April 2021 Minutes

TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Governing Board Meeting
April 27, 2021
 
In Attendance: Chair Savannah Jewell, Frank Cederquist, Allegra Smith, Claudia Alenduff, Steven Flowers, Lisa Nielsen, Mary Jo Risk, Pastor Suzanne Clemenz, Pastor Monica McDougal, Ryan Wynkoop, Kathy Young, Melissa Kramer, and Pastor Tracey Leslie.
 
Opening prayer from Allegra. 
 
Approval of previous minutes (Kathy):

• Lisa motioned to accept the previous minutes → Kathy seconded → board approved.  

United Way course and ministry update (Suzanne): 

• Suzanne presented about a course she is taking through United Way to help with the Caring Ministry.  For the Caring Ministry, the course will help us refer people to services to help them. Kay and Steven were unable to take the course but will also be assisting Pastor Suzanne with the Caring Ministry
• We don’t need to limit our help to those who physically show up at the office or church - feel free to suggest the Caring Ministry’s resources to those you know who may need help. 

 
Worship and Connection (Tracey): 

• June 6: Big outdoor celebration during worship service (10:30) with light refreshments, for new staff, departing board members, and graduates.
• Logistics: Two sides of the lawn: one for those who wish to wear masks on one half, and one half for those who are not masked - goal is not to mix masked and unmasked.
• Volunteer organizer: Need 2-3 people to recruit volunteers for the events. 
• Chairs: Need three volunteers to roll chair carts down the ramp to the sidewalk, and as folks arrive figure out how many chairs they need and remind them to keep social distance from others; we can offer to carry the chairs for those who cannot lift them. This system would be more efficient than already spreading the chairs apart and then people can sit with their families without rearranging things. → Ryan’s idea: tell people that they can bring their own chairs if they wish - people may feel more comfortable in their own chairs and it cuts down on the number of chairs we need to cart and carry outside. 
• There will be two tables for the food distribution and the coffee station. 
• Morris will set-up the sound system for the event. 
• We will need four volunteers to set up canopies around 9:45 am.  Ryan and Steven can help with set up. 
• Food: Tracey will bring bottled water and mini-quiches: 7 dozen for $231.00, and they will be pre-packaged.
• Melissa has offered to prepare mini-cupcakes (~$25 for supplies) 
• Susie will pick up the fruit cups (peaches and mandarin oranges, 24 in a pack, $9 in a pack) from Sam’s club. 
• Claudia and Ryan will help with the coffee preparation for the event. 
• Steven will help put up the tents. 
• The rain plan is to have the event inside with folks spread out around the church during brunch.
• We are preparing for 80 attendees. 

→ Ryan’s recommendation is to pay for food from Program Endowment with up to ~$500 for food/water for the event.
 
Fusion Update (Tracey): 

• Fusion re-launch on June 13 at 6:00 pm to create a casual atmosphere. 
• Fusion: The Story of 2020 is the theme
• Ryan will grill and Claudia will organize volunteers for side-dishes (let Claudia know if you wish to provide something).
• Activities will be provided for the kids. 
• There will be time to remember those lost during the pandemic. 
• We will have four story tellers who will give short talks: a medical worker, a teacher, a reporter, and a small business owner.
• Think about folks you would like to invite and use the fliers to invite! 
• Volunteers will be needed to help set-up (contact Monica) and the event will be advertised on social media as well as through pdf flyers to be sent out. 
• Future Fusion events will be on Monday evenings (third Monday of the month at 6:00 pm) with one speaker per fusion event as had previously been the case. 

 
Ongoing online opportunities (Tracey): 

• Our online worship opportunities have been appreciated by various members, and experts say that the church should never lack online options post-COVID due to the new expectation for it and as an alternative way to connect to others in the church. The online Sunday morning group can also help reach out to home-bound individuals and those with disabilities who struggle to come in person.
• Branding/summary of our 9:30 am online group: “TRINITY CONNECT: go with the start time of 9:15 and do a 40 minute event, using some rotation of leadership (at least for the prayer time) so none of the staff gets cheated on a regular basis out of pre-worship "visiting" with folks in person in the sanctuary.” 
• Here's a possible name Tracey thought of:  Trinity Connect: Church from Anywhere.  We could describe it:  "Trinity Connect goes beyond worship streaming to offer the opportunity to experience online Christian Community, incorporating scripture, prayer, fellowship, and dialogue.

