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2015 Annual Report

Plymouth Congregational UCC Fort Collins, Colorado

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Plymouth Staff Hal Chorpenning, Senior Minister hal@plymouthucc.org Jake Joseph, Acting Associate Minister jake@plymouthucc.org Jane Anne Ferguson, Acting Associate Minister janeanne@plymouthucc.org Jieun Kim Newland, Director of Music/ Organist jieun@plymouthucc.org Mandy Hall, Director of Christian Formation - Children & Youth mandy@plymouthucc.org Mark Lee, Director of Christian Formation - Adults mark@plymouthucc.org Barbara Gregory, Office Manager barbara@plymouthucc.org Brandon Reyhl, Sexton brandon@plymouthucc.org

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Senior Minister’s Report 2015 What a year! Under the leadership of Anna Olsen, a committee of Plymouth members created a Strategic Planning Report with recommendations for our Leadership Council. The key points include: address the adaptive challenge of reaching Generation X and Millennial adults (20-50); lay leadership development; keep clergy staffing at 2.5 FTE (also affirmed by the congregation); encourage first-hand spiritual development; anticipate and lean into growth (especially with impacts related to the new CSU stadium now under construction). Though we are unlikely to build a parking garage on Lake Street anytime soon, I think we should continue to explore possibilities for our congregation to reach out to the CSU community. God is still speaking!

I am grateful that this year was not marked by staff transitions. At Christmas a year ago, we had two new associate ministers, a new CF director, and a new music director working on Christmas Eve services; it helps that we all have been through an annual cycle!

In a Congregational Conversation on June 15, the Leadership Council found members’ opinions evenly divided between launching a full national search and using a search committee to interview Jake Joseph before a full national search. As I have told the Search Committee, regardless of the outcome not everyone will be happy…and that’s okay. A Search Committee is not meant to make people happy; it is intended to listen for a sense of whether a particular candidate is called by God to serve a particular congregation. Thanks for understanding this!

Our Leadership Council voted to move forward with a national search for our full-time associate minister position, and our Nominating Committee moved a slate of Search Committee members, whom members elected at a congregational meeting on September 20. Under the leadership of Elaine Kim, the search committee is off to a good start and is currently working on the Local Church Profile. (See the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall, which charts our progress.) It is a lengthy process, which is frustrating for some of us, so I would ask for your patience.

In terms of hand-on ministry, this year I formed a small group that meets weekly to journey together through Brian McLaren’s We Make the Road by Walking, and a Sunday evening group has organized as well. This answers part of the strategic plan’s call for spiritual practice.

Pilgrimage enables first-hand spiritual experience as well. One of the highlights of the year for me was the opportunity to lead a pilgrimage to Ireland with Jane Anne Ferguson, Sarah Crossan, and John Dominic Crossan. It is something we had planned for several years, and getting to lead it with Dom Crossan, one of my mentors and heroes, was almost unbelievable. The pilgrimage reinforced for me and for others the key lessons Celtic Christianity has to share with regard to human nature, the gifts of creation, and seeing the face of God in the everyday. (Try one of our Celtic Christianity small groups at Plymouth if this sounds interesting to you!)

I was also very fortunate to be invited to participate in the UCC’s first CREDO conference in September. Sponsored by the UCC Pension Boards, the program was pioneered by the Episcopal Church and aims to help mid-career clergy find ways to keep their ministry sustainable. I connected with a group of three other UCC clergy with whom I stay in touch for help being accountable to three goals for my ministry: 1) Get healthy; 2) Get grounded; 3) Do more ministry that involves teaching, writing, transformation, community, and adventure. (See the January Placard for more.)

Christianity in America is under pressure to transform into something new, and no one is quite sure what that is. Most mainline churches have been shrinking since the 1960s, but for some reason Plymouth has not. As Fort Collins continues to grow, and as CSU continues to grow, I think God will call us to grow, too. We have a critical role as the voice of progressive Christianity in the region. Thanks for being part of what God is doing at Plymouth!

Shalom!

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Director of Music/Organist Annual 2015 Report I cannot believe it has already been two years since I joined Plymouth. I am so grateful for every individual choir member, bell choir ringer, and all the volunteer musicians who have shared their gifts and time. The music program at Plymouth would not have been so successful without their dedication. I am deeply touched by the wonderful partnerships the staff share, and words cannot describe the support and trust I have received from Hal, our senior minister. The Chancel Choir sings during the school/program year. We currently have 50 singers on our roster, and an average of 30 singers each Sunday. We have sung various choral literatures, ranging from Baroque to Contemporary. We have worked with four different guest conductors to enhance our experience with various leadership styles. We have sung with organ, piano, string quartet, African drums, cello, and brass quintet. We had a choir exchange with Foothills Unitarian Church in April 2015. We have sung Ubi Caritas by Ola Gjeilo, & Kyrie by Rene Clausen. There were 80-something voices altogether. It was a transcending experience. We are planning yet another joint project this year and hope to continue this as our new tradition. The Plymouth Ringers bring the sound of bells to worship once a month at both 9 and 11 a.m. services. We currently have 10 ringers and a few substitute ringers. The group uses a three-octave set of Schulmerich Bells. We have explored a range of music from Latin Dance to authentic African style. The skill of this group has matured so much. We have mastered some new techniques. We keep exploring using bells in a different way to incorporate during our worship. We have so many talented Volunteer Musicians in our congregation. I am so proud to let you know that our choir is fully staffed by volunteers. We also have volunteer violinists, flutist, and pianists in addition to our very talented singers. We have begun many good relationships with Professional Musicians drawn from an area spanning from Denver to Montana. They were all truly touched by the warm welcome and support from our congregation. They have become part of our Plymouth Music Ministries family. In collaboration with Plymouth’s Children and Youth Ministries, we have explored musical opportunities for children and youth. Plymouth Little Ringers is going strong under Kathee Houser’s leadership. They play quarterly. Mandy Hall, Director of Christian Formation for Children and Youth, has worked to include a musical opportunity during Sunday school rotation. Our children sing or play what they have learned during our worship services. We also have included a few youth during worship service as musicians and liturgists. We will continue to explore more opportunities for children and youth to participate in worship.

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Our music program continues to grow and bloom. My personal philosophy is that there is no ordinary Sunday, and that the combination of great liturgy, a meaningful message, and spiritual music together creates powerful worship for all of us. Thank you for taking this musical adventure with me for the year of 2015. My deepest gratitude, Jieun Kim Newland Director of Music/Organist

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Director of Christian Formation (Adults), Rev. Dr. Mark Lee This has been a year of significant changes in the adult Formation programs. The Christian Formation Board dissolved the old Adult Ed Ministry Team, to experiment with new ways of developing and delivering programs. A focused planning retreat and a revitalized Forum MT have served us well this year. In April, we had a daylong workshop to plan the fall semester by all those who have taught in adult ed programs. Having the teachers doing the planning would shrink the gap between idea creation and program staffing. It was hoped to get more voices to the table, and tap the talents of those who might never come to a monthly ministry team meeting. I was delighted when a large and diverse group gathered, and they got so fired up that they sketched out not just the fall, but the entire program year through next May! We’ll do this again later in the spring. The Forums have long been one of our premier programs, offering the chance to hear from a variety of voices on a drop-in basis. But sometimes it resulted in a cool-cause-of-the-week or introducing a complex topic without spiritual depth nor follow-up. It also required the development of 16 different, disconnected, programs per semester. With the help of the Formation Board and church staff, we re-visioned the Forums from the ground up. So we now plan forums around a month-long theme and provide explicit spiritual framing. Each week’s program still stands on its own, though people benefit from attending the whole series. For some months, we have invited other Ministry Teams to share their passion at depth with the congregation. A small Forums Ministry Team coordinates these efforts and produces the programs in the months not overseen by another MT (great thanks to Hermi LaPoint, Judy Lane & Ken Freese!) This year’s Visiting Scholar Program was again a fulfilling ministry. At the first of the year, Jake Joseph helped us secure Womanist theologian Dr. Andrea White, then professor at Emory and now at Union, to address us about issues of race. Shocking national events – riots, police violence, racially motivated murders, and the entire #blacklivesmatter movement -- confirmed to us that we had to engage these issues in light of our faith. Knowing that this is a difficult topic, and would be a challenge for us as a largely white, liberal, middle-class congregation, we offered a variety of programs to help us into the topic. We had special evening discussions, several Forums, Sunday school classes, read novels and theological works, and met in homes for discussion. I was gratified to see the maturing level of discussion around race through the year!. The program itself was excellently coordinated by Jack McGrew and his team. Slightly over 100 people attended the weekend, a significant number from beyond Plymouth. As expected with an unknown speaker on a tough topic, we used part of our profit from Borg’s and Crossan’s years to subsidize the program. Looking ahead: our Music Director Jieun Newland has secured Iona musician John Bell for us in June 2016! I was glad to be able to facilitate or assist with a variety of elective programs this year, including the “Painting the Stars” series, the Sunday evening group at Wild Boar, and special preparatory discussions for our Visiting Scholar lecturer. I also took OWL training and am currently assisting with the Jr. High OWL class. I thank Plymouth for allowing me to serve outside the church as well. This year, I was the “Scholar in Residence” for the Lutheran Campus Ministry at CSU, doing a series of workshops and guest preaching. I have continued as the Rocky Mountain Conference ONA Coordinator, consulting with churches on their ONA processes. I have recently been elected to the Platte Valley Association Church & Ministry Committee, which mainly deals with clergy credentialing. And you gave me a fascinating retreat at Ring Lake Ranch with Diana Butler Bass and Brian McLaren. My greatest thanks go to all who share their gifts and talents by teaching, facilitating and coordinating our educational programs! Here is this year’s list of their work: Study Groups: Animate: Practices (Laura Nelson, Annie Kreig & Max Kellog) The Gospel of John (12 weeks) (Wayne Carpenter, Mark Lee) Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most, by Marcus Borg (Art Rooze & Mary Mosier) Learning to Walk in the Dark, by Barbara Brown Taylor (Ken Freese) Embracing Interfaith Cooperation: Eboo Patel on Coming Together DVD (Rev. Rich Thompson, Laura Nelson) Are We All Experts Now?, by Harry Collins (Jim Poole) Survey of Womanist Theology (Laura Nelson) Embracing Spiritual Awakening DVD, by Diana Butler Bass (Rev. Rich Thompson & Bill Tucker) Maybe Let’s Not Build A Wall! (Immigration issues) (Linda Mahan, Alan McLarty, & Arpi Miller) The Unfolding Drama of the Bible, by Bernard W. Anderson (Rev. Rich Thompson) The Art of Aging (Ruth Long & Claudia DeMarco)

