Meeting Minutes
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• January 27, 2008
• October 14, 2007
• June 3, 2007
• February 11, 2007
•         Financial Report 2-11-07
• October 29, 2006
• September 10, 2006
• June 25, 2006
• June 11, 2006
• April 2, 2006
• March 26, 2006
• February 26, 2006
• October 30, 2005
• October 24, 2004

Minutes of the Special Congregational Meeting
June 25, 2006

President Bob Zeinstra opened the meeting at 12:28pm with an overview of the agenda.

Pastor Tom Rogers opened with prayer.

Bob Zeinstra reviewed the Current Budget Situation and options to be considered.

• As of June 11, 2006: deficit of $79,000 and budgeted income increase of $67,000 (5%)
• As of June 25, 2006: 102 pledges for increased contributions totaling $71,000

Options to be considered:

1. Either assume the pledges as a literal representation of the entire additional contribution for FY07, or
2. Assume the pledges as incomplete and indicative of a positive response beyond the 102.

The Leadership Team recommends B.

The 2006/2007 fiscal year begins July 1, 2006.

Rob Warren reviewed the recommendations

• Increase Thrivent matching in budget from $25,000 to $50,000.  Denny Pike explained the matching program and shared that non-member families could also participate.  Matching monies will need to be applied to the day school.  Harry Hebel has taken the action item to develop and drive the Thrivent matching campaign.
• Move forward in faith by increasing contributions another $53,653 such that we have a 9% increase in giving compared to current year.
• These two changes will result in a balance budget.
• Schedule an updated review status meeting with the Congregation in October to review results of tuition projections vs. enrollments and the status of current giving based on expected contribution receipts (taking into account seasonal variations) through September.
• At the October meeting, consider continuing to operate under current budget or revising budget for remainder of year. 

Rob opened the discussion and question period.

• Clarified the budget that was being presented is the same as was presented on June 11. 
• Pastor Tom suggested that the term “Benevolence” be clarified.  Rob explained that our church has a commitment to tithe to other ministries outside of ASLC.   In 2005/2006, we did not distribute our full 10%. 
• Steve Hantula asked if any discussion had occurred regarding prioritizing the addition of budget items if additional monies come in.  Bob Zeinstra shared that no decisions were made but a very broad discussion had occurred which included paying down our credit line, fund 2005/2006 benevolences and reinstate salary increases and school nursery. 
• Discussion regarding reinstating school nursery for teachers who have small children. 
• Bob Zeinstra shared that a letter will be going out to day school parents regarding the commitment to attend worship 40% of the time in order to receive member discounts.  In addition, a similar letter will be sent to the parents of Orange Lutheran High School students.  The letters will go out once a monitoring process is defined. Harry Hebel will send both letters by the end of summer.
• Discussion regarding the reduction in next year’s day school enrollment.  Carolyn Sims shared there are number of reasons including high number of graduating 8^th grade (51) vs. enrolled Kindergarten (35), demographics that are also affecting other schools in the area, families moving out of state and financial issues for some families.  At this time, day school enrollment is down ~60 students.  Preschool enrollment is almost filled.
• Katherine Redwine asked why we considered a Vicar with our current financial situation.  Bob Zeinstra responded that when the decision was made, the current financial situation was not known.  He indicated there is a need for better reporting and updates on financials to better predict issues.  The Financial Review Committee is working on improving the reporting process.  In addition, the school enrollment reduction was not known when the decision to hire a Vicar was made.  When the financial issues were identified, the Leadership Team decided to meet the commitment to the Synod to get the Vicar.
• Pastor Tom and Bob emphasized that we will not sit idle until October.  Denny Pike is taking the lead to plan the Stewardship program and we will continue to encourage pledges.  In addition, there will be financial updates to the congregation either by Day by Day articles, emails or letters.
• There was a suggestion to raise money for the Strategic Ministry Plan (SMP) as a separate fundraising campaign to gain congregational commitment for planning for the future. 

The following motion was made by Pat Fitzsimons:

Reinstate the day school nursery in the budget and raise the money for the SMP by having a separate fundraising campaign ($20,000). 

The motion was seconded.

Pastor Tom made an amendment to the motion:

Restore the nursery but not at the exclusion of the SMP.  Raise expected additional contributions to $73,653 to balance the budget.

The amended motion was accepted and seconded.

Further discussion, then the vote on calling the question was approved with a majority.

Paper vote resulted in: Yes 29, No 30, Abstain 2 votes.  The motion to add the nursery back into the budget did not pass.

Roger Brown made the following motion:

Accept the budget as presented by the Leadership Team.

The motion was seconded and discussion followed. 

Vote for calling the question resulted in Yes 38, No 14.

Paper vote resulted in: Yes 43, No 14, Abstain 1 passing the budget as presented.

Joni Terens made the following motion:

Add a line item to the school budget for the school nursery that would be 100% funded by the participating teachers.

The motion was seconded and discussion followed.

Vote for calling the question resulted in majority yes.

The motion passed with a majority of hand votes.

Other announcement:

Bob Zeinstra announced that the recommended Constitution revisions would be handed out as attendees leave the meeting.  He reminded attendees that the current Constitution is on the ASLC website for comparison.  He recommended that feedback should be emailed to the Constitution/Bylaws Revision Committee at Constitution@AbidingSavior.com.

Pastor Greg Strand closed the meeting with prayer at 2:30pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Laura Miller

Secretary

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of
Abiding Savior Lutheran Congregation

June 11, 2006

President Bob Zeinstra opened the meeting at 12:30 PM with a review of the agenda. No changes came from the floor.

Pastor Tom Rogers then was asked to lead us in an opening prayer. Pastor Tom led us in a devotion based on Acts 15 where the people who were touched by Jesus worked together for one common objective. He then led us in prayer for oneness in the congregation.

Vice President Robert Tripodi introduced a report of the 5 committees currently commissioned:

1. Housing Assistance – Robert Tripodi reported that this committee was commissioned to develop a uniform policy for the provision of housing assistance to called staff members. He explained that this has been done selectively in the past on a case-by-case basis. Terry Haffey is the chairman and reports that they are planning to establish both a short term and long tern policy recommendation for the congregation to consider at a future date.

