GCC Council Mtg for Feb. 2011

Grace Community Church

Council Meeting Minutes

2/8/11

Attending: Blain Harris, Dave Bertolini (staff), Tim Howard, Guy Basso, Susie Futrell, Angela Stockdall, Chuck Baker (Elder rep.), Jim Cross, Annette Anderson, Berta Horton (guest)

Pastor Guy opened with prayer.

January minutes were approved.

Pastor’s Update

Pastor Guy has returned from his five week sabbatical in Hawaii. He expressed his deep appreciation for the time off, and said it was of great spiritual and relational benefit to him and Yvonne.

As a result of his trip, Pastor Guy was able to reflect on our spiritual journey as a church. He desires to lead us, as a church body, to refocus on the powerful work of The Holy Spirit, with less of a spiritual reliance on programs.

More of his thoughts and intentions will be shared with us all (Elders, Council, Ministry Leaders, and Congregants) in the weeks ahead.

Capital Improvements Update

Design and Construction

Council discussed the interior improvements including color design and flooring. It was determined that carpeting the majority of the Fellowship Hall will best accommodate our needs. Also, Angela spoke about her plan of attack for arriving at paint color, and other artistic decisions.

Action: Angela Stockdall, Linda Shryer and Kenya Tichenor will make color selections and meet with an artist. Together, they will work with Denise (interior designer) to create a detailed plan. This plan will be presented to the congregation in both model and digitalized format.

Much discussion centered around long term solutions for some of our exterior challenges outside the back of the building, including the old concrete, wheel chair ramp, outside stairs and railings, doors, and the exterior fireplace bricks.

Action: Chuck Baker will meet with Scott Champion, of CD Redding, to gather information and price quotes for each area of concern.

Additionally, Chuck made contact with a licensed electrician and will meet with him this week to discuss the cost of wiring, lighting, etc. Ultimately, Denise will manage the work of any interior subcontractors.

Sanctuary Chairs vs. Pews

The Church Office passed along a catalogue of sanctuary chairs as an alternative to our current pews. Council agreed that this will be something to consider in the future. At present, we’d like to keep our budget focus on the current Fellowship Hall improvements.

We will keep the catalogue on file for future consideration.

Water Fountain

Update: Though the current water fountain is still working, without the ability to find replacement parts, its days are numbered.

Chuck is working on finding a way to order a new unit at a cost of $600-$800.

Exterior Cross

Clarification: The Council’s understanding is that the cross is still under construction, as Mark Speelman is mounting lights to its interior surface. Once Mark is finished, Bob Herndon will work with Hugh Genualdi to complete the process of securing and wiring the cross to the building.

Action: Tim will follow up with Bob Herndon.

Church Bus/Van

Seats

Kerry Hanson is working on transferring/securing seats inside the bus. There will be seating for 15, including driver, once all seats are in place.

Bus/Van Use Policy

Dave presented a template (used by another church) for our own Bus Use Policy. The detailed template includes criteria for approved drivers, protocol for requesting use of the bus, and guidelines for bus operation. It also includes a Bus Trip Request Form, Driver’s Safety Checklist, Bus Trip Mileage Log, as well as driving tips specific to group transportation and instructions for emergency procedure.

Council discussed some slight modifications to the form, to make it appropriate for a church of our size.

Berta Horton suggested placing the mileage log on a clip board, to be dispensed and recalled in the same manner as the bus keys. In her professional experience, this will ensure accountability for tracking mileage. Council appreciated this suggestion and agreed to implement the clipboard/key strategy.

With safety in mind, council discussed the criteria for drivers. Congregants who wish to be approved as bus/van drivers must submit to a background check as well as a DMV check. Explanation of circumstances involving any traffic citations will be evaluated with discretion. Additionally, drivers may be asked about any medical conditions or medications which are known to impair driving ability. Also, a safety video with written test, and a short test drive of the bus will be required.

Action: Chuck Baker will acquire a written test from the Salvation Army, to be used in conjunction with our Church Mutual Driver’s Safety Video. Dave will oversee Jodie Pearce as she modifies the wording on the Bus Use Policy. Jim will check with Church Mutual to make sure that our protocol meets their safety criteria as well.

Vehicle Maintenance

Kerry Hanson recommends the local Ford dealership for bi-annual oil changes and a thorough mechanical check of the bus once per year. Council agrees that this is a prudent solution for our maintenance needs.

Maintenance Person/Council Liaison

As the Council is still working through its own transition, we spent time discussing a communication/implementation strategy for the ground and building maintenance needs. While Chuck is stepping down from Council, he is willing to continue to provide regular maintenance to our facilities.

