by debbie | Apr 27, 2020 | Council Minutes
Meeting called to order at 6:06 P.M. by Sheri Barker
Members present
Lay Leadership: Bob Lechner, Diane Wages, Sheri Barker, Sherri Coughlin, and Rachael Perez
Ministers: Pastor Dan Cole and Pastor Alicia Saenz
Absent: Freddie Fran Lacarra, Michael Marquez
Guests
Dick Bolin
Opening Prayer
Devotion and Prayer led by Sheri Barker
Action Items
• March 23, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes were reviewed by Council members.
• Motion: Approve to the March 23, 2020 minutes. Motion by Sheri B., second by Diane W. Unanimously approved.
- Approve Diane Wages and Sherri Coughlin as continued authorized signers on bank accounts. And add Sheridan Barker as an authorized signer. Unanimously approved.
• Tower Point Information is being gathered and reviewed by Dick Bolin. The council will be updated as Dick learns more. Dick has discovered that Verizon has not been paying $180.00 each month to St. Marks for the past 3+ years.
Motion: Approve Dick Bolin to request a Retroactive amount of $180.00 per month for the past 3+ years from Verizon, motion by Bob L. , second by Diane W. Unanimously approved.
▪ Dick Bolin is in contact with the State of CA. regarding the California Board of Equalization (CBE) notices and has been speaking to different representatives. Dick suggests that St. Marks re-write the Articles of Incorporation based on the recommendation of the CBE representatives.
▪ Treasurer Diane Wages reviewed the March Financial reports with Council.
Motion: Approve the Financial Report as presented. Motion by Bob L. and seconded by Alicia S. Unanimously approved.
- Contract with A & M Rehab for Roofing Project Approved by email with 7 Yes votes and 0 No votes on April 18, 2020.
- Stimulus Payroll application Approved by email with 7 Yes votes and 0 No votes on April 14, 2020.
- Motion: Approve the Ministry Site Profile on 4/23/2020. Motion by Diane W. and Second by Sherri C. Unanimously approved.
- Approve Sheri Barker & Sherri Coughlin as authorized signers on the St. Mark’s accounts held at Union Bank. Unanimously approved.
Reports:
Pastor Dan
▪ Pastor Dan is continuing devotions, prayers, phone calls, and sermons
Property Committee
• A&M Rehab Construction continues to work on the roofing repairs and expects to be finished soon.
Leadership Development: Discussion of 17 Efficiency Management Principles during This Crisis: Spiritual Leadership Podcast by the Reverend Paul Chappell.
⁃ Focus on the Power of Prayer – Trust in God – Go to the Need
⁃ Next steps for Council: Follow up with everyone – how can we better care for our members?
New Business:
Sheri Barker closed the meeting with Prayer.
Meeting adjourned at 8:11 P.M.
Next Council meeting will be Monday May 18, 2020 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Submitted by Rachael Perez, Secretary
by debbie | Mar 23, 2020 | Council Minutes
Meeting called to order at 6:06 P.M. by Sheri Barker
Members present Bob Lechner, Diane Wages, Sheri Barker, Sherri Coughlin, and Rachael Perez Minister: Pastor Dan
Guests Dick Bolin
Opening Prayer Devotion and Prayer led by Rachael Perez
Action Items
• February 25th 2020 Council Meeting Minutes were reviewed by Council members.
• Motion: Approve to the February 25th 2020 minutes. Motion by Diane W., second by Bob L. Unanimously approved.
• Bob Briggs was contacted by Tower Point regarding the Use of the Verizon Tower. Tower Point would like to pay St. Marks $375,000 to purchase the lease of the tower for 99 years; Tower Point would then lease out the tower to other carries to make a profit, a portion of each sub-lease would return to St. Mark’s. We currently receive $20,400/year from the Verizon contract.
There could be Capital Gains as well as Property Tax Implications in this sale. Dick Bolin is reviewing and will provide the council with more details as he finds them out.