2. Youth Ministry – Robert Tripodi reported that John Grovom is chairing this committee. They have developed a profile of the skill set that is desired and were working on reviewing potential candidates in order to bring to the congregation a recommendation for a call. This has been put on hold pending resolution of the budget for the next fiscal year.

3. Constitution Committee – Denise Hudson, Chairwoman, reported that the review and revision of the Constitution is very near being ready for distribution to the congregation for consideration and they plan to have the by-laws completed late summer or early fall. They plan to wait until both documents are completed before they submit them to the congregation for approval.

4. Financial Review – John Boetsch, chairman reported that this committee was established to review both the reporting process used by the congregation for financial matters, to analyze the state of the cash flow and to recommend a budget for the coming fiscal year. They are working on the budget that will be discussed later in the meeting and at a special meeting called for June 25th. They are also working to develop a more streamlined and effective reporting method that will keep the staff and leaders appraised of where we stand with regard to the finances of the congregation.

5. Nominating Committee – Pastor Greg Strand reviewed the process that the committee, chaired by Lou Martiing, used as they considered and contacted all people suggested to the committee. Each person considered was asked to share their vision for the future of the congregation. Some were not willing to accept a nomination at this time. He also indicated that if the congregation did not agree with any of the nominations that they would gladly go back and look for another candidate. In other words the congregation was not obligated to approve their choices. He then introduced into nomination the following:

John Boetsch – Treasurer
Laura Miller – Secretary
B. P. Hanrath – Vice President
Robert Tripodi – President

Each in turn addressed the congregation concerning personal background and vision for the future.

Following the presentation by each nominee a yes/no vote by secret ballot was taken. A very large majority approved all nominees.
Pastor Tom was then introduced to present plans for the coming year. He stated that the whole ministry staff asked him to introduce a motion to proceed by contracting with Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) to lead us through the Strategic Ministry Planning process conditional on the funding being included in the next year budget. A representative of the LCEF described this process in detail in a congregational meeting last fall.

There was a second and some discussion by those present. The vote to approve was nearly unanimous.
A motion was introduced to thank the officers who served the past two years with a round of applause. The applause drowned out the second, if there was one.
A question and answer period was opened to address the pending budget. The discussion was open and honest and very civil. All questions were addressed. Presently the Financial Committee has a draft budget that is short of meeting what we as a congregation stated we wanted to do in the past. All are asked to consider their blessings and indicate how much more they may be willing to give in the coming year. The results of this survey will provide guidance to us in preparation for the June 25th budget meeting.
Pastor Greg led us in a closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned at 2:30 PM.
Respectfully Submitted by Roger Brown, Temporary Secretary
 

ABIDING SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
APRIL 2, 2006

Robert Tripodi, Congregational Vice President, called the meeting to order at 12:30 pm. He welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming. He asked Harry Hebel, Minister of Education to open us with prayer. After the prayer, Harry introduced two visiting students from Concordia, John Swischer and Colter Knippa, who were here to observe a congregational meeting for a school project.

Robert indicated that there was only one item on the agenda and that was to get the Congregation’s approval to call a Vicar. He then turned the floor over to Pastor Tom.

Pastor Tom explained what a Vicar was. A Vicar has already completed two years of seminary training. His third year is spent in the field. This is where he gets into the flow of ministry. He does just about everything, he teaches, preaches, makes calls, etc. It is a time when he discovers what he does well and we he needs to improve on. His fourth year is then spent back at the seminary doing extra course work and working on the areas that need improvement.

He will learn while doing. Please understand that he in not a Called Minister. This is a temporary position. We are responsible to see that he can live comfortably while he is here. He may or may not have a family. It could be that he is in his second career and may not be a young person. He may be older than me. We are also responsible for his transportation here from the seminary. Synod recommends about $1200 a month but we all know that you can not live on the in Southern California. It will probably cost the congregation between $45-50K for the year he is here.

Tom asked if there were any questions.

Bruce Dannemeyer asked if we would have to pay his tuition while he is here because he is still a student.

Tom said that we pay a Vicarage Fee which is about $750.

Bob Zeinstra asked about the number of churches applying for a Vicar and if we would be able to get one.

Tom said that this year the harvest is great and he didn’t think that there was a large number of congregations applying this year. There is no guarantee.

Marv Martinez asked if we got a choice as to who we get.

Tom said that who ever the Holy Spirit send us is who we get. They do try to match the needs of the congregation with the experiences of the student. We fill out an application that explains the type of congregation we are.

Denny Pike asked if when we fill out the application can we give some indication of our preference.

Tom replied, no.

Bret Taylor asked if this program was run by Synod.

Tom said it is a cooperative venture between Synod, District and the Congregation.

Bret asked Tom if he would be OK with a Vicar from the Ft. Wayne Seminary.

Tom said he was looking forward to it.

Katherine Redwine asked if the Vicar could fill a role in the Ministry of Caring and what are the plans for filling that position.

Tom’s response was that it would give us an extra pair of hands to help in many areas. It also allows us to buy some time to see where we want to go before calling a Pastor which could take some time. The SMP process will lead us to determine the needs of the church.

Katherine asked if we are committed to this Vicar.

Tom said we are for a year.

Bruce asked when he would start.

Tom said August 15th.

Roger Brown said that he has been in congregations who have had Vicars and it is a real blessing to have one. In fact the only downside, if there is one, is that it takes some of the Senior Pastors time to supervise. It does give us a chance to give a young man an opportunity to experience parish life.

Bob said the when Pastor Greg came to us we set up some activities to help him assimilate. Would we be doing the same thing for the Vicar?

Tom said in a typical situation he is responsible to the Senior Pastor. We are not the typical congregation. In our case we have many resources available here. With the number of Pastors here there will be various ways to get him assimilated.

Joni Terens asked if we had to find housing for him and do we pay the rent.

Tom said that we pay him a salary and he will work out the details.

