April 5th, 2001

Members Present: Joan Riebel, Mary Eve Thomas, Brad Hinker, Anne Keeffe, Gene Gagnon, John McElhatton, Carol O’Toole, Peter Eichten, George Wertin.

  1. Opening Prayer:
    Was led by Gene. All members also did a brief check-in.
  2. Mission Statement & Covenant were read.
  3. Minutes from Feb. meeting were approved.
    -there were no additions to the agenda
  4. Old Business
    1. Council Visibility: members felt that being available between the masses was going fairly well. Some have had some activity and some have had none. The council agreed that it may take some time to get established, and we should continue to be available. The schedule only goes through May.
    2. Policy Report: Carol, Gene and Peter met to work on policies. Carol handed out the fund raising policy and the web site policy. There were numerous comments on the policies and the committee will meet again to incorporate those ideas into the policies. Carol also handed out a new policy on how decisions are made at SJA. Again, the sub-committee will continue to work on that. The sub-committee did nothing on the Behaviors Policy. It was noted that this policy has been in the works for some time by the Religious Ed board, and many people have been involved, so the sub-committee was advised to work with caution on that policy.
    3. Parish Leadership: Joan will meet with George Moudry some time in the future and together they will put together some of the ideas that were used in the last pastor search.
  5. New Business
    1. Liaison Reports: Brad reported on Personnel, Finance, and Stewardship. The main issue to come out of Personnel and Finance is the recommendation of the Personnel Committee to hire a maintenance supervisor. A candidate is available. The Finance Committee met a couple of weeks ago and supported the Personnel Committee's recommendation. It was unanimously agreed upon by the Pastoral Council to move ahead with the hiring of a maintenance supervisor. Other issues Brad reported on were the resignation of Janet Brown in Pre-School, that will be effective in July. The addition of a ¼ time Youth Minister to complete the ¾ time now being held by Lisa Chirpich. Personnel Committee wants to do some kind of staff appreciation on May 6 - the dedication of the statue and Open House of the Parish Center. Brad also reported that the Stewardship Committee is working to keep Collaborative Ministry out in front of the parish. Brad also stated that Jim Cassidy approached him and wanted to come a Council meeting. The Council agreed that it would be good to invite Jim to the May meeting. Anne reported on the Faith Formation Board indicating that Tim O’Connor, a lawyer, has been reviewing the Behaviors Policy and there still may be some changes. So the document is not finished yet.
    2. Selection Process Update: The nominating committee of Joan, Phyllis, and Brad has not met yet, but the process is outlined n the Ministry Manual. There have been 7- 8 inquiries by parishioners, and the discernment date is set for May 10.
  6. Goal Setting
    After a great deal of discussion the following 10 items were seen as important themes for the Council and parish to be looking at. The Council decided that everyone should take some time to review these along with the committee goals, and come prepared at the next meeting to discuss those most appropriate for the coming year. The 10 items are:
    1. Hospitality: need for more areas, and an expansion of this core concept.
    2. Pursuing Collaborative Ministry: working with the Stewardship Committee, and this concept alive.
    3. Continue to the good financial support of the SJA Programs.
    4. Need for help, both volunteer and staff.
    5. Communication
    6. Continued need for outreach: looking at structural issues not band-aides. Justice vs. charity. How to deal with structural issues without being overwhelmed.
    7. Affordable Housing
    8. Using the Parish Center wisely
    9. Wiping out the Capital Campaign deficit.
    10. Use the goals from this past year.
  7. Closing Prayer and Evaluation: Lord’s prayer was used as the closing prayer. Meeting adjourned at 9:15.
Next meeting is Thur. May 3, 2001 at 7:00 PM - In the Marigold Room

Respectfully submitted,

Peter Eichten