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TRI POINT LUTHERAN PARISH
CARELETTER
SEPTEMBER2015
PASTOR JAMES SELLS & PASTOR BECKY SELLSPO BOX 343
GENEVA, NE 68361402.759.3822
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
1026 O StreetGeneva, NE 68361
402.759.3822St. John’s Lutheran Church
PO Box 188Ohiowa, NE 68416
402.295.2324
First Evangelical Lutheran Church
105 South Third StreetPO Box 248
McCool Junction, NE 68401402.724.2441
CARELETTER
SEPTEMBER2015
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK “Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” -Psalm 119:105
In the average week, how many times would you say that you read the Bible? And when you do read the Bible, would you say that it brings you joy and its teachings help to guide your actions in daily life? And if so, why don’t we read it more often?
Now I have no idea, how you answered any of these questions, but please note that if you get a scripture sent to you daily via email, or if you read a daily
devotion with a verse on it. This counts as reading the Bible daily. However, reading it this way does not mean that you are highlighting passages, writing notes and insights to yourself and whoever else might inherit or read your Bible in the future, nor does it mean you could find that passage easily in your Bible, but perhaps this is something we could also be working on together.
The Brown Building Group has been working with Prince of Peace to consider ways in which they can improve their ministry. The honest answers to similar questions as I asked at the beginning concerned the Brown Group about where we were spiritually in the process of letting the Word of God being a guiding force in our daily lives. In pondering this, we are encouraging people across the parish to find ways to connect with the Word of God face to face more often.
One of the ways we believe we will do this is by encouraging everyone to actually bring their Bibles to church. For those of you who think this is too much of a burden to carry the Bible, we’d invite you to install a Bible App onto your phones. If you are wondering what version, generally we read the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of Bible texts, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have another version to follow along with us. But there is something to be said to looking it up and reading it along with the reader.
We would also like to encourage people to let the Word of God be more intentionally present in their daily lives through group studies, reading it on your own, or even continuing to daily devotional readings. As the kick-off day for Sunday School across the parish is going to be Sept. 13th, we’d like to also use it as a kick-off day for us to start bringing our Bibles or look up the passages on a Bible App on our phones during church.
There are also a variety of opportunities to get involved with the Word of God in groups and as individuals throughout the Parish. Please check out some of the possible options, and find ways to enhance the ways you are connecting to the Word of God, and valuing its place as a guiding force given to us by God for daily living. In God’s grip,
Pastor Becky Sells <><
PERSONAL STUDY:-Daily Devotions out of the Christ in Our Home booklets-Online Devotions sent to your email for free through Our Daily Bread (www.odb.org) or The Upper Room (devotional.upperroom.org). MEN:*Tuesday Mornings from 7am-7:45am at Prince of Peace, currently studying Ezekiel.WOMEN:*First Tuesday of the Month at 1:30pm at St. John’s in Ohiowa, engage in the WELCA Study from the monthly Gather Magazine.*Individual and Group Study on Children of the Day, by Beth Moore for 9 Sundays from 10:30am-Noon, starting Sept. 6th at Prince of Peace. (Books are available through Pastor Becky for $16)*Mom’s Group on the last Monday of each month at 7pm at St. John’s in Ohiowa. This group will be using the book, The Power of a Positive Mom, by Karol Ladd (Books can be received through Pr. Becky for $5)
SEPTEMBER 2015 – PRINCE OF PEACESUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
30 31 1 2 3 4 57pm Brown Group 6:45-8:00pm 9am-Noon 9am-Noonmeeting Confirmation @ PoP Office Hrs. Office Hrs.
