Brad Hyde gave the treasurer’s and financial secretary’s report. A motion was made by Brad Heuton to accept these reports. After a second by Luke Peterson, the motion carried. Pastor Pete will find out how we can earmark funds that we have pledged to the synod so that the money goes to LSI (Lutheran Services for Disaster in Iowa). Sherryl reported that there is $2,000 in the missionary fund. People in the congregation gave that money to missions, and it should be spent for that purpose. Bev moved to send $1,000 to send to Haiti through the ELCA. Tom Wessman seconded it. The motion carried. Sue made a motion to send $500 to Lutheran Lakeside Camp. Mark seconded it. The council approved the motion.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting were read.  Phil Roberts moved that the minutes be accepted as read, and Brad Heuton seconded it. The motion carried.

Nola reported that the nominating committee has turned in a slate of nominees to run for church leadership positions for the upcoming year. The election will be held during the annual meeting. She has a question about one of the names on the list because that person is currently starting the second year of a three year term already. She will discuss it with the nominating committee. Merle reminded council members that we still need one person to serve on the council for the two years that remain of Julie Helgeson’s term.

Pastor Petersen is planning to take Feb. 1-Feb. 14 as vacation days. He has lined up a substitute pastor to take his place (Pastor Bengston) while he is gone.

 He reminded us that Lent is coming soon. Merle announced that he had talked to Pastor Robeck this week and he is willing to be our speaker for community services during Holy Week. They include Sunday evening service, Monday’s Men’s breakfast and Tuesday’s Ladies tea.   Merle has secured housing for the Robeck’s  at Countryside  Living for four nights. Edith Erickson said that they can also eat there, too, so the church will pay for that as well. Tom Aronson was appointed by Merle to head the men’s breakfast on Monday morning. An article will need to be put in the Gazette as well as on bulletin inserts to let people know of these plans.

Pastor Petersen will be doing the rest of the Lenten services. Nola will send a letter to the people of St. John’s inviting them to Lenten Services at our church.

Council meetings during lent will be held on Mondays.     Bev McGriff made a motion that council meeting be scheduled for Feb 15 and March15^th to avoid Lenten services. Phil Roberts seconded the motion. It carried.

The Life committee has been working on lectors, greeters, etc for the next few months. The returned time and talent sheets will be used to continue this work.

Dave Aronson has been Sunday school superintendent for many years. He recently was hospitalized and underwent quadruple by-pass surgery.  Bev McGriff asked if we needed someone to collect the money for Sunday school in Dave’s absence. Sam Aronson has been doing it, but he teaches Sunday school also. Bev will see if he is comfortable continuing to do both jobs or needs some help.

The Operations committee reported that two saddlebags have not been returned to church yet. The leaders of those bags are going to get them returned as soon as possible.  A list has been compiled from the time and talent sheets that have been returned. This will assist those who need help making the church run well.   

According to the property committee, heating bills and some furnace repairs that were made this past month will put a dent in our general fund. The council discussed the appreciation they felt that some people in the congregation have contributed their time, equipment and diesel fuel to help remove snow around the church this winter. Some members felt that we should offer to reimburse members for the cost of diesel fuel used when removing snow here at church. It was brought up that many people volunteer time, money and equipment for other projects as well. The council decided that those who are providing this service could be told that the church is willing to pay the cost of the diesel fuel they use. Then they can decide if they would like to receive payment for those costs or not. Tom W. will mention it to those who have been removing snow. One of the stoves in the kitchen does not work and needs to be replaced. Merle recommended that we let Lorraine and Kenny Swenson and Don and Marge Johnson pick out a new one. Brad Hyde says that we have equipment rental money to pay for it. Tom Aronson made a motion to that effect and it was seconded by Mark Herrig. The motion carried. It was also decided that a black mat would be purchased and placed inside the back door to give people a place to wipe their feet when they come in that door. Merle reported that the new tables and chairs in the fellowship hall are a “big hit” with people in the congregation. After some discussion, Tom Wessman made a motion to buy eight more tables and 64 more chairs. The motion was seconded by Luke Peterson. It carried. It was decided that members of the congregation who would like some of the old tables and chairs can make a donation to the church as payment for them.

Merle read a letter from Julie Helgeson tendering her resignation from the council. She expressed thanks to everyone and said that she has really enjoyed getting to know people that she didn’t know before. Her plans are to move from the area soon.

We are still struggling to find an organist who can/will play for Sunday services and special services. Pastor reports that an organist traveling any distance usually is paid $60 plus mileage. Sonia Brown has played the organ a few times lately, but also plays at Newell and hasn’t really made a commitment to playing here. Pastor will be talking to Sonia to ask her what it would take to get her to commit to playing some Sundays each month. Trish Moe said that we could possibly have Sonia or someone else record songs to be used in the service. Phil suggested that we find out if the hymnals are available in DVD format so that they could be played through our sound system.

