Church Council News June 2021
The 2021 Skyland Community Church Annual Budget meeting was held on Zoom after worship service on May 23. After a prayer by Rev. Melanie Weiner and opening remarks by our Moderator, Leslie Meehan, our Clerk, Randy McCalla (who also counted all the subsequent votes), certified that we did indeed have a quorum of church members (30) present on Zoom. The Skyland Behavioral Covenant was read by Moderator Leslie. Next, the minutes from the January 2021 Annual Congregational meeting were amended with several spelling corrections and then approved as amended by all those present.
Following the enthusiastic endorsement of the Church Council and the revelation that increased pledges would enable such a change, the congregation unanimously (28 yes, 0 no, 0 abstaining) approved the proposal to increase our Senior Minister position from ¾ time to full time. Patricia Wood presented a short tutorial on the differences between a Call to Ministry and a Covenant versus an offer and a contract. (Presented in a short article at the end of the newsletter.) Rev. Melanie accepted the proposal and spoke enthusiastically about her desire to have more time to serve the congregation and the community. Many members spoke of the new opportunities to engage in deeper ministry, in-person ministry, and broader community ministry, as well as visitation on-site. The Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Rev. Melanie, and the Finance Ministry Team were instructed to begin discussion on a new Call and Covenant for our full-time pastor.
The new 2021-2022 Skyland Community Church Budget was introduced by Anne Evans. The new budget is based upon pledges made, surpluses from the past two years, and some estimated offerings. These items bring the total budget up to enough to sustain a full-time minister, the work of various Ministries, projects, and safe, cautious re-opening of on-site church. Many questions were asked and general enthusiasm continued. The vote was unanimous, though by then two fewer persons were present, (26 yes, 0 no, 0 abstaining).
Moderator Leslie Meehan concluded the meeting by announcing tentative plans for a July 4th gathering in the parking lot for Worship and bring-your-own-bag-lunch Communion. This plan was received with hope and joy. Leslie thanked the Finance Ministry Team for their many hours of work and thoughtful preparations, and Jackie Seymour for being the Zoom coordinator for the day. After a closing prayer of gratitude and grace by Rev. Melanie, the meeting was adjourned to cheers for all involved! ______________________________________________________
