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Meeting Minutes &
Important Dates
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Every Wednesday morning
8-10 AM coffee and fellowship
Bible Study following
worship on Sunday.
Trustees
Minutes
February 11, 2010
Present:
Dick Severance (Chair),
Bill Hamilton (Co-chair), Sindy Fillion, Allen Jones, Elinor Havness,
and Jill Gentilin
Opening:
Allen opened the meeting
with prayer.
Mic.
Mixer: The Mic. Mixer has been installed. This device will amplify all sounds
through the organ and improve our sound system.
Review
of 2010 Budget: We
reviewed projected figures for the 2010 budget. Depending on how money
is allocated we could fall short this year by $12,054 if all money was
expended as budgeted. This
short fall does not include any capital spending projects. Last year we
were helped by an anonymous donor but we don’t know if those donations
will continue. Our Building Fund is down to $20,961. Our Reserve Fund is
$67,110 and the 1790 Mission Fund has $18,917.
Stair
Chair: Bill is getting bids for a stair chair. He also wants to look into the
cost of a small elevator instead of the stair chair. This might make
more sense as a person could get to the Activity Center in their own
wheelchair as opposed to transferring to the stair chair and then having
a wheel chair carried down stairs.
Chair:
Dick said he no longer
wanted to be chair of the Trustees. We reluctantly accepted his
resignation. Jill moved to elect Alan as chair and this was passed
unanimously.
Miscellaneous:
There was a short discussion about the fact that we have had no
weddings in the church for two years. We wondered if the economy had
affected this.
We talked about
our responsibility to raise money. Jill offered to look into selling
commemorative plates during the Dover Bicentennial celebrations. Elinor
said she would investigate doing another Mystery Dinner Theatre. This
would be done in the church to increase the revenue.
Sindy offered to
bring her Nintendo Wii system to be used by a youth group. We voted to
spend up to $200 for a locking cabinet to store this.
Richard would
like to get the congregation discussing program ideas to bring different
populations into the church and increase our outreach.
The
meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM with a prayer by Sindy.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
These minutes
have not been approved.
CHURCH
COUNCIL MINUTES
February 17, 2919
Present:
Louise Severance (LKG),
Laurel Cashman (Treas.), Leni Brown (Deacon), Allen Jones (Trustee),
Chuck Gentilin (Mod.), Richard Severance (Trustee), Brenda Adcock
(Interim Minister) and Jill Gentilin (Clerk).
Opening:
Louise Severance opened
the meeting with a prayer at 5 PM. The minutes were read and approved
without change.
Treasurer:
Laurel reported that she has received deposits for two more ski groups
in March. The quarterly insurance has been paid. Our expenses were
somewhat higher because the TV which had been budgeted for December was
not paid for until January. She had about $7000 in the checking account.
Deacons:
Leni said they had
welcomed the two new Deacons to their meeting: Jeremy Schrauf and Andy
McLean. The wedding policy
has been added to the updated website for our church. They are going to
purchase an all season flag to be hung outside the church when it is
open for services. A Lenten Discussion Series on Spirituality will be
held on Wednesday nights at 5PM starting on February 24. This will be
concluded with a Tenebrae Service
at 7PM on April 1. They want to invite the Newfane and Dummerston
churches here to discuss the things they have done to encourage
attendance.
LKG:
There was no meeting this
month. Louise has been in touch with the people who schedule the Welcome
Center and we should know the date they will offer us soon. Mindy and
Andy Childs will be doing the Memorial Day sale.
Trustees:
We welcomed Allan as the new chair of the Trustees. He said the
Trustees were focusing on fund raising ideas. They are concerned about
the diminishing plate and envelope collections. Richard has accepted the
position of Assistant Treasurer and will oversee the investment of
funds. He is hoping Nelson will help with this when Richard is absent in the summer.
Bill Hamilton is investigating the cost of the stair chair and
the possibility of an elevator in the south corner of the sanctuary. The
elevator will take up less room than a stair chair but may be too
expensive.
Pastor:
Brenda is planning a
dedication service in March for church officers. She requested that we
sign a new contract with her that included a severance package. This was
taken under advisement.
Miscellaneous:
The minutes from
the Annual Meeting were handed to everyone at the meeting.
Outreach:
Richard would like to oversee an effort to bring the congregation
together to discuss outreach. Both reaching out to the community and
welcoming people into the church would be part of these discussions. He
will solicit ideas and then get people to work on the best ideas. It is
important for this to be a congregational effort and not just individual
efforts. This is important for the survivability of the church. We all
supported this effort.
The meeting was
closed at 6:30 PM with a prayer by Chuck.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
These minutes
have not been approved.
LKG
Minutes
January 5, 2010
Present:
Louise Severance (Vice
Chair), Jill Gentilin (Secretary), and Elinor Havness (Treasurer)
Opening:
Jill opened the meeting
with a prayer. We did a check in. Louise read from “I Love the
Hills”. Elinor reported that we have $2271.6 in the treasury. In
addition to the contributions approved at the Christmas Party we gave
Anna Cashman $100 toward her trip to China.
Bell
Choir: When Laurie Newton thanked the Townsend Church for lending the bells
to us for the children to use, Jill said it made her think that we
should support the Bell Choir in some way. She talked to Laurie who said
she would think about what they may need. Louise also thought we ought
to send Easter lilies to the church as a thank you.
Thank
you: We have received thank you notes from everyone except Rescue.
Mission
Work: We tossed around ideas about how to advertise the mission work done in
the church. We thought it might be nice to have a worship service where
each person got up and described the different missions the congregation
was involved in. We might do this on a Sunday when the minister was one
vacation. Louise also wished that we could have pictures of the progress
the Habitat for Humanity made on the next house and post them around the
basement.
May
Sale: Louise
will get in touch with Mindy to see if she still wants to do the May
Sale. If she doesn’t we might hold a flea market instead and rent
tables to craft persons. Elinor’s daughter in law is very much
involved in craft shows and could help us organize this. We would sell
baked goods, maybe some odd items such as excess Christmas decorations
and soup.
Elinor
closed the meeting with prayer.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
Deacons’
Notes
January 6, 2010
Present:
Harriette Hamilton (Vice Chair), Brenda Adcock (Interim Minister), Mikie
Schwarz, Louise Severance, and Jill Gentilin
Assignments:
January 10
Harriette
January 31 Louise
January 17 Leni
February 7 Harriette
January 24 Mikie
February 14 Louise
Flyer:
Jill asked for dates for
the Lenten Season so she could put a calendar in the Flyers and put them
out in the Inns again.
Bell
Choir: We would like to support the Bell Choir in someway. The children have
to supply their own music. This might also be a good use for the money
in the Change Box. The
Townsend Church loans us the bells. The LKG is willing to contribute
some money and the Deacons could use some of their unused music budget.
Jill will e-mail Laurie Newton to see what she would like us to do.
Louise suggested that we sent the Townsend Church an Easter lily with a
thank-you note.
Wedding:
We have a request for a
wedding on Oct. 10. Brenda will get in touch with the people and
coordinate the arrangements.
Nominations:
Jill has recruited Andy McLean and Jeremy Schrauf for the Deacons.
Leni and Mikie have agreed to stay on for another year. Jill will be
moving to the Trustees to facilitate the writing of minutes.
Banner:
Brenda brought in some
suggestions for a banner for the season of Pentecost. We chose one. She
also made up stars with one word ideas about what our church means to
us. We will put them up around the walls.
Louise
asked Jill to bring the idea of a new ladder to the Trustees.
The
meeting was opened and closed in prayer by Brenda.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
CHURCH
COUNCIL MINUTES
December 16, 2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock,
(Interim Pastor) Louise Severance (LKG), Richard Severance (Chair
Trustee), Chuck Gentilin (Mod.), Bill Hamilton (Co-chair Trustee),
Harriette Hamilton (Deacon), Nell Domina, and Jill Gentilin (Clerk)
Opening:
The meeting was called to
order at 10 AM. Harriette led us in prayer. The minutes were approved
without correction
Treasurer:
Laurel reported by e-mail. We have $5733 in the checking account and
$9342. These figures may be misleading since some of the money is slated
to pay the organist, utilities, and remaining balance on the bathroom.
Significant is the fact that we have paid out $12394 and collected
$6,283 in December. Part of the payout was the second of three
installments on the bathroom.
Deacons:
Jill reported that we have
purchased a Praise Banner for the church. The Deacons have discussed
ways to bring more people into the church. Some ideas were to have guest
speakers and encourage the young mothers that have been attending to
come up with some ideas about ways they might use the church to meet
together.
LKG:
Louise reported that the
Christmas Party was a great success. The LKG cut back on their
charitable donations from $75 to $50 because we are behind $300 in fund
raising and we want to be sure that we can meet our obligations to the
church each year. We will be meeting in January to look at this.
Trustees: Dick
handed out a Fund Raising Committee Report. There are 9 projects under
consideration for the upcoming year including: replace sign in front of
church, generator, painting the steeple, the exterior of the church,
some interior painting, handicapped chair,
Excavate/backfill
north side of the church, and furnish the activity center. The total
cost is $65631. They hope to raise money by soliciting businesses,
grants, and contacting the town to see if they would share the cost of
the generator so that we could become an emergency shelter. The Trustees
will be contacting the Red Cross to see if they could supply staffing,
blankets, etc for this purpose. The Church Council gave approval to
meeting with the town.
Pastor’s
Report: Brenda is in flux
about her living arrangements and she will let us know when she has more
definite information on this.
The Wilmington
Church has asked that we have our combined service on January 17, the
date of the Annual Meeting and that the time of the service be change to
10 AM. We agreed to do this.
The Christmas
Eve offering will be used to help our own expenses.
Nominating
Committee: Jill reported
that she is waiting for the persons that she has contacted to get back
to her.
Miscellaneous:
After worship on Jan 17, 2010 the Annual Meeting will be held followed
by a pot luck luncheon. LKG will provide the ham.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
LKG
Christmas Party 2009
Present:
Louise (Vice Pres.),
Elinor (Treas.), Jill (Sec.), Cookie, Nell, Joan, Sindy, Julia, Lisa,
Marge, Anna, Laurel, Harriette, Kathy, Brenda, Mikie, Chris, Jill
Treasurer
Report: Elinor reported
that we have $2781.6 in the checking account. This is $300 less than
last year. We decided to give $50 to: The Assoc. for the Blind, Families
First, Brattleboro Aids Project, Upper Valley Hostel, Brattleboro
Hospice, The Women’s Crises Center, Deacons’ Discretionary Fund, DVR, and
the Dover Elementary School. Since the wreaths were purchased from
Habitat for Humanity we decided not to give them another donation.
Brenda said that Mary Jane had covered all of the families. Jill said
she knew of a family where the father and mother had both been laid off
from 7-11 in Brattleboro and they could use a Shows’ gift certificate.
We voted to give them one.
Everyone
had a wonderful time.
Jill
Gentilin
Deacons’
Notes December 2, 2009
Present:
Leni Brown (Chair), Rev.
Brenda Adcock (Interim Minister), Louise Severance, Harriette Hamilton,
and Jill Gentilin
Assignments;
Dec 13 Harriette
Jan 3 Louise
Dec 20 Jill
Jan 10 Harriette
Dec 27 Louise
Annual
Meeting: The Annual Meeting will be held on Jan 17. It will be pot luck with
the LKG providing a ham. The Pre-annual meeting will be Jan 10 to
discuss the budget. The Deacons will ask the Moderator to put Missions
on as an agenda item.
