Road Church All-Church Meeting on August 30, 2021
MINUTES & REPORTS
Here are the minutes and reports from the Road Church All-Church Meeting held on August 30, 2021
Road Church Board and All-Church Meeting
August 30, 2021
Present: Bonnie and John Larkin, Cindy Cline, Nick Stahl, Bob Elmer, Anne and David Lang, Jack Jacob, Sally and Bill Salancy, Judy Fales, Susan Schneider and Pastor Norm Erlendson
At 5:36, Norm opened the meeting with a prayer and welcomed new members, Ann and David Lang.
Committee and agenda summaries:
Treasurer: From January 2021 to August 2021, the checking account balance is currently $28,025.67 and the Investment Fund balance is $294,356.72. Even with fewer people attending in-person services, our members and friends continue to support the church and our financial obligations have been met. After doing an outstanding job as treasurer, Charles is resigning, but has kindly offered to stay the course until we find someone to take his place. The possibility of hiring a bookkeeping company or paying an individual is being looked into. Jack will check with the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center for the name of the company they just hired, and Norm will check with an individual who may be interested. The entire church appreciates and thanks Charles for his faithful dedication as treasurer these past years.
House and Grounds: Bill Salancy reported the property is in good shape, but the committee is lacking helpers. He also reported that one of the two contractors we have always used in the past died last winter and the second has retired. Bill will look into securing a new contractor before one is needed.
Missions and Family Fellowship: Sally Salancy reported the Church Fair of 2019 netted $1,294.51, which was earmarked to provide one meal a month in 2020 for the WARM Center’s Make a Meal ministry, in Westerly. By the end of December, 2020, only $201.92 remained. Meanwhile, there was no Church Fair to replenish those funds, so it was left up to individuals to donate to the cause. Fortunately, Missions Ministry received a $1,000 check this past June from the Fellowship of Northeast Congregational Christian Churches, to help provide funds for missions. Since July 6, the Church has been donating a cooked meal for the WARM Center on the first Wednesday of each month, at a cost of $75 for ingredients. If Family Fellowship supports this program through the end of the year, we will spend approximately $450 on ingredients, leaving $550 for Missions Ministry to give to other charities. The question now is how to support our charities in the future, especially if we are unable to have a Missions Sunday in November. (The full report is on file.) Later in the meeting it was suggested Communion Sunday “special collections” be reinstated to benefit Missions and other designated recipients. Norm will address this issue in his weekly newsletter.
Deacons: Susan Schneider reported the deacons last meeting was February 2020 and have had little going on since then. Because of covid-19, the communion service was put on hold until last June when individual disposable cups containing juice and a wafer replaced the trays normally passed throughout the congregation. Also, for various reasons, the diaconate lost three members, dropping the number to three, Jack Jacob, David Fales and Susan Schneider.
Music and Choir: Norm has spoken with Caroline Engle and she wants to stay on, but plans to return when the pandemic situation improves. The advantages of keeping Lisa on after Caroline returns were also favorably discussed.
Ecclesiastical Society: Nick Stahl reported the investments have done great and Fitnostics has caught up with their past-due rent. Part of Norm’s salary is funded by the ES and the committee members will be meeting soon to look at a protocol for his continued support and also to discuss the contract renewal for Fitnostics. There have been no major projects and the annual investment income has ample funds.
Sunday Worship and Special services September to January: Norm explained it is hard to put a time frame on changes now because of covid, and suggested we stand pat until things improve. It was suggested the Sunday service be extended a little longer with time allotted for “Joys and Concerns”. Also, singing a closing hymn with masks on was discussed and Nick suggested an outside post-service social time. Concerning masks, it was decided masks should be worn when entering the church and once seated, attendees can remove them if they want to as long as they have been vaccinated. Cindy asked if the Sunday bulletin should be provided again. Someone suggested permanent cards for following the service be placed in each pew. Both were put on hold for now.
Special Holiday services will be planned in advance, but depending on covid, may or may not happen. Norm will ask local ministers what they plan to do.
Video Ministry: Website, Facebook, You-Tube: It was decided to continue online services even when the church is back to normal. Norm suggested investing in permanent video equipment and said the Northeast Congregational Christian Churches are offering matching grants for technical equipment. Bob Elmer also pointed out online exposure is a good marketing resource.
350th Anniversary and Strategic Planning: On hold until more members become active again.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 27 at 5:30 PM.
After a closing prayer by Norm, the meeting adjourned at 6:50
Respectfully submitted by Susan Schneider
MISSIONS MINISTRY REPORT
Monday, August 30, 2021
presented by Sally Salancy, Missions Chairperson
Our first Missions’ project this year was Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center’s “Baby Bottles for Life.” Again, as in 2020, we couldn’t distribute baby bottles or otherwise work together, so individuals were encouraged to donate by mail or online. Therefore, we have no record of the amount donated by the church as a whole.
It’s important to note that from March through December of 2020, Family Fellowship sent $100 each month to the WARM Center in Westerly, to pay for the “first Wednesday of the month” meals that we could no longer cook as a team. This money, the net proceeds from the 2019 Church Fair, had been ear-marked for WARM. At the end of 2020, with only $201.92 in that Family Fellowship account and no Missions Sunday, it was up to individuals to give money or food for WARM. In late spring, people began donating money, but also asking for solutions.
Luckily, in June, the church received $1,000 from the Fellowship of Northeast Congregational Christian Churches, in support of our church’s ongoing Missions work, so now we have some Missions money for what has become a new “Road Church Mission.” We have used $150 of that $1,000 to pay for the ingredients for the July and August “first Wednesday” meals at the WARM Center. The balance in the Washington Trust checking account is $1,071.20, including the $850 that remains from the $1,000. However, this is only a stop-gap solution, so Missions Ministry members are looking for new ideas.
Missions has no other programs at this time. However, we hope to hold a 2021 Missions Sunday on November 14, with a small auction and a Soup-A-Thon, if Covid conditions allow.
Respectfully submitted,
Sally Salancy, Chairperson*
Road Church Missionary Society
*Barbara Erlendson, Dee Kimball, and Susan Schneider are the other members.
FAMILY FELLOWSHIP REPORT
Monday, August 30, 2021
presented by Sally Salancy, Co-Chair
The Church Fair of 2019 netted $1,294.51, which was ear-marked to provide one meal a month in 2020 for the WARM Center’s Make a Meal Ministry, in Westerly. By the end of December, 2020, only $201.92 remained. Meanwhile, there was no Church Fair to replenish those funds, so it was left up to individuals to donate to the cause.
Fortunately, Missions Ministry received a $1,000 check this past June, from the Fellowship of Northeast Congregational Christian Churches, to help provide funds for missions. Since July 6, the Church has been donating a cooked meal for the WARM Center on the first Wednesday of each month, at a cost of $75 for ingredients. (Labor and cost of cooking have been donated, as they were when several of us gathered each month to cook in the Church kitchen for Make A Meal Ministry.)
If Family Fellowship supports this program through the end of the year, we will spend approximately $450 on ingredients, leaving $550 for Missions Ministry to give to other charities. The next question is how to support our charities in the future, especially if we are unable to have a Missions Sunday this November.
Respectfully submitted,
Sally Salancy, Co-Chair with Dee Kimball