SMUMC Church Council Jun. 26, 2019
Meeting called to order by Chair Amy Chai at 7:35 p.m. Attendees introduced themselves and stated their position on the Council. (See attendee list at the end of the minutes.)
Pastor Neil Hough opened the meeting with prayer.
The minutes for the May meeting were approved.
Worship Schedule Change: Council discussed implementing the proposal that was adopted at the May meeting. It is likely that the Sunday morning timetable will be adjusted. Communication about the process is key to its success. Pastor Neil emphasized that the involvement of all the leaders is also key, and that the process should include considering the needs of church members, friends, and neighbors. Pastor Neil asked council members to rank the three most important considerations to be aware of as the timetable is developed. Each member chose three considerations as most important. Ranking was established by show of hands. The factors are:
Start Time of First Service
End Time of Second Service
Length of Service(s): Current Target is 60 minutes
Full hour for Sunday School?
Time between First Service, Sunday School, and Second Service f
Preparation Time for Musicians for Both Services
Times that are Easy to Advertise and Remember, e.g. not 10:08
Attendees ranked their first, second, and third priorities among these. Counts for each ranking were: (First choice, first column, Second choice, second column, etc.)
Factor A: Start Time of First Service (12, 4, 0)
Factor B: End Time of Second Service (0, 3, 3)
Factor C: Length of Service(s) (0, 6, 4)
Factor D: Full Hour for Sunday School (2, 1, 3)
Factor E: Time between Services (4, 1, 2)
Factor F: Preparation Time for Musicians (2, 0 0)
Factor G: Sensible Times for Advertising Consensus among all
Pastor Neil will work with the church staff to develop a proposal for council consideration at a future meeting.
Annual Conference Report: Members who attended the Virginia Annual Conference in Roanoke June 20-22 reported on the conference by showing a summary video and sharing other highlights.
Finance Committee: Bill Culbertson reported that revenue fell behind expenses for the first time in May of this year. The committee will continue to watch trends and take action if any is needed in September.
Soup for the Soul: A proposal was brought forward by Bill Culbertson for a program where folks would prepare family-size portions of soup to keep in the church kitchen freezer to be available for delivery to persons in need because of illness or bereavement. The program would begin in September. The proposal received a favorable response.
Way Forward for St. Matthew’s: Karen Chevalier reported on the Way Forward Facilitated Discussion. She will prepare and share a summary of the discussion that was attended by more than 80 people. Stephanie Hixon, the facilitator, demonstrated her extensive preparation for the discussion. Seventy-nine percent of attendees thought the discussion was very helpful and 68% felt they had enough information for now. More than half the attendees have been at St. Matthew’s for 20 years or more. Next steps: (1) consider ideas from the comments made at the meeting, (2) continue the small group meetings, (3) conduct more conversations and collect feedback, and (4) provide an opportunity to consider the Biblical questions that influence the debate.
Comments from the Pastor: Pastor Neil thanked Pastor Nickie Moreno-Howard for her help while the Houghs were vacationing in England. He is going on ASP and Pastor Nickie is going on JP. Pastor Neil stated that he favors inclusion and is pastor of everyone at St. Matthew’s. His role is to help the Church Council accomplish its goals, and wants to provide the data needed to make good decisions.
Trustees: Gary Strom reported that the Trustees will provide a shuttle bus to overflow parking at Northern Virginia Community College during Nancy Cappel’s retirement celebration August 18. Other information can be found in the Highlights.
Staff Parish Relations: Currently recruiting for vacancies in the youth program, the music program, and the Weekday School. Candidates are being invited back for second interviews for the Youth Coordinator position. Alice Boyars has been hired to direct the Chapel Choir, and Carol Workman is actively recruiting for the other choir director positions. The Weekday School is interviewing for its Assistant Director position.
Open Forum: Plans for Nancy Cappel’s Retirement Celebration were summarized. The pastors and members shared joys and concerns.
Adjournment: Meeting closed at 8:50 p.m. with prayer by Pastor Nickie Moreno-Howard.
Church Council Attendees, June 26, 2019
Amy Chai, Chair
Neil Hough, Senior Pastor
Nickie Moreno-Howard, Associate Pastor
Bill Moberly, Associate Pastor
John Alexander, Vice-Chair
Karen Chevalier, Lay Leader
Todd Creekman, Treasurer
Bill Culbertson, Finance
Angela Culbertson, SPRC
Susan Ely, Modern Worship Team Leader
Andrew Gay, Member-at-Large
Louisa Gerber, Weekday School
John Harrison, Children’s Council
Bob Hull, Member-at-Large
Jim King, Member-at-Large
Beth Lanthier, Lay Member of Annual Conference
Lyle Minter, Lay Member of Annual Conference
Christine Nelson, Worship
Darold Plate, Member-at-Large
Sandy Plate, Member-at-Large
Gary Strohm, Trustees
Kara Stuebing, Family Ministries Director
Bruce Thomas, United Methodist Men