Church of the Holy Trinity

 

Parish Council Meeting - Church of the Holy Trinity

 

March 15, 2016

 

In attendance were Robin Rokisky, Mark Cush, Mark Capuano, Amy Rowland, Father Jeff, Jo Ann Yost, Cathy Morris, Paula Cush, Dave Weiland, Father Jonathan, and Rick Cercone.  Deacon Lyn and Rick Christ were absent.  Father Jeff opened the meeting in prayer, and the February minutes were approved with one attendance change. 

 

This meeting was intended to follow through with the proposals and decisions made at the February meeting concerning our Council’s direction and guidance for 2016.  Father Jeff outlined for us the thoughts of our parish leadership regarding the roles of Parish Council which would be most helpful to our growth and spiritual advancement.  Robin helped introduce, teach, and train us on the new meeting agenda and assessment template in conjunction with this vision. 

 

One of our first tasks will be to assess the current state of various ministries in the parish, and to begin determining what individual council member’s roles will be in assisting them.

 

Robin began by walking us through a typical standard meeting agenda:

 

                        Prayer

 

                        Parish Calendar

 

                        Parish Activities and Processes

 

                        Training and Development

 

                        Closing Prayer

 

This was then, the format we used for tonight’s meeting.

 

Prayer :

 

As in the past, our first responsibility is to pray daily for our parish; her leadership, councils, missions, and members.  In addition we should be praying for the community, with particular concern for those who are no longer attending services, or otherwise aligned with this, their “church home”.

 

Parish Calendar :

 

(This function is yet to be developed and handed over to council.) 

Parish Activities and Processes :

 

The Finance Council is requesting each ministry begin formulating their 2016-17 budget.  These will be due in early June, and should be turned in to Kristi Schaub by then.  Our role, as council members will be to contact the respective ministry leaders which had been assigned in 2015, and remind them of this deadline, plus offer assistance as needed.

 

The Finance Council has also clarified the process for being reimbursed for expenditures.  Initially, a request for funding approval should be made (a form has yet to be developed), secure necessary approvals, make the purchases, and then be reimbursed upon presentation of applicable receipts, etc.

 

Some Finance Council members are currently testing out the e-giving program at this time, prior to rolling it out to the Parish.  Gifts and offerings will be able to be made via debit or credit card, savings or checking account.  These are paid to a third party account which then transfers funds into the applicable Parish accounts.

 

The Back Pack Program has an annual budget of approximately $1,600, which is currently assessed as 85 cans of ravioli per week.  The question came up about simply making a payment from the office, but this was turned down, due to the nature of the program as an opportunity for individuals to incorporate weekly “Feeding the Poor” into their corporal works of mercy.  It was however, decided to allow cash contributions to be made, and even special collections would be appropriate, as these would be in keeping with its purposes.    

 

Training and Development:

 

Father Jeff began by outlining the Parish organizational structure, and a vision of the role of Parish Council within that structure.  He also noted the roles of Finance Council, Clergy & Administration, Ministries, and Church Community.  In order to help us understand the process better, the job of managing the Parish Calendar was used as an example: 

 

-          ALIGN the parish calendar with the liturgical calendar, being aware of activities which may overlap or not be permitted; (FOCUSED)

 

-          ENGAGE clergy, parish ministries and individual parishioners in the scheduling process, as needed. (INCLUSIVE)

 

-          MANAGE Strategic and tactical planning as part of the scheduling process. (Ex: Thursday nights are tied up with Bible Studies, which utilize a very important meeting room.  Ad hoc meetings cannot use this resource.) (ORGANIZED)

ASSESSMENT of COUNCIL’S ROLES IN 2016:

 

Parish Council uniquely participates in the dual roles of Leadership and Liaison.  As such, we should be assessing our parishioners at least monthly, asking questions like “How are we doing as a community”?  An annual assessment – with clergy participation – is also desired in order to further develop the “roadmap” for our roles in the parish.  Furthermore, a yearly strategic planning session for each ministry should be conducted. 

 

Our work always points toward: 1.) Being Holy; and 2.) Being Home. 

 

NEXT STEPS:

 

-          Read the Parish Constitution, and be prepared to discuss updates and changes appropriate to the current vision.

 

-          Obtain / approve the Holy Trinity Expenditure Request Form, as mentioned above.

 

-          Be prepared to discuss the role of maintain the parish calendar, including what tools, forms, formats can be considered; how changes are to be made; how updates are communicated among council members, (keeping in mind that it must be usable, easily updated, aligned to the annual liturgical “roadmap”, and accessible to all in the Parish).

 

We were asked to prayerfully consider this organizational process, especially remaining open to its possibilities, and in recognition of the human tendency to oppose change.   

 

Father Jeff will prepare the next meeting agenda, which will be Tuesday May 17^th at 7:00PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,      

 

 

 

 Mark Capuano  

 

 

Parish Council Meeting - Church of the Holy Trinity

 

February 16, 2016

 

In attendance were Mark Cush, Mark Capuano, Amy Rowland, Father Jeff, Jo Ann Yost, Rick Christ, Cathy Morris, and Rick Cercone.  Deacon Lyn, Dave Weiland, Paula Cush, and Fr. Jonathan were absent.  Mark Cush opened the meeting in prayer, and the November minutes were approved. 

 

This meeting was called as a follow up to the December meeting, in order to propose to council direction and guidance in 2016.  Father Jeff outlined for us the thoughts of our parish leadership regarding the role of council which would be most helpful to our growth and spiritual advancement.

 

We were advised of our parish mission to proclaim and live the gospel, become holy (which is our calling by God), and developing the church as our home, i.e. a place to relax and enjoy our parish family.  Although the roles, authority, and goals of the Pastoral Council in promoting these objectives will be developed over time, we were asked to consider some specific major tasks.  Sub-tasks could develop over time throughout the coming months.

 

Prayer :

 

As in the past, our first responsibility is to pray daily for our parish; her leadership, councils, missions, and members.  In addition we should be praying for the community, with particular concern for those who are no longer attending services, or otherwise aligned with this, their “church home”.

 

The Parish Calendar:

 

One of the most helpful tasks we were asked to consider, is taking over the Parish Calendar.  This includes scheduling, coordinating, securing approvals, publicizing and communicating the myriad of activities which surround our parish life. 

 

Activities and Committees:

 

As in the past, we are asked to continue our role as facilitators for the various ministries and committees of the Parish.  What do they need from us, or the Leadership?  What are they doing to advance their particular mission?  What are their financial and support needs?  What ideas and visions do they see?  We have currently assigned council members to virtually all of the missions, committees, and groups within the Parish.  Our next task would logically be to further identify and work with the leadership of these groups to promote and advance their cause and calling. 

 

Training and Development:

 

As individuals are recognized for their particular talents and abilities, we should be aware of our desire to provide them with the training and developmental tools which would best suit their ministry.  This would include our own calling as Pastoral Council members, and the training and development – both spiritual and temporal – of the entire parish membership.  Recognizing and providing opportunities for growth and service could become a major ambition for the Pastoral council, and would greatly aid the staff and leadership of the Parish.

 

We were asked to prayerfully consider these points over the next month, and be prepared to discuss them, and other items, at the next council meeting on March 15^th at 7:00PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,      

 

 

 

 

 

 Mark Capuano