Westwood Lutheran Church
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Congregational Annual Meeting
February 4, 2008
(Note: not yet formally approved.)
Attending: 162 voting members and two non-voting members attended the annual meeting. Secretary Kim Ruckdaschel-Haley reported to President Susan Anderson a quorum present for the conduct of business. A printed roster of current voting members was available for inspection.
Invocation and Prayer: President Anderson opened the meeting at approximately 6:30 p.m. by welcoming those present. Pastor Jason Van Hunnik led the meeting participants in devotion and prayer.
Hymn: Attendees sang the hymn "God is Here."
Secretary’s Report and Approval of Minutes: Secretary Kim Ruckdaschel-Haley addressed the minutes of the February 5, 2007, Annual Meeting of the Congregation, as printed at pages 10-11 of the Westwood Lutheran Church Annual Report 2007 (Annual Report), copies of which were provided to meeting participants. She asked if any attendee wanted the minutes to be read or had any corrections. There were no such requests or corrections noted, and President Anderson declared the 2007 minutes to be accepted as issued.
Scripture and Senior Pastor’s Message: Pastor Tania welcomed everyone and the attendees viewed the stewardship video "We are Blessed."
Pastor Van Hunnik spoke about the year 2007 and what God has been up to at Westwood Lutheran Church. He introduced Zeb Highben, Director of Choirs and Fine Arts, to help present e-mails commenting on our ministries. Some of the comments included the following:
- Small group Bible studies - People feel connected and intellectually stimulated, and they enjoy great fellowship.
- Canoe ministry – Members have become connected in Bible studies in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and back at Westwood.
- Men’s Retreat – One member wrote to Pastor Van Hunnik about the impact it had on his life at a time when he was questioning his faith.
- Ronnie Nelson’s 80th birthday recognition reception – Magnificent music is a blessing.
- Confirmation – A trip to Redeemer Lutheran Church made a big impression on many lives.
- Arusha Road Lutheran Church in Dodoma, Tanzania:
- Notes of thanks were given for helping us build this church together. Eleven Westwood members will attend the dedication in Dodoma in August, 2008.
- A Dodoma school teacher thanked us for building new classrooms at her school (part of our Operation Bootstrap second mile giving).
- 100 AIDS orphans have been supported through Westwood members for 2008.
- 25-40 year olds – The young adults group is thankful for the friends they have made and their growth in faith and volunteer opportunities.
- STEP – The STEP organization has expressed deep appreciation for our ministry there.
Pastor Van Hunnik spoke about the work of the Life Development Team. The Life Development Team has been working with representatives from Redeemer, SPARK, and Luther Seminary to determine the best way to do ministry in the future with our partners and how we should staff to best meet the needs of children through high school age. The Life Development Team will present their findings in May.
Senior Pastor Haber spoke about giving and Westwood’s mission. She addressed several questions on the minds of Westwood members.
- Why are we talking about a potential capital appeal? No decision has been made on this yet. A report will come from Council within the next 60 to 90 days. We have debt to address, opportunities for mission waiting to happen, and more lives in our community and world waiting to be touched. There are many internal needs in our building to be addressed which will help us further our mission. If we want a strong Lutheran presence in our community in years to come, we need to take this next step.
- Why are we spending $100,000 in Thrivent dollars as part of a charitable gifting initiative? The primary focus of the Thrivent grant is to address why and how people give and to change attitudes and behaviors around giving. In addition, Pastor Tania noted that giving is down. This is a national trend and a cultural reality. We need to address how we do stewardship and offer people new ways to give. GIFT (Giving in Faith Together) is worth our time.
- Why are we doing SPARK? Westwood’s Council believes this is the best option for us to try new ways of reaching people in our community who are untouched by a community of faith. New relationships are being formed in our community because of the connections we have made through SPARK.
Pastor Haber reported briefly on budget concerns. Receipts are down and the average amount per pledge isare up minimally. This is a national trend, perhaps due partly to the poor economy. She believes that we are not giving to our full potential, and there is room for growth in all of us. Given these circumstances, the 2008 budget means, unfortunately, that we will likely have the equivalent of three less full time staff by Spring than we currently have. Pastor Haber encouraged people to consider a percentage increase in their 2008 faith promise pledge. All faith promise pledges will go into the 2008 general fund. We need to look at Westwood’s mission and ministry first, then determine what tools we need in place to accomplish our mission.
Pastor Haber took time to thank the Westwood staff for being such a great committed team. She also thanked Jeff Stutzman as outgoing Council Treasurer and Dale Forsberg and Ann Marie Janke as outgoing Council Members at Large.
Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Jeff Stutzman presented information regarding financial results from 2007 and the proposed 2008 budget. This information included the following:
2007 Financial Results: Although 2007 has been a financially challenging year, it included both positives and negatives. These included:
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| Positives:
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| Negatives:
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| -- Expenses were within $5,000 of budget.
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| -- Receipts were $105,000 less than budget.
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| -- We secured a loan to hire an architect to develop a master plan for our building.
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| -- Receipts declined 3% from 2006 (compared to a budgeted 5% growth)
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| -- We continued needed repairs of our facility.
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| -- We were unable to transfer $50,000 to the Capital Funds as budgeted.
