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SOTH Council Monthly Committee Report

Committee Name

Treasurer

Report Date

11-18-2019

Items Discussed

Expenses in the General Fund exceed income by more than $10,000 in October.

Mortgage Balance as of November 1 is $ 169,341.12.

Reserves for Building/Capital Fund as of November 1:
Building Fund – $16,803.72
Major Bldg Fund $11,263.36
Capital Fund – $21,212.00
TOTAL – $49,279.08

Appreciation in the Raymond Jones Fund (due mainly to stock market appreciation):
Scholarship Fund – $ 405.27
Investment Fund – $1463.44

Outreach Contributions in October
Disaster Relief – $2,120.00
FNC $ 20.00
Change for Change $ 393.50

Implementation

Church budget for 2020 was approved at the October council meeting.
New counters are being trained for weekly offering counting.
A new computer is being purchased for counters (old one unusable).
pdf icon SOTHFinancialsOct2019.pdf
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Council Meeting Minutes – Oct 2019

Shepherd of the Hills

Minutes from October 22, 2019

Amended November 20, 2019

Attendees

Diane Bursey, Chris Russell, Tina Crawn, Pastor Dennis Schmidt, Tom Klinger, Joe Montfort, Marian Larson, and Peg Massaro

Absent

Larry Holihan, Karissa Schorer, Mike Walls, and Connie Kersten

Time, Opening, Devotions, Minutes

Call to Order – 6:30p

Devotion- Tom Klinger

Minutes of Previous Meeting – No questions or concerns

Treasurer Report

Looked over September 2019 Treasurer’s report. No questions or comments.

Pastor Report

Member visits – 7, New Member visits – 0, Prospective Member visits- 5, Hospital Visitations – 3, Nursing Home/Hospice Visitations – 4, Private Communions – 3, Crisis Interventions – 0, Meetings – 5, Consultations – 4, Worship Services – 8, Classes taught – 1, Adult Bible Study – 0, Official Pastoral Acts – Pastor Conference 10/14-10/16

Committee Reports

Property Committee Report – Contractor contacted to finish the garage ceiling. All the Christmas trees have been sorted and moved to appropriate locations. Planning the first Congregational clean up day. Reaching out to janitorial supply company to discuss options with the property committee. 

Worship & Music – No report

Old Business

Mean to Clean- improvements have been made. 

Time & Talent Survey- we will gear up again since our northern members are back. 

Electronic sign- tabled. Personnel and Policy Mission update- tabled

Cross Cleaning Update- tabled

Stewardship Update- Joe M sent out an email the beginning of the month giving members an idea of the direction we are going.

Supply Pastor request- we will secure a hotel for the Pastor on 11/16/19

Update on remodel of copy closet/ storage closet- tabled

Most tabled items were because the appropriate council member was not present to discuss.

New Business

Move Congregational Meeting to November beginning in 2020 so we can go into the new year with the new budget and new council members. Discussion was made about the issue of our northern members not being back to Florida by then. Discussion was to poll our members to see exactly what this true number is.

Changing service times- it was recommended that we return to one service as we only have a select few people at 8 am. This would give all members the opportunity to fellowship and worship together. Discussion was made that there are several church members who would not attend as this would not work them time wise. We will review this again after speaking to these members.

Council retreat- recommended that next year’s council go on a retreat together that will be partially funded by the church. This would give all members the opportunity to work and grow together. Team building and spirituality.

Budget 2020- The budget was presented by Tina Crawn for the 2020 Fiscal Year. The Finance Committee had already met previously numerous times and came to make their recommendations to the council. Overall the budget only increased slightly monetary wise. The biggest change was switching the cell tower income back to a designated fund and not into the general fund. This means contributions will need to increase to account for this transfer. The council has the authority to switch the cell tower income back to the general fund if the expenses far exceed the income. The mission support line was changed from a flat amount to a percentage of donations that come in from giving. This amount will not be reflected by designated giving, only by general fund contributions. The finance committee made a recommendation to start with a 5% giving and see how the year progresses. Joe Montfort is very certain with increased stewardship, the giving will increase as well to cover these changes. There were two line items added to the Christian Formation section. There was money added for Stewardship and for Outreach. Property increased mainly because we moved the custodial cleaning from staff to property since we have an outside vendor performing these services. The property budget has an overall increase of around $13,000 but this is because of this move. We are actually paying less for contracted custodial services than we were with in house cleaning. The staff line therefore decreased significantly to account for this change as well. The 5 staff members we have all received a small salary increase which did not move those numbers drastically. Overall the budget for 2020 had an increase of $6700.00.The overall percentage increase is 2.5%. We believe all the changes made to the 2020 Spending Plan were made being good stewards. There were no drastic changes. Joe Montfort made a motion to approve the 2020 Budget (Spending Plan). Peg Massaro seconded the motion. The motion carried and the 2020 Spending plan was approved by the council members and will be voted on at the Annual Congregational Meeting in January for final approval.

