2019 Annual Report in English – Download
2019 Annual Report in Spanish – Download
ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES – Pending Congregation Approval
St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
January 26, 2020, submitted by Sheri Barker
President Robert (Bob) Lechner called the 66th Annual Congregational Meeting to order at 10:25 a.m. President Lechner acknowledged a quorum of 35 members was present and a sign-in sheet was circulated to record the members in attendance. Pastor Karin Boye led the congregation in an opening prayer and Spanish language minister Alicia Saenz translated key points of the meeting for the Hispanic members of the congregation.
Approval of the Minutes: President Lechner asked for a motion to accept the minutes of the January 27, 2019 Annual Meeting. Motion to approve the January 27, 2019 minutes of the Annual Meeting was made by Herb Geier, seconded by Billy Cox, and unanimously approved.
Election of the 2020 Church Council: Continuing members: Bob Lechner, Diane Wages, Sherri Coughlin. Michael Marquez, Freddie Lizarraga, Sheri Barker and Rachel Perez were elected as new members. Motion to approve the 2020 Church Council as nominated was made by Ann Larsen, seconded by Roz Nelson and unanimously approved.
Election of 2020 Legacy Committee: The Legacy Committee consisting of Meredith McCall, Chris Lewis, Marcia Salvestrini, Rachel Perez and Karl Larsen were elected. Motion to approve the Legacy Committee as nominated was made by Roz Nelson, seconded by Bob Lechner and unanimously approved.
Election of 2021 Nominating Committee: The 2021 Nominating Committee consisting of Roz Nelson, Diane Wages, Bob Lechner, Dorothy Geier and Laura Marquez were elected. Motion to approve the 2021 Nominating Committee as nominated was made by Audrey Voight, seconded by Herb Geier and unanimously approved.
Election of Lay Representatives for 2020 Pacifica Synod Assembly, May 28-30, 2020 at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA. President Lechner requested a volunteer to represent St. Marks. Herb and Dorothy Geier volunteered to participate on behalf of St. Marks.
Presentation of 2020 Budget: An amended 2019 Balance Sheet and Proposed Budget was handed out to the congregation. Diane Wages presented the 2019 Balance Sheet and explained the components.
The only difference between the 2020 Proposed Budget that was included in the Annual Report and the one approved by the Congregation in this meeting is the addition of the Independent Worship Technician which was accidentally left off the version shared with members in the Annual Report.
Reserve Accounts: Diane explained that the new Balance Sheet format shows the Reserve Accounts that were established in 2019 for Facilities (Buildings & Grounds), Pastoral Call (support for the Call Committee’s needs), Debt Service, and Money Market reserve. These funds represent designated savings to be drawn down as needed for each area of concern. These Reserves will not show up on the Profit and Loss statements.
Since the Reserve accounts are savings for specific purposes, it is important that the congregation monitor these accounts and strive to replenish the accounts as they are drawn down. To assist with this matter, Church Council has approved that any excess income at the end of a year be transferred to one of the savings accounts to offset expenditures. $7,934 will be transferred to the Facilities Reserve to assist with the anticipated roofing project for the outbuildings in 2020.
Designated Funds: Diane pointed out that the $3905 in the Project Hand account represents funds given by the congregation. These funds are drawn down periodically by Project Hand to buy groceries.
Long Term Liabilities: Diane noted that the Revitalization Loan is finally below $300,000. This is important because, for the first time, the majority of our payments will be applied to the principal rather than interest.
Proposed Budget: The 2020 Proposed budget was presented against the historical data from 2018 and 2019. Diane noted that the 2018 Actuals show how generous the congregation was in helping rebuild the financial foundation for St. Marks. We were not paying for a pastor or an office assistant, so we had a net income of $144,882 with a positive cash flow of $104,753 for the year. We were able to stabilize the church through the dedicated efforts of the members both financially and through their unselfish volunteer efforts.
