Church Council

February 2008 Council News

Council last met on January 16, 2008.  The planning process is continuing. Council met with Alice Mann on January 2. As a result of that meeting, a planning team was formed. That team consists of the following members: Bill Mann, Lee DeBell, Diana Sweeney, Beth Hunter, Becky Fleury, Pat Plouff, Brian Lew and Alice Ling.  Council and the planning team will meet with Alice Mann jointly on February 12, and on February 13 the planning team will meet separately with her. 

Bill Burke brought a proposal to council for the Youth Ministry Committee to purchase a bus for the committee to use for field trips. Bill explained that at the present time, the transportation for the field trips is either provided by church members, for shorter trips, or the youth involved divide the cost to rent a bus, for trips such as the confirmation trip, or the New York City Trip taken by the middle school.  Bill reports that youth ministry will raise the funds for the purchase of the bus and the associated expenses for the first year with private and/or corporate donations. Council asked that Bill provide a use policy for the bus, and submit that information along with the cost analysis brought to council to the finance committee.

Council is in the process of drafting an amendment to the by laws which would change the status of the Finance Committee from ad-hoc to permanent.  The amendment will include the responsibilities that the committee will have in the financial life of the church, such as its role in day to day operations, investments, gifts and audits.

The contract with the realtor for the parsonage was due to expire shortly after council met. It was decided to take the parsonage off of the market for thirty days, so that the property would come back in at the top of the MLS listings.  The realtor reports that this is a slow time in the real estate business, but that the market should improve this spring.

Next meeting: February 20, 2008.

January 2008 Council News

Church Wide Planning Kick-Off
On January 2nd Council kicked off the church wide planning process.  We are excited about the way our ongoing investigation into the need for a church wide planning process has come together with our work with the New Dollars/New Partners for Sacred Places to get this planning process underway. 

For a couple of years we have been looking at ways to roll out a planning process that asks the questions – “Who are we?” and “What is God calling us to do?”  With funding from the NH Preservation Alliance we have received a seed grant through the New Dollars/New Partners for Sacred Places program that allows us to contract for consulting services with Alice Mann.  Alice is a nationally recognized senior consultant with the Alban Institute.  We feel blessed to have her experience and insight to help guide us through this process. 

Alice will assist us in a planning process that will enable us to hold the rehabilitation work needed for our church in the larger context of the church’s overall mission and vision; guide us in making decisions about utilizing our space, consider how to intertwine the historic nature of the sanctuary with the present life of the church, and address overall structural needs of the building.  There will be opportunities for everyone to take part in this process.  Stay tuned for much more information on the planning process.

Deficit Information Meeting - Please Join Us
On Sunday, January 6th we will hold a meeting to share information and answers questions about the $140,000 deficit we have accumulated from previous years.  The meeting will be held in the sanctuary after the 10:00 a.m. worship service.  We hope you will plan to attend the meeting.

Next Meeting
Council meets every third Wednesday of the month.  The next regular meeting will be Wednesday, January 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone. 

November 2007 Council News

New Dollars/New Partners Program
We are still moving along with our preparations for the New Dollars/New Partners Program – there have been 3 very active committees in the church developing data that is required for our case statement that is needed.  On October 26th and 27th, Lee DeBell, Becky Fleury and Alice Ling will participate in the 2nd training session for the program.

Good News / Bad News!
The good news/bads news is that we did not make the list of “7 to save in NH” – the bad news is we could use the assistance – but the good news is – our facility is not in such poor shape to warrant being on the list.

Charlie Stewart and the Facilities Board are still looking for additional grants and financial assistance that are available to continue to make necessary repairs to our facility.

Stay tuned for future details on our progress in this endeavor!

“Raising the Roof” Meeting
There was a meeting held with Alice Mann, author of “Raising the Roof” to discuss having her develop a proposal to work with us on an evaluation of our church and where we are going.  The general agreement from the board was that now is the time to work on who we are and who we want to be in the future.  There will be additional information available in the near future as to what to expect from this process.

Parsonage
The Parsonage is still on the market - the building is looking good, all decorated for the holidays – but so far we have had only had one showing of the property. 

Council Holiday Schedule
Council meets every third Thursday of the month.  Due to holiday schedule the next Council meeting is Wednesday, November 14th at 7:00 P.M. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone.   