Council approved Chuck to spend up to $250.00 for repairs, at his discretion. Larger expenditures will warrant more discussion.

Round Table

Church Directory

Blain Harris introduced the topic of our cancelled church pictorial directory by offering the volunteer services of Moriah Harris and Allison Person. The women are willing to take photos, copy, and collate a less formal directory in lieu of the professional pictorial directory we’ve had in the past.

With gratitude for the offer, Council feels this idea would not be cost effective, as the previous directories have not cost the church anything.

Council discussed some of the challenges of putting together a directory and agreed that it’s now time to move forward with this project.

Action: Pastor Guy will assign this task to Tara. Blain will ask Moriah and Allison if they’re willing to help Tara with the process.

Fellowship Hall Coordinator

Susie Futrell wondered if we’ve made any progress in the area of finding a new Kitchen/Fellowship Hall coordinator.

As of yet, this ministry position remains vacant.

Sunday Morning Transportation

Chuck Baker spoke about the Sunday morning transportation needs of some of our elderly congregants. Council discussed the fact that the church bus will work well for this purpose.

Once someone steps forward to take on this area of ministry we can evaluate how to move forward with a plan of action.

Calendar of Events

Dave Bertolini passed out a Ministry Events Calendar through August and an Operational Plan (calendar) for 2011.

Note: Tim Howard turned in the official forms adding him and Annette to the State Directory.

Susie Futrell closed in prayer.

The next meeting is March 8, 2011 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the Conference Room.

Godly Men - Where Art Thou?

Have you ever been really challenged? Like knock you out of your chair challenged? This video did that for me. We need men to step up in our churches. I hope the ministries of GCC (or wherever you attend church) are preparing men to lead their families, their churches, and in their communities!

GCC Council Mtg for Jan. 2011

Grace Community Church

Council Meeting Minutes

1/11/2011

Attending: Dave Bertolini, Jim Cross, Kristie Taylor, Angela Stockdall, Tim Howard, Kristie Taylor, Blain Harris, Daniel Porter

Kristie opened with prayer.

December minutes were approved.

Welcome to our new members – Tim, Blain, and Annette! Annette was unable to attend this meeting.

Pastor’s Updates

The “Crazy Love” series is going well. The feedback has been very positive.

A “Bible in 90 Days” challenge will run from mid-Feb. through June 5.

Pastor Guy and Yvonne are doing well in Hawaii and are enjoying their studies, church, and preparing for the upcoming “Bible in 90 Days” sermon series.

Bob Herndon stepped down from being the primary grounds/maintenance contact but has agreed to continue helping until someone is found to replace him in this role. Scott Chapman has been reporting to Bob for the janitorial duties. Dave will assume the supervision of the janitorial staff. Council had discussion about the grounds and maintenance coordination and agreed that it’s ideal if the person in that role is also someone who sits on Council. Chuck volunteered to be a point of contact at least through the summer or until his Council term is complete.

Capital Improvement Updates

Chuck had further phone conversation with Denise, the interior designer. She has recommended some flooring options for the fellowship hall. She made some recommendations for local contractors for some of the work.

The planned capital improvements are addressing functional, safety, and aesthetic needs. Council would like to communicate the needs and purposes of these updates to the congregation more clearly. It was also agreed that the capital improvement activities should include work on the handicap ramp in back as well as the technical equipment and functionality for overflow and events. Angela agreed to work with Denise on color choices and may include a few others for preference input. She will also look into getting some quality artist renderings of the project vision.

Action: Chuck will contact Denise again and start getting some of the update activities scheduled. Timeframes will be communicated to Pastor Guy and Pastor Dave so they can begin presenting the vision and project scope. Design suggestions will also be forwarded to Angela so she can talk with an artist to possibly prepare a visual presentation of the planned updates for display.

Note: It would be desirable to replace the switch panel and install some dimmable ballasts. Council would like Denise to consider rebates currently available through Energy Trust of Oregon when selecting lighting and fixtures.

The water heater did get replaced in the basement.

There is a cracked window in an upstairs preschool classroom. Repair has been scheduled.

The water fountain is currently functioning; however we cannot get replacement parts for it any longer.

Action: Chuck will get some bids for replacement of the water fountain.

The new exterior cross has been made, and the building is wired for the lighting. Council agreed to ask Bob to finish the installation of the cross.

Budget

The capital improvement budget was discussed, especially in light of the feedback received in the congregational meeting. The line of credit is available, but Council agreed to exercise caution in incurring debt and would like to see about funding the update activities without utilizing credit. We can identify some operating cash to use toward the immediate costs and would like to ask for targeted giving from the congregation to make up the rest.