The council discussed a disbursement of money that has come to the church from the Ottoman estate. Bev McGriff moved to take $20,000 and put it in the Endowment Fund. The motion was seconded by Sue Gnewuch. The motion carried.

President Merle told the council that Pastor Petersen’s health insurance is going to go up about $65 a month. We are contractually bound to pay for this increase. It amounts to about $750/yr.     Bev McGriff made the motion to recommend to the congregation that we pay this medical increase and add an additional $1,000 to pastor’s base pay for the dedication and hard work that Pastor Petersen has exhibited since coming to Our Saviors. Tom Aronson seconded the motion. The vote carried unanimously. Tom Aronson made a motion that the council recommend that the other church full time employees receive a 5% across the board increase. There was no second. Luke Peterson moved to recommend that the secretary, financial secretary, treasurer, and janitor receive a salary increase of $200/yr. Bev McGriff seconded the motion. It carried.

After some discussion, budget line items Lutheran Lakeside Camp ($1,000), Lutheran Social Services ($1,000) and Global Health ($500) recommendations were kept the same. Synod benevolence has not been met for this year. We have just sent the synod $1750 of the $3000 that we pledged. The rest will be sent when we have the funds “earmarked” to go to LSI (Lutheran Services in Iowa).

The next regular council meeting will be held on Monday Feb. 15^th at 7:00 p.m.

A motion to adjourn was made by Phil Roberts. Tom Aronson seconded the motion. It was approved by the council.

Sue Gnewuch

Church Council Secretary

Brad Hyde gave the treasurer’s and financial secretary’s report.  A motion was made by Phil Roberts to accept these reports.  After a second by Mark Herrig, the motion carried.

The council agreed to pay the bill that was submitted by R & D for repair to our sound system, and after some discussion, it was decided that the brochures that were printed for the endowment fund be paid from the general fund.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting were read.  Phil Roberts moved that the minutes be accepted as read, and Brad Heuton seconded it.  The motion carried.

Nola has been approached by a person who needs to do 100 hours of community service – This person would like to do the hours here at church. The council decided that we don’t really have any jobs that would be suitable for someone unfamiliar with our church and the way it works.

Nola gave Pastor Petersen’s report in his absence. Members are complaining to Pastor that the sanctuary is too cold. Some of the council members will try to turn up the thermostats.  Pastor wonders if the doors in the back of the church should be closed during the service.  Does that send the wrong message?  After discussion, Tom Aronson made a motion to keep the center aisle doors closed during the service until we take the offering.  Then leave them open until the end of the service.  Phil seconded the motion and it carried.

 Pastor reminded us that plans need to be underway for Lenten services.  Our church is in charge of community services during Holy Week.  We usually have a guest speaker.  Nola said someone suggested asking Pastor Robeck back for Sunday night (Palm Sunday night), Monday men’s breakfast and Monday afternoon ladies tea (community services).    Phil made a motion to call him to ask him to do this. Tom Wessman seconded the motion.  The motion carried.  Merle will call Pastor Robeck and ask him to be our Holy Week speaker.

A comment was made from a member in the congregation that they can’t hear the clavinova.  Mavis Foster played one hand and Flor played the other hand the last time it was used, and it was somewhat louder.  Sonia Brown may be able to play more for services in January.  Pastor believes that we should pay mileage for organists.  Nola will check with Sonia. Everyone on the council is very appreciative of the efforts of those who have been playing for us.

The Christmas offering will again be given to Pastor after it is recorded by Sherryl.  That is our tradition.  We have given chamber bucks as Christmas gifts to four employees of the church (financial sec., treas, sec, janitor).  Bev made the motion to give Christmas bonuses in the form of chamber bucks to the same positions and amounts as last year.  Tom Aronson seconded the motion, and it carried.

Tom Aronson will take mittens/ hats from the mitten/hat tree to upper Des Moines before Christmas.

The Operations committee will meet on Tuesday, December 22 at 7:00 p.m. to prepare a budget for the upcoming year.   

The Property committee reported that after an Insurance Guide One review, we are entitled to a 10% discount because we haven’t had many claims. The door to the bathroom is fixed.  The air compressor on the furnace is running continuously.  Repair people have been called.  Keith Moe, Dick Aronson and Dave Aronson are going to donate the labor on the work in the restrooms to make them more accessible to handicapped people.  Gary and Dave Balder and Glen Swenson were” snow angels” for the church and cleaned out the parking the last time it snowed.  Thanks!   Any time people in the congregation can do this it saves us lots of money.  There are some items in the church the property committee still needs to check on.  They will make sure the fuel barrel works in case we need it.  The double door in front of the church and the one by Nola’s office let lots of cold air and snow in.  The property committee will look into this as well.

