Parish Council Mtg Minutes, January 2010

St. Peter’s Parish Council

January 5, 2010 Meeting Minutes

CALL TO ORDER: Meeting started at 7:05 p.m. in the basement of the Parish Office Building.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Fr. Jason Worley, Chuck O’Connor, Mike Riley, Phil Burr, Sandy Ballantine, Lew Sherman, Ginny Abel, Sandy Gordon, Bob Lilly, Deacon John Martin, and Laura Nisonger

MEMBERS ABSENT: Mike Horrigan and Anita Gill

Ginny Abel opened the meeting with prayer.

MINUTES: The minutes from the December meeting were approved with a few corrections (St. Peter’s exceeded its goal of $70,000 for last year’s Archbishop’s Appeal; parish bulletin revisions will be handled by FATA in the near future; the phrase, “the architect has given us a proposal to prepare construction plans in order to finish the three rooms in the basement of the church” was added to the Planning Committee Report). Mike Riley moved to approve the minutes from the December meeting, June Schabdach seconded, and the council voted unanimously to approve the minutes as amended.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: None.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Communications:

Phil Burr reported that the Communications subcommittee meeting was held on December 17^th.
An important idea that came forward from that meeting was to have a parish “brand”. This logo will be used on the different media used by St. Peter’s.
Bulletin boards – The bulletin board in the Parish Center is the one that receives the most exposure. There will be a person(s), probably a staff member, asked to make sure the information on the bulletin boards is current and up-to-date.
Joseph McCormick will be editor of the parish newsletter. Our goal is to have enough articles in reserve so that the newsletter will be published in a timely fashion.
The newsletter will reach out to all ages of the parish. We will have youth writers, as well, to address the needs of the teens and young adults of our parish community.
Joseph will develop a new template for the revision of the church bulletin, and Cindy Pfaff will be trained as to how to use the template.
With regard to the website, video clips and photos of church functions will be included. A content management system is necessary in order to access and update the information on the website. This would allow for an on-line calendar and allow more people to access and update the website. The cost will be approximately the same as what is being spent on the current system.
An e-mail address data bank will be developed for electronic mailings.
The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 28, 2010.

Development:

Mike Riley showed designs for the dedication wall (the wall behind where we sell gift certificates). Several companies have provided designs for review by the Development Committee. A final product cannot be created until all the pledges have been paid. At this point, the Development Committee is working on the aesthetics of the dedication wall. The designs are including the same look as the Stations of the Cross design. The costs range from $10,000-16,000.
If a design is agreed upon, the artist can come up with the final rendering. A temporary printing can be made and displayed until the final project is completed.
A Dedication Book will also be made to sit on a wooden stand. The Dedication Book will have a listing of all donors.
The Art and Environment Committee should consider finding a wooden cabinet of medium oak stain or a built-in cabinet to be placed outside of the narthex for lost and found items. Also, a more aesthetically pleasing system should be developed for our canned food donations.

Education:

Sandy Ballantine reported that that the Fair Trade Sale was held on the weekend of December 4^th and 5^th and that there was approximately $1,500 in sales.
The plan is to have SPY host a Fair Trade Coffee and Tea Sale, with preorders, during Lent.
The Education committee will be meeting on January 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
There has been a request by Anne Mason to have the walls of the downstairs classrooms of Sullivan Hall painted.
The Elementary education program will be changing to a lectionary program next year. This will require that new textbooks be purchased.
The question was raised as to how money is allocated for the Religious Education program. St. Peter’s subsidizes the Religious Education budget minus tuition fees.
The reason St. Peter’s is giving money to the regional school is because of the debt that needs to be addressed. Although we do not have a Catholic school on campus, St. John’s Regional Catholic School is the “parish” school.
Each parish in the region is committed to support St. John’s Catholic Regional School.
Every year St. John’s Regional Catholic School receives a subsidy of $23,500 from St. Peter’s. $15,500 of that money is allotted for tuition assistance.
The monies collected in the green envelopes go straight to St. John’s Regional Catholic School, whereas the $23,500 that is sent to St. John’s comes out of St. Peter’s budget.
The Archbishop’s Appeal has a tuition assistance program for students needing help with religious education or assistance with private Catholic school tuition.
Perhaps the “Ask the Pastor” box should be resurrected to reach out to the parishioners. Questions and answers could be placed in the bulletin.