Joni asked if he would come out for a visit first.

Tom said we first need to see who is assigned to us and then determine what happens.

Robert asked for a motion to be made.

Roger Brown moved that the Congregation agree to submit an application to call a Vicar. It was seconded by Bruce Dannemeyer.

Robert asked for a show of hands from all in favor of calling a Vicar. The motion was carried unanimously.

Pastor Tom closed the meeting with a prayer at 1:10 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Ryan
Secretary

 

ABIDING SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
MARCH 26, 2006

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Bob Zeinstra, Congregational President, called the meeting to order at 12:49 pm and asked Pastor Maschke to open us with prayer.

Bob’s introductory remarks indicated that this was a special meeting with a special agenda and would have a very narrow focus. He said that a letter was sent to the Congregation this week which contained a copy of today’s agenda, a list of the central themes from our last meeting and a resolution prepared by the Leadership. He said we are turning a corner to where we are going. As Rob Warren mentioned in his sermon this morning, “God’s promise will prevail.”

Bob covered the agenda and turned the floor over to Robert Tripodi, Vice President.

Robert outlined our Open Forum from March 5th and gave an over view of the Bible Study given by Pastor Bruce Zagel leading us to the Open Forum Central Themes handout. Basically the handout covered the areas of Governance/Involvement, Communication, Reconciliation Process/Grievance Procedure and Trust. He went on to explain that the Leadership Team, Bruce Dannemeyer and Denny Pike had met and came up with an action plan based on each of the Central Themes. He covered each of the areas individually. While speaking on the area of communication Nancy Grabmiller was recognized.

Nancy would like to see us schedule more Open Forums not just after each Congregational Quarterly Meetings.

Robert continued speaking to the handout and then opened the floor for discussion on the Central Themes.

Robin VanVorhis addressing that portion of the action plan that spoke of commencing a Strategic Ministry Planning (SMP) process said that back in October the SMP was put on hold because we need to resolve our conflicts or have a program in place first.

Robert said that we can continue our Open Forums, work on the action plan and embark on an SMP as the same time.

Robin asked when we could discuss a conflict resolution program.

Robert said in the next portion of the meeting.

Bob Zeinstra asked if there were any more questions pertaining to the Central Themes.

Alan Cain said that he did not understand what needs to be resolved. Why are we here? You have to be specific. Some of us don’t know what the problem is.

Bob said that there were concerns about governance, misunderstandings, the needed changes to the by-laws which leads to lack of trust. People don’t know how to get involved.

Pastor Tom said he wanted to answer Alan’s question. Katherine Redwine, Tage Johnson and I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago and the subject of issues came up. I asked if they could explain to me what the issues were and they both said we can’t think of any. Alan we are all wondering what the issues are. I don’t think anyone knows what the issues are.

Alan said then why do we need reconciliation. Pastor Tom said he did not know.

Tage Johnson said that some of the issues revolve around folks who have left and questions about governance and trust. This is not a revolution but an evolution. We are maturing into a God pleasing congregation. We need to take the personal issues out of it and keep it global.

Katherine Redwine said we did speak to Pastor Tom. We want to know why Pastor Kruger and Paul Wiedenmann were gone and Pastor Tom explained it. In regards to trust issues people don’t come forward because they are afraid of repercussions. We have no means of checks and balances on the finances. What happened to the money from the loan on Pastor Kruger’s house. Where is the money for the Bartimaeus Center?

Pastor tom said let’s answer Katherine’s questions now.

Bob said we should save them for the Open Forum at the end of the formal part of this meeting.

Nancy Grabmiller made a motion to go through the list of questions Katherine has as Pastor Tom recommended.

Robin VanVorhis 2d the motion. The floor was opened for discussion.

Bruce Dannemeyer said that it’s a great idea to answer all of these questions but let’s conclude the business of this meeting and do it in Open Forum.

Katherine said how can we move forward if we can’t deal with the issues at hand.

Bob said that this may not be a question of concern for all here. Let us finish the discussion about the Central Themes.

Denny Pike said that it appears that folks want to talk and we should talk so we should discuss this issue before we take a vote. It should be involved in the meeting and not wait until an open forum at the end.

Pastor Tom said what I sense is that if folks wait and bring their concerns at the end, they may not get addressed. Instead of at the end of the meeting we do it first. Your concerns are important to us. We should share things before we do business.

The vote on Nancy’s motion was taken and the majority of 41 yeas had it.

Bob asked Katherine to go over each item on her list.

Katherine started with her question regarding the rewriting of the Constitution and By-Laws. How are we to be sure they will be followed if they are not being followed now?

Bob said that some elements were not being followed and some things like the Long Range Planning Committee and the Board of Elders are not even mentioned in the Constitution and we all need to agree that this is not right. Most Constitutions do not need to be updated but the By-Laws need to be updated and updated more often. If we do this it will prevent future problems.

Bruce Dannemeyer said he was on the last Planning Committee and our task then was to get the new sanctuary and classrooms built. Once the building had begun and the 5 year plan ran out we just didn’t put a new plan in place, it just kind of fell out of use. It wasn’t until Bob brought it up that we started to think about it again.

Randy Stitt said that if the new By-Laws have a simple method of change; it will help us to move forward more quickly.

Bob said that provision is there we just have not used it.

Pastor Tom said that the law came through Moses and grace and truth through Jesus Christ. I understand that we need a Constitution and By-Laws but as soon as we need to use it we are in trouble. If we have unity we don’t have to look at it. If we have to refer to a Parliamentarian it means we have division and have lost trust.

Denny Pike said looking at Matthew 18 it says that if two people can not resolve an issue then they are to go to a third party. I suggest we have a committee look at how other organizations function and a committee to look at how other churches function then these two committees can communicate to each other and if they can not agree then the congregation becomes the third party.

Bret Taylor said that when people look to us they should see the love of Jesus Christ. Paul says we need to do things in an orderly fashion. I have never seen our Constitution but I applaud it. We are part of a structure and it will help us build trust.

