Present: Diane All members
Guest: Ministry Asst. Collmann
1. Opening & Devotions—Scheffler called the monthly council meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Devotions given by Kruse.
2. Agenda—Motion by Hall; second by Hokinson to approve agenda as printed. All ayes. Motion carried.
3. Minutes—Motion by Schoon; second by Hall to approve minutes from the last meeting as amended to show Marv Poppen as absent. All ayes. Motion carried.
4. No Non-Committee Action Items
5. Committees & Organizations [no report for the following committees: Worship, Music & Arts, Stewardship, Evangelism & Outreach, Finance/Administration, Memorial & Archives, and Endowment]
A. Parish Education—Schoon reported plans for a church rummage sale on May 2nd and funds will go toward Vacation Bible School and funding Okoboji instruction at VBS this summer. If questions about the rummage sale, call LeAnn Darr, 469-3459.
B. Buildings & Grounds
i. Tuckpointing – Howrey reported he had submitted the contract for the west side of the church. Discussion held about completing all tuckpointing vs. just one side of the church at a time. The cost for the original structure of the church is $25,454. Motion by Poppen; second by Hall to pursue completing the tuckpointing for the original structure of the church and the bell tower. All ayes. Motion carried.
ii. Dishwasher – Pastor explained to the council on the proposed location of the dishwasher in the kitchen. Motion by Kruse; second by Meiners to move forward with buying and installing a dishwasher, noting that there should be no more paper plates and paper products used for events. Discussion held about the motion and funds, noting that the money in the dishwasher fund has been donated and designated specifically for buying and installing a dishwasher. Friendly amendment by Kruse; Meiners accepted the amendment to include a building & materials review by Pastor Sherer and Howrey to arrive at a more exact cost assessment to ensure the designated funds will cover the dishwasher project. 12 ayes and 1 abstention.
iii. Elevator – Howrey reported on maintenance performed on the elevator again. Council members were showed how to open the elevator. Ask Mary Jo Kruse how many tries it took her to open the elevator.
iv. Discussion held about the corner on the south side of the church where the garden will be placed, some prep work needs to be done before planting.
C. Social Concerns—Proctor reported Cynthia informed him some files were lost on her computer when computers were switched. Discussion held and the files are not retrievable.
D. Personnel—Proctor reported Pam has resigned from her custodial duties (not worship assistant duties) Pam is willing to perform custodial duties until April 15th. Proctor went on to report he has received several applications for the position. Discussion held to guide the personnel committee on holding interviews, wages, and a three-month probationary period.
i. Cynthia will be gone for her daughter’s wedding from April 22nd through April 27th. Steve Hall volunteered to cover the phone for those 4 work days in the office, April 22, 23, 24, and 27. Cynthia planned ahead and moved the newsletter deadline up to April 13, with plans to print on April 21.
E. Cemetery—Hokinson reported she will soon be calling on people for help with mowing the cemetery
6. Parochial Report Motion by Howrey; second by Poppen to approve monthly Parochial Report and change church records to show the following [no marriages, baptisms, transferred ins, transferred outs]:
Deaths—Nancy Sturgis
All ayes. Motion carried.
7. Pastor’s Report Pastor Sherer shared a thank you note expressing their gratitude for the continued outreach, thoughts & prayers. Pastor asked council to pray for our confirmation classes. Our congregation, and many others, are experiencing lower attendance to worship from confirmation aged kids.
A. The Confirmation retreat is scheduled for April 24-25 and Pastor asked council members to help with the retreat.
B. Pastor may have other commitments during the synod assembly in May in helping with Jan’s continued care. Reservations were made for our attending delegates, Lynn and Mary Jo Meier.
C. Pastor reported on the parsonage back-porch awning project and planning to finish it this spring/summer.
D. Pastor reported Mary Collmann met with 12 members of the candidacy committee in Storm Lake. She was approved to be called by the church ELCA as an Associate In Ministry (AIM). Associates In Ministry need to meet the rigors of academia applied to the position. At the end of the journey, candidates are required to complete a written assessment and participate in an approval interview. Congratulations Mary!
8. Ministry Assistant’s Report: M. Collmann reported on the Crop Walk on April 19th.
9. Treasurer’s Report see written report
Loan Balance: $3,099.87; Checking Balance: negative $2,760.22
Kruse reported on our Outreach missions. There is a congregation in Sioux City where a $75 stipend is sent each quarter and the congregation is closing. Motion by Hokinson; second by Schoon to re-designate the funds to “Lutheran Services in Iowa: The Disaster Response Family Grant Fund” All ayes. Motion carried. Motion by Hall; second by Schoon to approve the treasurer’s report. All ayes. Motion carried.
10. Old Business
A. WIS Convention Delegates—Lynn and Mary Jo Meier will be attending on behalf of our congregation.
B. Celebration of Pastor’s 30th anniversary of Ordination—(August 12, 1979); Hokinson will follow up to see how we can celebrate with Pastor Sherer and his family.
C. Volunteer for Flood Relief—topic tabled until May meeting
11. No New Business
12. No Final Comments
13. Closing Devotions sung by council. Motion by Hall; second by Meiners to adjourn. All ayes. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:23 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Andrea Richman, Secretary
