El Ministerio Hispano de St. Mark’s y el Equipo de Transición tuvimos una muy exitosa comida el Domingo 12 de enero al mediodía. Disfrutamos de una gran convivencia, una comida increíble y participamos en una discusión desafiante sobre St. Marks. El equipo de transición compartió las páginas de resumen de la Encuesta de vitalidad congregacional que 77 miembros completaron en Octubre del año pasado.
Aquí hay un resumen de la información que compartimos: Hay nueve áreas que afectan la salud y la vitalidad de una congregación, pero no todas son igualmente importantes. Las congregaciones vitales y sostenibles deben construirse desde abajo a lo largo de dos vías. Los bloques inferiores forman la base de nuestra congregación. Las dos vías se describen a continuación.
Misión: Establecer la presencia activa de Dios y discernir una misión clara establece el tono para la cultura y las actitudes de una congregación sobre ellos mismos y sus vecinos. Esas actitudes conducen a programas / actividades en la comunidad y la congregación.
Via de Liderazgo: Desarrollar capacidad y crear energía para la misión desarrollando habilidades en líderes laicos y fortaleciendo las relaciones en toda la congregación. Esto conduce a una mejor gestión de recursos e, idealmente, a mejores recursos. Las relaciones débiles y/o la baja confianza pueden evitar que las congregaciones avancen en la misión.
¿Cómo esta St. Marks?
La fortaleza en los bloques fundamentales es importante tanto para la vitalidad como para la sostenibilidad. A menudo, las congregaciones en declive descubren que los bloques de sus cimientos son débiles. Las bases débiles amenazan la sostenibilidad a largo plazo. Aquí está el enlace donde se pueden ver los resultados de la encuesta de vitalidad de nuestra iglesia.
Acerca de los resultados de la Encuesta de Vitalidad, creo que la congregación de San Marcos debería estar orgullosa de lo lejos que hemos llegado. Hace dos años, la misma encuesta habría sido completamente negativa, pero en este punto los resultados de la encuesta no deberían sorprendernos. La encuesta muestra lo que todos sabemos, hay mucho trabajo por hacer, somos una iglesia resucitada, resucitamos de manera asombrosa y victoriosa de la triste experiencia que tuvimos hace 18 meses.
Ahora, como una congregación revivida, ahora todos debemos centrarnos en el mismo objetivo: ¿Qué puedo YO hacer para ayudar a St. Mark’s a ser la iglesia que Dios nos ha llamado a ser para la comunidad de Chula Vista y la Iglesia Cristiana en general?
Filipenses 4: 13 – Puedo hacer todas las cosas a través de aquel que me fortalece.
2 Timoteo 1: 7 – porque Dios no nos dio un espíritu de cobardía, sino un espíritu de poder, de amor y de autodisciplina.
The St. Mark’s Spanish Ministry and the Transition Team hosted a very successful potluck on Sunday, January 12 at noon. We enjoyed great fellowship, amazing food and engaged in a challenging discussion about St. Marks. The Transition Team shared the summary pages from the Congregational Vitality Survey that 77 members completed last October.
Here is a recap of the information that we shared: There are nine areas that impact a congregation’s health and vitality, but they are not all equally important. Vital, sustainable congregations must be built up from the bottom along two tracks. The bottom blocks form the foundation of our congregation. The two tracks are described below.
Mission Track: Establishing God’s active presence and discerning a clear mission sets the tone for a congregation’s culture and attitudes about themselves and their neighbors. Those attitudes lead to programs/activities in the community and the congregation.
Leadership Track: Build capacity and create energy for mission by developing skills in lay and rostered leaders and strengthening relationships throughout the congregation. This leads to improved resource management and ideally, improved resources. Weak relationships and/or low trust can keep congregations from moving forward in mission.
How does St. Marks stack up?
