Pastor's Letter 
Pastor's Letter
The Lord be with you!
Welcome to the season of the Church, the Season of Pentecost. Beginning with the Day of Pentecost, followed by the Feast of the Holy Trinity and then to the over 20 weeks called the Sundays after Pentecost. This Season goes on until November, so it is clearly the longest of the Church Year.
The length of the Pentecost Season only makes sense because it represents the time between when Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after His resurrection from the dead. Ten days after His ascension, Jesus sent the promised Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Jesus described the ministry of the Holy Spirit as one that would remind us of everything that Jesus did. Rather than a time of passive waiting until the end of time, the Holy Spirit has been busy calling people to faith in Jesus and building up what we know as the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. That is where we fit in! Mount Calvary is one of those congregations that the Holy Spirit has gathered around the precious Word of God and His life-giving Sacraments.
Are you part of that One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church? Well, if not you are missing out on eternal life with our Triune God in heaven. Yep, sorry, there is no "individual plan" to get into heaven. God, in His mercy and grace, has designated His Church as the "vessel" that leads to heaven, and to get there you need to be a part of it. So if you are part of the Church, praise God....now stay involved and nourished and.....here's the best part.....help the Holy Spirit to identify those who are joining us in heaven by sharing the Good News of Jesus and inviting them to join us.
If you are hearing God's call to faith, please respond to it by joining us or another Christian congregation where you will hear the Word of God proclaimed as Law and Gospel and where you are nourished by the Holy Sacraments....I can guarantee you that you will experience that at Mt Calvary, so if you are looking for a place to respond to God's call, please join us as soon as possible....right now would seem like the right time to do this.
We are honored to be a place where the Word is proclaimed correctly and the Sacraments administered according to God's will and command. Please join us soon so that your faith may be strengthened and you can be equipped to welcome others being called by God.
In the love of Christ Jesus,
Padre Dave Poedel, STS
Pastor
MCLC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Minutes March 17, 2010
Present: Barbara Arnell, Joe Bialy, Diana Blimke, Janet De Boer, Roger Gardin, Pastor Poedel, Carol Riddle, Marilyn Westerkamp
Absent: Richard Culwell
Opening prayer was offered by Pastor Poedel.
Minutes of the Feb. 24, 2010 meeting were accepted by a motion.
Treasurer’s Report was accepted by a motion – second month still in the black!
Office News: We have been contacted by Sunbelt Investment Holdings, by directive from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, regarding testing and remediation of potentially impacted soil and groundwater on our property from a former FedMart Store located near our property. There will be a well drilled on our property close to the 7th Ave entrance and 50 gallon containers maintained on our property to store displaced soil until the operation is completed. Drilling should take about 2 days and will not impact access to our facility for worship on Sunday.
Mount Calvary will be host for the Cursillo Leadership Class on Saturday, April 24th. Members of Mount Calvary who have previously participated in a Cursillo weekend will handle registration and host duties for this event.
Mark your calendars! On Friday and Saturday, April 9th and 10th, Mount Calvary will host a rummage and bake sale to help raise money for those traveling to Poland this summer for a mission trip. If you have items or baked goods you would like to donate, please drop them off at the church office or contact Diana Blimke in the church office. We could also use plastic shopping bags for the days of the event.
The doors in storage have been donated to Habitat for Humanity. A carpenter has been hired to repair existing doors/frames in the sanctuary.
We will begin using Visitor Cards for Sunday morning worship and discontinue use of the black Attendance Books – this will start before Easter Sunday.
VLHS Update: Thank you to Mrs.. West and her VLHS students who did a full spring clean-up of the sanctuary during their interim break. You are appreciated!
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm with the Lord’s Prayer.
Next meeting will be April 21st.
Submitted by Janet De Boer
MCLC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Minutes February 24, 2010
Present: Barbara Arnell, Joe Bialy, Diana Blimke, Richard Culwell, Janet De Boer, Roger Gardin, Pastor Poedel, Carol Riddle
Absent: Marilyn Westerkamp
Opening prayer was offered by Pastor Poedel.
