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2/12/2024 0 Comments

February 12th, 2024

United Church of Ludlow
Executive Board Meeting
Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at 6:15 PM

MINUTES

United Church of Ludlow, 48 Pleasant St, Ludlow, VT 05149

Present by Zoom: Laura Creaser, Michelle Fountain, Andy Otnicky, Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Dean Alexander, Bret Harlow, Bob Malecki
Absent: None

Call Meeting to Order – The meeting was called to order by Laura Creaser at 603 PM. Michelle led an opening prayer.

Minutes – Board Clerk Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt presented the minutes from the Jan. 15 meeting for approval. Bret made a motion to accept, Laura seconded, motion was approved unanimously.

Pastor’s Report – Sent to the Board via email and attached below. Bret asked what boundary training is; Michelle said it’s a way for pastors to know when there is abuse in case it needs to be reported. The Mission and Vision will be voted on as part of the Annual Meeting.

Treasurer’s Report – Lisha submitted the November and December financial reports by email. Highlights:
1. Annual Report – Lisha will print out 35 copies of the Annual Report and add Mission and Vision. Sent email to Dean regarding façade cost. Updated slate of officers. With new treasurer Bob Malecki. We will be looking for new deacon. She sent the proposed budget as of December 2024 with updated figures and December Treasurers Report. People are being mailed their 1099Cs. No online version for people to access on Zoom. Karey can mail to anyone who wants a copy. Lisha will be the moderator. Dean will discuss the capital campaign. We also have to vote in the entire slate of officers, including the new treasurer. Have the secretary cast one vote for the slate if there’s no opposition.
2. Laura asked Lisha to help with the transition to Bob Malecki as incoming treasurer, in conjunction with the other account signatory, George Thomson. She mentioned that she cannot find the second key to the safety deposit box at the bank, which she hasn’t used for years; George Thomson has the other. She will pay for a new copy. Dean suggests they open the safe deposit box to see the contents, make a report, and get a second key. Lisha will drop the treasurer’s materials at church by Jan. 28. Andy will make sure Bob has a key to the church.

Deacon’s Report

None

Capital Campaign
1. Dean – church bell and sound system projects. Need deposits of $405 to initiate, the total, including foundation façade, will by $45-50k. We have $13,150 in the account, designated toward the foundation, and one of the major donors had no problem if the money were used elsewhere.
2. Other funds include two entities with suggestions for matching funds grants, $10k and $2,500. This brings us to over $25k, more than halfway to completing all 3 projects. He suggested we use additional monies in the building fund and nest egg if we don’t raise the money. He proposed we move ahead. He suggests we use money from the building fund to make a down payment for repairing the bell and PA system – $17-$18k. Once projects are completed, we will have started a capital fund drive, to see if there’s other grant money available through UCC.
3. Lisha suggested that our account at VSECU still contains $90K from the sale of the parsonage, which could be tapped for some of this work. She feels the congregation should approve any expenditures of this nature. Laura suggests we do that at the Annual Meeting, that Dean presents this to the congregation, and we will take a vote to move forward. Lisha also suggested asking the congregation their priorities among bell, sound system, and façade. There was some discussion about who would do the façade/masonry work, since the contractor Dean had found has fallen through. Andy saw an ad for a mason in a local paper and offered to make a phone call, which Dean endorsed. Lisha said Jim Peplau has also mentioned that the church was painted years ago, and wondered if we need to repaint. Andy pointed out that the paint is in good shape, was good quality, and has not peeled.

Other Business

Use of Building – George Thomson sent an email today that WCYS wants to use the fellowship hall next Thu and Fri for their training. Windsor County Youth Services, which works with at-risk students, lost their house in Ludlow. Laura proposed that motion. Dean seconded. All in favor. Passed unanimously.
Office Equipment – Lisa ended the Canon contract and discovered we were paying for maintenance, but own the old printer. We need to find a worthy donation recipient or sell it, or ask Matt if he knows anyone who could use the printer. If he knows anyone we could donate it, to we could donate.
Coffee hour signups –Lisa redid the calendar to add cleanup.
Shoveling – Dean’s shoveler bagged out in late November. James Kilgus from Chester has been hired to shovel. He charges the same rate as Adam, $15 for the first half hour, $30 an hour.