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Forums: The Why and How of a New Translation of the Bible (Common English Bible) (Dr. David Petersen) Who We Are and What Can We Say? Re-engaging With America’s Race Issue (Rev. Dr. Mark Lee) Monks, Manuscripts & Sermons in Stone: Early Medieval Celtic Monastic Art (Rev. Hal Chorpenning) The Conversation Project: End of Life Discussions (Dr. Janet Seeley) Voices that Shape Progressive Christianity: Paul Tillich (Rev. Dr. Curt Minter) Getting Our Hands Dirty: One Church’s Story of Flood Response (John Rostykus, Longmont UCC) Food for Thought: You Can’t Think on an Empty Stomach (Dr. Mary Hill, FRCC) Where Faith Takes You (David & Mary Stewart) Voices that Shape Progressive Christianity: Henri Nouwen (Rev. Rich Riddoch) Working With Immigrant Children & Families: (Abbie Jordan, RMAIN) The Metamorphosis of a Mission Project (Tom & Paul Dille) Progressive Theological Voices: Womanist & Feminist Theologians (Laura Nelson) Budget Politics And The Environment (John Fisk) Introduction to the Enneagram, Parts 1 & 2 (David Starkweather) Progressive Theological Voices: The Songs of Brian Wren (Marcia Worcester) Forum series on Race: Breaking Barriers: From “Other” to “Brother” (Rev. Dr. Mark Lee) Finding Grace in the Midst of Fire (President Obama’s Charleston Eulogy I) (Jake Joseph) In the Light of Grace, What Ought We Do? (Charleston Eulogy II) (Mark Nelson) I’m Really, Really, ‘White:’ What Does That Mean and How Can I Legitimately Talk About Race? (Betsy Bedient) Forum series on Food: Memory and Hope Between (Eucharist) (Rev. Dr. Curt Minter) Hunger and Help on our Doorstep: The Food Bank for Larimer County You CAN Make A Difference: Cans Around the Oval From Field & Supermarket to Kitchen & Plate (Panel) Forum series on Spiritual Practices: Practice, Practice, Practice based on Christianity for the Rest of Us (Rev. Dr. Mark Lee) Stitch By Stitch: Praying With Our Hands (Prayer Shawl Ministry) Step by Step: Understanding Pilgrimage (Rev. Jane Anne Ferguson, Fran Milde & Irene Wheritt) One Step at a Time: 12 Steps to Recovery (Ref. Jim Taylor) Step by Step: The Spirituality of Labyrinth ((Jake Joseph) Forum series on Homelessness: The What & Why of Homelessness (Betsy Bedient, Jake Joseph) Homelessness Prevention Initiative (Joyce Devaney, Ruth Lieurance, Adam Holdorf, Bob Jeffries) Faith Family Hospitality (Marti Marsh & Scott Houser) Summer Book Groups: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness, by Michelle Alexander Just A Sister Away: A Womanist Vision of Women’s Relationships in the Bible, by Renita Weems Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison The Color Purple (movie), by Alice Walker Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race & Being, by M. Shawn Copeland The Black Christ, by Kelly Brown Douglas Elective Groups: Painting The Stars – An Environmental Theology from Living the Questions DVD series Theology & Drink at the Wild Boar (various topics) We Make the Road by Walking, by Brian McLaren

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AYearInReview:ChristianFormationforChildrenandYouth

AsIlookbackon2015Ican’thelpbutsmile.Thepastyearhasbeenfilledwithfunnystoriesofkidsdoingsillythings,teenagersracingdownhillsonblocksofice,lip-syncbattles,boardgameswithallages,guessingwhat’sinthediaper,andpizza,lotsofpizza.We’veputquiteafewmilesonthechurchvanthroughroadtripstoDallas,LaForet,andDenver.ThechildrenhaveexploredGodthroughcreationandgoneonaJourneyThroughGenesis.TheConfirmationclasshasbeenbowlingandattendedaCatholicMass.Thankyouforallofyoursupportthroughthesevariousadventures.

WiththehelpoftheACTS(Attract,Connect,Train,andSupport)MinistryTeam,wehavebeenabletorecruitsomeamazingvolunteersforchildrenandyouthministries.EverySundaymorningwehavemorethan10volunteersleadingSundaySchoolforourpreschoolers,K-5thgraders,andmiddleschoolers.TheypreparelessonsandsharetheloveofChristwithourkidsthroughthediscussionandactivitiestheylead.WealsohaveahugegroupofvolunteersworkingwithouryouthduringYouthGroup.Everyvolunteerleaderbringssomethingspecialtothegroupandtogetherweareastrongdiverseteam.TheMiddleSchoolleadersworkwiththeparentstoleadmissionprojectsandfellowshipevents-buildingastrongcommunityandputtingfaithintoaction.TheHighSchoolleadersworktogethertoplandiscussionsandactivitiesforourteenstoexploretopicsthroughthelensofculture,church,andtheirpersonallives.Ourvolunteersallhavegiftsforministry,andwehaveworkedtogethertofurtherequipthemfortheirroleinministry.Wehavereadbookstogether,participatedinteambuilding,andutilizedthe‘GoodToGo’trainingvideos.Sometrainingshavegonegreat,otherswereagreatexperimentinwhatnottodo.IlookforwardtothefutureaswecontinuetobuildupstrongvolunteersforourministrywiththechildrenandyouthofPlymouth.

Afocusthisyearinbothchildrenandyouthministrieshasbeenoncreatingspaceforourkidstobeagentsofministry.Wehaveemphasizedopportunitiesforchildrenandyouthtoputtheirfaithintoaction.InSundaySchoolthekidshavemadeprayerblanketsandhatsforpeoplewhoarehomeless.MiddleSchoolersspendhalfoftheirmeetingsparticipatinginserviceprojects.ThisfalltheyfocusedonanimalsbymakingtoysforAnimalHouseandraisingmoneyfordifferentwildanimalsanctuariesinthearea.TheHighSchoolershavebecomemuchmoreinvolvedwithworshipleadershipthroughtheyouthliturgistanddeaconministries.TheyhavealsobegunpartneringwithothergroupsatPlymouth,suchasFaithFamilyHospitality.ChildrenandYouthMinistryisnotsimplyministrytochildrenandyouth.Insteaditisministryby,with,andforchildrenandyouth.Thisyearwehaveseenouryoungpeopleliveintotheirministries.Theyhavetakenstepstoliveouttheirfaithinmeaningfulways.MaytheHolySpiritcontinuetoblessandguidetheChristianformationofouryoungpeople.

GraceandPeace,Rev.MandyHallJ

DirectorofChristianFormation(ChildrenandYouth)

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Full Time Acting Associate Minister’s Report

What an adventure 2015 has been for Plymouth. I am blessed to be a small part of the team that helps equip this particular church for the work of worship, justice, and community building. While a lot of the conversations happening around the country within the Mainline Church often employ the vocabulary of atrophy and decline, those vocabulary lists have no place at Plymouth. Our vocabulary here is about activity and growth both spiritually and statistically. The first growth I have seen at Plymouth is in the two boards that I am honored to work with as your full time Acting Associate Minister: Outreach and Mission and Congregational Life.

Under the leadership of Board Chair Betsy Bedient, the Outreach and Mission Board has the most organized communications and financial structuring of any such board I have ever seen in the UCC or elsewhere. From the outset of 2015, Outreach and Mission started inviting its ministry teams to meet with the board and report to them in person. This has increased two-way communication between the board and its ministry teams, increased innovation, inspired new volunteers, and developed a sense of being accountable as a community between the ministry teams and the board. Recently, the board has started to offer prayers of blessing for its ministry teams as they visit to further inspire not only structural support but also spiritual solidarity with the ministry teams. This openness and steam of communication helps facilitate the conversations that led to Faith Family Hospitality at Plymouth becoming a host congregation. Please see the Outreach and Mission Board report for more information about the work that they have been about and the various projects throughout the region and world Plymouth is connected with through the work of these amazing volunteers.

One of my expectations as a UCC minister is to be involved with the denomination in some way beyond the local church. My way to meet this expectation is to serve as the Rocky Mountain Conference UCC’s representative to the Archway Housing and Service’s Development Board of Directors (AIC). Of all of the conferences throughout the UCC, the Rocky Mountain Conference provides more affordable housing that any other conference except Massachusetts. That is significant given the relative small size of our conference. We do this through our affiliate organization called Archway that was founded by UCC ministers a little over 30 years ago. While not yet in Northern Colorado, I am helping Archway explore multiple possibilities to someday partner with the wider UCC to provide affordable housing in our immediate area. The Outreach and Mission Board has also helped financially support Archway and most of our board members attended Archway’s 30th Anniversary event in Denver as the representatives there of the United Church of Christ.

Likewise, the Congregational Life Board has been equally vigorous. Under the leadership of Board Chair Lory Clukey, Congregational Life has become an active, hand-on board initiating many new congregation-wide activities at Plymouth this year. The All Church Directory (print copies coming soon), the revival of the All Church Picnic, the arrival of the delicious Pie Potluck, the return of the Art Show, and the great success of the first All Church Retreat since 2007 are all credited to the work of this dynamic and creative Board. The Congregational Life Board also helped revive the Pride Fellowship and funded and supported the formation of the new 345 Middle Adults Fellowship Group. While 2015 was a big year; the Congregational Life Board was only getting started. I am excited to say that by their December meeting the Congregational Life Board had already planned 2016 month by month, and they are not only repeating the successes of 2015 but adding to them with some exciting new Congregational Life events for 2016.

I have also seen immense growth in our communications. By early February of 2015, we had migrated from a desktop-based all church email system to a cloud system through the industry best practice “Mailchimp” as our platform. This allowed the addition of pictures and additional graphics in our emails. I was also charged with turning our Weekly Wednesday Updates into two separate weekly emails: The Tuesday Update and The Thursday Overview. The Tuesday Update is written by Hal, Jane Anne, or me and is designed as blog post about a spiritual or congregational topic. It is a

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space for reflection and thoughtful spiritual development. The Thursday Overview, which I custom design and create the copy for every week, is a virtual, interactive bulletin board with events, ministry team features, and community announcements that change weekly. These are cool tools for communication through the social media integration and weekly editorial plan I have been developing since the last Annual Meeting.