Christmas
Party: This will be held
on December 8 at Louise Severance’s home. Brenda will contact Mary
Jane for a Christmas family.
Christmas
Eve: There should be sufficient officers to manage the Christmas Eve
service. Persons serving as ushers should know where the fire
extinguishers are and what we have for emergency lighting. Candles will
be given to people over the age of 10. Brenda will light a candle from
the Christ Candle and then light a candle for each of two ushers who
will then light the first candle in each pew.
Christmas
Offering: Marcia has asked
that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Veterans of the Cross.
They had helped Marcia with Jack’s medication. We will make that
announcement at the beginning of the service on Sunday.
Organist:
We decided to give Alan a $50 gifts for playing the organ.
Respectfully
noted
Jill
Gentilin
CHURCH
COUNCIL MINUTES November 18, 2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock,
(Interim Pastor) Louise Severance (LKG), Richard Severance (Chair
Trustee) Laurel Cashman (Treas.), Chuck Gentilin (Mod.), Bill Hamilton
(Co-chairTrustee), Leni Brown (Chair Deacon), Harriette Hamilton
(Deacon), and Jill Gentilin (Clerk)
Opening:
The meeting was called to
order at 5 PM. Brenda led us in prayer. The minutes were approved
without correction
Treasurer:
One more ski group has sent in a deposit. The Trustees are working on
the budgets. Laurel also
reported from the Search Committee. One candidate pulled out. A member
from the Wilmington Church has been ill and one member from our church
is away. The next meeting will probably be in December.
LKG:
Louise reported that the
LKG has $300 less in their treasury than last year. That may make a
difference in the amount that we will be able to give to local
charities. These decisions will either be made at the Christmas party or
in the January meeting. The Christmas party will be held at Louise’s
house at 6 PM on December 8th at 6 PM. The Christmas wreaths
will be purchased from Habitat for Humanity. Charlotte and Nelson will
buy three for the outside of the church and Elinor will buy three for
the inside of the church.
Deacons:
At
Brenda’s suggestion we started a “Change Jar” to collect spare
change from the congregation. We will be looking for suggestions as to
how to use this money. We
will have an Advent Wreath and Advent Candles. The candles will be lit
by members of the congregation along with the children. The tree will be
decorated on Dec 13.
We reviewed the
membership list.
We will be using
non-leavened crackers for communion. These are probably closer to the
bread that Jesus used in the Last Supper.
We will be
purchasing a Praise Banner for the Advent Season.
Trustees:
The Trustees will be meeting to do the 2010 budget. Dick was concerned
that we may be looking at a shortfall between operating expenses and
expected plate and envelope collection.
The congregation will be asked to make some decisions about how
much money to reserve for a “rainy day” fund.
Pastor:
Brenda will be working
with the children to include them in parts of the service.
The children’s Christmas Pageant will be held on Dec. 20 (This
date may have been reported in error in the Deacons’ Notes). She
has moved into an apartment at 13 Beaver Street for the winter.
Miscellaneous:
The officers available for the Christmas Even service are Harriette
and Bill Hamilton, Louise
and Dick Severance, and Sindy Fillion. The Trustees will make sure we
have flashlights available in case of electrical failure.
Annual
Meeting: The Annual Meeting will be held on January 17. Harriette
will contact the Wilmington
church to see if they can
have someone else preach so that Brenda can be here after the
service. The LKG will provide a ham and we will have a pot luck
luncheon.
The
meeting was closed in prayer by Harriette.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
Deacons’
Notes November 4, 2009
Present:
Leni Brown (Chair), Rev.
Brenda Adcock (Interim Pastor), Louise Severance, and Jill Gentilin
Opening:
Brenda opened the meeting
with prayer.
11/8
Leni 11/15
Harriette
11/22 Louise
11/29 Leni
Dec 6 Jill
(doing Communion)
Advent:
Brenda suggested we have a
Change Jar in which the
congregation would put their change on Sunday. The monies collected
would be used for local outreach/mission.
Suggestions of
possible use: scholarship to the UCC children’s camp, Dover
School/student, ask the congregation for suggestions.
We will
have the Advent Wreath. Brenda will chose people to do the reading and
lighting. If possible children will be asked to help with the service.
The tree will be decorated on the 13th of Dec.
Brenda
suggested that a “Tell Me Why?” question be part of the service.
This could be used to educate the congregation on why certain parts of
the worship are done. One example is the singing of the Doxology.
Brenda
will talk to Sindy about doing the Christmas pageant. A date of Dec 12
seemed most logical.
We
reviewed the membership list.
Worship;
Brenda discussed different
ways of incorporating children into the service as most of them are
getting older and are now able to do this.
Communion:
We talked about the near disaster this Sunday when there was a
miscommunication about who was to bring the bread so we substituted
crackers. We liked the idea of using non-leavened crackers instead of
bread. We will buy and use Matzos which are probably the form of bread
that Jesus used when he instituted the first Communion.
Paul:
Louise asked if we might
think about doing the Paul study that was cancelled. No decision was
made.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES October 21, 2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock
(Interim Minister), Charlotte Bond (LKG), Richard Severance (Trustee),
Louise Severance (Deacon), Chuck Gentilin (Mod.), and Jill Gentilin
(Clerk).
Opening:
Brenda opened the meeting
with a prayer at 10 AM. The minutes were read and approved
Treasurer’s
Report: We have
received $40 K in the plate and envelope collection this year. We
budgeted $55K for the entire year and have only 21/2 months left.
We’ve received deposits for four groups who wish to use the Activity
Center. This leaves us short in this line item $300.
Potentially there may be other groups who will reserve before the
end of the year.
The Trustees
have spent 60% of their budget but this does not include the bathroom.
The line items
for the Pastor and Deacons are under budgeted projections.
Budgets for 2010
are due by the next Council Meeting. The Search Committee which does not
have a budget is anticipating some expenses for travel if a prospective
minister is interviewed.
Deacons’
Report:
No report.
LKG:
The
LKG made $700 at the Apple Pie Sale on Columbus Day Weekend.
Trustees’
Report:
There was a
discussion of emergency lighting i.e. flashlights etc. for the Christmas
Eve service. Last year the weather was bad and the lights dimmed several
times. We should also be sure that church officers that are present know
the location and how to use the fire extinguishers.
Dick requested
$2000 for additional furnishing for the Activity Center. The Council
decided to postpone that request until after the Congregational meeting
to see how this fits in with our purpose/mission. This meeting is set
for Nov 1 after service. There will be a work period from 10:15-11:45,
followed by a brown bag lunch 11:45-12:30 PM with discussion on
Maintenance/Mission Church. Dessert and coffee will be provided.
Nominating
Committee:
We are waiting
for Jeremy to draw up the lists of open positions for 2010. We will also
ask the congregation to suspend the by-laws on the term limits of
officers who are willing to stay on another year.
Shower/Bathroom:
The contracts are signed
and work is slated to begin.
Fraud
Seminar:
Louise asked that we co-sponsor, with the Dover Free Library, the lecture being given by Jeremy
Schrauf. We agreed to do
this.
Round-Up
Program:
Laurel made a
motion to participate in this program offered by GMP. We will round up
the amount of this bill to the next dollar and this money will go to
help people who cannot afford electricity. The motion passed unanimously
We adjourned
with a prayer at 11:20 AM
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
These minutes
have not been approved
DEACON’S NOTES October 15, 2009
Present: Leni Brown (Chair), Rev.
Brenda Adcock (Interim Minister), Harriette Hamilton, Mikie Schwarz,
Louise Severance, and Jill Gentilin
Brenda
opened the meeting with prayer.
Assignments:
Oct. 18
Harriette
Nov
8 Leni
Oct 25 Jill
Nov 15 Harriette
Nov. 1 Louise
(with other Deacons doing communion)
Harriette
will be away from Nov. 4-11. Jill will be away Nov. 19-23. Leni will be
away the month of December.
Jill
inquired about finding an organist and hoped to start advertising. Leni
will talk with Alan Dann first to see if he will commit to playing at
our church before looking for anyone else. The Deacons’ agreed to use
part of their music budget to pay Brenda $50 extra on the Sundays when
she acts as Minister of Music and as Pastor.
There will
be several church officers away for Christmas. Harriette, Mikie, and
Louise will be here. We will also ask Jeremy, Sindy and Bill to see if
they can help with Christmas Eve service.
Brenda
gave us an insert that will be in the bulletin that will outline the
discussion on being a “Maintenance or Missionary Church.” Jill also
wanted to include a handout about the missions we currently give to and
ask the congregation to study it. It is important to know whether we all
support these five extra offerings. There was some discussion about the
amount of time we could devote to this. Jill said she would limit any
discussion and tell people that we could make some decisions on this in
the January meeting.
We had
some discussion of the future of the church. All of us are concerned
about how much longer we will have a church with the aging population.
We floated some ideas of how the church could be used by the community
for guest speakers. We hoped that might be a way to get the community
more involved with the church.
We
adjourned with prayer at 8:30 PM
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
Interim
Notes:
The
calling of a Pastor,,, What is it, really?
First,
I’ve often referred to the calling of a Pastor as being like marrying
someone you’ve gone out with once.
It’s true… on both sides! Think about it.
You read a person’s Profile.
You have a couple of conversations with them.
They come and talk to you for about twenty minutes (the sermon).
You get to ask a few more questions.
You decide to marry them and they accept.
It’s a little like “speed-dating” church-style :-).
So,
why does this work? You’d never really marry someone under those
circumstances. It works
because of one thing, the presence of the Spirit of God… on both
sides!
When
a church “calls” a Pastor, they do just that.
We use the phrase, to “call a Pastor” because it carries with
it the biblical understanding that this is the person you believe God
has sent to you, to lead you. You
are not hiring an employee; you’re calling a Pastor.
Even though you pay this person a salary, this person is not your
employee. This biblical
perspective must be present or the relationship will never work.
This person is, literally, called by God to come and lead you.
You are the “flock” to which God has assigned this person to
be Shepherd. That’s a big
deal! That’s serious stuff! In this life, the calling of a Pastor to
lead you is about as serious as it gets.
Another
thing to be aware of when you call a Pastor is that the Pastor is leader
of ALL aspects of the congregation’s life.
There is no such thing as just being the leader of the
“spiritual part” of the church.
ALL aspects of church life are under the Spiritual realm, and
therefore, under the leadership of the Pastor.
Whether you are raising money for a new roof, or talking about
the worship service, it’s all Spiritual.
If you’re having a car wash to raise money for the youth,
it’s part of the mission of the church.
It’s Spiritual. If
you’re having a spaghetti supper to raise money for the siding on the
building, it’s part of the mission of the church.
It’s Spiritual. Nothing
in church life is outside the realm of the Spiritual.
Therefore, nothing is outside the leadership of the Pastor.
Calling
a Pastor. It’s serious
stuff! But when the Spirit of God is leading the way and you are
following…. it works!
Peace,
Brenda
Interim
Minister
CHURCH
COUNCIL MINUTES September 16, 2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock (Interim
Minister), Charlotte Bond (LKG), Bill Hamilton (Trustee), Chuck Gentilin
(Mod.), and Jill Gentilin (Clerk).
