REPORT OF THE 91st ANNUAL MEETING

February 14, 2010

 

Following a delicious soup luncheon, our 91^st annual meeting was opened at 11:35 am by Moderator Bill Parmenter and a prayer led by Rev. Michael Caldwell.  There were 19 people in attendance.

 

The first item of business was to elect the slate of officers recommended by our nominating committee.  Prior to the vote, there were items to be discussed and approved.  The first was to fill the one opening that had been left on the Board of Trustees, so upon recommendations from the nominating committee it was voted to elect Judith Barton as a Trustee for 3 years.  This vote followed a motion by Kathy Smith and a second by Janice Thompson.  Secondly, it was noted by Janice Thompson that Polly Stryker had asked to be removed from the flower committee and Janice informed us that Meg Burmeister had agreed to fill that position.  The open position for an Assistant Treasurer remains unfilled at this time.

 

Election of a Nominating Committee

 

Following a motion by Sue Parmenter and a second by Kathy Smith, it was voted to elect Nancy Frost to the Nominating Committee for the coming year.  Upon a motion by Claire Porter and a second by Kathy smith, it was voted to elect Meg Burmeister, and upon a motion by Sarah Polli and a second by Janice Thompson, it was voted to elect Kathy Smith to both be on the nominating committee for 2010.

 

Election of the Slate of Officers

 

Once the Nominating Committee was elected, Janet Olsen made the motion, with a second from Judy Ales, to accept the Slate of Officers as presented.  The ensuing vote to accept was unanimous.

 

Review of the Various Reports of the Boards and Committees:

 

Report of the 90^th Annual Meeting – Sarah Polli was commended on her continued indepth presentation with the Report of the Church Clerk and the meeting minutes from the previous year.

 

Pastor’s Report

 

Rev. Michael Caldwell expressed his appreciation for our generosity in contributing to the discretionary fund with a special thank you to Nancy Frost in helping him ascertain where the greatest needs are within our community.  He advised us that he receives many requests for assistance from those who are struggling financially.  At the point, Kathy Smith asked if he could estimate a percentage of those requests that are actually met.  Rev. Michael responded that he feels that about 75% of the requests are met, although perhaps not to the full extent that the recipient had hoped, but he is pleased that the congregation continues to make use of the discretionary envelopes placed in the pews.

 

 

Christian Ed Report

 

Although Sonya Sweet was unable to attend the annual meeting, our appreciation and thanks were extended to her for her dedication to our Sunday School as well as the summer Vacation Bible School which takes places at the Topsham Presbyterian Church.  In Sonya’s absence, Janet Olsen maintained that the biggest obstacle to the continuation of the Vacation Bible School is in enlisting teachers and the fact that so many helpers are required.  Rev. Michael stated that perhaps he and our seminarian, Brenda Egbert, could help in that regard.  Judy Ales mentioned that we could possibly enlist extra help through our church newsletter.  Beth Kendall added that she was amazed at the turn-out for Vacation Bible School and that certainly is a credit to the organizers.  Another uncertainty for next summer is that currently the Topsham Church is in a period of transition since their minister retired in December, 2009 and they are currently enlisting lay preachers to fill the pulpit.  Holding this in our vestry is not a viable solution as we rent space to the Sugar Maple Preschool.  Therefore, holding a Vacation Bible School is not totally assured for the coming year

 

Report of the Board of Deacons

 

Chairperson Janet Olsen explained that the board has worked diligently to do ecumenical services and they are currently working on a welcome packet for new people to our community, listing valuable information, including church related information to new residents.  The extensive list of duties and accomplishments outlined in the Deacon’s report is impressive and a testament to their hard work and perseverance which is gratefully appreciated by all our members.

 

Transitions

 

This is a new addition to our annual report and was received very favorably by everyone in attendance.  Kathy Smith brought everyone’s attention to it and thought it was a welcome addition.  This report is submitted by our administrator, Hal Drury, and lists baptisms, marriages, births, deaths, new members and individuals who have moved from our area.

 

Report of the Board of Trustees

 

Kathy Smith, as chairperson, made specific mention of recent accomplishments such as repairing the steeple lights and electrical components and supplying a new storm window covering for the stained glass window that graces the front of our church.  Bill Parmenter also mentioned that the kitchen plumbing is “behaving” this year, as opposed to past years when we had to deal with frozen pipes.  A complete and detailed list of the Trustees’ accomplishments is found in this year’s report.  Additionally, Kathy announced that after a survey and research into rental amounts in our area, it was decided to reduce Sugar Maple Preschool’s rent from $1,000 per month to $900 per month.  The Board values these tenants and wanted to support the preschool while simultaneously helping the church to remain financially viable and it was felt that the new rental amount was fair and equitable.  Kathy also mentioned that with the 4^th of July being one of our biggest fund raisers, we need to reach out and find a broader base for helpers in meeting the workload that is required to put on an event of this magnitude.  For too long, the labor intensive nature of this undertaking has been carried on by too few and we need to enlist more helpers.  It was mentioned that perhaps we could also enlist more help from our youth.  Sarah Polli asked if there were any contingency plans to address the fact that our heating system is really in desperate need of replacement.  Currently there is no plan in place other than a “fingers crossed” approach, and it was mentioned that possibly there are grants available that could be sought to assist with this problem that we know is looming and will be needing attention.

