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.
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.
Pastor Karin
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.
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.