 
Dog Park Update (Tracey): 

• Insurance companies don’t want to mess with churches having dog parks - we are not able to get the liability insurance that we need. 
• The City is not currently willing to pick up the liability insurance. 
• The old “Trinity Green Plan,” which was developed 2-3 years ago, is something we can consider to go back on for use of the yard space. The plan would entail making the space landscaped with trees and a walking path. 
• Steven is willing to lead that effort, but stated his opinion that the plan may not offer much more than a path and nice grass. He suggested potentially using the space to display art around a social issue, for example, those who have lost their lives to addiction. He stated that versatility would be key for the space. 
• Ryan described the focus of the original design and walkway (creating a meditative space). 
• The first step identified was to improve the appearance of the lawn and take additional time for next steps from there.  Ryan will reach out to Ken McCammon (Grow Local) to see what limitations there are (due to the Community Garden) with what can be used to weed and feed the lawn, keeping Frank and Steven in the loop on what he learns.
• Kathy suggested the potential for having a small fountain to help make the space look nice. 
• We were reminded that one initial goal involved creating inviting space for folks to eat lunch outdoors during the warmer months.
• Suzanne suggested that we also need to consider maintenance for all potential options since we have limited volunteers. 
• We’ll wait until Monica’s ministry is in full swing to determine next steps to identify ways to use the lawn in coordination with new community people and their interests and needs.

 
Nominations Committee (Tracey): 

• There is an opening for the Finance Position. Ryan made a video for the eblast and he announced it in service on Sunday.
• There will be an opening for the Staff Parish position with Allegra leaving. Allegra will also record a video to be shared and she will speak about it during the Sunday service. 
• Nominees have declined the offer to join the board. We may need to shuffle people around on the board: Steven would roll into the Staff Parish chair and Ryan would cover Finance and Endowments.  It would likely be easier to recruit a Lay Leader than a Staff Parish Chair. 
• To avoid Ryan having too much unchecked access to Trinity’s accounts, Lisa will serve as the secondary signer for the endowment accounts, Kay will continue to be the secondary signer for the church accounts (Claudia will check on that and confirm with Kay) and Ryan will be removed from signing authority at Regions. Claudia will serve as the account admin and will be the only admin in order to avoid Ryan having access to the funds/accounts. 
• Chris Jewell may be interested in the finance chair position but the earliest that could happen would be January since members of the same family can’t serve on the board simultaneously. 

 
Trustees and Bills (Frank): 

• Link Management: $672.00 for monthly property management fee
• Anderson Heating and Cooling: $586.52 for HVAC work
• Omni Service: $250.00 for Drywall repair 
• Sound Advice: $485.00 for equipment to play digital “playlists” for use in worship and weddings

→ Frank motioned to have these bills paid from Building endowment → Allegra seconded → Board Approved 

• Holes in the parsonage yard: After many different causes have been examined with no definitive answer, a contract has been signed for excavation. $190.00 for two hours plus equipment costs. 

 
Endowments (Ryan): 

• Endowment updates in Ryan’s video: https://youtu.be/K9Nj_d4PJQI - thanks Ryan! 
• Ryan encourages us to spend money from the endowments, and the June event is a great example of something we can put money towards. $5,000 that was allocated for Fusion in 2020 will be re-allocated for something else and if not it can be deducted from the July distributions. 

 

• We have not had a budget for the garden, but the garden needs a hose reel and more things than past years. Ryan moved to establish $150.00 in our budget as a line-item from Program Endowment → Allegra Seconded → Board Approved.

 
Finance (Ryan): 

• Ryan sent out his report with notes. The main aspect to consider is planning for the Fall Stewardship Campaign, which Tracey is working on. 

Staff Parish (Confidential)

Pastor Tracey closed in prayer. 
 
The next board meeting will be on Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30 pm