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Session Notes
During its meeting on January 18, the Session…
• Elected Barbara Fletcher as Clerk of Session;
• learned that the church’s income from January 1 through December 31, 2025, was $834,630; expenses, $837,502; and net loss, -$2,972;
• approved Hardy Gilbert’s transfer of membership from First Presbyterian Church, Decatur, Ala.;
• received committee membership assignments for 2026:
o Personnel: Holly Mitchell, Pete Forster, and Karen Delano
o Finance: Matthew Wolak and Joe Garrett
o Property: Graves Lovell and Billy Carter
o Congregational Life: Julie Price and Amy Pope
o Mission: Todd White and Kimberly Farr
o Generosity: Jeff Yost and Katy Hall
o UKirk: Adele Whatley and Daniel Hancock
o Children and Youth: Steven Kranz and Nathan Steele
o Worship: Brooke Meyers and Quincy Hochard
o Adult Education: David Burkhart
• heard an update from the Property Funding Sources Task Force:
o The focus of a campaign will include repaying the $250,000 PILP loan; improvements to Baird Hall ($50,000), updating outdoor signage; and growing the FPC Capital Replacement Fund for maintenance needs anticipated in the next five to ten years.
o The estimated fundraising goal will be between $400,000 and $500,000.
o Leadership of the campaign will include at least one representative of the Property Funding Task Force and three or four additional FPC members with relevant experiences and skills.
o The public-facing phase of the campaign will take place over one month, with the request that pledges be paid within one year. If funds raised are below the stated goal, the Session will recommend which projects will be funded.
• learned that 105 pledging units have pledged $760,795 toward the goal of $851,274 for 2026;
• approved the baptism of Cameron Allen, a UKirk student, on February 15;
• elected Leslie Carter, Marianne Parsons, and Carolyn Williams as treasurers;
• approved Leigh Ann Armstrong, Sharon Shuler, Elizabeth Goodrich, and Buz Wilcoxon as guest preachers during 2026;
• approved David Burkhart and Brooke Meyers as commissioners for the February 19 meeting of the Presbytery in Talladega;
• approved painting of the PCM office;
• approved Steven Kranz to serve as the Session’s representative on the PCM board during 2026;
• learned that the roof work has been completed and that the gutters will be done soon; and
• learned that Nick Reed has been elected co-moderator of the Presbytery’s Commission on Ministry.
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During its meeting on February 15, the Session
• learned that the church’s income through January 31 was $125,529; expenses, $66,267; and net income, $57,262;
• learned that 122 pledging units have pledged $789,995 toward the goal of $851,274;
• approved the church’s budget for 2026 with an $8,094 deficit;
• learned that of 55 churches in our Presbytery, our church is the fifth largest giver;
• approved a congregational meeting following the 11:00 a.m. service on March 1 for the purpose of amending the ministers’ terms of call; and
• approved a change in our church’s personnel manual, reconceptualizing vacation time as time-off time.
Church members may read the complete, approved minutes for these meetings in the church office.
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