Next Meeting Dates –
1. The Annual Meeting will be held Jan. 28, 2024, after church.
2. As meetings are now quarterly, we set the next meeting date for Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 6 PM. Laura will run the meeting.

Meeting Adjourned by Laura Creaser at 7:06 PM

Minutes submitted by Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Clerk

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1/15/2024 0 Comments

1-15-2024 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

United Church of Ludlow
Executive Board Meeting
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2024, at 6:00 PM

MINUTES

United Church of Ludlow, 48 Pleasant St, Ludlow, VT 05149

Present by Zoom: Laura Creaser, Michelle Fountain, Andy Otnicky, Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Dean Alexander, Bret Harlow, outgoing treasurer Lisha Klaiber, incoming treasurer Bob Malecki
Absent: None

Call Meeting to Order – The meeting was called to order by Laura Creaser at 603 PM. Michelle led an opening prayer.

Minutes – Board Clerk Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt presented the minutes from the Oct. 30, 2023, meeting for approval. Bret made a motion to approve the Minutes, and Laura seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.

Pastor’s Report – The Pastor’s report was sent to the Board via email. Bret asked what boundary training is; Michelle said it’s a way for pastors to know when there is abuse in case it needs to be reported. The Mission and Vision will be voted on as part of the Annual Meeting.

Treasurer’s Report – Lisha submitted November and December financial reports by email. Highlights:
1. Annual Report – Lisha will print out 35 copies of the Annual Report and add the proposed Mission and Vision. She has sent an email to Dean regarding the façade cost. Lisha sent the proposed budget as of December 2024 with updated figures, and the December Treasurers Report. People are being mailed their 1099Cs. There is no online version of the Annual report for people attending via Zoom to access, but Karey can mail a copy to anyone who requests it. Lisha will be moderator of the Annual Meeting. Dean will discuss the proposed Capital Campaign. We also have to vote the entire slate of officers in, including new treasurer Bob Malecki.
2. Laura asked Lisha to help with the transition to Bob Malecki as incoming treasurer, in conjunction with the other account signatory, George Thomson. She mentioned that she could not find the second key to the safety deposit box at the bank, which she hasn’t used for years; George Thomson has the other. She will pay for a new copy. Dean suggested they open the safe deposit box to see the contents, make a report to the Board as to the contents and whether it’s still needed, and get a second key. Lisha will drop the treasurer’s materials at the church by Jan. 28. Andy will make sure Bob has a key to the church.

Deacon’s Report
1. Laura said the church is looking for new deacons.

Capital Campaign
1. Dean reported on the church bell and sound system projects. He said we need deposits of $405 to initiate; then the total, including the foundation façade, will be $45-50,000. He said we have $13,150 in the account designated toward the foundation, and one of the major donors had no problem if the money were used elsewhere.
2. Other funds include two entities with offers of matching funds, $10,000 and $2,500. This brings us to over $25,000, more than halfway to completing all three projects. He suggests we use additional monies in the building fund and nest egg if we don’t raise the entire amount, and proposed we move ahead with a Capital Campaign. He suggests we use money from building fund to make a down payment for repairing the bell and the PA system, at a cost of $17-$18,000. We should also investigate if there’s other grant money available through the UCC.
3. Lisha suggested our account at VSECU still contains $90,000 from the sale of the parsonage, which could be tapped for some of this work. She said she felt that the congregation should approve any expenditures of this nature. We agreed that Dean will present this to the congregation at the Annual Meeting, and we will take a vote to move forward. Lisha also suggested asking the congregation their priorities among bell, sound system, and façade. There was also some discussion about who would do the façade/masonry work, since the contin a local paper.

Other Business

Building Use – George Thomson sent an email today that Windsor County Youth Services (WCYS) has asked to use the Fellowship Hall next Thursday and Friday for their training. the group, which works with at-risk students, lost their house in Ludlow. Laura proposed allowing WCYS to use the building for their training. Dean seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Office Equipment – Lisa ended the Canon contract and discovered we were paying for maintenance, but own the old printer. We need to find a worthy donation recipient or sell it; we thought Matt Sydorowich might know of a group that could use the printer. We agreed Lisa will pursue when she returns in the spring.
Coffee Hour Signups – Lisa redid the calendar to add cleanup, created a version that runs through May 2024, and asked the Board to keep it going over the winter..
Shoveling – James Kilgus from Chester has been hired to shovel, for the rate of $15 for the first half hour, or $30 an hour.

