Church Council Meeting

Bethany Lutheran Church

May 2008

Council President, Doug Aldrich , called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

Heather Miller shared devotions and led Council in prayer.

April minutes were approved as amended with change of date noted by Michelle Stone Kraus.

Health Cabinet Report : Anne Gatzke, representing the Health & Wellness Cabinet, provided a handout listing members of the Health Cabinet as well as the history, focus and purpose of the group. The work of the cabinet is based on Matthew 4:23 along with ELCA Statements/Publications. She explained that the focus of Bethany 's Health Ministry has shifted from the clinical parish nurse model to one of wholeness and wellness in body, mind and spirit. The cabinet has reviewed the position description of parish nurses from other churches and is working on the restructuring of responsibilities and expectations for the position at Bethany . They are working with Kirsten Nelson Roenfeldt to develop teaching opportunities through classes and forums around health and wellness. There was discussion regarding beginning this education process in Sunday School classes for children/youth as well as through adult classes, in an attempt to change the mindset that health & wellness is only about the elderly. The resources being used by the cabinet are the ELCA Social Statement on Health, Caring for Health: Our Shared Endeavor along with its companion study guide; A Letter on Peace and Good Health by Rev. Dr. James P. Wind; and Health and Wellness: What Your Faith Community Can Do , by Jill Westberg McNamara. Anne explained that the Council could support the work of the cabinet by telling others in the congregation about their work, accepting and supporting the shift from clinical to wholeness and wellness mentality and prayerfully considering serving on the cabinet as they still have a need for 2-3 more members. A motion sanctioning the Health and Wellness Cabinet passed unanimously. Doug invited additional updates and information from the cabinet as their plans become finalized.

Pastor's Report : Pastor Ron included the Mission Vision Goals in his report and emphasized the importance of the leadership, along with staff, to teach these goals to the congregation and hold each other accountable in achieving them. He lifted up the RMS sponsored summit taking place at Bethany on October 11, 2008 , entitled The Immigration Dilemma: People of Grace in a Land of Law . Pastor Ruth Ann reported on Family Camp and the Synod Assembly. She thanked Pastor Ron for the opportunity to provide leadership during his absence and also expressed her gratitude to all the “in-house” pastors who assisted during his recovery time. She reported that in June, she would be teaching a Lutheranism 101 class as well as facilitating a conversation on the ELCA Draft Statement on Human Sexuality with Kirsten Nelson Roenfeldt .

Treasurer's Report : Treasurer, Mike Miller reported that April giving continued to be above budget. Giving for the year is approximately $11k above budget. Expenses year-to-date are about $10k below budget.

Director's and Property Report : Joel Halvorson reported that the Finance Task Force met on May 27 th and will report back to Council next month. So far, 284 Founders Campaign commitments have been received totaling $2.35 million and representing 20% participation and 80% financial commitment. He asked for help in making follow-up phone calls to those who had not yet responded. Sherri suggested that Council send thank-you letters to those who have made pledges to the Founders Campaign. Further discussion included sending letters at various times of the year with information and/or pictures showing what the contributions are helping to grow and do.

Mission & Ministry Teams : Doug Aldrich reported that he had attended a Faith Formation meeting to explain the M&M work that had been done. He is working on communication between staff and Council so that the work of both groups can be congruous, working toward a common goal, namely the Mission Vision goals. Kevin Dempsey handed out a synopsis of the next steps in the process in order to provide the M&M teams with cohesive materials to use as they move forward, with the goal of a successful transition from Mission & Ministry team to ongoing Committee. Discussion included scheduling, recruitment, budgeting, structure and organization of committees, additional publication of the Mission Vision Goals in Beacon as well as Sunday mornings. Pastor Ron suggested that the September/October time frame would be good to announce what comes after the Centennial year, namely MVG, and keep it in front of the congregation on a consistent basis. Pastor Ruth Ann's hope is that in recruiting for the various committees, discovering people's spiritual gifts takes priority over merely filling slots. The next step is for the leaders and pastoral staff to meet to refine the scope of each committee.

Other : There was discussion about Council members serving as prayer partners for the upcoming mission trips. Doug reported that a summer music intern will be arriving in July.

Pastor Ron closed the meeting with prayer at 9:00 p.m.

Contact:  Rhonda Merritt
Phone:  (303) 758-2820
E-mail:  rhonda@bethany-denver.org