The 2019 income was less, as anticipated, than 2018 because many members caught up on postponed giving or assisted with the Adopt-a-Bill campaign during 2018. Both spending and income were below expectations, so we ended the year with a net cash flow for the second year in a row. The 2020 proposed Budget estimates total income at $320,900 reflecting an increase of only $825 over 2019.
Pastoral Salary: Since we don’t know exactly what we will need for our new Settled Pastor’s all-inclusive salary, the Budget Committee (comprised of Diane Wages, Diane Nissen, Laura Ortiz, Audrey Voigt and Tom Larsen ) used Synod input to arrive at an estimated $100,000 total package for a new pastor. This may need to be modified when the Call Committee selects a potential candidate and begins negotiations.
Staff Salaries: The Budget Committee has reduced staff salaries slightly because staff did not fully utilize their budgeted hours in 2019. Each staff member has a maximum annual salary budgeted in parentheses after the position designation.
Other Major Category Notes:
- Administrative Expenses are anticipated to remain stable in 2020.
- Building Maintenance was decreased to $5,000 in 2020. This is in anticipation that the majority of the maintenance will be major projects and be appropriately drawn from the Facility Reserve Fund.
- The congregation has returned to paying the full budgeted Synod Benevolence in 2019. The 2020 budget reflects a $750 increase in Benevolence.
- A new line item was added in the 2020 budget: $1,000 for Mission. During the Transition Team potlucks with the congregation, the discussion was begun about making St. Marks a mission church. Although this Mission has not been fully defined, the Budget Committee wanted to ensure there is a budget item to support the new Mission focus.
- Diane Nissan pointed out that “a budget is not a spending plan. It is our best guess about income and expenditures.” We may need to adjust these estimates as the year progresses, depending on the month-to-month totals. Church Council and the Budget Committee will continue to monitor our progress.
Diane Wages ended her budget presentation by thanking the congregation for being so generous with time, talent and money. Together, through our individual and collective gifts, we have kept St. Marks alive and working well.
Motion to Adopt the 2020 Budget as presented was made by Chris Lewis, seconded by George Stallard, and unanimously approved.
Other Business:
Questions about St. Marks: Bob Lechner encouraged members to come to Church Council (either at a meeting or individually) with any question or concern about St. Marks. If you choose to attend a Council Meeting, you will be first on the agenda so you can ask your question, make a suggestion or provide other input, and then you can be on your way.
Flickering Lights in the Sanctuary: Concern was expressed about the flickering lights in the Sanctuary. At first, just the choir lights were flickering and that problem was solved by turning up the amps that feed the lights. The Property Committee will investigate further and make a recommendation to Church Council regarding resolution of the problem.
Legacy Committee By-Laws: Marcia Salvestrini asked the congregation to approve the new By-Laws for the Legacy Committee. Ann Larsen moved to approve the new By-Laws, George Stallard seconded the motion, and the congregation voted unanimously to approve.
In closing, President Bob Lechner thanked the many volunteers who serve St. Marks every day, for example: The Altar Committee, the Transition Team, Master Gardener Kyra Petrin, Ann & Karl Larsen and the coffee volunteers, and the many people who show up mid-week and on weekends to assist with property maintenance and a myriad of other unknown, but critical, tasks that keep St. Marks moving forward.
Motion to Adjourn was made by Bob Petrin, seconded by Ann Larsen and unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned at 11:14 a.m.
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CONGREGATION
St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
JANUARY 26, 2020
President Bob Lechner called the Special Meeting of the Congregation to order at 11:15 a.m.
The purpose of this meeting was to elect a second Alternate member for the Call Committee to represent the voice of our Hispanic members in the Call process. Gabby Gutierrez has volunteered to serve in this capacity on the Call Committee.
The motion to approve Gabby Gutierrez as second Alternate to the Call Committee was made by Billy Cox, seconded by Dick Bolin and unanimously approved by the congregation.
Motion to Adjourn the Special Congregational Meeting was made by Bob Petrin, seconded by Sheri Barker and unanimously approved by the congregation. The meeting was adjourned at 11:17 a.m.