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 March meeting.
We first discussed updating the council bulletin board to make it more current and communication friendly. Linda and Diane will be adding new photos of council members along with member contact information and which areas of ministry each connect with. The names and contact information for ministry team leaders will also be included.
Then, we went over next steps for the Mission & Vision Team. We will be forming several new teams that will work on different specific areas of the capital campaign. We also reviewed and discussed the KAIROS Resource Capacity Assessment Report, written by David Meisenheimer, our KAIROS representative. The results of the listening meetings were overwhelmingly positive and gave us valuable information regarding our priorities as we move forward.
The property report was given. The office is nearly complete thanks to the work of Tim Klein and Christopher Haite, who also organized the successful workday. Security cameras have been installed by both the front and back doors of the building. Flat roof repairs and downspout replacement are next on the list. The kitchen plans are due by the end of June. We will then seek three bids on the kitchen project and are hoping to break ground by the beginning of September and be finished with the renovation before Christmas.
We took a tour of the building and reviewed the recommendations for other building renovations made by Jeff Spann, from the Mission Investment Fund. We began refining our overall project goals and prioritizing projects.
Our current list of top priorities:
- Install elevator with stops at all floors
- Replace red entrance doors and improve/update entrance area
- Utilities (boiler, electrical & plumbing)
- Drywall/repair walls through out building.
- Improve basement/fellowship space
- Redo bathrooms
- Improve/update Sunday School space
- Revamp second floor meeting space and chapel
- Install air conditioning for office spaces
- Install air conditioning for sanctuary
- Add flexible multipurpose space above gym
Ben gave the treasurer’s report. We ended April in the black and are more than $6000 in the positive so far in 2015.
We finished the meeting by discussing terms, appointments and elections of Investment Team members.
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!
Luther Memorial Church of Chicago Council 