In addition to activating and monitoring our YELP account and other online reviews (we get between 10-20 views or referrals every two weeks through YELP), I worked to consolidate our social media accounts into a single and reliable Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, and Youtube online presence that is all searchable through Google and other search engines. Another new addition this year was the online registration option through Eventbrite for the Visiting Scholar program with Dr. White. This is exciting technology that we will continue to use to facilitate registrations for large events. Additionally, we have been conducting research on a new website overhaul and other ways of connecting online that should take effect in 2016. If you haven’t looked yet, take a look at all of your fabulous photographs in the new 2015 directory electronically available under “Member Info” on the website. It has been a big year for growth in Plymouth Communications. Of course, the part of my job that keeps me going in ministry and that reminds me why I went to seminary is the opportunity to preach and preside at Communion regularly at all three Plymouth services and facilitate pastoral care needs. Being present at weekly worship, helping process deep questions, presiding at weddings and funerals, and the day-to-day divine conversations with this congregation is what make ministry meaningful. It is this growth (the spiritual growth) that is greatest in my mind. It is also the side of growth that is impossible to measure, but it is the growth of which we are all deeply aware in this thriving, vibrant, growing congregation of faith and action in and through Jesus Christ. Your Acting Associate Minister, Jake Miles Joseph

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ACTING ASSOCIATE MINISTER REPORT - JANE ANNE FERGUSON

Dear Plymouth, This year has flown by! And what a joy it has been. Everyday I wake up so thankful that I have a job I love and the opportunity to work with the staff and congregation of this faith community. As I continue to grow more deeply into the personal relationships, the care, concerns and joys of Plymouth as well as the programming, processes and policies, I am continually delighted to discover the fervent faith and compassion of this community. Thank you for the opportunity to serve with you in ministry!

My duties in worship, pastoral care, stewardship and Christian formation are challenging and rewarding. I learned a great deal from all the lay and staff colleagues I worked with in these areas. Below are some highlights of the past year.

• JourneyingthroughtheyearwiththeStewardshipBoardwasacreativelearningcurve.NotonlywasIlearningthewaythatPlymouth“does”stewardshipandtalksabouttheuseofourtime,talentsandfinancialresources,IwasalsostudyingwiththeBoardthesociologicalandscientificbasesforgenerosity.Weintentionallystudiedgenerosityfromawiderangeofperspectivesinanefforttoengagethecongregationinmoremeaningfulconversationsaboutthespiritualpracticeofusingourmoney.ItwasanexcellentyearwithadedicatedBoard.Manythankstothe2015Co-chairsoftheStewardshipBoard,DavidPetersenandAnneJordan.IlookforwardtoworkingwiththeBoardof2016aswecontinuetobecomemoretheologically,ethicallyandpersonallyadeptatengenderinggenerosityatPlymouth.

• Wehaveadevotedgroupoflayvisitorsinourcongregation,ourCalling/CaringVisitorsandSupportVisitors.Calling/Caringvisitorskeepourfolkswhoareunabletogettochurchconnectedtous.SupportVisitorsaccompanythosewhoareincrisisalongtheirjourneysofbereavement,transitionandloss,illness,unemploymentanddepression.OurSuuportVisitorshadinsightful,prayerfulmeetingsthroughouttheyear.Ahalf-daytraining/retreateventwithahospicechaplaininOctoberwasheldforbothgroups.

• HelpingtofoundandsolidifyanAdultChristianFormationgrouponSundayeveningswasanotherhighlight.TheWildBoargroup(becauseitmeetsatWildBoarCoffeeshop)isonitsthirdstudytopicandhasdevelopedintoaself-ledgroup.

• Workingwithourconfirmationstudentsintheirweekendretreatonspiritualpracticeswasprofoundandjustplainfun!Ouryouthwanttotaketheirfaithseriously.Theyaskexcellentquestionsandhavebeautiful,solidinsightsintheirquestforunderstandingandconnectionwiththeHoly.

• Theworkofpastoralcareandcounselingisalwayshumblingandrewardingeveninthetoughestsituations.ThisyearIwalkedwithfolksthroughthejoyofbaptismsandweddings.Iaccompaniedothersduringend-of-lifedaysandsubsequentmemorialcelebrationswiththeirfamilies.Isatwithotherinthesorrowoverthedissolutionofmarriagesaswellasindiscernmentofvariousspiritualissues.Manythanksandblessedtothosewhotrustedmeasacompanionontheirintimatejourneys.

• Whilepreachingandleadingworshipisalwaysablessing,ImustsaythatIhavetakengreatdelightingettingtoknowourchildrenandtheirfamiliesthroughtellingstoriesattheChildren’sTimeinworship.Suchjoy!Shouldonebeallowedtohavesomuchfunintheirwork?

Thank you sharing your lives and your ministries with me! May we listen together for God’s guidance as we serve together in 2016. And act upon what we hear and discern! Rev. Jane Anne Ferguson Acting Associate Minister

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LeadershipCouncilModerator’sReportfor2015

ItwasaneventfulandproductiveyearforPlymouth’sLeadershipCouncil.IwouldliketothankallmembersfortheirparticipationanddedicationtoPlymouth.TheseincludeHalChorpenning,RobertSturtevant,SharylHaas,NancyBryan,RonGraver,NinaBurkardt,LindaPreston,NicRedavid,andTerriSchulz.Iwouldalsoliketorecognizethecommitteesofcouncil,withoutwhich,wecouldnotdoourjob:Personnel,BudgetandFinance,Nominating,theadhocStrategicPlanningcommittee,theadhocAssociateMinisterSearchCommitteeandthenewlyformedBoardSupportTeam,andStadiumandProspectCorridorcommittees.Thankyoutoall.

Highlightsandaccomplishments:

1. TheStrategicPlanReport:TheadhocStrategicPlanningcommittee(JacqueAmweg,HalChorpenning,JillianHarrison,AnnaOlsen,TerriSchulz,WayneShepperd,BenSlocumbandNancySturtevant)collectedinputfromthecongregation,staff,leadership,andoutsidesourcestodevelopafiveyearplanforPlymouth.Theresultingreporttakesintoaccountchallengesandopportunitiesandthevisionofourchurch,andprovidesaclearguideforthenext5years.ThefinalreportwasacceptedbyleadershipcouncilandpresentedtothecongregationonJuly29,2015andtheLeadershipCouncilreceivedthoughtfulfeedbackfromthecongregation.

2. Staffing:JakeJosephandJaneAnneFergusonsettledinasactingAssociateMinisters.TheLeadershipCouncilwasresponsibleforoverseeingJaneAnne,andaperformanceevaluationwaspreparedwithher,andpresentedonSept29,2015.Theneedforbookkeepingassistancewasdiscussedandajobdescriptionwasdeveloped.MeredithGlover,aPlymouthmemberandCPA,generouslyvolunteeredtotakeontheseduties.

3. Processforcallinganewfulltimeassociateminister:ACongregationalConversationwasheldonJune15asanopendiscussionofoptionsforproceedingwiththesearchprocess.Theleadershipcouncilreceivedthoughtfulfeedbackfromthecongregation.Theleadershipcouncilvotedtoconductanexternalsearchforthefulltimeassociateministerposition.TheleadershipcouncilvotedinsupportoftheStrategicPlanningReport’srecommendationthatwehave2.5fulltimeministers.Thesearchprocessforafulltimeassociateministerwillbefollowedbyasearchprocessforaparttimeassociateminister.InSeptember,thenominatingcommitteerecommendedaslateofmemberstoformaSearchCommitteeforthefulltimeassociateminister.AcongregationalmeetingwasheldSeptember20andthecongregationvotedtoapprovetheSearchCommitteeslate.Atthecongregationalmeeting,anadvisoryvotewastakenontheleadershipcouncil’sdecisiontoincreasepastoralstafffrom2to2.5fulltimeministers.

4. PersonnelCommittee:JobdescriptionsweredevelopedandthenapprovedbytheLeadershipCouncilfortheDirectorofAdultChristianFormation,DirectorofChristianFormationforChildrenandYouth,SeniorMinister,andfulltimeActingAssociateMinister

5. Parkinglotcontracts:TomNeslerandtheTrusteesworkedtosecureparkinglotleaseswiththeLakeStreet(RamsCrossing)Apartments,andCSUstadiumconstructioncontractors.

6. StadiumandProspectCorridor:ThefeasibilityofconstructingaparkingstructurewasstudiedandareportwaspreparedbyDonBundyinOctober.Duetoexpense,aparkingstructurewillnotbepursuedatthistime.

7. ProgressiveEvangelismBoard:AnewboardwasformedinresponsetotherecommendationoftheStrategicPlanningCommitteeReport.ItsmissionanddescriptionwerefurtherdevelopedbyHalandapprovedbyleadershipcouncilinSeptember.

8. ChristianFormationBoard:Theboardwasdissolvedbyleadershipcouncilattheendof2015duetotheneedfornewdirectionandclarity.Thisistheonlyboardthatfunctionsinsupporting2staffmembers,MarkLeeandMandyHall.FormationoftheadhocChristianFormationBoardDesignTeamwasapproved,taskedwithre-definingandreconstitutingtheChristianFormationBoardin2016,andanoutsidegroup,MinistryArchitects,washiredtoprovideexpertiseandguidance.

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9. Annualthemeforthe2015-2016programyearwaschosen:“Welcoming”RespectfullySubmitted,JenniferLowry,Moderator1-10-16

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2015 Church Attendance Report January 1,199 February 1,016 March 1,576 April 1,481 May 1,398 June 861 July 782 August 1,194 September 1,087 October 1,283 November 1,521 December 1,919 __________________ Figures include Women’s Retreat and Men’s Retreat. Total for the year 15,317 Weekly Average (12 months) 295

Marriages and Baptisms

During the past year, our ministers officiated three wedding ceremonies and three baptisms. Weddings:

Melanie Singer & Jon Fisk Laurel Cripe & Doug Medina

Baptisms: Stella Elizabeth Sadd

6 funeral or memorial services were conducted by our pastors this past year. We hold in fond remembrance those who have entered eternal life:

Bob Rankin Patsy Manning Maxine Fahrenbruch John Henry Peck Ben Granger Roberta Kennedy Graham

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Membership Report December 31, 2015

Members as of January 1, 2015……………………………………………………… 674 Members received in 2015…………………………………………………………… 24 Reinstatement………………………………………………………………………… 0 New Confirmands…………………………………………………………………… 0 New Affirmands……………………………………………………………………… 0 Total 698 Members deceased…………………………………………………………………… 2 Transfers……………………………………………………………………………… 2 Members removed……………………………………………………………………. 16 Members placed on Inactive Status………………………………………………….. 3 Total 23 Members as of January 1, 2016……………………………………………………… 675 Infant and children baptisms………………………………………………………… 1 Adult baptisms………………………………………………………………………. 0 Weddings……………………………………………………………………………. 2 Funerals and memorial services……………………………………………………… 6