Minutes of the Jan 20, 2010 meeting were accepted by a motion
.Treasurer’s Report was accepted by a motion.
Office News: Two new office computers have been purchased; set-up will be completed after one additional monitor has been purchased. Maintenance and grounds clean-up is ongoing. Weed control was postponed due to rain, but grass killer will be applied around the A/C units. Keys have been issued to Ed Cooley and Joe Bialy. The congregation has been invited to help celebrate Frieda Streilau’s 90th birthday. There will be cake and fellowship in the VLHS gymnasium lobby following the Sunday service on February 28th.Frank and Sarah Gortarez have offered to provide a breakfast (free-will offering) to help offset costs for our members going to Poland later this summer. The breakfast will be held one Sunday in March. We are still discussing options for the rest room upgrades and will bring in another architect for a second opinion before moving ahead. In the interim, grab bars will be installed in the existing stalls. The Committee approved the purchase of a 12ft stepladder from Home Depot to avoid continued ladder rentals whenever a bulb burns out and has to be replaced. Suggestions about door replacement versus repair/refinishing of the doors in the sanctuary will be referred to Frank Heldt (from Heldt Lumber Co.) so that we can make the most cost-effective decision while still considering overall appearance.
VLHS Update: It had been noted that the hinges on the dumpster door were not secure and it appeared the door could actually fall and hurt someone. After a check the hinges were loose but still secure. VLHS will take care of the repair. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm with the Lord’s Prayer
.Next meeting will be March 17th.
Submitted by Janet De Boer
MCLC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Minutes January 20, 2010
Present: Barbara Arnell, Joe Bialy, Diana Blimke, Richard Culwell, Janet De Boer, Roger Gardin, Pastor Poedel, Carol Riddle, Marilyn Westerkamp
Thank you to Mike Westerkamp for his many years of service on the Executive Committee.
Guest: Scott Campbell
Opening prayer was offered by Pastor Poedel.
Minutes of the Nov. 18, 2009 meeting were accepted by a motion.
Treasurer’s Report was accepted by a motion (had been posted in previous Sunday’s bulletin). Due to minimal time currently required for computer input for statement balancing, the treasurer (Barbara Arnell) will add responsibility for reconciling the bank balance (thank you to Evelyn Campbell for her years of volunteer support handling the bank reconciliations).
Office News: An upgrade for Quikbooks 2010/payroll was installed; W2’s were completed.
It was accepted by motion to purchase new office computers. This will be funded by monies restricted for this purpose from the Memorial Fund.
We need to explore ways to replace the signage for both Mt Calvary and VLHS (joint monument sign) for increased visibility for our Church and school. Scott reports that the vinyl banner sign is disintegrating and will need to be replaced soon.
Richard reported on the Hispanic Ministry Group meeting. Richard reported that Pastor Artigas was experiencing decreased funding and increased workload. Pastor Artigas reported to the Committee that Pr. Artigas was considering offering his evening service in English for the Hispanic community. This seems to conflict somewhat with Mt Calvary’s mission. Pastor Poedel expressed his willingness to offer a Sunday Divine Service in the evening in English if there is a need or desire. Pastor Artigas holds a Service in Spanish, which fulfills a need that Mt Calvary cannot fill. Pastor Poedel will continue the discussion with Pastor Artigas.
Francisca Shaw has offered to provide a spaghetti meal for the congregation on Sunday, February 14th. She would like to provide a meal once a month for our congregation, beginning the middle of March. This will be in addition to our regular Mt Calvary potluck meals. We will be a well-fed congregation (body AND spirit)!
Discussions from the Annual Congregational Meeting (Jan 10th)
Scott Campbell offered a preliminary drawing to add an ADA compliant rest room using the room we currently use as a cry room. The cry room. would be moved to the southwest corner of the narthex. A plumber will be asked for plumping options into existing water/sewer lines in the women’s rest room while doing repairs on the leak in the men’s rest room A motion was passed to move ahead with an architectural drawing. A suggestion was made to list in detail each expense involved in completing this entire project and open it to our congregation in shopping list format. It was also noted that the sidewalk on the east side needs to be smoothed, and there is currently no wheelchair access on the south side entry.
