St. Timothy Pastoral Council Minutes

October 17, 2006

 

Present:  Father Rick Bolte, Mary Brzinski, Jerry Grefer, Jim Sholar, Larry Lense, Rick Hoban, Mark Dornoff, Gerry Beatrice, Marin Smith, and Randy Herbert.

            

1.        The opening prayer was offered by Randy Herbert, and the September meeting minutes were approved.

2.        Pillar Reports:

a.       Rick Hoban presented the minutes from the Finance Council October 11th meeting.  (See attached.)  Rick emphasized that contributions, while still down for the year, were up for the month of September.

b.      Larry Lense presented the minutes from the Worship Committee meeting, which took place on September 20th.  (See attached.)  Highlights included committee membership, and the Christmas Mass schedule.  PC discussion was about the Christmas Vigil Mass, which will be at 10 p.m. instead of midnight.

c.       Jim Sholar gave the Outreach Committee report.  The Health Point baby shower, which the parish supported on Monday, October 16th, was a great success, with 80 to 90 mothers-to-be present.  The parish response was described as “tremendous.”  The Pumpkin Fest for City Heights children will take place this Thursday, October 19th, at Benton Farm.  Participation in the Interfaith Hospitality Network program was frustrated due to a miscommunication about the time.  This seems to be a recurring problem, and Leslie asked IHN the precise nature of the expected parish contribution.  PC discussion centered on dropping IHN, but Leslie wishes to give it a little more time.

d.      Marin Smith presented the minutes of the October Faith Formation Committee meeting. (See attached.) The low turnout for Theology on Tap on Monday was discussed.  Bad weather was probably a contributing factor.  The Youth Ministry is going well, and Charlotte is doing a wonderful job.

e.       Jerry Grefer gave the Community Committee report.  (See attached.)  The Oktoberfest results were excellent, with a significant increase in sales and profits from last year.  Signups for the Harvest Hoedown are slow, and the event may need to be attached to some other event for support.   Business connections which may garner contributions for the Dinner Dance are being solicited.

3.        Parish Survey

4.             Mary Brzinski reported that the ad hoc committee for the Parish Survey has seen the proposed survey outline.  There is still work to do to refine and scale down the final product.  Father Bolte will write a cover letter to go with the survey.  There is still no estimate of when the survey will be distributed to the parish.

5.        Jerry Beatrice gave a report for the ad hoc committee formed to look into possible uses for shrubbery on the property.  A nurseryman was consulted, and he concluded that none of the shrubs are worth transplanting.  The issue is considered closed.

  5. Welcoming, communication, and region. Jim Sholar reported for the ad hoc committee that parishioners are being recruited for welcoming, which will be done in a revamped and revitalized region system.  Their first meeting will be Tuesday, October 24th.  He also met with Leslie Duggan and Jeanette Bolin concerning parish communications.  They agreed to emphasize the region concept.

            6. Pastor’s Report:

a.       Father Bolte and the parish staff met and agreed that the Stewardship Fair was not well timed.  It seemed poor sense to sign up volunteers in October for programs which would not begin until next Fall.  As a result, all other aspects of Stewardship campaign will take place as scheduled, but the fair will now take place in April.

b.      Mike Keller, who is in training to become a deacon, approached Father Bolte concerning a training project.  The idea is that people who come to the parish for financial assistance should receive more that just a handout.  We should follow up with mentoring and assistance to help them improve their lives.  Mike is recruiting parish volunteers who will receive training from Catholic Social Services to assist those who come to us for help.

c.       Our priest from India is still not here.  Father Bolte has been informed that the interview for a visa will take place on November 27nd.

d.      The new statues are still on track to be in place by Christmas.

e.       The foundations for new signs should be poured within the next week or two. 

            7.The meeting was closed with The Lord’s Prayer.

8.                                          The next meeting is scheduled for November 21st, 2006, in the Parish Center.

     Mark Dornoff volunteered to offer the opening prayer.  The Executive Committee will meet on  November 7th, assuming all members can be present.

         

            Respectfully submitted,

          Randy Herbert

            Pastoral Council Secretary

 

 

Finance Council Report -Oct.11, 2006

In attendance were: Fr, Rick Bolte, Dan Bultman, John Gould, Rick Hoban, Steve Logan

The meeting was opened with a prayer by Fr. Bolte.

Dan took us through the meeting notes for October. One additional note is that Oktoberfest is still not final as we received a bill for bus transportation during the event. Hope to announce a final number soon.