New Members Received – 2015

The following new members were received into the fellowship of Plymouth Church: February 15, 2015 Annie Freyschlag Sasha Steenson Doug Medina May 24, 2015 Karen Bandhauer Margaret Davis Claudia McLarty Todd Bandhauer Helen Koch Alan McLarty

Ruth Billington Fred Koch Connie Tibbetts Al Billington Beth LeVane Charlie Tibbetts

David Bohling Emma Levane Nusrat “Z” Zafreen Kim Bohling October 20, 2015 Carol Herbert Luiz Felipe Maceta Rhonda Sauer

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Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ Personnel Committee

Annual Report and State of Plymouth’s Staffing, 2015 In January 2015, the committee members were Wayne Carpenter, Interim Chair, Hal Chorpenning, ex officio, Bob Sturtevant, Leadership Council representative, Dan Graham, and Sara Myers. In July, Wayne resigned from the committee. Ruth Long accepted an appointment to the committee and Sara Myers became the chair. The committee has been working for the past year on revising and updating the position descriptions for all the church staff. In addition, they are standardizing the format for the descriptions and adding core competencies for each person. The latter are based on the work of Susan Beaumont and provide guidance for the annual staff performance reviews. After the committee worked on the descriptions, the chair met with each staff person to ask for his/her input regarding changes. The committee reviewed the descriptions again and the final versions were forwarded to Leadership Council. Thus far, the committee has finished the position descriptions for the Director of Christian Formation (Adults), the Director of Christian Formation (Children and Youth), and the Director of Music. The description for the Office Manager is currently under review. The committee made minor modifications to Jake Joseph’s Acting Association Minister job description, namely, adding responsibilities with the Board of Progressive Evangelism and deleting work with the Advertising and Public Relations Committee, which no longer exists. These changes were also sent to Leadership Council. The committee also made recommendations to the Budget and Finance Committee regarding 2016 compensation for the staff. The committee voted for a 1% cost of living adjustment based on the Denver/Boulder/Greeley consumer price index. Furthermore, the conference health insurance will increase by 5%. In addition, the committee has discussed the possibility of a new position in bookkeeping or accounting, the committee’s responsibilities outlined in the strategic planning report, the vacation of the Director of Music, a new type of performance review that will be implemented in 2016, insurance for the Office Manager, and ways the committee can be supportive of Hal. In 2016, one of the committee’s goals is to explore, with the Leadership Council, a further refinement of the committee’s responsibilities in the overall personnel management of the church’s staff. Respectfully submitted, Sara J. Myers, Chair

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2015 Annual Report of Congregational Life Board

We are grateful for the service of the following people on the board for 2015. Staff: Jake Joseph Leadership Council Liaison: Nic Redavid Board Members: Debbie Hamilton; Kathee Houser; Saralyn Laughlin; Jackie Schneider; Lory Clukey (chair). Our major focus this year was to increase opportunities for all church events to help create a stronger sense of an intergenerational community. We believe we were successful at this. We supported events that haven’t occurred in a few years. All Church Retreat at LaForet was well attended and perceived as a positive experience. Another retreat is planned for 2016. We also supported an outdoor service and picnic at Rolland Moore Park, also received positively. An Art Show highlighting talents of congregation members was held and appreciated. Other activities were: Valentine breakfast, Easter brunch, the first Pie Sunday, Advent Family Fun Night One challenge we identified was the scheduling of other activities at the same time all church events were offered. This created a competing demand. This concern was brought to Leadership Council who are in support of All Church events taking priority. In order to attempt to engage with our teams, we categorized them into: Ministry Teams, Fellowship Groups, and Small Groups. We assigned liaisons to be the board contact for each of these groups. While we had some success with clarifying which teams were active and who was the contact person, we also feel that we would like to build stronger relationships. Our plan is to have 3-4 groups/teams meet with the board throughout this next year. As a board we helped a representative from YUCCA brainstorm how to revitalize the group. They will return at our March meeting for followup. The board provided service my attending the information table in April and November. We supported a brainstorming event & pizza party for “middle aged adults” regarding fellowship needs. This has resulted in the Plymouth 345 fellowship group which has become quite active. A Star Wars Movie marathon was coordinated by this group. We have had Plymouth Pride and Friends of the Geller Center reengage as active teams. Two teams (Bread delivery and Greeters) will be incorporated into a new board: Evangelism and Outreach. We contacted and developed an association with Lifetouch to create a new photo directory. This project is almost complete and Rev. Jake Joseph need mega kudos for his time and coordination of this project. It has been an 8 month project. Ugh! As a board we have spent time this year looking at the budget allocated to this board. We soon realized that most of our budget went for the purchase of coffee. The board unanimously voted to identify a fair trade coffee product that is less expensive. We developed a budget request based on what the board needed for programs this year. Recommendations from the strategic plan were to have congregational life provide short retreats and other opportunities for spiritual exploration an addition to the current Healing Prayer Group and the two Celtic Christian Spirituality Groups. The board felt they were already addressing this through the centering prayer workshops, women’s mini-retreat, and the all church camp retreat. We also brainstormed several options to continue this charge (see minutes from 9/2/15).

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We continue to provide roses and cookies for new members. Congregational Connectors facilitated by Paula Dille and Jackie Wray has facilitated activities and helped new members identify how they might become engaged in our community. Events scheduled for 2016: Valentine Movie & Mardi Gras Lenten Devotional groups (facilitated by Jane Anne) Pie Sunday @ 3.0 Easter Brunch German Noodle Nacht Outdoor service & picnic Church Camp Retreat End of Summer Pot Luck Cider & Donuts Pie Potluck Advent Fun Night Events planned for 2017 Art Show and reception Our Goals for this coming year: To be a model of community as a board Connect and facilitate communication with all teams associated with Congregational Life Update brochures on teams to keep them current Coordinate All church activities and involve more members in carrying out these activities; develop better recruitment of volunteers Continue clarifying board tasks and member responsibilities as we participate in the governance operation of our congregation. Continue to listen to the congregation for needs and support the development of ministry teams or groups to support and meet those needs.

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Stewardship Board Annual Report—2015

This year the Stewardship Board's theme was generosity, which focused on our giving and pledging as integral to our relationship with God: our generous response to a generous God. The following individuals served on the Stewardship Board: Jane Anne Ferguson, Anne Jordan (co-chair), Eric Lea, Mark Nelson, David Petersen (co-chair), Linda Preston (Leadership Council liaison), and Keith Schulz. The board met on a monthly basis (2/2, 3/2, 4/6, 5/4, 6/1, 7/6, 8/3, 8/24, 10/5, 11/2, 12/7, 1/4). At its first meeting in February, the members shared their “Money Autobiographies”, reviewed the data about pledges for 2015, discussed what ministry teams might be needed for its work, and outlined some of its major tasks and who would have responsibility for them. Soon after that meeting, Anne attended a workshop, “Re-Thinking Stewardship,” sponsored by the UCC Rocky Mountain Conference, at which time she was introduced to M. Durall’s book, Creating Congregations of Generous People, which the Board used as a resource throughout the year. In March, the Board reviewed its Job Description, began analyzing pledge data (Eric), discussed the aforementioned book, discussed the Time and Talent Database (Keith), reviewed the responsibilities of the co-chairs, and began developing the calendar for the stewardship campaign, working backwards from the date of Stewardship Sunday, which had already been set. The word “Generosity” began to emerge as a possible theme for the campaign. (Unlike 2014, there was no church-wide theme for the year.) The meeting in April included discussion of chs. 3 and 7 in the aforementioned book, a more granular analysis of pledge data (Eric, David), and renewed discussion of the generosity as a possible theme, particularly as informed by the “Science of Generosity Initiative at the University of Notre Dame (www.generosityresearch.nd.edu). Anne identified a provisional calendar for the production of printed media, based on the date of the Kick-off Sunday and Stewardship Sunday. The brochure was to be mailed soon after Kick-Off Sunday. At the May meeting, Eric presented an analysis of the 2014 pledge data that Jane Anne had provided; Anne led discussion of chs. 1 and 2 of the book, Jane Anne announced that Nate Miller will preach the sermon on Stewardship Sunday. The Board also decided that all current pledgers should be thanked for their pledges. (A letter of thanks over Jane Anne’s signature was sent out to all pledgers along with the quarterly pledge report.) Keith demonstrated the Time and Talent database. Eric agreed to speak to the new members’ class (5/17) on the importance of pledging. The Board continued its analysis of pledge data in June. It seemed clear that Plymouth does not fit the typical church profile in which 20% of the members give 80% of the money. For example, at Plymouth, pledges above $5,000 are made by 14% of the pledgers and account for 40% of the total amount pledged. In addition, the Board refined the language about generosity, and created a detailed schedule for the Stewardship campaign, including the production of the brochure, dates for Placard articles. (Amy Norskog created the brochure.) Later in June, Anne and David met with Jake to discuss way in which the weekly digital Update and Overview could help with the Stewardship Campaign. As a result of this meeting, there were regular statements by the pastoral staff about generosity throughout the summer and fall digital publications. In July, the Board reviewed a report from Dianne Stober about the Time and Talent Ministry Team and concluded its analysis of pledge data. One important finding was that members in their seventies and eighties provide over one third of Plymouth’s pledge income and members in their sixties, seventies, and eighties provide over two-thirds of the pledge income. A major challenge is to increase pledging in earlier age cohorts. In

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addition, the Board revised the schedule and reviewed the “messages” for the brochure, monthly Placard articles, and social media. August saw the Board review and approve the Time and Talent Ministry Team’s Charter Covenant. In addition, the Board identified individuals who might be interviewed for the Overview and questions they could address and who might speak as “witnessing stewards.” The Board also refined drafts of messages for the brochure and Placard articles. The second meeting in August (rather than a meeting in September) focused on plans for Kick-off Sunday (food, message to children), bulletin inserts for 9/13, 9/27, 10/4, how to reach people who had not previously pledged. The Board also began planning for the post-Gratitude Sunday phase of the campaign, e.g., when to release names of those who had pledged, writing thank you notes (the thank you notes were printed and derived from the “look” of the brochure). Later in the month, Jane Anne began incorporating ideas from The Paradox of Generosity: Giving we Receive, Grasping we Love, a book that grows out of the Notre Dame Initiative, in her articles and, subsequently, in her sermon. At its October meeting, the Board debriefed the various elements of the stewardship campaign to date and fine-tuned the planning for Gratitude Sunday (e.g., pew cards, food) and for follow-up work. The Board’s work in November continued in this vein, with plans for continued announcements in worship services, follow-up communications, particularly with those who pledged in 2015, but who had not yet pledged for 2016. The Board also discussed potential new members to replace those who will be leaving the Board (Anne, David, Keith). Jane Anne reported that she would be meeting with Dianne Stober to discuss the relationship of Fellowship One to the Time and Talent Database. At its final meeting of the calendar year, the Board learned that at the beginning of December, 2014, Plymouth had received 210 pledges in the amount of $631,259 and with a “requested budget” of $711,000. In Dec of 2015, Plymouth had received 213 pledges in the amount of $655,337 with a “requested budget” of $796,000. Board members continue to write thank you notes. And the Board decided to follow up with communications to new members who had not yet pledged, those who had pledged in 2015 but not yet for 2016 and for all non-pledgers. An email was sent out to the last group in the second week of Dec. In addition, Jane Anne reported that Dianne Stober now had access to Fellowship One. The Board affirmed that it would meet on Jan 4, 2016. As of January 4, there were 235 pledges with a pledge amount for 2016 of $679,589. Major issues for Future Stewardship Boards:

• RelationshipofStewardshipBoardtoBudgetandFinanceCommitteeandthediscourseof“stewardshipgoals”

• DateforConsecration/GratitudeSunday—avoidColumbusDayweekendsinceattendanceislow• Technology—problemswithonlinepledgingandupdatingofwebsite• Adatabasethatwillallowforanalysisofpledgingbydifferingvariables

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Board of Trustees Annual Report – 2015

As is typical, the Trustees and friends spent countless hours maintaining, repairing, and improving our church building, grounds, and Parsonage. The year passed without any major failures, but several minor ones. Here’s a sample of our accomplishments:

- Springandfallcleanupswereasuccess,thankstoallwhohelped- Analysisofourenergyconsumptionandresultingchangesthatsubstantiallyreducedourutilitybills.- TouchuppaintingonexteriorofForumwingandoutdoorsteelrailing- Waspremovalinplayground- Replacementofhotwaterheaterfornorthwingandre-plumingtoconnecttokitchen- Fencerepair- ProtestofourtaxassessmentoftheParsonagethatreducedtaxesbyseveralhundreddollars- Parsonagefurnacerepairs,ventreplacements,andstovereplacement

The Memorial Garden Ministry team was formed this year and is off to a good start. The Environmental Ministry team Hosted Environmental Sunday on April 26 with Laura Nelson giving the sermon and seedling trees given to young folks. The team also hosted a forum, wrote several Placard articles, began an ink cartridge recycling program, and continued good work in the Fort Collins Climatewise program. Look for more forums coming from the Environmental team in February. As usual, the Friends of the Trustees were a critical part of our team. Friends usually take responsibility for one aspect of our property, such as heating/cooling, landscaping, the parking lot, or our van. Having an expert that continues their role for several years makes our church a better place at a lower cost. Please consider giving some of your time and talent to the Trustees as a friend of the Trustees. Contact Rob Haas if you’re interested in becoming a friend of the Trustees or a member of a ministry team.

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2015 Annual Report of the Planned Giving Committee of Plymouth Congregational Church, UCC

The Planning Giving Committee The Planned Giving Committee’s functions are

• Execute the Planned Giving and Endowment Fund Policy (the Fund Policy), approved by the Church in 2005 (and subsequently updated), consistent with our Plymouth Mission Statement

• Develop a planned giving ministry, including education of the congregation on the many alternatives of planned giving

• Secure planned gifts from members and friends for the Endowment Fund • Work with donors and make recommendations to Council on all gifts that are not part of

annual giving, a capital campaign or a special offering • Establish and administer Endowment Fund investments and distributions in compliance with

Fund Policy The Committee is a permanent appointed committee of the Church Council. Required distributions from the Fund are computed on a calendar year basis. Members The Committee consists of 5 regular members serving 3-year staggered terms, as well as the Sr. Minister (ex officio). All Members vote. Members are appointed by Council at its March meetings. Members may not serve more than 2 consecutive 3-year terms unless Council decides that a member’s legal or financial expertise merits an exception. The Committee members, their terms and roles in the fiscal year of 4/1/2015 to 3/31/2016 are Member Term Role this Year Caryl Beaty 4/1/2014 to 3/31/2017 (first full term) Hal Chorpenning Standing, Voting Member Senior Minister Bob Hoel 4/1/2015 to 3/31/2018 (second full term) Chair of Planned Giving Committee &

Chair of Investment Committee George Theodore 4/1/2013 to 3/31/2016 (first full term) Secretary Jane Thompson 4/1/2014 to 3/31/2017 (first full term) The Committee thanks Judy Barth for her years of service on the Committee including her outstanding leadership as Committee Chair. Because of term limit requirements, she retired from the committee in 2015. The Committee has one unfilled vacancy. The Plymouth Legacy Society Legacy Society members are church members and friends who are ensuring the future of Plymouth and its dynamic mission. In additional to supporting the church annually, they are donating a portion of their accumulated assets to Plymouth through their wills and other estate plans. Legacy Society Members are

JudyBarth,JanBaynton,WesandVerleyBoulton,PeteandJudyBullard,HalChorpenning,TomandPaulDille,LesandBarbaraFraley,JanetFritz,Rev.VictoriaGardener,TomandKarenGuter,HarryandCarolHalac,PhilandMarciaHoefer,BobandBarbaraHoel,SteveandAnnLundeen,ScottandMartyMarsh,JackandLizMcGrew,LarryandJanetMcCulloch,CurtandRuthMinter,GaryandAnnaOlsen,BobandNancySturtevant,DaveTenneyandJoAnneBennett,GeorgeandMariluTheodore,RichandJaneThompson,LorrieWagner,MarciaWorcester,andtwoanonymousmembers.

Information about planned giving and the Plymouth Legacy Society was distributed to church members and friends throughout 2015. Special thanks go to Caryl and Barry Beaty for graciously hosting at their home a dinner for prospective Legacy Society members.

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Please let Hal or members of our committee know if you have included Plymouth in your planned giving (wills, insurance, charitable annuities, stocks, real estate, etc.) of if you are just considering the possibility of doing so. We can provide you with highly useful planned giving materials and contacts. Making a difference through planned giving is incredibly satisfying and uplifting. Endowment Fund Distributions The Endowment Fund assets are held in the United Church Foundation. On January 1, 2015 the market value of the Endowment Fund totaled $94,494.49. On December 31, 2015 the market value totaled $94,824.80. The Endowment Fund consists of the following 5 accounts. Total market values for each account as of December 31, 2015 are

1. Wider Mission of UCC - $ 79,296.55 2. Christian Education - $ 1,006.97 3. Community Service & Outreach - $ 4,574.79 4. Infrastructure Improvement - $ 6,459.63 5. Worship, Music, and Art - $ 3,486.86 Total $ 94,824.80

The Fund Policy requires distributions to the Church committees responsible for the areas identified by the accounts, with the committees’ proposed plans to use those funds being subject to Council approval. Each committee is required to report back to the Planned Giving Committee by the end of the calendar year on how it used the funds. Payouts from the Fund are based on the average values of the Fund over the prior 3 years, and payouts are from 3 to 5% of that average value. The Planned Giving Committee decides annually on the % distributions within this range. The distribution percentage for 2015 was 3%. Payouts from the Fund first began in 2009 and have occurred every year since then. For special projects in 2015 the Board for Outreach and Mission received $2,329.64 from the Wider Mission of the UCC account. The distribution amounts for the other account funds were relatively small, and were waived by the recipient committees in accord with Fund Policy. Committee Actions As required by Fund Policy, the Committee met at least quarterly. During its September retreat, it developed its 12-month business plan including a 2016 spring educational series and a Legacy Society event. Audit and Quarterly Reports An internal audit by the Plymouth Audit Committee is conducted annually. As required by Fund Policy, the Committee submitted quarterly investment statements for the Fund to Council. Submitted by Bob Hoel, Chair Dated: January 8, 2016

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ChristianFormationBoardAnnualReport2015

2015 Overview: The role of the Christian Formation Board is to assist persons of all ages in their life-long faith journey by helping them to understand the Bible, understand the traditions of the church, provide support in faith development, and encourage members to engage critically with issues of importance. The Christian Formation Board is responsible for creating a vision for Christian Formation, and for creating and supervising Ministry Teams that design and implement Christian education programs. The Board grew out of the Youth and Adult Education Committees when we adopted the new Governance structure in 2012. From 2012-2014, the Board focused on development of the Christian Formation vision, on maintaining continuity with our Interim Children and Youth Education Ministers, and on issues relating to the role of the Board under the new Governance structure. In 2014, a new Director of Christian Formation, Mandy Hall, and two new Interim Associate Ministers, Jane Ann Ferguson and Jake Joseph, were hired. Having completed most of the visioning work in 2012-2014, in 2015 the Board sought to transition to other activities and set new directions with the new staff and ministers. The Board did have a number of accomplishments in 2015, as summarized below. We also struggled to clarify the role of the Board, relative to the roles of church staff, and ultimately decided to temporarily dissolve the Board at the end of 2015; the issues and Board status are also summarized below. Major Accomplishments in 2015: In 2015 the Christian Formation Board achieved the following accomplishments: • Adult Education Ministry Team. In 2015 the Board and staff decided to revise the approach for

recruitingstudygroupleadersandforselectingstudygrouptopics.Underthenewapproach,anumberofexperienced studygroup leaderswere recruited tobecome theMinistryTeam. Aplanning retreatwasheld inApril2015wherethegroupof leadersmetandplannedoutaseriesofstudygroups. Thisplan was put in place in the fall of 2015, and this new team continues to support our Sunday AdultEducationprogram.

• ForumMinistryTeam.In2015wesoughttobringastrongeralignmentbetweenourForumtopicsandtheotherChristianFormationlearningprogramsatPlymouth.Astrategicplanningsessionwasheldwiththe Board and with staff: a strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat (SWOT) analysis wasconductedthatresultedintheidentificationofanewapproachtotheForum.Underthenewstructure,athemeischosenbystaffeachmonththatintegrateswithotherongoingactivities;insomecasesotherMinistryTeamsare recruited to lead theForum(e.g., theenvironment).Thenewapproachwasput inplaceinthefallof2015andbeenasuccess.

• Visiting Scholar Ministry Team. In September 2015, Dr. AndreaWhite was brought to Plymouth todeliverourVisitingScholarProgram.Duringthespring/summerof2015aVisitingScholarMinistryTeamwasputinplacetotakecareoftheplanning.Theministryteamwasverysuccessfulaputtingtogetherastrongprogramthatwaswellreceived.

• NewNurturingFamiliesinWorshipMinistryTeam.Feedbackwasprovidedthatfamiliesparticipatinginworshipsometimesneedsassistancetohelpkeepthewholefamilyengagedduringthemainservice.Anew Ministry Team was formed to help provide information on ways families can participate in theserviceandtoprovideworshipkitswithengagingactivitiesforchildrenandyouth. JudyLeathermanisleadingthisnewministryteam.

