Jeff Jahnke, Jan Olson, John Macho, Sarah Miller, Apryl Brantley and Kristen Bjornstad.
Opening Prayer: Pastor Kevin
Devotion: John Macho—How to deal with worrying in life. How do you relieve worry?
September Devotion—need volunteer
Approval of Minutes: Apryl Brantley made a motion to approve May, June and July 2021 council meeting minutes. Sarah Miller seconded.
Pastor’s Report: “Summer has been very positive around here. Last month was pretty busy as several things that had been delayed around here started up again. We continue to see strong Sunday morning attendance especially for summer. The mission trip went very well for the youth. And a little time away for me and my family was very nice…In a nutshell, things are still going in a good direction around here.”
Pastor Kevin added that there have been quite a few funerals lately. All in all, things are still moving along and he feels that people are happy to be here on Sundays.
Wayne asked if Amy has a plan to do a mission trip presentation to the congregation. Pastor said that she does, but the date for that has not been set yet.
Money Matters
The Operating Budget Total Net Surplus YTD as of July 2021 $20,992
The Operating Budget Total Net Deficit for Month of July 2021 ($2,851)
Total Cash in Operating Checking Account as of July 2021 is $102,484.77
Total Cash in Special Events Checking Account as of July 2021 is $60,564.06
(this includes the $29,500.00 in Holding)
Total in Fortifi Investment Account as of June 2021 is $24,117.75
Operating Budget Explanation:
Our YTD income for Church Operations is higher than budgeted by $9,817. Our Regular Envelope/Vanco/Credit Card giving is higher than budgeted by $6,641 our Loose Offering is lower than budget by ($314).
We received Scrip proceeds as of July 2021 $2,600 of our Fiscal Year.
Summary
We did budget for a ($16,606) Deficit YTD and our Actual Surplus YTD is $20,992
Kristen Bjornstad made a motion to approve the treasurer’s report. Sarah Miller seconded. Approved.
Business Management Team (BMT): Apryl noted that the BMT should not include any current members. She has asked a few people about joining the team. So far she has gotten one “yes” and a few “no” responses. A few members were suggested to ask about joining the BMT (Pat Arens, Bob Felberg, Marsha Phillips, Jody Franz and Liz Stephans).
Office Assistant: Jeff asked if council thinks we should come up with a back-up plan for office coverage when people are off. The current plan has one person pick up extra duties when the other is off, but sometimes all duties cannot be covered. Apryl is requesting that Becky Jahnke be our back-up/understudy for help in the office (this would not require any extra pay to be budgeted). Becky has already helped out in this capacity, so she is familiar with what needs to be done. This would be an “As Needed” or “On Call” position. Jeff noted that if Gail or Ellen’s positions ever need to be filled in the future, that we would post the job and hold interviews.
Apryl Brantley made a motion to hire Becky Jahnke as a part-time, back-up office assistant. Jan Olson seconded. Vice President, Wayne Ludkey, confirmed that this motion was approved (President, Jeff Jahnke, abstained from voting).
Stewardship
Tom Zillges brought in a church sign proposal from Appleton Sign. Wayne brought it to the meeting (estimate was roughly $35,000, but could make changes to get it down to around $25,000). Wayne is expecting another proposal any day now from a Green Bay area company called Creative Sign Company. An Oshkosh sign company was initially interested, and then bowed out. Turns out they do smaller jobs. Wayne passed around examples of signs Creative Sign Company has done for churches. Wayne will forward information/estimates to council and B & G when it is received.
Jeff wants council/B & G to review the placement of the new sign. It may be better out in front of the church (closer to Highway 45) rather than in front of the parking lot.
Wayne has also been doing a bulletin and newsletter campaign asking people to text their offering at least once this August. The idea is to get those who don’t give or give cash or checks to try it.
Wayne also looked at the average attendance from this time in previous years and compared it to the current year:
2018…….average 176/Sunday
2019…….average 169/Sunday
2020…….N/A
2021…….137/Sunday
Wayne feels like numbers are good, but, obviously, still lower. He wondered if the people who still haven’t come back are planning to. Pastor Kevin said they he feels that they will. They are just not comfortable enough yet. Kristen added that it may still be too soon to tell.