July 2007 Council News

Well the excitement was in the air at Council meeting on Wednesday, June 20th.  So many new things are being worked on – so much is going on!!

First of all – we had members report back on their initial training for New Dollars/New Partners for Your Sacred Place program.  They learned a lot – one of the things that they learned is that there is a lot more work required of all of us – there will be follow-up meetings and teams developed to work on all the action items that we are required to have completed – before they go back for the 2nd phase of training.  In all there is 4 days of training that needs to be completed.

From there we went on to learn some more about what Diana Sweeney and Pat Plouff have been coordinating.  They are trying to meet with as many people as possible to see if we/FPC are welcoming to others.  So many ways this can be looked at and discussed. 

Then we went on to learn all kinds of new terminologies – LCHIP for one – by the way – stands for New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program.  Charlie Stewart and Becky are working to put together the application for submission into this program.  Time will tell if we are accepted and if we can begin to see some grant monies to be used to fix our beautiful history.  There are many other opportunities that Charlie is looking at – and bringing to the table as possible ways to help restore our buildings. 

By the way – don’t forget to mark on your calendar the year 2019 – the 300th anniversary of our church.  Wouldn’t it be great to see it fully restored for that occasion.  Date and time to be announced at a later date…..

We would also like to thank Charlie for climbing up to ring the bells on Sunday mornings – and for those of you that are wondering – yes – there are bats back in the belfry. 

Clean-up and repairs are going along extremely well at the newly vacated Parsonage under the direction of Larry Krantz.  There has been painting, repairing holes in walls, replacing glass panes, etc already completed.  Realtors will be coming over the next few weeks to meet with FPC folks about the sale of the parsonage.

This month’s meeting also gave us the opportunity to welcome our new members-at-large to the Council; Jane Dunn, Melissa Mitchell and Charlie Stewart

There is still a lot of work to be done over the next year – stay tuned for future developments.
Council meets every third Thursday of the month.  The next Council meeting is Wednesday, August 15th at 7:00 P.M. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone.   

June 2007 Council News

What’s All the Excitement About?

Sometimes we get so caught up with the finances of the church we forget to share some of the other news about what Council has been up to.  There are some exciting things going on that we want to tell you about.

Church Wide Planning
A Council sub-group known as the planning group has been working toward rolling out a church wide planning process.  Alice Ling, Lucy Alexander, and Becky Fleury will be attending a seminar in early June that is targeted for congregations of our size looking at who we are and what God calls us to be.  You will be hearing more on this in the coming months.

Welcoming
In the midst of the work the planning group has been doing, we have realized that we have a wonderful opportunity to look at how we welcome people into the church.  We called upon Diana Sweeney and Pat Plouff to lead a look at how we welcome people, both people new to the church and people who have been here for awhile.  Diana and Pat plan to start by talking to members of boards and committees about what part we all play in welcoming people into the church, and to hear personal perspectives of how we experienced welcoming in the church.  We know Pat and Diana would love to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and experiences with them. 

New Dollars/New Partners for Your Sacred Places
We are very excited about being accepted into the New Dollars/New Partners for Your Sacred Places program.  This comprehensive program will help us work toward completing our building restoration project.  You can see more about New Dollars/New Partners in this newsletter.  Please plan to attend the kick-off for this program on Sunday, June 24th in the A/B room after worship. 

Finance Committee
Council is also looking forward to the addition of the Finance Committee.  The Finance Committee will be responsible for overseeing the financial life of the church and bringing updates and recommendations to Council for action.  This change will both give the church a dedicated group of people to oversee our finances and free Council to concentrate on other aspects of the life of the church.  Our new Finance Committee members are Mark Wiseman (Assistant Moderator and chair of the committee), Wendy Staggs (Treasurer), Pat Crowell (Assistant Treasurer), Janice Braley (Stewardship representative), Bill Armstrong (Member At Large), Steve Davis (Member at Large), and Bill Waller (Member At Large).

Budget Update
While Council is looking forward to exploring new ideas, working on new things, and sharing them with you, what would a Council report be without a budget update?  You will find a copy of the approved 2007/2008 budget included in the pinted newsletter.  The members present at the annual meeting voted to approve a budget with a $3,500 deficit.  We recently received an anonymous check for $5,000 for the general fund.  We are grateful for this gift and all gifts we receive for the ways they help support the ministry of our church and help us do the work we are called to do. 