• NewLibraryMinistryTeam.In2014asignificantnumberofbooksweredonatedtoPlymouthincludingGeorgeWorcester’scollection.ItwasdecidedthataPlymouthLibraryneededtobeestablishedsothatPlymouthmembers can take advantageof thesewonderful gifts. Thenew librarywasput in place in2015intheFiresideRoom.SaraMyersisleadingthisnewministryteam.

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• NewOWLTrainingSupportMinistryTeam.AnOWLteachertrainingprogramwasorganizedandhostedat Plymouth in the summer of 2015. This included teachers from Plymouth aswell as teachers fromother local and regional congregations. Someparticipants had to travel to Fort Collins to receive thetraining. The Board helped to recruit a new supportministry team to assist with logistics, food, andfindinghostfamiliesforoutoftownguests.

• TeacherAppreciationDay. TheChildren, Youth, andAdultChristianEducationprograms completedasuccessful year in May 2015. The Board helped to host the Teacher Appreciation Day in May toacknowledgethehardworkbymanyvolunteerteachers.

• Christian Education Position Descriptions. The recruitment of volunteers to our Children and YouthEducationProgramsisanannualchallenge.Partoftheissueisthatvolunteersdonotalwaysunderstandthecommitments.Tohelpstreamlinetherecruitingprocess,andtohelpcommunicateexpectations,theDirectorofChristianFormationdevelopednewpositiondescriptionsforthevariousvolunteerpositions.TheBoardreviewedthesedescriptionsandprovidedfeedbacktoclarifythedocuments.

• BoardMembershipCommitmentsCompleted.AmyNorskogandJudyLeathermancompletedtheirtwo-yearpositionsin2015.

Christian Formation Board Status: Christian Formation is unique in our church organization because we have two staff members who are responsible for carrying out the programs in this area. When the current governance structure was designed, this overlap between the Board’s and the staff’s responsibilities, and the confusion this would cause, was not anticipated. The duplication of the Board’s role and the staff’s the role in overseeing Ministry Teams and groups that deliver educational programs was satisfying neither to the Board or the staff. In October 2015, the Leadership Council decided to temporarily dissolve the Christian Formation Board at the Board’s request. The Council created an ad hoc committee, called the Christian Formation Design Team, to determine the best way forward to support the Christian Formation mission and to meet the Board’s responsibilities as specified in the Constitution under the new Governance structure. The Team is working with a consultant, Ministry Architects, who will lead them through an evaluation and design process during 2016. They will survey various stakeholders to identify new ideas in how best to organize Plymouth’s Formation work. The goal will be to design a new supportive structure that will provide rewarding experiences for the Ministry Team volunteers and Board members as well as those receiving the Christian Formation programming. The Leadership Council believes that this restructuring of the Board is a positive sign of our governance structure that allows for these adjustments as needed. Updates on the progress of the Christian Formation Design Team will be provided throughout 2016.

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Annual Report of the Board of Deacons 2015 Plymouth deacons serve our church family through our service at worship, which in 2015 included the two Sunday morning services and 3.0 Sunday evening. The deacons work with the ministers, staff, and congregation to enrich worship, support our Plymouth members and friends at weddings and funerals and in the yearly Calling and Caring ministry, and keep in close touch with the seminary students we sponsor. The deacons for 2015 were Megan Emmerich, Sally Gilmore, Christian Kozlowski, Jan McIntosh, Tom McIntosh, Karen Nesler, Lori Pandy, Rick Riddoch, Carol Rooze, Kevin Schneider, Marilu Theodore, and Curtis Wray. Thanks for the service of Jan, Tom, Kevin, Lori, Christian, and Curtis who will complete terms. Also, thanks for the help of Saralyn Laughlin who filled a vacant deacon position. Thanks for the special work of those listed below:

Deacon and usher scheduling: Marilu Theodore Calling and Caring: Jan McIntosh Liturgist scheduling: Marty Marsh Supplies: Kevin Schneider Soup suppers: Lois Vargas Deacon Chairperson: Curtis Wray Sunday communion supplies: Megan Emmerich

Youth Deacons: Logan Haas, Maggie Houser, Katrina Nelson, Lucas Nelson Thanks to Jieun Newland and Plymouth’s choir for quality music and to the many audio engineers for their expertise with the sound and lighting systems. Five ministry teams provided the deacons with help in different areas of our service. They include 1. Liturgists 2. Ushers 3. Calling and Caring 4. Soup supper volunteers 5. Chancel Guild Thanks to all of these team members who supported us. Highlights of 2015:

• Forweeklyserviceswepreparedandsetupcommunionelements,madecoffee,setuptheFellowshipHall,greetedandusheredchurchattendees,recordedPrayersofthePeople,countedweeklyattendance,andcountedandrecordedtheweeklyofferingfordeposit.

• WepreparedthesanctuaryforandassistedwithnumerousspecialservicesonAshWednesday,PalmSunday,Easter,Pentecost,WorldWideCommunionSunday,JubileeSunday,Totenfest,andChristmasEve.

• WeprovidedasoupsupperforattendeesbeforeAshWednesdayandMaundyThursdayservices.• Itwasanhonortoassistwithfunerals,weddings,andbaptisms.• Weworkedwithandsupportedourin-caremember-in-discernmentLauraNelsonasshemove

throughtheprocessofeducation,examination,andordinationthroughthePlatteValleyAssociationoftheRockyMountainConference,UCC.AfteranexaminationinNovember,werecommendedLauratotheAssociationforthenextstepsintheordinationprocess

• EachmonthadeaconwrotethecolumnDeacon’sBenchforthePlacard.• Wereplacedthewaxcandlesinthesanctuarywithoil-basedcandles,whichburnmorecleanlyand

requirelessmaintenancethanwaxcandles.• WiththehelpoftheChancelGuild,weaddedrockingchairsinthebackofthesanctuary.Wealso

addedprayernotecardsinthepewsforwrittenprayers. Respectfully submitted for the Board of Deacons Curtis Wray, Chairperson

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OUTREACH AND MISSION BOARD ANNUAL REPORT 2015

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO The Outreach and Mission Board’s mission to reach beyond the four walls of Plymouth is integral to who we are as people of faith responding to God's call to create a new realm based on shalom –peace, justice, and wholeness. 2015 Board members included Adam Redavid, Marty Marsh, Marge Morgan, Jay Rourke, Amy Zwahlen, and Betsy Bedient, Chair. Nancy Bryan was the Leadership Council liaison. Each Board member served as a liaison to several of its 14 Ministry Teams; representatives of the Ministry Teams met with the Board during their monthly meetings, to share their activities and allow the Board members and Ministry Team members to get to know each other. The Board and several of its ministry teams organized and hosted the December Adult Education Forum focused on homelessness. HOW WE SPENT YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS BUDGET. Each year the Board is responsible for dispensing Plymouth’s Outreach and Mission budget, which was $9900 for 2015. On-going recipients of budgeted amounts include Catholic Charities ($600), HPI for the volunteers’ phone ($400), Interfaith Council ($2075), Murphy Center ($1500), One Village One Family ($1500), UCC Open and Affirming Coalition ($400), and Bread for the World ($300). Crisis Discretionary Funds were used to support the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network’s representation of immigrants and children at the immigration courts in Denver and the UCC’s disaster fund to assist the Syrian refugee crisis. Outreach Discretionary Funds were used to support our own ministry teams’ activities and organizations (FFH, McKinney Backpack, Alternative Giving Fair, International Hour for Peace), as well as the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado (providing a liberal Christian message on social issues such as immigration, gun control, and abortion), Child Safe (treatment center for victims of child abuse), the Boys and Girls Clubs of Larimer County (providing after school and vacation programs and mentoring support for children in need), and Spirit of the Sun (improving tribal economies and native communities on more than 20 reservations and the Denver Indian Center). ENDOWMENT INCOME. The Board is also responsible for deciding how to spend the payout amount of the Endowment Fund designated for Outreach and Mission. This year that fund, which was $2329.64, was given to Archway Housing & Services, Inc. Archway is a faith-based nonprofit affiliated with the United Church of Christ, which helps build and support service-enriched (supportive) affordable housing for low to moderate income families. So far its six housing communities are in the metro-Denver area, but the organization is looking to expand its program into the Fort Collins, which is part of the UCC Conference area. OUR BUSY FOURTEEN MINISTRY TEAMS The Alternative Giving Fair, under the leadership of Eva Wallace, supported 16 vendors from around the world. The Fair was held November 21 and raised nearly $13,000 for the participating organizations. Twelve Plymouth volunteers helped with the Fair this year. Plymouth participated in the annual Fort Collins Crop Walk under the leadership of Art and Carol Rooze. Crop Walk’s purpose is to call attention to the food needs of people in Fort Collins, the United States, and around the world, and to raise funds to combat hunger. Approximately 8 Plymouth members participated in the event and Plymouth members’ donations contributed

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approximately $1050 to the Fort Collins total donations of over $16,000. Church World Service contributed about ¼ of the total funds raised to the Larimer County Food Bank; the rest went to various Church World Service national and international projects, such as feeding refugees and assisting poor villages in obtaining wells for good water. This ministry team is seeking new leadership for 2016. Plymouth members and friends, through The Giving Tree project, under the leadership of Sara Myers and Joyce DeVaney, provided Christmas gifts to 67 children from 27 families recommended by La Familia/The Family Center and Bennett Elementary School as well as hundreds of diapers and thousands of baby wipes to The Family Center. The tree went up on November 21, and all the families were spoken for on the first Sunday. The nature of the Bennett Elementary School Partnership program changed in 2015. During this year, the Poudre School District discontinued its formal Faith Community Volunteer Program. However, members of the Plymouth Bennett Elementary School Ministry Team, under the leadership of Mary Kay Graver, continued their involvement with the school: collecting school supplies during the month of August, providing an appreciation breakfast on a fall in-service day to Bennett’s teachers, including Bennett families in the Giving Tree, and mentoring and tutoring students. Volunteers are always welcome. The Immigration Ministry Team, under the leadership of Linda Mahan, conducted an informative six-week Adult Education class during the fall, and continued to keep its extensive mailing list informed about current immigration issues. A planned June workshop in connection with La Fuerza Latina, a Fort Collins immigrant rights organization, designed to help individuals with applications for a new Obama Administration program to give temporary legal status to additional undocumented individuals had to be cancelled because the program is being held up by litigation. The Ministry Team hopes to sponsor films and conduct additional programs during this next year. The Global Ministries Ministry Team, focused on global issues, under the leadership of Eileen Dornfest, was very active in 2015. Its members hosted two Ethiopian-themed dinners in March to raise funds for the Lango Kindergarten in Ethiopia, raising over $1300.00 from 42 attendees. They hosted Gary Luallin, a UCC missionary based in Ghana, who preached at the 3.0 service and gave a presentation to over 40 people at the potluck dinner following the service. They sold Mother’s Day cards to raise over $200 to help support two students at Rawdat Al Zahir School in Rawdat, Palestine (Occupied Territories). The Ministry Team’s table at the Alternative Giving Fair raised $1640 for both schools. This ministry team is seeking new leadership for 2016. The Interfaith Council Ministry Team, under the leadership of Mary Kay Graver, continued to write an article for each month’s Placard about the activities of the Interfaith Council of Fort Collins, of which Plymouth and many other faith communities and non-profit entities are members. In addition to the grants distributed by IFC, IFC established a relationship with CSU to hold an Interfaith Thanksgiving Dinner for both the campus and the larger community and a seminar on affordable housing with a distinguished panel. Plymouth hosted one of IFC’s monthly meetings in 2015. Plymouth member Rich Thompson retired as the President of IFC in 2015 and Plymouth member Laura Nelson will serve as the next IFC President. Plymouth members are welcome to attend any monthly meeting, each of which is focused on a social issue relevant to Larimer County.

