Author Archives: beckyclarkfl

Leadership Council Meeting Summary (August – November, 2018)

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The summer is long gone and Christmas is just around the corner. I would like to try and summarize the activities of your Leadership Council in the past five months. This will be a year end summary as well, since no business will be conducted at the December Leadership Council meeting. Once again, I offer this disclaimer; these are a summary of my recollections, notes,  and review of the minutes from the past meetings. If an opinion is offered, it is mine alone. It is my desire to keep everyone informed about their church’s leadership activities. Everyone on leadership wants to be open about our church activities. We are all readily available to discuss any issue or concern. This will be a somewhat lengthy report.

At the August 20 meeting, concern was expressed about a Facebook public post entitled “West Boca Methodist Community Share”. Since 2008, there has been no such entity as is the “West Boca Methodist Church/Community”. There was agreement that all matters relating to the church should be posted on the FUMC Facebook site.

The staff parish committee reported considerable difficulty in finding individuals who were trained, experienced, or interested in assuming both children and youth ministry. The finance committee continued to evaluate possible solutions to our budget deficit. Fran Bertoti and I spoke with district superintendent Dr. Cynthia Weem, and both were convinced that the superintendent believed the sale of church parsonages was not in the best interest of the church and therefore would not approve any such action. That matter was closed. Pastor Marcus indicated that the Strategic Planning and Ministries Assessment Task Forces will be giving their report at the October meeting. Pastor Rachel presented her proposal for the Fresh Expressions Ministry, including the budget. After some discussion and debate, the motion to approve the  ministry and the budget expenditure($48,000) were approved.

I did not attend the September meeting which was chaired by Joe Manino. The staff parish committee made a motion to offer Wyatt Robinson the position as Director of Youth Ministry. The motion passed unanimously. The finance committee continue to express concerns about the financial shortfall of the church and to warn of the possibility of significant cuts to the 2019 budget. The trustees recommended moving funds from the previous West campus bathroom upgrade to repairing the roof on the chapel at the West campus. This motion was passed unanimously. Pastor Marcus distributed a letter from Emerging Minds Montessori Academy, the school we currently lease space on the West campus. They indicated an interest in purchasing the West campus property. They indicated that they would be willing and happy to create an arrangement in which the West Campus Ministry would continue. There was general interest by the council members about looking into this possibility further. No Action Was Proposed to Sell the West Campus.

The Leadership Council Meeting of October 15th, lasted four hours. Owners of the Emerging Minds Montessori Academy made a presentation to the Council. They indicated their desire to purchase the West campus property in order to expand the school and create equity in the enterprise. They indicated their purpose was missional in scope (and not entrepreneurial). It is their desire to educate and help children whose families are financially compromised. They intend to seek  federal funding and nonprofit status as a part of this goal. In addition, they have enjoyed the relationship with our church and want to continue that. They would continue to allow church worship at the West campus, while owning and maintaining the facilities. The Council was impressed with their sincerity, their missional goals, and their genuine interest in preserving the West campus church operations. A motion was made and unanimously carried to create a subcommittee to investigate the possibility of such an arrangement. The church nominating committee will select the committee members with final approval by the leadership Council. It is anticipated that these discussions and recommendations will take 4 to 6 months to complete. As a result, the school asked for a one-year extension on their lease and that extension was approved by the Council. The committee will report back to the Council throughout the process. No decision has been made to sell the West campus at this time. I believe this may be a wonderful opportunity to solve significant financial issues, and at the same time maintain our West campus ministry.

Pastor Marcus presented the recommendations of the Ministries Reassessment Team and Strategic Planning Team. THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE AVAILABLE from the church office . The Leadership Council endorsed all of the recommendations of the Strategic Planning Team, and all of the recommendations of the Ministries Reassessment Team, except recommendation number 4 under the category of Worship. That recommendation was referred back to the team for further consideration.

Wyatt Robinson, our new Director of Student Ministries, introduced himself and discussed his plans for the student ministry. Jill Haire, submitted a comprehensive written report on our Connections Ministry. The “Connections Fair”, held at our combined worship service on September 30 was a great success and very informative. Pastor Marcus reported that the church nominations committee would be meeting within the next week and presenting its report at the Charge Conference to be held Sunday, November 4 at Christ United Methodist Church in Fort Lauderdale.

