MESSIAH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
BUILDING COMMITTEE – MEETING NOTES
November 29, 2006
LOCATION – Fellowship Hall
Members Attending: Heather Deutsch, BJ Wyrick, and Howard Albrecht
Members Excused: Kevin Plasterer
Guests Attending: Troy Howell, Frank Alexander, DeAnn Pugh, Brenda Gabler
OPENING & DEVOTION
Howard opened the meeting with prayer.
The group read the devotion together as one voice, Ephesians 2:21-22, God is Building a home.
SELECTION OF COMMITTEE SECRETARY – Item Not addressed; Tabled for next meeting
Annual Appointment or Monthly Rotation or other option?
Members agreed that the Building Committee standard meeting schedule will be the Second and Fourth Wednesday of the month beginning February, 2007.
REVIEW PREVIOUS MEETING NOTES
November 8, 2006 Meeting – Discussion on the need to provide more detail in meeting notes. Howard will redraft notes from the 11/8/2006 meeting and resubmit for review and approval at the December meeting.
General Meeting Note Availability – Discussion on sharing of meeting notes prior to Committee review and correction of possible errors/inaccuracies. Troy noted several parishioners have asked where meeting notes are – indicating a high degree of congregational interest we would not want to discourage. All agreed notes would be provided as timely as possible, with the notation that Meeting notes are “Draft” until accepted by the Committee. Howard will see that revised notes from 11/8 meeting are redrafted and available for distribution as “draft” ASAP.
Discussion also on making notes available on Messiah UMC Website. Troy indicated he had been working with Tom Whisenand. on this – Howard said he would pursue and keep this up also.
Standard Agenda Format - Howard as new Committee Chair, asked if the agenda-format he used for tonight’s meeting was agreeable to Membership. He indicated, it makes meeting planning easier, as well as meeting note write-ups. All were in agreement as to the standard meeting agenda format.
Meeting Notes from Blain Bargo – Howard passed out copies of notes Troy received from Blain Bargo on the presentation he provided to the Committee on October 18, 2006. Howard noted the 12 items Blain captured in his notes appear to have a clearer organization for the Plan-of-Progress that we have been working on. Howard asked Members to review the draft Plan of Progress of the Fellowship Hall/Kitchen/Stage Area (Acts 29:2006:1, item 1) in light of this 12-item outline format. This hopefully will make the Committee’s discussion simpler and better organized.
PUBLIC/CONGREGATION COMMENTS
Summary of Oral Comments – none received
Summary of Written Comments – none received
OLD BUSINESS
Recommendation of Additional Committee Members to Council
Howard indicated that since its meeting 11/8/2006, the Building Committee has unanimously agreed on 3 people it would like to include as members. Troy asked Howard to describe the exact process the Committee used to come up with the 3 names.
Howard recounted that at the November 8, 2006 meeting, committee members had been asked to submit to him (via email) 1 or 2 names of persons they thought would be good to add to the committee, along with a general reason for their recommendation. Since the Building Committee was not meeting until this evening, in the interest of time, upon receiving names, Howard contacted each Building Committee person individually by email and/or by telephone confirming the names submitted and the reason for the selection.
Howard received a total of 6 names. One Committee Member did not submit any names for consideration, but Howard confirmed that was by the members’ own choice and for no other reason. After discussing the names submitted with each of the other 3 Committee members individually, consensus was reached on 3 of the 6 names.
Howard contacted the 3 persons to survey and confirm their interest and commitment in serving on the Building Committee. Each of the 3 potential members indicated they would be very interested and pleased to serve on the Building Committee. Howard stressed to each potential member during his conversations with him or her that he was not guaranteeing they would be confirmed at Church Conference, and that they would be contacted either by him or Brenda about Conference decision regarding the Committee.
Since there was not sufficient time to properly bring this matter up at the November 26, 2006 Church Conference, Howard asked Brenda and Troy how the Committee should put forth the names. Troy said that according to the Discipline, there are 2 steps to the process. First, Conference must act to expand the size of the Committee. Second, once the Committee size is expanded, the names need to be put forth. Both of these steps in order must be voted upon and approved by either a Charge Conference or a Church Conference.
Troy noted that it is very clear that the Conference must be announced from the pulpit 2 Sundays prior to the Conference, and that an advertisement must be made at least 10 days before. Brenda said she will be taking care of these arrangements, and if all goes well, the Conference could be held at Church Council meeting on December 12, 2006. Troy asked if things did not work out, would January pose any problems. The only concerns noted with postponement until January was the additional month delay in Committee work, in order to wait to have the new members oriented and brought up to speed with the rest of the Committee.
Howard said he would prepare an orientation package for each of the potential new members, and work to arrange a private meeting for each potential new Committee member with Troy, Howard, and any other interested Building Committee Member before Conference on December 12, 2006. Brenda said she would contact Dr. Baer regarding the ability of having a Conference at the December Council meeting. Howard said he would provide Brenda with a written request to Council asking to expand the Committee to 7 members in size, and then if approved by Conference, to offer the 3 names agreed upon by the Committee to fill the vacancies created by the expansion.
Completion of Building Committee Plan of Progress Assignment
In the interest of time, this item was tabled until the December 13, 2006 meeting. Members are reminded to review the draft in light of the 12-item outline provided by Blain Bargo to Troy, as handed out tonight.
NEW BUSINESS
Next Steps – Additional Data or Research needed
In the interest of time this item was not discussed and tabled to a future meeting.
OPEN DISCUSSION
There were no other topics brought up for discussion
REMINDERS
Next Committee Meeting: December 13, 2006 – 6 pm Fellowship Hall
Next Committee Meeting: January 17, 2007 – 6 pm Fellowship Hall
The meeting adjourned at 7:35; Troy closed the meeting with prayer.