Strength in the foundational blocks is important to both vitality and sustainability. Often congregations in decline find that their foundation’s blocks are weak. Weak foundations threaten long-term sustainability. Here is the link to our Congregational Vitality Survey results:
When it comes to the results of the Vitality Survey, the Transition Team believes the St Mark’s congregation should be proud of how far we have come. Two years ago the same survey would have been completely negative, but at this point the survey results should not come as a surprise to us. The survey shows what we all know–there is a lot of work to be done. We are a resurrected church; we resurrected from the sad experience we had two years ago.
Now, we all need to focus on the same goal: What can I do to help St. Mark’s be the church that God has called us to be . . . for the community of Chula Vista and the Greater Church?
Philippians 4:13I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
2 Timothy 1:7For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
President Bob Lechner called the meeting to order at 6:30pm.
Present: Bob Lechner, Marcia Salvestrini, Sheri Barker, Jean Gerber, Pastor Alicia, Billy Cox, Diane Wages, Laura Ortiz, Chris Lewis, Freddie Lizarraga, Bob Petrin, and Skip Knudsen.
Pastor Alicia led the opening prayer.
Minutes of the November Council meeting were read and approved as amended.
Legacy Committee: Marcia Salvestrini, from the Legacy Committee, reported changes to the bylaws by the Committee. Sheri Barker moved that we accept the changes and forward the revised policy to the Congregational Meeting in January for approval. Seconded by Skip Knudsen and unanimously approved.
Freddie Lizarrage will become a member of the Legacy Committee representing San Marcos.
Treasurer’s Report: Diane wages gave the status of the budget. We have a total cash balance of $76,000. Our expenses are at 80% of our budget. We are a bit below last year’s income, but December is usually a good month for giving and we hope to break even. If we end the year with a surplus of funds, monies will be transferred to the Property Committee to meet property needs. Billy Cox moved to accept the financial report, seconded by Chris Lewis. Unanimously approved.
Diane presented a proposed 2020 budget for St. Mark’s. The budget established an income goal of $318,000. Discussion was held regarding a person to operate our visual media for Sunday services. It was suggested to offer a paid position to a Southwestern student at the rate of $50 per Sunday, for 50 Sundays, to operate the computer and sound system. Motion to adopt proposed budget as adjusted was made by Billy Cox, seconded by Bob Petrin and unanimously adopted.
A motion to make our Benevolence payment to the Synod was made by Billy Cox, seconded by Diane Wages and unanimously approved.
Property Committee: Council received a budget proposal from the Property Committee. Discussion ensued. Proposal will be forwarded to the 2020 Council for possible action.
Transition Committee: Discussion was held regarding the lack of Second Service member on the Call Committee. Pastor Alicia is working on securing an additional alternate to serve on the Call Committee. Additional alternate will need to be approved at the Congregational Meeting in January.
Pastor Alicia: Pastor Alicia is working to increase the attendance of San Marcos congregation. Pr. Alicia also announced that the children will present the Christmas program to Glory Lutheran on Sunday the 22nd. Pastor Alicia will also be doing the Christmas Eve Service since Pastor Boye will be absent.
Next meeting of the Council will be January 21, 2020. There will also be an inservice retreat for the new incoming Council on February 8, 2020.
Meeting called to order at 6:36 P.M. by President Bob Lechner. In the absence of Secretary Sherri Coughlin, Diane Flint Wages took the minutes.
Members present
Bob Lechner, Skip Knudsen,Diane Wages, Pastor Karin Boye, Pastor Alicia Saenz, Billy Cox, Bob Petrin.
Transition Team: Sheri Barker, Laura Ortiz, and Chris Lewis.
Opening Prayer
Devotion and Prayer led by Pastor Karin.
Action Items
October 22, 2019 Council Meeting Minutes were reviewed by Council members. Corrections to the minutes include: Diane Nissen’s name is spelled Nissen rather than Nissan (page 2), and Board of Equalization Audit (page 3), Pastor Karin discussed the progress of this audit rather than the results of this audit.
Motion was made to approve the October 22, 2019 minutes as amended and unanimously approved.
Treasurer Diane Wages reviewed the October 31, 2019 Financial reports with Council.
Motion was made to accept the October 31, 2019 Financial report, and unanimously approved.
