Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Executive Committee Meeting Minutes May 21, 2019

Present: Pastor Natalia Terfa, Lynn Anderson, Melissa Johnson, Richard Habstritt, Cheree Geisler

Absent: Pastor Chad Brekke

Call to Order: President Lynn Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:20pm.

Devotions: Lynn Anderson led us in prayer.

Adoption of the Agenda: A motion was made by Richard Habstritt and seconded by Cheree Geisler to approve the agenda. Motion approved.

Approval of Previous Minutes: A motion was made by Melissa Johnson and seconded by Lynn Anderson to approve the minutes from the March, 2019 Executive Committee meeting. Motion approved.

REPORTS OF OFFICERS President’s Report:

As I reflect on the last several months of activities at POP, I smile. I am grateful and excited to be part of this wonderful council and congregation.

I was very happy with the services and events that took place over Lent. Lots of good things were going on. I was particularly thrilled with the events on Easter Sunday. Larry and I held the door at the 9 am service. It was a thrill to greet people and to hold the door. It was amazing to see the reaction on people’s faces when I said “Happy Easter and Welcome. We are so glad you came today”. It was fun to see the sanctuary filled with people. I really loved the music and especially the band that accompanied the choir. Brass instruments sound so grand and welcoming. My family and I had to sit in the very front on the side as our door holding duty lasted until a little after 9 so the only seats left were in the front. I kept looking over my left shoulder to gaze in amazement at all of God’s beautiful people attending Prince of Peace. For me, it was a magical moment.

Larry and I continue attend our small group. The fellowship that has developed has been a gift. We all feel very connected and supportive of one another. One of our members died and we all mourned together. We have been told that our support helped the family get through this. What a blessing. Thank you Pastor Natalia for setting up the small groups. I have heard about the closeness of other groups as well. What a gift from God. We all love our church family.

I was glad to hear and see that the skylight was successfully replaced. Be sure when you schedule an event at the church, that you involve the Building Committee. They would like to be involved to be sure that they have the right set up for your event. This makes sense and has been requested by the Building committee.

Prince of Peace/Outreach committee will be hosting a graduation party for the Brooklyn Avenue’s graduates in June. There are 3 graduates which is a big deal. This is the 3 rd year we will be doing this. Most of the money to purchase the food will be donated as a grant from the Crystal, New Hope, Robbinsdale Rotary club where I am a member. Anyone interested in helping? Jodi Spoden will give us updates.

I often get feedback from people at church as to how things are going or suggestions on how to make things better. I always take comments and suggestions seriously. The feedback I have received lately is that things appear to be getting better. They think that people seem to be more welcoming and friendly. We should all be happy and proud that people are noticing. I know I have made a point of going around on Sunday morning to say thank you to people serving including the musicians and the choir. Everyone likes to be noticed and appreciated. I hope the staff and council will continue to build on this as I feel it is everyone’s responsibility to be welcoming. If people do not feel welcome and loved at church, then we have a problem. Thanks staff and council, for ensuring that people feel included, welcome and loved. It is all of our responsibilities.

Treasurer’s Report:

-Please see attached report regarding the financial update for April, 2019

-The new daycare is currently paying rent

-Nate leaving will make a difference in the budget because the future replacement position will be hourly and without benefits.

-Paul and Richard will be working on the voluntary audit. Their goal is to complete it by the fall

-Mike Gilbertson’s funeral donations will be placed in an un-designated fund

Vice President’s Report:

-Approval of LAL requests

-LED Lighting in the common areas. There is a rebate from Excel that we can use.

-Prayer Room

-Young Adult Retreat $50/person to help cover part of their cost

-Synod notes: The Synod proposed to adopt a family leave policy of a minimum of 6 weeks and a recommendation of 12 weeks and to make paternity leave the same amount of time as maternity leave. POP uses a more corporate guideline, rather than one that is created for a church congregation. Bereavement is also being discussed.

-Exec Team would like to recommend our full support behind extending maternity, paternity and bereavement pay.

Secretary’s Report: -None Senior Pastor’s Report:

We have enjoyed an active start to the spring season around Prince of Peace. All of the planning and preparation that went in to our Holy Week through Easter services resulted in meaningful experiences for hundreds of worshipers. We continue to see lots of first time visitors from our local area and beyond.

Here are a few items I will highlight:

Both Karina, our new office administrator and Paul our new business administrator are doing a great job assimilating into their respective positions. They have also both been drawn in to the rich worship life we are blessed with at PoP and regularly attend worship here on Sunday mornings.

Nate Bergengren has accepted a ministry position with Faith Lutheran in Forest Lake. I have been serving as Nate’s supervisor/mentor for his enrollment at Luther Seminary and this new position is a natural step toward Nate’s vocational goals in ministry beyond music leadership. Nate’s time at PoP has been a blessing. We are talking with several people who may be good candidates to join our team in this position.

I attended the annual ELCA senior pastors conference in CA last week. The focus of the event this year was on creative ways to be the church in an age when church membership decline is the norm. The presiding bishop of the ELCA attended and loved hearing about some of the creative worship experiences here at PoP like ask the pastors, and melding contemporary and traditional elements in one service. I presented on sustainable international vision/mission relationships with an emphasis on Africa. I also learned that several senior pastors of large ELCA churches around the country regularly visit our live streamed services and podcasts.

Eight people are participating in the next PoP Vision Trip to Tanzania. Part of the group departs on June 7 and the rest will depart on Sunday, June 9 and return home on June 24. As always, the group will represent PoP as they visit schools, churches, hospitals and orphanages which are supported through the Africa Fund at Prince of Peace.

Our summer worship schedule begins on May 26 when we will go to one 9:30 am service on Sunday mornings. We are still working on the approach to the midweek summer Wednesday eve services which are scheduled to begin on June 12. The transition in our music staff required a pause in our usual approach. A more interactive, discussion based presentation is currently being explored.

June 2 will be Grad Sunday and June 9 is Pentecost. We have invited the two other worship communities worshiping on our campus to join us in that service. Both HOPE Liberian and Ministerio Cristiano Jesus Fiel Amigo (Faithful Friends of Jesus Ministries) are excited to join us in worship on that day.

Unfinished Business: -April will not consist of meeting minutes, but only of reports submitted by the executive team. This is due to the lack of in-person meeting.

New Business: -None

Action Items:

-We will not hold an Executive meeting in June because Melissa Johnson and Chad Brekke will be in Africa. Reports only will be submitted. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, July 16th.

-A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Lynn Anderson and seconded by Cheree Geisler. Motion approved.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheree Geisler Council Secretary