A few members, at the congregation meeting, requested that the Executive Committee discuss music (choir, handbells) to enhance worship for visitors. Since our service is a traditional service, it is difficult to introduce contemporary music into the existing service. However, Roger Gardin will put together and distribute a survey card to congregation members so we can understand not only where the interest for additional worship music lies, but also who would be willing to participate and the commitment level (e.g., special music could be offered on a monthly basis as opposed to weekly).
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30pm with the Lord’s Prayer.
Next meeting will be Feb. 17th.MCLC Annual Congregational Meeting minutes Jan. 10, 2010
The meeting was called to order by chairman Roger Gardin at 12:10 PM.
Opening Prayer was given by Pastor Poedel.
The Treasurer's Report was given by Barbara Arnell. She noted that we were $17,000 short in 2009 and this amount was taken from our savings account. Barbara encouraged everyone to pray about this and if possible to increase their weekly offering to avoid another shortage in 2010. The budget for 2010 is $154,900. (See attached reports) A motion to accept the budget was made and passed.
The next item of business was the election of the Executive Committee for 2010.
Motion was made and passed to accept Carol Riddle as Vice President.
Motion was made and passed to accept Janet DeBeoer as Secretary.
Motion was made and passed to accept Joe Bialy as a member at large.
Motion was made and passed to accept Barbara Arnell as Treasurer.
Diana Blimke thanked Barbara for her willingness to fill the vacancy in the Treasurer's position in the middle of the term.
General Questions/Concerns:
Remodeling of rest rooms to make them ADA compliant was discussed. The plumbing is in poor condition and needs replacement. The sacristy rest room is large enough for wheelchairs but needs details to make it compliant. It was decided to get an architect to make a plan of how this could be done. Scott Campbell volunteered to get this process started. Since this is not in the budget various methods of funding it were discussed. These included getting a loan but this is not realistic since we do have the resources to add a loan payment to the budget. Another thought was to ask for donations to be set aside for this purpose or to use bequest funds. A motion was made and passed to use bequest money to make the rest rooms ADA accessible
The next discussion was on the condition of our church doors. We have new doors in storage but they need to be hung. Estimates for this are about $8,000 including hardware. After discussion it was decided to use money from a bequest which is in an LCEF savings account. A motion to this effect was made and passed.
Discussion was held on how to get new people to stay after they have visited our church. Possibilities mentioned were to start up hand bells and/or choir. Participation is needed for either of these activities as well as a leader for the groups. Pray that these things can become a reality. It was felt that the Executive Committee should decide where the priorities are in this matter.
Motion to adjourn was made and passed at 1 PM.
Pastor Poedel led the group in a closing prayer.
Submitted by Carol Riddle
MCLC EXECITIVE COMMITTEE Minutes Nov.. 18, 2009
Present: Pastor Poedel, Diana Blimke, Roger Gardin, Barbara Arnell, Carol Riddle, Richard Culwell, Marilyn Westerkamp, Mike Westerkamp
Opening Prayer was given by Pastor Poedel.
The minutes of the previous meeting were passed by a motion with an amendment to include that Barbara Arnell was also present.
The Treasurer's report was given. It indicates that we are still spending significantly more than we are taking in. Diana has given back the raise that was in the budget for 2009 and Pastor has taken a $10,000 cut in salary in addition to giving back his raise. Much discussion followed. It is indeed difficult, if not impossible, to cut more from the budget.
Our Treasurer, Barbara Arnell has prepared a letter to be given out at the Jan. meeting in which we will adopt the new budget. We are asking each person to give an extra $2 a week if they possibly can. Those who do not attend will receive the letter in the mail. Meanwhile Roger Gardin, our president, will write a letter to those who do not regularly participate in our church community making them aware of the situation. The income and expenses will be posted in the News and Views weekly. Please check our progress there.
