First Baptist Church June 9, 2013 Council of Stewards Meeting Minutes

Council Members Present: Donna Darnold, Steve Dean, Lynn Deweese, John Ogle, Casey Campbell, Paula Shafer, Brandon Fisher Staff Members Present: Steve Russ, Dr. Preston, Jeanette Hawkins, Bill Shafer Church Members Present: Delores Hovey

Opening Prayer: The meeting was opened in prayer by Delores Hovey at 3:05 PM.

Approval of May Council of Stewards Meeting Minutes – A previous revision had been made to delete: “also be brought to the council to form a Nominating Committee for the Transitional Leadership Team to work in conjunction with the Strategic Planning Committee” and replace with: “be brought to the council to approve a Transitional Leadership Team.” A motion to approve the amended minutes was made by Donna Darnold and seconded by John Ogle. Motion approved.

SPECIAL REPORTS

By-Laws Committee – Dr. Preston will provide Brandon Fisher with specific examples before proceeding with recommendations.

Transitional Ministry Update – Dr. Preston will share a narrative with the council in a PowerPoint format during July regarding attendance, giving and missions data. He provided a Progress Report stating that we were nearing the end of Stage II – Assessing the Church’s Current Reality. He anticipates the Pastor Search Committee to begin in October/November. Dr. Preston also stated that he will not be attending the Southern Baptist Convention. Nominations to the Transition Advisory Team (TAT) were provided: Lynn Deweese, Delton Fast, Ron Schowengerdt, Paula Shafer, Kelly Stephens, Jennifer Conley, Erin Townsend, Elsie McNeley, Hubert Fox, Jeanette Hawkins, Garrett Hankins, and Steve Russ. Casey Campbell moved to approve the names. Seconded by Donna Darnold. Motion approved.

Global Missions Team Update – Delores Hovey reported that four of the six quarters had been disbursed and 23 were attending the Nebraska mission trip and 13 scheduled to go to Canada.

OLD BUSINESS

Steeple Rainwater Leak – Bill Shafer presented information from Campbellsville Industries and Crossland Construction regarding the ongoing leak around the steeple and roof. Steve Dean shared additional information about fixing the rivets in the steeple as well as the leak. Steve Dean motioned that Bill contact Bennie Crossland at Crossland Construction to inquire about their obligation and then have permission to repair the roof up to $10,000. Seconded by John Ogle. Motion approved.

Facility Use Guidelines - Steve Russ shared a final copy of the Facility Use Guidelines. Casey Campbell moved to approve the guidelines and seconded by Donna Darnold. A copy will be posted on the bulletin board and notification will be in the Mainspring. Counting Committee –Two counting teams have been approved and a rotation schedule will be implemented.

Articles of Incorporation - Brandon Fisher will obtain Lynn Deweese’s signature for completion.

ACS Church Life Computer Program – Steve Russ explained a comparison chart presented by Diana McElwain describing the differences between the current Church Windows program and the new ACS program. It was proposed to use General Office Administration dollars to pay for the ACS set up and the balance of this year’s monthly expense. The same line item for the 2014 monthly expense will be used. The office agrees that ACS is more user-friendly and provides more accessibility with children and youth than the current program. Since the spending is within the current budget, no motion was needed.

Preschool Budget – Discussion continued regarding the fall enrollment and whether funding would be needed or if it was self-sustaining. This will be revisited in August.

Dr. Armitage Honorarium – Dr. Preston clarified that Dr. Armitage’s consultation would be a 12 month on-campus process with approximately three visits. The honorarium will be discussed through the Transitional Advisory Team. Dr. Armitage’s focus is to encourage service in the church’s culture.

Historical Documents – Paula Shafer reported the Missouri Baptist Convention no longer has an archivist nor does the Historical Commission. Dr. Preston recommended the Historical Committee begin scanning archived documents.

NEW BUSINESS

Vacant Council of Stewards Position – Nominations were extended one week and the process will now move forward.

TEAM REPORTS

Building and Grounds – Steve Dean contacted Eddie Hardy who verified that the old bus was mechanically sound and was worth between $2400-$2600. Paula Shafer will advertise it on Craigslist, the church’s Facebook page and the Nevada News. Steve will have Eddie evaluate the new bus before leaving on the youth trip.

Personnel – The council discussed the handling of fulltime employee’s accumulated sick days after ceasing employment. It was concluded that the purpose of sick days was for short-term illnesses and there was no banked account for them to be used as a bonus if not used. The Personnel Committee will create a personnel policy for future reference. Finance – Donna Darnold shared an audit bid from Whitlock Accounting in Springfield for $30,000 and information from Larry Bledsoe. Donna will ask Miller Management for a forensic audit bid. Paula Shafer presented a comparison of CD interest rates from local banks. The CDs were left at US Bank due to a penalty for early withdrawal. Signature cards at US Bank are pending and signatures were updated for Edward Jones accounts. Lynn Deweese requested financial reports be emailed to the council around the end of each month to have time to be reviewed before the meeting. Brandon Fisher is working on the IRS form to give Traci Borders permission to view information. Consolidating archived documents in the office file cabinets is ongoing.

ADJOURNMENT - The Council meeting adjourned in prayer by John Ogle at 5:15 PM.

MAY COUNCIL MEETING – Sunday, July 14 at 3:00 PM at FBC