Buildings and Grounds
-Jan said that B & G will begin meeting again in September.
-Brad and Ben are have been keeping up communication.
-Many of the chairs in the basement have been sold.
-As far as the sanctuary door issue, Tom Zillges worked with Albright to get a temporary fix. This fix will allow us to pass inspection while continuing to obtain bids for door replacement.
-GMS gave a bid for HVAC work. They showed that there are three stages on the furnace and we were only using one. Temperature in the sanctuary can be controlled better using all three stages. Jan said that the cost is approximately $4000 for a unique thermostat to help regulate the system/make sure the furnaces are working properly. Jeff said that B&G should find out if this is/can be Wi-Fi capable.
Jeff Jahnke made a motion to approve the purchase of the new thermostat (but check on the Wi-Fi option).
John Macho seconded. Approved.
Jan also noted that Ben has gotten 3 or 4 company’s proposals for landscaping. He will discuss this with B & G and then bring it to council. Pastor Kevin added that Zillges has done this for us in the past.
New Business
Church Picnic: Pr Gorden Estenson and his wife Rikka, Pr Phil Bogen, Pr Karyn Kost are planning to attend. Pr Sally Wilke may be attending and Pr Stacy Pethke is unable to attend, but will be sending a video. Pastor Kevin said if they are asked what they should speak about, that it should be memories of the church and how LOL impacted their lives and ministry.
Jeff added that we should have Ellen send out a separate email about the event to current and past members. Pastor Kevin added that it should be put in the paper (The Winneconne News).
Pastor Kevin has been unable to reach Pr Ralph Hanusa. Jan suggested contacting Nancy Abraham as she may know how to contact him.
Jan has had a few volunteers for help the day of.
Communion/Offering/Service Procedures: Jeff asked if we looked into/purchased the trays and individual cups to transition communion from the individually sealed cups. Pastor Kevin said that it ended up being very costly. It was decided to continue with the individual, sealed ups until all are comfortable going back to intinction. Jeff asked about passing the offering plates. Pastor Kevin said that things are going fine the way they are. Jan noted that Ken Mueller has taken over the usher team, but has had some challenges with scheduling. Jan wondered if we really need 4 ushers per service. Pastor Kevin said that 2 ushers are plenty right now. Jeff wondered if we should be greeting people on the way out in lieu of passing the peace. Pastor Kevin felt this was being done to some degree already.
Amy/Seminary: Pastor Kevin updated council on Amy’s interest in going to seminary. She got a hold of the synod office and got information about a new program. This TEAM program keeps the seminary student at the same location for the duration of the 3-year program (as youth pastor and intern). The program then requires an additional 3-year commitment to be at the same church as an associate pastor.
We would need to follow the synod guidelines, but this does fit the criteria for what we were looking for (pre-Covid) as far as an intern goes. Pastor Kevin noted that we do need to find out what the synod requirements for an Associate Pastor are.
Council agreed with moving forward and getting more information/details.
Life and Growth/Fellowship Team: Jan has been approached by a few people about reestablishing this team. People need to be recruited to head up and make up this team.
Photo Fundraiser/Directory: Sarah said that a photo fundraiser had been brought up with her father-in-law, Ron Miller, being looked at for taking the photos. Pastor Kevin said that this is being coordinated with the youth team for their fundraiser. Sarah also said that a directory had been mentioned. Pastor Kevin and Jeff said that the next directory update will probably be sometime in 2022. A digital directory may also be looked at when the time comes.
Council Replacement: Jeff stated that two people who had previously said yes to be on council when members’ terms end in 2021 have both reconsidered. We are in need of volunteers. Please bring suggestions to Jeff. Jan said that she has a few suggestions and Apryl said that she has one.
Jan Olson made a motion to adjourn. Wayne Ludkey seconded.
Closing Prayer – Pastor Kevin
Next Meeting: 9/21/2021 at 6:30 p.m.