Church Council Meeting



Date: April 11, 2021
Approved Church Council Meeting Minutes
April 11, 2021
Attending: Dale Bentz, Deb Buffington, Nancy Deiter, David Engle, Jodi Hoffman, Scott Johnson, Karl Keath, Rachel Mock, Pastor Scott Paradise, Cole Pennington, Mary Ream, Stephanie Seldomridge

Absent: Gene Flory

Prior to opening the meeting, Nancy read a touching letter to the council from Linda Sheetz regarding Holy Week and activities that occurred at Millcreek.

Nancy opened the meeting.

Dale Bentz provided devotions.

Karl Keath will provide next month’s devotions.

Mary Ream made a motion to accept last month’s minutes.

Scott Johnson seconded it.
All approved.
 
Treasurer’s Report: Stephanie Seldomridge
Please see bulletin board in the Narthex for details on the treasurer’s report.
David Engle made a motion to accept this month's treasurer's report.
Rachel Mock seconded it.
All approved.

Before Pastor Scott gave his report, Council congratulated Pastor Scott on being elected Dean of the Lebanon Conference.
 
Pastor’s report: Pastor Scott
Reminded council about the Synod Assembly. The congregation is eligible to send 2 lay voting members. Registration needs to be in by April 30, but early bird is due by April 15.

Pastor Scott reports that he will be attending a spiritual retreat Monday May 3 to Friday May 7. Pastor Kristal Smith (Lebanon Lutheran Cooperative Ministries) has agreed to be on call for emergencies.
Discussed electronic giving again, as a way to contribute to the church. We want to give everyone the opportunity to give however they can, but recommendation is to keep things simple. Tithe.ly is a recommended ELCA vendor. -No set up cost -$0/month -Discounted fees for members of preferred program -Credit Card:2.4% + $0.25 per transaction -ACH/Bank: 0.5% + 0.25 per transaction -The donor can choose to pay the fees. -The site is up and running; Pastor Scott reports donating, but it did not give him the discount. -David Engle will test out the site as well to see if he gets the discount.
Youth: the current Confirmation class has set up a display on the bulletin board that is on the left wall as you enter the church. Currently the display is Easter facts.


Music & Worship Committee
• Nothing to report.


Christian Education
• Nothing to report.

Evangelism Committee
• Minutes from their March 10th meeting were handed out.


Property Committee: Nancy Deiter
1. Sign progress
o Karl handed out quotes/pictures of signs from Brown Signs and Horst Signs
o 3 sizes/prices from Brown and 1 size/price from Horst
o Council discussed going with Brown signs because the 1 sign from Horst Signs would be too small.
o Would need to pay someone to take down the old sign and base.
o Will need to get an estimate for a new base and also electric to the sign.
o Will need to check with Brown Signs to see if the largest sign would meet specified zoning requirements, if not then the next largest sign would be ideal.
o Karl will check with Gene to see if he can do the base and electric, or if he can obtain other recommendations.
o Karl will also get a quote together for trenching to set up the electric.
Rachel Mock made a motion to go with the largest sign that meets zoning requirements.
David Engle seconded it.
All approved.
2. Organ is in need of some minor repairs.
o The repairs involve an upgrade to the organ pedals due to ongoing issues caused by spider webs
o Total of the repairs would be $2,250.00.
Dale Bentz made a motion to accept the organ repairs.
Mary Ream seconded it.
3. Looking to have the Air Conditioning installed in May or June.
4. Rachel Mock volunteered to look into picking out the plaques in memory of David Mock to be placed with the tree that was planted in his memory and Linda Bentz to be placed on the door of her Sunday school room in her memory. Dale will work with her as well.
5. Steph questioned whether we couldn’t move forward with the projector and screen for the multipurpose room.
o Money that was kept separate from the Renew and Restore fund which was from Linda Bentz’s memorials was earmarked to be used towards Sunday School projects will be used towards the projector/screen.
o Discussed using Good Sounds for the installation and it was decided that we would go with them.
Rachel Mock made a motion to move forward with the projector/screen.
Stephanie Seldomridge seconded it.

6. Nancy commented that all of the trees to be removed have been boldly marked. Questioned the progress being made with the removal. Jodi Hoffman informed council that Mr. Weis isn’t able to remove the trees until the fall.
o It was mentioned to allow other volunteers to take down the trees, but Karl Keath voiced his concerns for having any volunteers take down the trees due to liability issues.
o It was decided to obtain quotes from other companies to use an insured company and to expedite the removal instead of waiting until the fall.
o Jodi Hoffman will contact Kevin Weis to let him know we will be looking into using an insured company/person to remove the trees.
o Dale Bentz said he would check with Gene Flory to look into possible contacts.
 