▪ Dick Bolin researched the Property Tax of Equalization notice for the state of CA. and spoke to Yen, a Representative. This is an ongoing topic and Dick is staying in contact with The Board of Equalization.
▪ Treasurer Diane Wages reviewed the February Financial reports with Council.
▪ Motion: Approve the Financial Report as presented. Motion by Sherri C. and seconded by Bob L. Unanimously approved.
Reports:
Pastor Dan
▪ Pastor Dan is investigating how to use our puppets to enhance his online sermons
▪ Good Friday On-Line Service at 5:30pm
▪ Palm Sunday On-Line Service – Pastor Alicia
▪ Easter Service On-Line- Pastor Dan
Property Committee
• Bob Lechner shared information regarding the work that will need to be done around St. Marks. A&M Rehab Construction has provided an estimate for the roofing of Jacobson Hall and the upper campus buildings.
• Due to the budget shortfall and the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, Diane Wages recommended that we wait 3 months and then re-evaluate budget stability before contracting with A&M to do the roofing. Council agreed.
• Sherri C. suggested a capital campaign to fund the roofing project when we are worshipping together again in the sanctuary. Council agreed.
• Council asked Bob Lechner to follow up with Bobb Briggs and Chris Lewis to determine the necessary/ immediate jobs in priority order. One of the first areas needing attention as soon as possible is Jacobson Hall’s roof.
Leadership Development: Discussion of Leading Through a Crisis – Spiritual Leadership Podcast by the Reverend Paul Chappell.
⁃ Focus on the Power of Prayer – Trust in God – Go to the Need
⁃ Next steps for Council: Follow up with everyone – how can we better care for our members?
New Business:
▪ Melissa Tierra will be resigning 4/16/20
Rachael Perez closed the meeting with Prayer.
Meeting adjourned at 7:43 P.M.
Next Council meeting will be Monday April 27, 2020 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Submitted by Rachael Perez, Secretary
by debbie | Feb 25, 2020 | Council Minutes
Meeting called to order at 6:34 P.M. by Bob Lechner
Members present
Bob Lechner, Diane Wages, Sheri Barker, Sherri Coughlin, and Rachael Perez Minister: Alicia Saenz
Guests Dick Bolin
Opening Prayer Devotion and Prayer led by Bob Lechner
Action Items
▪ January 21st 2020 Council Meeting Minutes were reviewed by Council members.
▪ Motion: Approve to the January 21st 2020 minutes. Motion by Diane W., second by Sherri C. Unanimously approved.
▪ Bob L. opened up the election of church council roles
▪ Motion: Accept the Church Council roles for 2020 as described in the agenda.
Motion by Sherri C., second by Diane W. Unanimously approved.
▪ Dick Bolin researched the Property Tax of Equalization notice for the state of CA and spoke to a Representative. The information provided by Dick indicated that while St. Marks is generally considered a non-profit religious organization, there are two relatively small exceptions due to 1) Verizon Cell tower on the property which is a for-profit company, as well as 2) Lutheran Social Services, our tenant which is not considered a religious organization. So St. Marks must continue paying a small amount of property taxes for the present time.
However, pending further study by Dick Bolin, St. Marks may need to update/ modify the Articles of Incorporation in order to reduce exposure to property taxes. Dick will continue to explore options to minimize taxes with this CA Board.
▪ Treasurer Diane Wages reviewed the January Financial reports with Council.
Motion: Approve the Financial Report as presented. Motion by Sherri C. and seconded by Sheri B. Unanimously approved.
Reports
Pastor Alicia
▪ Alicia asked for more publicity and assistance with the Easter Egg Hunt festivities to draw more children in.
▪ Bishop Andy was very impressed when he attended the Hispanic Service at his last visit on 2/16/20.
▪ Ash Wednesday services will be held 2/26/20. 5:30 p.m. English, 7:00 p.m. Spanish.