7pm WELCA mtg.6 7 8 9 10 11 128:30am Worship w/ Pastors’ Sabbath 7am Men’s B. Study Planning Day 9am-Noon 9am-NoonHoly Communion 10:30am Text Study for Pastors Office Hrs. Office Hrs.9:30am Fellowship 2-5:30pm Office Hrs. 5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr. 2pm Hymn Sing10:30am Women’s Intro to Bible @ PoP at HeritageVid. Study @ PoP 6:45-8:00pm
Confirmation @ PoPHappy Labor Day! 7pm Council mtg. Patriot Day
13 14 15 16 17 18 198:30am Worship Pastors’ Sabbath 7am Men’s B. Study 5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr. 9am-Noon 9am-Noon9:30am Rally Day 10:30am Text Study Intro to Bible @ PoP Office Hrs. Office Hrs.Breakfast 2-5:30pm Office Hrs. 6:45-8:00pm Noon Meal10:30am Women’s 5:30pm Confirmation @ PoP at Senior CenterVid. Study @ PoP Acolyte Training20 21 22 23 24 25 268:30am Worship w/ Pastors’ Sabbath 7am Men’s B. Study Planning Day 9am-Noon 9am-NoonHoly Communion 10:30am Text Study for Pastors Office Hrs. Office Hrs.9:30am Fellowship 2-5:30pm Office Hrs. 5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr.& Sunday School Intro to Bible @ PoP10:30am Women’s 6:45-8:00pmVid. Study @ PoP Confirmation @ PoP27 28 29 30 1 2 38:30am Worship Pastors’ Sabbath 7am Men’s B. Study 5:30-6:30pm 5th Gr.9:30am Fellowship 7pm TPLP Mothers’ 10:30am Text Study First Comm. @ PoP& Sunday School Group @ St. John’s 2-5:30pm Office Hrs. 6:45-8:00pm10:30am Women’s Confirmation @ PoPVid. Study @ PoP
SERVERS FOR SEPTEMBER 2015Bread Baker for September: Nancy Meyer
Counters for September: LaDonna Pendleton & Wanda MosesWorship Date September 6 September 13 September 20 September 27Greeters Hopken Family Hogue Family S. Hafer Family D. Hafer FamilyUshers Ackland Family Bespalec Family Hopken Family Toodie Biegert &
Elmer HessheimerOrganist Shaunna O’Brien Robin Galusha Sharie Hubert Robin GalushaReader Lonnie Kennel Lori Loontjer Stan Meyer Marsha KennelAcolytes Aidan Trowbridge &
Bella LichtiHunter Nebe &Trenton Srajhans
KayLynn Sieber &Trevor Meyer
KateLynn Petersen &Halle Theis
Video Lydia Birky Sydney Jividen Parker Trowbridge Jayda GastonCommunion Prep. Dorothy Smith Crystal NorvellCommunion Asst. Kim Gaston Jodi FintelSound Board Jason Bespalec Joan Ackland Max Lichti Jim DonovanFellowship Coash Family Donovan Family Fangmeyer Family Gaston Family
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
KITS
During the month of September, WELCA will be collecting items for Personal Care Kits. Items needed for each kit include:
- One light-weight bath-size towel (between 20”x40” & 52”x27”), dark color recommended- One adult-size toothbrush in its original packaging
- One metal nail clippers, remove packaging
- Two bath-size bars (4 to 5 oz.) of soap, any brand, original wrapping- One sturdy comb, remove packaging
PRINCE OF PEACE NEWS
PRINCE OF PEACE COUNCIL MEETINGWednesday, August 12, 2015
Members present: Clark Poppert, Pastor James, Sandy Lichti, LaDonna Pendleton, Chris Coash, Jacob Bespalec, Jodi Fintel, LaVon Parde
Clark called the meeting to order. Pastor James led us in prayer. LaDonna moved to approve the minutes from the July meeting, Chris 2nd. Motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS:Tri Point Parish Board: In a board meeting held last week, the board recommended that the parish secretary's salary be raised to $11/hour. Jacob made a motion to approve Joseph's salary to $11/hour. Sandy 2nd. Motion carried. They also recommended a new computer for the office for up to $2,000, based on the percentages of the congregations. Chris made a motion to approve a new computer for up to $2,000, with 53% being paid by Prince of Peace. LaDonna 2nd. Motion carried.
Discussion was held on adding “parish treasurer” to the parish administrator secretary's job description. Chris made a motion to change the language of the Ministerial Sharing Agreement, Parish Staff section, to read as follows: “A parish treasurer shall be recommended by the parish board, and approved by the congregational councils. This may be part of the parish administrator's secretarial duties.” LaDonna 2nd. Motion carried.
Discussion was also held on funding the tri point parish account so Joseph could pay various bills out of that account. Jacob made a motion that Prince of Peace give $500 to this account, Jodi 2nd. Motion carried.
