2015 October Stewards Minutes

 Seekers Church

October 4, 2015  Stewards Minutes

Present:

Stewards: Marjory Bankson (notes), Peter Bankson, Kevin Barwick (angel), Ken Burton, Pat Conover, Cynthia Dahlin, Judy Lantz (dinner angel), David Lloyd (worship), Sandra Miller, Brenda Seat, Keith Seat (moderator), Vincent Shepherd, Margreta Silverstone, Deborah Sokolove, Jacqie Wallen.

Absent: Michele Frome, Trish Nemore.

Guests: Larry Rawlings.

Housekeeping: Stewards will meet on Sunday, November 1, at 5:00pm at Seekers.

Moderator: Deborah                    Worship: Margreta

Notetaker: David                         Angels: Vince & Sandra

Worship: David read five Celtic poems, then we joined in saying the Stewards commitment statement.

School of Christian Living: Dave

In the Fall 6-week term, classes are currently being offered by Marjory Bankson (Gospel Parallels) and Brenda Seat (book discussion on “The Book of Strange New Things” by Michael Faber). In the second 6-week term, Dave will offer something on the Epistles, and Keith will do another round on “Difficult Conversations.”

Nothing is currently scheduled for the January short term.

In Feb-March, Jacqie will offer something on spiritual autobiography and in March-April, David Novello and Marcia Sprague will offer a class on “mindfulness.” Other biblical classes will be developed.

     Dave noted the “thinness” of our teaching cohort at Seekers, and encouraged Stewards to consider teaching or partnering with newer people who might want to teach. He also affirmed partnering with others (e.g. current series on Centering Prayer, initiated by Bread of Life).

Budget Preparation: Marjory (for FOG)

Mission groups were asked to get their requests for next year’s budget in as soon as possible. All persons were urged to submit outstanding bills to Debbie Barwick, Seekers’ Treasurer, for payment in order to have accurate figures going into the budget season.

Current mission group expenditures:

Mission Group               Budget            Spent

Broken & Beloved          $600                $222

Celebration Circle            $1,000             $358

Eyes to See…                  $2,000             $375

Koinonia                          $1,500             $777

Learners & Teachers        $1,000             $793

Living Water                   $600                $530

Mission Support              $2,500             $400 … Growing Edge Fund

Time & Space                  $52,800           $37,767 … Building Operations

Ecumenical Council: Keith

The C of S office, staffed by Kayla McClurg, handles a steady stream of inquiries about C of S; places two interns from Duke in different C of S ministries, and guides visitors to different experiences of mission and worship.

     The Council is also seeking a new secretary, since John Hassell has become interim chair of the Festival Center Board. This would be a non-voting position.

Recommitment Review: All

Kevin is holding recommitment as a question for himself, and Pat read a statement that he would commit as a Member, but would not recommit as a Steward. Everyone else indicated they would recommit as a Steward, including the absent members, Trish and Michele.

     Pat left when we broke for dinner after this agenda item.

Outreach: Reports from each Mission Group

L&T: The School of Christian Living is our primary method of outreach. Balancing that with preparation for membership at Seekers is an ongoing tension. We are considering online classes, Saturday classes (for those who can’t drive at night) and renewing the “Third Sunday” gatherings.

CC: Our focus is spiritual nurture for this community, but as the “public face” of Seekers, we are working on broader inclusion of music.

LW: Because our call is to tend the inner life of Seekers, we do not focus on outreach.

T&S: We may be the most “outreachy” mission group. Cultivating a sense of community among users of the building is one effort. We suggest updating the brochure, and perhaps a packet for users about Seekers.

Koinonia: We currently offer quarterly luncheons as a way to invite newcomers (and old timers) to mingle and share the essence of Seekers.

Eyes to See: Our hope as we journey into the future is that our role as a mission group in these activities will be affirmed by Seekers, and will continue to be an avenue of outreach that we can offer to Seekers.

B&B: identified target groups as those looking for spiritual depth or a spiritual home. We wondered about making the worship more “seeker friendly,” and  providing more relevant classes for younger people (e.g. how to have better relationships).

MSG: is looking for places to present our brochure. Judy suggested having a professional layout and production of the brochure.

Editing Group: Keith, Dave, Peter and Katie

Will look at the handouts, particularly our basic brochure, with an eye toward attracting newcomers.

Outreach II: Brenda

A developer has contacted Seekers about providing services for a nearby development, between Metro Station and Gable, where 80% will be affordable housing. This seems like a good opportunity for working with the developer on program and connections. If you are interested in representing Seekers, please contact Brenda for more details.

 Two Stewards share: Jacqie and Marjory

 Soul Talkconcluded our meeting.