MINUTES OF THE 46th ANNUAL
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
Sunday, December 9, 2001Call to Order- The meeting was called to order at 12:30 p.m. by Council President Bill Beers. Bill declared a quorum present, and the meeting began. He thanked the members of WELCA for providing lunch. Adoption of the 2000 Annual Meeting Minutes- Norm Schmidt moved to accept the minutes. The motion was seconded and was passed. Elections- Rich Doncaster explained the election process and recognized the members of the Nominating Committee. Reception of the Report of: The Church Council President- Bill noted that there is no Pastor's report in the year-end reports for the Annual Meeting. Pastor Sneeringer provided an exit report when he left. Bill thanked the congregation for the opportunity to serve as Council President. He believes that the most significant event of the past year was Pastor Stan's departure. He is amazed at how well the congregation has responded to this situation. He thanked John Maroni for all of his hard work to help fill the void. Another major event was the selection of the Call Committee. Bill noted that 52 names were submitted to council for consideration. Narrowing this list down to six people was the most difficult task for council this year. We have been blessed with Pastor Deborah Wissner who has guided us during this interim period. Bill also thanked Vice President Polly Dobkin for all of her hard work. Treasurer- Bill Evans moved to accept the Treasurer's report. Terry Vernon seconded and the motion passed. Call Committee Report- Mike Chaffee reported on the progress of the Call Committee. They received the names of three pastoral candidates and have since decided to take two of them to the next level of the interview process. They are making plans to hear them preach at their churches. After they do this, they will hold second interviews. After they have decided on a candidate, they will make a recommendation to council. Council will then decide on a compensation package. Finally, the congregation will vote to accept the pastor and the compensation package. Adoption of the 2002 Operating Budget- Bill Robinson reported that Faith is in solid financial shape. He noted that spending is down because we do not have a full-time pastor, and utilities have not been high because of the good weather. John Knops explained that council was conservative in the budget proposal. They planned for a full-time pastor to begin in April and planned the budget with a high-end salary in mind. They proposed to increase the Benevolence so that the people receiving help would receive an increase just as we give the staff a cost of living raise. Garth McHenry questioned how the Operating Savings Fund is funded. Bill explained that it is funded by any extra operating fund money we have at the end of each year. Randy Cole moved to approve the budget. Art Britton seconded and the motion passed. Endowment- Bill Evans reported that they have $50,000 in the fund. Only the interest in the fund can be spent. They are planning some planned giving seminars next year. Jean Butler reported that 225 boxes of Bisquick were collected for OPEN M. Art Britton noted that ushers are needed and asked people to please sign up. Election results- The election results were as follows: Church Council Nominating Committee Bill Beers Nora Schwarze Randy Cole Jim Shook Ole Latham Ruth Simpson Karen Mallison Audit Committee Endowment Committee Flo Mackall Garth McHenry Northeastern Ohio Synod Assembly Don and Barbara Dillahunt There being no further business, Bill Robinson moved to adjourn. Ole Latham seconded and the motion passed. The meeting closed with the Lord's Prayer. Respectfully submitted,
Kit Scheetz
Council Secretary