Jacob made a motion that we buy a new router, as the old one needs replaced. Sandy 2nd. Motion carried.
Jacob will take care of purchasing and installing a new one. He also recommended and made a motion that we go with a Windstream internet plan of 12 mg which is $127/month. LaDonna 2nd. Motion carried. Chris will call Geneva Broadband to disconnect their service.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:Treasurer's report: No reportParish ed report: They had a meeting on August 2. Jodi will be ordering prayer child buttons for Rally Sunday which will be September 13. The first day of Sunday School will be September 20th. Clark will work on the pancake feed for Rally Sunday. The theme for the year will be Super Heroes.Property report: Regarding the gutters and downspouts for the parsonage, Pastor James will ask the contractors for more comparable bids, and will take these bids to the other councils as well.Worship: They held a meeting August 13.Evangelism: The fishing tournament for all congregations was August 15. Fellowship: No reportStewardship: They will be having Undie Sunday sometime in September.Youth: No reportPastors report: Submitted at meeting.
OLD BUSINESS:Brown Group: A design committee will meet with us sometime in the near future,
LaDonna made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Sandy 2nd. Motion carried.
The next meeting will be Wednesday, September 16 @ 7:00 pm.
LaVon Parde, Secretary
SEPTEMBER 2015 – FIRST EVANGELICALSUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
30 31 1 2 3 4 510:30am Text Study Noon Senior Meal 3-5pm Office Hrs.
3-5pm Office Hrs. 7pm Men’s B. Study6:45-8:00pm
6 7 8 9 10 11 1210:30am Worship Pastors’ Sabbath 10:30am Text Study Planning Day 3-5pm Office Hrs.w/ Holy Communion for Pastors 7pm Men’s B. Study
Noon Senior Meal5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr.
Happy Labor Day! Intro to Bible @ PoP Patriot Day13 14 15 16 17 18 1910:30am Worship Pastors’ Sabbath 10:30am Text Study Noon Senior Meal 3-5pm Office Hrs.Family Sunday 3-5pm Office Hrs. 7pm Men’s B. StudySchool following 5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr.Service Intro to Bible @ PoP
7pm Council mtg.20 21 22 23 24 25 2610:30am Worship Pastors’ Sabbath 10:30am Text Study Planning Day 3-5pm Office Hrs.w/ Holy Communion for Pastors 7pm Men’s B. Study
Noon Senior Meal5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr.Intro to Bible @ PoP
27 28 29 30 1 2 310:30am Worship Pastors’ Sabbath 10:30am Text Study 3-5pm Office Hrs. 3-5pm Office Hrs.
7pm TPLP Mothers’ 5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr. 7pm Men’s B. StudyGroup @ St. John’s Intro to Bible @ PoP
SERVERS FOR SEPTEMBER 2015Worship Date September 6 September 13 September 20 September 27Reader Marge Norquest Lisa Cogswell Rachel Mertz Christian StacyOrganist Heather Stahr Jane Hoeft Jane Hoeft Jane HoeftUshers Burton Norquest &
Jeff DavisBurton Norquest &Jeff Davis
Neil West &Don Norquest
Neil West &Don Norquest
Communion Asst. Mindy Mertz Jeff Davis
FIRST LUTHERAN FAMILY SUNDAY SCHOOL KICK-OFFSunday, September 13th, following Worship (food provided!)
All are invited: children, teens, and adults alike! Whether you have kids or not, we encourage you to come and participate! There is always a lot for us to learn and share with one another, as we grow together as the body of Christ in the world. After all, once we’re a child of God, we’re always a child of God. We will start off with a simple free lunch, and then launch into our lessons and activities. On September 13th, our lesson will be focused on “Serving” as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America celebrates, “God’s Work, Our Hands” Day. We will explore four different areas of serving: do, give, pray, and speak. It is our goal to be finished up by 1:30pm. Feel free to invite other family and friends to join us!
SEPTEMBER 2015 – ST. JOHN’SSUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
30 31 1 2 3 4 510:30am Text Study 9-11am Office Hrs. 9-11am Office Hrs.1:30pm WELCA 6:45-8:00pmBible Study Confirmation @ PoP
6 7 8 9 10 11 129am Worship w/ Pastors’ Sabbath 10:30am Text Study 5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr. 9-11am Office Hrs.Holy Communion Intro to Bible @ PoP 2pm Hymn Sing10:30am Women’s 6:45-8:00pm at HeritageVid. Study @ PoP Confirmation @ PoP
Planning DayHappy Labor Day! for Pastors Patriot Day
13 14 15 16 17 18 19Promotion Sunday Pastors’ Sabbath 10:30am Text Study 9-11am Office Hrs. 9:30am 9-11am Office Hrs.
9am Worship 5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr. Birthday CoffeeFellowship served by Intro to Bible @ PoP @ Ohiowa CafeSun. School children 6:45-8:00pmfollowing service Confirmation @ PoP10:30am Women’sVid. Study @ PoP20 21 22 23 24 25 269am Worship w/ Pastors’ Sabbath 10:30am Text Study 5:30-6:30pm 3rd Gr. 9-11am Office Hrs.Holy Communion Intro to Bible @ PoPCouncil meeting 6:45-8:00pm& Sunday Schoolfollowing service Confirmation @ PoP10:30am Women’s Planning DayVid. Study @ PoP for Pastors27 28 29 30 1 2 39am Worship Pastors’ Sabbath 10:30am Text Study 5:30-6:30pm 5th Gr.Sunday Schoolfollowing service10:30am Women’s First Comm. @ PoPVid. Study @ PoP 6:45-8:00pm2:30pm Chapel @ Confirmation @ PoPHeritage
SERVERS FOR SEPTEMBER 2015Organist: Nancy Cradduck
Ushers for September: Kevin & Jodi Wolfteich, Nick MussmanFlowers for September: Jan Wolfteich
Communion Assistant for September: Barb DunseWorship Date September 6 September 13 September 20 September 27Acolyte Kala Most KayLynn Sieber Kimberly Schropfer Conner NunLay Reader Sharon Kuska Jan Wolfteich Vicki Ozenbaugh Deb Rohr
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF SCHOOL
KITS
St. John’s WELCA is still collecting items for LWR School Kits throughout September. Items needed for each kit include:
- Four 70-sheet notebooks with wide- or college-ruled paper. 8” by 10½’ size. No loose leaf paper.- One 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other.
- One pencil sharpener.- One blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well).
- Five unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers (no punchy pencils, please).- Five black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink).
- One box of 16 or 24 crayons.
- One 2½” eraser.
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
ST. JOHN’S COUNCILAugust Meeting Minutes
St. John’s Council met on Aug. 9, 2015 with Pastor James, Gaylord, Scott, Darcy, Luther, & Barb present. Chris was absent.
Gaylord called the meeting to order.The secretary & treasurer’s reports were given.Pastor James gave their monthly report.Scott made a motion to accept all reports, seconded by Luther. Carried.
OLD BUSINESS
A date to erect the storage building will be made soon.The entry door will be fixed around August 19th.Lakeside service will be held on August 16th with St. John’s providing the napkins, cups, and ice.
NEW BUSINESS
A motion was made by Scott for Joseph Chapman to be parish treasurer, seconded by Luther. Motion carried.Darcy made a motion for each church to contribute $500 to open a parish account. Tri Point Parish bills will be paid from this account, with the shared bills to each church, Barb seconded the motion. Carried.Luther made a motion to purchase a new PC for the parish office, paid by percentage. Seconded by Scott. Carried.A motion was made by Scott & seconded by Luther to give parish secretary $11.00 an hour. Motion carried.Pastor Minderman will fill in for Pastor Becky’s maternity leave.Members will receive staff evaluations in September & forms will be returned by Oct. 4th.A bathroom in the church basement was discussed. The property committee will look into it.Memorial boards need updating.September communion assistant is Barb Dunse.Next meeting is Sept. 20th following church.
Scott made a motion to adjourn, Seconded by Barb.
