VC Community!  Our first “Town Hall” meeting of 2010 will be held on Saturday, July 10, at 6pm, in St. Elizabeth’s.

Join us there for a quick rundown of what the Pastoral Council has been working on in the following areas:

• finances
• building
• house churches / hospitality (structure)
• neighborhood

This should take approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours.  Please come with any questions related to these topics.  If you have a pressing question that doesn’t fit in this meeting, send them this way.

There’s still time to cast your vote on the naming of these events!  (survey is not scientific)

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As a body, we’ve long had conversations about the need (or non-need) for a formal definition of membership.  Do we really need to have requirements for membership?  What does that even mean?  Who’s asking??  Regardless of how you answer those questions, or how you avoid answering them, it may be helpful to start somewhere.  There have been so many folks involved with VC in the past, and so many different versions of contact lists, that we just don’t have any way to keep track of everyone.  Please take 10 seconds and fill in this simple survey.  Use your own definition of what you think “member” means for now, and we’ll deal with the rest later.

Please understand that in filling out this form, you are NOT subscribing to the email newsletter.  You can do that over here – it’s a different system entirely.

Peace.

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PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING

March 28, 2010

Present:  Jeremy Eyre, Dave Nixon, Mandy McLaughlin, Sarah Ross, Janet McNeel, Christiane Sears, Owen Brock, and Josh Hanauer.

Meeting led by Josh Hanauer.

Brief updates shared by each member.

Mandy (Communications) – Reports 172 people are on the VC email list (about 50% regularly open the message).  Recent addition of the PC minutes on website was most popular page.  Plan to encourage joining email list.

Christiane (Orientation) – Kenny Havens has stepped down from co-leadership of this area.  Christiane is in the process of setting specific dates when the orientation group will be offered.

Dave (Pastor – Internal Focus) – Has been working on House Church Handbook.  Also plans to offer opportunity for 15 weeks of discipleship teaching on Sunday evenings – venue will be either Speckled Bird (or possibly 1801 Mills).  To start this on April 25 and continue until early August, then break for few weeks, resuming next 15 weeks (repeated topics) in late August and run until December.

Sarah (Finance) – Stewardship Committee is going to meet in next 1-2 weeks, looking at ways to strengthen financial status.

Jeremy (Facilities) – Two house churches have taken on room remodeling/improvement Projects.  Mills HC is doing children’s room; Hearth has selected room at front left (formerly S. Brock’s area).  Planning to set up yearly maintenance schedule for St. E’s.

Considering fundraising concert with local group for the fall.

Janet (Admin/Support) – Assisting Dave in reviewing HC Handbook and planning for discipleship group meetings.  Has reviewed bylaws and will assist Bd. of Trustees with revisions.  Trying to be informed in all areas and available to help as needed.

Josh (Pastor – External Focus) – Shared that he has recently sold his home in Cheviot and will soon relocate to Norwood.  Will involve two moves due to timing—first move to Speckled Bird apartment on April 30 and second move into newly acquired home on Spencer Ave. on May 27.  (Side note:  Jill and Jonathan Hicks have recently moved to Red River Gorge area).  Josh has attended meetings of the Cincinnati Faith and Justice Group.  There will be a workshop/conference soon on April 30 and May 1^st at the First Christian Assembly Church.  Topic is Re:Discovering Biblical Justice with special speaker coming to present.  More information will be shared soon.

Easter update – Hispanic mass will not be happening.  Attempts to reconnect with individual at Su Casa have largely been difficult, not as warmly received.  Decision has been made to look for other ways to extend outreach to our Hispanic neighbors.

Josh has been working on a mission idea/project which will involve selecting a school in South America that does not have a library.  Plan will be to fill a large shipping container with books and sent this to the school (e.g. children’s books available in Spanish to be purchased — available fairly inexpensively).

AGENDA  (Reviewed by group, all but one selected by voting)

1) Way to Present Items to PC in the Future

Josh has recommended book Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott, will start using format suggested there,  members complete form beforehand and share via email or bring to next meeting with information filled in.  Josh will put this form on Google Wave.

2)  Who is a Member/Who is a Friend of VC

Owen explained how this issue arose a few months ago when this PC model was implemented.  Discussion followed regarding how various other churches address the matter of membership and what if any of those elements would be valuable to consider.  General consensus is that this is a very important topic and that membership needs to be delineated in some manner.  Owen volunteered to complete form referenced above as a way to capitalize on important aspects.  He will bring this to next PC meeting.

3)  Hospitality Committee

Unable to discuss due to PC member not present today.

4)   Building Issues

—Maintenance
—Renovation
—Need to remove this from responsibility of either pastor
—There had been a committee looking at options. Options such as selling, retaining ownership but involving another entity (leasing?), tearing down bldg. and rebuilding.
—Wedding business and how this would be related to building needs to be clarified   (This item generated discussion as to status—Owen and Dave and Greg will discuss this as Board of Trustees, will meet soon).

Mention was made of need to catalog what is going on at VC.  Mandy will explore and together with Sam determine how to present this on the website with brief sentences and photos.

Josh gave an update about Norwood Rugby and his goal to have volunteers (at least 6-10) involved in tutoring (Rugby players must maintain 3.0 grade point average).  This rugby will be co-ed.  It will be primarily through Norwood Middle School.  Will be 6 week long program probably in the summer.  The tutoring relationship will continue throughout the year.  This is flag rugby (noncontact).  PC gave support to Josh to continue his involvement as a outreach ministry for VC.

Dave mentioned that the Regional Conference for Vineyard Churches will take place in Columbus, Ohio, May 11-14 if anyone is interested in attending.

Next meeting of Pastoral Council will be Sunday, May 2 from 1:00 – 4:00 (at Tilden Ave. – Brocks’ home).

If you’d like to stay up-to-speed on all things VC, then you’re in luck.  Check out these options:

• Subscribe to the email list!
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However you stay connected, we’d like to be there for you.  So if you have any other ideas for sharing in this newfangled electronic community, or if you have an announcement that you’d like to see on this page, send your comments to communication@vineyardcentral.com