Two motions were proposed by the Staff Parish Committee later in the month of October. Both motions were distributed and voted on using email. Staff Parish believed there was some urgency and the Council should not wait to act until the November 19 meeting. Firstly, a per diem pianist and organist was being employed Sundays on the East campus following the retirement of Craig Ames. A permanent replacement was found and will be a $3000 savings from the original budgeted salary. The motion to employ this individual was passed. Secondly, Wyatt Robinson expressed interest in the Children’s Ministry in addition to being Director of Student Ministries. Staff parish recommended a salary adjustment and the hiring of Wyatt as our Director of Family Ministry, in charge of both the children’s and youth programs. (This had been our original goal back in July.) This motion was passed.

The South East District Charge Conference Was Held on November 4th, and the FUMC Report, including programs, nominations, and clergy compensation, were all approved.

At the Council meeting of November 19th, pastor Marcus presented an update on several items. The Montessori Proposal Team should be in place by mid-December. He presented updates and implementation of the Ministries Reassessment and Strategic Planning Teams Recommendations.

The Staff Parish committee presented a detailed report in writing on their analysis of the church office staff and the church music program. I encourage you to obtain a copy of that report. It is quite enlightening. The committee interviewed all of the staff and were impressed with their loyalty and devotion to the church. None of the employees had received a pay raise in four years. One of the employees had not received a pay raise in 10 years, and as a result, that individual was given a 3% raise in 2018. Since the retirement of our music minister, Bob Sheffey, the music on the East Campus has been directed by a different person at each of the traditional and contemporary services. This has not worked out as well as expected. As a result the Staff Parish committee made a motion for Arlene Sparks to be made director of all music ministries at FUMC. A salary adjustment was recommended for the significant increase in time this position would require. The motion passed.

The finance committee gave a comprehensive report, including graphic analysis of church attendance and giving in 2018. Both are trending down. The church pledge drive for 2019 has started and the initial results are promising. 30 new people have turned in pledge cards so far. The pledge drive will continue through December. The finance committee made a motion to continue church funding through February 2019, at the same levels as 2018. Staff salaries would also continue at the 2018 level. The motion was passed. The pumpkin patch project was very successful and everyone was thanked for their hard work. The results of the financial survey are being reviewed. There was a fairly good response of 178 members. A detailed analysis will be forthcoming. Some preliminary results indicate that Youth and Children are the number one priority of church members voting. Number two is Pastoral Care and Leadership, followed closely by Music and Worship. It was my opinion that written responses expressed very diverse opinions.

The trustees committee provided a comprehensive report of their priorities for 2019. They also provided a list of recent projects completed on the east and west campuses, and on both parsonages.

I hope this summary has been helpful. We have an excellent Leadership Council, and each member is working diligently to make FUMC the ministry we believe God wants it to be. We are eager to answer any concerns you have.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Respectfully submitted,

Charlie Tate

Chair, Leadership Council, FUMC, BR

Christian Progressive Book Group

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FUMC’s Christian Progressives Book Group gathers once a month to discuss a book by one of the leading Progressive theologians at work today. Christian Progressivism occurs along a spectrum from liberal to moderate, and our book selections touch on all parts of the spectrum in an effort to create engaging conversation and strengthen our faith as individuals. If you’re already a Progressive or simply want to know more about what that means, we are a friendly, informal group and would love to welcome you.

For more information contact Claire Vande Polder at 561.757.5331.

Leadership Council Meeting Summary (July 16, 2018)

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Pastor Marcus open the meeting with a prayer. The minutes from the June meeting were approved.

The ad hoc committee on the leadership Council composition and policy report was given by Charlie Tate. Following discussion, the following recommendations for changes were unanimously approved:

  1. On page 2 the third paragraph now reads “The senior pastor, associate pastor, and church business administrator shall also serve as voting members of the leadership Council.”
  2. On page 2 the last sentence of the first paragraph will now read “All persons with vote shall be members of the local church.”
  3. On page 3, in the first paragraph describing the Leadership Council Chair, a second sentence was added stating “The leadership Council chair shall vote only in the case of a tie.”
  4. It was agreed that in the future there would be no appointment of an alternate voting member. Currently, Joe Rakestraw serves as an alternate member of the Council in the absence of Merv Timberlake. Joe will continue to serve in Merv’s absence through December 2018.