Secretary Barb Dunse
CELEBRATIONSBIRTHDAYS ANNIVERSARIES
PRINCE OF PEACESep 01 Braelynn Nielsen
04 Tom Gebers08 Mark Norvell09 Jarrett Coon
Spencer HaferJane Stratman
10 Sylvia Jividen11 Lance Donovan12 Bob Ackland13 June Graham15 Vera Lichti
15 Melanie Nebe16 Rita Lichti18 Lexi Theis23 Kyle Boyes
Hudson FintelKathy KaiserDon Moses
24 Jason Srajhans26 John Steider30 Jeanne Herman
Sep 02 Mark & Crystal Norvell10 Dwayne & Kathy Kaiser13 James & Karen White14 Ryan & Daphne Koenig15 Chad & Kimberly Gaston18 Keith & Pamela Nunns20 Paul & Jeannie Kassik22 Louis & Rita Lichti30 Donald & Joyce Belau
FIRST EVANGELICALSep 01 Cooper Bailey
Rex Kaliff03 Jeanette Mack05 Dan Miller08 Jeff Davis14 Allan Mack16 Allison Michel18 Grant Fisher
19 Glenda Vorderstrasse22 Gina Michel
Matt Smith25 Eric Barnes26 Ashley Aude27 Danielle Chrisman
Janet Perkins29 Sherry Bellis
Sep 04 Kent & JoAnn Norquest05 Randy & Kathy Barnes25 Jeff & Sharon Davis30 Tim & Paige Stacy
ST. JOHN’SSep 01 Phyllis Schoenholz
02 Kyle Anderson12 Gracie Mussman16 Gary Bulin
16 Matthew Dunse24 Jan Wolfteich26 Tina Mussman29 Cagney Mussman
Sep 15 Weldon & Hazel Bornschlegl23 Greg & Stephanie Nun
TRI POINT LUTHERAN PARISH MILESTONE MINISTRY CLASSES
3RD GRADERS – INTRO TO THE BIBLE: Wednesdays, September 9th, 16th, and 23rd from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the Prince of Peace Fellowship Hall. Bibles will be given out to third-graders on September 13 th.
5TH GRADERS – FIRST COMMUNION CLASSES: Wednesdays, September 30th and October 7th, 14th, and 21st from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the Prince of Peace Fellowship Hall. First Communion will be on Reformation Sunday.
2nd GRADERS – GOD & MONEY CLASSES: Wednesdays, January 13th and 20th from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the Prince of Peace Fellowship Hall.
6th GRADERS – INTRO TO SMALL CATECHISM: Wednesdays, April 6th, 13th, and 20th from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the Prince of Peace Fellowship Hall.
GENERAL PARISH NEWS
ELCA CHAPLAIN EDUCATION AND TRAINING
CHICAGO (ELCA) – Traveling from as far away as Hawaii and Germany, 70 chaplains from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) convened in Chicago for the annual Chaplain Education and Training Event July 26-30. The chaplains, some of whom have recently returned from deployments in Afghanistan, Colombia and Djibouti, serve in the U.S. military, Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and federal prisons. “One strategic aim is to deepen connections between chaplaincy ministries and congregations, synods, ELCA churchwide colleagues, agencies and institutions,” said the Rev. Eric Wester, assistant to the ELCA presiding bishop and director of ELCA federal chaplaincies.“Our chaplains bring word and sacrament ministries into isolated and restricted places – whether deployed or afloat with military personnel, at VA hospitals or in federal prisons. This gospel ministry extends the witness of congregations and all expressions of the ELCA.” In her opening remarks to the chaplains, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton said the church could learn a lot from the chaplains and their ministry among people of different faiths and cultures. “My guess is that every single one of your ministries is a multicultural ministry, in that the people whom you serve are not mono-cultural. But our church is now 94 percent white,” said Eaton. “Maybe the first step is, how do we start to have a conversation about race in this church? You do it all the time. And we need your help to help our folks open our eyes in new ways and find ways that we can actually get to know people who are not looking just like us.” Eaton stressed to the chaplains how their ministry
is connected to her four emphases for the ELCA: “We are church, we are Lutheran, we are church together, and we are church for the sake of the world.” “When we think of ourselves as church, we are the people of God gathered around word and sacrament. We are the baptized body of Christ. We’re not just a social service agency with sacraments,” said Eaton. “How are we able to say that my life makes sense because of the love of God I’ve experienced in Jesus Christ? Maybe that’s something you can help us with as well. Because my guess is when someone is sitting in the prison cell and the chaplain comes by, they might want to be talking about Jesus. And when you’re talking to soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Coast Guard personnel, especially in Afghanistan or other places around the world, they probably want to talk about Jesus and not just other things we do as a church. “People in the parish cannot be in the places where you serve, so we’re counting on you to do that for us. And you need to count on us to be giving you support from the places where we are. And we’re not just congregations, or conferences or synods but a churchwide expression. We also have agencies, institutions, universities and seminaries. We do this together,” said Eaton. Maj. Gen. Howard Stendahl, U.S. Air Force chief of chaplains and an ELCA pastor, said he is “proud to be a part of this community of faith.” In an interview, Stendahl spoke of Eaton’s leadership, saying the bishop “nurtures a culture of fidelity and faithfulness to the gospel.” Stendahl said he views that faithfulness as “a hospitality of the soul of every person that celebrates the gospel, in a way that shows a hospitality as opposed to judgment (or) fear or exclusion.”
