May 3rd, 2001

Members Present: Joan Riebel, Mary Eve Thomas, Brad Hinker, Gene Gagnon, John McElhatton, Carol O’Toole, Claude Paradis, Timm Douma, Peter Eichten, George Wertin.
Guest: Jim Cassidy

1. Opening Prayer:
   Was led by Joan. All members also did a brief check-in.
2. Mission Statement & Covenant were read.
3. Minutes from Mar. meeting were approved.
   -Brad added a short Personnel committee item to the agenda.
4. Jim Cassidy
   The Council welcomed Jim to the meeting. Brad did a brief history of the South African project from the perspective of the Council, and stated that the goal of meeting with Jim was to foster communication. Jim gave a brief description of the unfolding of the events from his perspective on the South African project. Jim stated that at no time did he ever intend it to be a SJA event. Some of the Council members expressed their concerns, mainly the issue of fund-raising. The Council thanked Jim for coming to this meeting and for helping to make communications better.
5. Goal Setting:
   The Council spent considerable time discussing the goals for the coming year. The main themes that were discussed were: Settling in, meaning, getting the project paid for, having the staff hold a bit tight on coming programs, not adding anything big this coming year. Communication, meaning, looking seriously at the forms of communication we have here and how to implement them better. The Strategic Plan, meaning, somehow incorporating the strategic plan and especially the “fertile place” aspect of the plan into the goals. Peace & Justice and hospitality were also areas that were felt to be of importance. The council agreed upon the following wording as a working document to be polished at the June meeting:

   “St. Joan of Arc provides a fertile place for all people to grow in their desire to make a difference in the world by engaging in collaborative ministry. This vision can begin to become a reality by emphasizing the following areas:

   1. Peace & Justice: sustaining our vision of peace & justice.
   2. Hospitality: finding more creative ways of being hospitable.
   3. Communication: reflecting on the communication tools that we have and making them more effective.
   4. Financial responsibility: to raise the remaining money for the Capital Campaign.”
   Please spend some time reviewing and reflecting on the above statement, and come prepared to discuss at the June meeting.
6. Other Business
   
   1. Selection process: there was a brief discussion on how the selection should go at the discernment evening. Should we vote or draw names. The Council agreed that voting was a better method.
   2. Parish Center Open House: Council members were given a handout on the Environmental aspects of the Parish Center. Council members are simply to be at the various rooms in the Parish Center on Sunday to welcome folks and to answer any questions. Everyone stated that they would be there.
7. Closing Prayer and Evaluation: Joan led a closing prayer, and a short evaluation took place - all felt is was a good meeting.
   Meeting adjourned at 9:15.

Respectfully submitted,

Peter Eichten