Church Council News

The February and March church council meetings included:

• The council approved an implementation team for a new 1K Churches microlending mission. The money for this mission was approved in the January Congregational meeting. Five meetings were held to discuss different microlending strategies suggested by the ELCA. The team was assembled at the conclusion of those meetings and includes Jane Brady, Paul Gadomski, and Tony Gruenewald. This mission will give and oversee a small loan to a local small business in need to help seed that local business's growth and improve its credit score.
• Yes, we already had to talk about 2018 offering envelopes. The envelopes will continue to include four funds. Three of the four are Current, Local Mission, and Mission (monies that are forwarded to the New Jersey Synod of ELCA, which in turn sends some of that money to the ELCA). In 2018, the fund called Building will be changed to Capital Improvement to better reflect what the fund is used for. It is used for large building improvements, rather than day-to-day building expenses.
• Speaking of building improvements:, more bids are being sought for aesthetic improvements to the front entrance area of the building to make the building more inviting to passers-by.
  
• Estimates are also being sought to replace the sagging kitchen floor. Initial inspection found a crawl space below the concrete floor. Bill Orcutt is currently moving the project forward, but a team needs to be organized to oversee needed kitchen and fellowship hall renovations.
• Two Spring Clean-up dates have been set. The first is from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 15 to correspond with Easter decorating. It will concentrate on the sanctuary and choir room. A second date, the morning of Saturday, April 29 will concentrate on fellowship hall and the kitchen.   
• Right Now Media, a Christian education streaming media platform will be made available to the congregation. It is full of Christian-themed children's programming, adult Bible study resources and programming, and can be used to host programming St. Paul's creates. Its content can also be curated to reflect St. Paul's mission and study emphases.
• The tech committee needs to discuss sound equipment and wifi access with other congregations using the church building. This is an attempt to cut down on the amount of sound equipment stored in the altar area and in other parts of the building, as well as sharing the cost of potential expanded wifi usage of the other congregations worshipping in the facility.