The Christ our Savior congregational planning meeting took place on Saturday, February 9th, 2019. The meeting began at 9:00 a.m. Those in attendance included Pastor Andy, Debbie Keltner, Howard and Sharon Meyer, Paul and Linda Richards, Joe Gregar, Richard and Christine Fauss, Janie Ott, Mindy Bell, Bob Kirkpatrick, Cindy Karrow, Teresa Schlegel, Jeff Axmann, Michelle Eickhoff, Molly Strubbe, Tyler Roth, and Julie Herl.
Pastor Andy opened the meeting with prayer and led a discussion around why we should plan. We need to be flexible (James 4:13-17), we need to make a plan (Proverbs 21:5), we need to have a heart desire and passion to fulfill our plans (Psalm 20:4), and be mindful of the costs (Luke 14:28-33).
The next topic centered around who we are as a congregation. The first area of discussion was related to our Passion. We need to follow our Mission Statement (this can be found on our website under the Constitution and Bylaws tab), always be in Prayer and build each other up at all times. The second area of discussion related to what our Potential as a congregation is. We should work at being more involved in our community, inviting people to join us for worship, getting to know our current members and visitors, and provide more fellowship opportunities through events and programs that will allow all of our members new and old to grow together. The third area centered around our Strengths as a congregation. One of our strengths is how we welcome visitors who join us. We offer a welcoming environment that encourages people to come back. Another area of strength is our ability to come together and support one another in times of need and/or crisis. Many of our members have been blessed by this strength.
The next area of discussion centered around opportunities our church has in our community. The first area of discussion related to Community Needs. There are so many wonderful events and organizations we could be more involved in every year within our community. The areas noted were: Fourth of July, Labor Day parade and celebration event, Ciderfest Run, Cedar Cove, Funeral Home, Miss B's, Football games, Senior Living/Transportation, and the AA group. The next area of discussion related to whether or not we can meet these needs.
The meeting then began discussing needs within our church. Pastor Andy and Howard Meyer have been working on updates to our Constitution and Bylaws. It was established that we are not currently following our constitution so we either need to make changes to how we're doing things or change the constitution itself. We need to be mindful of our current constitution and make changes that adhere to the current boundaries. Debbie Keltner volunteered to assist with re-writing the Constitution and Howard Meyer suggested including Bob Kirkpatrick as well.
The discussion then related to the boards and groups that need leaders. Below is a list of the openings and the individuals who volunteered to fill some of them (Thank you so much for volunteering!). If you are interested in volunteering for any of the remaining open positions, please let Pastor know.
Board of Finance - Open
Board of Worship - Janie Ott
Board of Education - Tyler Roth
Board of Endowment - Jeff Axmann
Board of Elders - Howard Meyer
Christian Care Chairperson - Christine Fauss
Youth Group (after Michelle and Gerry Eickhoff) - Open
Bob Kirkpatrick shared with the group that he would really like to see us have a Christian movie night once a month for the public. He sees this as a wonderful opportunity to bring more people into our congregation and be more involved in the community. He will continue to work on making this happen.
The next topic involved our Church Calendar. Every month we have Friends for Christ (first Saturday), Council Meeting (first Tuesday), and LWML (second Monday). We also know when Fourth of July and the Labor Day Parade/Event takes place so these could be planned at any time. Areas that we need to have in our calendar but need flexibility with included Lenten Dinners, Easter Breakfast, Vacation Bible School, Meals on Wheel Pie Auction, Rally Sunday, Advent Dinners, Children's Christmas Program, Church Decorating, and Special Music.
Heidi Wolf and Carrie Gregar have volunteered to lead our Vacation Bible School this year and have set the week of June 10th for this. More information will be coming soon. Thank you so much to Heidi and Carrie for volunteering!
As you can see, the meeting was a huge success with lots of productive discussion. Watch for additional meetings and updates in the future. Thank you to everyone who attended!