Some discussion was held about where is Our Savior’s is headed.  Our membership is getting older and young people are not coming back.  Some think we will need to work toward joining together with another congregation in the future. 

The annual meeting will be held after church on Feb. 7th.   The new council will then decide on officers, committees, etc.   Co-chairpersons for the nominating committee will be Cindy Herrig and Gary Balder.  They will meet with Pastor.  If you have a good candidate, give them a call.  Think about attendance, attitude, etc.  We will need five new members because we will replace Brian Kinkade as well as welcome four new members to replace those going off the board.

Merle Hogrefe has been checking into the possibility of having a Polka music service in our church.  Groups such as Cliff Ripke’s band have been performing in many area churches.   Reviews from those who have attended have been very good.  Merle will continue to research this worship option.

Merle also shared that Bethany Lutheran in Spencer has a Pastor advisor on church affairs and the new Lutheran church on the west side of town also has an advisor that is receptive to helping other churches like ours.  When we choose a pastor, we might want to visit with them. 

The church has received some money given by different memorials. Sue Gnewuch made a motion to put money the church has received from the Viola Grosch and Meda Otteman estate into the endowment fund. Tom Wessman seconded the motion.  It was passed by the council.

Tom Aronson made a motion to adjourn.  Bev McGriff seconded the motion and it carried.

The next regular council meeting will be held on Jan 20th at 7:00 p.m.

Sue Gnewuch

Church Council Secretary

Brad Hyde presented the treasurer’s and financial secretary’s report.  The motion was made by Mark Herrig to accept the financial reports as read. Tom Aronson seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved by the council.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read.  After a motion made by Mark Herrig and seconded by Tom Aronson, the minutes were approved as written

Nola Josephson reported that she has gotten some advice on installing Print Shop on the church office computer and will attempt to do that soon. 

Pastor Pedersen reported 92 Pastoral acts for the time period of October 22 through November 16^th.  Those acts include hospital visits/calls, nursing home visits/calls, meetings, and office visits/calls. 

Pastor noted that the offering we’ve been taking for World Hunger the first Sunday each month has made a huge difference in the amount of giving to this cause.  Brad Hyde noted that he plans to send our donations in more often. In the past, the amount collected has been small enough that it was only sent once per year.

Lutheran Mutual has asked the congregations to take it upon themselves to develop emergency plans in case an emergency arises.  The synod office has a flip chart with steps to take in case we are ever faced with an emergency situation. In the near future, Pastor will have a temple talk in which he will address this and ask for volunteers to be on a committee to set up the plan. Nola will put a note in the bulletin about it as well.

Sam Aronson is working to get Thrivent food baskets for those members in the congregation or community who are shut-ins or in need of help.  If you think of anybody who would be in need, talk to Pastor.

The time of the Sunday school Christmas program was discussed.   We will check with Bev and Deanna and make sure that the correct time is reported in the messenger and in the Sunday bulletin.

Discussion about benevolence for the synod was discussed.  Our 2009 commitment was $3000 ($250 per month).  Pastor’s personal thought was that this commitment was made and should be carried out.  We could earmark money to honor our pledge.  The Lutheran Disaster for Iowa would be a great mission to get involved in. Tom Aronson made a motion to honor pledges to the ELCA by earmarking it for Lutheran Disaster in Iowa.  Twelve hundred fifty dollars will be sent to the synod for this purpose. Brad Heuton seconded the motion. The motion carried.

The life committee reported that the profit from the Harvest Dinner was $1148.99  after expenses.  Thrivent will contribute to this amount.  There were 144 served plus 10 carry outs. 

Council people who have not picked up their stewardship packets containing pledge cards as well as time and talent sheets were asked to get them from the table outside Nola’s office.  The life committee asks that we try to have them all back by Dec. 6^th.  Leaders of each packet are asked to check the circulation of the bag by contacting members on their list to keep it moving and make the December 6^th deadline.

Tom Wessman reported from the property committee that the thermostat in the  lounge has been fixed. The door hinge in the men’s bathroom isn’t fixed yet.  Brad Heuton will check prices in Menards.  One stove in the kitchen wouldn’t work during the chili oyster supper, but Tom W. checked it out and was able to get it working.

Dick Aronson, Dave Aronson and Keith Moe have expressed a willingness to contribute their labor to make the men’s restroom more handicap accessible. The council discussed the fact that this will bring the cost of this project down considerably if we just have the plumbing cost.  Mark Herrig made a motion that Merle should ask them to do this project.  Tom Wessman seconded the motion.  The motion carried. 