Sharon Saige gave the church business administrator report. Increased pledging has increased slightly from last month, now totaling about $50,000. However, we continue to experience a significant shortfall in our budget. In 2017, as of June 30, our budget deficit was $63,000. This year our budget deficit stands at $140,000 (as of June 30). Our attendance on both campuses continues to decrease when compared with 2017.

Chuck Reeder gave the staff parish report. Our Children’s Director for the past 10 years, Melissa Walls, had an exit interview with the committee and provided valuable information and recommendations for a new director of family ministry. That job description has been completed and there are currently three resumes to be considered and appointments made for interviews.

Sharon Beede gave the finance subcommittee report. A motion was made and carried that Jim Lauri will now be a signatory on the Merrill Lynch account. The music budget continues to be a concern and will be further scrutinized. Arlene Sparks, Director of our Music Ministry, will be working in consultation with pastor Marcus regarding these concerns. The continued presence of a significant budget deficit is of great concern. However, budget planning for 2019 remains limited until the reports of the Ministry Assessment and Strategic Planning Taskforces present their recommendations. Those recommendations are expected at the October Leadership Council meeting. Our yearly scheduled Charge Conference (with our District Superintendent) will occur later in the fall, at which time the budget will be finalized for 2019.

Fran Bertotti presented the trustees report. Maintenance issues are ongoing. In our efforts to look at all aspects of church finance and property, the sale of one or both of the parsonages has been mentioned. Before any additional consideration, Fran and Charlie Tate will speak with our District Superintendent regarding what is involved at the conference level and what is the general trend in South Florida Methodist churches.

Our senior pastor gave his report, including the glorious baptism of a family of four into our fellowship and the send-off of 35 of our children to summer camp in Leesburg, Florida. He concentrated however, on the preliminary discussions of the strategic planning and ministries reassessment task forces. He challenged each of the council members to consider what they believed to be “The Story” of Our Church (that is, “Who do we feel God is calling us to be”).

Pastor Rachel attended her first meeting since maternity leave. She will be providing a detailed overview of implementing our “Fresh Expressions Ministry” this fall, prior to the August Leadership Council Meeting. The Council will be voting in August about proceeding with implementation, including the funding of this new ministry from New Vision Designated Funds. Pastor Ryan did not have a report. He was in the process of returning from Leesburg where he had dropped off our summer campers.

Jill Haire was not present at the meeting but provided an excellent summary of the “Connections Program” and an update on our volunteers, greeters, and ushers.

Suzanne Reeves presented the Lay Leader Report and Mallory Albeck presented her report on our “Young Adult” meeting.

I handed out our nice new leadership Council name badges. All of our council members will be wearing their badges to enhance identification and to attempt to improve dialogue with all of our church attendees. Special thanks to Becky Clark and Sharon Saige for their efforts. I also reported that we will be moving forward with a new church directory. The Lifetouch company will again be producing the directory. Photography dates are being scheduled for mid and late January, 2019. We wanted to offer all of our families a chance to participate, including our winter residents. Lisa Coles has volunteered to head up this endeavor, and she is going to need a lot of help. Please consider volunteering to be a part of that.

We had a number of guests attend the meeting. Doris Clark reminded us of an upcoming pumpkin patch committee meeting. Pastor Rachel closed the meeting with prayer.

Respectfully submitted,

Charlie Tate

Chair, Leadership Council, FUMC, BR

Leadership Council Meeting Summary (June 18, 2018)

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It is important for each church member to be aware of the hard work and long hours performed by the members of the Leadership Council since the church conference in April. The desire of each member of the Council is to make the right decisions that will lead our church to a successful future in growing God’s kingdom in Boca Raton. While we may not agree on the process, we all agree on the desired outcome. The meeting Monday night took three hours, illustrating the efforts of the Council in our goal. The following is my recollection of the meeting and my expressed personal views.

Pastor Marcus opened the meeting with a prayer and a devotional.

Ron Allen, president of Morgan Taylor Company, a longstanding member of our church, gave a formal presentation on the condition of our facilities on both campuses. His presentation was impressive with details and overview, covering the condition of the roofs, air-conditioners, buildings, and walkways. It was my opinion that his presentation indicated that overall, the facilities are in decent to good condition with a few exceptions. Roof cleaning was recommended on the East campus along with low-cost maintenance on the air conditioning units (line insulation). The West campus needs some roof work and parking lot repair. Pastor Tom asked Ron to review a leak in the Chapel. Ron and his company have been involved in the repair or replacement of our facilities dating back to 2002. Please contact him directly or speak with Fran Bertotti if you have a concern. Overall, I thought his report was quite encouraging.

