Hospital visit
Went to see Ted K. at the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. He went home on Wednesday and continues his recovery there. Keep him, Nessa and the family in your prayers.
Parking lot work to begin
We've heard from the paving contractor that they will begin work on the parking lot beginning this Wednesday (or was it Thursday?) Either way, keep that in mind if you plan to come to church later in the week -- you will need to park on the street. The work should be finished sometime Friday.
Installation of Preschool Staff
St. John's Preschool staff will be installed at the 10 am service on Sunday. An open house for parents will begin at noon. This will be a big year for the school as it is the 40th anniversary year. Stay tuned for more information.
Results of LEAD Readiness Survey
In my August 3 post I wrote this: LEAD, an acronym for Living Every day as Disciples, is an organization that provides resources and coaching for ELCA congregations. Their website puts it this way: Empowering Christian Leaders – Transforming Faith Communities – Influencing the World -- Coaching, Consulting & Resources. I suggested that this may be a possible resource for us as we move forward during this interim time. I provided a link to a "Readiness Survey," which I encouraged you to take. Two members responded to the online survey, so I provided a hard copy version at the Council meeting on Thursday night. The survey had 15 yes or no questions, and here is how you responded (providing number of "yes" responses): 5, 12, 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 7, 9, 6, 5. The average score for those responses is 6.9. Here is what the LEAD website says about the scores:
- 9 – 15 You are ready to begin a LEAD Process now. Need help deciding which LEAD Process to start with? Contact LEAD.
- 6 – 8 Maybe. Contact LEAD to see if there are other first steps that can help prepare you for success in a LEAD Process.
- 0 – 5 Now is not the time. Contact LEAD to discuss other options.
I will contact the LEAD office and share with them our score and see what they say. For more info about LEAD and my contact with them, refer to the first item in the August 3 post which you can find here.
Pr. James Barkenquast visit
This week I was paid a visit in the office by Pr. James Barkenquast, one of our retired synod pastors currently serving Zion Republic. We were going to do a baptism for Cleora Byers' great-grandchild on Saturday, August 4, but the mother changed her plans and requested Zion Republic instead. Pastor Jim wanted more information on the situation so he could best respond pastorally. So we talked about that, and lots more. Pastor Jim is 86 years old, but has the youthful energy of someone much younger. He has an amazing memory, being able to recall exact dates, days of weeks and times of significant events in his life and ministry.
Online Giving activated
When we signed up for Breeze, our new online Church Management System, the monthly fee that we pay for this service includes the provision for online giving. This means that we can put a link on our website or otherwise link to that will direct to the webpage that Breeze provides for anyone, member or non-member to give to St. John's online using a credit card or bank account. As with an offering envelope, members can direct their gift to the General Fund, and a number of other options including Parking Lot, Preschool, Fish and Loaves, etc. Transfers of gifts to the St. John's bank account are made every Monday, in the same way that those who give through Vanco through the Simply Giving program are transferred. Member contributions are automatically posted to their giving statement, that are otherwise entered by Terri manually. Although there is no additional monthly fee for this service, there are transaction fees: 2.9% for credit card gifts, and 1% for bank account transfers (ACH). In addition, a $.25 (25 cents) per transaction fee is also assessed. Givers are credited the full amount of the gift, although the fees are deducted before gifts are transfered to the congregation's account. To view the online giving page, you can go here. I have made the first gift, and indeed, it works!
Endownment Fund advice available
At the Executive Committee meeting this week, we discussed the impending large gift bequest, and the plans for receiving and managing those gifts. There are several resources available locally to help St. John's develop a plan for managing this and other significant gifts. Several local ELCA congregations, including St. Peter in Norwalk and Zion Sandusky have individuals who can provide information and advice. Executive Committee will provide more information as it becomes available.
FLAMe Pastors meeting
On Thursday afternoon I attended the monthly meeting of FLAMe pastors in Sandusky. There seems to be consensus among this group that the FLAMe activities currently being conducted can happen without regular meetings of this organization, as the activities are coordinated and led by participating congregations, who then send out notices inviting others to participate. For more info about FLAMe, you can go here.
Confirmation Leaders meeting
On Tuesday, I met with Heather from Education, and Confirmation leaders Cindy and Kathy. We discussed plans for the upcoming year of confirmation ministry. Some additions to the program this year include a mentor program, pairing our confirmands with members of the congregation for one-on-one meetings through the year, and the opportunity to attend summer camp. An orientation meeting for parents and youth will be held Wednesday, September 5, and the first session for 7th and 8th grade youth will be Wednesday, September 12. The Rite of Confirmation has been tentatively set for May 5, 2019.
Trinity's New Beginnings
The latest issue of this newsletter by Trinity's Dean Dr. Kit Kleinhans can be found here.
Keeping our kids safe
One of the disturbing and tragic stories in the news this past week has been the news of a Pennsylvania grand jury handing down a 1,356-page account of abuse that involved 1,000 kids, 300 priests, and decades of silence and inaction by Roman Catholic bishops. One of the bishops mentioned in the report is Cardinal Donald Wuerl, currently the archbishop of the Washington D.C. archdiocese, who stands accused of moving offending priests to other parishes when he was a bishop in Pittsburgh from 1998 to 2006. I remember Bishop Wuerl well, because he was a prominent figure in Pittsburgh during the years I served a congregation in the South Hills of Pittsburgh from 1988 - 1991. My own bishop at the time, Rev. Donald McCoid, had a close collegial relationship and friendship with Bishop Wuerl. It is a strong reminder that we in positions of leadership in congregations need to do everything we can to keep people safe, especially our kids. In my August 3 blog entry I mentioned that a safety workshop is being planned at Zoar Lutheran on September, which covers screening volunteers who work with children. For more information, see the flyer regarding this event here. Might there be some interest in attending this event? Time is from 10 - 2.
Weekend Worship bulletins
Since Terri is now posting the Saturday and Sunday bulletins in Dropbox, I can share a link to them, and you can get a preview: The Saturday bulletin can be viewed here and the Sunday bulletin here.
Thank You's written, signed and sent
At the end of Council meetings we have begun to write Thank You notes to individuals (or groups) who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. One writes the note, and we all sign. I then address and mail the notes.
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