We may be looking at different ways to spruce and spice up the council blog going into 2012.  Besides the obvious fact of keeping the blog more updated after council meetings, if you have any opinions or recommendations about content you would like to see here please pass them along and they will be taken into consideration.

There are many great things happening at LCR!  Here are links for the most recent news and events at LCR:

Fall/Winter Phoenix

December 4^th Weekly

Latest News and Announcements from the LCR website

Wednesday night dinner menu and signup through January 2012

LCR Events Calendar

God Bless!

The LCR Council met on Monday evening June 20^th in the youth pavilion.  June’s meeting was moved to Monday evening to accommodate Father’s Day. 

Our opening devotion and prayer were from Pastor Dave’s sermon the previous day.  From Vance Havner, “The vision must be followed by the venture.  It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs.”  How does this incorporate into our vision at LCR?  We are blessed with many blessings.  We need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.  To support our vision and ministries it takes money, commitment and faith.  It is time for us as a congregation to rethink our priority in regards to our financial commitment to our ministries.

The meeting minutes from May 1^st and May 22 were both approved.  The May Financial reports were also approved.

Monthly Reports:

In the Pastors Report, Pastor Dave shared that the Christian Response Team is working on two projects, a possible Ministry Fair and also a Stewardship Campaign both having fall target dates.  Work continues on the 3^rd worship service.  Earliest possible date to launch would be January 2012; more probable would be September 2012.  The team is continuing to tailor our services to 60 minutes so we can accommodate the three services, likely to be held at 8:15, 9:45 and 11:15.  There are logistics to be worked out with the praise team when we move to three services, and the team is exploring different options to accommodate those involved.  Our one year free membership to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce has ended.  An invoice was sent to LCR if we wanted to continue with our Chamber membership.  After council discussion it was recommended that we not renew the membership at this time. 

The Presidents Report included information from the recent completion of the leadership class.  The participants expressed that it was a positive experience and they enjoyed the sharing by the council members who participated with them.  Plans are in place for another group using the same curriculum with a potentially shortened schedule. 

Kerry stated in the Director of Ministries Report that the insurance claim was submitted for the vandal damages at Robinwood.  The damages happened over Memorial Weekend.  The cleanup and renovations are currently underway and things are coming back together.

In the Treasurers Report, Cathy stated that while we are still ahead of last year’s giving, we have big expenditures forthcoming. 

Vice Presidents Report:  The Nominating Committee met and identified key positions to be filled beginning with council members.  The team also discussed key qualities needed for the President’s position.  Next meeting is scheduled for late July. 

Continuing Business and Team Reports:

Pay Our Way Team:  The increased giving message needs to be recurring.  Only a few more people have signed up for Simply Giving.  Simply Giving is a way to electronically make your tithe to LCR.  It is very convenient and no more having to write your checks on Sunday morning.  For more information on Simply Giving, visit http://www.lcrmarietta.org/content/serve-give/simply-giving.  The committee will make a recommendation at the next council meeting for additional electronic giving options. 

Financial Privacy Team:  Team is drafting a policy with help from the Finance team for council recommendation at the July meeting. 

Child Safety Update:  It is recommended that all people who work with youth be trained on the new child safety policy and participate in any online or DVD training.  The DVD was played for council members and was well received.  It was recommended that one staff person and one council member be the primary contacts for child safety, those being the senior pastor and council vice president. 

Next council meeting is July 17, 2011. 

Don’t forget to attend Coffee With Council, “Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work at LCR”, Sunday July 17^th at 9:45am in the Gathering Room. 

May the Peace of the Lord be with you!

The financial reports and council minutes for April 2011 were both approved.

Pastors Report:  Dave shared three things with council this month regarding the Christian Response Team.  The team is discussing a possible ministry fair.  They are continuing to read Mark Allen Powell’s book titled “Giving To God” which focuses on stewardship.  The team is also reviewing Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University which educates on how to pay off and stay out of debt while saving money for financial peace of mind. 

Discussions are still being held in regards to a potential 3^rd worship service by fall of 2012.

At the May Dean’s Meeting, Dave was impressed by the Bishop’s and the Southeastern Synod’s infrastructure they have in place to assist those in need after natural disasters, specifically the recent tornadoes that swept through the Southeast. 

Presidents Report:  Jennifer informed council that the leadership group concluded with their May 7^th meeting.  Everyone involved found the course to be valuable, helpful and meaningful.  The group will meet again in June to talk about the next steps in moving forward.

