COORDINATING COUNCIL

MAINE CONFERENCE, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

June 6, 2008, Hallowell

Minutes

Present:

Denise Goodman, Moderator Ann Roundy, Commission for Spiritual Life

Anita White, Vice-Moderator Judy Hubley, Commission for Spiritual Life

Walter (Ted) Ruark, Clerk Herb Oliver, Commission for Community Life

Gerard Moore, Treasurer Jeanne Davis, Commission for Witness Life

Jane Lowell, Kennebec Valley Connie Insley, Commission for Witness Life

Don Isham, Oxford Union David Gaewski, Conference Minister

John Glover, Penobscot-Piscataquis Susan Craig, Associate Conference Minister

Ron Beinema, Board of Trustees Darren Morgan, Acting Associate Minister for

Franklin Anderson, York Small Church Development

Victor Stanley, Hancock-Waldo Mark Schussler, Business Manager

Susan Stevens, Conference Executive Assistant

Absent:

Katie Pinard, State Youth Council Don Green, Washington

Richard Weidler, Cumberland Susan Kaplan-Burgess, Franklin

Phillip McKean, Lincoln Aroostook representative

Linda Smith, Commission for Community Life

Call to Order: Denise Goodman called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and opened with comments about church conflict. Relationships within a church are different than in other organizations and conflicts are usually very serious and can affect the continuing life of the church, its minister and congregation. This heightens the importance of the charge to the Maine Conference (and hence to the Coordinating Council as its governing body) to assist all churches, and especially those where conflict is or has been disruptive.

Introduction of New Treasurer: Denise introduced Gerard Moore who has agreed to serve as Conference Treasurer. On a motion by Herb Oliver, seconded by Ron Beinema, The council voted to appoint Gerard Moore as treasurer, the term of office to expire at the 2008 Annual Meeting. On a motion by Ann Roundy, seconded by John Glover, the council voted to authorize Gerard Moore as Treasurer to be a signature of all cash, investment, bank, and similar accounts of the Maine Conference.

Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s report had been distributed with the agenda. In response to a question, Mark indicated that fuel costs would probably exceed last year’s costs by approximately 50%. He explained that fuel contracts for the 3 Conference facilities were generally signed in mid-July, with one fuel company for the Pennell Center and Rockcraft and a different one for Pilgrim Lodge. Contracts were based on quotes from at least 3 companies in each instance.

Mark also reported that the audit was just about completed and that he did not anticipate any major exceptions.

On a motion by Anita, seconded by Jeanne, the council voted to accept the Treasurer’s Report as printed.

Business Manager’s Report: Mark reported that he has been busy preparing material for the Annual Meeting. This generated discussion of the timing of the budget presentation at the Annual Meeting and resulted in a moving of the “Recognition of Ordinations and Anniversaries,” “Recognition of 5 for 5 Churches,” and “Honduras Partnership Report” to Plenary 3 (4:00 p.m. on Saturday) and “Reports from Small Group Discussion” to Plenary 4 (8:30 a.m. on Sunday) in order to allow ample time for discussion of the budget in Plenary 2 (8:30 a.m. on Saturday)...

He also noted that there had been no further activity with regard to the parcel of Rockcraft Land that is currently on the market.

Minutes of the May 9, 2008 meeting: On a motion by Herb, seconded by Jane Lowell, the council voted to accept the minutes of the May 9, 2008 meeting as amended.

Presentation to Susan Craig: Ann Roundy made a presentation of a Prayer Shawl to Susan Craig, in anticipation of her responsibilities when David is on sabbatical leave. Suzie thanked Ann and the council for its thoughtfulness.

Conference Ministers’ Reports

Susan Craig highlighted the following items from her written report:

1. Family time, which had included greeting her new grandson, William Pratt Ware.

2. Arranging for the sale of their Greenwich, Connecticut home, noting that they had been in that house for 25 years, and commenting that they now definitely have come to see Maine as their home.

3. Participation in the Spring meeting of Church and Ministry Committees, a training session with Lynn Bunjak from Parish Life and Leadership.

4. National Youth Event, for which Maine will be traveling independently from New Hampshire (as originally planned); a meeting of youth and their parents on May 18th was well attended.

5. Recent meetings have included search and call, fitness review, and Tom Clough, David and Sue.

She added that she had concerns about a number of small churches who may have to close due to high fuel cost, both last winter and the one to come.

David Gaewski supplemented his written report with the following:

1. Recent conversations with the moderator and pastor of the Fort Kent church expressing their thanks to the conference and churches of the United church of Christ for their assistance after the floods that inundated their town.

2. Communication from the Brownville church that will be “tithing” new endowment gifts to the Maine Conference. David encouraged the Coordinating Council to consider a similar policy that would “tithe” future endowment gifts to the national church.