The Treasurer's report was accepted by a motion.
Office/ Church News: Our annual Thanksgiving dinner will be on Sat., Nov.. 21 at noon.
Gourmet Chowhounds will meet on Sat., Dec.. 5.
Cursillo Leadership class will be on Sat., Nov.. 21. Joe, Jamie and Roger will attend.
Discussion was held on why we take attendance. It was stressed that we need to be more diligent in following up on visitors and those who are absent from church. There is a need for a volunteer who would help coordinate the names of visitors who need to be contacted each week. Since Synod no longer requires a report of the number of communicants participating in the Lord's Supper we do not need this information.
Roger will design a card which we can hand to visitors to welcome them and give them times of service and Bible study information .
We need to talk to Pastor regarding getting Dustin involved with any youth we have and hopefully some from VLHS.
Discussion was held on clearing out the flower bed on the 7th Ave. side and putting gravel behind the flowers. This was agreed upon.
Care of the rose bed was discussed. A volunteer would be appreciated to take care of that area.
Richard and Nancy will defrost the refrigerator in the sacristy.
The budget for 2010 was approved by a motion.
Voter's meeting will be on Jan. 10, 2010.
The Executive Committee will have several vacancies for next year. Please prayerfully consider if you could serve on this committee. It is a rewarding experience.
The Baptismal Font will be relocated into the 7th Ave. narthex to get it away from where the children sit and to powerfully symbolize that our entry into the Kingdom of God is via Baptism, which then leads to the Eucharist. Water will be kept in the font so that everyone who wishes may, in remembrance of their Baptism, dip their fingers into the water and make the Sign of the Cross as they enter and leave the Church.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 with the Lord's Prayer.
Next meeting will be on Dec.16, 2009
Submitted by Carol Riddle
MCLC EX COM Minutes October 21, 2009
Present: Pastor Poedel, Diana Blimke, Roger Gardin, Mike Westerkamp, Marilyn Westerkamp, Richard Culwell
Absent: Carol Riddle
Opening Prayer was given by Pastor Poedel.
A motion to accept the minutes of the previous meeting was made and passed.
Treasurer report was given. The water bill held for a time due to lack of on-hand funds. It is now paid. The report was accepted by motion.
Office / Church News: The Cotterman’s have decided to leave Mt. Calvary. Roger will update and create the Eucharist Minister schedule for the next year. Ed Cooley has started serving as a Eucharist minister and Roger is trying to get a few more people involved.
The Hispanic ministry service on Sunday night is not attracting many people. Please keep this ministry in your prayers.
Nov.. 21 is the Thanksgiving Lunch.Goodie Baskets will be created for the shut-ins.
The computer situation in the church has been resolved. We are back to using the newer Dell computer. A new sound card was installed (purchased by VLHS) and we are back to recording services. The quality of the recording should be better. Roger will create a “cheat sheet” so when he is not there, someone can record the service with a few clicks of the mouse.
VLHS will have the trash dumpster enclosure door repaired.
We would like the ushers to bring the offering to the altar. There is no need for Pastor to have come forward to get the offering. This just simplifies the process. Keep Pastor Dave in your prayers as he recovers from his eye surgery. We have had the palm trees trimmed (finally).. They look great.
With the resignation of the vice-chairman, we are going to wait until the next congregational meeting to hopefully have someone step into this position.
We will also be looking at removing 1 or 2 pews on the south side of the church to create a wheelchair area. This will eliminate handicapped persons from having to stay in the aisles.
Also, the board discussed at length the rest room situation. Not only are they small, but we do not have hot water, the plumbing is showing its age and the layout is not feasible for the elderly members of the church.
We agreed that there must be a way to update the facilities, or do something with the sacristy so we can have handicap accessible rest rooms Also we have a great need for a storage room so we can get everything down from the loft storage area. Since Roger works for a construction printing business, he will see if one of the architect firms could come in and give us some ideas and cost estimates.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 with the Lord's Prayer.The next meeting will be held November 18, 2009.