Opening:
Jill opened the meeting with a
prayer at 5 PM. The minutes were read and approved with one correction.
The amount of the bid quote was over by $1700 not $2500.
Treasurer’s Report: August was a better month for plate and envelope collection. Everyone needs to
start working on their budgets
Search Committee: We met yesterday morning and eliminated another one of the candidates. We
currently are going thru 4 profiles
and are at various stages with those.
Bill expressed the hope that the Search Committee would not feel pressured but take their time.
Deacons’ Report: Jill reported that the Deacons were planning to do a little skit to advertise the
stamp ministry next Sunday.
They had sent out
several “Thinking of You” cards to members who were ill or had not
been to worship for a while.
Jill had received a
quote of $90.00 to print the church pamphlet. We will get them printed
and make calendars of upcoming events in the church to place inside
them.
The series on Paul
called “The Eclipsing Empire” will start Oct 16 at 6PM. Soup will be
provided.
LKG
Report: Charlotte said they
had a very successful day at the Welcome Center and earned $1300. The
Apple Pie Sale is scheduled for Oct. 10.
Trustees’
Report: Bill said that the
contract to build a bath/shower room downstairs had been approved and
was waiting for the signature of the Moderator. Chuck said he wanted to
tighten up the contract with Jeff Filion before signing it and turning
over the down payment.
Bill also reported
that the van had been turned over to Randy shortly before his father
died. Randy now plans to sell the van and donate the proceeds to the
church.
Pastor’s
Report: Brenda’s plan for
housing during the winter has not worked out and she is currently
looking for a place. If she goes with her former landlord she will have
to sign a 5month contract which means she will be available to be
Interim Minister through the first part of next year.
Congregational
Meeting: Jill said it was time
to plan another Blue Jean Sunday/Congregational Meeting. We had planned
at the last meeting to examine the church’s purpose. The date was set
for Oct 11. Bill will talk to the Trustees about planning for projects
for this meeting.
We adjourned at 5:30
PM with a prayer from Brenda.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin,
Secretary
*Trustees have
requested a change in the date for the Congregational Meeting so it is
not yet set.
LKG
MINUTES August 4, 2009
Present:
Charlotte Bond, (Pres.),
Jill Gentilin, (Secretary), Leni Brown, and Sandy Barber
Opening:
Charlotte opened with a
reading from “Summer’s Umbrella”. We did a check in with each
other. Elinor had reported to Charlotte that we have $1835 in the
treasury. We have given the church a $1000 payment on our $2000 pledge.
Welcome
Center: Charlotte reviewed the things we need to do to host the Welcome Center
on September 4. It is important that people who baked items label them
for common allergenic ingredients such as peanuts,
peanut oil, wheat, or soy. Brenda will be asked to put this request in
the Sunday bulletin. We will make lemonade and have water. Charlotte
will get apples, lunch meat, cheese for sandwiches, bread etc. Duttons’
or Blue Mountain will be contacted for apples. Shaws’, Price Chopper,
Grafton Cheese, Green Mountain Coffee and Hannafords’ have been
contacted for donations. We will try and get Tony from Tony’s Pizza to
make muffins again. People are requested to sign up for shifts to staff the
center. Charlotte and Jill will be there most of the day.
The congregation
is urged to
Bake,
bake, bake this month.
October
Pie Sale: This will be
held on October 10. We will bake pies at the church on the 7th
and 8th. Pie dough makers (bring your ingredients for pie
dough with you) and people who like to peel apples are urgently needed.
We will supply the ingredients to flavor the pies.
Other:
A request was received
recruiting “Spiritual Grandmothers”. Information on this will be
posted in the Narthex. Sally Mundell would like us to organize a trip to
Kurn Hattin. We will try to remember to contact Mt. Snow Country Club
next year for our Annual Luncheon.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
Deacons’
Notes August 5, 2009
Present:
Leni Brown (Chairman),
Rev. Brenda Adcock (Interim Minister), Jill Gentilin, Harriette Hamilton
and Nelson Bond
Sundays
Aug 9
Leni
Aug 30 Mikie or Harriette
Aug 16 Harriette
or Mikie Sept
6 Harriette
Aug
23 Jill
Stamp
Ministry: Brenda opened the meeting with a prayer. Nelson brought details of a
stamp ministry. This ministry helps to provide Christian Education
materials for Latin American Children. The congregation collects the
stamps and brings them to church following the guidelines. The Deacons
will sort the stamps and give them to Nelson who will take care of
getting the stamps to the appropriate agency. They are then sold to
dealers and the money is spent on the Christian Education materials. The
Deacons were enthusiastic about supporting this.
Bible
Education: We will start
an education series starting in September. The first
is a CD called “Calling Jesus Lord in the 21st
Century” on September 13 at 6PM. This will be followed by
“Fundamentals in a Time of Change and Conflict” on September 20. We
will provide soup and coffee or tea. Bring a sandwich.
Then on October
we will start a six week series on Paul.
The Wilmington
Church will be invited to join us.
Worship
Music: Allen Dan has been asked to play the organ at as many Sundays as he
is able. We will use CDs for other worship services. Hopefully the
congregation will bear with us as we learn to do this and/or are able to
obtain the services of a more permanent organist. We will advertise
through the UCC web site.
Cards:
We want to be more
consistent about sending out “Thinking of You” cards to members who
are sick or absent from service for a period of time. We plan to be more
intentional about this.
Respectfully
written
Jill Gentilin
CHURCH
COUNCIL MINUTES July 16, 2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock, (Interim
Pastor) Charlotte Bond (LKG), Laurel Cashman (Treas.), Chuck Gentilin
(Mod.), Bill Hamilton (Trustee), and Jill Gentilin (Clerk)
Opening:
The meeting was called
to order at 5 PM. Brenda led us in prayer. The minutes were approved
without correction. It was noted
that we received a certificate of thanks from the Heifer Foundation due
to the work that Kenny Cashman had done in raising $324.
Treasurer’s
Report: We have sent $250/mo
to OCWM, $50/mo to the Food Pantry and $171 in other mission monies. We
continue to be behind plate and envelope collections at about the same
rate as the previous year. We raised $500 less than expected on the
renting of the Activity Center. One group more would change that. We are
trending in the positive by $540 in heat.
Deacon’s
Report: Jill said that the
proposal to use $500 of unspent Deacon’s monies toward the purchase of
a TV with the congregation raising the rest of the money has not gone
anywhere. We have stopped
advertising in the Deerfield Valley News. Randy is going to be taking
pictures of the congregation to post in the Narthex over the next
several Sundays.
LKG:
The annual birthday luncheon
was great. Ten people were able to come, more had planned to be there
but doctor and other appointments kept them from attending. We will meet
in August to finalize plans for our day at the Welcome Center on I-91
the Friday before Labor Day. We need everyone to bake, bake, bake.
Trustees’
Report: Bill referred to the
minutes from the Trustees that had been e-mailed. The Van will be sold
back to the MOOver. The bids for the bathroom are not ready yet.
Pastor’s
Report: Brenda thought it
would be a good idea to have a brunch where we could update our Mission
Statement. One way would be to collect single words from the
congregation that expressed a positive aspect of the church and then put
these words together to form the statement. We would do this before the
next Congregational Meeting which is to be focused on mission. Brenda
says she will stay until we find a new minister.
Search
Committee: It was reported
that several ministers have expressed interest and Pam Lucas would help
the committee go over any resumes that were sent.
Other:
Chuck forgot to order the
mixer for the organ but would do so ASAP. He will also replace the
outside floodlight.
Everyone
expressed gratitude to Brenda for her generous offer to stay.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
LKG Minutes June
9, 2009
Present:
Charlotte Bond (Pres.), Elinor Havness (Treasurer), Jill Gentilin
(Sec.) Mikie Schwarz, and Joan Judd
Opening:
Charlotte opened the meeting with a reading from “A Beacon of
Love.” We did a check in with each other. The minutes were read and
approved with one correction. The location of the Welcome Center is
Guilford, not Dummerston. Elinor reported that we have $2835 in the
treasury. Part of our yearly donation to the church is due and Elinor
suggested that we give $1000 at this time and another $1000 in the fall
because our biggest money maker is no longer the Memorial Day Sale. We
agreed with this plan. She told us we had made $919 at that sale.
Prayer
Shawl: Elinor suggested the idea of making prayer shawls to give out
as gifts. She has received information from her sister about making
these to be given as an outreach effort and/or appreciation gift. We
agreed this would be a good idea. Jill said she had heard about the
Prayer Shawls and thought she could find a pattern on Google. We thought
it would be nice to have several different patterns.
Welcome
Center: We have the Friday before Labor Day this year to staff the
Welcome Center on I-91 in Guilford. Elinor suggested we hand out a
brochure about the church. Laurel Cashman is interested in working on
this. We have one that was given to the inns before Advent. Charlotte
will ask Brenda to print one out and give it to Laurel as a start.
July
Birthday Lunch: We decided to do this again at Haystack. On Tuesday,
July 14.
Out next meeting will be on the first Tuesday in
August at 7PM.
Respectfully submitted
Jill Gentilin
These minutes have not been approved.
CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES June
17, 2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock, (Interim Pastor) Charlotte Bond (LKG), Laurel
Cashman (Treas.), Chuck Gentilin (Mod.), Kenny Cashman and Jill Gentilin
(Clerk).
Opening:
Brenda opened the meeting with a prayer at 5:05 PM. The minutes of
the May 6 Special Meeting and the May 17 Spring Congregational Meeting
were approved with out change.
Treasurer’s
Report: Laurel reported that we are somewhat behind in plate and
envelope collections. If we continue at this rate we may be behind $5000
to $6000 by the end of the budget year. The LKG has given half of their
$2000 annual contribution.
Deacon’s
Report: Jill reported in Leni’s absence. The Deacons’ will
discontinue advertising in the Deerfield Valley News after July 4th
weekend. The ads do not seem to have produced the desired results and
they are over budget.
We discussed a possible grant from the
Compassionate Outreach line of our budget to help pay for the TV for the
Activity Room. This would only be done if someone organized an activity
that would match the grant. This would show willingness to work for this
and cut down on costs if the Council approved the cost of the TV. Since
it would probably cost more than $500 which is the amount the Trustees
can spend without Council approval. There was some discussion of size
and whether or not this should be on a stand or wall mounted TV. Since
the no representative from the Trustees no decision was reached.
We will be collecting the Church World Service
Offering this Sunday and next.
A policy to pay the organist his/her usual fee has
been written to approve paying the organist for any Sunday in which the
church is closed for weather or for a combined service. No sick or
vacation pay would be approved.
We plan with Brenda’s help to retake and post
member pictures on bulletin board in the Narthex.
LKG: Charlotte
said the Birthday Luncheon will be held July 14. She will be talking
with Haystack to get a price that includes soft drinks, tax, and
gratuity. Elinor is working on a Prayer Shaw. Jill has a pattern if
anyone else would like to make one.
We will be hosting the Welcome Center on 1-91 the
Friday before Labor Day.
Trustees’
Report: No Trustee present.
Pastor:
Brenda gave us an update on the Trustees Meeting. They are hoping
the van will be sold for $1000. They are looking for three bids for the
bathroom.