Joe Manino gave a presentation on how the current governing body of our church, The Leadership Council, came into being in 2012. Revised in 2016, the document describing the composition and policies of the Council was distributed to each member. In the future, new members on the Council will be given this document in January and will be asked to participate in a brief leadership training at the start of their tenure. There are several concerns regarding current composition and policy. These include which members should have the privilege of voting, alternate committee members, and attendance requirements for Council members. Pastor Tom, and in his absence pastor Marcus, will chair a committee of Charlie Tate, Joe Rakestraw, and Merv Timberlake, to make recommendations at the July meeting. All policy must be consistent with The Book of Discipline. Charlie Tate reminded the Council that this document represented the “Constitution” of our governing body, and must be closely adhered to.

Sharon Saige gave the business administrator report. Those documents are available for review. In brief, we continue to run a budget deficit, and our attendance continues to drop on both campuses. This is the summer, when attendance and giving are historically low. On the bright side, the increase in pledging has now totaled about $44,000. However, this remains well below the goal established at the April church conference of 20%. Please continue to pray about your financial commitment to the kingdom of God.

Fran Bertotti gave the trustees subcommittee report. The list of minor repairs is available for your review. Fran did express concern about the West Campus parking lot and the need for repair prior to our Pumpkin Patch Outreach in October. Particularly encouraging was the report of volunteers supplying labor and in some cases materials to improve our facilities on West and East campuses. Volunteerism is the heart and soul of any church. Please do your part.

Chuck Reeder gave the Staff Parish report. There have been rather dramatic changes in our staff this summer. As reported last month, our West Campus children’s director and Sunday school teacher has resigned. This month, Melissa Walls, after 10 years of faithful service, has resigned as Director of Children’s Ministry. These resignations leave a tremendous gap in our ministry to our children and youth. The committee proposed a bold plan to develop a new position of Director of Family Ministry. This individual would be in charge of the children and youth ministries on both campuses. For this to work, in addition to his or her direct ministry, this individual would need to have significant people skills in order to produce the volunteers (parents and other church members) necessary for each of the programs. Budgeted funds are available for this position and there may be an opportunity for some budget savings with the consolidation. The plan was unanimously approved by the Council and the search for the director will begin this summer.

Sharon Beede gave the finance committee report. Her report is available for review. In summary, the committee continues to express concern about the financial well-being of our church. We continue to run a budget deficit and the long-term implications of this is onerous. The committee continues to work diligently to find areas in the budget that can be modified to reduce costs. Some of these areas may include reduction of the music ministry expenses on the East campus, the financial consequences of selling one or both of the parish homes, and an overall reduction in the Staff Parish budget. On the positive side, we have reduced cost for our custodial services, and we have increased income through new rental agreements with MECE on the East Campus and the Montessori school on the West Campus. In addition, there may be additional savings as noted earlier in the establishment of a Director of Family Ministry. A motion was approved to move $100,000 from our foundation fund into a Merrill Lynch liquid account. A second motion encouraging a budget reduction of 15%, with 10% coming from Staff Parish was defeated. It would be my opinion that Leadership Council has two schools of thought on the budget issue. Some Council members feel that the budget should be reduced and the deficit eliminated. Other Council members, including myself, feel that our church ministry must be revamped and updated, if we are to succeed in the future. This will likely require deficit spending in the near future. All members of our Council want our church to succeed on both campuses. As members, your input is necessary—not only your thoughts, but your time, energy, and giving.

Pastor Marcus briefly discussed the first meetings of the Strategic Planning Task Force and the Ministries Reassessment Task Force. These two teams were established at our April church conference and will be evaluating all aspects of worship at our church currently and our strategic planning for the future. They will be working all summer to bring a report to the Leadership Council in September.

Pastor Tom gave his final report as a full-time pastor. He will be spending three weeks starting July 7 in Atlanta to complete his study at the Emory University School of Theology. He shared his sense of blessing at being a full-time pastor at our church and left the Council with a most appropriate Bible verse to live by: Ephesians 4:32. Look it up, it’s worth remembering. Charlie Tate concluded Pastor Tom’s remarks by expressing a deep appreciation and love for Pastor Tom and all that he has done to further the ministry of our church. We are so very grateful that he will continue to be with us on a part-time basis.