Submitted by Roger Gardin, ChairmanMCLC EX COM MINUTES Sept.. 16, 2009
Present: Pastor Poedel, Diana Blimke, Roger Gardin, Dan Cotterman, Carol Riddle,
Barbara Arnell, Richard Culwell, Marilyn Westerkamp, Mike Westerkamp
Opening Prayer was given by Pastor Poedel.
Minutes of the previous meeting were accepted by a motion.
Treasurer's Report was given by Diana. (see attached sheet) We are now operating in the black. Mount Calvary has been blessed by a bequest from the estate of Dorothy Schermbeck. This gift has been put into our congregational interest account at LCEF. The treasurer's report was accepted by a motion.
Office/Church News: The Rev. Dr.. Ed Ambrose, who is currently serving a congregation of the ELCA but is not in agreement with the current direction his church is going, was introduced in our church last Sunday. He would like to be active in assisting in the ministry in some way. Pastor is working with the District office to discuss how he might serve as a volunteer in ministry with us.
The Cursillo Board, which is a pan Lutheran group, met recently to discuss the changes in ELCA ministry. It was decided that those who are currently unable to worship in their own churches will be allowed to be on Cursillo teams for the time being, until they can find a new church home.
Diana has designed a very attractive business card which contains excellent information for visitors and strangers alike. She will print these and get them out to the membership.
Sunday School is going very well. We welcome back Evelyn Campbell and Gwen Lawrenz who will be joined by Janet De Boer, one of our new folks. Welcome to these dedicated teachers.
There will be a baptism this coming Sunday of a Tucson child. His parents are U of A students and requested baptism here. Welcome to these visitors!
VLHS Choir will be with us this Sunday. Thanks to them for enriching our service with their beautiful voices.
We are looking forward to a potluck also on Sept.. 20.
On Sept.. 27 we will host the installation of a new teacher at Martin Luther School and dedication of the whole staff. Pastor Poedel is enjoying teaching theology to the VLHS Sophomores and forming relationships with the students and parents.
VLHS Board will meet on Sept.. 21. Dan will address the issue of the broken door on the enclosure to the dumpster. It must be repaired.
Guadalupe is working on the sprinkler system. The palm trees need to be trimmed. Diana will get a bid from Guadalupe and Carol will get one from Jose.
Open Discussion: After discussion it was decided that Jack should not be assisting at communion. He does help Joe pick up the registration books.
We have a problem with lack of participation of our members. Ushers, Communion Assistants and Acolytes are needed. We have a few people chasing too many responsibilities. This led to agreement to reorganize the flow of communion traffic. Beginning next Sun. we will commune those staying in their seats first with the rest of the congregation simply coming forward as they see a space at the rail. There will be no welcome to the table and people may return to their seats when they wish and at their own speed. The dismissal will be given when everyone has returned to their seats.
There is no need to write down the number of communicants. The count comes up on the computer when the offerings are recorded and attendance books are working well. Barbara Arnell also counts from her seat.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:40 with the Lord's Prayer.
Submitted by Carol Riddle
MCLC Ex Committee Minutes Aug.. 19, 2009
Present: Barbara Arnell, Diana Blimke, Richard Culwell, Roger Gardin, Pastor Poedel,
Carol Riddle, Marilyn Westerkamp, Mike Westerkamp
Absent; Dan Cotterman
Guest: Nancy Culwell
Opening Prayer was given by Pastor Poedel.
Minutes of the previous meeting were accepted by a motion.
Treasurer's Report: (See attached sheets) We were unable to obtain a credit card in the church's name. It requires an individual's name on the account so it was decided not to do it at this time. A maintenance contract was obtained for the air conditioning units and they have been serviced recently. There is still a poor flow of air in the chancel area and a tower fan has been purchased for this area. Installation of a ceiling fan was discussed in case the tower fan is not adequate. This would come from memorial money. The parking lot has been resurfaced and striped. VL will pay seventy five per cent of the cost and MC is responsible for twenty five per cent. Our part will be $3,290.
