NEW HOPE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Fort Myers, Florida Session Minutes STATED MEETING OF SESSION August 22, 2017 6pm Room 209 Elders Present: Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Steve Boutelle Linda Hart Jim LaRue Craig Martin Kathy Orr Sharon Pierce Debi Campbell Dan Ceilley Dan Miller Mark Myers Sonja Suitor Ken Walker Carlton Anderson Scott Connell Andy Garrett Jason Harre John Nord Kathy Scharlau 1. Elders Excused: Bill Roeder, Larry Scrabis 2. Staff and Guests Present: Pastor Eddie Spencer, Pastor Stu Austin, Chuck Knox - Treasurer, Deborah Fransway Clerk of Session, Guests: Chris Bundschu - Deacon, Jim Clark - Staff, Brad Starner Staff, Daniel Meade - Staff 3. Pastor Eddie opened the meeting with prayer at 6pm. 4. The Session minutes from the June Meeting were approved as presented. No meeting was held in July. 5. Daniel Meade, our new Director of Missions and Outreach, introduced himself to the session, sharing about his heart for missions and life experiences. Daniel reported that he has been in contact with all of New Hope s missionary partners locally and around the globe. Each member of session introduced themselves by name to Daniel and shared how many years they have been part of the New Hope family. Elder Debi Campbell prayed for Daniel, his family, and for those our church family will be impacting through our missionary outreach. 6. Elder DISCUSSION Groups- purpose of the groups is to discuss and give input in particular areas of the church where our Elders are unfamiliar. Each group met for 20 minutes and then the Session reconvened to recap. Group 1: Discussion- a Capital Fund, 2018 Budget preparation, thoughts on 2018 Mission Giving Elder Participants- Ken Walker (leader) Pastor Stu, Carlton Anderson, Dan Ceilley, Linda Hart, Jim LaRue, Brad Starner (Staff), Deborah Fransway (Clerk), Chuck Knox (Treasurer) Recap: Discussed long term facilities needs, creating a reserve fund separate from
the general operating budget, and creating a contingency fund for general operations to tap into to cover unbudgeted expenses. It was recommended not to use the words Capital Fund when describing the reserve fund as that has new building campaign connotations. Group 2: Discussion- proposed position for Kathy, Update from Jim Clark on Youth ministry, thoughts on 2018 Personnel Budget Elder Discussion- Craig Martin(leader), Steve Boutelle, Jason Harre, Sharon Pierce, Dan Miller, Kathy Scharlau, John Nord Recap: Kathy Orr s new position is a much needed addition for staff efficiency. Personnel has budgeted money for a webmaster and AV staffing in 2018. Personnel has not budgeted money to replace the resigning Assistant Director of Student Ministries. Group 3: Discussion- Analysis of Sunday morning worship attendance and question of a third worship service Elder Participants- Eddie (leader), Scott Connell, Sonja Suitor, Mark Myers, Andy Garrett, Debi Campbell, Kathy Orr Recap: Though the 8am worship service is declining in numbers, attendance at 9:30 and 11am continues to grow. Various solutions were discussed including starting a brand new worship option geared toward new people who will be coming in the future. A survey of the church family will be taken to gather opinions and fresh ideas about how to handle the growth expected during season. 7. Treasurer s Report: Chuck Knox http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/giving/ June Operating Income = $131,147.40/Expenses = $171,573.98 July Operating Income = $ 160,196.21/Expenses = $154,540.75 Loan debt as of 7/31/17: $1,615,248.58 Chuck noted that the property adjacent to New Hope has foreclosed and we can expect a check for approximately $285,000 for the common road that was financed through the IM Building Campaign. This money will go towards paying down the building loan debt. Chuck also reported that New Hope has fulfilled over 93% of the IM Campaign pledges and expects we will reach the 100% mark by the end of the timeframe in March of 2018. 8. Pastor Stu s Report a. Nominating Committee: Pastor Stu requested that the Session agree to hold a Called Congregational Meeting on Sunday, September 24 for the purposes of electing the new slate of Deacons, Elders and Trustee. A motion was made, it was seconded, and it passed unanimously. Pastor Eddie mentioned that he will be conducting the training sessions. b. SYMBIS: Pastor Stu expressed interest in utilizing the SYMBIS assessment tool for premarital counseling and marriage maintenance. SYMBIS stands for Save Your Marriage Before It Starts. More info is available at www.symbis.com c. Men s Ministry: Pastor Stu thanked Chris Bundschu and Mark Myers for all their
efforts in rejuvenating the Men s Ministry at New Hope. Mark will be grilling the steak and chicken for the upcoming Men s Dinner on September 21. Pastor Stu encouraged the male Elders to invite other men to this event and to attend the 6- week Men s Bible Study on Galatians that will follow an introductory presentation by Pastor Stu on September 21. Pastor Stu mentioned that he will be using material designed by the Man in the Mirror program. Online registration for this event is available at www.newhopefortmyers.org/mens- dinner d. Institute for Freedom and Virtue: Pastor Stu announced that he has been invited to serve on the board of the Fort Myers IFV. More info about this organization is available at www.fvinstitute.org e. Ron Rand: Pastor Stu announced that Ron Rand will be teaching a 4- week class about sharing the gospel during the Wednesday Night class sessions in September. f. Race Relations: Pastor Stu shared how some of the African Americans in our church family have been affected by the recent events in Charlottesville, VA and asked the session to come alongside people who may be feeling vulnerable to offer encouragement and support. ************************************** Ministry/Council Reports: Reports from most Councils were distributed with the Session docket. Several chairmen or council members were present and reported the following: 9. Stephen Ministries: Kathy Orr chair Kathy shared that there are eight Stephen Ministers who are awaiting people to serve. She asked the Session to encourage people who are struggling to ask the Stephen Ministry for assistance. Kathy also shared how she recently texted an acquaintance who was going through a very public struggle to offer prayer support, and how it was well received. Kathy encouraged the Session not to be shy about reaching out to others. 10. Finance Council: Sharon Pierce chair Sharon reported that the 2018 budget preparations are underway, asking that all councils, committees, and ministries submit their budget requests by September 13, 2017. The current plan is to create a budget that contains two major sections. One section would detail the general operating needs, the other section would be designed to fund capital improvements/repairs. 11. Deacons: Clara Ann Foucht chair. Scott Connell reported in Clara Ann s absence. Deacon Ministry details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/deacon- teams/ Property: A motion was made to expand the concrete slab in front of the narthex for event purposes. The cost will be approximately $17,500 and will include shade trees. The motion was seconded and passed. Another motion was made to enhance the air conditioning efficiency in the classrooms by adding 7 more control boxes with associated wiring. The cost is estimated not to exceed $29,800. The motion was seconded and passed. Both items will appear in the yearend report at budget overages.