Closing, Next Meeting

Adjournment at 7:56 pm
Closed with the Lord’s Prayer
Devotion for October is Karissa Schorer
Next council meeting on November 19th at 6:30

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SOTH Council Monthly Committee Report

Committee Name

Treasurer

Report Date

10-16-2019

Items Discussed

The Church Financials for September 2019 are attached. At the bottom of the report I have attached two charts: (1) The 2018-2019 electrical costs. As you can see the cost savings from a/c and LED replacements are starting to take effect; (2) The other chart displays the 2018-2019 general fund balances at the end of each month. Of note, is that a large contribution received in the April-May time period, allows us to keep our general fund in a positive position. Otherwise, our balance would be in a negative position.

Balances in other key funds as of September 30 are as follows:
Building Fund – $16,804
Major Building Repairs – $11,262
Capital Fund Drive – $20,614
TOTAL $48,686

Church Mortgage balance as of October 1, 2019 is $172,491.

The Finance Committee met on September 26 and October 10 to formulate a 2019 budget proposal. The proposal will be presented by Tina Crawn at the October council meeting with a proposed approval date at the November council meeting.

A new computer has been purchased for counters, as the old one is no longer working. Several individuals have volunteered to act as counters and are in the process of being trained. More volunteers are still needed.

Our Raymond James investment account is valued at $110,990 at the end of September compared to $97,697 at the beginning of this year.

pdf icon SOTH-Financials-0919.pdf
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SOTH Council Monthly Committee Report

Committee Name

Treasurer

Report Date

09-16-2019

Items Discussed

The financials for August 2019 are attached.

Church Mortgage balance as of August 1, 2019 was $174,630.05.

At the end of August monies available for A/C upgrades and/or Building reduction totaled:

Bldg Fund – $18,120
Major Bldg Repairs – $ 9,868
Capital Fund – $ 2,670
TOTAL $30,658

Income in the General Fund in August was not enough to cover August expenses. However, a surplus from earlier months covered this loss.

The Altar Fund is in a negative position for the first time this year. Money from the General Fund (Worship:Florist) was used to cover this loss.

Pam Brosonski conducted an audit of the finances this month. A report will be forthcoming. One major deficiency she noted involved improper procedures in counting weekly offerings: two people are required to count funds each week, funds must be counted on church premises, and signatures affirming the deposits need to be on deposit summaries.

Implementation

The deficiencies noted above were corrected as of September 8 2019.

A meeting to discuss the 2019 budget will be held on Thursday, September 26 at 6:30 pm at the church.. Larry Holihan, Tina Crawn, Pam Brosonski, Joe Montfort, and Marie Johnson are on the budget committee. The meeting is open to council members who may want to attend.

pdf icon sothfinancials0819.pdf
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Monthly Council Minutes -Aug 2019

Meeting Date

08-20-2019

Attendees

Diane Bursey, Chris Russell, Larry Holihan, Karissa Schorer, Tina Crawn, Pastor Dennis Schmidt, Tom Klinger, Mike Walls, Connie Kersten & Joe Montfort

Absent

Marian Larson, Peg Massaro

Time, Opening, Devotions, Minutes

Call to Order – 6:32p
Minutes of Previous Meeting – No questions or concerns

Treasurer Report

Financial Committee: Report Date 08-19-2019
Items Discussed: Pam Brosonski will audit the church financials in the next few weeks. The Capital Campaign to raise $150,000 started on August 1. The goal is to raise this amount by the end of 2020, eliminate the church mortgage, and pay for remaining air conditioner upgrades. As of this date about $13,000 has been designated toward this goal. Some of the money was raised prior to the August 1 start date. As of yet, we have not yet seen savings from the energy reduction projects (e.g. outdoor lighting, led lights, new a/c, etc.). Usage seems on a par with last year. It is difficult to ascertain if any additional usage is due to hotter weather this summer. We need to already start thinking of our budget for the 2020 year. Financials are on track and in the norm
Recommendations/Action: We need to come up with a plan to obtain more counters. Counting should be accomplished in a group of at least two members and counting conducted on the church site.