Brad Morton said he was not sure that we have a structure problem. Lots of key people in this organization and camps are formed over certain issues. We need those consultants (Bret Taylor and Steve Mueller) to help us. We need to subdue some of the hot blood attributed to personalities.

Bob asked Katherine if she had any other questions pertaining to the Constitution or By-Laws and she responded that it was fine.

Dale Niksch said that the members need to become familiar with the Constitution and the players. We need Constitution and By-Laws accountability. Checks and balances develop trust.

Denise Hudson said that the current Constitution is available to anyone. Every point that Katherine Redwine brought up is being addressed by the revision committee.

Pastor Tom said that trust is good and that’s what we want to shoot for. No one here has intentionally violated the Constitution. Until recently no one asked to have it changed or revised. Those who put it together did a good job. The reason to revise is to solve a problem. Pastor Zagel reminded us that the way to solve issues is not through manuscripts but conversation.

Jan Morton said that every member is given a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws. There will always be conflict in any family. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and we don’t have to go any further than that. We deal with folks who love each other.

Kristi Stratton said I am a teacher here and speaking as a teacher we really don’t know what is going on. Here is a specific. I was called here five years ago and I have yet to receive a copy of the Constitution. When I asked about it I was told that they are in revision. Now I find out that they have only been in revision since July. This is a frustration. I heard the Constitution is under revision – where and when are you going to ask questions about a school board and structure. How do we get answers to our questions?

Bob said ask Denise Hudson what areas of the Constitution have holes in them and what other organizations are doing.

Denise said that one of the important issues for the committee right now is how to get information to the Congregation. We are looking at different ideas, but we have not yet nailed it down. We thought about the Day by Day or maybe the bulletin. It is a top priority for us.

Bob said we are looking at the June meeting for an update.

Nola Vroom said she is the mother of Kristi and not a member although she attends ASLC often. She said as a member of Prince of Peace in Anaheim she has sat in on many of these type meetings. She went on to say that you here at ASLC have something good to feel about. You are no different than any other congregation. All congregations have some issues and I have been through this in more than one congregation. I want you to know that ASLC is a blessing to me and my family. You have comforted me, lifted me up and keep me in the faith. Pastor Tom, Pastor Kruger and Pastor Strand have all been very helpful and supportive. We need to have a good balance of law and Gospel. God gave us both. I don’t always see that here. You are very strong in the Gospel but you need a better balance. My prayer for you is to be where Prince of Peace is at now. It took them about 6 years. Everyone has to agree to disagree. Do more than say. Actions speak louder than words. Its how you act that makes the difference. Everyone has to do their part, listen to one another and make concessions. You need to forget about “I” and think about God.

Bob asked Katherine for her next point.

Katherine said it has been a year since Paul left. Who takes care of the finances? Who does the checks and balances?

Mary Scheppel said she and two others help her with the accounting.

Katherine asked about the Bartimaeus Center money and housing dollars.

Bob said in regards to the Minister of Administration the Leaderships thinking on this was that the Strategic Ministry Planning would give us a mission and direction so we did not immediately replace Paul. We decided to assign Paul’s responsibilities to Pastor Tom, Mary and Karen Grant until after SMP. We also considered other folks who could fill the position but have not come to any decisions. Besides reassigning responsibilities we started the Financial Review Committee which is meeting regularly.
Bob said that the figures on the Bartimaeus Funds are fully listed in the budget report.

Mary addressed Pastor Kruger’s Mortgage. We assisted Pastor Kruger in buying a home. The money we gave him came out of the General Operating Fund. When he gave us some money last year it went back into the General Fund.

Bob said that I don’t think that Pastor Kruger’s house has sold yet but when it does sell there will be a final accounting. We are still owed some money.

Cheryl Moreno said that there is a strict accounting of all the Bartimaeus Center money and the financials are open to all.

Marlin Schultz spoke to the question of housing assistance. He said that he was on the committee working on how to assist with the expenses for our called workers. So if you have an estate plan…….

Pastor Tom said that housing assistance is part of the Call documents. Have all the questions about Pastor Kruger and Paul been answered now?

Nancy Grabmiller said we should not ask our Called members to repay the money we give them. God has always provided for us so we should not ask for the funds back.

Diane Strand said I would like to approve your suggestion. You don’t realize how much of our condo ASLC owns. Housing assistance was part of our Call document. It is the only way we could come here. The church owns a certain percentage and the arrangement we have is when we sell that percentage goes back to the church.

Jim Grovom said that Pastor come in need of housing assistance and the idea when it was first decided upon to do this was that it would be resource that would come back to us and could be passed on to help the next person that comes in.

Bob said getting back to Pastor Tom’s question are there any other issues regarding David or Paul?

None.

Bob said getting back to the agenda I present a resolution entitled “Moving Forward Against Our Mission – 2006 Resolution” for discussion and a vote. The resolution was drafted in a meeting between the Leadership Team, Bruce Dannemeyer and Denny Pike. Bob read the entire resolution. A motion to approve the resolution was made.

Kristi Stratton said that as a teacher I ask that the word “Against” in the title of the resolution be changed to read “Toward”.

The change of this word was agreed upon. It now reads “Moving Forward Toward Our Mission -2006 Resolution”.

Robin VanVorhis said that it is great that we are moving forward but, before we move forward we need to have a third party come in and help us to reconcile some of our conflicts. We need a Conflict Resolution Program before we move on this resolution.
Myrna Ryan asked just what are the conflicts and who has them?

Robin said for me it is a trust issue.

Myrna asked who don’t you trust? Can you name them?

Robin said that it is an issue between the Leadership and the Congregation when it takes months and months to get a meeting.

Nola Vroom asked that we approve going forward with the mission. You can’t stop your planning to work on reconciliation. You have to have goals and move forward. Reconciliation will not happen quickly. You have to have both. Continue to do what you are doing. We just finished revising our Constitution and it will help you to heal. Continue the process, never stop the reconciliation process.

Pastor Tom said that we need to move beyond ourselves. We have addressed issues and they will be taken care of. We have to move forward and affirm a Strategic Ministry Plan. This process is a reconciliatory process. I urge the Congregation to support this resolution.