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The Peace with Justice Ministry Team, which is seeking additional leadership, made sure that prayers for international issues related to peace and justice, were offered at each of the three services, in order to educate and engage Plymouth members in shaping public policy in keeping with God's vision of a just and loving society. It sponsored the 25th annual Fort Collins International Hour for Peace celebration, held this year at Unity Church of Fort Collins, at MST’s equivalent of noon Greenwich Mean Time (4:45 am), in which a wide variety of individuals and community organizations took part.

The McBackpack Ministry Team continued to provide volunteers once a week to McBackpack’s weekend food bag program, a partnership among the program, the Poudre School District, and the Larimer County Food Bank. The program’s goal is to provide weekend food for children in need who are enrolled in the school district. The volunteers pack the weekend food bags on Thursdays and deliver them to the participating schools so the children can take the bags home from school on Fridays. According to point person Sharyl Haas, during the 2014-15 school year the program packed and delivered nearly 9000 bags, helping 1043 children in 48 schools; additional volunteers are always welcome. One Village One Family Ministry Team, under the leadership of Greg Rutherford, participates in a program started in 2014 by Fort Collins non-profit Homeless Gear, to support a homeless family to find housing and become self-sufficient. Plymouth’s Ministry Team’s members constitute one of the many “Villages” involved in the program in Fort Collins. In 2015 the Ministry Team started working with one family that turned out not to be able to continue in the program because its needs were too great. The Plymouth Village has been assigned a new family for 2016. Homeless Prevention Initiative Ministry Team, under the leadership of Joyce Devaney and Ruth Lieurance, screens calls and interviews HPI clients who need temporary help in preventing them from becoming homeless. Plymouth is one of the program’s four interview sites. In 2015, Plymouth’s team provided approximately 160 clients with assistance, including grants of up to $300, King Soopers gift cards, and referrals to some of the support services available in Fort Collins. A subgroup of this ministry team is Fellowship for a Cause, a group of Plymouth members who meet bi-monthly to donate to HPI. HPI Ministry Team members filled at least 6 tables at the annual fall HPI Soup Supper, one of HPI’s major annual fund-raisers. Grocery cards purchased by Plymouth members also support HPI. Additional volunteers are always welcome. Homeless Prevention Initiative Sleep Out Ministry Team, under the leadership of Bob Jeffrey, organized the annual vigil and sleep-out in the cold, to raise awareness of the presence of homelessness in Fort Collins, as well as to raise funds for HPI and gear for Homeless Gear. This year’s 11th annual vigil and sleep-out took place on December 5th and raised over $10,000 for HPI. 70 people from various faith communities attended the vigil and 25 youth and adults from Plymouth and Har Shalom participated in the educational program at Plymouth and slept out in the cold in cardboard boxes. The adults sleeping out included State Senator Kefalas, Amanda Hodge (executive director of HPI), and our own Reverend Hal Chorpenning. The two HPI-related ministry teams presented their work at one of the December Adult Forum sessions. Additional volunteers are needed to plan next year’s Vigil and Sleep-out.

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The Faith Family Hospitality Ministry Team, under the leadership of Scott Houser, served as a support congregation to partner church Heart of the Rockies Christian Church in 2015. Forty-six volunteers from Plymouth helped host four homeless families during 4 separate weeks. FFH provides temporary housing in participating host churches for four homeless families; volunteers clean and set up a room for each family, provide transportation, provide dinner, breakfast, and fellowship for the families each evening and morning, stay with the families overnight, and clean and pack up at the end of the week to deliver the supplies to the next host congregation. In the fall, the Board accepted the Ministry Team’s proposal to be a host congregation twice a year in 2016, again teaming with Heart of the Rockies. The FFH ministry team explained this proposal in detail at a December Adult Forum. Plymouth’s first time as a host church was the week of January 3rd, finally putting the church’s showers to good use on a regular basis while housing families in the classroom wing. Additional volunteers are always welcome. The Meals at the Mission Ministry Team, under the leadership of Mary Freese, supplies volunteers to help prepare, serve, and cleanup after meals at Catholic Charities homeless shelter, The Mission. Plymouth provides 10 volunteers at three two-hour shifts for the noon meal the third Sunday of every other month; approximately 38 Plymouth volunteers participated in 51 shifts. Additional volunteers are always welcome. The Outreach and Mission Board is grateful to the many Plymouth members and friends who participate in ministry teams, donate time and money, and encourage the outreach and mission of Plymouth Congregational UCC Church in Fort Collins and the world. Respectfully submitted, Betsy Bedient, Chair, Outreach and Mission Board

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PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH CONGREGATIONAL MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

Leader/Facilitator – Jen Lowry, Moderator of the Leadership Council, 2015 Time and Location – Following the 11 0’clock service in the sanctuary AGENDA 1. Opening Prayer – Hal Chorpenning, Senior Minister 2. Introduction – Jen Lowry -- Thanks to the nominating committee for its diligence reviewing applications and interviewing applicants for the search committee which will find a full time, settled associate minister for Plymouth. The committee included Nancy Sturtevant, Sally Gilmore, Eva Wallace, Carol Halac, Sue Yadon, Saralyn Laughlin and Hal Chorpenning. -- Thanks also to all members who applied to serve on the search committee. 3. Presentation of the nominated slate for the search committee – Jen -- The following members have been nominated: Hal Chorpenning, Linda Garton, Aaron McGrew, Anne Jordan, Marcia Hoefer, Logan Haas, David Bohling, Elaine Kim, and Keith Schulz. 4. Election of the Search Committee – Jen a) Nic Redavid moved and Tom Dille seconded that the congregation accept the slate recommended by the nominating committee. b) Discussion of the motion -- Nancy Tellez said, “I’d like to understand what Hal’s role as ‘ex-officio’ member means.” Hal responded, “According to the church’s constitution I have a full voice and role on every search committee.” -- Paul Smith said, “Having been on a search committee at another church where the pastor was not on that committee, I wish you luck trying to make a good decision without the pastor’s input.” c) The motion is called, a vote is taken, and the motion carries. The search committee for the full time settled associate pastor will be comprised of the nominated slate. 5. Pastoral Staffing – Jen a) Call for an advisory vote: -- Background: Both the Personnel Committee and the Strategic Planning Report support the idea of 2.5 ministers. However, the Leadership Council wants the congregation’s input on this matter. -- Mark Nelson asked, “Would we be looking for the full time and the half time associate ministers simultaneously or sequentially?” Jen answered that the full time position will be filled before we form a search committee for the half time position. -- Ken Freese asked how our current budget supports this plan. Jen explained in detail how this is the case. -- Kaki Woods asked whether or not we are expecting there to be a cap on the salary of the full time associate. Jen said, “No.”

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-- Tom Dille questioned, “Who develops the job description?” Jen responded that the Personnel Committee does that. -- Judy Leatherman asked, “What is the recommended number of ministers by the UCC, considering our weekly attendance?” Hal answered that the denomination makes no recommendations; our average attendance is 330 people a Sunday. Susan Beaumont recommends that a church have 2.5 ministers per 400 people attending each Sunday, but, unlike other UCC churches in our conference, Plymouth has three services instead of two. He acknowledged that Plymouth is low on administrative staff and high on program staff, but reported that the Leadership Council has recently authorized hiring a bookkeeper to work on a contract basis (not as regular staff). Hal went on to explain that because the congregation has chosen to have a relatively small sanctuary, we need multiple services each Sunday, which in itself increases the necessity for more ministers. -- Kay Lindgren then asked, “Who is on the Leadership Council? Personnel Committee?” Jen answered there are ten members of LC, including Hal, and there are five people on the PC. She gave the names of all the members of each group. -- Betsy Bedient remarked that in contrast to the past when churches had many volunteers and when having only one minister worked, now there are not as many volunteers and additional ministers are needed as a consequence. -- Tom Dille suggested that “… as the job descriptions are written, some board members, some few congregants and a staff person should have input.” -- Curtis Wray contributed, “More staff could train/plug-in/encourage more volunteers.” --Mark Nelson asked, “Is it possible to put a cap on ministerial salaries which might help?” b) Betsy Bedient moved that the congregation recommend to the Leadership Council and the Personnel Committee that we increase staffing to one full time settled associate minister and one half time associate minister. [Added to the current full time position of senior pastor, Plymouth would then have 2.5 settled ministers.] -- Al Sanders seconded the motion. c) Discussion of the motion -- Kathee Houser felt that ,”We are presumptuous to be thinking about a half time associate before the full time is hired.” She then asked if the congregation will see the job description for the full time settled associate. Jen responded, “Yes, and you can have input to that job description.” -- Joyce DeVaney said, “I am having trouble understanding the criteria we are using to decide whether we need 1.5 settled associate ministers.” Jen explained there is information on Plymouth’s website on this. Hal also pointed out that the current job descriptions are on the website, and he continued, “I need help doing three services a week. Right now we have a pretty high leveraged business model considering that because of Jake’s age we save money on his health insurance, and because Jane Anne is my spouse we don’t pay extra for her health insurance.” He also pointed out that the Personnel Committee works with the staff member to alter his/her job description. -- Wayne Shepperd added, “As a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, we strongly felt this organizational structure of 2.5 ministers should be made official.” d) John Lathrop then called the question, asking that we close discussion on the motion. Jen asked that all in favor of closing the discussion so signify, and everyone so indicated by saying, “Aye.” There were no dissenters. e) Jen asked those present to vote on the motion by raising their hands. Fifty-eight people voted “yes,” and nine people voted “no.” The clear majority affirmed Betsy Bedient’s motion to hire both a full time and a half time settled associate minister.