Dan also followed up on some maintenance issues that were mentioned at the previous meeting.
• Holland roofing is coming to check the leaking in the church sealing again. Not sure if the leaking is coming from the skylights, the seal, or the bricks themselves. This has been a continual issue since the church was built.
• The doors at the back of the church that were popping have been repaired and some doors in Brodnick Hall were fixed as well. $1,200-1,400 estimate.
• The door to the Parish Center that is leaking at the bottom still needs to be looked at.
• Permits were received for the small signs for the entrances with a small disclaimer.

We then discussed the 9/06 balance sheet and income statements. There were some questions about the St. Paul tuition amounts and the possibility of capping the amount to limit future liabilities. There was discussion surrounding both a dollar amount and a percentage so that we limit our liabilities for the parish.

Topic moved to discussions around old business. Fr. Bolte confirmed that the crucifix and statue of St.Joseph should be here by Christmas. We will have a special blessing at the Masses.

Fr. Bolte indicated that the small construction project in the rectory would be done soon and that the door has already been received.

There is no further word on when our new associate pastor will be arriving from India.

Changing mass schedules was also briefly discussed once more as part of the growing population in the Union area.

Last discussion was on communication to the parish on budget updates. Still discussing – What and how we communicate as well as how frequently we want to communicate? We agreed to bring this topic up again at the next meeting when all were present.

The next finance council meeting will be on Wednesday November 8 at 8pm.

Respectfully submitted

Steve Logan (for Steve Alley<Finance Council Secretary)

 

Worship Committee Report- Sept. 20, 2006

A review of the Parish Planning Meeting was discussed regarding the Worship Pillar. Making the Worship Space more attractive was the top vote getter. Having a welcoming Worship Space is a priority for the parish. Some things are already in process such as the Crucifix and St. Joseph statue. Changing of weekend masses was discussed and this question will be included in the Parish Survey. Planning of the Worship space is an emotional endeavor and must be considered carefully.

Mass etiquette was discussed and if we are going to be a welcoming community we cannot force people to dress differently or not bring their crying children to Mass. It is important however that all Liturgical Ministers dress appropriately even though they may not be scheduled, in case they are needed at the last minute.

Membership in the Worship Committee was discussed relevant to who should be on the committee. It was decided that the committee will consist of nine persons, each serving a three year term. Permanent members will be Fr. Bolte, Dale Foley, and Michelle Alley. The remaining six will rotate, two being replaced each year. The six members will be a liaison between the Worship Committee and the other ministries (ie Lectors, E.M., servers, etc.)

After the Stewardship Drive, only new Liturgical Ministers will need to be trained. Current Ministers will be sent a letter reminding them of their commitment to their ministry.

We would like to have a Ministry Day for all Liturgical Ministers with breakfast, a morning program, then finish with lunch. Will be discussed at a future meeting.

Christmas Mass schedule was decided as follows:
Saturday, December 23 – 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Masses
Sunday, December 24 – 10 a.m. Mass; 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Masses
Monday, December 25 – 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses
 

Formation Committee Report -  October 06, 2006

Youth:
All PSR programs have begun and are running well. New this year is our 2-year-old program called Small Talk. We initially wanted to limit this class to 12 children at each Sunday morning mass. However, it was so popular that we expanded registration to 15 per class and still have a waiting list.
 

Youth Ministry:
Kick-Off Mass and party were last weekend. Great turnout and all the kids had a good time. Future looks bright in this area. Charlotte is taking the kids on a Mission Trip next summer and this has also sparked more interest.

 

Adult Faith Formation:

Theology on Tap has been going very well.  We have had an average of 45 to 50 people at each one.  The chairs of out Adult Faith Formation Committee have been lining up outside speakers for Theology on Tap as well as other events.  A calendar will be ready for publication soon.  The October Theology on Tap will take place on the 3rd Monday instead of the 2nd since our speaker could not make it on the usual night.  Her name is Sr. Paula Gonzales, whose theme is “Simplifying Christmas.”  Childcare will be provided at all events.
 

Community Committee Report – October 17, 2006

2006 Oktoberfest:
Sales $166,248 (increase of 20.5% over 2005)
Profits $78,023 (increase of 45.7% over 2005)

Harvest Hoedown:
Signups are a little slow at present. Next year the event may be connected to another Parish event such as Men’s Group Chicken Dinner.

Dinner Dance/ Auction:
If anyone on Pastoral council has a business connection to assist this function please call Jennifer Fedders.