Evangelization:

The Greeter’s role is to welcome parishioners to St. Peter’s. Steve Browning is currently in charge of the Greeter schedule. One of the goals of the program is to encourage younger members of the parish, as well as families, to become Greeters.
A representative from Lighthouse Catholic Media will be speaking before all of the masses on the weekend of January 23 and 24. She will introduce and explain the LCM faith-raiser program to the parishioners at St. Peter’s. This will be an on-going evangelization program at our parish.
Fr. Terry Cramer has agreed to speak on February 21 and 22 at our parish mission. The topic will be “The Beatitudes”. Details are still being finalized.

Finance:

There will be a Finance Committee meeting in two weeks.

Liturgy:

The next Liturgy Committee Meeting will be held on January 11, 2010.
Lessons and Carols were held on Sunday night, January 3rd. It was wonderful, but not widely attended.
Fr. Jason has given his permission to purchase another octave of hand bells for the choir.
The 4:00 p.m. Christmas eve mass was incredibly crowded. Complaints were raised regarding some parishioners arriving very early and saving blocks of seats. A discussion was held regarding how to best address this situation.
The crèche will be relocated next Christmas so that it will be beside the baptismal font.

Maintenance:

Several contractors have examined the foundation on the corner of the Thrift Shop along Rt. 26. Because the project is structural in nature, the repairs for this project will need to come out of the Capital Repair budget.
The power washing of Mr. Bowman’s house looks great, as does the completed fence that borders St. Peter’s parking lot.

Planning:

The Planning Committee will meet this month.
All of the plumbing fixtures are supposed to be installed by the end of the month. The sacrarium and the sink are to be installed, as well.
Concern has been voiced regarding the lack of appropriate lighting on the south stairs of the church. A possible solution would be to add more lighting along the retaining wall and a few light poles. In addition, more lighting is needed in the parking lot. Consideration has to be given, however, to the neighbors of the church so that extra lighting does not disturb them.
Temporary lights will be installed for the winter to assist with these problems.

Social Concerns:

Marybeth Terrell reports that the site visit for the AED is completed and she has the report. Now she is getting information on the actual AEDs available and two quotes for the CPR training for staff and ushers. She is willing to present at the next parish council meeting, if needed, or she will pass all the info on to Janice.
She received confirmation today from Heartley House that they are providing three speakers for JR Spy, SPY and adults on March 14th. This will be a domestic violence awareness and prevention program for the parish - a joint effort of parish nursing and youth ministry.

OLD BUSINESS

Coffee and Donuts Sunday:

The Thrift shop was featured at the Coffee and Donuts Sunday in January.
The Ladies Club will be featured at the Coffee and Donuts Sunday in February.
On Saturday nights, someone must be responsible for making fresh coffee for those parishioners who come to Sappington Hall after the 5:30 p.m. mass.

Time and Talents Survey/Checking the Pulse of the Parish:

Bob Lilly will meet with Fr. Jason to discuss the Time and Talents Survey.

“Open Meeting” Date:

It was decided that the “open meeting” date for the parish will be held on March 2nd. We will begin advertising in the middle of February.

NEW BUSINESS:

A discussion was held regarding the “Rock Award”. This recognition was given annually to an outstanding parish volunteer.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT: no report

PASTOR’S REPORT:

Fr. Jason announced that Jerry Jennings has been ordained a Permanent deacon. He is from St. Katherine Drexel parish and is a retired colonel.
Fr. Jason thanked all of the persons who helped to make the Christmas masses so beautiful. In particular, the music ministry did an outstanding job.

Phil Burr ended the parish council meeting with a closing prayer.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:31 p.m.

Minutes respectively submitted by Sandy Gordon.

Parish Mission Statement (rev. 3/05)

We the people of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Community are called by our Lord Jesus Christ to grow in faith, celebrate hope, and experience His loving presence in our midst. Drawing our life from the Eucharist and guided by the Holy Spirit, we seek to follow God’s Word by supporting one another, continuing our faith formation, promoting social justice, reaching out in service, and inviting others to share in our journey.