Dale Niksch said that is says in the resolution that the Leadership “understands that more comprehensive conflict management programs do exist”.

John Boetsch said we are obligated to move forward. In October we hit the brakes and stopped moving forward. We are here today because we care for everyone here. Robin we care about you and we thank you for being here and being strong in addressing your issues and concerns, but we need to move forward.

Denny Pike said that we need to clarify some word. The resolution says to “engage the congregation” but it doesn’t say when.

Bob said that in the June meeting a process can be outlined and the congregation can decide.

Denny Pike said maybe the process can be tied into the beginning of the school year.

Bob said he did not know if they would be feasible. In June we vote on a new slate of officers and I don’t want to put time constraints on them. Let’s just agree to move forward

Pastor Strand said that he didn’t think we had enough information to set a time line. But we have to move forward with an SMP. I don’t know where to head and focus on problems. Things I presented in the budget last year were put on hold. It is hard for me to plan because I don’t know where we are going and what the congregation wants. Things got put on hold because we didn’t want to prevent another ministry from going ahead if the congregation wanted to go in another direction.

Bob said that if you look at the last five words of the resolution, it says “a strategic ministry planning activity.” If you have another or better SMP let us know. We prefer the LCEF Program but if there is something better let us look at it.

Marlin called the question.

Nancy Grabmiller said that personally she feels dead inside because I want to serve and no one wants me to serve. We do need to move forward.

The motion was seconded by Myrna Ryan and Jerry Scheppel.

A vote to stop the discussion was carried.

Pastor Tom said that in the interest of avoiding repercussions let take a secret ballot.

The vote on the resolution resulted in 55 yeas and 2 nos. The votes were counted by Tage Johnson and Marv Martinez.

Robin still feels very strong about a conflict resolution program.

Robin made a motion that a vote be taken on a conflict resolution program come in to help. She said not which program but just that we will do it.

Tage Johnson seconded the motion.

Bob opened the floor to discussion.

Pastor Tom said I reiterate this is a wonderful process but we were told by Bridge Builders that they are only 30%-40% successful depending on the maturity of the members involved. I affirm the maturity of our members, Robin I encourage us to move on with SMP.

Robin said we already did that and it is important but a third party would help.

Pastor Strand said that he didn’t think we needed to go to that place.

Denny Pike said I just leaned over and asked Pastor Mueller about this. He said we will evolve a process based on the Ambassadors of Reconciliation Program. Steve and Bret will teach us. We are doing a good job of healing ourselves and there is no need for outsiders. I suggest we vote no on Robin’s motion.

Bob said that Steve and Bret are consultants they are not the Reconciliation Ministers.

Pastor Strand wanted to make the point that we do not heal ourselves we are healed by Christ.

Bob called the question and the vote to stop discussion was carried by a show of hands.

Bob called for a vote on the motion. By a show of hands the motion was defeated by 50 nos to 7 yeas.

Pastor Tom closed the meeting with prayer at 3:28 pm.


Respectfully submitted,

Jim Ryan
Secretary



ABIDING SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
FEBRUARY 26, 2006

Robert Tripodi, Congregational Vice President, calls the meeting to order, welcomed and thanked everyone for coming. A review of the day’s agenda was announced.

Pastor Greg Strand gave the opening devotion from Ephesians 5 and led the Congregation in prayer.

Bob Zienstra gave the President’s Report. He started out by giving some examples of rumors that were being heard around Abiding Savior. Some of the examples included a rumor abut Synod not wanting to send any called Pastors to ASLC; a rumor about Pastor Tom wanting to get rid of Pastor Strand; a rumor about Pastor Tom and Pastor Zagel being long time friends so the assumption could be made that the Open Forums would be in the leadership’s favor. There were even rumors about Pastor Tom’s family life. These rumors are from people bent on destruction. They are not trying to help advance the mission of ASLC. Bob remarked about his Day by Day article saying that the feedback has been both pro and con. Bob went on to say that we need to raise up our mission. He said that great work was still being done here in spite of the turmoil and we need to focus on the future. We must get back to the mission of being a focused driven church. We care about people and we always will. I am looking forward to next weekend. The Open Forums will be a means to an end.

Bob went on to talk about the various committees that have been formed and are moving forward.

Denise Hudson is leading the Constitution/By-laws Revision Committee. They have been organized for a while and are patiently waiting for Strategic Ministry Planning to be completed so they can move forward and incorporate the results. Members are Marlin Schultz, Harry Hebel, Laura Miller and Robert Tripodi.

John Grovom is leading the search committee for a new minister of Youth and is presently putting his committee together and is looking for volunteers.

Roger Thrane, Joni Terens, Cheryl Moreno are members of the Financial Review Committee.

Terry Haffey is leading the Housing Assistance Committee. Members are Marlin Shultz, Glenn Witte and Steve Driscoll.

Lou Marting is leading the Nomination Committee which is responsible for gathering names of those to be nominated to fill the Officer positions expiring in June.

The Church Office Staff has been carrying out their duties, our Elders, under the direction of Bruce Dannemeyer, have put into practice new ministries to reach and serve more people, the Leaders have put in hundreds of hours working on church business and there are many others who consistently give of their time and talent. I am sorry if I have left anyone out, but you know who you are. Now let us focus on the positive example of these folks and look forward to our Open Forums next week.

Alan Cain wanted to know about all the negativity that is being spoken about.

Bob said that all these things will be addressed at the Open Forums.

Jim Ryan presented the Review of the Minutes of the October 30, 2005 Meeting.
Jerry Scheppel made a motion to approve the minutes, Bruce Dannemeyer 2nd the motion, a vote was taken and the minutes were approved.

In the absence of the Treasurer, John Boetsch and a Minister of Administration, Bob Zeinstra reviewed the Quarterly Financial Report, a copy of which was mailed to the Congregation on 14 February. Bob mentioned that the total receipts were down but spending was down also resulting in us spending only $1500 more than we took in.

Mike Van Vorhis asked what constituted a contribution and fees.