Brenda will be on vacation from June 22 through
July 6. Jeremy will be
doing the sermon and Wilmington will come to Dover for worship.
Organ
Update: Chuck got approval to spend $350 on an Eight Channel Mixer
for the organ to improve the acoustics.
Search
Committee: Wilmington has completed their church profile and this
has been mailed to Pam Lucas. The combined Search Committees plan to
meet with her in July.
Other:
Laurel has made up church address labels to be placed inside the
Upper Room Booklets. She is
also working on idea for Business Cards and/or postcards that can be
used to advertise the church.
A change to reflect Brenda’s current housing
arrangements will be made. She is no longer paying rent as she is
staying at the Severance’s house for the summer. Her housing allowance
will be reduced to $400 and the remainder of the budgeted housing
allowance will be posted to salary.
The meeting closed at 5:50 PM with a prayer
given by Jill.
Respectfully submitted
Jill Gentilin, Secretary
DEACONS’
NOTES June 3, 2009
Present:
Leni Brown (Chair), Rev.
Brenda Adcock, (Interim Pastor), Jill Gentilin, Harriette Hamilton
Assignments:
June 7 Leni
June 21 Jill
June 14 Harriette/Mikie
June 28 Harriette/Mikie
July 5 Jill
Budget:
Leni received information
that the Deacons have spent more money on advertising than budgeted. We
discussed the coverage given to the church sale by the Deerfield Valley
News and the money we have spent on advertising. The news article on the
sale was small and almost impossible to find. We have not had much of a
visible return on the advertising. We decided to discontinue it after
the July 4th weekend.
Compassionate
Outreach: We have not used
any money on this line item. It was proposed that we offer $500 to the
church and ask for matching monies that could be contributed by the
congregation to purchase a large screen TV. We could then have community
activities such as a movie night and invite outsiders to the church as a
form of outreach. If the young people were interested one activity to
earn money might be a spaghetti supper. We will take this idea to Church
Council.
Church
World Service Offering: We
did not receive the usual information packet. A request will be mailed
for this.
Search
Committee: We are not sure
how far along the church is with this process.
We will ask for an update.
Organist
Policy: There was the
discussion of the need to develop a policy on paying the organist when
worship service is cancelled for weather or combined service. Jill will
draw up a draft and take it to Church Council.
Member
Pictures: We plan to put
member’s pictures from our church book with names on the bulletin
board in the Narthex to help visitors to be able to match faces and
names.
Map:
We are still working on a
map with the location of our congregations’ homes to help a new pastor
become familiar with the community.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin.
West Dover Congregational
Church Spring 2009 Meeting May 17, 2009
Present:
Chuck and Jill Gentilin,
John and Marge Thurber, Randy Johnson, Leni Brown, Eddie and Sandy
Barber, Charlotte Bond, Laurel Cashman, Cookie Carruthers, Nell Domina,
Lisa Croce, Merrill and Sally Mundell, Alan Jones, Frank Smith, Elinor
Havness, Louise and Dick Severance, Herb Childs, Jeremy Schrauf, Sindy
Hassig Fillion, Rev. Brenda Adcock, (Interim Pastor), Kenny and Anna
Cashman, Joan Judd, and Julia Fillion
Opening:
Chuck Gentilin called the
meeting to order and a quorum was established. Brenda gave the opening
prayer.
Bathroom/Shower:
The first item on the
agenda was the bathroom/shower. Sindy read a letter from Randy
Schoonmaker asking the church to approve the bathroom/ shower. This
would enable him to present a new marketing plan and raise the rate
charged. Sindy also showed the group a drawing of the proposed facility
along with an estimated cost of $10,000-$15,000. The bathroom would have
a handicapped accessible shower, two sinks, and one toilet. It would
make the activity center more useful for people who had a hard time
climbing the chairs to get to the other bathrooms and might make
possible the use of the church as an emergency shelter. Charlotte moved
that we approve funding the bathroom/shower as generally described with
costs not to exceed $15,000. The discussion brought up these concerns:
There is a need to put the plumbing above the concrete floor to avoid
any water problem under the church. Herb said he and Randy were working
on a grant with the town office to explore geo/thermal heat and using
the church as an auxiliary emergency shelter. Questions were asked about
the permitting process, installing an adequate hot water tank, costs for
heating and cleaning, possible increased charges for sewage allowance,
mold from dampness, spending down the endowment funds too quickly
without any money being raised to replenish them, size and number of
showers needed, and what effect a lack of snow would have on the ski
industry in the area. Each question was discussed and some were
answered. There would be adequate venting, we had preliminary cost for
hot water tank, Allen said it would cost about $15 on weekends for
cleaning, and the number of showers was limited to ensure that they were
handicapped accessible. Some questions such as the permitting process
and sewage allowance still need to be explored. Marge asked if we had
the bigger picture and if doing this supported the church’s mission
and if we understood exactly what our mission was. Leni said
mission/outreach was very important and as chair of the deacons she
thought the church worked on this. Laurel said those who used the church
were Boy Scout troops from other churches and it was outreach to
encourage this kind of group. Leni called the question and the motion
was passed by a 13/9 paper ballot.
Garden:
Jill said she had no
motion to present on the garden but it is clear that it has suffered
from neglect and lack of interest in maintaining it. Herb said the
person employed by his company had been coming to do some work on the
garden and Herb would be willing to ask him to give us some preliminary
advice on what to do. Richard moved that a garden committee be
reconstituted to get the information and decide what to do with the
information. Jill said she that no one had expressed interest in being
on a garden committee. Only Lisa raised her hand when the group was
asked if there was anyone interested.
Several others said they would work on the garden if help was
needed but they did not want to commit to being on another committee.
Richard rescinded his motion but we accepted Herb’s generous offer to
get some professional advice on managing the garden.
Kudos were
given to the trustees, the people who came and worked and stayed for the
meeting, John and Chuck for getting the fan in the upstairs bathroom,
John and Richard for building shelves and Herb for his generous offer.
The
meeting was adjourned at 1:40 with a closing prayer offered by Brenda.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
The
minutes have not been approved.
WEST DOVER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH COUNCIL
MINUTES
Special Meeting to Set Agenda for Spring Congregational Meeting
May 6, 2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock,
(Interim Pastor) Louise Severance (LKG) Leni Brown (Deacon), Richard
Severance (Trustee), Chuck Gentilin (Mod.), and Jill Gentilin (Clerk).
Opening:
Brenda opened the meeting
with a prayer at 11:30 AM.
Spring
Meeting: We met to discuss the agenda for the Spring Congregational Meeting
on May 17. The subjects most often mentioned by the congregational were
the downstairs bathroom and mission/membership. We agreed that deciding
on whether or not to do the bathroom was the most pressing topic and it
would be first on the agenda.
The meeting will
be limited to one hour. If there is time left after the first topic Jill
will talk with the congregation about the garden and the commitment that
must be made to keep it in shape.
The discussion
on mission and membership will be tabled until the next Congregational
Meeting. It is important that we do this while Brenda is still with us
because of the understanding she has gained while working with our
church.
Andy has
been approached by someone about whether or not we would be willing to
share our sanctuary as a place where Jewish members of the community can
meet. The Council will ask Andy to get more information about exactly
what this request entails.
Brenda
closed the meeting with a prayer at 12:30 PM
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
Deacons’
Notes May 6, 2009
Present:
Leni Brown (Chair), Rev.
Adcock, (Interim Pastor), Louise Severance, and Jill Gentilin
Opening:
Rev. Adcock opened the
meeting with prayer.
Assignments:
May 10
Mikie
May 31 Harriette
May 17 Louise
June 7 Leni
May 24 Jill
Church
Map: Leni stated a commitment to getting a map together that would provide
information on the location of members’ homes. This will be helpful
for a new minister. There was much discussion on how to accomplish this.
Leni will go to the town office to obtain a map that we can use. At the
May 17th meeting we will pass out green slips for persons to
write down their addresses. The map will have numbers that are
coordinated with the addresses.
Visiting:
We discussed the need to do more visiting with people who may be
lonely, having a hard time staying in touch with the church or who are
ill. This has always been a topic that is difficult for us to stay on
top of since everyone is busy with other commitments. We will start with
some visits this summer. One idea was to interview a member about
his/her history and write the interview up for our newsletter.
Wedding:
There will be a wedding on
May 16. Jill agreed to be the deacon for this but because of a
commitment to the Food Pantry in the morning, she would not be able to
open the church for a florist. Leni said she could probably do this.
This also led to a discussion of a need for a full length mirror mounted
on a door that the bridal party can use. The mirror we now have is
large, heavy, unwieldy and kept in the room off the kitchen to prevent
it from being broken. Louise will check on getting an inexpensive mirror
that can be mounted on a downstairs door.
Desk
Chair: There are no appropriate chairs for the library desk. The folding
chairs are too low. We suggested that the Trustees should be asked to
authorize an amount of money that Brenda could spend to obtain a chair.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
LKG MINUTES May 5,
2009
Present:
Louise
Severance (V. Pres.), Elinor Havness (Treas.), Jill Gentilin (Sec.) and
Leni Brown
Opening:
Louise opened with a poem
about Molly Prichard. We did a check in. Elinor said that we have
1975.75 in the treasury.
Welcome
Center: Louise
reported that we have a date of Sept. 4 for the Welcome Center in
Dummerston.
Mother’s
Day: Jill was unable to get anything done this year in Sunday school for
Mother’s Day. We decided to buy carnations.
Memorial
Day Sale: This will be
held on May 24th. Mindy has agreed to do the sale, set up
collection dates, and do the advertising. We thought it would be a good
idea to do an article for the Deerfield Valley News the week before the
sale. We have an afghan to
raffle made by Julie Fox. Jill will talk to Shaw’s about a date for
selling raffle tickets.
Chris will be
asked to make a vegetable soup, Jill will put together the clam chowder
and Elinor will do a meat chili. An announcement should be made in
church about the need for baked goods. Louise will also talk to Mindy
about times and dates of collection so we can let the congregation know.
Spring
Congregational Meeting: We
thought that the time for the luncheon might be too early and not leave
enough time for coffee and work planned.
Elinor will suggest a later time to the Trustees. The LKG will
provide a ham for this. Elinor and Jill said they would bring salad
(potato and vegetable) and Leni said she would bring bread.
Leni
closed the meeting with a prayer.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
WDCC
COUNCIL MINUTES April 15,
2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock (Interim Pastor), Laurel Cashman (Treas.), Louise
Severance (Deacons & LKG), Bill Hamilton
(Trustees), Dick Severance (Trustees)
Opening:
Dick opened the meeting with a prayer at 5PM. The minutes were read and
approved without change
Treasurer:
Laurel reported that:
We
have nearly $10,000 in the checking account. This amount together with
collections over the next month should be ample to cover expected
expenditures during that period .
She
reported that a quarterly insurance bill for the Van had been received
amounting to about $400. This bill must now be paid out of the church's
operating funds, as the individuals sponsoring the vehicle are no longer
paying it. Dick vowed to speed up efforts to dispose of the Van before
the next quarterly bill arrives .
Laurel
is experimenting with new ways to present the current statements of
income and expenditure in order to better convey "how we are
doing". At the next regular council meeting she will present her
new report.
Kenny
Cashman has collected $245 for the Heifer Fund.