Property Committee
▪ Bob Lechner shared information regarding the work that will need to be done around St. Marks. There is a contractor willing to do the work, but due to the budget, the property committee will determine the necessary/ immediate jobs in priority order. One of the first areas needing attention is Jacobson Hall’s roof.
Leadership Development: Discussed the Introduction of Brene` Brown’s Dare to Lead
New Business:
▪ Lenten Potlucks begin 3/4/20 at 5:30pm each Wednesday evening in Lent through 4/1/20.
▪ Kitchen up-keep, cleaning being done, need to speak to other groups using it. Sheri will follow up with representatives of other congregations regarding monthly deep cleaning.
▪ Hall Rental fee being reconsidered. A team will be formed to review costs and appropriate rental rates for members and non-members.
▪ Musicians are booked through Easter, after that a Worship Team will need to review.
▪ Sheri Barker closed the meeting with Prayer.
Meeting adjourned at 8:31 P.M.
Next Council meeting will be Monday March 23, 2020 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Submitted by Rachael Perez, Secretary
by debbie | Jan 31, 2020 | Annual Meeting, congregational, Council Minutes
2019 Annual Report in English – Download
2019 Annual Report in Spanish – Download
ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES – Pending Congregation Approval
St. Mark’s
Evangelical Lutheran Church
January 26, 2020, submitted by Sheri Barker
President Robert (Bob) Lechner called the 66th
Annual Congregational Meeting to order at 10:25 a.m. President Lechner acknowledged a quorum of 35
members was present and a sign-in sheet was circulated to record the members in
attendance. Pastor Karin Boye led the
congregation in an opening prayer and Spanish language minister Alicia Saenz
translated key points of the meeting for the Hispanic members of the
congregation.
Approval of the Minutes:
President Lechner asked for a motion to accept the minutes of the
January 27, 2019 Annual Meeting. Motion
to approve the January 27, 2019 minutes of the Annual Meeting was made by Herb
Geier, seconded by Billy Cox, and unanimously approved.
Election of the 2020 Church Council: Continuing members: Bob Lechner, Diane Wages, Sherri
Coughlin. Michael Marquez, Freddie Lizarraga,
Sheri Barker and Rachel Perez were elected as new members. Motion to approve the 2020 Church Council
as nominated was made by Ann Larsen, seconded by Roz Nelson and unanimously
approved.
Election of 2020 Legacy Committee: The Legacy Committee consisting of Meredith
McCall, Chris Lewis, Marcia Salvestrini, Rachel Perez and Karl Larsen were
elected. Motion to approve the Legacy
Committee as nominated was made by Roz Nelson, seconded by Bob Lechner and
unanimously approved.
Election of 2021 Nominating Committee: The 2021 Nominating Committee consisting of
Roz Nelson, Diane Wages, Bob Lechner, Dorothy Geier and Laura Marquez were
elected. Motion to approve the 2021
Nominating Committee as nominated was made by Audrey Voight, seconded by Herb
Geier and unanimously approved.
Election of Lay Representatives for 2020 Pacifica Synod
Assembly, May 28-30, 2020 at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks,
CA. President Lechner requested a
volunteer to represent St. Marks. Herb
and Dorothy Geier volunteered to participate on behalf of St. Marks.
Presentation of 2020 Budget:
An amended 2019 Balance Sheet and Proposed Budget was handed out to the
congregation. Diane Wages presented the
2019 Balance Sheet and explained the components.
The only difference between the 2020 Proposed Budget that
was included in the Annual Report and the one approved by the Congregation in
this meeting is the addition of the Independent Worship Technician which was
accidentally left off the version shared with members in the Annual Report.
Reserve Accounts: Diane
explained that the new Balance Sheet format shows the Reserve Accounts that
were established in 2019 for Facilities (Buildings & Grounds), Pastoral
Call (support for the Call Committee’s needs), Debt Service, and Money Market
reserve. These funds represent
designated savings to be drawn down as needed for each area of concern. These Reserves will not show up on the Profit
and Loss statements.