Bob said that contributions were based on the number of envelopes or giving units and fees are mostly made up of registrations and tuitions.

Randy Stitt asked where the funds raised would go.

Bob said they went to miscellaneous categories.

Bob went over the various statistics. For the quarter, attendance and giving units were up but the offerings were down. He also covered new members and educational statistics.

Bruce Dannemeyer noted that the Elementary School enrollment was comparatively the same but the fees were down considerably.

Bob said that he didn’t have the all details about this, but some folks are a little behind or not making their payments.

Carolyn Sims, School Principal, said that there are a number of students who for a variety of reasons have reduced tuition.

Randy Stitt asked if we have any scholarship funds.

Carolyn said there are some funds available and we give some reduced rates to families in need.

Robert Tripodi stated that the $94K in arrears is based on what families agreed to pay. We will try to reduce this situation by the next meeting.

Bob continued his report by saying that the Congregation overall is pretty healthy but we can do better. He went on to thank the Staff for their efforts in the reduced spending.

Alan Cain asked about the projected increase of this year’s budget over last year’s budget.

Bob said that did not know the exact number but that he would try to get that figure for him.

Terry Haffey made a motion to accept the Financial Report as read. The motion was seconded by Jerry Scheppel. The motion was approved.

Robert Tripodi said he would just like to mention something that was on his heart. He wanted to acknowledge Harry Hebel who does a phenomenal job in leading the Men’s Bible Study on Thursday mornings and would like to encourage others to attend.

Old Business

Robert spoke about the Open Forum registration and sign up and the various ways to go about registering. It is important for us to know how many will attend so we can provide lunch for all. Pastor Zagel will lead a Bible Study on Saturday and the Open Forum will take place on Sunday following the 11:15 service and is expected to last until 3:30. We are hoping the outcome will give us a list of things to address and how to address them.

Ellen Wood asked how it was decided to use Pastor Zagel and Ambassadors of Reconciliation.

Robert explained that the Elders had met with some concerned members and had several discussions and looked at different presentations, like Bridge Builders and Peacemakers. Pastor Boyd suggested that we talk with Pastor Zagel of Ambassadors of Reconciliation.

Ellen asked if Pastor Zagel would leave after the Saturday Bible Study.

Robert said that he would be there Sunday to help facilitate the meeting.

Alan Cain asked what would be taking place at these forums. This is a voters meeting why do we need another meeting.

Robert said that the study on Saturday would be on conflict resolution. He explained in detail what would be covered. Then on Sunday we will put to use what we learned on Saturday to resolve any concerns or issues.

Alan asked why we couldn’t do that today.

Robert said explained that there was nothing on today’s agenda to vote on.

Denny Pike came forward to give a synopsis of what the Open Forum will provide the congregation. The Congregation needs to talk and this will be a time for all to talk and present their personal issues and questions. To say what is on their hearts in a non threatening atmosphere. There will be no Roberts Rules of Order. The Leadership will be there to answer your questions.

Robert went on to say that if you plan to attend on Sunday you should also try to attend Saturday.

Robin Van Vorhis thanked the Leadership for arranging the Open Forum. She said that in order to build on what is gain from the forums I would like to make a motion that we have another Congregational Meeting prior to the regular June Meeting. This motion was seconded by Katherine Redwine.

Bruce Dannemeyer raised the point that we can only vote on items on the agenda.

Robert said the results of the Open Forums will let us figure out a course of action.

Robin continued by saying that we want to be able to build on the momentum.

A brief discussion went on about taking a vote on this issue and the fact that our By-laws state that if an item is not on the agenda we can’t vote on it.

The results of the discussion were that within 30 days we would have another meeting to build on the momentum of the Open Forum and see what further action we need to take. The question was called by Bob Zeinstra and the motion was carried by a majority vote with 12 folks voting no.

Bob Zienstra said that Pastor Tom was home ill and that in his absence wanted to cover some of the items he was going to mention. As to the Minister of Administration position the responsibilities have been divided up between Mary Scheppel, Karen Grant and Chris Branstetter. It was thought that after the Strategic Ministry Planning (SMP) process we would decide how best to fill this position. If the SMP doesn’t happen right away we will still evaluate the best course of action.

As to the Youth and Caring Ministries there is a Call Committee now in place.

John Grovom who heads the committee said we know we have commitments to our parents, school and the congregation. We are looking at outside resources to give us some help. If you are interested in the committee please call me. I hope to have some answers for you sometime in March.

Robert Tripodi asked Bob if he would have Pastor Tom publish his report on our web site.

Pastor Greg Strand the Minister of Sharing that he is meeting with perspective new members. These are folks come to us through the school and transfers from other congregations. Follow up and connection is important. When someone visits I like to make contact with them during the week.

Night Life is doing well. The attendance fluctuates between 35 and 100. We are looking into having some social events.

I’m working on some outreach designed Bible Studies which will provide opportunity for small groups to reach new people. There is a new group starting down near Mission Hospital. If anyone would like to start a new group please let me know.

I am working on a Hispanic Ministry. We already have an ESL teacher ready to go. I would like to do two things in this area, (1) is to have an ESL class once a week and (2) is to have an ESL Bible Study on campus.

The Baseline Class is a class for adult instruction which is meeting a need. There is a strong commitment from folks in that class. Some of them go on to become members.

Jun Tagaki, a member of our Congregation, is a professional photographer who I am working with on putting together a Congregational Photo Directory. We are looking for time for him to take the photos both on and off campus. Other professional photographers wanted to take up too much space for too long a time and it is too costly. Jun would put together a digital directory so everyone could have it on a CD. It could also be easily printed out and very easily changed when necessary.

Pastor Strand reminded folks of the spiritual gifts inventory on our web site. They should visit the web site and check it out.

Harry Hebel, Minister of Education, wanted to speak a little bit about the Fee portion of the budget. He said that this area is made up of 10 different fees. A lot of time we have to guess at what the income will be and when you see the figures go up and down, it is influenced by a lot of different factors. It changes depending on when the fees are collected and when they are applied.

