Report of the August Church Council Meeting
The ministries of a congregation in a low income area of a large city are typically vastly different than a congregation like ours. Food Insecurity is widespread; nutritious food containing meat and vegetables are often unaffordable. Parents skimp so their children have more than one meal a day. Crime, including violent crime, is much more common. The illegal drug businesses make neighborhoods unsafe. We have some of these, but not to the degree there.
Like ours, congregations in those areas work to be the hands and feet of Christ on earth. And sometimes they need support from outside their congregation, especially when disaster strikes. This was the case with Windsor Park Lutheran Church. It was robbed of what was needed to operate the church and of the food pantry it operates, one that feeds over 1,000 people.
When one of our members found this out, she reached out to us. Members and staff quickly found out what was needed to get money to them to buy food, and many members responded with generous gifts. At our Council Meeting Tuesday night, the Council voted to send $500 as a Mission gift on behalf of our congregation.
The Council conversation on this included a great discussion on our role in our local community, such as our local food pantries, our broader community, such as this in Chicago, and our role in the world, which includes the ELCA World Hunger Program and more.
The visit from a son of our congregation, David “Daudi” Msseemmaa, and his wife Kellen last weekend was very timely. Their presentations highlighted cultural behaviors that victimized young girls in their home area of Tanzania. They also shared about their leadership, especially Kellen, to protect young girls. Individual donations to her ministry go incredibly far to protect young girls and help them prosper. Information about this will be shared on our church website, including how to support this ministry as individuals.
The Council Meeting ran long as there was much to discuss. A meeting break was taken in July but a lot has been happening all summer. The Children’s Spiritual Life and Education Committee has been preparing for the upcoming Sunday School Year under the direction of new Superintendent Donna Ristau. Rally Day, the start of the year, is September 8, and all children of all ages can be a part of it.
The most obvious things involve the Building and Grounds Committee. The replacement of the roof section around the steeple was completed. No wood damage was found underneath but the repair to the lighting system required an electrical contractor. Some preventative work may be needed on the steeple. All the scheduled work is done and now the night lights need to be positioned. LED lights were installed which will last longer and significantly reduce the electricity usage. In addition, grout and sealing work above the kitchen was done using volunteers from the congregation and should fix water leaks on the west edge.
Less visible but important work occurred in other committees. The Personnel Committee completed work on a Personnel Manual which was approved at the meeting. This will be made available to other churches to be a Template, just as another larger church shared theirs with us. The Endowment Committee received approval from Council to engage our newly hired legal counsel to create a document that manages memorials and other gifts to the congregation. Currently, earmarked funds whose original purpose no longer exists is difficult to resolve. The Finance Committee is nearing the end of a project to simplify our Financial Reporting to the Council, our auditors, and the Congregation. And the Organ renovation materials have arrived and the company is creating custom pieces to install with the new volume controls.
A lot of work has been done over the last five years to address issues in a 65 year old church structure. Much has been done with donated gifts, much has been done with donated labor, much has been done with careful planning and funding. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this process. I’m writing as though this were over- the bulk of it has been- but there are always maintenance projects that greatly reduce the cost of replacement. A list of these is being assembled for the future. Church Council will continue to approach our role as being good stewards of the funds provided by the congregation and elsewhere. Like the church in Chicago, we are the hands and feet of Christ in our community, our broader community, and the world.
Dave Kromphardt
Council President