Church Council Meeting-May 16, 2001

Tony Unger called the church council meeting for May 16, 2001 to order at 7:30 P.M. in the Shelton Congregational Church Library. The meeting opened with a prayer offered by Rev. Greg Schmidt. A quorum [6] was met, with 9 being present [P] and 7 [A].

The minutes from the April 18, 2001 meeting were reviewed and accepted with one amendment. During the review of the prior minutes, it was noted that Walt Crosby did not object to the opinions expressed by Betty Ogden, committee member, in the March Fundraising Report as reported. He was objecting to placement of the comments in the minutes. He felt personal opinions should not be part of a committee report and be moved to a member comment paragraph under new business. So amended.

Fundraising- [Walt Crosby] Walt expressed his disappointment in the turnout for the Spaghetti/UFO Dinner. Profit was only $194.98. Left over food was donated to the Outreach committee to serve at the May 19, 2001 Spooner House Dinner. The Youth Group (Heather Pelaggi, Amanda McDonald, J. T. Mason, and John Hemenway) were a major plus at this dinner. They served. All of the dinner guests found them "delightful". The next event will be the Tag Sale on June 9th. No major fundraising decisions have been made. 

Minister - [Rev. Greg Schmidt] Greg reported that Bible study is continuing. Because of recent conflicts, holidays and church functions, some study dates have been cancelled. The final confirmation class will be Monday, May 21, 2001. Confirmation will be June 3, 2001 during regular services. Eight young people will be confirmed. Children's Day will be June 10, 2001. There will be a short program presented by the Sunday School Classes. Rev. Don Studer will be our guest minister on May 20, 2001. Greg will be on the retreat with church members at Silver Lake. There will be a free concert on May 27, 2001 in the Sanctuary. The Occidental College Glee Club and The Elm City Girls Choir will be appearing together. The United Congregational Church of Bridgeport is currently conducting a search for a minister. On June 17, 2001 Rev. Douglas Miller, who has applied for the position, will be the guest minister at our church. This will give members of the UCC of Bridgeport an opportunity to observe Rev. Miller's preaching style. Senior Youth Group has been very active. They recently attended a daylong retreat at Silver Lake for Western CT. Youth Groups. They also have had two Lock-ins. One in the Beard Room, at which time they peeled wallpaper and painted. Also one at Smiles. The groups next project will be a garden the group has adopted on Rte.110. near Riverdale.

Treasurer- [Bruce Nichols] Bruce reported that during the month of April the church had income of $8,162.73 and expenses of $10,748.35 for a net deficit of $2,585.62. Year to date income has been $32,603.14 against expenses of $40,176.31 producing $7,573.17 more in spending than income. Large expenses for the month included insurance payments of $1717.00 and FICA payments of $696.90. On the plus side, pledging was up about $700.00 from April levels and the Lenten Folders brought in over $1,400.00 in extra donations.
The stock market rebounded somewhat in April and the net worth of the church was at $357,568.00 on May 15th up $16,966.00 from the April 2nd balance of $340,572.00.

Deacon's- [Gene Ogden] It was reported that Communion was served on the first Sunday of the month. Also Deacon's participated in one baptism this month. Kade Nofi-Bendici was welcomed into the church. Corrections will soon made in " Special Services in the Life of our Church Booklet. Also preparations are being made for the June 3, 2001 Confirmation. Deacon's will meet on May 27, 2001.

Christian Education- [Betty Ogden] Betty reported that Christian Education Committee met on April 28, 2001. Discussed were the final plans for the Retreat at Silver Lake. The Confirmation on June 3, 2001 were discussed. Children's Day will be on June 10, 2001. Nicole DeMarco will receive a Bible. Sunday School Classes will also present a short program. Greg discussed his Sexual Harassment Training Workshop sponsored by the UCC. This program is helpful in guiding churches in recognizing sexual misconduct and in becoming a safe church. It was suggested that Sunday School teachers and church members be asked to sign a disclosure form. This form would give the church permission to check a persons history for criminal sexual behavior. The next Christian Education meeting will be sometime after the retreat. 

Women's Fellowship- [Lucille Wells] Women's Fellowship met Tuesday, May 15, 2001 in the Beard Room. The W.F. Picnic will be held June 16, 2001 at the Well's Lake Home. The Angel Fair will be held on November 17, 2001 from 10-3. Lucille passed out bakery call lists for the June 9, 2001. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, September 18, 2001. This meeting will be a workshop. 

Outreach- [Lesley Barker] Lesley reported that Spooner House was served on April 21, 2001. The next dinner will be on May 19, 2001. The Fundraising Committee donated the food to be served. The Crop Walk was held on May 6th. The church families who walked were the Well's and the Unger's. Next Outreach meeting will be June 3, 2001 after church services. 

Trustees - [ Mary Unger] Bill Barker reported that decisions have been made on placement of the roadside signs. A survey was done recently and the existing signs on Long Hill Ave and on Rt. 110 are in good condition and will remain. New sign placement is as follows. 1. Rt. 110 South near Riverdale. Signs 2 and 3 will be near Rt. 8 - Exit 14- North and South. Sign 4 will be at the intersection of Rt. 108 and Meadow Street. Sign 5 will be at the bottom of Hill Street. The next step will be to request approval from the appropriate city agency. Work day is June 2, 2001. A work list will be posted. Also mentioned was that the squirrel tenants are still living over the back office. Bruce Nichols has captured two of them. Trustees have requested another estimate on have the ceiling in the Sanctuary painted. Insurance liability was a concern if church members do the work. Tony asked if Trustees have set a deadline on making a decision on this matter. 

Personnel- [Glenn Wells] In Glenn's absence, Bill reported that Personnel held their first meeting on Monday. The draft copies of employee contracts have been re-done so as to be brought up to date. They will be finished by the June Council Meeting. 

Old Business:

1. It was reported that the Self-audit would start in May. So far four people are on the committee. Glenn Wells, Ron Karkut, Carol Edson and Andy Campagnuolo.

New Business:

1. Tony Unger brought up a past reference made concerning a donation of property on Rt. 110. He asked that the issue be pursued to see if the offer is still alive. 
2. Tony asked that we commit to some long range planning. Several years ago Greg presented a program promoting a renewal of efforts, with emphasis on long term visions. Where do we want to go as a church? He is going to present this program to Council members. A motion was made and seconded. A.I.F.
3. To make church members aware of current issues before the Church Council, a new section in the newsletter has been created. The CHURCH MANAGERS section will hi-light important areas of the Council minutes. Motion was made and seconded. A.I.F. 
4. Greg shared his recent UCC Sexual Harassment Training Program. He returned with guidelines that will help in recognizing sexual misconduct and in helping our church become a SAFE church. It is suggested that all Sunday School teachers be asked to sign a waiver giving the church permission to check past history for possible criminal sexual misconduct. This could be expanded and the opportunity to participate offered to all church members. This has the full approval of the Christian Education Committee. The program should be in place by September. Waivers and policy will be available by the next Council Meeting. 

The next council meeting will be held June 20, 2001 at 7:30 P.M. in the Shelton Congregational Church library. Rev. Greg Schmidt then led the council members in saying The Lord's Prayer. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted

Betty Ogden