Beaver Creek Church of the Brethren
Leadership Team Meeting
April 16, 2020
Present: Ann Healy, Deborah Hoover, Joe LaPrade, Amy Saum, Zack Wampler, Kenny Wheelbarger, Bill Wood. Ex-Officio: Ryan Cooper – Pastor, Darlene LaPrade – Church Clerk, Tess Southerly. Absent: John Jordan, Brian Whitmore.
Zack called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Ann opened with devotions.
The minutes from the March meeting were approved.
Calendar Roundtable: ●Love Feast will be held at a future date when feasible. ●There will be no VBS this summer. ●Expecting annual conference to be cancelled for this summer.
Treasurer’s Report: The giving platforms have been successful so far. Pastor Ryan pointed out that there is often an increase in giving when using an online platform.
A motion was made and properly seconded to approve the Treasurer’s report. It was approved.
Matters for Leadership Team:
Thanks to Pastor Ryan for heading up the Easter Egg Hunt and other things he is doing to keep us connected during this time.
Joe reported that it is humid in the parsonage basement. The church needs to buy a dehumidifier for the basement. The water softener in the parsonage needs salt. Tom Wilfong purchased the salt which the church paid for. There seems to be some confusion as to who’s responsibility it is for certain things. It was suggested to make a list of items that are used in the parsonage and decide as a Leadership Team which will be paid for by the church and which items would be the Pastor’s duty to take care of. A motion was made for the church to pay for the salt for the softener. It was seconded and approved.
Favorable comments have been heard from viewers of the streaming services/sermons.
Pastor’s Report: Pastor Ryan reported that he has made 78 church contacts since last month’s meeting which averages out to three a day. He is working hard to keep everyone connected. Right now, it appears that our first Sunday back will be July 12. Pastor Ryan plans to hold Bible Study on Wednesday nights through the Zoom app as well as trying to have youth meetings and children’s stories. Pastor Ryan has purchased the Zoom app for church use. This costs $14.99 per month. Joe made a motion that the church cover this cost. It was seconded and approved. Pastor Ryan is also concerned about the ability of shut-ins and those in nursing homes to stay connected. Reviving the newsletter and card showers are ways to help with that. Pastor Ryan requested to rescind previous dates given for his vacation to be used later. He would like to have a Sunday off after the congregation has come back together for a few weeks. Pastor Ryan brought it to our attention that Brethren Woods is hurting financially. They have lost several fundraising opportunities due to social distancing. It was decided that our first Sunday offering for May will go to Brethren Woods. Pastor Ryan will let members know during his announcements before the sermons. After speaking with Ann Simmons, Pastor Ryan reported that Ann has requested that the Sheldon Simmons Memorial fund be used to install a chair lift on the back stairs leading from the basement to the first floor. The Facilities Team will check on the feasibility and cost of the chair lift. The designated gift policy in the Polity will also have to be considered. There is a possibility of getting a grant from the Denomination for improvements to church facilities. Zack will take this request to the Facilities Team. Joe will check with Brad Eckard to see if he would be interested in doing the newsletter. It was also suggested that the weekly e-mail put out by Pastor Ryan be mailed to shut-ins. There are about 15 members in need of a mailed newsletter. This newsletter could also be mailed out monthly to keep costs down.
Old Business: It was decided to keep the online giving platform, however, our free trial is up. A motion was made and seconded to continue the online giving platform subscription at a cost of $14.95 a month. The motion was approved.
After discussion, a motion was made to continue to keep the church closed indefinitely until the Leadership Team deems it advisable to re-open based on the Governor’s guidelines. The motion was seconded and approved.
New Business: None
The meeting was adjourned at 8:29 p.m.
Darlene LaPrade – Church Clerk