Jim provided an overview of the church budget activity. Giving was slightly ahead for this month, but our overall budget is still a bit behind for the year. About 24 households are making up about 50% of the total giving budget.

Emergency Action Plan

There was further discussion about the presentation of ServPro services from the last meeting. It was decided that Council will not convene a workgroup to develop an emergency plan as previously discussed. There was consensus that our current emergency contacts are known by Council and office staff, and ServPro’s phone number will be kept on file as needed. If special equipment or signs need to be purchased, the requests will go through normal channels for approval.

Driver Requirement List and Van Seats

Kerry Hanson has agreed to help develop a driver checklist as well as a quarterly maintenance checklist. We have a couple of volunteers who have agreed to do the regular maintenance on the church van. Jodie will use the checklists and develop the official forms. A list of approved drivers is currently being compiled, and Jodie is working with Church Mutual and Charisa to work out a process for background checks.

Action: Dave will bring the draft checklist to the next meeting for final approval.

Pastor Ben has requested that the wheelchair lift be bolt secured in the van to be able to add more seating (convert from 12-passenger to 15-passenger). If/when we need the lift, it can simply be unbolted and the seats removed.

Council approved Kerry to obtain price quotes for the added seats and will report back to Council for final approval.

Roundtable

Tim and Annette need to be added to the Secretary of State church officer registry.

Action: Jim will send the web link to Annette to submit the change before the next meeting.

This is Kristie’s last meeting as her 2-year term has concluded. Tim will assume the Moderator role at the next meeting. Annette will assume the Secretary role at the next meeting.

Tim closed in prayer.

The next meeting is February 8, 2011 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the Conference Room.

Funding the Future

As most of you know (if you don't know you must have missed church for a while), GCC is in the process of updating our facilities. So far, we have fixed beams, rotted siding and painted the outside. Still to be done is mounting a new outside cross and the freshening up of the bathrooms, back entry ways and fellowship hall. We also are discussing how we can make the FH more accessible to those who have mobility issues. The FH project is not just about improving the look of the place. The ceiling needs repairing and the carpet has become a tripping hazard. Therefore, these are improvements that we must do rather than improvements we just want to do. While we are doing what is necessary to be able to continue to use the FH, we hope to make the place look better!

At the last congregational meeting in December 2010, there was much discussion about fundraising vs. borrowing. One of the amazing things about GCC is the leadership we have in place. At the congregational meeting in February of 2010, it was approved to borrow $120,000+. Our leadership was able to manage our finances in such a way that the painting and massive structural changes needed have been done without borrowing a cent. Because of the work Jim Cross and our council did in managing our finances, we are in a great position moving forward because of not needing to borrow near as much.

Our hope and prayer is that the people of GCC will get behind this project. Through increased giving, our church council would be able to continue these improvements with borrowing a very minimal amount, if at all! Please consider what you can give to allow GCC to minister effectively far into the future! We thank you for your support!

GCC Annual Budget Mtg Minutes (Dec. 19, 2010)

Grace Community Church

Congregational Meeting

Dec. 19, 2010

Facilitator: Pastor Guy Basso

Pastor Guy opened in prayer.

Ministry reports were distributed for individual review.

Confidential ballots were distributed for the membership to elect new Council members. The ballots included the following nominations:

Moderator: Tim Howard

Secretary: Annette Anderson

At large member: Blain Harris

At large member: Daniel Porter

All nominated individuals were confirmed by the membership vote.

Jim Cross provided copies of financial statements for the year ended August 31, 2010; Year to date November 30, 2010 and an updated budget for the church’s capital improvement activities.

The capital improvement budget has been updated after receiving more accurate numbers for foyer and fellowship hall improvements. Estimates for master planning and general contracting were eliminated because they are no longer needed. The estimated cost has decreased overall.

Questions were raised regarding the terms of our outstanding Citizen’s Bank loan and plans to incur further debt. So far, the Church has not incurred any additional debt for the repair and updating that has been completed. In the previous congregational meeting in January 2010, the initial budget for capital improvements had been approved with the understanding that it would likely mean incurring some debt.

Motion: a motion was made to hold another membership meeting in the near future to determine if debt should indeed be incurred for the facility updates. The motion did not pass.

Pastor Guy closed in prayer.

GCC Council Mtg for Dec. 2010

Grace Community Church Council Meeting

12/14/2010

Attending: Chuck Baker, Guy Basso, Dave Bertolini, Jim Cross, Susie Futrell, Bob Herndon, Kristie Taylor, Angela Stockdall

Guests: Brian Richards, Scott Chapman, Tim Howard

Chuck opened with prayer.

November minutes were approved.

