Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Council Meeting Minutes
DATE April 18, 2023
Present: Pastor Natalia Terfa, Mike Isenberg, Nate Boucher, Patti VanLiew, Rachel Henderson, Kirk Sidlo, Ann Maczuga
Absent: Pastor Chad Brekke and Frank Clinton
Call to Order: Mike Isenberg called the meeting to order at 7:00pm
Opening Devotion: Pastor Natalia Terfa led us in devotions/prayer
Adoption of the Agenda: Nate Boucher made a motion to adopt the agenda. Kirk Sidlo seconded the motion. Motion carries.
Approval of Previous Minutes: Rachel Henderson made a motion to approve minutes from the March 21, 2023 council meeting. Nate Boucher seconded the motion. Motion carries.
EXECUTIVE TEAM REPORTS:
President’s Report & VP Report
Area of Ministry: Executive Council From: Michael Isenberg & Nate Boucher
Lutheran Social Services (LSS) 4/2 – With many folks from Prince of Peace Nate attended the LSS presentation after service on April 2nd.
The presenters shared about the work of the refugee services and the recent increases from the war in Ukraine and other conflicts around the world. Also highlighted were many individual and congregational ways to engage in this work. One of these opportunities is called the Welcome Circle where a congregation or group of congregations comes together to support a
refugee family with both material and social support. From what Nate gathered in the meeting, Prince of Peace was actually a pilot sight for this program a number of years ago.
Pastor Chad asked if LSS ever works as ‘match maker’ of sorts bringing congregations who may be unable to take the responsibility of supporting a family alone with other congregations who are looking for partners. Their answer is that they have done that successfully in the past. It may be worth working with the outreach team and the wider congregation to see if this would be something POP is ready to engage in.
Waffle Breakfast Sunday 4/16 – Council member Rachel took point on organizing a waffle breakfast for the congregation following the 4/16 Ask a Pastor service with the help of other council members and POP members.
In spite of the expected post-Easter lull and the less-than-ideal weather, attendance was great. Rachel made enough waffle batter for right around 100 people and there wasn’t a single one left over when it was all done.
It was a fantastic morning of fellowship and teamwork, and it totally made my soul do a little dance to watch it all happen. I’d love to figure out a way to transition this to one of the POP teams and have them pull these off with the support of council. Ideas on this are encouraged.
Big thanks to the amazing Rachel and her outstanding team who made this happen!
Mental Health Connect – Pastor Natalia and Mike are meeting with Vicki Elliott (Executive Director from Mental Health Connect) on Tuesday (4/18) to learn more about MHC and how Prince of Peace might become part of the MHC Collaborative. This report was submitted before our meeting so we can discuss during the 4/18 meeting.
They provide tools for our faith communities to collaborate on presenters/speakers, shared resources like the Navigation line, discussions between mental health ministry teams and hosting events.
You’ll find information on the MHC website here, https://www.mhconnect.org/
Mental Health Connect is a collaborative ministry bringing faith communities together for education, training, and collaboration. We want all faith communities to be safe places for people to find support and discuss mental health. The faith communities, their leaders and volunteers are provided with monthly meetings where MHC introduces them to professional speakers, training, and time to share ideas. How does MHC provide this ministry? Our 3 main teams are Ambassadors, Navigators and Outreach. Ambassadors consist of leaders in every one of our collaborative faith communities. They attend monthly training and bring that information back to their faith community and leaders. Navigators provide text, phone and email support for people looking for help, resources, or a good next step. Our Navigators meet weekly to discuss resources available, the best way to help a caller and support each other. Our warm line is answered M-F, planning to expand to weekends soon. Outreach volunteers plan public training opportunities and strategic ways to serve in our communities. MHC can be at a Sunday worship service, a community meal, or food shelf to offer support. MHC exists to fill the gap that exists in faith communities and the mental health care field-reducing the stigma, supporting all people to find help. Churches are the ideal place to find hope, healing, and support. MHC provides the tools so that our faith communities can support their people and community. MHC Flyer .pdf
Looking forward to summer right around the corner, shoot us any questions or ideals you might have.
Please let us know how we can help support you as a council member, POP member, or in whatever capacity you need help. If we don’t have the answer, we can help for someone who does!
~Nate & Mike
Treasurer’s Report
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Treasurer’s Report
| March 2023 Financial Statements Budget | Prior Year | ||||
| MONTH | Actual | Budget | Favorable/ | Actual | Favorable/ |
| General/Building Fund: | Mar-23 | Mar-23 | (Unfavorable) | Mar-22 | (Unfavorable) |
| Offerings/Receipts | 56,250 | 59,204 | (2,954) | 55,632 | 618 |
| Expenses | (51,312) | (60,920) | 9,608 | (72,147) | 20,835 |
| Net Gain/(Loss) | $4,938 | ($1,716) | $6,455 | ($13,515) | $21,452 |
| Budget | Prior Year | ||||
| YEAR TO DATE | Actual | Budget | Favorable/ | Actual | Favorable/ |
| General/Building Fund: | Mar-23 | Mar-23 | (Unfavorable) | Mar-22 | (Unfavorable) |
| Offerings/Receipts | 148,527 | 152,556 | (4,029) | 152,966 | (440) |
| Expenses | (162,162) | (182,760) | 20,598 | (214,517) | 52,355 |
| Net Gain/(Loss) | ($13,635) | ($4,551) | ($9,084) | ($61,550) | $51,915 |