“Over the years I’ve worked with vastly diverse clergy and audiences and people of no faith. No threat comes to me from someone who has a different faith. Sometimes people or a religious faith can insist or even demand their own way and look at others with judgment in hospitality. I never saw Jesus do that. When there was a need, he fed them, healed them, whatever their needs were at that time,” said Stendahl. During the event, workshop sessions focused on important ministry responsibilities for the chaplains. Topics included leading worship in public and institutional settings, pastoral care for those navigating moral injury, innovative use of the ELCA’s Book of Faith initiative, ministry to same-gender families and engaging young adults. Wester said the chaplains also celebrated their commitment to the chaplaincy scholarship with the ELCA Fund for Leaders. “In our first year, chaplains offered over $60,000 toward our five-year goal of $300,000 as part of the Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA,” said Wester. “We expect to present our first seminary scholarship in 2016.” The ELCA Fund for Leaders is an ELCA initiative to build an endowed scholarship resource to provide tuition assistance for qualified candidates studying at ELCA seminaries and is one of 10 priorities of The Campaign for the ELCA, a five-year comprehensive effort. “I think it’s a very exciting time to be in chaplaincy and serving the church,” said Col. Michael T. Lembke, an ELCA pastor who serves as chaplain at the U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Fla. “I’m perfectly able to go back to my place in Florida to tell the story about what the ELCA is doing. I understand where the bishop wants to go.
“The fact [is] that we can be who we are in our tradition, with liturgies and lectionary, to use the word and means of grace and to understand the context in which we are,” said Lembke. “And that’s where the mutual feeding between the churchwide and the chaplaincies is great because there are plenty of commonalities and there are also some unique (aspects of ministry) that we learn from each other.” Recruiting the next generation of chaplains is another strategic aim for the chaplaincy ministry and was a major topic of discussion during the event. “Twenty years ago, over 400 practicing chaplains served in the military, VA hospitals and federal prisons,” said Wester. “Now the ELCA has barely 200 pastors serving in chaplaincy, and we need more. Lutherans are going without Word and Sacrament ministry due to insufficient numbers of pastors serving in federal chaplaincy. For pastors open to serving in a public, global, institutional ministry and interested in young adults – chaplaincy is a great path of service.” For Chaplain Maj. Kerstin Hedlund, an ELCA pastor and army reservist who serves at Lake Park Lutheran in Milwaukee and also at chaplain school in Fort Jackson, S.C., the event illustrated how the ELCA “affirms and encourages” the chaplaincy ministry, “not making it seem like a lesser route to take or less Lutheran route to take. That it’s a very Lutheran route to take, a very enriching and positive thing for the world and for the military and for people who really need a Lutheran voice in a place where they don’t have it.” “The ELCA is a treasure for those of us who are in specialized ministry,” said Stendahl. They don’t abandon us or send us off. But events like this keep us rooted in our lifelong fidelity of the church … it’s priceless.”
TRI POINT LUTHERAN PARISH MEETING MINUTESAugust 4, 2015, 7:00pm
Members present: Nancy Meyer (POP), Gaylord Cradduck (St. John’s), Clark Poppert (POP), Tim Stacy (First) Pastors James and Becky Sells, Joseph ChapmanMembers absent: Kathy Barnes (First) and Ruth Drake (St. John’s)
Devotions were led by Pastor Becky.