Call to Annual Meeting

TO THE MEMBERS OF
FIRST PARISH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

YOU ARE HEREBY CALLED TO THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CHURCH ON SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2007 AT 11:30

FOR THE PURPOSE OF:

1. Receiving the reports of officers, boards, and committees of First Parish Church as printed in the 2006/2007 Annual Report.
2. Authorizing the expenditure of funds from the 2007/2008 budget for the preparation of the Harvest Supper.
3. Adopting a budget for the 2007/2008 fiscal year as proposed by the Church Council.
4. Changing Bylaws as recommended by the Church Council.
5. Electing persons to serve as members of boards and committees and to elect officers of the church.
6. Transacting any other business that may properly come before the Congregation.

Cathy Pottle
Clerk

May 2007 Council News

2006/2007 Budget
Good news!  We started and ended the fiscal year with a balanced budget.  Council monitored the budget throughout the year and made a concerted effort to keep the congregation informed.  We worked to offset lower than anticipated pledge and plate income with expense reductions of $10,000 and a Christmas gift initiative that brought us $5,000.  Balancing the budget for the year is a major step.  While we still have a deficit to deal with from past years, balancing the budget this year goes a long way toward building a habit of balanced budgets and firmer financial footing for the future.

2007/2008 Budget
Council’s goal for the 2007/2008 budget was to bring you a balanced budget that provides fair compensation to our staff and funds the ministry, program and facilities of the church.  The budget we are presenting does not quite meet our goal.  While we believe it does provide fair compensation to our staff and funds the ministry, program and facilities, it is not a balanced budget. 

We are presenting a deficit budget, but we want to make it very clear that we do not believe anything other than a balanced budget should be passed by the congregation.  We looked at a number of options, including staff cuts.  While there are many options for either outright cutting staff positions or reducing hours, we do not believe any of those options would be in the best interest of the church.  We can cut costs by cutting or reducing staff positions, but we also have to take into account what we lose in program, support and ministry with those cuts.  We believe we are correctly staffed for our size church and that we can provide a budget that gives our staff raises that take into consideration that they did not receive any increases last year. 

Why did we submit a deficit budget when we believe we can balance the budget?  Because we believe there is still significant potential pledge commitment that has not come in yet.  The budget we presented is within $8,500 of being balanced.  As shown in the Income bullet below, we are using a Pledge Income number that reflects the pledge commitment we have received so far, but that number is well under the pledge commitment we received last year.  We believe this congregation has the potential to meet last year’s pledge number.  If we can meet last year’s pledge number of $227,000 we will have a balanced budget. 

2007/2008 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
INCOME:

• $213,000 Pledge Commitment (compared to $227,000 pledge commitment last year)
• $35,000 in Auction Income – Includes $20,000 given by the Youth Ministry Committee from the YMC auction and a commitment from Bill Burke to raise $15,000 with another fundraiser.

EXPENSES:  (Personnel will make a presentation at the Annual Meeting regarding staff compensation.)

• 5% increase for: Senior Pastor, Music Director, Administrative Assistant, Weekend Custodian
• Associate Pastor’s salary and housing at 69% of Senior Pastor
• 3% increase for Organist/Pianist

• $600 Step Increase for Music Director
• $2,850 for Organist and Music Director for 2nd service music
• Non-staff expenses are $2,400 less than last year’s budget

Next Meeting
Council meets every third Wednesday of the month.  The next regular meeting will be Wednesday, May 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone. 

April 2007 Council News

2006/2007 Budget
With the 2006/2007 fiscal year ending on March 31, Council projects that we will finish with a $4,000-$5,000 deficit for the year.   As hard as we worked to maintain a balanced budget for the year it does appear that we will carry this deficit into the new fiscal year. 

2007/2008 Budget
At the March Council meeting we began work on preparing the 2007/2008 budget to present to the congregation at the May 6th annual meeting.  Council’s goal is to bring a balanced budget to the congregation that provides fair compensation to our staff and supports the ministry, program and facilities of the church. 

Attempting to balance last year’s budget meant not providing salary increases to our staff and holding spending level in other areas.  This year we recognize the need to increase staff salaries and allow for needed increases in our programs if we are to keep the church’s ministry growing.  The staff compensation recommendation provided by the Personnel Board is included elsewhere in this newsletter and we ask everyone to review that recommendation. 