Pastors Rachel and Ryan continue to be on maternity leave. They will be returning to work on July 1. Our prayers of joy continue for young Charlie.

Suzanne Reeves gave the Lay Leader report. Suzanne is serving on both planning teams as a facilitator with Pastor Marcus. If you take a minute to review the Leadership Council composition and policy document discussed earlier, you will find the responsibilities of the Lay Leader. Suzi is the living, breathing, walking and talking example of what the Leader of Laity is supposed to be. We are so blessed to have her.

Our new Young Adult Representative, Mallory Albeck, did not present a report at this meeting.  The purpose of the Young Adult Representative is to insure that the Leadership Council discussions and votes include the perspective of the next generation.

Jill Haire, our Connections Ministry Director, filed a written report. She continues to work on a plan of action this summer for increasing number of greeters and ushers for our services starting in the fall.

Joe Rakestraw, one of our Council members, is working with Mike Woolsey to establish a new outreach ministry with the motorcycle enthusiasts in our community. He asked for the council’s endorsement. Council members recommended George Liebel as an additional convener of this “motorcycle gang” and unanimously supported this outreach. Please be careful, boys!!!

Doris Clark gave an exciting and enthusiastic report of the first meeting of the Pumpkin Patch Committee. There are four co-chairpersons. Minutes and summary of that meeting are available for review. The level of volunteerism this year is very exciting and all profits from this activity will be used to support the operating budget of our church. Please plan to participate in this wonderful and very successful community outreach ministry.

Pastor Tom ended a lengthy but successful meeting with prayer.

Respectfully submitted,

Charles F Tate III, MD

Chair, Leadership Council, FUMC, BR

 

 

Leadership Council Meeting Summary (May 21, 2018)

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This is the second report of the Leadership Council Chair, consisting of my reflections on the meeting held May 21, 2018 at the West Campus. Council attendance was excellent and each of the members are to be commended for their hard work during the past month. Each committee submitted a written report which is available for review. It was a busy, but highly productive meeting, going just over two hours.

Our Church Business Administrator Sharon Saige reported on recent pledges turned in. 28 people have increased their pledge or pledged for the first time with an overall increase of $22,000 in giving. We hope and pray there are more pledges to come in, as our needs are great. Leadership Council members should be wearing bright new name badges in the next month. We want everyone to get to know the lay leaders and ask questions or express concerns to them. We are planning a new photo church directory to be published by the first of the year. Photography will be scheduled for this fall. Becky Clark will be the staff “point person” on this project; we need volunteers to help her make this a big success. Please contact her and offer your services. We have received a 95 page appraisal of the West Campus from Integra Realty Resources in Orlando, a company recommended by our conference. The West Campus property appraisal was acknowledged; the property was valued at $3.6 million.

Jill Haire gave a report on plans to expand our greeter program. We will be developing a plan of action that will greatly expand the number of greeters, so the burden of serving every week can be reduced on our current loyal group. This is an extremely important ministry, as studies have shown that visitors decide within 7 to 8 minutes of walking into a church service whether they feel encouraged to return. Stay tuned and please extend the hand of friendship to all.

Pastor Marcus gave a report from the Nominating Committee. We welcomed our new Young Adult Representative, Mallory Albeck, to her first meeting. Claire Vande Polder was elected to serve on the Staff Parish Relations Committee. The pastor then nominated 13 members for the new Ministries Reassessment Task Force and 9 members for the Strategic Planning Task Force, which were mandated by the vote at our Church Conference in April. All nominees were approved. The task forces will be working this summer to assess our church and make recommendations to move forward into the future with success. These names will be published in the bulletin and on Realm. Please get to know them and share your thoughts with them.

Chuck Reeder, Chairman of the Staff Parish Relations Committee gave their report. Pastor Tom’s new position as a part-time minister required definition and salary adjustments. The Staff Parish proposal was approved, and Pastor Tom is ready to begin part time on July 1. We are extremely pleased to continue to enjoy his talent, caring, and love for the Lord. Custodial services have undergone a change since the resignation of Alex Castle. Sharon Saige has negotiated with a contract service, and the plan approved will produce an estimated $6000 savings to the church. Callie Schaffer, our Assistant Children’s Director and West Campus Sunday school teacher, has resigned. She plans to work full time at the Montessori school. We will attempt to fill her role with volunteers this summer and revisit this position in the fall. Please, if you enjoy children, volunteer once or twice a month to take care of our most precious gifts. The hiring of a full-time youth director (to serve on both campuses) has been deferred this summer. In the interim, Dani Boden has been hired as a part time youth and children intern. We will revisit this important subject this fall, and based on giving, goals, and recommendations of the Strategic Planning and Ministry Reassessment teams, reconsider a full-time position.