In regards to the Stepping Stones Program, this is Bible Study followed by class. The students and the parents work together on this program that starts in the 1st grade and goes through early Communion and Confirmation. Today we gave out Bibles to student of the 2d grade.

In speaking of Sunday School and Children’s Church the Sunday School numbers went down but the Children’s Church numbers went up. Today we had 40 kids involved in children’s church.

The adult Bible Studies remain pretty constant. The numbers here have increased since last year.

The Book Store is doing well thanks to the efforts of Margaret Hufft. The money it makes goes back into it. During April there will be a 5th Anniversary celebration.

The Early Childhood Program is going well, although there are fewer enrolled this year than last year. Again this depends on when the child is enrolled. But we also have a waiting list.

In the Elementary School this year we had 13 Korean students and their parents. This is a great interaction for our students. The Korean students put on there own talent show for us which was a great experience.

We are presently involved in the WASC Inspection. This happens every three years and seems to be going well.

Registration for next year is starting.

I am responsible for putting together the spiritual growth campaign for next fall.

Robert Tripodi said that in the absence of Josh Chai, Minister of Music he would give his report. It mostly deals with the Music Conservatory. Josh wanted you to know that it was going well. Clara Ring is in charge of administering the program. She sees to it that they sign up, show up and pay up. There are currently 48 students enrolled in instrument and theater classes. Josh said that if you had any questions today you could call his cell phone.

Katherine Redwine asked what was going on with the Celebration Singers.

Robert said that was a question that needed to be personally addressed to Pastor Tom or Josh.

New Business

Robert said that the District Convention was coming up and that we had to nominate a Lay person from the congregation to be our representative.

Bruce Dannemeyer nominated Lou Marting. Tage Johnson seconded the nomination and the vote was carried.

Bob Zienstra reviewed the current committees.

Conflict Management Process and Education – We are working on finding a process to used and how to best continue to educate folks. Steve Mueller and Bret Taylor have agreed to head this up. They will start the process after the Open Forum takes place.

Financial Review Committee – Will be working on budget analysis, cash flow and the Script Program. Most of the committee members are accountants and since this is tax time they are lying low for now but will be helping with budget preparation for next year.

Randy Stitt asked if we have an audit of our overall finances.

Bob said we do, do audits.

Cheryl Moreno said we have completed an audit of the Script Program but the Church audit has not been done. We are working on day to day controls which may eventually lead to an audit.

Michael Van Vorhis asked how the Congregation can have input into the committees.

Bob said just present your ideas and suggestion or your time. We need people with expertise to help with the various committees.

Housing Assistance Committee – Will look at the long and short term situations with the end result being a policy document on how to help in this area. Seeing that housing costs are rising dramatically, experienced and well qualified call workers cannot afford the expense. We need to look at this problem and see what we can do. We are open to suggestions.

Youth Committee – There is no formal committee in place yet. We are assessing the needs. We are meeting with other ministers and youth to see how they operate. We are looking for help with this committee. We may find that we want to fill the position with a rostered person. For those who don’t know Colette is leaving in April.

John Grovom said that there was going to be a meeting on Tuesday at 7 pm and anyone interested is welcome and we are looking for input.

Shawn Wendt asked if we were taking advantage of the Concordia DCE Program by using an intern.

Bob said it is being investigated and is an option.

Harry Hebel said it is too late for us to get an intern for next year; those in the program have already applied for positions.

Constitution and By-laws Revision Committee – Are organizing and planning now and are looking for areas that were left out of the present Constitution. The committee is waiting for the results of the SMP.

Nominating Committee – Lou is working on putting a slate of nominees together. If anyone wants to run or nominate someone please talk to Lou. We will vote on the slate at the June Congregational Meeting.

Robert thanked everyone for coming and reminded them about next weekend.

Bruce Dannemeyer closed the meeting with a prayer at 2.45.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Ryan
Secretary

 

ABIDING SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
OCTOBER 30, 2005

Bob Zeinstra, Congregational President called the meeting to order at 12:45 p.m. and asked Pastor Richard Schumm to lead us in a prayer.

Bob welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming. He said that he hoped that everyone received copies of the agenda, the Quarterly Financial Report and the Operating Report. He then went on to review the agenda for today’s meeting.

In his opening remarks Bob started by going over the Quarterly Financial Report item by item. (A copy of the report is attached to these minutes). Moving on to the highlights of the Operating Report he wanted to point out that comparing the first quarter of 04/05 against the first quarter of this year, the attendance was up but he offering and giving units are down. A giving unit was defined as one set of envelopes.

A question was asked about how many giving units were received versus the number of envelopes that were given out. Janet Calhoun said that approximately 1000 set of envelopes were given out.

Bob returned to the report and covered school enrollment, the number of employees as of September 30th and the number of meetings and events since July 1st. Bob said that in the future we hope to add to the number and types of reports that go out to the congregation so they have a better idea of what is happening. Bob said that we are looking for some additional administrative help for the various ministers, so if anyone has any time they would like to volunteer, it would be helpful.

Nancy Grabmiller asked why the receipts for the Bartimaeus Center were so far below the plan. Pastor Kruger came forward to explain the situation. He said that plan was based on receipts from counseling fees, directed gifts and the golf classic. He went on to say that since they had not been able to hire the third counselor to help out and I was not made Director of the Bartimaeus Center we were unable to raise the money.

The question was asked if we planned to appoint Pastor Kruger Director of the Bartimaeus Center. Bob said that there were many different plans for the future. Nancy said she didn’t understand why designated funds didn’t go directly to the Bartimaeus Center. Alan Cain read from the Constitution as it pertained to the handling of Special Funds. (Actually it is Article 9 of the By-Laws). It was brought out that the remodeling of the Bartimaeus office space in the administration building was accomplished with designated funds. In fact those designated funds had no specific area in mind but when we were asked where they could be best used and it was decided that they would be used for the Bartimaeus office space.

Brad Morton said we are arguing about $21 K and we have a much bigger issue. It’s a political issue and we have to ask ourselves if we really want to open this Pandora’s Box now. Bob said that we are going to have a series of forums to be held next Sunday and Monday to discuss these issues. They will take place on Sunday, November 6th and Monday. November 7th.