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| -- The combined WECC and General Fund balances have a combined deficit less than
$3,000.
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| -- We generated a General Fund operating deficit of $25,000.
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Mission giving was about $223,000, representing approximately 23 percent of monies coming into Westwood. The depreciation of our building is approximately $133,000 each year, with the total net book value of our property being $1,349,026.
Treasurer Jeff Stutzman moved that the 2007 financial statements be accepted. Vice President Steve Hedges seconded the motion. A question was raised regarding the “other liabilities” notation on page 30. Jeff informed attendees that this notation primarily referred to prepaid pledges. The motion was approved.
2008 Proposed Budget: Jeff reported that although the number of 2008 pledges are down, the average pledge increased by about 4%. The budget is based on an estimated 3% faith giving increase, and to meet this we need to see an extra $65,000 in increased giving beyond what has been pledged. Highlights of the proposed 2008 budget include:
- No pay increases for staff and implementation of staff reductions.
- Minimal funding of capital expenditures for 2008.
- Continuation of a capital planning phase with a kickoff in the fall.
- The SPARK collaboration agreement will continue for six months, completing one year of the initial agreement.
- A general fund transfer of $67,000 to the capital fund to help cover debt payments and capital expenditures.
- The Westwood Early Childhood Center projects a break-even budget.
- Capital fund receipts are budgeted at $46,000. Principal and interest payments on capital fund debt will be approximately $100,000 this year.
Treasurer Jeff Stutzman moved to accept the budget as presented. Marty Agather seconded the motion. Discussion followed before voting. A question was raised about why the Annual Meeting attendees are being asked to increase their pledges when a significant concern is those members who do not pledge at all. President Anderson stated that we are all in this together and we are all being asked to raise our pledges. A question was also posed as to whether the Council will present a revised budget for the Congregation to vote on. It was noted that we are voting on a budget that has been prepared based upon what is known right now; the 2008 budget – like prior budgets -- is a roadmap as we move forward. Questions were also raised about staff reductions and whether increased giving would eliminate or reduce staff reductions. Pastor Haber stated that the first question needs to be what is our mission, with the next question being what are the tools we need to accomplish our mission. As part of ongoing review, Westwood’s mission will evolve, and therefore our ways to carry out our mission may change; we need to see how things play out in terms of staffing as we move forward in carrying out our mission. The motion made and seconded to accept the budget as presented was approved by members.
Nominations: Cheryl Stark acknowledged the Nominating Committee members for 2007. She presented the slate of candidates for Council and moved that the candidates for Council be accepted. The motion was seconded and approved.
- Liann Johnson – Treasurer (3 year term)
- Faith Broman – Member at Large (3 year term)
- Kurt Koubal – Member at Large (3 year term)
Cheryl presented the slate of candidates for the Nominating Committee and moved that the candidates for the Nominating Committee be accepted. The motion was seconded and approved.
- Dan Walker
- Jan Johnson
- Anna Lovas
- Kris Zell
- John Steinke
- Cheryl Stark
Cheryl presented the slate of candidates for the Audit Committee and moved that the candidates for the Audit Committee be accepted. The motion was seconded and approved.
- Arne Sather
- Craig Komschlies
Cheryl presented the slate of candidates for the WECC Board. The WECC Board has been restructured, and this is the first year to require a vote. Cheryl moved that the candidates be accepted. The motion was seconded and approved.
- Sara Edwards (nominated by the Nominated Committee) (1 year term)
- Delores Fletcher (nominated by the Nominated Committee) (2 year term)
- Dave Raatz (nominated by the Nominated Committee) (2 year term)
- Kris Miller (nominated by the current WECC Board) (1 year term)
- Kathryn Tout (nominated by the current WECC Board) (1 year term)
- Brad Weber (nominated by the current WECC Board) (2 year term)
Westwood Lutheran Memorial Foundation Report: Westwood Lutheran Memorial Foundation (WLMF) President Craig Jergensen presented the Foundation’s annual report. The purpose of the WLMF is to receive gifts and to administer funds for the enhancement of the ministries of Westwood Lutheran Church. In addition, the WLMF has taken on additional roles from time to time, such as providing financial management of the Columbarium.
Highlights in 2007 included $62,000 in gifts. Two new funds are the African Youth Bridge Building Fund and the Prazak Scholar Fund. Gifts in excess of $30,000 were given this year to support 28 programs, including the purchase of new hymnals and pew Bibles, the Marilyn Stalheim and Ronnie Nelson celebrations, and support of the GIFT initiative. The WLMF ended 2007 with approximately $700,000 in assets and increased its capability of giving grants for 2008 by over $83,000. WLMF President Jergensen noted that 2008 looks to be a promising year in WLMF’s support of our programs and community, and that John Steinke will be taking over as President of the WLMF.
New Business: President Susan Anderson asked if there was any new business. A comment was made that Westwood should look into ways of getting younger people to attend the annual meeting.
Closing and Hymn: The meeting concluded with the attendees watching the stewardship video "We are Blessings." Attendees sang the closing hymn "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less," and Pastor Haber ended the meeting with the benediction from Ephesians 3.
Adjournment: A motion was made to end the meeting. The motion was seconded and approved, and President Anderson adjourned the meeting at approximately 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
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Kim Ruckdaschel-Haley, Secretary
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