Treasurer Diane Wages reviewed the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Audit Report covering the fiscal year 2018.
Motion was made to accept the 2018 church audit report and unanimously approved.
A discussion was held regarding the initial amount of the donation made by Vic & Dolores Long to establish the Memorial Endowment Fund. It was established there are no records available to determine that amount.
Motion was made and unanimously approved to adapt the following Corpus of the Endowment:
Whereas there is no paper trail available which provides for a record of the initial amount (Corpus) of the donation made by Vic & Dolores Long, may it be
Resolved that as of November 15, 2019, the Corpus of the Endowment Fund shall be $100,000.
A discussion was held to establish the appropriate number of members of the Council for 2020. There are currently six members of Council who will continue their term into 2020.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to adopt the following definition:
Whereas in previous years and at an unknown date the number of council members was reduced to 6 and
Whereas it continues to be difficult for the leadership to work with such a small number of leaders, may it be
Resolved that the number of Council members shall be adjusted to 8 starting with the term 2020.
Pastor Karin presented a Resolution to establish that portion of her salary package to be defined as Housing Allowance.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to establish the 2020 Housing Allowance as $33,600.
Reports
Transition Team. Sheri Barker reviewed the results of the Vitality Study, Baylow University, September 22, 2019. Overall results show our congregation is “Currently viable, but not sustainable or vital”. This means even though we are still viable, we should ask what kind of ministry we are hoping to sustain. A summary of the Congregation’s ratings was reviewed. Council Member discussions included the need to build communication by keeping the congregation informed, and working to build trust. Sheri reported the Soup Suppers were well received by church members and will continue in January.
Pastor Karin.
Pastor encouraged Council Leadership to set boundaries, particularly with former members of the church, in order to avoid misinformation.
Pastor reported San Diego Rapid Response Network, who uses the legal resources of Jewish Family Service, is a group we could partner with to support those in need regarding Immigration issues. Another is the Lutheran Refugee and Immigration Services of the ELCA.
She attended the annual Interim Ministry Conference in Baltimore in November.
She is visiting shut-ins. If any members are visiting shut-ins, please report this to the office so the visits can be coordinated.
Pastor submitted a vacation request for the period January 2 to January 9 which was approved.
Pastor Alicia
Pastor Alicia is helping to write the Transition Team report.
Attendance at second service is stable.
The landscape work was successful. The Council expressed thanks to all who worked tirelessly on the project.
A wedding anniversary celebration was observed.
She discussed the need to invite and encourage participation by all council members.
Committee Reports
Nominating Committee. Chair Skip Knudsen reported they are seeking candidates for the Call Committee. Submit names by November 23rd.
Personnel. Job Descriptions are complete and signed. The Employee Handbook needs to be updated next.
Property Committee. Bids are being obtained for projects under consideration. Pest Control was called in to eradicate mice.
Worship Committee. Meeting was held today. A bilingual Children’s Christmas program will be held December 15th at 10:00 a.m. A Christmas Eve service will be held December 24th at 6:30 p.m.
Other Information
Congregational Meeting to elect Call Committee, Dec 1st, 10:00 a.m.
Angel Tree gifts to be returned by December 1st, 9:00 a.m.
Transition Team, Call Committee, Council, and Bishop’s staff meeting on Dec 10th, 6:30 p.m., Lower Level.
All Annual Reports need to be electronically submitted to the church office by January 9th, distribution to the congregation will be January 19th, and the Annual Meeting held January 26th.
Southwestern College would like to use Jacobson Hall this summer for Tai Chi classes. Facility Use Agreements and Insurance requirements were discussed. The church office will follow up.
The meeting closed with prayer at 8:40 p.m. Next Council meeting is December 17, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting called to order at 6:35 P.M. by Vice-President Skip Knudsen
Members present
Skip Knudsen,Diane Wages, Pastor Karin Boye, Pastor Alicia Saenz, Michael Marquez, Bob Petrin, Fred Lacarra and Sherri Coughlin
Transition Team: Chris Lewis, Sheri Barker, Laura Ortiz
(Gabby Gutierrez is temporarily excused from Council meetings while serving on the Transition Team)
Guests: Maryury Lopez, Herb and Dorothy Geier
Opening Prayer
Devotion and Prayer led by Skip K.