12. Women s Ministry: Debi Campbell chair Highlights from report submitted for the docket: Cards of Encouragement report by Ann Anderson. Discussed adding stronger prayer component to our circles and various ministries. Reviewed that our "special events" fund: should be missional and used to bless our neighbors. Discussed college care packages and needs at Colonial Elementary. Discussed larger tables in the narthex and donut Sundays for fellowship/connection purposes. WIM now has a curriculum library available in the tan and gray cabinets in room 210. WIM is in need of a secretary to take minutes. The Well: (Beth Connell) details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/women/well- oasis/ Young Women s Bible Studies details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/young- womens- bible- studies/ WOW Sunday class details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/adults/ COF details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/women/circles- of- friendship/ Yada Prayer Group details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/women/yadah/ Chronic Pain Support details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/chronic- pain- support/ Juvie Jail Ministry details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/women/juvie- jail/ Card of Caring details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/cards- of- caring/ Wrapped in Love details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/women/wrapped- in- love/ Stephen Ministry details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/stephen- ministers/ Advent Brunch Roxanne Spencer- Saturday, December 2 from 10am- Noon. Speaker - Alice Stanley Advent Devotional Ann Anderson White Breakfast Karen Jalving March 28 at 9am Fall Retreat details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/retreat/ 13. Men s Ministry: Mark Myers chair Mark announced that he is backing away from organizational efforts but will continue to grill the chicken and steaks for future men s dinner gatherings. Registration for the upcoming Men s Dinner is available here: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/mens- dinner/ and all men are encouraged to participate in the online Men s Survey available here: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/men- of- new- hope- survey/ 14. Personnel: Craig Martin, Kathy Orr, Scott Connell a. Ronni Meier officially resigned from her position as Assistant Director of Youth Ministry earlier this month. She will be paid through August 30. No plans have been made to hire a new person to take her place. The Session discussed the need to provide female leadership for our Middle School and High School Students. It was noted that Jim Clark will need extra help with the Fusion college group, and the Student Ministry program. b. A motion was made to hire Kathy Orr as the Office Administrator. She will work 30 hours per week and will begin receiving a salary in January of 2018. Kathy will be working with Brad Starner to implement new office software and with Pastor Eddie on special projects. The motion seconded and passed unanimously.
c. A recommendation was made to budget $30,000 for an Associate Pastor in 2018. The goal is to identify and begin paying this new person toward the latter half of 2018. No vote was taken on this matter. 15. Events/Membership/Fellowship: Bill Roeder, chair A motion was made to accept the Statistics Reports from June and July. The motion was seconded and it passed unanimously. Notes: Active membership as of 6-30- 17 = 1,075 Active membership as of 7-31- 17 = 1,075 16. Discipleship: a) Children s Ministries Larry Scrabis chair Highlights from report submitted for the docket: Discussed the 2018 budget. Thank you letters were mailed to VBS participants. Camp KidJam was successful. On August 6, 22 new kindergartners joined the World Changers Ministry. Splish Splash kickoff on August 6 was successful. X- Factor kickoff on August 13 was successful. The Wednesday night Kick off is scheduled for August 30. Details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/children/ b) Student Ministries Steve Boutelle - chair Steve Reported that attendance had increased by 20 students last Sunday as the new middle school students joined the Soul Station gathering at 9:30am. Details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/students/ c) Adult Discipleship - Pastor Eddie Pastor Eddie spoke of the organic growth that has occurred within the church family and the need to assimilate all the new people. Sunday class details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/adults/ Wednesday Night class details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/wednesday/ Life Group details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/life- groups/ FF&F details: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/food- fellowship- fun/ 17. Missions: Ken Seim - chair and Jim LaRue The Missions Council is planning a potluck dinner meeting on August 28 for the purposes of preparing their 2018 budget requests. Details about NHP Missions: http://www.newhopefortmyers.org/category/missions/ 18. There being no other business, Pastor Stu Austin concluded with prayer. 19. The next Stated Meeting of Session will be Tuesday, September 26, 2017, at 6pm. Information and motions for the September docket should be submitted to Deborah Fransway (239.707.9894) or emailed to Deborah at deb@newhopefortmyers.org by 5pm on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. Respectfully submitted, Pastor Eddie Spencer, Moderator Deborah Fransway, Clerk of Session