Trinity's Congregation Council meets each 3rd Tuesday at 6:30 PM. All are welcome to attend and observe. To speak at a meeting, or with other comments or questions, email the council: council2324@tlcs.church.
Greetings from the Congregation Council!
Greetings from your Congregation Council! How time flies, and sometimes we (I mean, “I”) struggle to keep up! The following are highlights from the past three Council meetings:
June Meeting
Infant/toddler playground: The Council approved the TLCS Child Development Center moving ahead with the infant/toddler playground project. All funding will come from CDC reserves. Nanette Erban had presented the proposal to the Council on May 16th and to the congregation at the June 11th congregation meeting. The proposal was well received in both meetings.
Building repair project: The council reviewed the need for a task force to make decisions affecting the exterior appearance of the building during the roof replacement project. Those willing to serve include: Sandy Schneider, Paul Burns, Byron Johnson, and Don Boelter. Judy Jacobson will join the group as the Council representative.
Leadership development: Things are moving forward with development of next steps roughly defined, including a TLCS video series where church leadership staff share what they do in their defined roles.
Audit Committee: The council approved Claudia LaFollette resignation from the Audit Committee. Members of the Audit Committee act as independent evaluators of our financial processes. The Council discussed the status of the committee and options for moving forward with a professional audit. A professional audit is needed at this time given both the size of TLCS’ budget, and since TLCS hasn’t had an audit recently.
Personnel Committee: The Council elected Kim Palmer to continue serving on the Personnel committee (a committee elected by the Council based on the TLCS Constitution) for a new 3-year term starting July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2026..
New screens for the sanctuary: The Council approved the Tech Team moving ahead with a video screen replacement project using funds 50/50 from the Memorial Fund and the Capital Fund. This will replace the existing screens in the sanctuary with LED screens that are easier to read. This plan comes after the Tech Team extensively reviewed potential options. The Tech Team volunteered to provide the labor installation.
Other items discussed: Council members also discussed the challenge of the sun in people’s eyes during the service, which is a separate concern. Various options are being tried. Reliance on printed worship bulletins was also discussed, primarily in light of the environmental impact. Council members support continuing this discussion within the council and the congregation.
Review of our Reconciling in Christ (RIC) status: The staff of TLCS has engaged in dialogue around what ways our core ministries can work on common aims. The work of Reconciling Works has evolved and this is great timing for us learning more about engaging with our RIC status, and all that entails including an overall social justice and racial equity lens.
July Meeting
Financial audit: The Council approved TLCS contracting with Jacobson, Jarvis & Co to conduct a Financial Health Check. Linda Fargo will be helping in the process.
Cold Weather Shelter: The Council approved moving ahead with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between TLCS and the Cold Weather Shelter (CWS). The MOU will define the relationships and commitments. Essentially, TLCS will provide the same overall support to CWS for another year while CWS actively works to find and transition to a different fiscal agent.
Council retreat: The Council is tentatively planning a Council retreat on Saturday September 30th.
Annual review of compensation, benefits, and responsibilities for rostered leaders: The Council discussed potential positive and negative impacts of conducting annual performance reviews. An intention is that the process will help with the pastor’s discernment of where they are, as well as renewing mutual support commitments between the pastors and the congregation.
August Meeting
Building project updates: Mark shared that the cost of the roof and siding project is expected to exceed the amount authorized by the congregation. The siding was the greatest unknown, and wasn’t the initial priority for the contract. Don explained that we may be able to move forward with just the roof now, as initially planned, since that was part of the initial approval and then siding was added when additional funds were received. The Council discussed hosting a building project forum, and Special Congregation Meeting to discuss the project and make decisions as needed.
Council priorities for 2023-24: The Council discussed how the Council can help the congregation move forward in core ministry areas, and brainstormed various ideas. The desired outcome is that we agree upon one (maybe two) strategic or generative priorities for the 2023-24 Council year.
Positive words and enthusiasm were expressed around the journey ahead.
Humbly,
Your Congregation Council (and submitted by Jenny who is respectfully requesting your grace for sharing 3 months of highlights at once!)