After the initial budget run through, including staff, program and facilities increases, we are looking at a $60,000 shortfall.  Unfortunately our income continues to lag significantly behind our expense needs.  Council will meet again on April 10th for a special budget meeting to look at ways to balance the budget.  While we know we will need to decrease some of the expense requests, we believe balancing the budget depends mostly on our ability to increase our income. 

New Dollars/New Partners
The NH Preservation Alliance is working with Partners for Sacred Places to provide training and education to churches with historic buildings in need of renovation.  This training and education opportunity is selective.  Only five churches from NH will be selected.  Council will be applying with the hope of being one of the churches selected.  We believe this is a great opportunity that will help us move forward with raising the money and developing the plan to renovate our historic church. 

Next Meeting
Council meets every third Wednesday of the month.  Council will have special budget meeting on Tuesday, April 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.    The next regular meeting will be Wednesday, April 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone. 

March 2007 Council News

Sale of the Parsonage
At the February 4th special meeting of the congregation, the members present voted to authorize the sale of the parsonage.  The members present also voted to hold off making a decision on how to use the proceeds from the sale until after the parsonage is sold.

The Budget Challenge
When this year’s budget was authorized by the congregation, Council made a commitment to keep our expenses in line with our income.  Council felt confident in our ability to do that.  We worked to find ways to reduce expenses and now project our expenses will come in $10,000 under budget.  The line item in the budget for pledge income was actually lower than the actual pledge commitment, recognizing that there are circumstances where individual pledge commitments cannot be completed.  With that we felt comfortable that we should meet the pledge income number.  Unfortunately it does not look like our pledge income is going to equal even the lower amount we put in the budget.  With 5 weeks remaining in the fiscal year we are projecting our income will be short by $18,000, meaning that we would end the year with an $8,000 deficit for 2007/2008. 

At the February Council meeting, we looked at a number of options for balancing the budget by the end of the fiscal year.  In the midst of looking at those options we asked ourselves what the faithful response is to the challenge of balancing this year’s budget and how are we called to act as a faith community?  None of the options presented felt like faithful options.  Each had the potential to balance the budget, but at a cost that we felt outweighed the benefit.  To use a cliché, we felt we would be cutting off our nose to spite our face.  Instead, we are coming to the congregation to tell you we have done the best we can and the only faithful way to balance this budget is to complete our pledge commitments.  Without that, we will end the year in a deficit. 

We continue to believe that we, as a congregation of faith, have the ability to meet our pledge commitment.  Will you walk with us to make that happen?

Next Meeting
Council meets every third Wednesday of the month.  The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 21st at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone. 

February 2007 Council News

Special Meeting of the Congregation
Council reminds everyone that there will be a special meeting of the congregation on Sunday, February 4, 2007 after worship for the purpose of:

1. Authorizing the sale of the parsonage as recommended by the Church Council, with proceeds to be used as follows:
   • Pay off parsonage roof reconstruction loan
   • Add to the building restoration fund for the historic part of our building
   • Pay off the deficit in the general fund
   • Establish an emergency fund
2. Transacting any other business that may properly come before the Congregation.

A decision to sell the parsonage and how the proceeds will be used is part of the larger picture of how we manage the finances of the church.  We strongly encourage everyone to participate in the special meeting to help make this important decision and to better understand our financial situation and the work being done to put the church on better financial footing.  Childcare will be provided for the special meeting.

Finance Task Force Report
This page contains the report of the Finance Task Force which was formed at the request of the members present at the June 25, 2006 special meeting of the congregation.  Council agreed with the concepts of the recommendations in the report, but instead of moving to form a new standing board, requiring a bylaws change and vote of the congregation, the Council voted to form an ad hoc Finance Committee for a year as a way to test drive and fine tune the process.  The new ad hoc committee will be formed as soon as the positions on the committee are filled.  Council plans to bring a final recommendation on forming a Finance Board to the congregation at the 2008 annual meeting.  Special thanks to the task force members – Ben Crosby, Warren Leuteritz, Bill Mann, and Heidi Webster – for their hard work.

Managing the 2006/2007 Budget
Year end tax statements and third quarter pledge statements are out.  Please review both statements.  Currently 70 of our 160 pledge units are running behind on their pledge commitments by a total of almost $20,000.  If you are behind and able to catch up, we would appreciate it if you could do so as soon as possible. If circumstances have changed and you will not be able to fulfill your pledge, it would be helpful if you could notify Pat Crowell, our Assistant Treasurer, or Alice or Lucy. 