Mary Scheppel interjected that there is over $20 K in designated funds for the Bartimaeus Family Ministry Center.

A question was asked what we will gain from these forums. Bob said to get out information and just get together to share and care for each other. These forums are for folks to raise any issue a member may feel needs to be addressed.

Robin Van Vorhis asked if these forums were in lieu of the Special Meeting that was requested. Bob responded by saying that the forums would be held prior to the Special Meetings. He went on to explain to those in attendance that we have some folks with a few concerns and they have asked for a Special Meeting. Robin said that there were three main areas of concern that this group of folks had. They were how the governance of the church was being handled; that there was no procedure in place for conflict resolution and the third area involved teacher salaries.

Bob said he would like to get back to the Ministers Reports and said that in his absence Josh Chai asked me to give his Minister of Music Report. The Music Conservatory is doing well and we currently have 40 students enrolled. Josh also wanted everyone to know that he was in need of an Administrative Assistant. With all the things Josh is involved with it was pretty difficult for him to keep up with the paper work.

Roxanne Kaufman raised the question as to why are we paying the bills for other folks to come in here and use our facilities to make money. Bob responded by saying that right now the fees paid by the students goes to the instructors. This is just another ministry that we provide.

Alan Cain made a motion that time be given to Cindy Kruger to say what she wants to say. The motion was not seconded.

Robin Van Vorhis made a motion to hold off on Strategic Ministry Planning. It was seconded. The vote was 45 Yeas, 40 Nos.

Bruce Dannemeyer made a motion to limit any discussion to 5 minutes per topic. The motion was seconded.

Brad Morton wanted to amend Bruce’s motion to allow only 3 minutes per topic. The original motion was amended and the vote taken. There were 32 Yeas, 34 Nos.

A vote was taken on Bruce’s original motion with 42 Yeas and 22 Nos.

Cindy Kruger made a motion to set aside the agenda so we could have the forum now. She said that she and David would be out of town on the 6th and 7th. The motion was seconded. During the discussion Bruce strongly recommended that we stick to the agenda that has been prepared. Pastor Tom said that the church has to do things in good order. Steve Hantula said that now is not the time to do this. Roger Brown calls the questions. There were 47 votes for no more discussion.

On Cindy’s original motion there were 7 Yeas and since the number of hands was so large the count was not taken but it was obvious that the Nos had it.

Jim Reed made a motion for setting an agenda for the ad hoc forums. There was no second.

Bob brought the meeting back to the agenda. He said that the one page Minister Reports would be sent out in the mail to the congregation.

Bob said he would like to focus on the good things that were being done at Abiding Savior. A Task Force has been created in response to Hurricane Katrina, the Elders have embarked on a new series of ministries including bringing Communion to the shut-ins, we have the Christ Compelled Spiritual Growth Campaign, and our giving is close to last year’s amount. It is true we have some controversy going on, but this turbulence will be short lived. We are taking action against this turbulence by having these open forums. We are excited by what we have and where we are going. I want to give a special thanks to the folks who put together the Christ Compelled Life. Now we must get to the business of planning for our future ministries. This will help us move forward. We will delay any discussion on the Strategic Ministry Planning due to the current concerns that folks have. Bob asked Bruce Dannemeyer, Chairman of the Board of Elders to come up to talk about the Elder’s Ministries.

Bruce said that previously the Elders primarily helped with communion on Sunday. In September we expanded to cover four additional areas. A Prayer Ministry - where the Elders spend time in prayer up in the Brides Room. You see the Elders take the Prayer Card during the service and then go upstairs. I have sent letters out asking folks to join them in this ministry. Our Elders are now more actively involved as greeters before each service. We are now taking Communion to the shut-ins during Sunday morning services and we have teams that go out and pay a visit to folks who have not been in attendance for awhile. We visit them during their birthday day month and bring them a card and just let them know we are thinking of them.

Bob then introduced Debbie Dannemeyer who is heading up our task force for relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Debbie said that we here have so much to be thankful for. Many are not so fortunate due to Hurricane Katrina. She thanked those who are serving on the Task Force with her. It was difficult to isolate the needs of the people affected. The Pacific Southwest District assigned us to support the South District. Some of the staff there have lost there homes so we thought we would help by buying script from stores that sell items to rebuild their homes. The schools there were damaged to the foundations. All the books need to be replaced. Next week we are having a book faire and 50% of the money made on the books we sell will go to St John’s in New Orleans. You can also make a direct donation to the library.

Bob introduced Denise Hudson who is working on the revision of our Constitution.

Denise started by saying that the Constitution has not been updated since 1991. This revision will support and facilitate the future goals of the congregation. We have been doing lots of research and ground. We hope to a copy of the revision ready to go by the 2d Quarter of FY-06

Bob said that we will skip over the Ministry Planning Review for the time being. He apologized to our guest speaker on the subject Craig McIlroy.

We moved on to New Business Agenda items.

Conflict Resolution – This does not mean we are an unhealthy congregation. It means we are a normal. Christ Himself had conflict and we have it as well, we just need to be able to manage it. We have a need for folks to have a way to have their concerns heard. A process needs to be identified. A committee will be formed to suggest a process and at the next quarterly meeting on February 19th we will vote on it. Right now we have a need for more dialog. We have questions and a there is a group of folks who have questions. So we have planned to have an open forum on Sunday, November 6th at 12:15 and Monday, November 7th at 6:30.

Financial Review Committee – We want to put this committee together to help us with preparing and monitoring budgets.

There are Capital Improvements we would like to accomplish during the Spring. Our bathrooms need some renovation, some painting and would like to do some renovation in the gym.

Bob finished by asking folks to please come and be a part of the open forums. We need to talk to one another. We may not agree on everything but we must talk in love and truth.

Pastor Tom closed the meeting with a short homily on the days events and closed the meeting with a prayer at 2:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Ryan
Secretary



 

ABIDING SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
CONGREGATION MEETING
OCTOBER 24, 2004