Ministry Report:  Attendance continues to grow at LCR!  Both services have seen increased attendance this year.  We have had five Sunday’s where we are at 80% capacity in the sanctuary.  Studies have shown that any church sanctuary needs to have 20% of its seats available to facilitate growth.  It is a wonderful blessing to have more people worshipping with us at LCR. 

Continuing Business:

Pay Our Way Team- The team is moving forward with recommendations to better publicize the electronic giving system we have in place called Simply Giving.  There has been a temple talk, a message in the Weekly and a table in the narthex to inform the congregation of what Simply Giving is and how it operates.  The team also put forth recommendations to further investigate Vanco Services and the options they provide for secure website donations and other electronic giving options. 

New Business and Action Items:

Child Safety Policy- A motion was made and carried to institute the 2009 Child Safety Policy.  The new policy can be found on our website.  Two major differences are in the background check procedures and the overnight policy.

Robinwood Improvements- A motion was made and carried to invest in making needed improvements to Robinwood.  The improvements include a new roof, more space for small groups, educational needs and a fully functional kitchen. 

The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday June 20^th. 

God Bless!

The meeting this month generated great discussion.  There was an abundance of information that was presented and much to decipher.  The Holy Spirit is continuing to do great work at LCR and we should all feel very blessed to be a part of the wonderful things happening at our church! 

In this month’s devotion, Pastor Dave read from the 3^rd Chapter of Exodus, when God appears before Moses in the burning bush.  Then He said, “Do not draw near this place.  Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is Holy Ground.”  Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  This is Holy week, the Holiest of the church year.  Pay special attention this week for God’s presence.  This is Holy ground because Christ is here with us.  If we pay attention, God will make his presence known to us.

The council meeting minutes and financial reports from March were both approved. 

Mark and Sandy Brosch were special guests to this month’s meeting.  They are leading the efforts to organize and plan a celebration in honor of Pastor Dave’s 30 Year Anniversary since being ordained.  Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 18^th beginning at 6:30pm in the gathering room as we come together to celebrate!  Dinner tickets will be on sale on Sundays starting May 15^th until Sunday June 11^th between services.   Mark and Sandy are utilizing small groups to assist in the coordination of this great event.  Be on the lookout for more information regarding the celebration.  Contact Mark or Sandy Brosch with any questions or to offer how you can help.  Thank you Mark and Sandy!

Jerry Pantelakis presented to council on behalf of the Physical Assets Team.  The team has worked diligently to look at the needs of our campus as we continue to grow.  We are GROWING and that is a great “problem” to have.  Attendance is up since the completion of the Sanctuary Enhancement Plan.  On Easter Sunday we worshipped over 600 people at LCR!  What this means is that we need more classrooms and meeting space.  The team presented rough sketches and outlines on possible enhancements to our current campus. Thank you Jerry and the Physical Assets team for all your great work!  Remember to be on the lookout for new faces and give them a warm LCR welcome!

The Director of Ministries’ Report had other new business this month. Kerry proposed a new policy for Starting a New Ministry at LCR. The policy was unanimously approved.  All current ministries in place would be “grandfathered in” under the new policy.  Contact Kerry if you are interested in starting a new ministry or have any questions about the Starting a New Ministry Policy. 

Kerry was also pleased to report that LCR welcomed 16 new members to our congregation this month! 

The new website is up and running!  Thank you to the entire Communications Team for all their hard work and tireless efforts in building a great new site!  Click here to see the new site.

Next council meeting scheduled for May 22^nd. 

God Bless!

Pastor Dave opened with a parable from the book of Luke.  The overall message was that we must continue to pray and not lose heart.  Prayer is not to be a laundry list of things we want, prayer is communicating or talking with God.  We need to keep praying, believing in miracles and keep on beating a path to God’s door. We may not always get the answer we want, but God will be before us. 

The council meeting minutes and financial reports from February 2011 were approved. 

Pastors Report:

Dave conveyed to council that our most important job this year is to continue to monitor and work toward balancing the budget.  Stewardship is all of our responsibility.  Raising revenue internally versus trying to raise revenue externally should be our focus. 

Presidents Report:

Jennifer informed council of this year’s Confirmation Banquet that is to be held on May 15^th.  The May council meeting was also scheduled for the same day.  After a poll and unanimous approval, council is moving the meeting to May 22, 2011.

Lay Directors Report:

Kerry reports that attendance is up for 2011 and also up since completion of the Sanctuary Enhancement Plan. 

RDTH-The Resurrection Dance Theatre of Haiti will be performing at LCR on Friday April 15 at 7:00pm.  All donations go to the Haitian Timoun Foundation where 100% of your donation goes to Haiti.  Visit www.htflive.org for more information. 

