June 2022
Council Corner
Our May council agenda was divided into two separate meetings. The first meeting was held on May 8. At this time, we discussed the development of a strategic plan. Tana Johnson had previously volunteered to lead this effort. Between our April and May meetings, council members answered a variety of questions to help get us started in this process. We reviewed what was completed and talked about our next steps. Emerging from the covid fog that we have experienced since the pandemic enveloped our world two years ago, the council felt that it would be a good idea to give our church a clear direction of what we stand for and where we are headed. We will complete this over a six to nine-month period of time. Input from the congregation will definitely be solicited during this process.
The council also talked about getting together with Babbitt Evangelical Lutheran Church (BELC) for a picnic in June. BELC’s council already found a date that works for them–June 26. We agreed on the date. Now, all we have to do is work out the particulars. This includes the location and the time–just to name a few. We will hopefully have this figured it by the time the next newsletter is published.
The second special meeting was held on May 15 after services. At this time, two members of the call committee, Tana Johnson and Lora Langowski, met with us to discuss the first draft of the Mission Site Profile (MSP). In a few words, the MSP is a document that tells a little bit about the history of our church, our strengths/weaknesses, our vision for the future, and what we want in a new pastor. We reviewed the MSP and made some minor changes. A few questions still needed to be answered, however (i.e. finding out when our church was constructed). Thus, the council made a decision to place a motion on the floor to approve the MSP electronically (allowed in our church constitution) once the final questions are discovered. Once the MSP is approved (hopefully within the next two weeks), it will be sent to our call committee to approve and forward to Deacon Tibbetts. She will review the completed document and give her seal of approval.
The council and call committee also discussed “The Seven Questions” during the special meeting. “The Seven Questions” is a series of questions that will be made available to the congregation for their input starting at services on May 22. It will also be included in the monthly newsletter. The questions basically ask what we see as our vision for the future, our strengths/weaknesses as a church, and what qualities we want in a new pastor. Please look over the questions, answer them to the best of your ability, and return the answers to the church. The answers can remain confidential if you choose. The due date for “The Seven Questions” to be included in the call process is June 19.
May God grant you peace until we meet again next month…….
In God’s Name,
Lance Kupka
Council President
Hope Lutheran Church of Embarrass