| Opening Prayer – Pastor Mitzi led us in prayer. Introduction of Council members -- Susan Nilsen asked council members to introduce themselves, welcomed new council members and reviewed the Council process. Susan asked committee chairs to send committee reports to the website, ecminutes@yahoo.com, and to copy Sue Engel, church secretary. Approval of Last Council Minutes – The May 9, 2007 Council Minutes were approved. Pastor Mitzi reminded us that committee minutes sent to the web site are not approved minutes. Board and committee Reports: Membership Committee – Mellicent Hawke reported: • Outside lighting – The Clark Corporation graciously ordered outside lighting fixtures which will be connected temporarily with an extension cord so all can view to see how we like them. • Church Sign -- We should replace the hanging sign with a lighted fixed sign which would be on the same timer as the outside lights. Mellicent hopes Eagle Sign can make a horizontal sign that people driving by can read; she passed samples of wording for the sign and asked Council members to check a preference. Pastor Mitzi reminded us to contact zoning for approval because the sign size will require a zoning exception. Further study will be done for sign placement. Long Term Planning Initiatives -- Are there any updates? Susan Nilsen explained that in September, 2006, Council members took ownership of and reported on the status of each initiative over the following months. There is work to be done on all the initiatives. Susan will try to put together the by-law changes this summer for September. Council would like a summary of all the action taken on the long range initiatives. Pastor Ken and Marian Messek will meet to summarize the status of the Long Range Plan’s initiatives. Clergy Staff Report Pastor Ken thanked us for being here and reported: • He and Pastor Mitzi have talked at length about Sunday services next year; one thought is to follow the Christian Education curriculum in stead of the lectionary. • Pastor Ken discussed with the Diaconate our two Sunday worship services, one with music and one without. In an attempt to attract a broader congregation, it may be more appropriate not to have both services on Sunday. Pastor Ken emphasized that although nothing is changing at the present, he doesn’t think the two services provide the vehicle to attract new members and he is working on developing different kinds of worship services. • Pastor Ken asked us to spend one day at the Synod. • Summer worship begins June 24, a 35 – 40 minute casual service. • Ken is planning vacation the week of July 23. Pastor Mitzi reported • She will lead the worship service on June 24. • Adult Education – the number of people attending has dropped a bit – more like a dozen people, and the Monday night continuation of the interfaith series has gone down to 10 – 12 people. This is no surprise because of the summer season. Acceptance has been very enthusiastic. • Pastor Mitzi continues to respond to crises, conduct visits and participate in outreach. Mitzi has visited several people at Essex Meadows and has visited folks in the hospital. • Mitzi does not have a vacation mapped out and will let us know her plans. Old Business 1 -- Church Membership categories -- Ted Bliss shared a document from another church which described two membership categories: “Parish Membership” and “Covenant Membership.” Susan Nilsen may put these categories into the by-laws and asked us what we thought. A general discussion followed regarding what constitutes a covenant member vs. a parish member: Pastor Ken said we are trying to distinguish between inactive and active members; we are trying to determine who is involved in the life of the church and not just associated with the church. Council members said that it is difficult to put a person in one category or another. Rick McGrath said that after 5 years as a member he has a 22 page list which includes names of people he has never met. There is a general concern about offending people. Deb Minor asked if our contribution to the Association is based on the number of members. When hiring a minister, salary can be based on number of members. Understanding how the membership is made up would allow us to work with more realistic expectations when projecting pledging, budgeting, or considering projects. A suggestion was made to put the different categories out to the congregation and ask each person to put him/her self in a given category. Even though it is a good idea to put this out to the membership we would not get a 100% response. Deb Minor suggested that we make personal visits to determine category of membership. Susan Nilsen said we will include the membership discussion in again in the fall. Council generally felt that asking people to categorize themselves may be the way to go. Pastor Mitzi suggested that there could be active and inactive members in both parish and covenant categories. 