STATED SESSION MEETING MINUTES SUMMARY
April 19, 2007 meeting
(The minutes summarized here have been read by the individual Session members, but have not been approved in a Session meeting)
A Stated Session meeting of the Session of Covenant Presbyterian Church was held on Thursday, April 19, 2007, beginning at 7:00 pm in the Roberts Room. A quorum was present. The meeting was begun with prayer and a scripture reading by Rev. Morgan. The following business was conducted:
1) Dorothy Wells, Church Treasurer, distributed printouts of church income and expenses, balance sheet and monthly comparison information. Once again expenses exceeded our income. Contribution income was 83% of expected and spending was 91% of expected. These months are manageable without drawing from reserve accounts because of prepaid pledges and Challenge Gift contributions, but the Session is concerned about insufficient income contributions for 2007.
2) Session minutes for 2-25-07, 3-15-07 and 4-18-07 were approved without exceptions
3) Rev. Morgan reported that he continues to meet with an energized group of Grace Presbytery ministers to study church development and which calls itself the Flying Pigs. The group will meet at a workshop in Fort Worth on 4/22-24/07 to receive professional consultation on a recent survey taken of the individual congregations. Preliminary data from our church indicates strength in small groups and weakness in passionate spirituality. Further details hopefully will guide the way we chart future ministry in our church.
Rev. Morgan also reported that our church is a member of the Sherman Interdenominational Ministers’ Alliance which is sponsoring an upcoming Scholarship banquet in August for member churches to help raise funds for high school seniors of $250 to $500 each.
Paul Keck will serve as Covenant Church’s coordinator for Great Days of Service. June will be a very active month in our church with Vacation Bible School, the Intergenerational Mission trip to New Orleans, Great Days of Service and Senior High Celebration.
There will be a Talent Show fundraiser on April 27 to raise money for the Mission Trip expenses. Martha Stephens is coordinating the food for this event and is looking for volunteers.
Rev. Morgan continued his discussion of the need for a year-round Stewardship Committee with a direct line to the Session. After several months of thought and discussion, motion was made and passed that Session members Don Gordon and Ann Black represent the Session in selecting a Nominating Committee of these two Session member and five congregation members for the purpose of increasing the Session members from 15 to 18 (6 instead of 5 per class). Three new mid-term Session members would be elected, one for each of the classes, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Two of these new Session members would constitute a permanent Stewardship Committee and the third would assist Howard Haun who now serves as chair of both Personnel and Finance. A Congregational meeting will be called for May 20, 2007, for the purpose of electing a Nominating Committee who will fill these three new positions.
The next Stated Session meeting was changed to May 24, 2007, to accommodate a conflict in Rev. Morgan’s schedule.
4) Janet Chester, DCE, reported that the WOW semester had ended on a very successful note with a picnic celebration. Janet noted that Johnny Carino’s Italian Restaurant has been extremely helpful in providing reduced cost to-go meals for WOW and it was agreed that Session member Martha Stephens would write a thank you note on behalf of the Session to Carino’s. Planning is well under way for Vacation Bible School which will begin the week of June 4. There is still a need for volunteers. Please contact Janet Chester or Linnea Williams if you are interested in volunteering.
Sunday, April 22, is Youth Sunday and the youth of the church will lead the worship service. Janet continues to oversee the planning for Intergenerational Mission Trip to New Orleans in June.
Our Youth Director, Audrey Burnett, graduates from Austin College in May and her term of employment with our church ends on June 30. It was approved by the Session that Assistant Youth Director, Justin Dean, be promoted to Youth Director and that Courtney Mullins, whose resume and references were examined, be hired as Assistant Youth Director.
The Youth Group has been helping Habitat for Humanity by painting shelving at the church and delivering the finished product to the work site.
5) Christian Education recommended to the Session that a set of The New Interpreter’s Bible (13 volumes) and the Interpretation series (Old and New Testament, 43 volumes) be purchased for our church. These are invaluable tools for Sunday School and Bible Study preparation. After discussion motion was made and passed that this purchase be approved. Total cost for the two sets will be $1327.79 and will be funded out of undesignated memorial funds.
6) Howard Haun requested Session consensus about his committee approving a small pay raise for an hourly salaried nursery worker. It was the unanimous understanding that this matter does not need Session approval since it falls within the Personnel Committee’s budget.
7) OLD BUSINESS -- Audrey Burnett will be moving to Guatemala in August 2007 to accept a one year assignment as Young Adult Volunteer, a mission program through PCUSA for adults ages 22-35 to work on site with established PCUSA missionaries. Audrey will be working with Guatemalan youth groups as well as hosting youth groups traveling to Guatemala short term and will be an ambassador for Covenant Presbyterian Church while in Guatemala. Joanne Fowler was approved as Session representative to the Presbytery Meeting on Thursday, May 31 at Grace Church, Plano. Due to calendar conflict, Committee Meetings are changed to Monday, May 7, 2007.
The meeting was adjourned with the Lord’s Prayer