Present: Pastor Chad Brekke, Mike Isenberg, Nate Boucher, Rachel Henderson, Patti VanLiew, Ann Maczuga, Cathy Krogstad, Pam Eliason 

Absent: Pastor Natalia Terfa 

Call to Order: Mike called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm 

Opening Devotion: Pastor Chad led us in devotions/prayer. 

Adoption of the Agenda: Nate made a motion to adopt the agenda. Cathy seconded the motion. Motion carries. 

Approval of Previous Minutes: Nate made a motion to approve minutes from the August 20, 2024 council meeting. Cathy seconded the motion. Motion carries. 

EXECUTIVE TEAM REPORTS: 

President and Vice President’s Report- none 

Treasurer’s Report – 

Pastoral Report- 

From Pastor Chad: 

September is always a time for transition. Around the church, we transition out of “summer mode” as we move into our Fall programming. I always miss the sounds of the summer day camp kids and the energy they bring to the building during the day! So much good and important ministry happened during the summer. From mission trips to funerals to joyful days at WAPO, from Sunday worship to working in the gardens, I am grateful for the ministry we share. 

After so much time and effort donated by Rachel Henderson to get Stan, our new Business Admin trained in and up to speed, it was more than a surprise and a disappointment when he suddenly resigned a couple weeks ago stating increased responsibilities at his other job as the reason. Stan was fitting in well and beginning to get the hang of a job with a fairly steep learning curve. I am grateful that Rachel has agreed to take on the accounting aspects of the position as a paid staff person while we reenter the search process. Obviously, the transition leading up to my final Sunday as senior pastor on November 3rd is also underway. I am confident that the council and the congregation will chart a faithful and effective way forward to continue the long legacy of ministry and outreach of Prince of Peace. 

~Pastor Chad 

From: Pr Natalia Terfa 

• The Ministry Fair at our Fall Kickoff was so great! We had a lot of people visit tables and sign up for helping and volunteering and joining in the many ways they can connect and serve. Thank you to all the teams who made it happen! 
• As we continue in this time of transition, one of the easiest things we can all do is begin to ask questions about who we are and where we want this community to go. Having your own answers to this question and every person doing their own discernment is key to a healthy process. I believe Prince of Peace can do this well if we stay committed to our core values and to each other. 
• Upcoming ¾ Time Off Week Schedule: Chad: September 30-October 6 
• Natalia: September 16-22, October 14-20 
• And as always, in the interest of clearly communicating my availability – here’s the link to my digital calendar scheduler. Anyone can find a time to meet (in person, via zoom, or on the phone) with me at: https://calendly.com/nataliaterfa 

~Pastor Natalia 

Ministry Team Reports: 

Outreach Report– 

Area of Ministry: Outreach Team From: Cathy Krogstad 

• CEAP – is working on their holiday plans. We may do another toy drive if needed—Jeanne Hanson will check on their needs. 

We probably will try and get another Thrivent grant to buy diapers and put together some diaper/diaper kits yet this Fall. (We have enough wipes from a previous grant.) 

Members from the church/the Outreach Team volunteered at 3 Farm Fresh events this summer—packing and distribution of fresh produce. Everyone seemed to enjoy! 

• Park Brook – We are currently recruiting volunteers to be reading buddies for Park Brook students who need a little extra help with their reading skills. Jodi Spoden has information on the kiosk and also the September ENews contains info and online sign-up opportunities. 

Nothing to report currently from the other Outreach Team ministries: Avenues for Youth, Highway Cleanup, LSS Refugee Services, Hearts and Hands for Jamaica, Tanzania. 

~Cathy 

Area of Ministry: Sunday Morning Experience and Property Team – 

From: Pam Eliason 

An update from Nikk: 

I met with John from Audio Logic Systems to work on fixing the issue with our hearing assist system. He took them with him last week for a technician to test in house and am hoping for an update sometime this week. 

No further questions or comments were brought forwarded to me. 

~Pam 

Community Life – none 

Congregational Care – none 

Staff Reports: 

Youth and Childrens and Family Ministry – Katie 

Children, Youth and Family Ministry Report: September 2024 PRAISES from PAST Events 

• Kick-Off Sunday was full of a lot of energy, a lot of volunteers and a lot of fun. It is always fun to see families come back after the summer months. I expect even more to come back as our ministry opportunities kick-off as well. 

CURRENT UPDATES 

• Ministry Opportunities Kick-Off this week, September 15th. The plan for this School Year is to follow the same format as last year – Children’s Ministry MOST Sundays during Worship, continuing to follow the Lectionary (Starting September 15th) – Middle School Ministry on Wednesday nights, continuing to follow the Lectionary (Starting September 18th) – High School Ministry every other Sunday night (Starting September 15th) 
• Starting to work with this year’s 9th Graders as we prepare for their Affirmation of Baptism (which will happen on October 27th). An email was sent this last week with their Faith Essay prompts. We will also be doing a retreat in early October as well as their Rehearsal and Dinner the week before 
• Bible Sunday will take place on Sunday, October 6th. We will present Bibles to 3-year-olds, 2nd Graders and 6th Graders during the Kids Time part of Worship 
• Continuing to work on cleaning up/organizing Storage Spaces around the Church and trying as best we can to keep spaces separate. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

• Once October comes there will be a lot of different seasonal events happening for the different age groups – Trunk-or-Treat will be on October 26th – Middle School event (probably ValleySCARE) will be mid-October – High School event (probably Dead End Hayride) will be end of October – Possible Family Day at an Orchard or Pumpkin Patch where I will invite Prince of specific time 
• Christmas Program is tentatively scheduled for December 15th… 
• High School Summer Trips for 2025 are already getting put on the books, so we will start meeting and fundraising for those trips as soon as we can. The plan is to offer TWO Trips: An Adventure Trip and a Service Immersion Trip with the intent to alternate between those two in subsequent Summers – WAPO Dates are also set (because we don’t have as much say in those) – Middle School Ministry will probably be similar to this past Summer – Have plans to offer some incentives for Summer Day Camp to get more families in the door 

~Katie 

Unfinished Business: 

The council viewed our Faithfully Forward Stewardship Letter and approved it to be sent out to Prince of Peace members. 

The council viewed the Sunday Stewardship Story schedule. All were on board with continuing council’s monthly Council Connect/Coffee with the Council, table tents with questions for discussion, someone with a computer to help set up online giving, and a visual with stair steps showing a goal of “giving units” who increase regular giving towards our goal of the $30,000. 

New Business: 

The council added an hour special meeting at the end of our Zoom to discuss our Pastor situation and the steps we need to move forward before Pastor Chad retires. Mike and Nate will have a conversation with Pastor Natalia to ask if she is willing to take on the duties required of a senior pastor and/or if she is willing to fill the gap as interim. Council feels it is important to know what Pastor Natalia is feeling about the process before we continue. 

Next Meeting: October 15, 2024, 7:00 pm 

Adjournment: Patti made a motion to adjourn. Ann seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm