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FINAL Westwood Lutheran ChurchCouncil MinutesApril 24, 2012

Council members attending: Pastor Tania Haber, Tracy Wiese, Doug Waterman, BekahPadilla, Mark Kingsbury, John DeSanto, Jane Kelly, Scott Priddy, Jeff Thompson, RobStefonowizc

Council member absent: Mary Anderson

Staff member attending: Cindy Folin, Director of Administration

President Tracy Wiese called the meeting to order at 6:08 p.m. Tracy provided a meal,and Bekah led devotions.

New Council Orientation: Council welcomed new members-at-large: John DeSanto, Jane Kelley and Mark Kingsbury. Introductions were made. Pastor Tania provided anorientation tool and reviewed the responsibilities of Council members. Tracyintroduced the web-based Council Guide created by Cindy Folin. One Council membervolunteered to serve as a mentor for each new member. Doug will mentor John; Robwill mentor Mark; Tracy will mentor Jane.

Secretarys Report: In Mary Andersons absence, Tracy presented the minutes fromthe March 27, 2012 Council meeting. A motion was made and seconded to approve theminutes as presented, and the motion passed.

Finance Report: Cindy FolinCindy presented the March financial report, which is posted on the church website andbulletin board. She highlighted the Balance Sheet, reporting that the FinancialManagement Advisory Group (FMAG) had authorized $70,000 of additional principalpayment on the 2 nd mortgage during March. Another payment of $60,000 was approvedfor April. At the end of the 1st quarter, the 2 nd mortgage balance was $220,000.

A review of the General Fund showed that receipts were 3% under budget for themonth, but still remain ahead of budget by 3% year-to-date. First quarter receipts were13% higher than last year. Thrivent Choice gifts still continue to provide strong

support to Westwood.Total General Fund expenses for the month were $126,000; year-to-date expenses are$7,000 over budget and 1% above last years expenses. The General Fund balance hasdecreased $11,000 during the first three months of the year, resulting in a fund balanceof $30,000. During 2011, the fund balance was at a deficit of $14,000 after the 1stquarter.

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WECC receipts were $100,000 during March and 5% over budget, while expenses were$6,000 over budget. At the end of March, the WECC fund balance has decreased $5,000.

Capital Appeal receipts have totaled $67,000 so far this year. Outstanding pledges forthe capital appeal total $111,000 as of mid-April. The budget goal for capital appealreceipts for 2012 is $143,000. We need $70,000 of appeal contributions during April andMay to reach the 3-year plan goal. Cindy continues to review the monthly cash flowforecast for the final months of the capital appeal with the FMAG members.

Cindy requested a resolution to approve a change in the authorized signers for thechurch accounts with Bremer Bank. She explained that the name of the outgoingCouncil treasurer, Liann Johnson, needs to be removed from the authorization list andthe name of the new Treasurer, Doug Waterman, needs to be added. All otherauthorized signers remain the same. It was moved and seconded to remove Liann Johnsons name from the list of authorized signers for the Bremer Bank accounts and toadd Doug Watermans name as an authorized signer as of April 1, 2012. The motion wasunanimously approved.

Cindy provided an update on current issues with the sanctuary roof.

In October of 2011, there was a leak in the sanctuary roof due to a lack of sealant withinthe pitch pans in the area of the exterior cross. The roof was repaired with asphaltplastic cement and the shrouds were reinstalled which corrected the problem.

In March of 2012, water was entering the sanctuary in the northwest corner of the roof at the time the ice and snow were melting. It was found that a split formation, 20 long,occurred on the roof through a gap in the polystyrene layer. The split was patched tofix the problem.

In April of 2012, after a heavy rainfall, water was entering the sanctuary in thenortheast corner of the roof in the choir loft area. It was found that a split formation,35 long, occurred within the roofing membrane. The split was patched to fix theproblem.

During each roof incident, Roof Spec Inc. was consulted for assessment and repairrecommendations. As part of the evaluations, staff and the consultants speculated thata couple factors could be the source of the current issues. First, the polystyrene layermay have reached the end of its useful life and begun to fail. Secondly, they speculatedabout the impact of vibrations from the construction work in the sanctuary and itsimpact on the roofing materials.

After the second incident in 2012 occurred, Roof Spec Inc. was contracted to do a fullassessment of the sanctuary roof and to make recommendations for an overallmaintenance and repair plan.

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During the time of the 3-year capital appeal process, the roof areas had undergoneassessment by an outside consultant. In consultation with the properties staff andministry team, it was determined that the next roof areas that needed a full tear- off and rebuild were the southwest education wing and Good Shepherd Hall. Thesanctuary roof was determined to be in good shape at that time. As a result the

southwest education wing and Good Shepherd Hall roof areas were included in theinitial list for the capital appeal.

As work was finalized to match project cost dollars to committed pledges, the need forthe re-roofing was revisited. An additional assessment with a professional roof consultant at that time was that work on these roof areas could be delayed a few more years; so the roofing projects were removed from the project listing to help balancecosts to available funding. At that time the Properties Ministry Team did some curbrepair with mesh and roofing tar to those roof areas to further assist in the extension of the time line for replacement.

Roof Specs current recommendation for the sanctuary roof is the removal of theexisting roof membrane and insulation in its entirety. New insulation would beinstalled and a new fully adhered and/or built-up roof membrane applied. The initialproject cost estimates range from $130,000 to $160,000.

The issue with the sanctuary roof was brought to the Properties Ministry Team and theFinancial Management Advisory Group (FMAG) for review and recommendations.Many different options were considered. Both groups unanimously agreed that thesanctuary roof needs to be rebuilt and the project needs to be completed as soon aspossible before further leaks cause damage to the newly renovated sanctuary, theorgan, or any other items in the sanctuary.

The FMAG made the following recommendations to provide funding for the project.

1. Request contributions from the congregation

2. Delay the budgeted masonry project which was to occur this spring, and re-assess inthe fall

3. Extend Westwoods current line of credit

4. Extend the time line for completing final payments on the 2nd mortgage

The FMAG felt that some combination of the 4 recommendations would facilitatefunding for the project.

Council concurred and recommended that the issue be communicated to thecongregation with a call for donations for necessary roof repair. The effort will beginon May 6, 2012. The Properties Ministry Team and FMAG are to move forward tocomplete the project.Senior Pastor Review :

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Based on online survey feedback from Council and the church staff and on PastorTanias self review, Tracy, Bekah, Mary and Mike Walgren prepared the 2011-2012performance review for Pastor Tania and met with her to present it on April 16, 2012.

The Council requested discussion with the Human Resources Advisory Team as to the

process and frequency of the Senior Pastor performance review. Suggestions to beconsidered:

1) Align the rating system of the online survey with the rating system forthe Senior Pastor review.

2) Better clarify and define the survey questions for staff versus thequestions for Council.

3) Change the frequency of the review to every other year.

Tania distributed and reviewed her Senior Pastor Goals for 2012 2013. A copy of these goals is included as an addendum to these minutes.

Tracy requested a resolution to approve Tanias Senior Pastor Performance Review for2011-2012 and her Senior Pastor Goals for 2012 -2013. It was moved and seconded todo so, and the motion passed.

Senior Pastors Report : Pastor Tania

The final All Are Welcome conversation (on doing Blessings for same-sex couples andcouples who choose not to marry for legal reasons) was held on April 22, 2012. Writtenfeedback was received from 30 people in this final session. This was the 5th and lastopen forum on this topic this year. All 5 Forums can be found on our website. This

summer, the Council will be making some recommendations as to how we will live outour Vision Statement and Welcome Statement at this time.

The congregational survey that will help us determine next steps in our ministries andhelp set direction for a Capital Appeal next year will be administered in May 2012.Council volunteers will sit in the Commons with a laptop to solicit participation:

o May 6 Mary

o May 13 Doug

o May 20 Jeff

o May 27 Kim Aune

Council will host a brunch for our visitors from Arusha Road Lutheran Church inDodomo, Tanzania on Sunday, April 29, 2012 after the 10:30 worship service. Tania willfollow up with the location. Each Council member was asked to sign up to bring onefood item. Council members who wished to do so were invited to make a donationtoward a gift for each visitor.

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Redeemer House Project: Dan Waarvick asked Bekah Padilla about Westwoodsavailability to provide labor for the construction project. Pastor Tania will determinewho will coordinate this effort during Pastor Jasons sabbatical.

The meeting closed with Lords Prayer.A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting, and the motion passed. Themeeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.

The next Council meeting will be held on May 22, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.

Addendum on next page: Senior Pastor Goals: 2012-2013.

Bekah Padilla (with Mary Anderson, Secretary)May 23, 2012

AddendumAddendum

SENIOR PASTOR GOALS: 2012-2013 Tania Haber

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LEADERSHIP

Clarifying, articulating, and inspiring people around our vision is the one mainarea in this next year that will demand strong leadership on my part as wediscern together our future. This year, primary pieces that are on the table are

establishing priorities for a special appeal, and how we handle the blessingsconversation and decision.

Goal 1: For the congregation to be a part of a process whereby they can discuss and affirm avision for our next years together and thereby specific ministry and mission priorities for this special appeal.

Work objective: With a Council team, we will ensure successful implementation of theCongregational Assessment Tool, study the results, and plan congregational discussion and input for next fall. With Council, decisions will be made on the size of the Appeal and how dollars will specifically be used.

Work objective: Develop, with the other pastors and program staff, this year of study andactivities around the topic of The Church Unleashed. The intent is to look at our image of thechurch, its role and purpose in our lives and community, and see how that moves us to action.

Goal 2: To finalize a decision with the Council this summer on services of commitment/blessing for both same-gender couples and older couples.Work objective: To lead this process so that it ends in greater clarity of our mission and that people feel the process was done with grace, respect and compassion for all.

STEWARDSHIP

The vision for this area this year has two pieces. First, it is to build on last yearsefforts and direction through the Stewardship Team to continue to grow ourresources and further our understanding of what it means to be stewards.Secondly, in order to resource all that God is calling us to, it is our plan to go intoa special appeal in the spring of 2013.

Goal 1: Create excitement and generous giving around our mission that plays out in our budget being met and a strong pledge response this fall.

Work objective: I will do this with our strong Stewardship Team, who has lots of good ideas and

plans! Goal 2: To plan and execute a successful special appeal next spring that would fund thoseministry priorities the congregation has affirmed.

Work objective: This is a year-long process which overlaps with the visioning, but will lead us tothe specifics of running a large special appeal, involving hundreds of volunteers.

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WORSHIP

The vision for this area this year is to better fulfill the pieces of our VisionStatement that speak of a) creating new connections with those in our greatercommunity, and b) multiplying those who participate as partners and leaders in

our work by equipping and involving many more people.Goal 1: Provide a meaningful new worship service on Wednesdays that not only serves our Westwood community, but more importantly, reaches out to a non-worshipping population inour community.

Work objective: I will coordinate and support staff and volunteers to ensure this service is publicized, well planned and executed. We have a plan set for summer, but it may shift a bit inthe fall, so it will take continuing evaluation and planning.

Goal 2: Ensure that a growing pool of people is trained, communicated with easily, and are using

their gifts to enrich our worship life.Work objective: This will happen in part by my work with Connie, our Worship Facilitator, to get a new online system implemented for volunteer scheduling and communication. We will alsocontinue to involve more children and youth through ideas and efforts with the CYF lay team.