Office/Church News: CDs are once again being produced for shut-ins. Dan Cotterman is handling this with Pastor Poedel filling in as needed.
A pot luck is scheduled for Sept.. 20 after the service.
Pastor's part time job at VL is going well and is resulting in increased communications with the high school. The enrollment is now at 204 with 3 additional students arriving next week from China. The portable buildings have been repainted to match the color of the church trim. Linoleum has been installed in the new building. The new Principal is Bob Koehne who also teaches history.
It was voted to rejoin the Martin Luther School Association at no cost. They ask us to promote the school to our families.
Frieda and Pastor will reschedule their visits to shut-ins for 4-5:30 PM to fit Pastor's new schedule. Frieda has already worked this out with those they visit.
George Pavia will be on vacation during the Labor Day weekend. Mary Bologninni from VL will play on that Sunday.
Pastor will send a note to VL regarding the damaged dumpster lid which needs to be repaired so it will close.
We will borrow a lift belonging to VL to change a light bulb in the church.
Diana will ask our yard man to check the sprinklers and fix them as needed.
Sun. School starts Sept.. 6.
The floor lamp from Pastor's office will be put in the cry room.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 with the Lord's Prayer.
Submitted by Carol Riddle
Next meeting will be Sept.. 16.
MCLC EX COM MINUTES July 15, 2009
Present: Roger Gardin, Dan Cotterman, Barbara Arnell, Carol Riddle, Richard Culwell,
Diana Blimke, Pastor Poedel
Absent: Marilyn Westerkamp, Mike Westerkamp,
Guest: Nancy Culwell
Opening Prayer was given by Pastor Poedel.
Minutes of the previous meeting were approved by a motion.
Treasurer's report: Currently we are still showing a deficit of $9,784 for the year. Checking back to the previous year this is about where we were at that time. It is expected that our situation will improve when summer vacations are over. Our only big expense that is coming is property insurance.
Diana is transferring all records except contributions and attendance out of the Shepherds Staff into Quick Books.
It was decided to get a debit card for incidental expenses from LCEF for the steward account.
It was decided to make Lutheran Social Services our third quarter mission project. Donations can be made in the jar by the altar or use the mission envelopes in the offering packets. Our fourth quarter offering will for the Lutheran Hour Ministry in Paraguay.
Upcoming Events include the Sarah Helsom/Frank Gortarez wedding on Sat., July 18 and our potluck meal after church on Sunday, July 19, 2009.
There was a request from the Cursillo ministry for use of our lounge for meetings. These meetings are usually on Sat. mornings. This request was approved. Please remember to check with Diana if you need to schedule an event in the lounge.
Our shut-ins are currently not receiving their CD recordings of our Sunday services because we need to get a new lap top computer, get the software and plug in the sound. This is available for $300. We also need to get an LCD projector to use for displays at meetings. This will cost $300 - $400. A motion was made and passed to purchase these items with available memorial money. Dan Cotterman will check on these purchases.
VLHS Report: Current enrollment is 190 with a few more expected. Current facilities can accommodate up to 209 students. Work has been approved for gymnasium flooring, trophy case, and painting of the exterior of the modulars. Additional work on the modulars will follow as funds are available. Also approved was the remaining sidewalk needed for the permanent certificate of occupancy. Bob Koehne has accepted the position of Principal and will arrive in Phoenix in early July. Jay Krause will be the Executive Director and will focus on the business of VLHS. Parking lot resurfacing was deferred due to time constraints. This may require a discussion with VL and MC to make sure we are on both on the same page regarding funding expectations.
In spite of Diana's efforts with Waste Management and her contact with VL no action has occurred regarding the broken dumpster concrete posts and the damaged door to the dumpster. The dumpster does belong to VL. Pastor will talk to Jay Krause about this.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 with the Lord's Prayer.
