Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
September 13, 2011 (Approved)
Present: Tom Heinrich, Dick Ruohoniemi, Bill Fredrick, Pastor Jim Carlson, Charlie Olson, and Allan Grant
Absent: None
Call to Order: President Tom Heinrich called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.
Devotions: Allan Grant led opening devotions.
Adoption of Agenda: A motion was made by Bill Fredrick and seconded by Allan Grant to adopt the Executive Committee agenda. Motion approved.
Approval of Previous Minutes: A motion was made by Bill Fredrick and seconded by Allan Grant to approve the minutes from the August 9, 2011 Executive Committee meeting as written. Motion approved.
Reports of Officers:
Treasurer/Director of Operations: August receipts were $5,700 below budget which now puts us at $9,530 below budget for 2011. Disbursements were above monthly receipts by $15,111 for the month. Year to date distributions are $39,650 over receipts which took the General Fund to just $103 to the positive after a transfer of $1,000 from the General Fund Contingency Fund. This leaves the General Fund Contingency Fund at $2,000. The Building Fund was $1,414 below what is needed for the month.
A motion was made to accept the Treasures Report by Bill Fredrick and seconded by Allan Grant. Motion approved.
President Tom Heinrich requested that Dick project what the added salary expenses will be for the final months of 2011above budgeted amounts and bring back any other needed expenses for any additional expenses for the new Senior Pastor.
Report from the Director of Administration: Charlie Olson presented a facility update of needed repairs to the church and parking lots. The repairs that have been completed include sidewalk raising, water leak under oldest park of church. Projects that are still to be completed include patching the north driveway and repairs to the main parking lot. Charlie Olson reported that the gas bill for last August was $240 and this August after the water leak in the hot water line was repaired was only $60. It is believed that the leak has been going on for many years. We want to thank Charlie for discovering this leak and working to make the necessary repairs.
Charlie Olson reported that a new copier lease has been signed that will result in faster copying with significant savings. Also, Prince of Peace received a US Tax Refund of $3,800 from the Health Care Reform law due to us providing health insurance for our employees.
President’s Report:
Committee Goal Review: The Executive Committee members reviewed the 2011 goals and discussed possible 2012 goals. The direction for 2012 will be finalized in December.
Cross Communication with Team: The Executive Committee members shared discussions they have had in the past month with various Ministries and individuals.
Update on Special Appeal, “I’m In!” The “I’m In” campaign is progressing nicely and now stands at over $35,000. Great job Prince of Peace!
Giving Team Goals and Update: The Giving Team is working hard to plan the Stewardship Campaign for this fall. They feel that while the shortfall in giving is a concern they believe that we are in better shape financially than we have been in the past several years. Tom Barron will be invited to attend the October Council meeting to talk about benevolences with the Council.
Installation of Senior Pastor: Interim Bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod will officiate at the installation of Pastor Chad Brekke as our new Senior Pastor at both services on October 9, 2011
30-60-90 Day Outlook Calendar: Tom shared the 30-60-90 day overview of activities planned at Prince of Peace.
Vice President’s Report: Leave a Legacy Update – The Leave a Legacy Fund stands at $177,977.65. The committee has planned another congregational forum for all Prince of Peace members on November 8th, they will present the Thrivent seminar entitled “Life Events” This seminar is appropriate for all ages. An insert for the bulletin was updated for All Saints Day and will be in the bulletin for three Sundays beginning October 16th. The Team will have a Ministry Moment on November 6th.
Pastor Report:
Pastor Jim: Pastor Jim provided a written report which will be attached to the official minutes. In summary Pastor Jim attended and spoke at the dedication of the new kitchen for “Loaves and Fishes”. Prince of Peace was the largest church donor for the project. He also reported that August was a very busy month for pastoral care visits. Pastor Chad has asked that Pastor Jim be with him for Sunday worship so the Bible study planned for October, “A Gardener, Two Travelers, and a Cheat” from the People of Faith series has been delayed. Both Pastor Jim and Pastor Chad will be closing on their new homes on October 3rd. He also reported that he has been working with Nickk VanLiew on getting the screens working properly during worship. He hopes that weekly meetings will help with the current problems.