Deacons:
Louise reported:
The
Deacons suggestion that a detailed map of the area be obtained on which
the names and location of each church family would be indicated. A large
version could be posted in the church and smaller copies distributed to
members.
The
Deacons suggest that the subject of the four Special Mission Offerings
be discussed at the Spring Congregation meeting. Details of the upcoming
Easter and Tennebrae services were also discussed.
LKG:
Louise reported that:
LKG
had thanked Mindy Childs for donating the window flowers for the Easter
service. The names of donors of Easter altar flowers were printed and
inserted in the bulletin.
We
have been assigned Friday, September 4th to serve coffee at
the Southeastern Vermont Welcome Center at their Route 91 location.
LKG
will provide the ham for the Potluck Luncheon on Bluejeans Sunday, May
17.
Mindy
and Andy Childs will run the May Sale for which Julie Fox has made an
afghan and Mikie Schwartz has contributed a religious wall hanging.
Trustees:
Dick reported that:
John Thurber has
built and installed beautiful new shelves downstairs for Sunday school
supplies.
The bulk of the
Trustees meeting involved the upcoming Spring Congregation meeting and
Bluejeans Sunday work projects. Individual Trustees were assigned the
task of planning various work projects and presenting them at the next
Trustees meeting. Discussion
subjects were suggested for the consideration of the Church Council.
Pastor:
Brenda reported that:
The
recent special services at Wilmington and West Dover had been well
received.
She
would be leaving her apartment by the end of the month and living at the
Severance house over the summer.
The
future of the Wilmington church is undecided but another meeting is
scheduled soon.
An
added electrical connection to the organ has sharply reduced its
versatility.
Chuck
Gentilin will be asked to investigate repair options.
Spring
Meeting:
The timetable for events on
May 17 was settled.
9:00
-10:00 AM - Worship service
10:00-
11:45 - Bluejeans work
projects
11:45
- 12:30 - Potluck Luncheon
12:30
- 1:30 - Spring Congregation Meeting
Short
committee reports will be written, handed out and not on the agenda .
The
subject of Outreach and Mission was considered to require an entire
meeting and best scheduled as the sole subject for the next Congregation
Meeting following this one. Subjects for this meeting are:
SUBJECT
LEADER
Collection
of Special Mission Funds
Jill Gentilin
Offering
our sanctuary for use by other faiths.
Andy McLean
Downstairs
bathroom Sindy Hassig
Garden
(only if time permits)
?
Next
Council Meeting: May 6 -8 when
all members can be present.
Closing:
Brenda closed the meeting with a prayer.
LKG
MEETING April 7, 2009
Present: Leni
Brown, Elinor Havness, Judy Judd, and Louise Severance.
Louise
opened the meeting by reading Ecclesiastes 3: 18.
Elinor
announced that LKG has $1,975.78 in the bank at present.
There
were many wonderful comments about the window flowers in the church
provided by Mindy Childs. Flowers at the altar were given by members and
listed on an insert in the Sunday Bulletin. Easter Sunday was beautiful
with the butterflies on the wall and all the flowers.
We were happy to learn that
the Southeastern Vermont Welcome Center has assigned us Friday,
September 4th to serve coffee at their Route 91 location.
LKG
will provide the ham for the Potluck Luncheon on Bluejeans Sunday, May
17.
Mindy
and Andy Childs will again run the May Sale. Julie Fox has made a
beautiful Afghan for the sale. In addition, Mikie Schwartz has
contributed a religious wall hanging.
Leni
gave the closing prayer.
Submitted
by Louise Severance
WDCC
Trustees Minutes 4/2/09
Meeting
called to order and opened with prayer at 6:48pm.
Acceptance
of Minutes of 3/5/09, approved by consensus.
Treasurer's
report:
Laurel
will get together with Dick and find out what we have in each fund for
next meeting. $10,000 in checking account, approved by consensus.
Council
Report:
Spring
Congregation Meeting - May 17
Trustees
assigned to topics:
Down Stairs Bath - Sindy
Activity Center - Sindy
Garden - Jill or Miki?
Upstairs Bath - Elinor
Emergency Shelter -
Future Finances (Wilmington) - Maybe
Bill - stair access
Andy - offer worship space to Jewish
community.
Work
projects:
Painting - Elinor
Garden & Lawn
Trash removal- Alan
Clean kitchen - good idea with lunch?
Remove fence - Dick
Storage - Dick
Old
Business
Van, price, put out front with sign. Alan
will do this.
TV in basement, Brenda said this would be
a good idea for adults as well as children. Price should be about 1,600.
Fixing clock, Frank and Dick broke the clock. (hee hee
hee)
New
Business
Meet next May 7th 6:45pm
Closing
Prayer 8:23pm
Respectfully
submitted,
Andy
McLean
Interim
(under duress) Minute-Taker
Deacons’
Notes April 1, 2009
Present:
Leni Brown (Chair), Rev.
Brenda Adcock, Pastor, Harriette Hamilton, and Jill Gentilin
Schedule:
April 5 Harriette
April 19 Louise
April 12 Leni April
26 Harriette
May 3
Jill
Settled
Pastor: We talked about the difficulty around the wait for a settled Pastor.
Brenda suggested that we have map for a new pastor that showed the
residences of the members. We thought this was a good idea.
Palm
Sunday: Brenda would like for the children to bring the Palms in at the
beginning of the service and then distribute them to the congregation
before the last hymn. Jill will e-mail the Sunday school members.
Communion:
Brenda said this was the first church which she had attended where the
Pastor was not served communion by the Deacons. Harriette and Leni will
do communion this Sunday and try this.
Special
Offerings: Jill will
distribute information about our yearly special offerings to the people
attending the Spring Meeting. We would like to know which ones our
members think we should continue with and if there are any we should
drop. In order not to get into a lengthy discussion about this, we will
ask for input at a later date after people have had time to study the
information.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
CHURCH
COUNCIL MINUTES March 18, 2009
Present:
Rev. Brenda Adcock,
(Interim Pastor) Charlotte Bond (LKG), Laurel Cashman (Treas.), Leni
Brown (Deacon), Richard Severance Bill Hamilton (Trustees), Chuck
Gentilin (Mod.), Kenny Cashman. Jill Gentilin (Clerk).
Opening:
Brenda opened the meeting
with a prayer at 5 PM. The minutes were read and approved without
change.
Treasurer:
Laurel reported that we have $3600 in the checking account after
putting aside money for heating and the Reserve Fund. We have received
$2636 from the ski groups that used the Activity Center this winter,
which is slightly behind last year’s total. We are also behind last
year in plate and envelope collections. Part of this deficit may have
been due to closing the church due to weather on one Sunday.
LKG:
No report.
Deacons:
The
Deacons discussed with Brenda the process of letting the congregation
know the reason for not having candles or flowers on the altar. She said
doing this helps to emphasize Lent as a time of reflection and
meditation in preparation for Holy Week. The Taize Services help to
support this attitude.The Deacons would like Mission Funds to be one of
the topics for discussion at the Spring Congregational meeting. They
will provide the members with information on our special collections and
ask them if they want to continue with them and the way we fund them.
Trustees:
An attempt will be made to sell the van. Alan Jones will head this
effort.The 1858 Fund Drive will be restarted. Richard reported that
furnishings for the Activity Center were discussed including replacing
the TV and getting some comfortable furniture. Kirsten Wallace has
offered to help with the furniture. He also said that the Trustees
support a bathroom in the Activity Center but no decision would be made
on it until there was a completed plan to be presented to the Church
Council. Jill expressed a wish that any plan
would be presented to the congregation before there was a final
decision. Richard brought to the Council the pros and cons of a
programmable thermostat in the Sanctuary. We decided that since we now
have zoned heating a programmable thermostat is unnecessary.
We decided to
resolve a misunderstanding in the heating contract and make the final
payment.
Pastor:
A joint meeting of the
search committees of our church and the Wilmington Congregational Church
will be held on March 23. It is hoped that we can go forward with
sending our church profile to recruit a settled pastor after this
meeting. Brenda said, although it is not written in stone, she would
like to make her own future plans by August or early fall.
Spring
Congregational Meeting: Our
Spring Congregational Meeting will be held on May 17. The congregation
will be asked to come to worship dressed in jeans or work clothes. We
will have a work session after worship and coffee to help with spring
cleaning of the church. The Trustees will decide on which of the various
tasks that can be done i.e. organizing tools that are lying around in
different places, gardening,
cleaning up the library, or identifying items that are now stored in
various areas that should be discarded.
They will then organize people to work on these. This will be
followed by a pot luck lunch and discussion of congregational concerns.
The congregation will have the opportunity to provide written
suggestions for the agenda for this meeting at the next worship
services.
Heifer
Project: Kenny Cashman is hoping for the congregation’s support to buy a
goat through the Heifer Project. The goat costs $120. The Heifer Project
then gives a pair of goats to a third world family. The goats provide
cheese, milk, and meat to feed the family. If the goats have kids they
are then given to another family and in this way spread help to their
village. He will bring a chart to let the congregation know how close he
is to his goal. The Council supported this effort whole heartedly.
Leni
closed the meeting with prayer at 6 PM.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin,
Secretary
These minutes
have not been approved.
Deacon’s Notes March 4, 2009
Present:
Leni Brown, Chair, Rev.
Brenda Adcock, Interim Minister, Jill Gentilin, Harriette Hamilton,
Mikie Schwarz, and Louise Severance.
Opening:
We opened with Brenda
reading “Persistence” from Holy Habits.
Lent:
We asked what was
traditional during Lenten Services. Brenda said that the altar should be
bare without flowers or candles as it is a time of meditation and
reflection with as few distractions as possible. The flowers may be put
on the altar and in the windows on Palm Sunday.
She also said we could do a modified form of “Prayers of the
People” with an introduction followed by people voicing together or
singly prayers followed by a prayer.
Special
Offerings: There was a
discussion of special offerings during the year and how many were
appropriate. A suggestion was made that during these difficult times our
special offerings could be taken from the budget. We decided that this
might be a topic for the Quarterly Meeting to see what the congregation
thought. If that becomes a topic Jill will bring a flyer to the meeting
to explain the offerings we now give.
Easter
Butterflies: Mikie said
she would organize these this year as Jill will be away.
Brenda closed
the meeting with a prayer.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
MINUTES LKG March 3, 2009
Present:
Charlotte Bond, President,
Elinor Havness, Treasurer, Jill Gentilin Secretary, Leni Brown, Joan
Judd, and Louise Severance.
Opening:
Charlotte read
Psalm 25. The minutes were approved without change. The treasurer
reported that we have $1982.63 in the treasury. We received a thank you
from West River Habitat and a request for funds from the West Dover
Valley Fire Department.
Dummerston
Welcome Center: Charlotte
has requested either Sept 4 (Friday before Labor Day), August 28, or
August 21, or any Friday in August or July. Louise will be mailed the
date when the state has made a decision.
Easter:
We are unsure when flowers
can be placed on the altar at the end of Lent. The Deacons will ask
Brenda about Palm Sunday. If Palm Sunday is ok Jill will attempt to make
an insert for the bulletin with the names of those who wish to donate
flowers. Charlotte will ask this Sunday if anyone is interested in
putting up the butterflies during Holy Week.
