Congregational Meeting Minutes: February 12, 2023

Meeting start: 11:22am

Participants: there were 20 adults physically in the room and 2 joined online via Zoom.

Vote on 2023 church budget

  • Melanie Odom-Groh presented a verbal summary of the proposed budget and asked for questions.

  • Linda White asked if a previously-discussed emergency fund that the church wanted to create is part of the budget. Melanie responded that it is not a specific line item of the budget. Jo Ella Coles said that the pastor's discretionary fund has often been used as an emergency fund in the past.

  • Rosalie Karunas asked Melanie to review the income categories included in the budget. Melanie summarized that the main categories are donations of funds and goods, building rentals, and grants.

  • Larry Odom-Groh moved to approve the proposed budget. Greg Fisher seconded the motion.

  • Jo Ella Coles asked if donations to Peace House are attributed to the church's general budget. Melanie responded that the portion of donations used by the church to pay Peace House's expenses is included in the general budget, but the remaining donations designated for Peace House are not part of the church budget.

  • Sharon Ongaro said that the church has previously done a pledge campaign at the beginning of the calendar year, asking members of the church to commit to a certain level of donations during the year, and noted it hasn't been done in a couple of years. Melanie Odom-Groh said the board would like to bring back that practice in the future as part of some financial reorganizing of the church.

  • Pam VanHeyningen noted that budgets have often been aspirational in the past, rather than based on solid projections.

  • Anna Wysocki brought up the planned capital campaign the board intends to do. Melanie said that is not relevant to the current 2023 budget, but confirmed that the board has taken the first steps to make that happen.

  • Melanie asked for a verbal vote on the motion to adopt the proposed budget. All present said aye, with no voiced opposition. With that the motion passed.

This is the proposed budget that was voted on:

Worship & Congregation: $73,043

Total Administration: $57,766

Missions & Ministries: $84,629

Mortgage (2 loans): $10,440

Fundraising: $2,615

Total: $228,493

Estimated Income: $229,164

Meeting end: 11:31am