		Parish Council Mtg Minutes St. Peter’s Parish Council January 5, 2010 Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER: Meeting started at 7:05 p.m. in the basement of the Parish Office Building. MEMBERS PRESENT: Fr. Jason Worley, Chuck O’Connor, Mike Riley, Phil Burr, Sandy Ballantine, Lew Sherman, Ginny Abel, Sandy Gordon, Bob Lilly, Deacon John Martin, and Laura Nisonger MEMBERS ABSENT: Mike Horrigan and Anita Gill Ginny Abel opened the meeting with prayer. MINUTES: The minutes from the December meeting were approved with a few corrections (St. Peter’s exceeded its goal of $70,000 for last year’s Archbishop’s Appeal; parish bulletin revisions will be handled by FATA in the near future; the phrase, “the architect has given us a proposal to prepare construction plans in order to finish the three rooms in the basement of the church” was added to the Planning Committee Report). Mike Riley moved to approve the minutes from the December meeting, June Schabdach seconded, and the council voted unanimously to approve the minutes as amended. ANNOUNCEMENTS: None. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Communications: Phil Burr reported that the Communications subcommittee meeting was held on December 17^th. An important idea that came forward from that meeting was to have a parish “brand”. This logo will be used on the different media used by St. Peter’s. Bulletin boards – The bulletin board in the Parish Center is the one that receives the most exposure. There will be a person(s), probably a staff member, asked to make sure the information on the bulletin boards is current and up-to-date. Joseph McCormick will be editor of the parish newsletter. Our goal is to have enough articles in reserve so that the newsletter will be published in a timely fashion. The newsletter will reach out to all ages of the parish. We will have youth writers, as well, to address the needs of the teens and young adults of our parish community. Joseph will develop a new template for the revision of the church bulletin, and Cindy Pfaff will be trained as to how to use the template. With regard to the website, video clips and photos of church functions will be included. A content management system is necessary in order to access and update the information on the website. This would allow for an on-line calendar and allow more people to access and update the website. The cost will be approximately the same as what is being spent on the current system. An e-mail address data bank will be developed for electronic mailings. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 28, 2010. Development: Mike Riley showed designs for the dedication wall (the wall behind where we sell gift certificates). Several companies have provided designs for review by the Development Committee. A final product cannot be created until all the pledges have been paid. At this point, the Development Committee is working on the aesthetics of the dedication wall. The designs are including the same look as the Stations of the Cross design. The costs range from $10,000-16,000. If a design is agreed upon, the artist can come up with the final rendering. A temporary printing can be made and displayed until the final project is completed. A Dedication Book will also be made to sit on a wooden stand. The Dedication Book will have a listing of all donors. The Art and Environment Committee should consider finding a wooden cabinet of medium oak stain or a built-in cabinet to be placed outside of the narthex for lost and found items. Also, a more aesthetically pleasing system should be developed for our canned food donations. Education: Sandy Ballantine reported that that the Fair Trade Sale was held on the weekend of December 4^th and 5^th and that there was approximately $1,500 in sales. The plan is to have SPY host a Fair Trade Coffee and Tea Sale, with preorders, during Lent. The Education committee will be meeting on January 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. There has been a request by Anne Mason to have the walls of the downstairs classrooms of Sullivan Hall painted. The Elementary education program will be changing to a lectionary program next year. This will require that new textbooks be purchased. The question was raised as to how money is allocated for the Religious Education program. St. Peter’s subsidizes the Religious Education budget minus tuition fees. The reason St. Peter’s is giving money to the regional school is because of the debt that needs to be addressed. Although we do not have a Catholic school on campus, St. John’s Regional Catholic School is the “parish” school. Each parish in the region is committed to support St. John’s Catholic Regional School. Every year St. John’s Regional Catholic School receives a subsidy of $23,500 from St. Peter’s. $15,500 of that money is allotted for tuition assistance. The monies collected in the green envelopes go straight to St. John’s Regional Catholic School, whereas the $23,500 that is sent to St. John’s comes out