Memorial
Day Sale: Mindy and Andy
have agreed to do the White Sale again. We will have soup and hotdogs.
Jill will make clam chowder, Eleanor will do chili and we will see if
Chris can do a vegetarian soup. Nelson will sell hotdogs and there will
be a bake sale.
The
meeting was closed with a prayer.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
NOTICE:
The Church Council requests
that all persons wishing to use the church for meetings post the time,
date, and area to be used on the calendar in the library. This will help
avoid conflicts. Please let someone on the Church Council know about the
meeting before it is posted.
Your Church Council
Members are:
·
Chuck and Jill Gentilin 348 7752
·
Charlotte Bond 348 6620
·
Richard Severance 464-5085
·
Bill Hamilton 464-3000
·
Leni Brown 464-8084
·
Rev. Brenda Adcock 464-2654
A
Message from your Treasurer:
Please
return your Pledge Cards(pledge sheet)—we need ALL members to return
them so that we can plan for the coming year.
Thank
You
Cheers,
Nelson
Special
Lenten Services
During
Lent we will have a series of worship services in the style of the Taize
Worship Community from March 1st through March 29 at the regular worship
time. These services will consist of sung and silent participatory pray
designed to achieve a contemplative state through music, song, and
silence.
These
services are meant to build upon our six session Bible Study Services
"Is Prayer a Waste of Time?" which will be held on Wednesday
evenings beginning March 4 at 7PM, in the library of the West Dover
Congregational Church. The series will end with a Tenebrae Service at
the Wilmington Congregational Church April 9, at 7PM
CHURCH
COUNCIL MINUTES February 18, 2009
Present:
Charlotte Bond (LKG),
Laurel Cashman (Treas.), Leni Brown (Deacon), (Richard Severance
(Trustee), Chuck Gentilin (Mod.) Louise Severance (Deacon), and Jill
Gentilin (Clerk)
Opening:
The meeting was opened at
5:10 PM with prayer led by Jill. The minutes were approved as written
Treasurer’s
Report: Laurel said that
she, Kathy Novy, and Jeremy Schrauf attended an informational meeting to
learn about IRS regulations. She and Kathy were meeting next week to
review the information they had received.
Deacon’s
Report: Rev. Adcock is
preparing to do special worship services during Lent in the Taize style.
There will also be a Bible study series “Is Prayer a Waste of Time?”
We will meet in the West Dover Church library for the study on
Wednesday evenings starting March 4 at 7 PM and conclude with a Tenebrae
Service at 7PM April 9 at the Wilmington Congregational Church.
LKG
Report: Charlotte has requested to have one of three Fridays, the Friday
before Labor Day or the last two Fridays in August as our day at the
Dummerston Welcome Center. We should receive notification in early April
Pastor’s
Report: Rev. Adcock is on
vacation.
Trustees’
Report: Bill Hamilton and
Richard Severance will once again serve as co-chair of the Trustees.
The old furnace
and oil tank have been removed from the basement. The Trustees are still
gathering and reviewing information on the proposed bathroom for the
Activity Center.
He brought
forward the idea of selling the van and using the money for a still to
be decided project at the church. If there are no takers then we will
try to donate the van to another non-profit. The Council approved this
idea.
The church has
changed insurance companies to one with similar coverage at less cost.
A letter has
been sent to persons who want to use the church for meetings. The letter
requests that all meetings be put on the calendar in the library and
that a member of Church Council is notified about the request.
Quarterly
Meetings: The Council
decided to schedule the first meeting in early May. The first one will
be a “Blue Jean” Sunday consisting of worship service followed by a
work period to accomplish various tasks such as gardening, organizing
storage space, or cleaning the library or kitchen. After the work period
we will have a noon luncheon so that Brenda can join us followed by a
discussion period. The congregation will have a chance to suggest topics
for this discussion two weeks before the meeting.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
The minutes have
not been approved.
Deacon’s Notes February 4, 2009
Present:
Leni Brown, Chair, Rev.
Brenda Adcock, Interim
Minister, Jill Gentilin, Harriette Hamilton, and Louise Severance.
Deacon:
Feb 8 Leni
Feb. 15 Jill
Feb. 22 Youth Group
Mar
1 Jill
Mar.
8 Harriette
Mar. 15 Leni
We
discussed starting the Kerygma study
on prayer. If there is an interest Brenda will give us the name of a
book that can be purchased for this study. There was an interest
expressed in doing this in conjunction with the Wilmington Church to
promote better communication. We will do the book study at the West Dover Church on
Wednesday evening during Lent and have a joint service on Maundy
Thursday in Wilmington.
Brenda has
planned a special set of services to be done during the Sunday worship
in Lent.
Louise wanted
suggestions for the first quarterly meeting. (date not yet set). We will
have slips of paper to be filled out by the congregation two weeks
before the first meeting. Suggestions can be placed on these pieces of
paper.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
MINUTES OF THE WEST DOVER
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, INC.
2008 ANNUAL MEETING January 25, 2009
Present:
Chuck Gentilin,
(Moderator), Jill Gentilin, (Secretary), Nelson Bond (Treasurer), Leni
Brown, (Chair of Deacons), Richard Severance (Chair of Trustees), Bill
Hamilton (Co-Chair), Charlotte Bond (President of LKG), Jeremy Schrauf
(Historian), Rev. Brenda Adcock (Pastor), Herb Childs, Andy McLean,
Mikie Schwarz, Allen Jones, Eleanor Havness, Nell Domina, Cookie
Carruthers, Frank Smith, Harriette Hamilton, Laurel Cashman, Lisa Croce,
Kathy Lorenz, Sally Mundell, Merrill Mundell, Sindy Hassig
Opening:
The meeting was opened at
10:35 AM, a quorum was established (24 members and 4 proxies).
The Moderator
reviewed the Order of Business.
Rev.
Brenda Adcock gave the opening prayer.
The
minutes were accepted with two corrections (Louise Severance and Mikie
Schwarz were present but not listed in the minutes of the 2007 Annual
Meeting).
The
Treasurer’s report was accepted subject to audit.
Nelson noted that we fell short last year on plate and envelope
collections by $2300. The decline in contributions began in August of
2008. This meant that we could not set aside money for heat or to
replenish the Reserve Fund. He
said that 17 of 30 or 56% of the pledges had been returned so far and
asked that anyone who had not returned their pledge should do so as soon
as possible.
The
Investment Sub Committee’s Report was accepted subject to
audit. Richard reported that we had about $90,000 in the
Operating/Reserve Fund, $50,000 in the 1858 Building Fund and $17,000 in
the 1790 Mission Fund when they were established. Now the approximate
amounts are Operating Fund $67,000, Building Fund $31,000 and Mission
Fund $19,000. There is currently about $7300 of the 1858 Fund in the
checking account.
Moderator:
Chuck referred the attendees to his written report in the Annual
Report. He thanked all of the people who had worked hard during the year
to move the church forward.
Pastor’s
Report: Brenda had some
suggestions for future meetings. She asked that every decision be
prefaced with asking ourselves “Is this what God is calling us to
do?” She recommended we do not follow Robert’s Rules of Order and
try to reach decisions by consensus. Merrill noted that sometimes the
difference between coercion and consensus is difficult to discern.
Brenda proposed an Adult Education Study and handed out a proposed
outline for this study. She also reminded the people that the Pastor
leads the church and needed to be included in all communication loops
and said that there had been some instances in the past year when she
thought she had been left out.
Deacon’s
Report: Leni read “Food
For Thought from Adventuring through the Bible, by Ray C.
Stedman. This will be included as an addendum at the end of the minutes.
Leni spoke
words of encouragement for the continuation of
the work of the Holy Spirit amongst us."
Trustees
Report: Richard said that
the newly installed heating system was still to be completed. There has
been a problem with the venting of this system that is still being
worked on. There may also be some work that would need to be done on
drainage which could cost between $500 and $5000 depending on how
efficiently the work already completed removed the ground water.
The Carillon may need to be replaced as parts for this are no longer
available. The church has contracted with Ma’s Cleaning for the
current year.
Richard said
that when the old furnace is removed he will be asking for suggestions
on how to use the furnace room. He also said there is thought that the
inside of the church will need painting and hoped that we could do some
of this work with volunteers.
LKG:
Charlotte referred
everyone to her written report and thanked all the people who helped to
make their activities successful.
Compensation
Committee: Charlotte said
the committee had decided on a 5% raise for the pastor which also raised
the Social Security amount. The pastor is also entitled to one week of
vacation for each three months of service. The Wilmington Church has
increased their contribution for this from 35% to 40%. There is hope
that eventually we will get back to a 50/50 split. There was some
discussion about the sufficiency of the housing allowance and Brenda
said she agreed it was adequate.
The
meeting took a 10 minute break and resumed at 11:35 AM.
Search
Committee: Laurel reported
that they were compiling the information gleaned from the questionnaires
passed out to the congregation. When completed a profile would be
submitted to the UCC conference to be sent to prospective pastors.
Leni
lead a Litany and Jill gave a Prayer of Preparation for the work still
to be done in the meeting.
Quarterly
Meeting: Richard said that
Church Council was proposing a quarterly meeting of the congregation to
improve communication between the congregation and the Boards of the
Church. These meetings would be used to consider current topics or
proposals for the church. Sindy thought that this might be too many
meetings and asked some thought be given to modifying this proposal.
This was followed by a dialogue about the day, time and amount of
meetings needed. We decided we could not ask the Wilmington Church to
accommodate us any more than once a year so we could not hold the
quarterly meetings immediately after Sunday services. We decided to have
more frequent meetings but the details of date, time, frequency, and
topics would be left to Church Council for now.
Budget:
Nelson said the major
changes in the budget were the increase in the Pastor’s salary and a
$5.00 raise for Debbie Haslund for Sundays and Holidays We decided to
level fund the OCWM and the Food Pantry. There is $10000 in the budget
to provide a handicapped access chair for the Activity Center. The
$15000 formerly approved for the downstairs bathroom was removed from
the budget until more detailed information on this project was available
and a discussion could be held with all the members. This would be topic
of one of the quarterly meetings.
The
budget was approved.
Van:
The three year experiment with the van will be over in March 2009. The
majority of the expense for the van has been paid for privately and the
church has not expended or budget monies for the van except for
registration. There was a discussion on whether the church should get
rid of the van or accept the cost of maintaining it. There were
suggestions made to sell it or to give it to Butterfield Commons for
their use. A consensus that we would not keep the van was reached and
the Trustees will decide how to get rid of it.
Nominations:
The following nominations were approved: Laurel Cashman, Treasurer
(2009-11 first term) Kathy Lorenz , Assistant Treasurer, (2009-11 first
term), Jeremy Schrauf, Historian, (2009-11 first term), Harriette
Hamilton, Deacon, (2009-11 second term), and Sindy Hassig Trustee
(2009-11 second term). There remains a vacancy on the Board of Deacons.
The nominations were approved as presented.
Other:
Nelson wanted a special
thanks to Randy Schoonmaker for all of his work that is not visible to
others in scheduling ski groups in the Activity Center, publishing the
Newsletter, and preparing the Annual Report
Herb thanked the
congregation for dedicating the report to his wife Isabel.
We also thanked
Nelson for his work as treasurer during the last three years.
The
congregation approved the financial resolutions for the change of
Treasurer/and or Assistant Treasurer for Merchant’s and Chittenden
Bank accounts.