Kerry also reported that LCR is sending out a direct mailing to 8000 homes in the 30062, 30067 and 30068 zip codes promoting LCR Holy Week activities.  Imagine if we get a 2% visitor rate from that mailing, that would be and additional 160 households worshiping at LCR.  In conjunction with that, we all need to be on alert for new visitors at all times and make sure they feel a warm LCR welcome. 

Council and team leaders are also being asked to park away from the building, keeping the spots close to the sanctuary available for visitors.  

Continuing Business:

The “Balance the Budget Team” is looking at alternative ways to increase revenue at LCR.  After doing research on Secure Give (lobby kiosk and online giving option), it was determined that it was not a viable solution at this time.  The team was informed that LCR already has a way to give electronically.  The team will become familiar with this function and discuss ways to advertise this to LCR members. 

The Capital Timeline Team has done some initial research and provided council with a typical timeline for a capital campaign. 

Child Safety Policy Update:  Dean provided council with the details of the Red Cross First Aid Kit.  Council agreed that the first aid kit was acceptable for our policy.  Council will be voting on the revised child safety policy to include the updated First Aid and Overnight policy at the June meeting. 

Communications Update:

Work continues on the new website with the launch scheduled for April.  The new website will be previewed on April 17^th, with the communication team members in the lobby on laptops. 

Council approved the Endowment Team’s request and recommendation to allocate $2000.00 to Sheri Kling for the 2011-2012 school year. 

May the peace of the Lord be with you!

New members were welcomed as our new president Jennifer Cronk began the meeting. The following questions were posed to the council members:  why did you say yes to joining council and what do you expect from the experience?  As we went around the table and shared our answers there were some common themes. We said yes to serve God, LCR and each other. We expect to deepen our relationships with Jesus, the LCR community and our fellow council members. We all feel a strong commitment to continue to work for God through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Motions were made and both the meeting minutes and financial reports for December and January were unanimously approved. 

Pastors Report:  Pastor Dave had five different items to share with council. 

1.). He will be participating in Via De Cristo weekend at the end of March. 

2.). Through Rick Barger the Pastor from Epiphany Lutheran Church in Suwanee. LCR is hosting a Haitian song and dance troupe on 4/15 @ 7 pm for a free concert. Their home was lost in the devastating earthquake in 2009 and is in need of rebuilding. 

3.). Pastor Dave reminded council on the small group opportunity for lent, The Story of God, The Story of Us. Pastor is encouraging all council members to be a part of the small groups during Lent.

4.). Pastor Dave shared with us an email he received from Bishop Gordy regarding the ELCA and the human sexuality issue. There are currently 10,300 as part of the ELCA.  As of February 4^th, 716 congregations have had first votes to leave the ELCA. Two passing votes from a congregation are required. There are 532 congregations that passed the first vote and of those, 375 have passed their second vote. A few questions were asked after Dave shared this information. How many of those congregations would have left without the ELCA statement? Have there been any congregations that have joined since the statement?  

5.). Dave and Kerry were both very excited to report that LCR has a new coordinator for children’s ministries. Sharon Leon will be taking on this new position and reporting to crystal.  Council was thrilled to hear the news!  Welcome Sharon!

President’s Report:  Jennifer shared how encouraged she was from the council retreat and provided us with a retreat synopsis that detailed goals for the year. 

In continuing business, council passed two annual resolutions. The first for Pastor Dave to manage the ministry teams until February 2012.  The second was for council officers to sign checks for banking purposes. 

Dean Ely updated council on the LCR Child Safety Policy. While the new policy was approved in 2009, the overnight and first aid policy needed updating. The council goal is to vote on the updates at the March meeting. 

The communications team is putting the finishing touches on the new website. The site is planned to launch at the end of March. The team is planning on having laptops in the lobby after services on the date of the new launch to help the congregation familiarize themselves with the new site. 

In other new business, the Balance the Budget Team has the following information to report:  the team had already had one in person meeting and many discussions through email. The team is in charge of looking at different ways that we can balance our budget through both internal and external revenue sources. The team will present recommendations to council at the March meeting. 

Mark your calendars for Sunday 3/27 for the first quarter “Coffee with Council” between services in the gathering room. 

May the Peace of the Lord be with you all!

The December council minutes and financial report were both unanimously approved. 

