Most of the July meeting of the congregation council was spent hearing reports from committees and teams. Here are the highlights:
Pastor’s Report
In lieu of a prepared pastor’s report, the council spent time going over the Community Engagement Report that Kristin prepares each month. This report includes data on attendance at worship (in-person and online), email contacts, and website activity. Discussion centered on how the council can best use this data; for example, are there trends or seasonal fluctuations that might help us plan for particular events.
Treasurer’s Report
Although the final adjustments of the 2022-23 fiscal year are not yet complete, we are meeting the goals set in the revised budget adopted last January. Some large certificates of deposit have recently matured, and the finance committee will explore strategies for reinvesting these funds to get the best return while allowing access to funds to meet future needs.
Personnel Committee
The search for a director of children/youth/family ministry continues. Pastor Melanie and the Discovery Team have re-advertised the position.
Campus Planning Task Force
Steve Sveom reported that the task force has now heard presentations on Habitat for Humanity, Settled, and Common Bond. Common Bond is a developer who plans affordable housing for families with children whom the Affordable Housing Team has worked with. (For more information, see Steve’s update to the congregation)
Solar Installation
Prince of Peace has signed a letter of intent with Apadana, the company that has proposed to build and operate a solar installation. However, in preparing a status report for the council James Ericksen learned that Apadana has not yet identified an investor or investors for our project and cannot assure that an investor will be found in time to complete the project this year.
Given this uncertainty, Ericksen suggested that we explore the options of finding our own investors or self-financing the project. Either option would require congregational action. The matter was referred to the finance committee.