2 -- Results from the endowment survey -- Susan Nilsen will send out the survey results at the end of the month. Pastor Ken suggested we look at the results and make conclusions before sending the results to the congregation. 3 -- Youth choir director -- George Penniman reported that Trustees voted unanimously to offer the position to Shari Wilcox and agreed that the Collins Bequest could fund Shari’s salary through 2007. Paula Merrick clarified that some money will come from what already has been budgeted and that the total salary will be $5000.00. We paid Meg Geister $1100 before she left – so the new total budget for Youth Choir Director is $6100. Shari asked for health coverage but we do not have a group policy. New Business: 1 --“Now for the Future -- The Campaign for Silver Lake” –- Susan Nilsen received a letter from Silver Lake asking for a commitment for money. Pastor Ken asked that Council table this request until September. Pastor Mitzi said that she designated the $700 received at her installation to go to Silver Lake as a gift. 2 --New Committee Formed -- Susan Nilsen announced the formation of a committee to explore the possibility of merging our church with one or two other churches in Essex. The committee will look at whether or not we should stay in this building. Ted Bliss volunteered to be on the committee; Pastor Mitzi said that Dan Kottke is interested in being on the committee. The suggested merger could be with the Ivoryton Congregational Church and/or the Baptist Church. Ted Bliss’s proposal is to build a new church to accommodate all. George Penniman suggested the committee should include people who haven’t thought about the possibility of a merger. Sue Nilsen asked for a definition of the committee’s charge, which is: Talk to the other churches. Determine if they are interested. This is an emotional subject for all church members. Suggested committee members are Ted Bliss, Ann Callahan, Jane Fuller, John Henderson, Art Howe (willing to act as a consultant), Dan Kottke, Anne Penniman and Ken Peterkin. 3 --Brainstorming Council goals/projects for 2007/2008 • By-laws • LRPC Updates • Council should discuss the Endowment Survey and what we should do next • Open and Affirming • Membership Categories • Brainstorm how to balance the budget without the endowment Marian Messek said a trustee commented that it might be time to stop talking about the endowment and put action plans in place. A general discussion followed: We are in the education process at the committee level about the endowment, i.e. how it is spent, but the education must include the general congregation so it has the same level of knowledge that the committees are gaining through their discussions. Pastor Ken said we cannot make decisions about the endowment now – that we need more education. Bob Marshall said a problem is the only time we and the congregation discuss the endowment is during budget time – which is the wrong time to have the discussion. Emily Williams reminded us that the long range plan said to balance the budget in 4 years. Susan Nilsen asked what we will do with the endowment survey once we tabulate the opinions. Pastor Ken said that Council cannot make the decision alone. The congregation must develop a consensus and be part of the decision. George Penniman said a trustee, who is active in the church, did not know that we were in “financial trouble.” Ken Peterkin reiterated that this is the problem – the congregation is not aware of our true financial condition. Susan Nilsen asked us to prioritize the 2007/2008 goals. Rick McGrath suggested that the by-laws and membership categories could go hand in hand. Council concluded: 1 – By-laws and membership categories 2 - Endowment survey and how do we balance budget w/o endowment 3 – Open and affirming Pastor Ken feels that the by-laws cannot be ready by January, because there will be ripple effects of how changes in one committee’s mission may affect another committee. Marian Messek asked how to educate the general congregation on the financial status of our church. Emily Williams suggested that we conduct financial education at the same time the stewardship drive begins. Bob Marshall suggested that we discuss all three goals at all meetings and just split the time. New Business: Pastor Ken reminded us that a member needed oxygen two consecutive Sundays. Our oxygen tank did not have oxygen; Ken asked us to order a new oxygen tank and to upgrade our fist aid kit. A motion passed authorizing the purchase of these items. Paula Merrick asked where the money would come from. Mellicent suggested that perhaps someone would donate the funds. Closing prayer – Pastor Ken offered the closing prayer. Respectfully submitted, Marian Messek, Church Clerk | 
