Stewardship Committee

Minutes of October 26, 2010 meeting

 

1.  Present: Dick Hough, Bob Brundage, Herb Holler, Pastor John.

 

2.  Meeting opened with prayer by Pastor John.

 

3.  Pastor John thanked the committee members for their good work on this year’s program.  The encouraging response already indicates a good choice was made to return to a variation on the Pony Express style of distributing the materials.

 

4.  As of this morning (10/26), we had received about 142 responses.  Three baskets were sill out.  And about two dozen packets were undelivered.  Some will be delivered, some will be mailed.

 

5.  Dick Hough will contact the Priests about finishing their neighborhood.  Geri Bradley said she would deliver to hers later in the week.  Carol Paul, Jan Gerk and others have offered to deliver the remaining packets.

 

6.  A few suggestions were made for next time:

·        Simpler instructions

·        Add email addresses, especially for the foreman, as people seem less willing to phone these days.

·        Change the instructions so that people deliver to the closest home rather than the next on an alphabetical list.

·        Use one foreman per neighborhood

·        Instruct foremen to phone/email more often to keep track of basket

·        Add a line on the Time & Talent Report for those who might like to help organize a neighborhood service event (see #8 below)

 

7.  Follow-up plans.  At next meeting we will address postcards to all those who responded, thanking them for their part in a successful harvest, etc.

 

8.  Neighborhood service project.  We would still like to see the neighborhoods gather together to plan and execute a service project of some kind, involving as many members of the neighborhood as possible.  We’ll wait until the new year to work on this.  In the meantime, committee members are asked to think about someone in each neighborhood who would be a good person to ask to facilitate a brainstorming and planning session with their neighbors.  We’ll discuss possible helpers at next meeting.

 

9.  Some kind of thermometer (wine bottle?) to visualize the number of households that responded and the amount pledged will appear in the newsletter, or Sunday Grapevine, PowerPoint on Sunday, etc.

 

10.  Next meeting: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Pastor John W. Soyster

Secretary pro tem

 

 

“Tending The Vineyard”

The 2010-11 Stewardship Program

 

 

A.  Goals                     B.  Calendar                C.  To Do List             D.  Questions

             

 

E.  Ideas                      F.  Scripture Resources                       G.  Vignette

 

 

A.  Goals:

1.  That every confirmed member remember their need to give.  No gift is really a gift until thanks have been offered to the giver.  Stewardship is giving thanks to God for the gift of life in Christ.  Stewardship is life of giving thanks every way you can, through what you give and what you do.

            2.  That every confirmed member remember the commitments they made when they joined or were confirmed.  They said they intended to…

·        live among God's faithful people,

·        hear the word of God and share in the Lord's supper,

·        proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,

·        serve all people, following the example of Jesus,

·        strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

3.  That every confirmed member would commit to the giving of their financial resources based on the principles of…

·        right giving

·        proportionate giving

·        sacrificial giving

·        and planned giving (see www.mountcross.com/talents.pdf)

4.  That every confirmed member would commit to the giving of their time and talents by considering both the needs of the church and their own gifts, abilities and passions.

            5.  That the leadership of the congregation respect #4 above by making sure that everyone who offers their time and talent is utilized.

6.  That every confirmed member be affirmed in the giving of their time and talents (and money) even when that giving takes place outside of our congregation but is still understood by them to be an expression of thanks to God.

            7.  130 households responding with either a Time & Talent Report,  a Pledge Cad, or both (this is an attempt to return to the response levels of 2007 (137) and 2008 (130) after the drop in 2009 (87).

 

B.  Stewardship Calendar 2010

Date

Event

Notes

Tuesday

June 29

 

Stewardship Committee meeting

Tasks:

- update neighborhood lists

- on updated lists identify former ‘trail bosses/master gardeners (see To Do #3 below)

- send lists to Lisa, Herb, Bob & Dick

- begin recruiting new ‘trail bosses

- invite new bosses to next meeting

Sunday

July 25

Newsletter deadline for the August issue.

 

Tuesday

July 27

Stewardship Committee meeting; 7 PM

 

Tuesday

August 10

Alert Church Council, committees, etc. that it is time to update Time & Talent Report

 

Sunday

August 22

Newsletter deadline for the September issue.

1st hint of what’s coming might appear here

Tuesday

August 24

Stewardship Committee meeting; 7 PM

 

Sunday

September 5

Return to three service worship schedule

8:15, 9:30 & 10:45 a.m.

Sunday

September 12

Rally Day

Have some kind of presence on the patio.

Tuesday

September 14

Revised Time & Talent Report reviewed at Church Council meeting

 

Friday

September 17

Deadline for changes to printed materials, letters, etc. to go into the baskets

 

Sunday

September 19

1st of up to three stewardship temple talks and/or sermons

 

Week of

September 20

Print stewardship materials

 

Sunday

September 26

2nd of up to three stewardship temple talks and/or sermons.

Vineyard artwork (phase 1 of 2) goes up in sanctuary

Newsletter deadline for the October issue.

 

Tuesday

September 28

Stewardship Committee meeting; 7 PM

Assemble packets and place in baskets

Sunday

October 3

3nd of up to three stewardship temple talks and/or sermons.

Vineyard artwork (phase 2 of 2) appears in sanctuary

Baskets leave on their neighborhood routes.

 

Sunday

October 10, 17 & 24

Grapes appear on the vines

 

Sunday

October 24

Baskets return to the church; placed on the altar

See Question 1 below

To be determined