Unfinished Business:
Update on lights in front of the sanctuary: Allan reported that the committee has been working with the designer and feel that placing additional material to filter the lights is not satisfactory and will pursue changing the lights to LED’s that can be manually dimmed to make the lights look more like natural light coming through the stained glass.
New Business: The Executive Committee reviewed a proposed Continuing Resolution entitled “Designated Funds Management” and recommended that it be forwarded to the Congregational Council for review.
Continuing Resolution
Designated Funds Management
Purpose: To provide guidance on the management of the monies donated to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church of Brooklyn Park that, when donated, are designated for a specific purpose.
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church of Brooklyn Park is blessed by God with funds that are donated by groups and/or individuals and have the intention (when given) of being used for a specific project, event or ministry. These guidelines are intended to assist in the long-term management of these resources so that funds are not held in the designated fund account for an indefinite period of time.
1. Restatement of fund name. The name in use for these funds as of September 1, 2011 is “Restricted Funds”. Effective January 1, 2012 these funds will be referred to as “Designated Funds”.
2. Types of Designated Funds. Three specific types of designated funds have evolved through use and are characterized as:
a. Type I Ministry Funds. This account contains funds which are not tax deductible. These accounts assist in the management of monies utilized by Prince of Peace’s ministries. Examples of these ministries(not all inclusive) are; Confirmation, Wedding, Funeral, Women of Faith and Love, Spiritual Development. Monies within these accounts may remain for an undefined period of time. The monies held under each ministry can be sub-divided by the ministry manager for a specific event or purpose. A representative is to be named for each ministry account and is responsible for reporting to the Director of Operations usage, income and balances.
b. Type II Special Donation Accounts. This account contains funds which are tax deductible. These accounts are established to account for monies raised through special giving campaigns authorized by the Congregational Council. Examples of past giving campaigns are: Stained Glass Window, Kitchen Remodel, and Phase II Welcome Center. At the time of establishment a representative for the fund is to be named by the Chairperson leading the special campaign. Funds within these accounts will be moved to the General Fund 24 months after inception unless the treasurer of the fund requests of the Congregational Council an extension. Any remaining fund balance will be transferred to the General Fund within 60 days of completion of the project or end of the need for the campaign. Transfer will be requested by the representative of the fund to the Director of Operations.
c. Type III Benevolence / Memorial Donation Accounts. This account contains funds which are tax deductible. A designated account will be established to account for monies received from a member, or group of members, for an identified, specific purpose. Examples of past donor designated accounts are: CEAP, memorial projects, and estate gifts. At the time of establishment a representative will be named by the person or group making the donation. Funds within these accounts will be moved to the General Fund, 12 months after inception unless the representative of the fund requests of the Congregational Council an extension. To establish a One Time Donor Designated account the amount donated must exceed $499.00.
3. Inactive and Small Balance Funds. The Director of Operations may recommend closure of Designated Fund accounts when the fund is inactive for a period of 3 months or more or has a balance under $200.00. The Director of Operations will provide a notice to the fund representative 30 days prior to the Director making a recommendation to close an account. The recommendation to close an account due to inactivity or balance below $200.00 will be made to the Congregational Council at its regular meeting and the Fund representative will have an opportunity to address the Council regarding the recommendation.
4. Establishment of New Funds. The Director of Operations holds responsibility for setting up funds within the Designated Fund account. The Director may approve or deny requests for establishment of Designated Funds and will establish the type of fund (I, II or III). The Director will request sufficient information of the fund representative to properly account for monies held. The Director will provide notice to the fund representative prior to the fund being closed and remaining fund balances moved to the General Fund. The Director will name a replacement representative for a fund in the event the named representative is no longer a member of Prince of Peace or is unwilling or unable to perform the duties of fund representative.
5. Precedence. This Continuing Resolution is not intended to supersede the guidance provided in the Prince of Peace Constitution or other previously published Continuing Resolutions.
Ministry Moment for General Fund: No action.
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Bill Fredrick and seconded by Dick Ruohoniemi. Motion Approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Allan Grant
Secretary