LMC Visioning Task Force Introduction

What: A group of disciples gathered from the congregation who show vision for LMC and have agreed to work through a prayerful process to discern LMC’s mission and vision that God in Christ is calling us to through 2020.

How: These task force members, who showed interest and promise through the Fall 2014 Cottage Meetings, are working with the Council and Pr. David Misenheimer (through Kairos & Associates) to listen, advise, pray, and articulate some central themes of how LMC is being called to minister and operate.

When: The task force has had an initial meeting to lay groundwork, as well as a follow-up brainstorming meeting that built off of the energy of the first meeting. The task force plans to meet again in April to further refine what we’re discerning, and may meet as many as six more times. The next step after our April gathering is to go to the congregation to hear your feedback on what we’re discerning. Everyone has a voice in this process.

Future: The council, through the Fall of 2014, went through a vetting process with Capital Firms who also specialized in leading congregations through visioning work. We narrowed our search down to three, conducted interviews, and landed on Kairos and Associates. We began work with them directly before Easter. With this process we will also begin exploring a new logo and other materials to streamline the message God has put in our hearts. You’ll be both hearing more and invited to lend your voice to the process soon!

Team Members

Jeff Conway     Nicole Kerstetter   Kelly Weiss      Sean Heneghan

Dieter Schulte   Marcia Mawe   Linda Khoury   Pr. Tim Brown   LMC Council

Current Mission Statement: “A Welcoming Community Proclaiming God’s Grace through Faith, Praise, and Service”

 

Future Mission Statement: ?…we’ll see what God does with us!

Council Meeting Recap: March 2015

In an effort to improve our transparency and communication as your Council, we are sharing a recap of last month’s Council meeting. The minutes will be posted on the Council bulletin board in the basement after they are approved, but here are some highlights in the meantime.

After assembling in God’s name, we acknowledged a quorum and voted to approve the minutes from the February meeting.

We discussed Council liaisons to LMC’s standing teams. Current liaisons are as follows:

• Education – Justin Shimko
• Hospitality – Diane Betten
• Investment – Ben Dieterich
• Preschool – Angie Cooper
• Property – Angie Cooper
• Stewardship – Jay Kapp
• Technology – Christian Kern
• Vision – Linda Khoury

We discussed some specific priorities for this year.

• Realignment of mission
• Realignment of vision
• Branding and logo development
• Decision on preschool partnership with Pilgrim Lutheran
• Begin capital campaign
• Hiring/staffing for office position
• Strengthen & monitor stewardship
• Begin Phase I of building improvements
• Continue exploration of volunteer coordinator

We discussed the taking of minutes and when, where and how to share them most effectively with the congregation. We decided that we will continue with the brief recap on the blog and will post the full, approved minutes on the council bulletin board as soon as they are available.

During the preschool report we learned that both the state and city inspectors feel that our space already meets the majority of requirements for housing a preschool. We were given some specific upgrades and adjustments that will need to be made, but most are either going to be taken care of with the kitchen renovation or will be relatively simple to implement. The Preschool Team will share a Q & A blog post and schedule some informational meetings between Sunday services.

We discussed prioritizing this year’s building projects and getting together drawings, plans and pricing to present to the congregation for Phase I renovations.

Phase I is currently set to include:

• Moving the office downstairs
• Reconfiguring the upstairs Sunday school space
• Starting the kitchen remodel
• Turning the unused space between the buildings into a multi-purpose room

We reviewed the Kairos Consulting contract and came up with a list of questions for the first meeting with the firm, to be held the following evening.

In Ben’s treasurer’s report he stated that there were no unusual expenses in February and that giving was up significantly over last month and last year at this time.

We gave thanks to God and departed in God’s name.

Hopefully this gives you a little glimpse into our process and keeps you informed as to what we are talking about right now. As always, let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to work for you!

Preschool Questions: Answered (Part Three)

For additional information, you can read our previous posts on this topic here and here.

Question – Is there going to be a preschool at Luther Memorial Church (LMC)?