Pastor Report

Member visits – 7, New Member visits – 0, Prospective Member visits- 4, Hospital Visitations – 3, Nursing Home/Hospice Visitations – 5, Private Communions – 5, Crisis Interventions – 2, Meetings – 7, Consultations – 5, Worship Services – 4, Classes taught – 0, Adult Bible Study – 0, Official Pastoral Acts –

Committee Reports

Property Committee Report – Garage is making progress and should be completed soon. Put sealer on the garage floor. Looking into getting a new lawn service. Someone from the Property Committee will meet with new prospective people and go over the scope of work and ensure they have insurance. Mean to Clean review- cleaning well, however, issues keeping paper towels and toilet paper stocked. Chris will make contact to address concerns. Keys- we have records of who has keys and what keys they have. Men’s group needs a key to the kitchen, motion to give Chris and Joe a master key (excluding Pastor’s office, admin office) as Property Committee motioned by Tina, seconded by Karissa, motion carried. List of Vendors- in the office, need to include newest additions. Quotes to have chairs cleaned in the sanctuary; Chairs- 250-300 are $4 each. Motion to get the blue sanctuary chairs and the blue chairs in the classroom cleaned. Motion by Tina, seconded by Karissa, motion carried. Pressure wash big cross that faces 27, possibly do the front of the church. Nick Brosonski is setting up a proposal to trim the rest of the trees and for lawn maintenance.

Worship & Music – 5-6 members on an Outreach Program led by Pam Schuetz, beginning with “God’s Work. Our Hands.”, October 27th is Reformation Sunday one service at 9:30 am
November 3rd All Saints Sunday, November 30th Christmas decorating. Pam is planning a Veterans Sunday, Thanksgiving – Maybe go out into the public in future years, Advent- first service only is potluck. Christmas with the Angels again and Christmas Eve service 6pm and 8pm

Old Business

Interior Signage- all signs and brackets are here and will be hung soon
Door security- new doorbell with a camera. Electronic Signs permit- still waiting on Clermont Signs. Time and Talent Survey- approximately 30, holding until snowbirds return. Personnel Committee – Diane, Lou Johnston & Tina. Education Mission Team- to put together a Sunday School program; will look on the time and talents survey to see interest. Sunday School will be at 9:15am-10:00am. Pastor is trying to do an Adult Bible study during the week- mornings, afternoons, or evenings

New Business

Dumpster- put a large 20-yard dumpster once we determine what is to be done about the excess Christmas Trees. Supply Pastor request Nov.17th and Nov. 24th. Nov 17th we may have a guest speaker from Food for the Poor for free, however will need us to provide a hotel room. Nov 24th we will need to find someone to lead the service.
Russia Ensemble – Russian folk songs and Christmas music Concert in the Church in December. Requests $800 minimum donation, food, and a place to stay; Voted no by the council. November 17th is a “Stand Down” event for Vets. Move the change for change money to this during the months of October and November. Change for Change for December and January is Forward Pass. Documentation of organist interventions. Actively investigate getting a new organist – put in add on ELCA synod web news and our church email news. Contact organ instructors. Sanctuary Denomination- in the policy committee. Stewardship – we need to be proactive; Joe will take ownership of the Stewardship Committee. Council members take turns doing Temple Talks. Council should have a retreat to learn more about each other and learn how to work together better

Closing, Next Meeting

Adjournment at 8:27 pm
Closed with the Lord’s Prayer
Devotion for September is Pastor
Next council meeting on September 17th at 6:30
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Council Meeting Agenda

