Jan. 19, 2011 - Riverside United Church

Riverside United Church
Council Meeting, January 19, 2011
Prese nt:
Marilyn Arthur, John Bowm an, Peter Case, Bob Estey, Go rdon G eige r, Mark Hunter,
Teri Levack, R ay Mantle, Ann McEw an-Castellan, Jim Millard, P hilip Ne wm an,
Susan O’Hara, Greg Schneider, Donna Smith, Don Sutherland
1.0
Welcome and Devotions:
Mark welcomed thos e present and opened the m eeting with prayer.
2.0
Re grets
No regrets
3.0
Agenda
Additions:
6.5 Nominating Comm ittee
Motion 1: (A. McEwan-Castellan/J. Millard)) That the agenda with additions be
accepted.
Carried
4.0
Minutes of the Meeting – Action Item Status
(6.6) Strategic Planning Da te C hange – (Ph il)
Due to time/commitment pressures the Strategic Planning Meeting will be postponed
until after the Annual Meeting.
A Needs Assessment Committee will be established at the Annual Meeting.
5.0
Correspondence
1) A letter from the Pastoral Relations Committee, Middlesex Presbytery, concerning the
establishment of a strategic plan for ongoing mission and ministry within Middlesex
Presbytery. Riverside is not involved in the first initiative.
2) A letter from The United Church of Canada Emerging Spirit Staff Team thanking
Riverside for its part in the program and for our on-going commitment to continuing
education ad congregational developm ent.
3) A note from Nancy W alker, Kent Presbytery Youth Ministry, thanking Riverside for
hosting W alk the Talk 2010.
4) A letter from Muriel Estey, Parish Nurse, thanking Council for the generous
honorarium.
6.0
Focus Items
6.1
Mission Statement: Susan O ’Hara
Su san presented the new R iverside Logo approved by the M ission Sta tem ent
Comm ittee.
Motion 2: (J. Bowman/T. Levak) That the logo be accepted.
Carried
Motion 3: (P. Case/J. Bowman) That thanks be expressed to the Mission Statement
Com mittee and the Logo designer, Becky Carlyle, for their work.
Carried
2011-1
The Logo will be presented to the A nnual Meeting fo r their approval.
A copy of the logo can be found as Appendix A.
6.2
2011 Budge t: Jim Millard
Jim presented and discussed the proposed 2011 budget.
Motion 4: (G. Schneider/P. Case) That the 2011 Budget be approved in principle.
Carried
6.3
Parking Upda te: Ra y Mantle
Ra y presented and discussed the latest Parking Pro posal.
6.4
Coming Together U pda te: Mark Hunter
Mark gave some recent Coming Together highlights:
a) Hyde P ark is wo rking on the title search. They are also working with a realtor.
b) Middlesex Presbytery Executive has approved the Business Plan.
c) The Heritage Items are being moved to secure storage – the windows have already
been moved and stored – many thanks to Ray Mantle.
d) Middlesex Presbytery will be contacted regarding the disposal of the items not
requested for use by Riverside.
6.4
Nominating Comm ittee: Susan O ’Hara
John Bo wm an and S usan are working on the N om inating Co mmittee Re port.
There is a need for additional District Visitors and Finance Com mittee mem bers.
Ra y Mantle has agreed to b e the new vice chair.
7.0
Ministerial Reports
7.1
You th Ministry: Marilyn Arthur
1. I have spoken with the gentleman who has been hired by the United Church National
Office to help Design ated Lay M inisters who wish to be reco gnized b y Presbytery
build a portfolio. This paper work allows me to outline my experience and education
from the past (in hopes of no t having to take the whole DL M course). After this
portfolio is complete, Tom McIllwraith works with me to make sure I have outlined my
experiences well. This portfolio is then given to a General Council review committee
to make a recommendation to the Presbytery Education and Students Committee on
what ‘gaps’ I may have in re lation to the De signated Lay Minister Course. From here
the E&S comm ittee makes the final decision on what courses I may still need to take
to be recognized.
2. Confirmation has begun. The youth and mentors were introduced in worship on
January 16 th. Thank you to the membership committee for purchasing bibles for the
confirmands. Please keep in your prayers the following mentors and confirmands:
Elizabeth Cross
Kim Logan
Katie Hunter
Marion Kirby
Jacob Saw yer
Don Dittmer
Shannon Fisher
Teresa Hunter
3. Ottawa Presbytery Youth and Young Adult Network has invited youth groups from
across the province to ‘W orshiplude’, which takes place on February 11-13th. A
2011-2
number of our young people will be boarding coach buses with 100 other youth from
London Conference. W e will be hosted by a congregation in Ottawa. W hile in Ottawa
we will be participating in Winterlude activities and then gathering at youth led
worship on the S aturday night.
