GLEN WAVERLEY UNITING CHURCH

MEETING OF THE CONGREGATION

To be held in the Worship Centre at 8:00pm on Tuesday14th November 2017.

AGENDA

1. Welcome and Apologies

Apologies: AlanBarnard, SandraBarnard, DeniseBaker, PeterBaker, StephenEmms, YanEmms, RossMackinnon, RayWagon, FayeWagon, AlanLemke, MargaretLemke, MalcolmChamberlain, BarbaraChamberlain, ElwynPederson, DavidMorgan.

2. Prayer

3. Confirmation of Minutes of Meeting held on 9 Jul 2017

The minutes of the December meeting of the congregation are at CongMeetingMinutes20170709.

4. Matters arising from the previous Minutes

5. Correspondence

6. Reports and Recommendations

6.1. Ministry Team Report

6.2. Church Council Report

Introducing DietrichCheung as a new member of the Ministry team.

6.3. Property Report

Update on our possible success in receiving a $12,000 capital grant from the Commonwealth, via MP Julian Hill, towards replacing our current heating only, with a heating and cooling option.

6.4. Fete Report

The proceeds for the fete will probably not be finalised until the end of November. However an interim report will be presented.

6.5. Election of Church Councillors

For information, the chair will report on the outcome of the election of Church Councillors held on 20 Aug 2017. A report of the election is at CongMeetingReport20170820

7. 2018 Budget Proposal

8. Other Business

8.1. Church Office hours over the Christmas period.

For information.

The People and Culture Committee and Church Council have consulted widely and discussed options with potentially affected people and Church Council has approved the following. Our Office will be closed over the Christmas New Year period from 27 Dec 2017 until 5 Jan 2018. Telephone messages left on the Church Office answering machine will be checked regularly and answered as soon as possible. We have contacted and advised all groups (both internal and external) as to these arrangements by email and personal contact. Church Office hours will be amended for the period 5 Jan 2018 to 22 Jan 2018 to 9.30AM-3.00PM after which we resume our usual hours.

8.2. Future Outreach Project Funds Allocation

At the Juiy meeting of the congregation, a suggestion was made by GraemeFrecker to simplify the process for managing fete proceeds and allocation to outreach projects in future as follows:

1. Bring the COP funding within the congregation accounts as an expense item or perhaps as a reserve fund.
2. When the annual budget is considered in February/March we should include an estimated amount for COP at least as much as the likely proceeds from the fete.
3. After the budget is agreed, have the selection panel call for submissions for COP, and prepare recommendations for the congregation for a total amount approximating the budget allocation.
4. At the mid-year congregation meeting approve the recommendations and amounts.
5. Make payments to the successful projects immediately following approval, rather than waiting until after the fete outcome is known.
6. Raise funds for the COP reserve through the fete and otherwise. Any surplus funds could be held in the reserve for the following year. Any shortfall could be covered by a small allocation from general funds.

This was referred to the CommunityOutreach committee and the FinanceCommittee.

Feedback from the CommunityOutreach and FinanceCommittee are as follows.

8.2.1. The Outreach Committee Response to the proposal

We are happy with the current way COP is operating. Each year any issues raised by the COP Committee are considered by Outreach and fine tuning of the process happens where necessary.

The current COP committee were consulted with regard to the proposal and they greatly prefer the current way the COP process operates and enjoyed the process of ratio distribution. Working out the distribution and the variables in that process is what gave the committee life and energy.

We also wondered about the energy around the fete if the funding was already set and think that part of the success is aiming to out-do previous experiences. If the congregation will pick up any shortfall then that is not an incentive.

8.2.2. Finance Committee Response

The Finance committee considered Graeme’s more detailed proposal. We offer the following responses.

• Like the Outreach Committee we do not warm to this proposal
• The proposal involves paying the allocated funds after the July congregational meeting approval of beneficiaries. We do not think the congregation should carry this expense from July to October when the fete is held.
• We believe it has the potential to take the excitement out of fete day.
• The proposal makes the distribution too procedural.
• This proposal may take away the encouragement for sponsors and silent auction items if the monies are already spent.
• Cop has worked well in the past and so why the need to change.

8.3. Call for Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to assist with devotions in local nursing homes and Leisure Time (AlisonClarkson).

9. Benediction