Unfinished Business-Nancy Deiter
Nancy is in the progress of putting together the “In Memory Of” display for the showcase in the Narthex.
o She approached Fort Zeller Elementary about cutting out the stars to be used as part of the display with a special machine that they have.
o Their response was “We would be happy to do it, MLC has always been good to us.”
New Business-Nancy Deiter
Because of Covid the ushers haven’t been passing the offering plates around to collect the offering during the church service but have been utilizing an offering plate in the Narthex for deposits of offerings.
 Nancy voiced concerns with the safety of letting the offering plate out in the open in the Narthex due to some prior theft issues (nothing has occurred recently).
 Nancy proposed asking Logan Sheetz to make a wooden box that could be used in place of the offering plate at the sanctuary entrance.
The meeting closed with The Lord’s Prayer.
The next meeting will be on May 2, 2021.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Buffington, Secretary
 
 Approved Church Council Meeting Minutes
March 7, 2021

Attending: Deb Buffington, Nancy Deiter, David Engle, Jodi Hoffman, Scott Johnson, Karl Keath, Rachel Mock, Pastor Scott Paradise, Cole Pennington, Mary Ream, Stephanie Seldomridge

Absent: Dale Bentz, Gene Flory

Nancy opened the meeting.
Nancy provided devotions in Dale’s absence.
Dale Bentz will provide next month’s devotions.
Corrections to last month’s minutes:
-Rachel Mock was inadvertently missing from the list of council members present for the January and February meetings
-In the first sentence under the Pastor’s report, Len should be spelled Lent.
Scott Johnson made a motion to accept last month’s minutes.
David Engle seconded it.
All approved.

Treasurer’s Report: Stephanie Seldomridge
Please see bulletin board in the Narthex for details on the treasurer’s report.

Jodi Hoffman made a motion to accept this month's treasurer's report.
Rachel Mock seconded it.
All approved.
Pastor’s report: Pastor Scott
We received a thank you from Lebanon County Christian Ministries for the Love offering we collected.
Reminded council about the Lebanon Conference Assembly and the Synod Assembly.
Discussed electronic giving as a way to contribute to the church. We want to give everyone the opportunity to give however they can, but recommendation is to keep things simple.
-2 possible vendors:
o 1 (not sure of the name) is recommended by ELCA.
o VANCO-Pastor Scott is familiar with this one.
Pastor Scott and Steph will look into this further.
Pastor Beth Hawk, a retired Pastor will be preaching on Sunday August 15, 2021 in Pastor Scott’s absence.
 
Youth: Nothing to report
Music & Worship Committee
Plan for Holy Week was discussed.
Palm/Passion Sunday
-we read the Passion. Per Pastor Scott, the book that the Passion comes from changes every year; it matches the Gospel. This year is Mark. Signup sheet for readers will be on the table in the narthex. There are 3 children on the list needed to read.
Easter Sunday
-Committee discussed having 1 service starting at 8:00 am with Holy Communion.
-Council discussed and agreed to have service at 9:00 am. It was suggested by Pastor Scott, to have the children in church until after the children’s sermon, when they will go with the students in the Confirmation class for some special activities. They will rejoin their families after the hymn that follows the sermon, and council is in agreement.

Christian Education
• Nothing to report.
 
Evangelism Committee
• Next meeting is scheduled for March 10, 2021.
Property Committee: Nancy Deiter
• Nancy asked about the status of the numerous dehumidifiers.
-reported that they are not run in the winter.
• Karl reports that ES, an emotional support group at ELCO would like to volunteer to help clean up the church once the weather breaks.
-Council is ok with Karl getting them involved.
• Dead trees-need to decide what is going to be done.
-Jodi spoke with her neighbor, Kevin Weis, who will take down all the trees for nothing if he can take the lumber.
-Frank is setting it up, trees need to be marked, and they will be removed
Old Business: Nancy Deiter
• Nancy requested clarification regarding the change to the constitution. Paster Scott clarified that all officers, but the treasurer, would serve in their position for 2 years.
-This will be done in 2022 at the next congregational meeting. A majority vote by the congregation would be needed to amend the constitution.
-Any amendments to the constitution require the congregation to be notified 30 days prior to the meeting.
New Business: Nancy Deiter
Restore and Renew Campaign
Ongoing discussion continues regarding the campaign.
1. -ideas on ways to keep the congregation informed as to the progress of the program.
 Including a chart in the monthly newsletter to keep everyone abreast of the progress.
2. -ways to make sure everyone is included in the campaign.
 Discussed a target mailing for the capital campaign for those that do not come to church/do not have email.
 Will include the option of electronic giving as well.
 Will try for the Sunday after Easter as the formal roll-out of the campaign.
 It was suggested that another way to obtain donations, would be encouraging donations ‘In Memory of’ loved ones.
3. Most important improvements at this time would be:
a. The sign at the bottom of the hill.
-bid was received from Brown’s Signs
-awaiting a bid from Horst’s Signs
b. Air conditioning to the multipurpose room.
4. Spoke with Max Bender regarding updating the Wi-Fi throughout the church.
 Out of his purview.
 Boosters would be needed throughout the building.
The meeting closed with The Lord’s Prayer.
The next meeting will be on April 11, 2021.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Buffington, Secretary