Brian Kinkade has verbally resigned from the council.  His children go to school in Pocahontas and all their friends are there, so he and Kari have decided to attend the Lutheran church in Pocahontas.  The council discussed whether we should replace Brian on the council now, or get five to run when we elect council members at the annual meeting.  The feeling was that we should get five to run when we elect new council members.  There was also some discussion about whether we should consider running the church with fewer council members and more people from the congregation on the committees to work with the council. No decision was reached.

Merle reported that the city has had some problems with mischievous kids.  They recently lit a fire in city hall.  City hall is now locked.  This might be something we should consider at our church.  He asked council members to think about this.

 Wayne Ripke’s Concertina Band plays hymns polka style. They perform at churches in the area.   Merle will ask Wayne Ripke what the cost for this would be and report it at our next meeting.

A motion for adjournment was made by Tom Aronson.   Mark Herrig seconded the motion.  It carried.

Sue Gnewuch

Church Council Secretary                                                                                                  

Pastor Petersen opened the meeting with devotions from Hebrews, chapter 10.  He then offered a prayer.  Pastor Pete asked council members to tell him why they thought he was at Our Savior’s.  Some things mentioned were:

·         to help us heal

·         as a bridge or transition person

·         to lead the council

·         as a spokesman for the Lord

·         as a teacher

·         to teach us to agree to disagree in a loving manner

Keith Moe brought a quote for making the restrooms in our church more handicapped accessible. Clausen’s Hardware Store estimates that it would cost about $3,950 to remove one stall from each bathroom, put in new lavatories, etc.  The council then discussed the men’s lavatory door.  It is very difficult to open.  Tom Aronson made a motion to purchase a new door closure for the men’s restroom.  Mark Herrig seconded the motion, and the council approved it.  Mark Herrig made a motion to table the rest of the restroom project until a later date (for financial reasons) and Brad Heuton seconded it.  The motion carried.  Keith also mentioned that the instrumentalists in the church have ordered some new modern music including some jazz and blues.  They plan to share their talents with us in future church services.

Brad Hyde presented the treasurer’s and financial secretary’s report.  The motion was made by Tom Aronson to accept the financial reports as read.  Tom Wessman seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved by the council.  The bill for the new tables and chairs for the fellowship hall is here.  Tom Aronson made the motion to pay this bill from the equipment rental fund.  Bev McGriff seconded this motion and it carried by unanimous vote.  A charitable contribution from the Ed & Agnes Sundholm Foundation was received and placed in the major repair fund.  The bean check for $6,659.77 was deposited in the major repair fund also.

The minutes of the last meeting were read.  Brad Heuton was present at the last meeting and this was not reflected in the minutes.  Also, Bev McGriff moved to adjourn the September meeting, and Sue Gnewuch seconded it.  Tom Wessman moved to approve the minutes as corrected.  Mark Herrrig seconded it, and the motion carried.

Pastor reported 186 pastoral visits for the past month.  They included 53 hospital visits/calls and 48 home visits/calls. Pastor Petersen requested that he be allowed to roll over any unused vacation days into next year.  Tom Wessman made a motion that Pastor be allowed to do this next year, but specified that Pastor would need council approval each year that he wants to do this.  Mark Herrig seconded the motion, and it was passed by the council. 

Nola will have the ballots ready for the vote on the endowment fund on Nov. 8^th so we can vote before the Harvest Dinner.

Pastor Petersen pointed out that we need to think seriously about the future of Our Savior’s. That is the next step for us to take.   We need to look at two things:

1. The direction of the church
2. Partnerships

Council Committee Reports:

Life:  Plans are under way for the Harvest Dinner.  Thrivent will contribute to this event.  All council members need to bring a pan of bars.  A sign-up sheet for contributions of rye bread or help on Sat. or Sun. (Nov. 7^th-8^th) is on the bulletin board at the back of the church. Please sign up if you can.   Terry Herrig has agreed to chair this dinner.  Thank you, Terry! 

Education:  The Sunday School Christmas Program was discussed.  It was MS’d that we have the program on Dec. 20^th at 10:15.  A last practice will be held during the Sunday school hour, and the performance will be during the worship service hour.

Operations:  We will be having the “pass the buck” stewardship drive during the month of November.  We will ask members to contribute both their money and their time in support of the church.  Time and talent sheets will be included with the pledge cards for each confirmed member living at home.  Some will also be sent via newsletter to those that live away from home.

Property:  Erickson’s will continue to do church snow removal on a demand basis.  Volunteers are welcome to help out whenever they can.

In old business:

1. Sherryl have been working hard and has church records up to date.  Nola will take over from here.

New Business:

1. Transporting seniors to church.  With winter approaching, some senior citizens may need transportation to get to church on Sunday.  It was decided that we will have Nola call those who said they would be willing to do this on their time and talent sheet.   We will also ask her to ask for volunteers in the bulletin or newsletter.