Next Meeting Dates
1. The Annual Meeting will be held on Jan. 28, 2024, after church.
2. As meetings are now quarterly, we set a next Executive Board meeting date of Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 6 PM. Laura will run the meeting.

Meeting Adjourned by Laura Creaser at 7:06 PM

Minutes submitted by Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Clerk

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10/18/2023 1 Comment

10-18-2023-Executive Board Meeting Minutes

United Church of Ludlow
Executive Board Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, at 6:30 PM

MINUTES

United Church of Ludlow, 48 Pleasant St, Ludlow, VT 05149

Present: Laura Creaser, Michelle Fountain, Andy Otnicky, Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Dean Alexander, Bret Harlow, Lisha Klaiber
Absent: None

Call Meeting to Order – The meeting was called to order by Laura Creaser at 632 PM

Minutes – Board Clerk Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt presented three minutes for approval – one from the May 23, 2023, Board meeting; one from the May 28, 2023, ad hoc Board Meeting to approve an increase in the weekly stipend for pianist Terry DeYoung; and one from the July 17, 2023, Special Congregational Meeting to install Nancy Martel as deacon. Lisha pointed out that all minutes should say Executive Board instead of Board of Trustees. All three minutes were unanimously approved with that correction.

Pastor’s Report – Michelle submitted her pastor’s report by email before the meeting. Highlights:

Mission and Vision – We discussed the Mission and Vision created by several church committees. Laura suggested we publish them in the bulletin, then ask the congregation to vote on them at the Annual Meeting. Lisha suggested adding “through Christ” after love. Lisha made a motion to add “through Christ” after “love” in the Vision. Laura seconded. Discussion: Dean said he preferred to refer to Christ in the Mission Statement. Lisha amended her motion to reword the Mission statement to “Striving to Live God’s message of inclusive love through Jesus Christ in our community and world.” Laura accepted amendment. The Vision would be left as it is. The motion passed unanimously. It was agreed that Michelle would present it to the congregation on Nov. 5 service, as follows:

MISSION -Striving to live God’s message of inclusive love through Jesus Christ in our community and world.

VISION - As we strive to live God’s message of love, we:
Welcome everyone,
Celebrate diversity,
Nurture spiritual growth,
Work toward peace and justice,
Serve our community and world.

The Board gave Michelle permission to renew the church’s CCL license for 2024 in November. Lisha will shift that money to a music line in the budget from travel.
Holiday Season – Christmas is on a Monday, so will do Christmas Eve in the evening Sunday at 6 PM and conduct one service to cover both days. Michelle ordered bulletin covers. The Altar Guild will take care of flowers. We’ll do caroling again, biut not the cookie event. Michelle will update the website.

Treasurer’s Report -- Lisha submitted September financial reports by email. Highlights:
1. Budget at ¾ of year. We are at 64% of estimates of giving but other giving up – at 75%. Outreach – 3rd quarter money has gone out. Insurance is up tremendously (through UCC). Advertising – we usually do Christmas ad in the paper but quite expensive. Supplies and expenses (coffee and paper)
2. We recently received an $1,800 bill for September servicing of furnace, which was not in the 2023 budget. Dean, who oversaw the repairs, said UCL is playing catchup from previous neglect. Irving serviceman told Dean the system is in good shape for its age of 25 years. Propane (for office and stove) below.
3. 2024 Budget – The change in the fiscal year from Sept. 30 to Dec. 31 requires changes in the budget preparation process. Lisha will prepare a budget draft based on December numbers. In mid-January, we will have all bank statements in, and she can finalize the budget. She will email the budget to the Board and we will approve it virtually.
4. Annual Report – The Annual Report can come out at end of January for Annual Meeting. Lisha will put together, print and copy Annual Report, which will include the Deaconate, Outreach, Pastor, and Treasurer. For Annual Report’s Slate of Officers, all people on it are renewed. Bob Malecki will be the new treasurer. Anne and Lisha expire this year. Anne will stay on as Receiver of Offerings. Dean, Bret, Laura, and Andy are continuing as trustees. Lisha will stay on as deacon, as will Marge Macintyre, Sandy Peplau, Linda Thomson, and Nancy Martel. Dean will do the audit again. The Outreach Committee will remain the same.