Since the Reserve accounts are savings for specific
purposes, it is important that the congregation monitor these accounts and
strive to replenish the accounts as they are drawn down. To assist with this matter, Church Council
has approved that any excess income at the end of a year be transferred to one
of the savings accounts to offset expenditures.
$7,934 will be transferred to the Facilities Reserve to assist with the
anticipated roofing project for the outbuildings in 2020.
Designated Funds:
Diane pointed out that the $3905 in the Project Hand account represents
funds given by the congregation. These
funds are drawn down periodically by Project Hand to buy groceries.
Long Term Liabilities:
Diane noted that the Revitalization Loan is finally below $300,000. This is important because, for the first
time, the majority of our payments will be applied to the principal rather than
interest.
Proposed Budget: The
2020 Proposed budget was presented against the historical data from 2018 and
2019. Diane noted that the 2018 Actuals
show how generous the congregation was in helping rebuild the financial
foundation for St. Marks. We were not
paying for a pastor or an office assistant, so we had a net income of $144,882
with a positive cash flow of $104,753 for the year. We were able to stabilize the church through
the dedicated efforts of the members both financially and through their
unselfish volunteer efforts.
The 2019 income was less, as anticipated, than 2018 because
many members caught up on postponed giving or assisted with the Adopt-a-Bill
campaign during 2018. Both spending and
income were below expectations, so we ended the year with a net cash flow for
the second year in a row. The 2020
proposed Budget estimates total income at $320,900 reflecting an increase of
only $825 over 2019.
Pastoral Salary: Since we don’t know exactly what we will need for our new Settled Pastor’s all-inclusive salary, the Budget Committee (comprised of Diane Wages, Diane Nissen, Laura Ortiz, Audrey Voigt and Tom Larsen ) used Synod input to arrive at an estimated $100,000 total package for a new pastor. This may need to be modified when the Call Committee selects a potential candidate and begins negotiations.
Staff Salaries: The
Budget Committee has reduced staff salaries slightly because staff did not
fully utilize their budgeted hours in 2019.
Each staff member has a maximum annual salary budgeted in parentheses
after the position designation.
Other Major Category Notes:
- Administrative Expenses are anticipated to
remain stable in 2020.
- Building Maintenance was decreased to $5,000 in
2020. This is in anticipation that the
majority of the maintenance will be major projects and be appropriately drawn
from the Facility Reserve Fund.
- The congregation has returned to paying the full
budgeted Synod Benevolence in 2019. The
2020 budget reflects a $750 increase in Benevolence.
- A new line item was added in the 2020
budget: $1,000 for Mission. During the Transition Team potlucks with the
congregation, the discussion was begun about making St. Marks a mission
church. Although this Mission has not
been fully defined, the Budget Committee wanted to ensure there is a budget
item to support the new Mission focus.
- Diane Nissan pointed out that “a budget is not a spending plan. It is our best guess about income and expenditures.” We may need to adjust these estimates as the year progresses, depending on the month-to-month totals. Church Council and the Budget Committee will continue to monitor our progress.
Diane Wages ended her budget presentation by thanking the
congregation for being so generous with time, talent and money. Together, through our individual and
collective gifts, we have kept St. Marks alive and working well.
Motion to Adopt the 2020 Budget as presented was made by
Chris Lewis, seconded by George Stallard, and unanimously approved.
Other Business:
Questions about St. Marks:
Bob Lechner encouraged members to come to Church Council (either at a
meeting or individually) with any question or concern about St. Marks. If you choose to attend a Council Meeting,
you will be first on the agenda so you can ask your question, make a suggestion
or provide other input, and then you can be on your way.
Flickering Lights in the Sanctuary: Concern was expressed about the flickering
lights in the Sanctuary. At first, just
the choir lights were flickering and that problem was solved by turning up the
amps that feed the lights. The Property
Committee will investigate further and make a recommendation to Church Council
regarding resolution of the problem.