1. The LYO has requested that they be allowed to change some Sunday school rooms around upstairs and decorate them.  They would like to change the nursery and the storage room around and to move the LYO room to the 5^th and 6^th grade classrooms.  They need someone to be there on Wednesday and Saturday to help decide what needs to be kept, thrown out, etc.  Tom Aronson said that he and Joni will donate paint to this project.  After a motion by Brad Heuton and a second by Tom Wessman, the council approved this project.

There was a motion made by Mark Herrig to adjourn.  It was seconded by Bev McGriff.  The motion carried.

Sue Gnewuch

Church Council Secretary                                                                       

      An informal special meeting of the council was held on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.  Those present were Merle Hogrefe, Brad Heuton, Scott Johnson, Luke Peterson, Tom Wessman, Tom Aronson, Sue Gnewuch, Brad Hyde, Sherryl Madson, and Pastor Pedersen.  Pastor called the meeting to share and discuss some recent thoughts sent to Pastors from Bishop Hanson.  After some devotions and prayer, he reminded the board that the ELCA is involved in doing many good things throughout the world.  Their current goal is to work together with others to stamp out malaria world-wide.  They lead churches in missions of all kinds including disaster relief. 

After much discussion concerning the recent ELCA vote in Minneapolis, the board made a decision not to encourage the congregation to leave the ELCA at the present time.  Instead the board will encourage the congregation to be patient, open and loving.  Any actions taken, including the withholding of funds from the ELCA, needs to be congregation-wide.  Pastor recommends that board members, as well as all lay leaders of the church, attend one of the fall Bishop’s Conference Gatherings being held this fall.  Pastor feels that it is time to quit the anger and move on to do the good things and feel the joy.

The meeting was adjourned.

Sue Gnewuch

OSLC Board Secretary

The council read the treasurer’s and financial secretary’s report.  On a motion by Brian Kinkade and a second by Phil Roberts, the council voted to accept the reports as read.  The minutes of the previous meeting were read.  A couple corrections were made, and the motion was made by Tom Aronson to approve the minutes as corrected.  Brad Heuton seconded the motion, and the motion carried. 

  Paul Henry was present to report that he was finished with work on the bell tower and replacement of some tiles on the roof.  After his presentation, Tom Aronson moved that we pay his three bills (bell tower, roof, rental of equipment) for a total of $10,816.  Phil Roberts seconded the motion and the motion carried. 

Pastor reported 95 pastoral acts from August 20^th -September 16^th.  Besides home, nursing home, shut-ins, and hospital visits/calls, he served 10 members and 10 non-members holy communion this month.  He attended 13 meetings and had one funeral.  Lorraine Schramm made a request that her membership be changed from associate member to full membership.  Pastor Petersen and president of the board sent the request and it was completed on September 13^th.   A motion to retroactively accept Lorraine’s transfer for full membership from United Methodist Church in Storm Lake to Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Albert City was made by Bev McGriff and seconded by Mark Herrig.  It was unanimously approved by the council. 

Pastor Pete reminded the council that he will be attending fall convocation in Des Moines on September 27, 28, and 29^th.

Council Committee Reports:

1. Life:  After some discussion, it was MS’d to have a congregational vote on the church endowment fund the same day as the Harvest Dinner, November 8^th.  Council members need to be available to help with the meal on September 27^th when Dan Bacon will be here to speak to the congregation about the endowment fund.  We hope to also have a brochure about the endowment fund available by the 27^th.   We will be doing our annual time & talent and yearly pledge solicitations in November.  Sam needs some help selecting music for worship services.   Trish Moe reports that more choir members are needed.
2. Education:  Forty-four people ( 18 kids) attended Sunday School on Rally Sunday.  Five were new students who hadn’t attended in the past.  Pastor Petersen commented that although the Rally Sunday was a great event, it would have been nice to have more of the church leadership present.  We need someone who would be willing to work on the Christmas Program this year.  Council members were asked to think about who would be good to do that.
3. Operations: Business cards are here.  Mark Herrig has placed some near the entrances to the church and they will be included in the messenger so that they can be distributed by our members. 
4. Property:  We have experienced some sound system problems lately, and Mark Herrig reported that it appears that the large speaker in the front of the church may need to be replaced.  We may also need a new transistor for Pastor’s microphone.  A representative from the company that audits our heating system recommends that we do two things to cut heating costs: replace the pneumatics and install ceiling fans in the church. 