Sharon Beede, Chair of the Finance Committee, gave their report and recommendations. It was approved that a monthly financial report will appear in the bulletin every week, so that members “can’t miss” the information. Salaries for pastors and staff will be frozen this year as we tighten our financial belts. Finally, the Finance Committee members were unanimous in the belief that the church should move to a balanced budget as quickly as possible. Fiscal responsibility is essential to the health of our institution. It was agreed that Finance, working with Sharon Saige, will propose a detailed balanced budget next month. This will be based on actual current needs, current changes in giving, recent changes in salaries and new income. Please, prayerfully consider your giving to our church. It is only with your help that our goal to serve greater Boca Raton for God’s work can be fulfilled.

Fran Bertotti, Chairperson of the Trustees, gave their report. Ron Allen, a church member, and owner of Morgan Taylor Contractors is currently inspecting facilities at both campuses. He will be presenting a detailed overview of the condition of both facilities with proposed necessary repairs and replacements, at our June meeting. Approval was given to install storm windows in the East Campus parsonage. These funds will not come from the church budget. Approval was given for window repair and caulking on the East Campus. Fran also reported on an occupancy study she did. George Liebel was thanked for repairing the walkway between Fellowship Hall and the school building on the West Campus. A water leak was repaired outside the Chapel on the West Campus. There is a water leak at the West Campus parsonage that needs repair. MECE will be paying $5000 more this year to use the Life Enrichment Center. The Montessori school contract is in negotiations. The church vehicles need to be replaced. They are over 12 years old and worn out. No action was taken, but this will need to be addressed as we try to improve our youth ministry and outreach programs.

Lay Leader Suzanne Reeves gave her report. She noted that she attended the Trustees and Finance Committee meetings this month, participated in the West Campus services at 930, and has submitted her first message for our weekly email. She expressed concern about the condition of the West Campus infant/toddler nursery.

Charlie Tate asked Pastor Tom to chair an ad hoc committee to review whether there should be any changes to the members of the Council who vote on Council matters. Joe Rakestraw and Merv Timberlake were asked to serve. A report is requested to the Council at the June meeting.

The meeting was adjourned with a closing prayer.

Respectfully submitted,

Charles F Tate III, MD

Chair, Leadership Council, FUMC, BR

Lay Leader’s Corner

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Are You Willing to Dwell Across the Bridge?

I am very excited that our church is embarking on a new path of Fresh Expression. Pastor Rachel De Laune will lead this new adventure for us in just a few more weeks at Coral Sunset Elementary school. This is an opportunity for us to reach out and spread the Glorious Word of God.

I was “surfing” the internet the other day and came across a blog by Dr. Travis Collins. Dr Collins is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL.  I invite you to research Dr. Collins and his work. He is also a published author, including the book “From the Steeple to the Street.” The blog was titled: “Three Options to Reach the Unchurched”.  I found this blog very clear and a great analogy to explain the idea of Fresh Expressions. The following is a my paraphrasing of his blog article.

Dr Collins stated, in regards to the “unchurched”, we the “churched” have 3 options to action.

The first would be to assume if folks want to go to church they will. We have signs, they can find us.

The second is to be polite and caring. Go to them, be kind, get to know them and they invite them back to our comfort zone. In essence, back to our side of the bridge. Some may follow us back, but many will not as we are “essentially cutting them off from their networks of relationships with people far from God.”

The third is the best option in my book. This would be to cross the bridge into their world and dwell with them. Serve, pray and find out what church looks like among these folks. “Subsequently, it moves to starting new forms (fresh expression) of church among the people there–churches that spring up naturally, contextually, within that setting and among those particular people.”

In closing I will leave you with at quote from Winnie the Pooh, via A.A. Milne,

“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come see you. You have to go to them sometimes.”

I hope to see you across the bridge as we light the candle on this new expression of  Faith.