 

Report of the Youth Group

 

Nancy Frost was unable to be present for the meeting, but our appreciation to her for leading the group was expressed.  In her report can be found the many projects the youth undertook throughout the year.  Most recent of these projects was the very successful bottle drive that was organized to help with the Haiti Relief effort.  It should be noted that the Sunday School was also active in this project as well.

 

Investment Committee Report

 

Claire Porter stated that our investments have improved over the past year, but are still down some from previous years.  She noted that the rental income from the Sugar Maple Preschool had made a huge difference in our finances and we have not had to make withdrawals from our investment portfolio.

 

Mission Interpretation Committee

 

Rev. Michael reported that this committee, which consists of Mary Brockardt, Hal Drury and Lois Sherwood, continues to meet regularly at the Grafton County Nursing Home where Mary is a resident.  He is pleased that a small church of this size gives so generously and as evidenced in our financial report, support for missions totaled $10,485.78.  Even more impressive is that this figure does not include donations made by our Women’s Fellowship or monies from the Discretionary Fund.

 

Report of the Music Committee

 

Sue Parmenter explained that the most basic need and wish of the Music Committee is for “more choir members”.  She is also grateful when others join during special seasons of the church and mentioned that Shari Tkac and Lora Neilsen are planning on singing with them during the Easter season.

 

Report of the Women’s Fellowship

 

Claire Porter stated that even though there has been a lack of specific leadership this past year, the Women’s Fellowship continues to function admirably, presenting many worthwhile programs that are even sometimes held in the evening and are occasionally open to the public.  She commented that they have been trying to establish a theme for each year and last year’s theme was entitled, “Aging with Grace, Dignity and Humor”.  Sue Parmenter is currently working on a new theme for this coming year and Sue also mentioned the recent “Visit with Valentines” that took place last week.  She re-iterated that this group meets the third Thursday of every month from September through May and would always welcome new participants. 

 

Comfort Circle Report

 

In Judy Drury’s absence, Sue Parmenter delivered Judy’s message that what the Comfort Circle Shawl Ministry needs at this point is “more knitters” and a “cheerleader”.  By “cheerleader”, Judy is indicating that she needs someone to spread the word and make people aware that these shawls are available to ladies who are in crisis and dealing with difficult times in their lives.   It was impressive to hear that in total, over 160 shawls have been distributed to those in need of comfort and support.  In her report, Judy estimates that approximately 11 shawls were given out this past year, but there has been some confusion about recording these gifts as the sign-out sheet tends to move about the back of the church and is often temporarily lost in that space.

 

Report of the Church Historian

 

This is a report submitted by Judy Drury, who was unable to be present for the annual meeting.  However, everyone expressed a deep gratitude to her for all her research and efforts in documenting the church’s history.  Particular mention was made of her work in researching the history of the church windows last year, which Rev. Michael incorporated into our weekly services, often inviting descendants of those individuals whose names are honored on our stained glass windows, to be present at the service when their ancestor’s window was featured.

 

Report of the Food Shelf

 

Barbara Clark reported that many families have been benefiting from our own food pantry and she considers it a large part of our mission and outreach to the community.  Rev. Michael stated that he has even seen people that he doesn’t know, stop by and leave off food items, and has noticed some families, having used the food shelf service in the past, contributing back to the inventory.  Beth Kendall reminded us not to forget pets as well.  Although we have occasionally stocked the shelves with pet food, Barbara Clark informed us that the Stonecliff Clinic offers a “pet” food shelf for owners who are struggling financially.

 

Approval of Above Reports

 

Following a motion by Kathy Smith and a second by Sue Parmenter, the above reports were unanimously approved.

 

Treasurer’s Report (traditionally approved separately from other reports)

 

In Judy Drury’s absence, Claire Porter provided input regarding this report and it was noted that Judy does an exemplary job of preparing the financials in great detail.   Claire explained that actual pledges were down, but the amount of giving seemed to remain the same.  She did encourage people to pledge as it does make the trustees’ job of preparing the budget much easier and she added that if you are unable to meet the pledge, you are certainly not responsible for the balance.  Pledging primarily aids as a tool in compiling the annual budget.  However, there was an understanding the some prefer not to pledge, but continue to give what they can.  Rev. Michael thanked the trustees for putting together the budget and expressed his desire to increase the line item for Our Church’s Wider Mission “Basic” Support.  He felt that we should gradually work to increase this percentage, perhaps by starting with a small increase of ¼% per year.  Following a motion by Janet Olsen and a second by Judy Ales, the treasurer’s report/budget was unanimously approved.

 

Pastor’s Five Year Plan

 

Rev. Michael distributed a prospective 5-yr plan and feels it is in the church’s best interest to implement a plan, even if we can attain only a portion of it – as it acts as a type of goal that we can pursue.  In this plan, some things he included were possible Lenten book discussions, pre-planning for a trip to the Holy Land that is scheduled for 2011, creative usage of the parsonage as perhaps a place to house missioners for the VT conference in the summer time, a parsonage peace garden with a fire pit for camp fires, and maybe even a deck extended from the back of the church over the river.  Even though many of these goals are long term and currently beyond our reach financially, he feels it is prudent sometimes to dream of the way things could be if we remained focused as a congregation and worked together to accomplish them.

 

Following a motion by Claire Porter and a second by Janet Olsen, it was voted to adjourn the meeting at 12:45 pm.

 

                                                                                    Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

                                                                                    Sarah Polli

                                                                                    Church Clerk