Answer – The answer is “Undecided”.  A team has been working to discern if a faith-based preschool can become part of the LMC mission.  The team believes having a preschool at LMC would be a natural extension of our mission to the congregation and to our surrounding community.  However, the team is critically examining if a preschool is a worthwhile use of our congregational resources of space and money.

Question – If a team is acting doesn’t that mean a decision has already been made?

Answer –  No.  The team is assessing the costs and resources that would be needed to offer a preschool program resident at LMC.  If the team can put together a workable model, it will then be presented to the Church Council for review.  If it meets the Council’s approval, the model would then be presented to the congregation for its ultimate approval.

Question – What expertise does LMC have to develop a preschool as part of our programs?

Answer – The team is discussing with Pilgrim Lutheran (Pilgrim) about forming a partnership to open a new preschool location in our community.  In its simplest form,  Pilgrim would provide its administrative experience including staffing while LMC would provide the location.  LMC avoids the risks and pitfalls of starting up such a school by partnering with Pilgrim.  The discussions include how to allocate operating costs, capital costs and financial risks in establishing a preschool.  The target date for our model is Fall 2016.

Question – Can you share any details of what the preschool may be like?

Answer – Certainly.  The model the team is working on looks like this – the Beginners Room would be the classroom site.  Enrollment would be no more than 20  students with a teacher and an aide.  The projected enrollment is determined by our available space and minimum staffing requirements. Full or half-day slots would be available for students.  Activities now scheduled in the Beginners Room would be moved to the Nursery space or elsewhere in the building.

Question – What structural changes would need to be made to our building?

Answer –  Many of the contemplated uprades to modernize our current office configuration and capabilities would dovetail with the potential needs of a preschool. Other minor rennovations to the Beginners Room would be part of any other proposed building plans.  So far, the one stand-alone structural addition is the need for an outdoor play area.  The team is assessing both the physical possibility and capital costs of putting a playground on the roof of the boiler room.  The potential costs for this and any other changes are major considerations in determining if any preschool model is right for LMC.

Question – What operating costs would be required for a preschool? Who will pay them?

Answer – The team has identified several costs that would be part of a preschool model.  First, the salaries of the teacher and the aide are the obvious expenses.  There would also be additional custodial expenses.  The Pilgrim model relies on tuition to cover salaries, educatonal, and custodial expenses.  The Pilgrim model also assumes the host provides the physical plant and pays any increased utility expenses.  Allocation of other costs, insurance for example, are a significant part of our negotiations with Pilgrim.  The assumption of potential economic risks associated with enrollment and tuition collected is another negotiating point.

Question – Would LMC need to be licensed to operate a preschool? Other City regulations?

Answer – LMC can either apply for a state license or seek an exemption to operate a preschool.  We would strive to meet the Illinois DCFS standards because they are meaningful benchmarks for our preparedness to operate a preschool. The team has reviewed the DCFS licensing requirements and believes a license could be readily obtained. We already meet nearly all of the Illinois standards affecting square footage and other physical parameters.

We also have to meet City fire and building codes.  We have confirmed with the City and our alderman that a preschool is compatible with our current zoning. We requested informal inspections by the City departments to determine our current compliance with their standards and what changes, if any, would be needed. Those inspections were completed last week and we are just beginning to evaluate their suggestions.

Question – What is the timeline for a decision?

Answer – If the preschool is to open in a partnership with Pilgrim Lutheran for Fall of 2016, the congregation would have to vote in a special meeting during the early fall  2015.  The team continues to assess our physical plant and the monetary costs; evaluate the potential partnership arrangement with Pilgrim Lutheran; and discern the place, if any, of a preschool as part of Luther Memorial’s mission. The team will share its work with the Council and congregation if a successful model can be fashioned.

This post was guest written by Preschool Team member Jerry Giese. The Council thanks Jerry for all of his hard work and dedication as we work to determine feasibility and next steps on this project. His experience and attention to detail have been vital throughout the process.