In old business:

1. Organist/pianist for fall.  Flor Johnson is willing to play organ/piano some Sundays for us.  She says that her skill is not up to that of her children, but she is willing to assist us with this need. 
2. The Endowment Fund document is finished, and the dinner scheduled for September 27^th is planned.  Dan Bacon will be here to answer questions people may have.
3. Church records.  Sherryl continues to work on updating our records.  A very interesting scrapbook made by Adelean Youngberg was recently made available for members of the church to see.
4. The recent ELCA vote has been a topic among all conferences in the synod.  We will be gathering information about the Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform) meeting that is scheduled for Indianapolis at the end of September.  We intended to send some representatives from the congregation but because of conflicts in scheduling, were not able to do that.  Bishop Last says that a document will be made available to congregations to be incorporated into their constitutions (if they so choose) and also to pastors that say we are a congregation that does not call pastors committed in same sex relationships or a pastor who will perform same sex blessings/marriages.  Pastor reports there are lots of conversations going on about this subject, and he encourages us to be patient and educate ourselves on this subject.  “It doesn’t change our faith.  It doesn’t change what we believe.”
5. Dirt is needed around the foundation of the church.
6. The eight tables and 80 chairs for the fellowship hall have been ordered.  The women’s group has ordered tablecloths for the tables.

New Business:

1. We need to discuss the future direction of our church in upcoming meetings.
2. After some discussion about the back pews being roped off for the purpose of close fellowship, it was discovered that some members of the congregation felt strongly that they should be able to sit wherever they choose. Mark Herrig moved to take the ropes down.  The motion was seconded by Sue Gnewuch.  The council approved the motion.

A motion to adjourn was made by Bev McGriff and seconded by Bev McGriff.  The motion carried.

Sue Gnewuch

Church Council Secretary                                                                           

1.                  The bell tower repair.  Mr. Paul Henry came to the meeting to talk to the council because the cost will be more than the amount estimated.  It is in worse shape than expected (approximately $8,700 instead of just over $5,000).  After much discussion, Mark Herrig made a motion to finish the big bell tower, but wait to do the repair on the small tower. Tom Wessman seconded the motion.  The council gave unanimous approval.   Mr. Henry advised us to check the condition of the towers every year.

2.                  Organist/piano player.  Judy Clausen has resigned from all positions in the church because of the recent ELCA decision.  We have had some interest in this position from Sonja Brown of Newell and Laurie Aronson of Albert City.  It was moved by Tom Aronson and seconded by Phil Roberts to hire them (if possible) to share organ/piano responsibilities for our church. 

3.                  Otteman estate.  Brad Hyde read a letter from Citizen’s Bank explaining that the land included in the Otteman estate will be sold at public auction sometime prior to December 1.  They wish to hire Butch Sadusky’s real estate agency to be in charge of the auction, and are asking all heirs to approve of this action.  Butch is a bank employee, but they don’t see that as any problem in this sale.  The council voted to approve their choice.

4.               Tables and chairs for the fellowship hall.  Diann Peterson and Carole Peterson have gathered samples and prices of available tables and chairs that could be purchased for the fellowship hall. After a motion by Bev McGriff and a second by Sue Gnewuch, the council voted to purchase 8 oak tables and 80 tan chairs. 

5.               ELCA vote.  Pastor led the council discussion by saying that the most important thing for us to do is to turn to scripture whenever conflict or controversy arises.  We need to take time for devotions and prayer.  Ask ourselves, “What is God’s will?”  He shared devotions from Psalm 15.  We must use the scriptures to bring us to God’s truth and will.  We should listen and agree to disagree.  God has given us a set of boundaries to live by that will never be outdated.  A motion was made by Tom Aronson and seconded by Phil Roberts that the council recommend to the congregation that Pastor only perform heterosexual marriages/blessings. The roll call vote passed unanimously.  Sherryl Madson shared a brochure from Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Reform) inviting Lutherans to join pastors and lay people in Indianapolis on September 25 & 26 to discuss the ELCA’s recent vote and what it means to the future for those in the ELCA who uphold the authority of scripture.  Bev made a motion that the congregation pay all expenses for Pastor, a council member and a member of the congregation to attend this meeting in Indianapolis.  Luke seconded the motion and it was passed by the council.  A motion was also made by Luke and seconded by Phil to withhold money that is usually sent to the synod and put it in escrow or a money market account (as recommended by the Lutheran CORE group) until we decide whether we want to continue to support the synod financially.  Nola and Julie expressed that the congregation and the synod need to be notified that we intend to do this.  The motion carried.

It was MS’d to adjourn. 

Sue Gnewuch

Church Council Secretary

Brad Hyde presented the treasurer’s and financial secretary’s report.  The motion was made by Sue Gnewuch to accept the financial reports as read. Bev McGriff seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved by the council.