Action Items
September Council Meeting Minutes were reviewed by Council members.
Motion was made (Diane W.) and seconded (Sheri B.) to approve the September
17th minutes and unanimously approved.
Minutes from the September 24th Council Workshop were reviewed by Council.
Motion was made (Chris L.) and seconded (Michael M.) to approve the September 24th minutes and unanimously approved.
Our new Administrative Assistant, Maryury Lopez, was introduced to Council.
Treasurer Diane Wages reviewed the September Financial reports with Council.
Motion was made (Sherri C.) and seconded (Sheri B.) to accept the September Financial report, and unanimously approved.
Pastor Karin reviewed the improved Leadership Structure, as reported in the September 24th Special Council Meeting Minutes.
Discussion held on responsibility of ensuring Committees are meeting and
reporting to Council.
Property Committee met on Sunday, the 20th. Bob Briggs was identified as the Chairperson.
Diane Nissan will serve as Committee Co-ordinator and will follow up on committees 2 weeks after Council meets.
Diane W. reported that the Audit Committee; Diane Nissan, Tom Larsen, and Audrey Voight, met and completed the audit for 2018. Their report will be submitted to Council prior to the next Council meeting.
Chris L. Reviewed the Gift Policy submitted by the Legacy Committee. We now have more flexibility to grow the fund.
Motion made (Sherri C.) and seconded (Michael M.) to approve the updated Gift Policy, and unanimously approved.
Reports
Pastor Karin
Visited members in the hospital.
Expressed her concerns that she is being kept busy in the Administration area.
Will be out of town from October 31-Nov. 3 to attend the Bishop’s Installation in Seattle. Pastor Andreas will lead the Nov. 3rd Service.
She will be attending the Interim Ministry Network conference in Baltimore from November 11-14.
Pastor Alicia
A Quincenera was held on October 5th, with about 50 people in attendance. She proposed to start charging for such events, including being able to pay the musicians. Discussion followed on current Fee Schedule.
Chris L. Suggested that the Property Committee work with Administration to assess fee for Property usage.
Personnel Committee
Pastor Karin reviewed process taken to narrow down 83 applicants for the Admin. Asst. position to 5 candidates. After reviewing their applications, 3 of them were invited for interviews, and Maryury was offered and accepted the position. Updated job descriptions were given to Maryury and to Linne Wienke, our bookkeeper. She will give the updated one to Bob Briggs soon.
Nominating Committee
The committee will nominate members for both Council and Call Committee.
Property Committee
At their meeting on Sunday, they discussed priorities and identifying issues, maintenance and repairs. They plan to meet again this Sunday, after Worship service.
Transition Team
Sheri B. reported she is receiving completed surveys (25 so far) from groups within the church (Cottage meetings). She will hand out surveys to the rest of the Congregation on November 10th.
The next Soup Supper is scheduled for November 6th. They will continue to hold the Soup Suppers about once a month.
Worship Committee
They met on October 6th. Pastor K. discussed changes in the service with them and they discussed that the Congregation was not happy with the changes.
Other Reports/Items
Board of Equalization Audit. Pastor Karin discussed the results of this audit. There are some issues that need to be addressed regarding our non profit status.
Facility use. Last Day for the school is this Friday. Korean church is using our facilities more than they are scheduled for. Pastor Karin has discussed this situation with their Pastor.
Primary Election- SD County has asked to use our facility for election polls on March 3, 2020.
Bob Petrin and Fred Lacarra agreed to serve out the rest of this term on Council.
Pastor Alicia closed the meeting with the Lord’s Prayer.
Meeting adjourned at 8:16 P.M.
Next Council meeting is scheduled for November 19, 2019, at 6:30 P.M. Michael M. will lead opening devotions.