Parish BookkeepingDiscussion: Because there was no position of Treasurer created when the Parish was formed, the Prince of Peace treasurer was to take care of all bookkeeping for the parish. Current Prince of Peace treasurer Chris Coash shared her concerns about the lengthy process required to receive funds from each separate church and then pay bills, recently resulting in some late fees. She suggested the parish form a “seed account” into which each church inputs funds so that bills may be paid as soon as possible while waiting for each church’s portion of the fee to come in. Chris stated that about $1,500 is required each month to pay for parish-wide utilities and fees, so each church could put $500 into this seed account to create a substantial “cushion” of funds for occasions such as those Chris summarized.
Action: There was a motion by Clark to approve the formation of a checking account for parish-wide bills and fees and to organize a yearly audit of the parish finances; Tim seconded and the motion was carried. Clark proposed an amendment to the previous motion, which added that the signatories to this new checking account be the Tri Point Lutheran Parish administrative secretary and the Tri Point Lutheran Parish board president; Tim seconded and the motion was carried.
Action: There was a motion by Clark to recommend to each church’s council that they supply $500 to fund this new parish-wide account; Tim seconded, and the motion was carried.
Chris will organize meetings with each church’s congregation to speak about these issues and the proposed solutions which will have to be approved by each congregational council then by congregations at their annual meeting.
Discussion: Board members discussed that when the parish was created the bylaws were written to say that the Prince of Peace treasurer would handle parish bookkeeping. Since then, the job has increased in scope and the board discussed adding the duties to the Tri Point clerical position. Since Joseph’s skills have allowed him to complete his clerical duties in fewer than his allotted 20 hours per week, he agreed to the board’s proposal that he do the bookkeeping duties, as well.
Action: Council presidents will ask their councils to approve changing the bylaws to move the duties of Tri Point Parish treasurer from Prince of Peace to the parish clerical position at the August meetings. The clerical/treasurer position will remain at 20 hours per week.
Pastoral EvaluationsBoard members reviewed the traditional form to the meeting to see if any changes needed to be made, as well as when and how to present these forms. One change included the addition of a “Church” field on the form so that the board could note disparities in the evaluation of the pastors between the three churches. It was decided that two evaluation forms be placed in each mailbox and returned to the corresponding members of the council by October 1, 2015 so that they may be collated before the October board meeting.
Clerical Position EvaluationDiscussion: The board had previously decided that they would evaluate the work of the newly hired secretary after three months; Joseph Chapman had been hired just over two months ago, so the board decided to evaluate his work at this meeting. Both
pastors spoke very positively about Joseph’s skills and strongly supported an increase in wages.
Action: There was a motion by Gaylord to recommend to the church councils that the hourly wage of the Tri Point Lutheran Parish administrative secretary be increased to $11; Clark seconded and the motion was carried.
Summer ActivityDiscussion: The board noted that the parish-wide Lakeside Service would take place on Sunday, August 16 at 10:30am at the Lone Star Recreation Area. Board members decided how they would supply drinks and tableware for the service. Nancy suggested that the parish consider having more joint services between churches but no motions were made on the matter.
Maternity LeavePastor Annette Minderman would be filling for Pastor Becky during her upcoming maternity leave. The pastors noted that Pastor Minderman had filled in recently for them while they were away and she had done a wonderful job.
New Office ComputerDiscussion: The pastors and the administrative secretary noted the need for a new office computer due to outdated hardware and recent
networking issues. The board discussed how the activities performed on the computer for each church compared to the current congregational shares of the parish; it was ultimately decided that the workload was fairly similar to these percentages.
Action: There was a motion by Clark to recommend to the church councils that a new computer be bought for the Tri Point Lutheran Parish office for no more than $2000, with each church paying a share of the cost equal to their congregational percentages; Tim seconded and the motion was carried.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Tri Point Lutheran Parish board was scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 7:00pm. Proposed discussion items for the meeting include a review of the year and pastoral evaluations, budgeting, and plans for Advent.
The meeting closed with the Lord’s Prayer and was adjourned at 8:28pm.
Joseph ChapmanTri Point Lutheran Parish Secretary
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