Windsor United Church of Christ Council Minutes
February 14, 2023
Present: Bob Mutton, Nancy Nader, Darrin Leonhart, Dawn Collins, Nancy Martin, Bill Ridgely, David Schipper, Pastor Craig Jan-McMahon, Matt Sutherland, Dwight Mueller, Jon Rouse, Joan Rice
- Opening Devotional: Bob Mutton
- Minutes of the January 10 meeting were reviewed. No objections were noted.
- Moderator’s Report
- The UCC Conference Center will be moving. They have asked for a room for storage. There were no objections.
- The annual Council retreat will be on March 25, probably from 9:00 to noon, followed by a lunch.
Joan Rice moved that Darrin Leonhart be appointed Vice Moderator. Nancy Martin seconded the motion. Motion carried.
- Pastor’s Report:
- Photos are being taken of those who serve in worship, Council members and Ministry Team members.
- There have been 37 requests for Lenten devotionals thus far, some by email and some by USPS. A list of those who have signed up was shared.
- Pastor Craig is working with Congregational Life on Connections, a Time and Talents survey.
- On-line pew pads are now available for those worshiping on-line.
- There was discussion on the notification of a member’s death. When there is an obituary, the Congregation will be notified.
- A consulting group for communication and marketing has been formed. Its members are Sue Schreiber, Darrin Leonhart, and Sara Bliefernicht.
- Confirmands will be helping with Lenten services.
- Committee Reports
- Missions
- Over $1,000 was raised from the sale of pottery bowls make by Thea Collins. The money will go to End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
- Blankets and towels left over from Road Home were donated, and Christmas program costumes will be stored in that space.
- Worship
- During Lent, there will be a soup supper at 5:30, followed by a worship service at 6:15.
- Paper copies of Lenten Devotionals will be mailed out.
- A suggestion was made to add Christian Education times to the Church’s sign.
- Congregational Life
- Sign-up to help with Lenten Suppers on March 1-27 will be made available.
- Pastor Craig’s Installation Service will be on February 19 at 2:00 at church. Cake and coffee will be served.
- There will be a new members installation on February 26. Cake and coffee will follow.
- A card ministry team will meet on February 20.
- There was a good response to the sign-up sheets for ways to get involved.
- Music
- Preparations are underway for Lenten and Easter music.
- The ukelele choir has been well received. We now have good equipment for live streaming music.
- A keyboard was received as a memorial gift. It will be a good addition to the music program.
- Technology
- The team has been reviewing other websites as well as our own and making plans for a new website. It will include an “About Us” page. Each Ministry Team will have a page that includes Roles and Responsibilities. The Technology team will build the framework. There will be a Contact form to connect with various Ministries and a Resources tab. They also hope to develop metrics for collecting data on website usage.
- Stewardship
- The goal is to raise $24,272. In the past, fundraisers have yielded $13,400 to $17,000 annually. The team will reach out to individuals to advise on fundraisers.
- Three new pledges have been received totaling $4,700. Thank you notes have been mailed. Efforts will be made to send thank you notes to non-pledging givers along with notes to reengage non-givers.
- In March, there will be an emphasis on new members, advertising and legacy giving.
- A fundraising schedule of events will be developed by the ad hoc committee.
- Darrin will craft a letter regarding legacy giving.
- Board of Trustees
- At the Trustees next meeting, a Building Use policy and the Finance Policy will be finalized.
- Bob, Darrin and Craig will meet to discuss cleaning up the Constitution, including adding that the Pastor will not be on the Search Committee.
- Over $500 has been donated to the OCWM and the Southwest Conference.
- The steeple lights and the parking lot lights have been reprogrammed to go off earlier.
- The Church owned 50 key fobs, with 32 users. Some are lost or unaccounted for. The vendor sells them in lots of 50.
- The annual budget for gas is too low.
- There was discussion on changing the quorum to 10% of members, on developing the capacity for online participation and voting, and on changing term start dates from January 1 to February 1.
- The Constitution requires that the Council appoint 2 people to the Pastoral Relations Committee.
Bill moved that $30,000 from the Hopkins Bequest Money Market be moved to the checking account. Dawn seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Bill moved that the Council appoint Kit Thompson and Jon Rouse to the Pastoral Relations Committee. Nancy Nader seconded the motion. Motion carried.
- Treasurer’s Report
- 2022 ended with a deficit of $21,000. This amount was covered with reserve funds from the Hopkins bequest. The budget for 2023 has a deficit of approximately $25,000. This a concern.
- Nominating Committee
- Terms of present Council members was discussed. Christian Education, Stewardship and Technology terms will begin in odd years. Missions, Congregational Life and Worship terms will begin in even years.
Next meeting: March 14, 2023
Respectfully submitted,
Joan Rice