Maintaining our pledge commitment is a critical part of balancing this year’s budget.  In addition to concerns about the number of pledge units who are behind, Council is also concerned with the drop in pledge income we’ve seen since the beginning of January.  We will continue to monitor pledge income over the next couple of weeks.  If pledge income continues to come in low, Council will be forced to implement reductions in expenses equal to the income shortfall.  As we have stated before these cuts will likely come as some sort of reduction in staff compensation. 

Next Meeting
Council meets every third Wednesday of the month.  The February Council meeting date has been changed to avoid conflict with Ash Wednesday.  The February Council meeting will be Tuesday, February 20th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone. 

January 2007 Council News

Managing the 2006/2007 Budget
Council continues to closely monitor our budget.  We are still projecting an income shortfall, but Christmas gifts to the church have helped to close the gap a bit.  As of December 26th we have received Christmas gifts totaling $3726 which helps to reduce the projected shortfall to $5174.  Our thanks go out to everyone who was able to give an additional gift to the church this Christmas.  The Facilities Board has also negotiated a snow plowing, sanding and shoveling contract that is $1,100 less than budgeted.  This too has helped to reduce the projected shortfall and Council will continue to look at ways to close the gap. 

Parsonage Recommendation
Over the last couple of years Council has been looking at the question of what the church should do with the parsonage.  At its December meeting the Council voted to recommend the sale of the parsonage.  This decision comes after years of unsuccessfully trying to find a mission for the parsonage and the belief that it is time for the church to get out of the building maintenance and rental business.  In addition, the proceeds from the sale of the parsonage would help put the church in a better financial position.  Council is recommending that the proceeds of the sale of the parsonage be used as follows:

            1. Pay back to the church the parsonage roof reconstruction loan.
            2. Pay off the deficit.
            3. Establish an emergency fund.
            4. The remainder to go into the building restoration fund. 

Council has scheduled a special meeting of the congregation on Sunday, February 4th after worship service to vote on the sale of the parsonage.  Council has also scheduled two information sessions to more fully explain all the factors behind our recommendation to sell the parsonage.  Those information sessions will be Sunday, January 21st after worship and Sunday, January 28th at 8:30 a.m.  Both sessions will be held in the A/B classroom and are open to everyone.

Next Meeting

December 2006 Council News

Managing the 2006/2007 Budget
Council spent a good part of the November meeting reviewing year to date income and expenses in order to project our end of year status. 

• Pledge & Plate Income – Pledge and plate income has been a budget focus the last few months.  With that focus comes questions of what we mean when we talk about pledge and plate income.  Pledge income is any income associated with pledge commitments that are made when we fill out a pledge card.  Plate income is any income received in the offertory that is not associated with a pledge.  It might be folks who give regularly but do not pledge, visitors, or folks giving in addition to their pledge.  This month we are pleased to see pledge income has increased over the last few weeks.  If we maintain the increased pledge levels we should be on target to make our pledge commitment.  Plate income continues to run much lower than anticipated. 
• Expenses - On the expense side we expect expenses to be slightly lower than anticipated, but it will not be enough to make up for the income shortfall. 
• Projection - Looking out to the end of the fiscal year, we project we will have a $10,000 shortfall if we do not find a way to increase income.  You will see more elsewhere in the newsletter about Christmas cards to the church as a way to overcome the $10,000 shortfall.

Deficit Elimination Plan
Council is working on a plan to eliminate the deficit and address a couple of other financial challenges we have been dealing with over the last few years.  While more homework is needed to complete the plan, we expect to finalize it at the December Council meeting and begin communicating the plan by the beginning of the year. 

Vending Machine
Council voted to install a vending machine in Currier Hall for water, Powerade, and juice.  Given all the activity in the church we thought people might find it helpful and convenient to have drinks readily available.  Proceeds from vending machine sales will go to the general fund of the church. 

Ella Anderson Trust
The church received $4,000 from the Ella Anderson Trust in Nashua.  The money will be used to fund part of the parking lot paving project the Facilities Board is overseeing.  Special thanks to Mark Wiseman for preparing the successful grant request. 

Next Meeting
Council meets every third Wednesday of the month.  The next regular Council meeting is Wednesday, December 20th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone. 