The
meeting was adjourned with a prayer by Brenda
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
These
minutes have not been approved
LKG
MINUTES January 6, 2009
Present:
Charlotte Bond (Pres.),
Louise Severance (V. Pres.), Elinor Havness (Treas.), Jill Gentilin
(Sec.) Rev. Brenda Adcock, and Leni Brown
Opening:
We did a check in and
Charlotte read from “Let There Be Light”. There were no minutes. (No
meeting in Nov and the Christmas party in Dec.) The Treasurer reported
that we have $1994.89, Each of the follow were given $75.00: Assoc. for
the Blind, Families First, Aids Project, Upper Valley Hostel,
Brattleboro Hospice, Women’s Crises Center, Deerfield Valley Rescue,
and Dover Valley school child. We also bought 3 Shaw’s Gift cards for
our Christmas families.
Activities:
Charlotte handed out new
phone lists. She also distributed Secret Pal cards to those who had not
already received one. She said she would be on vacation for 5 weeks in
March and April. She will apply for another date for the Welcome Center
in February. The date will be sent to Jill as she will be away when the
reply from the Welcome Center comes.
Fund
Raising: The May bake sale is on
again. Mindy has agreed to do the White Elephant Sale and we will sell
soups and hot dogs’
Our fall pie
sale will be done on the Saturday before Columbus Day.
Easter:
LKG will get two lilies
for the altar. The congregation will be requested to provide other
flowers and a memoriam flyer will be put in the bulletin. Jill will set
up a clip board for people to sign up for this. We need to make sure
that people do not leave flowers outside because they might be damaged
by the weather. The butterflies will again be put on the walls of the
sanctuary. New ones need to be made as the others are getting worn out.
Outreach:
We planned efforts to keep in touch with older persons in our
congregation. Leni suggested that we might also be foster grandparents
for a child in need. She will investigate this possibility.
Annual
Meeting: The
LKG will provide a ham for the pot luck luncheon after the Annual
Meeting.
We
adjourned at 5:15 PM with a prayer offered by Brenda.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
Reminder: Contact needs to be made in November for a
Christmas family.
CHURCH
COUNCIL MINUTES December 17, 2008
Present:
Charlotte Bond (LKG),
Nelson Bond (Treas.), Leni Brown (Deacon), (Richard Severance (Trustee),
Bill Hamilton (Trustee), Harriette Hamilton (Deacon), Chuck Gentilin
(Mod.), and Jill Gentilin (Clerk
Opening:
The meeting was opened at
10 AM with prayer led by Leni. The minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer’s
Report: Nelson reported
that we are about $5800 short on plates and envelopes for the year. Some
but certainly not all will be made up by last two Sundays in December
and the Christmas Eve service. The remainder of the
money approved for the heating system is in the Treasurer’s
Money Market Fund. The new rugs are in the Activity Center but they
still have to be bound.
Deacons’
Report: Preparations are
being made for the candlelight service for Christmas Eve. We discussed
various ways to keep the church safe. No children under the age of 10
will be allowed to have a lit candle. The Deacons will usher people out
of the church after the service in an orderly way and the candles will
be collected in a metal can as they leave. The fire extinguishers will
be placed in accessible areas and ready for use if needed. The time of
the service was changed from 7PM to 9PM because the Wilmington Church
has cancelled their service. The congregation will be contacted by phone
chain and Leni has talked to the Deerfield Valley News to make
corrections in the paper. Chuck
and Charlotte will get a sign ready for the outside of the church about
the service .
We also
talked about the Christmas Fund to which only two people have donated. Leni will see that the envelopes are in the bulleting this
Sunday and fliers are available to let people know what the offering is
used for. Jill will contact the UCC office for more information about
the Christmas Fund. The
white offering for use in the community is usually collected in December
but we will wait until January to do this.
The Deacons and Trustees are asked to come to the church at 8PM
on Christmas Eve to see that everything is in place.
LKG:
Charlotte
reported that the Christmas Party was a great success.
Trustees:
The furnace is nearly complete. Richard is arranging for removal of
the oil tank and the old furnace. Randy Schoonmaker and Andy McLean will
be taught how to manage the programmable thermostat. Signs will be
placed around the other zones to remind people that they are to be
turned no lower than 60 degrees. The specifications for the possible
shower/bathroom in the basement are not ready yet. $15000 has been
budgeted and the line item will be part of the 2009 budget for approval
at the Annual Meeting. There is also another line item for the
handicapped stair-chair for the Activity Center. The congregation can
ask questions about these at both the Pr-Annual Meeting January 18 and
the Annual Meeting on January 25.
We also
discussed the number of groups who now use the church for meetings and
lack of coordination for these meetings. Jill will draft a letter for
approval by the Trustees to groups to ask them to use the church
calendar and to make sure that the rooms are available for use. Some
groups may be asked to donate $25 to the church to cover the cost of
electric and heating.
The
paper-jam sensor on the copier is defective and parts are no longer
available. Herb may have a sensor from another copier that we might be
able to use but it is also possible that the copier may have to be
replaced. We will make a decision when it stops again.
Nominating
Committee: Jill reported
that except for an opening for a Deacon the offices are filled.
Annual
Meeting: The Agenda for the Annual Meeting was set.
The
meeting adjourned at 11:50 AM with a prayer
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES November 19,
2008
Present:
Charlotte Bond (LKG),
Nelson Bond (Treas.), Leni Brown (Deacon), (Richard Severance (Trustee),
Bill Hamilton (Trustee), Harriette Hamilton (Deacon) Chuck Gentilin
(Mod.), Rev. Brenda Adcock (Pastor) and Jill Gentilin (Clerk).
Opening:
Brenda opened the meeting
with a prayer at 10:05 AM. The minutes were read and approved with two
spelling errors to be corrected.
Treasurer’s
Report: Nelson reported
that he is close to being able to meet expenses this month. Again no
money could be set aside to replenish money used in the reserve fund or
to help our heat fund.
Richard voiced a
concern that we may not have enough oil to last until new propane
furnace is all connected. The Council agreed that he should purchase
another 100 gallons. He will check with the Lane Heating (the installer
of the new heating system) to see if it is possible delay switching over
until this oil is used up.
Deacons’
Report: The Deacons have
contracted for advertising during Advent in the Deerfield Valley News.
Wilmington may share in half of this cost. The flyers about the church
and holiday schedule have been distributed around the valley in the main
base lodge, Grand Summit and other inns and businesses. The offering
from the Thanksgiving Service will go to Deerfield Valley Community
Cares Heat Fund.
LKG:
The Christmas Party is Dec
9th at 6 PM at Louise Severance’s house. It will be a pot
luck supper followed by the distribution of Secret Pal gifts. If anyone
doesn’t have a secret pal they can come with a gift to exchange.
Trustees:
They are reviewing alternative insurance policies for consideration.
The congregation
will be receiving letters requesting pledges for 2009 in the near
future.
Ma’s
Housecleaning have been contracted to clean the church.
Eddie Barber has
been in charge of the drainage work being done around the church. The
pipe going under the road to the river has been clogged and there have
been problems with clearing it. Grading and additions of stone have been
put in place on the sides of the church. They were unable to located the
old well pipe that is somewhere on the bank that may be pouring water
towards the church.
Bids have been
received for the shower and bathroom downstairs. Jill expressed concerns
about going forward with this until we had a meeting with the
congregation. Her concerns had to do with mold and ventilation, cleaning
up after ski groups, and the fact that several people in the
congregation had expressed the wish to have some input. The council
asked the Trustees to come up with a more complete proposal for the
December meeting. This would include alternatives such as just a
bathroom without a shower, the costs of cleaning and ventilation etc.
Then the Church Council would decide about an informational meeting with
the congregation before going forward.
The Trustees are
reviewing the three funds that the church now has. All are in money
market funds because of the current economic climate. Richard is looking
to evaluate the costs of the current projects and any overruns that
might be incurred.
Pastor’s
Report: Brenda said that
Wilmington and maybe ST. Mary’s would join us for the Thanksgiving
service.
Nominating
Committee: Jill said she
was waiting for answers from people who had been contacted for Treasurer
and Deacon. She will also call another person about the Assistant
Treasurer position. So far no one has been asked to fill in during the
summer when Louise is absent as a deacon.
Annual
Meeting: The council set Jan 25th as the date for the Annual
Meeting and Jan 18th to answer questions about the proposed
budget. All reports must be into Randy Schoonmaker before Dec. 1st
with the exception of the Treasurer’s report. Nelson needs to close
the books for current year. Nelson said that he hoped the people
reporting in annual meeting will talk about goals for the upcoming year
instead of concentrating on the budget. Hopefully any questions about
the budget will be answered during the Jan 18th meeting.
Outside
Lights: Chuck with the help of Randy Johnson is working on these. He is now
waiting for a new timer. The cost will be a little over $100.
Transforming
Congregational Culture: We
want to try the quarterly meeting during 2009 to keep the congregation
informed about any projects and address concerns as they occur.
Suggestions were made to allow the congregation to suggest topics for
these meetings.
The
meeting was closed at 11:20AM with a prayer by Brenda.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill Gentilin
We
Are The Gifts We Are Given
But each of us was given grace according to the
measure of Christ's gift. Ephesians
4:7
Many
things in our lives matter intensely to us, but those are what we must
be careful to "hold lightly." Holding lightly to all that is
important in our lives means remembering that we are not what we acquire
and we accomplish as much as what we have received. The deepest joys
come not from the money we earn, the friends we surround ourselves with,
or the results we achieve. God gave us a great gift and…… We are the
gifts we are given, not just the conquests we make. As long as we keep
running around, anxiously trying to affirm ourselves or be affirmed by
others, we remain blind to One who has loved us first, dwells in our
heart, and has formed our truest self.
Prayer:
O God, may we be grateful for
the incomparable gift of faith you have granted us through the
redemptive grace of your Son, Jesus.
Henry
Nouwen, “Living in Hope”
Be
a Gift this Christmas Season,
Rev.
Brenda E. Adcock, Interim Minister
Deacon’s
Notes November 5, 2008
Present:
Leni Brown (Chair), Rev. Brenda Adcock (Interim Pastor), Jill
Gentilin, Harriette Hamilton,
Louise Severance, and Mikie Schwarz
Schedule: Nov. 23 Jill
Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving Eve) all deacons that are available. Leni and
Louise will prepare candles for the evening service at 7 PM.
Nov. 30 Louise
Dec 7
Jill
Dec 14 Leni
Dec 21 Mikie or Louise
(Christmas Pageant)
Dec 24 Christmas Eve
at 7 PM all available deacons. Leni and Louise will
prepare candles for the evening service.
Advertising:
We will have an ad in the Deerfield Valley News for the Advent Season.
Brenda will check to see if Wilmington wants to share the cost.
Advent
Services: We reviewed material to be use during Advent.
Next
meeting Dec 3 at 10 AM
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES October 15,
2008
Present:
Charlotte Bond (LKG),
Nelson Bond (Treas.), Leni Brown (Deacon), (Richard Severance (Trustee),
Bill Hamilton (Trustee), Chuck Gentilin (Mod.), Rev. Brenda Adcock
(Pastor) and Jill Gentilin (Clerk).
Opening:
Brenda opened the meeting
with a prayer at 10:05 AM. The minutes were read and approved without
change.
