Saga of the Safe
There are more details about this story than I care to share in this space. I'll just say that we called on Betschman Security to give us some help with opening the safe and make additional keys for the lock box. Ron, the owner, came on Monday for an initial inspection, and returned on Tuesday with the necessary tools to thoroughly service the safe's moving parts. Yes, it is very particular, and must be handled with kid gloves, as all applied motion incurs wear and tear on the parts. He provided detailed instructions on the combination and exactly how many turns each way are required for opening. Ron also delivered the extra keys for the lockbox. These will be distributed to office staff and Counting Crew Chiefs. Overall, this should improve security in the office.
Something I forgot to bring up at Council
I mentioned in my December 7 Update that I had met with Rob Johnson and that we had agreed on doing the first of the Healthy Congregations workshops in late January or early February on a Saturday morning from 9am - 1pm, and that we would decide on a date at our December meeting. This slipped off my radar screen, and so apologize for that. I'm wondering if we could shoot for Saturday, February 2. Let me know if that date does not work for you. I know any date could be a problem for one or more of our group, but we want the date to be available for as many as possible.
Updated date for Church Directory Photography
I received a phone call from Lyndon from United Church Directories, who was our presenter at Council. He wants to change the date from Tuesday, April 23, to Monday, April 22, which is Easter Monday. I am not encouraged by either date. How many of our families are available on one evening on a weekday, and even if they could come how many would?
Birthday party for Jesus
On Wednesday (x1) and Thursday (x2) I experienced my first St. John's Preschool Birthday for Jesus. Everything was organized beautifully with various stations and activities spread throughout the church. Finally everyone gathered in the sanctuary, and that's where I got to do my part. I dressed up as a shepherd and told the Christmas story from the perspective of the shepherds in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. The shepherd's father, The Innkeeper, will bring the message on Christmas Eve.
Advent service and Confirmation
Our third and final midweek Advent Service was on Wednesday evening. Thanks to Marlene for accompanying on the organ, Lisa G. for playing her flute, and to Jan L. for leading on the Holden Evening Service. I contributed to the accompaniment on the guitar. Following the service, confirmation kids met and we delivered one more Christmas tree to another of our shut-ins.
Kristen's first week
Kristen completed her first full week as our Office Manager. There's still lots to learn. In addition to Christmas Eve bulletins, we have been working on Saturday and Sunday bulletins. She got the Council Meeting packets ready for Thursday night's meeting. She's working now on the January newsletter. With Shaun also in the office (except Wednesday), he has been able to orient her to a number of items, including taking her to the bank to sign signature cards, and getting her name on various online accounts such as Quill (office supplies) and Vanco (online giving).
Terri home from hospital
Terri continues her recovery at home. We're hoping to see her again in church soon. Keep her in your prayers.
Orchard Villa /Bellevue Care Center
I went to OV and BCC a week early, as the usual day (4th Tuesday) falls on Christmas Day. Our usual members were present, with the exception of Vera B. She must have been out visiting.
Home visit with Holy Communion
I received a phone call from Clara R. (age 95, bless her heart) requesting that I bring her communion, which I did. Had a good visit, and learned that she is sister-in-law to my former member members in Norwalk. So that gave us things to talk about. She's very sharp, but has not been getting out as much lately. I have put her on the shut-in list for future visits. Clara lives next door to Charles and Nancy K, who do lots to look out for Clara. I stopped to visit them also while in the neighborhood, as I hadn't seen them recently
Police came calling on Thursday
We had a surprise visit from two officers from the Bellevue Police Department on Thursday. They responded to a panic button call from St. John's. First they called Jan TerVeen, as that's the phone number they had on file. Imagine his surprise. He directed them to the church. The best we could guess is that Kristen accidentally pressed the button, which is located under the desk and above the computer CPU. No arrests were made, and mostly we had a good laugh as well as an education about the panic button, which I had no idea even existed.
Copy machine misbehaving
As we were running Sunday and Christmas Eve bulletins, Kristen and I noticed that some of the copies were coming out wrinkled. We called the service tech, who arrived in the afternoon and replaced some moving parts, and is now working better. I'm guessing that this is part of the service contract for the machine, so there will be
STEW-About It
In the December Update I provided info about Pr. Kent Wilson's congregational stewardship newsletter called "STEW-About It," and provided links to the first three issues. He has published issue #4, and you can view it here.
QR Code and URL for Online Giving
Breeze, our church management system software, includes an online giving portal, when used by members, automatically receives and deposits their gifts, and enters them in their contribution records. I have created a QR code for the online giving portal, which I have printed in the Christmas Eve bulletin, and plan to make a regular feature of weekend bulletins. If you haven't checked out our online giving portal yet, you can do so by clicking here.
Al-Anon Meeting
Shaun and I met with Lynn from Al-Anon today to talk about space for their Friday night meeting. They have a cabinet to store their stuff, and we agreed that it would fit downstairs in the hallway to the youth room, and they would be willing to retrieve their meeting items (coffee pot, literature, etc.) from that location, and meet in the lounge. They are no longer comfortable at the Episcopal Church, as they are the only ones in the building. They would feel much more comfortable meeting at St. John's as AA is already there. And yes, they would make a small monthly contribution to the church for their use of the space.
Theresa returning as Janitor
Theresa will be returning as janitor. He has had some health issues, but is feeling better now and wants to return to active duty. She met with exec this week to review expectations. Plans include creating a new list of duties. Expected work hours will be 20/week, and also a plan for Denise to continue to do backup duties when necessary. Hope this works. St. John's is a big building to keep clean.
No comments:
Post a Comment