Presidents Report- The Finance team is currently investigating a potential line of credit for LCR and what the process entails.  This is only in the investigative stage and the congregation would need to approve this measure before it can be taken.  The Finance team is doing its due diligence to make sure that all avenues are explored in the event that they may be needed. 

Pastors Report- Attendance at LCR is up 8.9% since the Sanctuary Enhancement Plan was finished.  Christmas attendance was up 25% from the previous year.  Thanks be to God for bringing more to worship at LCR!  God is bringing new people here for a reason and we need to hold up our end as a church and congregation by striving for excellence.  LCR needs to have excellence in our staff, programs and ministries to continue to grow our congregation. 

Communications and Leadership- Jennifer Cronk reviewed the leadership session that was held on 1/8.  The Communications team continues its work on the website redesign.  Council was able to view the new homepage and it was received positively.  The new homepage will be shown to the congregation at the congregational meeting on 1/23.  Thanks to Jennifer and her team for their continued hard work and dedication to the website redesign!

Lay Directors Report- The LCR Inclement Weather Policy has been updated and the new policy can be found at http://www.lcrmarietta.org/pdf/weather_policy.pdf. 

New Business- The current LCR Council has approved the Nominating Committee for 2011.  This years committee consists of the following:  Chair- Kirk Gadebusch, Council Rep- Tony Stephens, Outgoing Council Rep-Don Schaet, Sue Koeneman, Paul Dreher and Carol Owen.  The council would like to thank the outgoing members of the Nominating Committee; Kathy Gilroy, Phil Upchurch and Charles Demosthenes for their commitment to LCR. 

Council unanimously approved the Endowments team recommendations for endowment funds for 2011. 

Council Approved the Endowment Teams recommendations for funds to be distributed in 2011. 

• $4000.00 to seminarian Will Starkweather
• $2000.00 to seminarian Sheri Kling
• $1000.00 for Southeastern Synod’s Affirm scholarship
• $4000.00 to Johannesburg Ministry

Council approved the Nominating Committee’s recommendation of Bob and Dianne Wills to be LCR’s representatives to the ELCA Southeastern Synod.  Thanks Bob and Dianne for accepting the call to represent LCR!

At the end of new business, we took time to recognize President Dan Gilroy.  Dan has been a great leader for LCR the past two years as president!  Through the efforts of his hard work and dedication to LCR, we as a council and as a congregation have been able to reap the benefits of such a great leader.  Thank you Dan Gilroy for everything that you have done for LCR, we shall be forever grateful for your commitment to make LCR the best it can be!

November’s council meeting minutes were approved with an added item.  At the November meeting, Richard Leon brought an article dealing with guns in churches and other public places from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  It is a great article and is a topice we should all be concerned about.  The article can be found at, http://www.ajc.com/news/guns-in-churches-not-597908.html.  Dan Gilroy asked that Richard stay abreast on the topic for council and LCR.  The minutes were approved with the addition. 

The Financial report for November was approved.  Council also unanimously approved the housing allowance for Pastor Dave.  Council needs to approve this yearly to prevent this being taxed as income by the IRS for the housing allowance. 

Pastor and Lay Directors Report:

Council unanimously approved the new members to LCR.  We have 7 new households that are part of the LCR family!  Be sure to introduce yourself to our new members and give them a warm LCR welcome. 

Presidents Report:

LCR received a wonderful thank you letter from Matt Simpkins of Lutheran Campus Ministry in regards to the $3000.00 from the LCR Endowment Team.  As previously mentioned almost all of LCM’s funding comes from donations.  Mr. Simpkins graciously offered to come to LCR to hold a Temple Talk or to give a sermon as a thank you for the donation.  Visit www.gracepeople.org for more information on LCM.

Continuing Business:

Small Groups will be launching a new season of small groups during Lent with different curriculums currently being evaluated. 

Community Engagement continues to work on the neighborhood food drive scheduled for February for MUST. 

Leadership and Communications:

Leadership classes are continuing to meet.  Jennifer is asking that each council member come to one leadership meeting to discuss why we are serving on council and what it means to us individually.  The new layout for the website is coming along with a tentative preview at the Annual Meeting on January 23^rd. 

New Business:

Dean Ely reported on LCR’s Child Safety Policy.  Discussion was had regarding ownership and implementation of this policy.  During the discussion, we agreed that it should be the LCR Council that owns the policy, Council then gives the Pastor the authority to implement and delegate this policy to the staff.  A subcommittee or governing board chaired by the Vice President of council would be created to oversee this policy and to guide the Pastor and staff if any issues arise.  The Child Safety Policy is something your council feels very strongly about and we are continuing to move forward to get the policy implemented.  It was also recommended that LCR obtain legal representation on a retainer basis to assist in the child safety policy.  The council would like to thank those who have worked tirelessly on this policy for the safety of our children!