Next meeting will be Aug.. 19 ,2009 at 7 PM.
Submitted by Carol Riddle
MCLC EX COM MINUTES June 17, 2009
Present: Pastor Poedel, Diana Blimke, Barbara Arnell, Dan Cotterman, Roger Gardin,
Carol Riddle, Marilyn Westerkamp, Mike Westerkamp
Absent: Richard Culwell
Guest: Kim Cotterman
Opening prayer was given by Pastor Poedel.
Secretary's Report: Motion to accept the minutes of the previous meeting was made and passed.
Treasurer's Report was given by Barbara Arnell. Our offerings have increased some but we are still below budget for each month. We have been using our savings account to make up the difference and this cannot continue. (See attached sheets)
Spending has been curtailed in every possible area but the greatest expense is obviously salaries. Pastor's remuneration is divided into salary and housing allowance. Pastor requests that we eliminate his annual salary of $10,000, keeping his housing allowance as is.
A motion was made and seconded that at Pastors request we eliminate his $10,000 salary and keep his housing allowance as is. This motion was not passed due to a tie vote. More discussion was held and a second vote was taken. This too was a tie. After further discussion the motion was passed with a reluctant unanimous vote.
It is understood that the Executive Board will reinstate Pastor's salary when finances improve.
After further discussion of finances it was decided to put all of our money into a Lutheran Church Extension Fund Demand Account. This is a special account for churches which will pay the highest interest available from LCEF. The money can be accessed whenever needed with no penalty for withdrawal. We will leave only a small amount in the bank to cover any shortages in the checking account.
Office/Church News:
Gethsemane Lutheran Church invited our congregation to participate in a program of obtaining and selling produce at a greatly reduced price by holding a farmer's market at our church on a regular schedule. This program is designed to help those in need to get produce at a greatly reduced price. We decided to decline at this time due to our limited number of workers available to establish this program.
A discussion was held on establishing a ChristCare Small Group Ministry. There is a program available from Synod which involves training of leaders to begin the program. Carol Poedel already has completed the leadership training and will give us more information. This is a great opportunity for new people to get involved in ministry and use their gifts and talents for God. The enrollment fee is $1,675 which can come from Memorial Gifts. We will pray about this and talk about it further in the fall.
Pastor will be on vacation for a few weeks coming up. Pastor Pope will preach and do Bible study on one Sunday and Deacon Mark Hanchett of Apostles Lutheran will handle the other Sunday Bible class and Service.
The Lutheran Forum periodical contains an article by Pastor Poedel on his journey from Rome to Lutheranism.
Currently we do not have enough acolytes for the worship services.
Lawns are continuing to be irrigated during the summer.
We will have our Fireworks get-together on July 4. The ice cream social will be in the lounge and we will go outside for the fireworks.
A potluck is being planned for July 19.
VLHS Report: Enrollment is up and space is needed. The modules are being remodeled and another one is being added. They are interviewing for a principal and another teacher. Jay Krause will be the Executive Director and they will hire a principal. Chuck Oliver and family are moving to WI. At this time the capital fund money is being used for operations.
The next meeting will be on Wed., July 15, 2009.
Submitted by Carol Riddle
MCLC EX COM MINUTES April 15, 2009
Present: Pastor Poedel, Diana Blimke, Roger Gardin, Dan Cotterman, Barbara Arnell, Richard Culwell, Marilyn Westerkamp, Carol Riddle
Absent: Mike Westerkamp
Guest: Nancy Culwell
Motion was made to accept Barbara Arnell to fill the board vacancy as treasurer for the remainder of 2009. This was unanimously accepted with thanks to Barbara for filling this position.
The secretary's report from the previous meeting was accepted by a vote.
Treasurer's report was given by Diana Blimke. The report shows that we are $116.50 in the red for the month of March. There is a continuing pattern of expenses exceeding income and we have had to take money from the savings account to meet expenses.