Legacy Committee By-Laws:
Marcia Salvestrini asked the congregation to approve the new By-Laws for
the Legacy Committee. Ann Larsen
moved to approve the new By-Laws, George Stallard seconded the motion, and the
congregation voted unanimously to approve.
In closing, President Bob Lechner thanked the many
volunteers who serve St. Marks every day, for example: The Altar Committee, the Transition Team,
Master Gardener Kyra Petrin, Ann & Karl Larsen and the coffee volunteers,
and the many people who show up mid-week and on weekends to assist with property
maintenance and a myriad of other unknown, but critical, tasks that keep St.
Marks moving forward.
Motion to Adjourn was made by Bob Petrin, seconded by Ann
Larsen and unanimously approved. The
meeting was adjourned at 11:14 a.m.
SPECIAL MEETING OF
THE CONGREGATION
St. Mark’s
Evangelical Lutheran Church
JANUARY 26, 2020
President Bob Lechner called the Special Meeting of the
Congregation to order at 11:15 a.m.
The purpose of this meeting was to elect a second Alternate
member for the Call Committee to represent the voice of our Hispanic members in
the Call process. Gabby Gutierrez has
volunteered to serve in this capacity on the Call Committee.
The motion to approve Gabby Gutierrez as second Alternate
to the Call Committee was made by Billy Cox, seconded by Dick Bolin and
unanimously approved by the congregation.
Motion to Adjourn the Special Congregational Meeting was
made by Bob Petrin, seconded by Sheri Barker and unanimously approved by the
congregation. The meeting was adjourned
at 11:17 a.m.
by debbie | Jan 21, 2020 | Council Minutes
Meeting called to order at 6:35 P.M. by
President Bob Lechner
Members
present
Bob Lechner, Skip Knudsen, Diane
Wages, Pastor Karin Boye, and Sherri Coughlin
Transition Team: Sheri Barker,
Opening
Prayer
Devotion and Prayer led by Pastor Karin
Action
Items
- December
Council Meeting Minutes were reviewed by Council members.
- Motion was made (Diane W.) and
seconded (Billy C.) to approve the December
- 17th minutes and unanimously
approved.
- Treasurer
Diane Wages reviewed the December Financial reports with Council.
- Balance
sheet should have been included in the Annual Report. It will be distributed separately at the
Annual meeting on Sunday.
- Billy
brought up that the Fellowship Fund #34400 should be dissolved and the balance
should be transferred to the General Fund.
- Also,
the Termite extermination for Project Hand should be charged to their
Designated Fund #30330
- Diane
also reviewed the 2020 proposed Budget.
An amended Proposed Budget will be distributed at the Annual Meeting.
Motion was made (Sherri C.) and seconded (Skip K.) to
accept the December Financial report, and unanimously approved.
Reports
- Annual Report
& Annual Meeting
- Pastor
K reviewed the Annual Report.
- Maryury
had received reports but they were not all in compatible formats so she had to
retype some of them. Pastor Karin’s
report was not correct. There are
training issues that should be addressed by next year’s Council. She would like to see a Communications group
formed.
- Discussion
was held on suggesting candidates for the next Synod Assembly. Bob will ask if anyone is interested at the
Annual Meeting.
- Discussion
was held on Security issues.
- Asked
for feedback on her Annual report.
- Discussion
was held on date to hold the Church Council Retreat. Members agreed on Sunday, Feb. 9th from
12:00 to 4;00.
- Discussion
held on outside groups looking to rent space at our church. Agreed that the Office should be the Point
of Contact. Requests for long term use
should then be referred to Bob Briggs and the Property Committee.
- Bob
Lechner closed the meeting
with Prayer.
Meeting
adjourned at 7:55 P.M.
Next
Council meeting will be scheduled by the new Council at the Council Retreat.
Submitted by S. Coughlin, Secretary