November 2006 Council News

Managing the 2006/2007 Budget – Once again the finances of the church is top in the news.  Council has been reviewing the incoming and outgoing finances on a monthly basis, and things do not look any better this month than they did last month.

Based on our current status, of being half way through our fiscal year, we are currently running $18,000 behind in our combined pledge and our projected plate income.

Council has made a commitment to the congregation that we will not overspend our budget this year – so based on the incoming situation we could be faced with some extreme financial issues in the next few months. 

If you have not already done so – please review your quarterly statement on your pledge status.  If you are currently behind in your pledge, please do whatever you can to bring this up to current levels. 

If for any reason the monies that you have pledged needs to be adjusted – contact a member of the Stewardship Board.

Council meets every third Wednesday of the month.  The next regular Council meeting is Wednesday, November 15th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone. 

October 2006 Council News

Managing the 2006/2007 Budget – Plate income continues to run significantly lower than anticipated.  Pledge income is also running a little lower than the budgeted amount.  Pledge income has been averaging just under $4,000 per week since the beginning of the fiscal year.  In order to meet our pledge goal we need to average $4,600 per week for the rest of the fiscal year.  Everyone will have an opportunity to review their giving when the individual pledge and giving reports for the first half of the fiscal year come out shortly.  On the expense side we seem to be running within budget and we anticipate some line items will come in slightly lower than anticipated, though they could be offset by the less certain expenses like fuel oil and snow plowing. 

Financial Reconciliation for Fiscal Year 2003/2004 – Fred Merrill reports that the financial reconciliation will be completed in December. 

Finance Task Force - The Finance Task Force has been formed to explore the way in which the church manages its finances.  The task force will provide its recommendations at the January 2007 Council meeting.  Members of the task force are Ben Crosby, Warren Leuteritz, Bill Mann, Lisa Rick and Heidi Webster.  Thanks to the task force members for their willingness to serve.

Deficit Elimination Plan – Council continues to discuss ways to reduce the $60,000 deficit we are carrying from past years.  As a way to begin to reduce the deficit and keep the issue in front of the congregation, we have placed a change collection receptacle in front of the office.  You will see the sign on the plexiglass replica of the church asking all of us to drop our spare change into the church to help reduce the budget deficit.  Council is also discussing the possibility of putting a water and juice vending machine in Currier Hall.  Council members would be glad to get your input on this idea.  We would also be glad to hear any other ideas on ways to eliminate the deficit.

How We Work Together – As a first step in helping the congregation understand how we work together, Council is working with boards, committees and other groups within the church to collect goals, objectives and a calendar of activities from each group.  More to come on this initiative.

Parsonage – Council added the disposition of the parsonage to this year’s goals and objectives.  A Council sub-group led by Mark Wiseman, Bill Armstrong and Ginny True is reviewing the church’s space needs; whether the parsonage is needed for church activities; and whether using it would be a viable option.

Thank You – Council would like to thank Les Roy for refurbishing the benches outside the building entrance.  They look great.  Council also thanks Mark Wiseman and the rest of the First Annual Yard Sale crew for all their hard work.  The yard sale raised more than $1,800 for the general budget.  Thanks to all who helped out and donated items. 

September 2006 Council News

A good part of the August Council meeting was devoted to developing goals and objectives for 2006/2007.  They are as follows:

1)  Manage the 2006/2007 Budget - Review income and expenses.  Ensure we stay within budget.  Communicate to the congregation.

2)  Financial Reconciliation for Fiscal Year 2004/2005 - Complete the reconciliation in order to verify our deficit and the balances for all accounts.  We anticipate the reconciliation will be completed somewhat later than the originally stated September time frame.

3)  Finance Task Force - Appoint a task force to explore the way the church manages its finances.  The task force will provide a report to Council in January.

4)  Deficit Elimination Plan - Develop a plan to eliminate the estimated $60,000 deficit.

5)  How We Work Together - Church wide initiative to raise awareness of how we all work together.    Develop a sense of the congregation combining to work together as a whole.  

The latest 2006/2007 budget update shows that expenses are within budget.  While that is good news, it is important to remember that expenses always run lower in the summer months and will increase as winter approaches.  Our pledge income is coming in on target, but there is concern that our plate income is coming in significantly below budget.  A separate income report is provided in this newsletter.

Council meets every third Wednesday of the month.  The next regular Council meeting is Wednesday, September 20th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Cook Conference Room.  Meetings are open to everyone.