Various possibilities were discussed to cut expenses. It is agreed that structural changes are needed. Diana will be shifting to medicare shortly so her cost of benefits will go down. We will need to pay the gap between her supplemental policy and medicare. Another possibility would be for Pastor to take a pay cut. He is more than willing to do this. Diana also is willing to give back the raise we gave her in Jan. 2009. There was discussion on doing a stewardship program but not to push our people into feelings of guilt. We know that a large number of our people are on fixed incomes and others have lost jobs or had their work hours cut. There was a discussion on having a bulletin-free summer, possibly starting as early as May 1st. It is our goal to bring income and savings into balance and not drain our savings further but rather build it up. We will think and pray about these things and try to come to a decision next month. Roger Gardin, board chairman, will speak to the congregation next Sunday and pass out a bar graph to explain the situation. We will also show income and expenses in the weekly bulletin. We ask the prayers of all to help resolve this problem.
Board members were asked to attend the VLHS Annual Delegate Meeting on Sunday, April 19.
Pastor Jeff Ehlers will use the Bible study time on May 10 to discuss his mission program in Thailand and show pictures of the work there. This mission is designated to receive our mission offerings for the current quarter.
We are sending our new youth leader, Dustin Christiansen, to a youth worker's conference in New Orleans in July. This will be funded by Thrivent and our church.
George Pavia, our organist, will be taking one of his vacation Sundays on Memorial Day weekend and Randall Zeamer has agreed to fill in for that Sunday.
More roof tiles are missing on the south side of the church. Scott Campbell and Roger Gardin will fix them.
The meeting adjourned at 8: 25 with the Lord's Prayer.
Next meeting will be May 20 at 7 PM.
Submitted by Carol Riddle
MCLC EX COM Minutes March 18, 2009
Present: Pastor Poedel, Diana Blimke, Roger Gardin, Marilyn Westerkamp, Richard Culwell
Absent: Carol Riddle, Mike Westerkamp
Opening Prayer was given by Pastor Poedel.
A motion to accept the minutes of the previous meeting was made and passed.
Diana generated a chart comparing Jan-Feb 2008 vs. 2009. We are behind last year and will have to keep expenses under control. A suggestion was made to consider generating revenue by allowing a cell phone tower, or other commercial entity to use our property.
We also discussed what actions we might have to take if our financial situation continues to run in the negative.
We are still without a Treasurer on the Executive Committee. The constitution requires that we have that position. We prayerfully ask that we will get a volunteer to help out on this issue. Discussion on the relationship between income and expenses continued this month. The trend is that there is about a $1,800 deficit each month, currently covered by savings. Pastor Poedel indicated that he will ask the Executive Committee to reduce his salary to bring the finances towards balance beginning in May if the situation remains at it is.
There has been another incident of the VLHS musical instruments being damaged. Roger will give Pastor Artigas a letter asking him to keep an eye on that area.
Our pipe organ tuner has retired. Diana has informed us the organ repair person can also tune the organ.
Pastor Jeff Ehlers will let Pastor Poedel know when he is able to come visit with us. The 2nd quarter (April –June) mission offering will be for his Thailand mission work.
Gwen is planning Easter Sunday activity for the kids.
No Sunday School on Easter Sunday.
The quarterly mission offering to Southwest District has been less than we might have hoped.
Valley Lutheran report:
Martin Luther school can remain on their current campus for 1 more year. VLHS will be considering the options for the future of Martin Luther School.
They are on the capital campaign to raise the funds for future campus improvements.
No information on re paving the parking lot.
Annual delegate meeting to be held in lounge on April 19th @ 3pm.
National Lutheran School Association will be visiting the school to audit the spiritual curriculum. This will allow the school to gain accreditation.
The work team will repair the roof tiles that are loose or have come off due to wind.We will also be looking at removing 1 or 2 pews on the south side of the church to create a wheelchair area. This will eliminate handicapped persons from having to stay in the aisles.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 with the Lord's Prayer.
The next meeting will be held April 15, 2009.
Submitted by Roger Gardin, Chairman