Shepherd of the Hills Council Agenda Meeting Date

2019-09-17

Devotions

Pastor Dennis

Minutes

Minutes of the previous meeting

Pastor’s Report

Pastor Dennis

Treasurer’s Report

Larry Holihan

Committee Reports

Worship & Music, Property Committee

Old Business

1. Update from Building Committee regarding the garage
2. Church signage update
3. Mean to Clean update – coming up on 90-day probation period
4. Electronic sign permit and drawings
5. Time and Talent Surveys update – possible Sunday School teacher?
6. Personnel and Policy Mission Team update
7. Education Mission Team update
8. Tree trimming bids & Lawn care bids
9. Cross Cleaning Update
10. Dumpster Update
11. Stewardship Update
12. Supply pastor request for Nov. 17th and 24th. Did we approve Food for the Poor for the 24th? (need housing)
13. Dire need for counters, new council members, treasurer. Need a nominating committee. Should be made up of outgoing council members.
14. Other

New Business

1. Need to move date of October mtg. to either 9th or 23rd.
2.
Remodeling of copy closet/storage closet project to provide a workroom and to provide a storage area for janitorial supplies/pantry by closing off Sacristy and putting door from copy room in Kitchen to access.
Items needed for completion
Sheetrock mud and tape – workroom and kitchen
Suspended ceiling channel to finish ceiling – workroom
Floor tile to finish floor – workroom
Lower cabinets from Ikea for workroom
L- shaped Countertop for cabinets in workroom
Expenses to come from building maintenance or possible leftover Thrivent funds?
3. Other

Adjournment

Adjournment/Closing Prayer Next Meeting Date-Tuesday, October 15, 2019 @ 6:30pm October Devotion – Tom Klinger
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SOTH Council Monthly Committee Report

Committee Name

Worship and Music

Report Date

07-25-2019

Attendees

Marie Johnson
Pam Brosonski
Rita Schmidt
Pam Schuetz
Larry Holihan
Joe Foryan
Pastor Dennis Schmidt

Chris Morse was absent as she was out of town

Items Discussed

Meeting convened at 6:30 pm

Possibility of conducting monthly/bimonthly pot luck lunches after worship was discussed. Only negative is maybe leaving out 8:00 worshipers, as they would have to return to church. This item was left open.

God’s Work Our Hands Sunday will be on September 8 with one service at 9:30 am. Then we will have lunch and go out in the community with service projects. Pam Schuetz is coordinator for this event. There are lots of suggested activities for each age group. Tee shirts will be ordered and sign ups will begin the last week in July.

On September 15, 2019 we will return to two Sunday services at 8:00 am and 10:15 am.

October 27 is Reformation Sunday. One service at 9:30 am will be followed by our annual Reformation celebration with brats and pot luck after the service.

November 3 will be celebration of All Saints Day with remembrances of those departed.

A special event honoring Veterans is planned for November.

Christmas decorating in the chancel will be on Saturday November 30 at 10:00 am.

Wednesday Advent services will be held beginning on December 4. A potluck will be held for the first service on December 4 only.

Breakfast With the Christmas Angels will be held on Saturday, December 7.

Christmas program with Lessons and Carols will be held on Sunday December 15.

Christmas Eve Services will be held at 6:00 and 8:00 pm. It was recommended that we add luminaries to the entranceway and driveway for this celebration.

There will be no service on Christmas Day.

Recommendations/Action

Church sponsor Thanksgiving dinner at the church for members. Each member would bring dishes. Needs to have an organizer for this event. it is recommended that the church begin offering Thanksgiving dinner (not necessarily on Thanksgiving Day) to those in need starting in 2020.

Implementation

Pam Schuetz was given an invitation to join the committee.
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SOTH Council Monthly Committee Report

Committee Name

Treasurer

Report Date

08-19-2019

Items Discussed

Pam Brosonski will audit the church financials in the next few weeks.

The Capital Campaign to raise $150000 started on August 1. The goal is to raise this amount by the end of 2020, eliminate the church mortgage, and pay for remaining air conditioner upgrades.

As of this date about $13,000 has been designated toward this goal. Some of the money was raised prior to the August 1 start date.

As of yet, we have not yet seen savings from the energy reduction projects (e.g. outdoor lighting, led lights, new a/c, etc.). Usage seems on a par with last year. It is difficult to ascertain if any additional usage is due to hotter weather this summer.

Recommendations/Action

We need to come up with a plan to obtain more counters. Counting should be accomplished in a group of at least two members and counting conducted on the church site.