MINUTES: ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
January 29, 2006
Chuck Nielsen, 2005 council president, called the meeting to order at 9:38 a.m.
After Pastor Joan led prayer, Chuck thanked outgoing council members
and turned the meeting over to Dave Brabec, the 2006 president.
Minutes
Minutes of the last congregational meeting (November 20, 2005) were approved as printed (M/Marlow Strand, S/Chuck Nielsen).
Pastor Gunderman turned her report into a teaching moment:
Pastor Joan defined the difference between a “worship club” and a
“church of the cross of Jesus Christ.” She then invited us to join
together in doing “things that have eternal consequences,” things that
are “great for God.”
Reports
Dave Brabec urged everyone to read the printed reports. Arlene Rice
offered a correction to page 15 of the annual report; she is not
retiring from the Communications committee. Dave then referred to the
“statistics” pages (pp. 26-31) and noted that the church membership
roster had been updated in 2005 by removing the names of members who
were inactive or had moved away.
New Business
Synod delegates
John Wallin (S/Dick Peterson) presented the nominating committee’s
three nominees --Chuck Nielsen, Peggy Carlson and Dan Frank— who were
elected unopposed.
Adoption of 2006 budget
Dave Brabec, as last year’s treasurer and this year’s council
president, noted that we ended 2005 with $829 more in expenses than
revenue, our first in-the-red result in several years. (To cope with
income some $31,000 below budget, we achieved this relatively balanced
budget in large part by reducing our planned benevolence to the synod
by $9,900. Until Feb. 10, 2006, we are receiving special offerings to
make up this shortfall.) He then explained various aspects of the 2006
budget and answered the following questions:
- We’re spending more on maintenance for the parsonage, some $3,000 in 2005, and reviewing its use (after Denny Holmen asked about our plans for the parsonage).
- We have not examined individual giving patterns, and emphatically will not, to see where our offerings fell off in 2005 (question by Dick Brumfield).
- There is no line item for mileage allowance for our pastors. That money is included in Expense Allowance under Operating Expenses (question by Denny Holmen).
- The Pension/Medical line item is so much higher in 2006 because we didn’t pay pension or medical benefits last year to Pastor Schulz but must of course pay them this year for Pastor Gunderman (question by Tom Larson).
- Bob Warneke asked that each newsletter show the level of our giving year-to-date. By consensus, the congregation strongly concurred, so it will be done.
- By voice vote, the 2006 budget was approved (M/Del Ring, S/Chuck Nielsen).
There was no time for agenda items Old Business or Other Business, for any other New Business or any non-budget questions from the floor, or even for a formal motion to adjourn.
Even so, as people left, Dave Brabec mentioned the appeal for
2005 benevolence giving, John Wallin made corrections to p. 34 of the
annual report, and Jerry Williams appealed for volunteers for our
TV/audio ministry.
After prayer, the meeting ended at 10:27 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
John Windh, secretary
January 31, 2006