4. Tha nk yo u to a ll the volunteers who are helping facilitate and plan all the children
and youth programs that are led throughout the week.
5. Thank yo u to the Hillm an’s for the use of their cottage November 19-21 st for the
teen youth retreat.
7.2
Minister Repo rt: Philip Newman
1. Upcoming Dates:
— Reception of New Mem bers (Hyde Park UC & Others) - January 23rd
— Annual Congregational Meeting (Hyde Park UC) - February 13 th
— Annual Congregational Meeting - February 20 th
— Installation of N ew Ch urch C ouncil - March 27 th
2. The “G rief & Be reavem ent” group has a full compliment of participants (and a
waiting list) and began on November 22 nd under the direction of Grace Tallman.
3. It was a privilege and a pleasure to share in ministry with the Rev. Barbara Clark
even for a brief thre e m onths as our two congregations began to worship together. I
greatly appreciated her wisdom and com passion around m atters of tran sition dynamics.
He r gifts and talents for our worship life were exemplary.
4. Transition: Middlesex Presbytery has appointed me as the Pastoral Charge
Supervisor of the Hyde Pa rk U nite d C hurch congregation as of January 1 st, 2011. This is
necessary whenever a congregation is without a Called or Appointed minister. This
means I will have some added responsibilities for Hyde Park Church Council, and Board
of Trustees until the details of the amalgamation are completed.
5. In November and December a good deal of m y work time was sp ent advancing our
plans for A dvent and C hristmas worship, attending seasonal gatherings of various sorts,
and preparing fo r the transition of ou r congregations and the departure of Barbara Cla rk.
The dem and to handle requests for assistance from families in the community remains
high , and this yea r Connie Zo lotar took on the task o f registering fam ilies for Christmas
Share 2010.
6. W ith our amalgamation agreement now approved the attention to the details and the
conversation s necessary for the com pletion of our plan are req uiring time and energy.
7. Partnering - W estdale Public School students once again gathered a car load of food
and gifts to add to our Christmas Share 2010 program.
8. I wish to offer thanks to the members of the Church Council and their respective
comm ittee members for all their faithful efforts throughout 2010. Our mission is
advanced only to the extent that the work of God is taken up by our committees and
groups. This has been an exceptional year considering the amalgamation of our two
congregations and those serving on the “Coming Together Comm ittee” have served in
ways that transcend what even they expected. Thank you for your good work!
7.3
Minister Em eritus Re port: Gordon Geiger
No Re port.
8.0
Co mmittee R eports
8.1
You th Report: Josh Millard
No Re port.
.
2011-3
8.2
Trustees: Ann McEwan-Castellan
No report.
8.3
Christian Deve lopm ent: Peter Case
1. January 29th has been booked to have the “Majority Rules” games night. People
are asked to bring along a dessert to share.
2. Curling is taking place February 12th, 7:00 pm at Ilderton Rink. We are asking people
to bring finger foods. If anyone sees a big, ugly pig – BUY IT!
3. Children’s W orship – Linda Thompson is enjoying the role of Children’s W orship
coordinator and is doing a great job. There is still concern over low attendance; this
seem s to be the case with other U nited churches.
4. Dances are continuing into the Spring. W e will determine in May whether attendance
at dances warra nts continuing them in the fa ll.
5. W e are considering hosting a play in April called “United in Diversity” which
discusses problems in the Un ited Ch urch in a hum orous way. Possible dates to bring this
play to Riverside are A pril 2nd or 9th, depending on availability of cast.
6. W e hope to host another movie night in March fe aturing an ‘oldie’ m ovie.
8.4
Exp loring Po ssibilities: John Bowman
Alternative W orship Service, report submitted January 18,2011
W ithin the 'Exploring Possibilities' committee, which is tasked with the development of new
directions for faith development at Riverside, a smaller committee was asked to focus on the
possibility of a second or alternative service at Riverside. The idea of a second service first
originated within the Riverside congregation some time ago and has been brought forward at
Annual Meetings. A sub committee of Rev. Marjorie Smith, Kim MacGowan and Julie Gray
was formed, and after much research, discussion, dialogue and networking, we have come to
the conclusion that a second or alternative service would be an asset to Riverside.
As part of our discovery process we have experienced church services located in and outside
London and in other denominations. W e have dialogued with ministers and United Church
personnel; we have read articles and asked questions while keeping Riverside's mission
statement in mind that we are a diverse community, a mix of age and experience sharing our
faith journey in a supportive and respectful environment.
Our suggestions for an alternative service would include a shorter, informal service with
contem porary language and message, a music component, use of our video capabilities, less
liturgy, a changeable eclectic form at, coffee and hospitality, and this gathering could be
scheduled on any day of the week. To best meet the needs of our congregation we
recommend this service be led by a minister who would have the theological background and
raining to form an alternative worship experience.
