Westminster Diaconate Board Minutes

November 19, 2006

7:00 PM Parlor

Attending: Betty Berghaus, staff, Michael Reich, moderator, Bruce Capehart, co-moderator, Sally Keener, clerk, Holly Borden, Walt Beckwith, Scotti Harwood, Bill Hatch, Jim Joseph, Anne Vann, Louise Holland, Darren Skeen, Bill Burig, Bill McAvoy, Nancy Safrit, Duck Rufty, Sharon Barnes and guests Jack Walchenbach and Carol Cunningham.

Michael called the meeting to order and Betty offered Thanksgiving Scripture readings from I Timothy and Matthew. She asked us to reflect on what we will be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Betty also shared that going around the table and telling something each person is thankful for is a tradition in her family and encouraged us to also take time for reflection now and on Thanksgiving to speak of our blessings and all that we have to be thankful for.

Concerns/Celebrations: Betty shared concerns for Martha Henriquez who is struggling with crucial breathing and life support issues and Kitty Currie who has had several surgeries unsuccessfully attempting to provide a pacemaker and is very ill and frail. Scotti asked for continued prayers for her family, especially prayers for her daughter Meg.  All agreed that Jack and Pat’s arrival is a cause for great celebration!

The Minutes from the October meeting were unanimously approved as presented.

We all introduced ourselves to our new interim pastor Jack telling one or two things we were passionate about at Westminster. Michael took a moment to give Jack a quick background on the new committee organization of the diaconate. Jack told the deacons a bit about himself and his family including background about his schooling, former churches and two married sons Tim and Jim and his grandchildren. He saluted the deacons saying the diaconate at Westminster has a reputation for being a strong and active body, and that he is honored and excited to be  here at WPC.

Michael presented a brief review of the budgeting process with proposed changes for 2007 stating that we will be putting increased responsibility on organizations to show us how they use our financial gifts and to report on their needs and plans. The diaconate, reported Michael, will be acting more deliberately on where and how we give money, to ensure we are using our gifts in the best ways. The diaconate will be asking for periodic reports from the organizations receiving funds on their use of our gifts, and will ask them to make a report to the board at a budget hearing prior to our July budget meeting to account for their own budgets. The diaconate will formulate a template set of questions to which each organization will be accountable. Dorene will give additional information on budget requirements and procedures at our next meeting.

Michael requested that every committee and subcommittee submit minutes from their meetings to him by the Wednesday prior to each diaconate meeting so that he may attach the minutes to the agenda that he will send out on the Thursday before each board meeting. He asked for this to begin with our December meeting and to include the minutes of all meetings from September through the December 13^th deadline. Michael also asked anyone who had a suggestion for an agenda item to get that to him by the Wednesday before the meeting and he would be happy to include it on the agenda.

There were no questions from the group concerning the use or implementation of the new committee notebooks. Examples of organizational charts were shared.

The major business for the diaconate was to decide on a mission focus for 2007 and designate the recipient of the Christmas Eve offering. Additionally, the session requested that the diaconate make a recommendation for a special offering in February when the Presbytery will meet here. The following organizations were nominated as candidates for the Mission Focus and background information was passed out for each: Housing for New Hope, Yo:Durham, Durham Nativity School and IHN. After robust discussion of the concerns and strengths/advantages of these organizations, which everyone agreed were all worthy, the motion was made to make the focus ‘At-risk Youth of Durham’ and include both Yo:Durham and Durham Nativity School. Further discussion about children in trauma and crisis presented by Scotti led the group to amend the motion to include an agency that serves these at-risk children. Scotti and Bruce will conduct research and once an agency or two have been identified and investigated, they will present those findings and recommendations to the diaconate for selection and approval, and a third organization/agency will be added to this mission focus. That amended motion passed, not unanimously, but by overwhelming majority. The discussion then focused on designating offerings. Again there was passionate, healthy discussion that resulted in voting to divide the Christmas Eve offering between Yo:Durham and Durham Nativity School, dedicate the February offering to IHN, and decide at a future date the designation of the Easter offering with the thought that by then a third organization will be a part of the mission focus and a likely candidate for that offering. Nancy, Sally and Bruce will develop plans on how to publicize the mission focus, especially to educate the congregation on YO:Durham and Durham Nativity School prior to the Christmas Eve offering.

Old and New Business:

•  Hispanic Ministry: Michael updated us on the request made by the Hispanic Ministry we have been supporting to use our bus (and a Westminster driver) to transport some of their congregation to community services. Although out of the domain of the original benevolence plans for this Hispanic ministry, the small cost of up to $200 and the spirit of the request which still supports helping this mission church get started, a motion was made, seconded and unanimously passed to provide this bus service for the three or four occasions requested.

•  Budget: In a meeting with Michael, Barbara suggested that the diaconate budget proposal be changed to more accurately represent two items that are under-budgeted with the present figures. Specifically, she requested changing (1) the special events amount from $1400 to $4,000, mostly due to Rally Day which is now being catered for the pig pickin’ and is therefore a costly item, and (2) kitchen supplies. As we are now again using more paper products, that line item would be more accurate if it were $2000 rather than the current $1700. A motion to change those two amounts was made, seconded and unanimously passed.

•  Deacons will be hosting the December Shelter Meal December 16^th. Stay tuned for how we will manage that.

•  There is a request from the Urban Ministries (shelter kitchen, food pantry, etc.) that Westminster place a member on their Board. The decision was to make a request from the pulpit and Sally will put the request in the Deacons’ Corner.

•  We have a lead on someone who might step up and serve on the board for UNC Campus ministry as a response to the pulpit invitation recently.

•  Carol Cunningham reported that she is now on the board of IHN representing WPC; thanked the diaconate for the response for request for emergency funds, and asked to consider IHN as a candidate for the mission focus (which Sharon Barnes presented with enthusiasm and excellent updates on financial and organizational improvements). She said their fall fundraiser was a success at over $4,000 and the basket that Westminster provided went for the highest amount of all the auctioned baskets at $600! Carol shared two inspirational testimonials of IHN alumni on the huge difference IHN made in their lives. Carol also gave an update on the CROP Walk reporting that Durham is now the second highest contributor in the country and that Westminster had its best year ever, bringing in $15,595 (double last year’s contributions) and earning the silver sneaker. Kenzie Brannon, the Nancy/Betty team and Mary Holderness were major factors in Westminster’s success.

Betty closed the meeting in prayer and the meeting was adjourned at 9:45PM.

Next meeting date:  December 17, 2006 7:00 PM

Respectfully submitted, Sally Keener, clerk.