of St. Peter’s budget. The Archbishop’s Appeal has a tuition assistance program for students needing help with religious education or assistance with private Catholic school tuition. Perhaps the “Ask the Pastor” box should be resurrected to reach out to the parishioners. Questions and answers could be placed in the bulletin. Evangelization: The Greeter’s role is to welcome parishioners to St. Peter’s. Steve Browning is currently in charge of the Greeter schedule. One of the goals of the program is to encourage younger members of the parish, as well as families, to become Greeters. A representative from Lighthouse Catholic Media will be speaking before all of the masses on the weekend of January 23 and 24. She will introduce and explain the LCM faith-raiser program to the parishioners at St. Peter’s. This will be an on-going evangelization program at our parish. Fr. Terry Cramer has agreed to speak on February 21 and 22 at our parish mission. The topic will be “The Beatitudes”. Details are still being finalized. Finance: There will be a Finance Committee meeting in two weeks. Liturgy: The next Liturgy Committee Meeting will be held on January 11, 2010. Lessons and Carols were held on Sunday night, January 3rd. It was wonderful, but not widely attended. Fr. Jason has given his permission to purchase another octave of hand bells for the choir. The 4:00 p.m. Christmas eve mass was incredibly crowded. Complaints were raised regarding some parishioners arriving very early and saving blocks of seats. A discussion was held regarding how to best address this situation. The crèche will be relocated next Christmas so that it will be beside the baptismal font. Maintenance: Several contractors have examined the foundation on the corner of the Thrift Shop along Rt. 26. Because the project is structural in nature, the repairs for this project will need to come out of the Capital Repair budget. The power washing of Mr. Bowman’s house looks great, as does the completed fence that borders St. Peter’s parking lot. Planning: The Planning Committee will meet this month. All of the plumbing fixtures are supposed to be installed by the end of the month. The sacrarium and the sink are to be installed, as well. Concern has been voiced regarding the lack of appropriate lighting on the south stairs of the church. A possible solution would be to add more lighting along the retaining wall and a few light poles. In addition, more lighting is needed in the parking lot. Consideration has to be given, however, to the neighbors of the church so that extra lighting does not disturb them. Temporary lights will be installed for the winter to assist with these problems. Social Concerns: Marybeth Terrell reports that the site visit for the AED is completed and she has the report. Now she is getting information on the actual AEDs available and two quotes for the CPR training for staff and ushers. She is willing to present at the next parish council meeting, if needed, or she will pass all the info on to Janice. She received confirmation today from Heartley House that they are providing three speakers for JR Spy, SPY and adults on March 14th. This will be a domestic violence awareness and prevention program for the parish - a joint effort of parish nursing and youth ministry. OLD BUSINESS Coffee and Donuts Sunday: The Thrift shop was featured at the Coffee and Donuts Sunday in January. The Ladies Club will be featured at the Coffee and Donuts Sunday in February. On Saturday nights, someone must be responsible for making fresh coffee for those parishioners who come to Sappington Hall after the 5:30 p.m. mass. Time and Talents Survey/Checking the Pulse of the Parish: Bob Lilly will meet with Fr. Jason to discuss the Time and Talents Survey. “Open Meeting” Date: It was decided that the “open meeting” date for the parish will be held on March 2nd. We will begin advertising in the middle of February. NEW BUSINESS: A discussion was held regarding the “Rock Award”. This recognition was given annually to an outstanding parish volunteer. PRESIDENT’S REPORT: no report PASTOR’S REPORT: Fr. Jason announced that Jerry Jennings has been ordained a Permanent deacon. He is from St. Katherine Drexel parish and is a retired colonel. Fr. Jason thanked all of the persons who helped to make the Christmas masses so beautiful. In particular, the music ministry did an outstanding job. Phil Burr ended the parish council meeting with a closing prayer. The meeting was adjourned at 9:31 p.m. Minutes respectively submitted by Sandy Gordon. Parish Mission Statement (rev. 3/05) We the people of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Community are called by our Lord Jesus Christ to grow in faith, celebrate hope, and experience His loving presence in our midst. Drawing our life from the Eucharist and guided by the Holy Spirit, we seek to follow God’s Word by supporting one another, continuing our faith formation, promoting social justice, reaching out in service, and inviting others to share in our journey.