Presentation

Scott Chapman and Brian Richards presented the services of ServPro and requested that the church make an investment in response tools such as wet floor signs, etc. A request was also made for the church to give a deeper consideration for emergency preparedness and consider developing an emergency plan and possibly even running some mock emergency drills. ServPro offers emergency preparedness classes, and they provide cleanup and restoration services after damage does happen (water, fire, smoke, violent crime). They are on-call to respond 24/7. They can also provide general cleaning such as carpet cleaning and post-construction cleaning.

Agreed: It would be good to put a general emergency plan in place and involve our insurance agent for input. The Council decided that a small workgroup would convene to draft a plan, but it will be tabled until after the first of the New Year when the new Council members are on board.

Safety note

There is a divot in the east sidewalk which is a tripping hazard and needs to be filled.

Insurance

Church Mutual Insurance is up for renewal in Oct. 2011. An appraiser has visited the property to do a valuation, and we have been told that taxes may increase next year.

Pastors’ Guy’s Updates

§ Pastor Guy wrote to Diego twice.

§ The congregational meeting is this Sunday. Ministry reports. Blain Harris and Daniel Porter will be nominated as members. Tim Howard will be nominated as Moderator. Annette Anderson will be nominated as Secretary.

§ Jan. 2 will be a communion service.

§ Matthew and Theresa Hicks joined the church membership.

§ A 90-day Bible reading campaign will begin in February. A Sunday school class and sermon series will run concurrently to support the campaign.

§ Pastor Guy will be finishing his sabbatical time during the full month of January and the first week of February.

Pastor Dave’s Updates

The church has begun a new outreach effort with Outreach.com. A welcome postcard is automatically sent to anyone moving to homes within a 5-mile perimeter of the church. Dutch Bros. is partnering with us to put a $3 coupon on the postcard. Outreach sends the church a list of the names on a monthly basis. Cost is $.70 per card, and the cards will outline general church information.

Vehicle Policy

A draft safety checklist was reviewed. The list is likely something we would use for a quarterly maintenance check.

Church Mutual insurance has provided Jodie with a form to complete for each potential driver of the church van. Jodie will submit these forms to the insurance company which will conduct background checks and decide who is valid to drive church vehicles based on insurance requirements.

ACTION: Dave will identify someone to put together a short driver requirement list such as watch video, review safety inspection checklist, complete the driver request form for Jodie to submit to insurance, familiarize themselves with the vehicle function (lights, emergency brakes, etc).

Equipment Check-Out Sheet

A draft check out sheet was reviewed and approved for use whenever items or equipment are borrowed from the church for personal use. It was suggested that “checked out by” be added. Once added, the sheet is approved. They will be kept in the office for use.

Tara is the main point of contact in the office for all check out requests.

Anyone on staff could potentially check-in the items if they are willing to assess the condition and sign it in on the original check-out roster.

Capital Projects Updates

Budget – Jim provided an updated budget for review.

Denise, the interior designer, will help coordinate the bid collection from contractors and will soon provide the church a recommendation and bid for re-design of the interior.

The budget needs have changed for the overall project, and the approval for the amended budget will be put up for membership vote during this week’s congregational meeting.

Interior update activities – We will likely need 4-6 weeks to complete the updates. We will move forward with starting the update activities as soon as possible.

ACTION: The hot water heater downstairs is leaking and needs to be replaced. Council approved the replacement, and Bob will proceed with it.

ACTION: The drinking fountain also needs to be replaced. Chuck is looking into price options.

Congregational Meeting December 19

The meeting will be in Room 2 of Bldg A.

Pastor Guy will facilitate.

The meeting will be limited to one hour, 11:00 – 12:00.

Agenda will include ministry leaders’ reports, ballot votes for Council nominees, and a vote for an updated facility refreshening budget.

Budget Review

The budget activity was reviewed. We are currently running behind budget and will continue to closely monitor activity.

Escrip

All Escrip donation designations through Safeway ended as of November 1. Anyone wishing to designate a portion of their Safeway purchases to be given back to Grace Community Church and/or Grace Christian Preschool needs to go online and set up their accounts at www.escrip.com. Tara has been finalizing bulletin inserts to notify the congregation.

Council Membership

Council wishes to extend a huge thanks to Bob Herndon for his faithful service on Council for the past 2 years! This was his last meeting.

The next council meeting was set for Jan. 11 at 6:30 in the Conference Room.

Kristie closed in prayer.

All Church Business Meeting Dec. 19, 2010

There is one of our two all church business meeting on Sunday during the SS hour (11am-12pm) in room 2 of building A. All are invited to receive reports of each of the ministry leaders, hear the latest on our Fellowship Hall remodel project and vote on the new council members (voting is members only).

Come support our church by being informed and involved in what is happening at Grace CC.