3. This fall the MainStay will devote an issue to alternative ideas for heating churches and options a church ay have to conserve energy (and therefore save money)

4. David, assisted by Darren Morgan, indicated that a Massachusetts-based company was interested in brokering with cell phone companies for the placement of cell phone towers in church steeples, paying a lease in return for that placement. A number of UCC churches already have towers in their steeples and receive those payments.

5. Three grant applications will likely come before the Coordinating Council n the near future for its review and endorsement:

a. Open House grant - the renewal of an existing grant through the UCC.

b. Brown grant - offer a 2-3 day orientation trip to the UCC national office for all UCC pastors

with less than 5 years experience and all pastors with privilege of call.

c. Lily Foundation grant - initial funding of the Maine Ministerial Excellence Program (similar to

one previously funded in Massachusetts).

Darren Morgan reported that he had attended meetings of the Resourcing the Local Church Committee and of the Penobscot-Piscataquis and Washington associations.

Continuing business: 2008 Annual Meeting:

1. After a review of the six concepts outlined in David’s paper, the council voted to include #1, #4, and #6 as the choices for discussion at the Annual Meeting. Number 6 was selected and will be presented as the preference of the council.

#1 Capital Campaign #4 Capital Campaign

No property sale Sale of Pennell Center

Current Pennell Improvements Pilgrim Lodge Improvements

Pilgrim Lodge Improvements Rockcraft Maintenance

Rockcraft Maintenance New /Waterville MEUCC/KVO/BTS Center

Possible Endowment Growth Possible Endowment Growth

#6 Capital Campaign

Sale of Pennell Center

Sale of Rockcraft Retreat Center

Pilgrim Lodge Improvements & Expansion

New Retreat Facility in West Gardiner

New /Waterville MEUCC/KVO/BTS Center

Possible Endowment Growth

2. Organizing the Small Group Discussion sessions (10:45 a.m. on Saturday) of the Annual Meeting agenda included the following:

a. Annual Meeting delegates will be asked to select a colored slip at the registration table. If they

choose to attend the facilities concepts small group discussion, they will be assigned to

groups according to the color of the slips they received (limit of 24 per group).

b. Discussion of the Open and Affirming Conference resolution will take place in a single group

in the Lincoln Auditorium of Roberts Hall.

b. Discussion of the facilities concepts will take place in 8 to 10 classroom in the Education

Building.

c. Members of the Coordinating Council will be the facilitators for the facilities concepts small

groups. They will assign a recorder for their group. Following the session, the recorder

will take the results of the small group discussion to the registration table where all the

results will be summarized for presentation at Plenary 4 on Sunday morning.

3. Fees for attendance at the Annual Meeting for a single day will be $25 and, for a single event, $15.

4. The Commission for Witness Life requested that the Somesville church be allowed to have a table in the display area to promote the Just Peace program. The Commission table has insufficient space to display this material. On a motion by Herb, seconded by Ann, the council voted to allow the Somesville church to have a Just Peace table in the display area, the table to be provided by the Commission for Witness Life, and was also approved to sell Cambodian Peace Bells at the table.

5. It was noted that no scholarship applications for the Annual Meeting had been received to date from coordinating Council or Commission members.

6. Denise asked, and received, volunteers and names of potential volunteers who would serve as tellers during the plenary sessions.

New Business

1. The Resourcing the Local Church Committee has requested changes to its Rules of Procedure which would expand the entities to which it could grant funds (to include “conference programs that directly benefit local churches) and modify the current conditions under which funds are granted. On a motion by Herb, seconded by Ann, the council voted to accept the Rules of Procedure proposed by the Resourcing the Local Church Committee as modified by the Council. A copy of the modified Rules are attached.

2. A meeting date of August 1, 2008 was set for the next meeting of the Coordinating Council. Herb will check o the availability of the Waterville church for the meeting. The Executive committee will meet by conference call at 2:30 p.m. on July 17, 2008. It was also agreed to set the 2008-2009 meeting schedule at the August 1st meeting.

Reports

1. Commission for Spiritual Life: Ann reported that the Commission had been working on the Maine Ministerial Excellence Program for some time and was enthusiastic about its possible establishment. She also noted that Annette Mott had attended a recent commission meeting, describing the Resource Center and its relevance to the work of the commission.

2. Oxford Union: Churches in the association are planning to cooperate in the purchase of fuel this winter in an attempt to reduce costs.

3. Penobscot-Piscataquis: The association’s annual meeting was held in May and officers were elected.

4. Lincoln: The association has conducted an ecclesiastical council for Bob Edgarton and expects to ordain him in October.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:14 p.m.

Emailed to Denise Goodman and Sue Stevens on Saturday, June 9, 2008