Deacon’s Report
1. Laura said Nancy Martel is now officially a deacon. a member. Everyone doing a great job. The Pulpit is supplied through end of year. Christine, Jeremy and Bruce will substitute, and Mary is available.

Trustee/Building Report
1. Bell Repair – No progress. Dean said an anonymous donor is interested in paying for the bell repair.
2. Visual/audio technology for upstairs – Dean said he is back to original contact on this. We have a major donor who wants to help with this, but we want to give the congregation the opportunity to give as well. For anonymity, he suggested it was best to do a general capital fund drive to raise funds on our own, plus donations. Laura Caravatt’s daughter has offered some funding. Dean presented a first draft of a letter to the congregation, which he will email to the Board for feedback. Michelle suggested we wait mid-to-late November to ask for help with funding, to give people time to finish addressing flood issues. Michelle pointed out that this could take the place of a stewardship campaign, which we don’t do, we could mail the letter to congregants with the estimate of giving.
3. Bret said he will soon have a price for foundation stone.
4. Lisha said there is $25,000 in the Building Fund and $125,435 in the church operating account. Some of these funds could be moved into the building account to help pay for repairs.
5. Michelle suggests we spend $7,000 for the PA system. No one objected.
6. Dean and Bret have started contacting potential contractors. Dean will readdress to get up-to-date quotes.
7. Snow clearance – Richard, whose longtime volunteerism has been much appreciated, has become inconsistent about this, and this service is needed on a consistent basis. Dean is looking into a snow solution with Wayne, a handyman he knows who charges $30/hour. He doesn’t think we need to purchase a snow blower, which would cost $600-$800 minimum. The church provides sand and salt, and Dean will look into ice melt mats that need to be installed.
8. Maple tree is leaning against church. We need tree service trimming. Dean will get a tree guy to trim or take down as needed.

Old Business

Office Equipment Purchase - Matt Sydorowich of Ludlow-based Sydscompufix helped us use the $1,500 we allocated to purchase a new computer tower, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and printer, which he installed. He also upgraded our version of Microsoft Office for a flat fee, so we no longer need to pay for a monthly subscription. The original printer didn’t do double-sided printing but the replacement, $75 more but still within budget, did. Lisa was contacting Canon to end the maintenance contract. She also donated a chair and rubber mat to replace the broken ones she discovered in the office, and added a recycling bin.
Coffee hour signups – People have suggested we add cleanup to the Coffee Hour sign-up sheet. Lisa will redo calendar to add cleanup.
Multimedia – Lisa reported on her meeting with brother Peter Hamm, a former multimedia professional and now pastor of Pastor at Jacksonburg United Methodist Church in Ohio. (Their YouTube page is https://www.youtube.com/@jacksonburgunitedmethodist7999) Peter advised the following:

It is fair use to quote a song, a sermon, or a book in a broadcast service. You don’t need any license or protection, but should attribute the source.
If you have purchased the songbooks, you can use the music. Most of it is in the public domain anyway.
You should broadcast your announcements, because people beyond your church want to know what’s going on and it’s community building. However, joys and concerns are more private and can become a source for gossip.
He suggests starting the broadcast 5 minutes before service with a countdown. He says we can stream live simultaneously through YouTube and Facebook through restream, a service that costs $10 a month (https://restream.io/ or https://restream.io/upload-and-stream); both are better for outreach than Zoom. If people want the Zoom option for socialization following services, we could hold a Zoom coffee hour. Can try it for free.
Lisa suggested we continue this conversation at next meeting.

New Business

Church Directory - Pat Moore is taking pics for a virtual church directory, which is a Deacon’s project being led by Linda Thomson.

Next Meeting Date and Designated Chair –
1. We did not set a next meeting date or designate a chair to organize it.
2. We scheduled the Annual Meeting for Jan. 28, 2024, after church.

Meeting Adjourned by Laura Lienhard at 8:05 PM

Minutes submitted by Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Clerk

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