Nola reported that Lori Aronson has applied for the job of pianist/organist two Sundays each month.  She and Judy Clausen will set up a schedule that works for them.  We continue to seek another person who might be able to switch off with Judy and Lori to lighten the burden for them.  Print Shop was purchased so that Nola could use the calendar part for the Newsletter, but she is having trouble getting the software downloaded. Rebnords or Hyde Computer Company will be called to see if we can get this technological issue solved.         

Pastor had a total of 171 pastoral acts during the July 16 -August 19 time period.  Kirsten Erickson (seventh grade) will be joining the eighth graders each week for confirmation this year.  Pastor Petersen reported that he has been told by youth leaders that the LYO trip was a great experience for those involved.  He also expressed that he was impressed with the number of youth who took part in this experience.  The council discussed the education of our youth and the importance of keeping them involved in the church as they grow up.  Pastor noted what a great job our youth leaders have done.  He also pointed out that some churches have a salaried employee that is hired just to work on youth ministry.  We need to think about where we are in terms of educating youth.  How important is this to us as a congregation?  Can we do more to develop a youth ministry?  Bev McGriff passed out a list of possible Sunday school participants.   

Discussion was held about having a special collection for world hunger in addition to our regular offering.  Tom Aronson made a motion that we have this collection once each month.  Bev McGriff seconded the motion, and the motion carried.  Two halves of a globe will be used as collection plates for this offering.

Pastor said that some members have been inadvertently dropped from the church rolls without notification.  We will put an article in the newsletter asking anyone in this situation to let us know so that we can rectify our records.

The council reviewed the Christmas Eve service vote that was taken during the annual meeting.  Fifty-four voted to have the service at 5:00 p.m. and 42 voted to have it at 11:00 p.m.  After some discussion it was MS’d to try having the service at 5:00 p.m. this year.

Pastor requested to be gone from August 23rd-August 29^th on personal business.  He will leave after church and return home Saturday.  A motion was made by Sue Gnewuch to accept his request.  It was seconded by Brian Kinkade, and the motion carried. 

Council Committee Reports:

Life:  No report 

Education:  An intergenerational kick-off rally Sunday will be held September 13^th at 9:00 a.m.  Bev McGriff reported that plans are still under way, but the day will include games, prizes and cookies!!  Tom Aronson made a motion to pay the Sunday school bill for the prizes for rally Sunday.  After a second by Phil Roberts, the motion carried.  The education committee is looking at Sunday school materials for this fall.  They have received postcards to be sent to new families in town who don’t have a church home and have children who might want to attend Sunday school at Our Saviors.  Bev McGriff asked about a Sunday school goal.  No one on the council was aware of any, so she will check into this further.

Operations: Colorize added a file to the church website and charged $14.63.  Bev asked if some links, Western Iowa Synod and Women’s information could be added.  Phil and Sue will check into that as well as see if we can upload files ourselves to save money.  Mark Herrig has ordered business cards for the church.

Property: Paul Henry will be here to work on the bell tower the last week of August.   Diann Peterson is in the process of getting samples of available chairs and tables for the fellowship hall.  The council has voted to purchase 8 tables and 80 chairs.  Decorating fund money can be used to pay for this.

In old business:

1. Wednesday night barbeque – Our last barbeque we served 75-80 people even though it was pouring down rain.  The consensus of the council was to do the barbeques again next year.
2. The endowment committee –In order for the by-law to be voted on by the congregation, they must be notified thirty days in advance of the congregational meeting.  The motion was made by Phil and seconded by Tom Wessman to post a copy of the endowment Fund document for 60 days.  Sixty days after the posting, the congregation can vote.  It the vote passes, the document will go to the synod for their approval.  Dan Bacon will be here to speak after the service on September 27^th.  He will explain the endowment fund to the congregation.  A motion was made by Brian Kinkade and seconded by Tom Aronson to have a dinner following this service so that people could ask any questions that they might have.  
3. Sherryl has been working on the church records.   Some of her time has been spent on funerals and marriage licenses. If anyone knows of a wedding that took place after Pastor Bernhardt left, please let her know.  Nola will be working on the picture directory in the church lounge.
4. The Thresherman service went fine.  Pastor Miller will be paid by the Ministerial Association.  Pastor and Linda stayed in Storm Lake and our church will pay for the room.

New Business:

1. Merle Hogrefe asked the council what they thought about starting a men’s group at Our Savior’s.  After some discussion, it was decided that the six people who showed an interest on the Time and Talent sheet should meet to talk about possibilities for this group.
2. Our church is in charge of Easter community services.   We need to be thinking about a speaker for Palm Sunday, etc. 
3. The fans in the narthex should be looked at by the property committee because the guards on them are not good enough to prevent an injury. 
4. The next council meeting will be on September 15, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Sue Gnewuch

Church Council Secretary                                                                                                  

Brad Hyde presented the treasurer’s and financial secretary’s report.  He reported on the expenses and income for the past month.  It was Ms’d to approve the reports. 