The 2010 Council voted on and approved the slate for the 2011 LCR Council.  The candidates will be presented to the congregation at the Annual Meeting on January 23^rd for congregational approval.  Pending congregational approval, the 2011 LCR Council will be:

President Jennifer Cronk, Vice President Tony Stephens, Treasurer Cathy Ritchie, Secretary Suzanne Demonsthenes, Dean Ely, Richard Leon, Judy Catasein, John Osberg, Karl Sidor, Nancy Papp and the Youth Representative Leah Kelm.  Thanks to all who have answered the call to serve LCR!

The 2011 budget was discussed in great detail.  The motion to accept the 2011 LCR budget at $826,553.00 was unanimously approved by the council.  By approving the budget, we are committed to staying the course over the 5 year plan that was presented to the congregation in January of this year.  In order for us to meet our budget goals and to continue to have quality programs, quality ministries and quality staff, we need to have quality giving! 

January Meetings:

There will be two meetings to hear and discuss the 2011 budget plans.  The first will be on Sunday January 9, 2011 at 12:30pm following the late service.  The second will be held on Thursday January 13, 2011 at 7:00pm.  Both meetings will be held in the Gathering Room.  Please plan to attend one of the meetings to keep you better informed about the budget and to ask any questions you may have. 

The Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday January 23^rd at 12:30pm in the Sanctuary. 

May the Peace of the Lord be with you!  Merry Christmas!

As we prepared for the week of Thanksgiving that was ahead we shared with each other some of the reasons for which we are thankful.  The theme under which we shared was that we not only need to thank God for our many blessings but the world needs to hear us thank God. 

October’s council minutes and the financial report were both approved. 

Pastor and Lay Directors Report:

Dave was pleased to report that we are welcoming 20 new members to LCR, with approximately half of those new members being teenage or younger.  Dave has also taken notice to 20-25 frequent visitors that are coming to LCR on a regular basis. 

Work is being done towards a potential change in format for the new member classes.  Potential changes to make the sessions more family friendly for everyone involved, not just the adults. 

Dave reminded us that one of the things LCR needs to be thankful for are the wonderful retired pastors as part of our congregation.  We are blessed to have Bob Bear, Ted Coleman and Kent Lang part of the LCR family!

Presidents Report:

Long Range Planning and Physical Assets teams have had a productive meeting and are moving ahead. 

The Nominating Team is finalizing the list of candidates to fill open positions in the 2011 Church Council.  Thus far, Judy Catasein, John Osberg, Cathy Ritchie (Treasurer), and Karl Sidor have been asked and agreed to serve.  The Nominating Team’s recommendations will be approved at the December Council meeting and put to congregational vote at the annual meeting January 23^rd. 

The Endowment Team recommended that the final donation of endowment funds of $3000.00 be granted to Lutheran Campus Ministry.  The goal of LCM is to create missionary disciples, enliven faith and ready students for live of faith beyond school.  This is done by training and empowering students to live out ministry in the ways God is calling them; identifying and helping them grow in those gifts.  LCM has a hub on the Georgia Tech Campus and services the local universities of Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Agnus Scott and Emory.  This ministry is led by Pastor Matt Simpkins and three interns.  LCM is funded by 80% donations and 20% from the ELCA/Synod.  Their website has more information about LCM and can be found at www.gracepeople.org.   The LCR Council unanimously approved the funds to be distributed to Lutheran Campus Ministry as recommended by the Endowment Team.

Continuing Business:

Small Groups and Christian Response team continue to meet and move forward. 

Community Engagement is continuing work for a community food drive in late February or early March 2011. 

The Communications Team is continuing the work on the new website.  Look for more information on the new design and changeover sometime in January. 

Be sure to check out the Living Our Faith Blog at http://livingourfaith.wordpress.com/.  During the Advent season, this blog will help you explore how we can live our faith through worship.  You are invited to use the LCR Advent Devotional as a guide to explore worship together as a family.  The devotions are written by LCR members and explore Christmas symbols and their special meaning to us and during the Christmas season.  The Daily Devotions will be on the blog during the Advent Season.  You can also pick up a hard copy of the Advent Devotionals outside the church office. 

New Business: 2011 Budget

Each team has submitted their proposed budget for 2011 and it is being reviewed by the finance team and council.  The goal for the final budget will be presented to council at the December meeting.

God Bless!