SPECIAL CONFERENCE MEETING
Saturday, June 6,
2009 at 10:00 a.m.
First
Congregational Church, United
Call to Order: Moderator
Anita White called the meeting to order at 10:20 a.m. She added her words of
welcome and thanked the
Appointment of the Credentials Committee, Tellers, and Parliamentarian: The Moderator announced the following appointments:
Parliamentarian: Diane Bennekamper
Tellers: Marcia Charles, Susan DeCoster, Don Green, and Franklin Anderson
Credentials
Committee:
Adoption of the Rules of Procedure: The Moderator requested that the Rules of Procedure, which had been distributed to delegates both previous to and at the meeting, be adopted. They were adopted on a voice vote.
Receipt of Printed Reports: Delegates had been asked to review the Scott Simons Report and the Properties Financial Statement on the Maine Conference web site prior to attending the meeting. Both reports were adopted on a show of hands vote.
Report of the Credentials Committee and Determination of Quorum: The Credentials Committee reported the following attendance at the meeting and determined that a quorum was present:
Clergy delegates – 127 (later corrected to 50)
Lay delegates – 50 (later corrected to 127)
Other delegates – 31
Visitors – 12
representing 71 churches and 9 association.
The Moderator declared that a quorum was present.
Granting Chris Berry and Austin Smith Voice Without Vote: Chris Berry and Austin Smith were the representatives of Scott Simons Architects who assisted the Coordinating Council in its analysis of the three Conference properties. On a show of hands vote, Chris Berry and Austin Smith were granted voice without vote to present their findings to the meeting and respond to questions from the delegates.
Conference
Minister’s Comments: Conference Minister Rev. David Gaewski addressed the
delegates and visitors concerning a recent article published in the Kennebec
Journal (Augusta) and the Morning Sentinel (
Moderator’s
Remarks: Moderator Anita White reviewed the events and decisions that led
to the Coordinating Council’s recommendation to close the
Consultants
Report: Chris Berry and Austin Smith prefaced their report with a personal
and individual statement of their previous involvement in renovation or
construction projects at each of the three Conference properties: the
Information Questioning Period: The Moderator opened the floor for questions concerning the two reports previously adopted at the meeting. The questions that were raised focused on the following:
à The physical dimensions, configuration, and past appraisals of the Rockcraft property.
à Alternative usages of part or all of the Rockcraft property.
à The consideration of alternatives to the sale of the Rockcraft property (i.e., partnering with another not-for-profit organization, acquisition of grant moneys, tax and insurance liability)
à The past, present, and future impact of Rockcraft operations on the Conference budget and expenditures.
à
Past and present marketing efforts on behalf of
Coordinating Council’s Motion: Don Green presented the following motion on behalf of the Coordinating Council:
I move that rental activities at
Rockcraft Retreat Center be terminated no later than December 31, 2009,
provided that the property continue to be used solely for purposes of the
Conference until and unless the property is sold or is otherwise no longer used
or occupied by the Conference, and that the 101.5+/- acre property known as
Rockcraft Retreat Center be offered for sale upon terms and conditions deemed
advisable by the Coordinating Council which is hereby authorized to take such
actions as are necessary or desirable to complete such offer and sale.
Discussion of the Motion: Delegates could offer comments either in opposition or in support of the motion, or neutral on the motion. A summary of the comments representative of each of those three positions includes the following:
Comments In
Support:
à The Conference can no longer afford or effectively use the Rockcraft property.
à Adult retreat programming can be conducted at Pilgrim Lodge or at other facilities available to the conference.
à Rockcraft has not had a clear and definable mission within the context of the Conference mission statement.
à God resides in people, not property (analogy drawn between the sale of Rockcraft and the sale of the Bangor Theological Seminary property).
Comments In Opposition:
à A public-private partnership should be explored before selling the Rockcraft property.
à Real estate, like the Rockcraft property, is a valuable resource, for the present and especially for the future.
à The sale of the property makes sense from a strictly business perspective, but not necessarily form a program or investment perspective.
à
The Rockcraft mission has always been to provide
effective community service, both in the local community of Sebago and to the
churches of
à Insufficient information, including usage data, alternative renovation costs, and the availability grant moneys, has been presented to justify the sale of Rockcraft property.
Neutral
Comments:
à Additional information is necessary to strengthen the support of the Coordinating Council’s recommendation.
à The emotional attachment to Rockcraft is strong, even recognizing the business perspective supporting the sale of the Rockcraft property.
à The experience of other conferences has been that retreat facilities can be maintained with proper planning and management.
After approximately 40 minutes of debate, a motion was made and seconded to close debate on the previous motion. By rule, there can be no debate on this motion. The motion required a two-thirds vote for adoption. A show of hands vote confirmed adoption of the closure motion.
Vote on the Motion: On a show of hands vote, the motion was approved, with several abstentions.
Benediction: At the Moderator’s request, Rev. David Gaewski offered the Benediction.
Adjournment: On a voice vote, the Special Conference Meeting adjourned at 12:53 p.m.