Nola reported that she is waiting for the altar guild to get back to her with suggestions for ways to use money received from the Irma Ritchie memorial fund.  Judy Clausen has requested that the council advertise in the paper for an organist/pianist to play for services two Sundays a month starting in the fall.  The council has asked Nola to do that.  The grand piano is out of tune.  After some discussion, Sue Gnewuch moved that we have the baby grand piano tuned in September.  The motion was seconded by Bev McGriff and approved by the council.  

Pastor had a total of 140 pastoral acts during the June 18-July 15 time period.  He reported that we will have a baptism on Saturday night (Dakota Lynn Holt – daughter of Josh and Jennifer Holt) and on Sunday morning (Ryleigh MayOlivia Heinsohn – daughter of Nick Skog and Felicia Heinsohn).  Bev McGriff will attend the Saturday night service to represent the council and present the light during the baptism.  Tom Wessman and Brian Kinkade will assist on Sunday morning.

Our Savior’s is in charge of the Thresherman’s service on August 9^th at 9:00 a.m.  Pastor Petersen will get in touch with Pastor Miller this week.  Pastor Miller has agreed to be our guest speaker, but needs to know details of the service and what our expectations of him are.  Pastor will talk with the other Pastors in town to discuss the service.  There will be a second community service at our church at 10:30 that morning for those who prefer to worship inside.

The council decided against having a send-off or sending a sack lunch with the LYO when they leave for New Orleans on July 20^th.  They have to be in Laurens by 9:30 a.m. and will be busy getting packed, etc. that morning, and they may very well want to sleep an extra few minutes rather than receive this send off. 

The sound system has been having the same component issues it had earlier this spring.  Luckily, Elliott Nielson got it to work when Aronson’s needed it for Sarah’s wedding.  Mark Herrig is looking into getting this fixed.

Council Committee Reports:

Life:  Lorraine Schramm has been very appreciative of the efforts put forth on her behalf with the benefit held on Sunday, June 28^th at our church.  The council discussed how much we have enjoyed having someone with her expertise play the organ for our church services. 

Education:  After some discussion, it was ms’d that the education committee meet on a separate day to discuss Rally Sunday and different ways we can get information about our fall Sunday School program to parents in town that have children who are not currently attending church. 

Operations: The church website is not currently up-to-date.  Phil Roberts will try to update what he can, and will send a copy of the July minutes to be added to the website by Colorize.  We will discuss the cost incurred by having them upload the file to the website at our next council meeting.

Property:  The council will meet next Monday evening to look at samples of tables and chairs from Office Elements and B.V. Stationary.  Diann Peterson has coordinated the ordering of samples, etc. so we can see what is available and at what cost.  We plan to purchase some for the fellowship hall in the near future. 

Recently we had our boiler inspected and were told that we were “on borrowed time” and it could go out at any time.  After some discussion, it was decided that the property committee should look into available options in case we suddenly need to replace the boiler.  Tom Wessman has already asked a firm from Sioux Falls to stop and give us a cost estimate when they are in the area. 

The church needs some dirt around the foundation and shrubs need to be worked on.  The Property committee will come up with a plan to get this work done and bring it to the council in August. 

The council discussed cleaning the attic, but decided that most of the articles that are there are still used from time-to-time, and it was decided to leave the attic as is.

The northwest corner of the chapel is in bad shape.  There is some mold and peeling plaster.  We have someone coming to check for leaks in the church roof, and after we determine that we have no leaks, we will need to fix the chapel.  The property committee will get estimates before the next meeting.

In old business:

1. Wednesday night barbeque – Brad Hyde reported that 76 people were served on Wednesday, July 1^st.  It was very successful; in fact they worried that they would run out of food.  Rhonda put up a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board for salads, bars and ice for the next barbeque.
2. The endowment committee needs to meet to take care of a few legal technicalities.  When they finish the document, they will present it to the council.
3. Sherryl has been working on the church records.   Some of her time has been spent on funerals and marriage licenses. If anyone knows of a wedding that took place after Pastor Bernhardt left, please let her know.

New Business:

1. Nola will make sure that Pastor Miller has a place to stay during Thresherman’s week-end. 
2. Citizen’s First National Bank is working on the Meda Otteman estate and our church will receive some money, but taxes may need to be paid on it first. The money will go to the church and the council will make a motion as to where it should go. 

Phil Roberts made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Mark Herrig seconded that motion.  The council vote was unanimous in favor of adjournment.

The next council meeting will be on August 19th at 7:00 p.m.

Sue Gnewuch

 Church Council Secretary