Treasurer’s
Report: Nelson said he
currently has about $1700 in the checking account. He has been unable to
set aside any money for heat or two replenish the reserve fund for the
last three months because of insufficient money from the collections. In
answer to a question about heating the church, he also said $11945 (one
half) has been paid toward replacing the furnace.
We still have oil in the old system that can be used until the
new propane system is installed.
Deacons:
Leni asked if anyone had
seen the ad in the “Deerfield Valley News”. It was noted that last
week there was information about local worship services in the paper
that may have been prompted by Leni’s meeting with the management..
Her preliminary budget is complete and only the salary for the organist
needs to be finalized.
LKG:
Charlotte said the LKG had
made $900+ on the pie sale. The group congratulated Charlotte on her
leadership. The Christmas party is set for Dec. 9th at the
Severance’s.
Trustees:
Richard said they had a review of the fund drive from Herb Childs.
This drive will take place over three years starting next month.
The mold has
been removed from the basement and they had recommendations on how to
prevent this from reoccurring. They plan to replace the current cleaning
service with another. One estimate has been received and they are
looking to get other estimates to compare.
Thanks are due
to the Childs for arranging the closing of the garden for the fall and
the new copier.
Pastor:
Brenda is working closely
with Jeremy and to plan a service that the youth group will participate
in to be held on Oct. 26.
She asked that
we plan a luncheon on Nov. 2nd to discuss how some of the
ideas from “Transforming Congregational Culture” could be
implemented and share her perspective of how a pastor might look at a
“call” letter. Charlotte
moved to approve this luncheon and the group approved it via
affirmation.
Budget:
Nelson went over each line
item in the proposed budget with the council. The compensation committee
has approved a 5% increase in salary for the Pastor. The Wilmington
Church has also agreed to pick up 40% of these costs instead of 35% and
our church is hoping for a 50% split in the coming years.
The Deacons
increased the music budget by a small amount. They will be meeting with
Debbie to craft a description of duties.
There will be no
increase in our contribution to OCWM (Our Church’s Wider Mission).
The Trustees
have approved an amount for capital improvements with a realization that
this might have to be modified given the current economic environment.
Most of the items are estimates of the amount needed. One thing that
might have to be done is to hard wire a CO warning system that would be
hooked to the current fire alarm.
The van came up
for discussion at this time. All major costs for the van have been paid
for by private individuals but this will end in July of 2009. Currently
an alternator needs to be installed and one of the members has agreed to
reimburse the church if they will pay this cost up front. Bill moved
that we pay this, pending reimbursement, and that we hold a Special
Meeting early in 2009 to ask the congregation if we should pick up the
costs for the van or discontinue its use.
The movement was passed unanimously by voice vote.
The current
budget has a deficit of $33,441+ of costs over estimated income.
The Council
authorized the budget as proposed to be placed in the Annual Report for
approval by the congregation at Annual Meeting.
Search
Committee: Questionnaire’s
have been sent out to get input from the congregation on a settled
pastor. They also have a meeting planned with Pam Lucas from the Vermont
UCC Conference.
Nominating
Committee: Jill said that
she thought open positions can or have been filled except for the
position of Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. These two positions
continue to be a problem.
Flyer:
A flyer has been prepared
to advertise the church in Inns and at Mt. Snow.
Furnishing
for the basement: Randy
was concerned that we might have more cancellations by ski groups unless
the carpet and TV are replaced. Bill said that Randy can be assured that
their will be carpeting (either area rug or full carpeting) before the
ski groups come.
The
meeting adjourned at 12 noon.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
These
minutes have not been approved.
CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES September 17,
2008
Present:
Chuck Gentilin
(Moderator), Charlotte Bond (LKG), Nelson Bond (Treas.), Rev. Brenda
Adcock, (Pastor) Jill Gentilin (Clerk), Bill Hamilton (Trustee),
Harriette Hamilton (Deacon), and Eddie Barber
Opening:
Rev. Adcock opened the
meeting with a prayer. The minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer:
Nelson handed
out budget planning sheet and year to date expenses. Budgets are due in to the Trustees by Oct. 8. We
are still behind in envelopes and plate collections.
He has about $1700 in the checking account.
Deacon:
In the absence of Leni
Brown (Chair), Jill gave the Deacon’s report. Leni has talked with
Vicki at the Deerfield Valley News. We can get a small weekly ad for
$23/week that would advertise our church with a short scripture message.
They no longer post information about church services unless they have
adequate room. We thought we could get the congregation to individually
sponsor weeks. Nelson thought maybe $23 was too high and we could ask
for $10 or $15 instead and pay the extra cost out of our budget.
He also suggested flyers to be given to the inns before foliage
and skiing season. Jill will take this back to Deacons’ meeting. We
briefly discussed the planned Bible study on Paul and thought we could
get 6 weeks in this year and 6 weeks in the spring so as not to run into
the holidays.
LKG:
Our
pie sale will be held on Oct 11 and we will bake pies the Wednesday or
Thursday before. The LKG will pick up any extra cost incurred by the Mystery
Theater Dinner. Charlotte
and Elinor are meeting with the people in charge at the Sitzmark. We all
felt that Elinor, Charlotte, and Harriette had done a great job of
organizing this.
Drainage: Eddie Barber said he was in touch with James Sweeny about finishing
the necessary landscaping for drainage and hoped it would be done soon.
There was a brief discussion of locating an old well above the upper side of the
property and plugging pipe running from it since this might be a cause of excess water.
Trustees: Bill said that he hoped the new heating system would be installed soon
and would take 2-3 weeks for completion. It will be a zoned system. There was a
question about the cost and some concern that it was too high. It was noted that
the Trustees have already approved this project unanimously by voice vote.
Herb and Bill are working to get grant monies from Montpellier towards the cost
of geo-thermal heat and a generator. There is also an effort to get another grant
from the Historic Preservation Society. There is a $500 cost for an assessment
that is integral to this effort. Charlotte moved to approve the
five projects recommended by the Trustees: heating system, insulation,outside
front lights, downstairs showers, and various other improvements to the
Activity Center at a total cost $43,590.00 ($24,390.00 of this sum had been
previously approved by the council by voice vote and covered the new heating
system and the $500 assessment).
The
motion was passed unanimously.
Pastor:
Brenda has met with Search
Committees from both churches and Pam Lucas from the VT. UCC. Two more
meetings with Pam are in the works. They are working on individual
church profiles.
Old
Business: Phone voice mail
system to allow the pastor to receive confidential messages is in place.
The Nominating Committee is working on filling positions.
The Moderator and Secretary are two important positions that need
to be filled.
The
meeting was closed with a prayer by Brenda at 11 AM.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
These
minutes have not been approved
Deacons’
Meeting October 1,2008
Present:
Leni Brown (Chair), Isabel Childs, Harrietta
Hamilton, Jill Gentilin, Louise Severance, and, Rev. Adcock
Opening:
Leni opened the meeting with a reading that reminded us that our work is
God’s work and we need to keep that in mind.
Calendar:
Oct. 12 Jill
Nov. 9 Leni
Oct 19 Louise
Nov. 16 Harriette
Oct. 26 Jill
Nov. 23 Isabel
Nov. 2 Louise
Nov. 30
Sunday
School Youth Group:
Jeremy
came to speak to the needs of this group. He said they now used activity
to lead to discussion of worship service. The children would like to
participate in lay reading, making desserts for coffee, acting as
greeter, and the offering. They
would sign up for specific dates. They
would also like to work with Debbie on the Post/Prelude.
Jill
thought the fifth Sunday would be a good time for the children to do
longer readings or stories at intervals during the hymn sing.
Jeremy also asked that the children be sent to Sunday school
after the “Prayers of the People.”
Advertising:
Leni proposed that we put an Anchor Advertisement in the Deerfield
Valley News on a weekly basis. It would include the time of service and
a scripture. There was a discussion of whether the congregation would be
asked to contribute to the cost of these ads. We decided that it could
be a voluntary contribution but that we would budget for the ads every
week regardless.
Dates:
Thanksgiving Eve service Nov. 26th
Advent Services start Nov. 30th.
Flyer:
We will make up a flyer to post in the various inns during Advent.
Respectfully
written
Jill
Gentilin
Oikos Ensemble
The
Oikos Ensemble will be performing Global Village Jazz, a Celebration of the Human Spirit, Sunday,
October 12th at 3:00, at the West Dover Congregational
Church, U.C.C. This
performance is in celebration of the church’s 150th
anniversary of its building.
The
Oikos Ensemble came into being almost five years ago and has had more
than a hundred performances at 85 venues in 15 states.
The ensemble will be your guide on a creative journey through the
global terrain of the human spirit, celebrating the unity and diversity
binding us together. Instrumentalists
and vocalist include: Belden Bullock, bass; Arianna Aerie, vocalist;
Cliff Aerie, saxophone; Bill Arnold, drums; Chris Bakriges, piano and
Jay Hoggard, vibraphone. Chris
Bakriges holds a doctorate in ethnomusicology, while Cliff Aerie is
director of MICA – the United Church of Christ Ministry
of Imagination, Creativity and the Arts.
Suggested
donation for this performance is $15.00.
The West Dover Congregational Church is handicapped accessible
and invites everyone to attend. For
further information, please call 464-1195.
LKG
Minutes September 2, 2008
Present:
Charlotte Bond, (President) Jill Gentilin (Secretary, Elinor Havness
(Treasurer)) Leni Brown, Mikie Schwartz, Joan Judd
Opening:
Charlotte
opened with a reading called, “Praise for Spiritual Fruit.” We did a
check in with each other. The minute were approved as written. We made
$1195+ at the Welcome Center. We have about $3130 in the treasury. Some
money was spent on our July luncheon and we helped out with the
advertising for Mystery Dinner Theatre.
Welcome
Center: We
reviewed the day at the Welcome Center and went over things we want to
remember for next year.
October
Pie Sale: We
will bake pies at the church on Oct. 9. Charlotte will get some apples.
In addition to the pies we will have clam chowder for sale.
Mystery
Dinner:
Elinor thought we should have a 50/50 raffle and everyone agreed.
We
adjourned at 8:30 PM
Respectfully
Submitted
Jill
Gentilin
These
minutes have not been approved
Deacons’ Notes September 3, 2008
Present:
Leni Brown (Chair), Rev.
Adcock, Jill Gentilin, Isabel Childs, and Harriette Hamilton
Opening:
Rev. Adcock opened the
meeting with prayer. Jill read an essay on prayer as our spiritual
opening.
Assignments:
Sept. 7
Mikie
Sept.
14
Jill
Sept. 21
Harriette
Sept. 27
Isabel
Oct. 5
Harriette
Search
Committee: The Deacons
want to meet with the Search Committee to get started on the profile.
Jill suggested sending out a questionnaire to the congregation to
get their input. Brenda
talked about focusing on what is needed not just on what we think we
want. We asked for some guidance on how to elicit this.
Paper:
Leni plans to meet with
Vickie Capitani of the Deerfield Valley News to discuss more reasonable
rates for advertising and getting more information on the church in the
paper.
Contact
with absent members: We
plan to look monthly at members that have been missing church and send
them cards to let them know we are thinking about them
We
closed with a prayer.
Respectfully
submitted
Jill
Gentilin
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