Suzanne Reeves – Lay Leader

 

Previous Postings for Lay Leader’s Corner:

July 2018

June 2018

May 2018

Leadership Council Meeting Summary (April 16, 2018)

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This is the first of what I hope will be monthly summaries of your Leadership Council meetings, held the third Monday evening of each month. Our hope is to keep you, the attendees and membership of First United Methodist Church Boca Raton, fully informed about the actions and goals of the church leadership.

The Leadership Council is composed of the Council Chair, Chairperson and members of the Staff Parish and Finance sub-committees, as well as the Church Trustees. The Lay Leader, a young adult representative, and the Church Business Administrator are all voting members. Pastors Marcus, Tom, and Rachel are voting members of the Council, and Pastor Ryan, who leads the Atlantic Coast Wesley ministry at FAU, is a non-voting member of the Council.  Here is the summary of the April meeting:

  1. There was unanimous consensus among the Council members present, agreeing with the April 15 Church Conference vote to approve the substitute Plan of Action.
  2. Quarterly pledge statements will be sent out by the end of the month. A statement will go to all 1100 members and attendees of FUMC. In addition, NEW PLEDGE CARDS will be sent out. An accompanying letter will describe the reason for doing this and ask each person to consider giving as much as possible and/or working toward tithing. A simple financial statement for the first Quarter will also be enclosed.
  3. There was a discussion about hiring a full-time youth minister. Financing this new staff member was discussed. The Staff Parish sub-committee was asked to begin evaluation of this process.
  1. Pastor Tom indicated that with his part-time status starting this summer, his participation in the Pumpkin Patch Outreach Ministry this fall will be greatly reduced. He emphasized the need for laity to assume ownership of the Pumpkin Patch. The Leadership Council concurred that this was an excellent opportunity for the church to show their new spirit of servant ministry.
  2. The Leader of Laity, Suzanne Reeves, made a motion to have all members of the Leadership Council wear a name badge with name and Leadership Council position during church services and activities. This motion was unanimously passed. In addition, the lay leader will be taking part in Sunday services once per month and will be contributing to the bulletin or church weekly email every month. In the future, a church email address will be developed for certain lay leaders to improve communication with church members.
  3. Concern was expressed about the need for more participation in greeting and ushering at the services. Jill Haire will be working with the Leadership Council to establish an action plan.
  4. Mallory Albeck was approved as the young adult representative to the Leadership Council. The vacancy which remains on the Staff Parish sub-committee is expected to be filled at the May Council meeting.
  5. The Staff Parish sub-committee is tasked with reviewing yearly all personnel employed by the church and evaluate their performance and salary. They will also look into the youth minister position (see #3 above) and Pastor Tom’s job description and salary as he shifts to part-time status on July 1. They will report to the Leadership Council on their progress at the May meeting.
  6. The Finance sub-committee is tasked with analyzing at all aspects of the budget to consider opportunities to reduce the budget and other potential revisions to the budget, based on the needs of the church and the results of the new pledges.  They will report to the Leadership Council on their progress at the May meeting.
  1. The Trustees are tasked with reviewing all aspects of both campuses facilities (grounds, buildings, equipment, etc.) and assessing the costs of maintaining, repairing and upgrading the facilities. They are to coordinate their efforts with the Finance Committee. They will report to the Leadership Council on their progress at the May meeting.
  2. Pastor Rachel and Jill Haire were asked to put together lists of all FUMC small groups and all volunteer opportunities for publication.
  3. The Council approved negotiations with the Montessori school on the West Campus to extend their lease, which currently would expire on July 31.
  4. A report was received from Pastor Ryan concerning the Atlantic Coast Wesley campus ministry.
  5. A discussion regarding the shower ministry for homeless individuals on Sunday morning will be scheduled for the May meeting. Subsequent to the Leadership Council meeting, the homeless ministry has elected to shift the homeless ministry activities from Sunday mornings to Saturday mornings through the summer.
  6. Pastor Rachel commented on current activities at Coral Sunset Elementary School. There was discussion about setting up a tutoring/mentoring training program for those church members interested in supporting this ministry at Coral Sunset School. Pastor Rachel will follow up in the summer for all interested parties.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you have questions, please contact me or members of the leadership Council.

Respectfully submitted,

Charles F Tate III, MD

Chair, Leadership Council, FUMC, BR