Recognizing that a more liberal and progressive theology is emerging within the Christian
cornmunfty at large, and recognizing the diversity within our own congregation, our
committee feels that Riverside should embark on the formation of an alternative, second
service. An alternative service would help serve the needs of our existing congregation and
2011-4
help retain our present membership, reach out to past members, and encourage new
membership while reminding us that we connect with the Spirit in different ways.
8.5
Finan ce an d Stew ardsh ip: Jim Millard
1. Se e 6.2
8.6
Mem bersh ip: Susan O ’Hara
1. Reception of New Mem bers will be Jan 23, 2011. An evening for new mem bers was
held on Jan. 16 at the Estey’s home.
2. T he Grief and Be reavem ent sessions are contin uing th rough th e m onth o f January.
3. Becky Crowe and Brenda Benson will be editors and Anne and Norm Brooks will be
the publishers of the newsletter. They will meet to set deadline and publishing
dates for the newsletter and to get staff in place.
4. T he last two editions of the newsletter “the Cu rren t’ are on the website. People will
now have the option of receiving their newsletter online.
5. The committee is looking at the district visitor system with the idea of allowing more
flexibility in making contact with people and delivering the newsletter. W e are also
reviewing the website to make sure we are meeting the needs of the congregation.
6. Kathy Haines will be taking over a chair of the committee after the annual meeting.
8.7
Ministry and Perso nne l: Do nna S mith
No report.
8.8
Outreach and S ocial Action: Teri Levack
The "Outreach Project lunch in support of W orld Vision will take place on Feb. 13th.
It will have a Valentine's Day theme and feature a variety of chillies.
8.9
Presb ytery: Don Sutherland
1. Good news
The Middlesex Presbytery resident membership in 2009 declined by only 2%. A decline
of 5-6% was expected
2. Tw o ne w staff
Resource Center - Karen Kendrick-Diamond
University Chaplain - Rev Jan Temple Jones
3. Presbytery Secretary
Nancy Hind will start in February replacing Rev Frank Meadows
8.10
Prop erty: Ra y Mantle
Se e 6.3
8.11
U.C.W .: Angela Stewart
1. W e have budgeted $6,000 for Riverside and $3,600 for M&S.
2. W e are looking forward to an active year as we continue with our Christian education
and our fu ndraising activities.
3. In December the R uth Poulton Unit catered the retirement op en ho use for Bev
Robinson and it was very successful. A profit of $275 was made, and this has been
earmarked for Rotholme.
2011-5
4. Our first fundraising activity will be our Turkey Pies – Jan 28 th followed by ou r winter
card party on Feb 11 th. Tickets are now available for this function.
5. W orld Day of Prayer Service is Friday, March 4th at O akridge P resbyterian Ch urch at
1:30 pm. The service has been written by the women of Chile. There is a 22 minute
video re the indigenous people of the region and the work being done by the churches in
Chile. The video is available to any group in the church wishing to use it. The service
will fea ture a C hilean tenor and a m issionary just back fro m Ch ile.
Everyone is invited to attend this service. Notices will be posted and in the bulletin as a
reminde r.
8.12
W orship: Greg Schneider
1. In January we met with London Audio to test a new projector, and discuss options
regarding moving the screen (as directed by Council in December). His thoughts on
relocating the screen were that it would be expensive. He was unwilling to give us a
firm quote as they would have to have some pieces of hardware custom manufactured
in order to accommodate the physical limitations of our space. He thought the cost
would be around $5,000. Acoustically transparent screens (through which sound
passes unhindered) are available, however he would not recommend that as an option
because we would be unhappy with the quality of the image. Instead he suggested
replacing the fab ric of the screen with a material that will add an elem ent of a coustic
translucency. W e have chosen that option and ordered replacement fabric for our
screen at an additional cost of $1,000. The individual who is funding the lion's share of
the new projector has agreed to pick up that extra cost. W e hope to have the projector
and scre en installe d in January.
2. The Music Committee's report at the Jan 5 meeting asked that we commission an
anthem from Doug Price, to be paid for by subscription/sponsorship. Any shortfall was
to be paid by Worship Committee from the Memorial Fund. As there was no
representative of the Music Committee the matter was tabled to a later date.
3. Budget as subm itted in D ecem ber has been finalized without amendm ent.
Future Matters:
4. The long term music strategy should be reviewed in light of the aging organ, and the
needs of Exploring Possibilities.
9.0
Other Business
There was no other business. Ray Mantle moved that the meeting be adjourned.
10.0
Ben ediction: Rev. Philip Newman
Re v. Ph ilip Newm an closed the m eeting with prayer.
APPEND IX A
2011-6
2011-7
2011-8