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6. New Business -- Tobey Yadon advised that we should be careful whom we choose to contract for bookkeeping. Jen explained that we will have good oversight and careful vetting, that the treasurer needs help, and that we also expect to add an assistant (or vice) treasurer, who will be a volunteer. -- Joyce DeVaney requested we continue revisiting the question of additional administrative staffing. -- Bob Sturtevant reassured the congregation that both the Leadership Council and the Personnel Committee “have ears, and we listen. So talk to us. We realize that a lot of emotion, love and care go into churches.” -- Betsy Bedient stated, “I made the motion to have 1.5 settled associates because I felt we were taking an ADVISORY vote. But we need another administrative position more than we need an additional minister.” 7. Adjourn – Wayne Shepperd moved to adjourn, the move was seconded and approved.

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PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING, JANUARY 25, 2015

Leader/Facilitator – Al Sanders, Moderator of the Leadership Council, 2014 Time and Location – 12:30 p.m., following potluck lunch in the Fellowship Hall AGENDA 1. Opening – Jane Anne Ferguson, Acting Associate Minister 2. Acceptance of prior Congregational Meeting Minutes from January 26, 2014 – Al Sanders Anna Olsen moved to accept the minutes, Nic Redavid seconded, the motion passed. 3. Treasurer’s Report for 2014 – Anna Olsen -- “Thanks for a thorough, excellent audit to the Audit Team of Allen Norskog, Scott Marsh, and Sharyl Haas.” -- We end 2014 with a $35,958.13 surplus. a. Even though all 2014 pledges were not honored, some overpayments of pledges more than compensated for the underpayments. b. This surplus is needed for the 2015 budget. -- As Anna concludes her service as church treasurer, Sharyl Haas will become the new treasurer and, as such, will serve on the Leadership Council. -- There will now be a new procedure for handling the church’s monies: because Plymouth cannot afford a bookkeeper at this time, Sharyl will oversee Anna and Nancy Sturtevant as all three work as a team of volunteers. -- Al thanked Anna for her excellent service and “tireless efforts” as treasurer. The congregation showed its thanks with hearty applause. 4. Senior Minister’s Report – Hal Chorpenning a. Hal posed the question, “Who are we becoming as a congregation?” -- He then thanked the staff and congregation for the “grace you have shown in the staff transitions this past year.” Each change in staff this year has had a large impact on the rest of the staff, and the dynamic of the whole staff has been impacted. -- Citing Deuteronomy 1, Hal pointed out Moses’ instructions to the Israelites to, “Choose wise, understanding, and experienced men, according to your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads,” explaining that the number of Israelites had grown to be too many for Moses alone to lead. -- A review of Plymouth’s Strategic Planning and the impact of our growth as a congregation then followed. The new governance the congregation approved in May, 2014, when it voted to accept the new Constitution, calls for significantly more lay leadership on Boards and Ministry Teams than has ever been the case. -- Calling our attention to a handout titled “Leading Large,” Hal pointed out that we have grown from being a multi-cell church to being a professional church. -- He then posed the following questions: “Where is God calling us to grow as Fort Collins grows and as CSU buys up property around us?” and “How do we take advantage of the thousands of people who will be walking past our church?”

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-- Hal observed that Plymouth needs to look for ways to engage young adults who are already in our congregation as well as those in the larger community. Of course, we already have a number of young adult members who are active (for example, Nic Redavid, Curtis Wray, Amy Norskog, Amy Krieg, and Eric Lea), but we need to create a leadership development program for the young adults in our congregation. -- Hal left us to ponder the question, “How will we work as God’s partners in accomplishing his mission?” b. Hal then presented thank-you gifts to Al Sanders and Anna Olsen for their service to the church and to the Leadership Council. -- He pointed out that Al had been Moderator under two different kinds of governance, which was a challenging task. -- He noted that Anna has brought “a remarkable sense of joy, of spirit, and of enthusiasm” to her job as treasurer. 5. Plan for Associate Minister’s Hiring – Al Sanders -- Al reviewed the discussion that transpired with congregants interested in the possible plans and processes we might follow in hiring a permanent associate minister. -- He then reviewed what has transpired since then: a. The Personnel Committee’s recommendation is to initiate a Search Committee for a Called Associate Minister when the Strategic Plan is completed. -- The Personnel Committee recommends Plymouth NOT act to have an Interim Associate Minister, but that the two Acting Associate Ministers, Jane Anne Ferguson and Jake Joseph, continue until a Called Associate Minister is in place. -- The Leadership Council has approved this recommendation. b. The proposed timeline is as follows: -- Completion of Strategic Plan, including a recommendation for staffing roles and responsibilities (April – May,2015) -- Rewrite the Associate Minister’s Job Description according to the recommendation in the Strategic Plan (early summer, 2015) -- Form Search Committee for Associate Minister, to be approved at a Congregational Meeting (late summer, 2015) -- Acting Associate Ministers are eligible to apply for the Called position (and other positions) once the Search Committee is in place c. Al then asked for a motion to approve this plan. Mary Freeland so moved, Les Fraley seconded, and discussion followed. d. Follow-up Questions from the congregation members present: -- Betsy Bedient asked how will the congregation be informed as this process proceeds. That will happen through announcements in the Placard, Hal’s Wednesday updates, and the Sunday bulletin. -- Kaki Woods asked who will rewrite the job description for the Associate Minister. The Personnel Committee will rewrite it, then bring it to the Leadership Council, which must approve it. -- Elaine Kim asked how the congregational survey will be used in the rewriting of the job description: Answer -- the Strategic Planning Committee will convey the congregation’s opinions as they might affect the duties of a Called Associate Minister in its written report. She also asked how the congregation will be able to have input as to who serves on the Search Committee: Answer – the

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congregation will vote on the members of that committee at an announced Congregational Meeting that will most likely be in late summer. -- The motion was approved. 6. Nominating Committee Report – Sharon Smith -- Sharon recognized Bill DeMarco, Eric Lea and Carol Halac for their work on this committee. -- Nominees for Leadership Council are Sharyl Haas and Linda Preston. -- There are no new Board members for Christian Formation, Congregational Life, or Outreach and Mission. -- Nominees for the 2015 Nominating Committee are Saralyn Laughlin, Eric Wall, and Nancy Sturtevant. -- Laura Nelson moved to accept the slate presented, Jane Nicolet seconded, and the motion passed. Nic Redavid spoke in order to correct the record for the Congregational Life Board: Debbie Hamilton, who is filling out an unexpired term for someone, has only one additional year to serve on this board. 7. Strategic Planning Committee Report – Anna Olsen -- After thanking all members, including many middle schoolers, for participating in the survey, Anna reported that her committee will have a retreat on April 11th to finish writing its report from the survey. She expects to present that report to the Leadership Council at its May meeting. -- There were 227 people who took part in the survey, which represents 35% of Plymouth’s membership. 8. Budget for 2015 – Jen Lowry a. Pledges for 2014 amounted to $660,032.00, with 245 units pledging. Pledges for 2015 amount to $678,680.00, with 235 units pledging. The amount pledged for 2015 is 2.83% more than it was for 2014. b. Other anticipated income for 2015 is $90,858.00. c. The total income for 2015 is expected to be $769,538.00. The amount of money requested for 2015 was $859,292.00. d. The Budget and Finance Committee worked to bring the anticipated income in line with budget requests from the Boards, Staff, and UCC obligations. Consequently, Plymouth’s total expenses are expected to increase just 1.19% for 2015 over 2014. e. Comments and Questions -- Al Sanders reported that the positive comments that came out of the Leadership Council’s evaluation of the senior minister more than support a healthy increase in his salary. -- Betty Weber asked, “Was the money left over from the 2013 budget rolled over into the 2014 budget as is happening this year?” Al: “Yes.” -- Mary Freeland had questions about the salaries for Mark Lee and Brandon Reyhl, her concern being why each man is not paid more. Mark Leatherman, a member of both the Stewardship and Budget and Finance Committees explained that we are legally unable to pay them more if they are to be able to continue drawing disability, which each man wants to do. Rob Haas added that “We and Brandon are satisfied that his compensation is fair.”

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Mary then asked about budget item 6580 and Hal explained that we employ a CSU student as an office intern at a rate of $10 an hour, or $3000 a year. Mary questioned whether there were typos in budget items 6170.1 and 6170.2. Hal explained that those represent monies put aside yearly in order to pay an interim while one of the ministers is on sabbatical. -- Kaki Woods asked, “Do we have a financial report of monies gone out?” Anna responded, “Yes.” The amount is in excess of $110,000, approximately ten percent more than the prior year. -- Art Rooze, looking at the 2015 budget, “Which associate minister is which?” Hal answered that Jane Anne’s compensation is reflected in item #6563.1, and Jake is reflected in item #6563.3. -- Phil Hoefer asked Anna to explain which benefits are part of a minister’s salary, and whether or not we shop for competitive prices for benefits. Anna responded that all benefits are paid through the UCC, which selects the vendors. Hal added that a portion of UCC health insurance premiums have a mission component, which aids in paying Medicare supplementation for retired clergy. Curt Minter affirmed this. f. Tom Nesler moved we approve the proposed budget for 2015, and Eric Lea seconded the motion. The budget was approved. 9. Additional questions and answers -- Mary Freeland asked Hal how Plymouth qualifies as a “Professional Church.” “How did we go from being a ‘Program’ church to ‘Professional,’ skipping ‘Multi-Cell’?” Hal explained that these definitions are not “Holy Writ.” Our consultant for Strategic Planning suggested that because of our size Hal should move away from “personal” ministry, but that is how he does ministry. Last year Hal spent 50% of his time on personnel and managerial duties, but he, like most ministers, went to seminary because he felt “the call of God.” -- Judy Leatherman said, “I’m confused why we’re not a multi-cell church. More of the work gets done by staff than by volunteers.” Terri Schulz replied, “Yes, we fit the professional church model. It’s that lay leadership is not stepping up to take on some essential roles that staff, therefore, must continue to fill.” -- David Smith asked why membership has declined. Hal explained the process the Deacons used in cleaning our rolls (which we only do every five to eight years). Repeated efforts were made to contact members who have had no contact with the church or any staff for several years to find out if they wished to remain members. If we have no response from them after multiple attempts to contact them, they are removed from the roll. As a practical matter, Plymouth must pay the UCC a certain amount of money yearly for each member. -- Phil Hoefer asked who is on the Personnel Committee. Answer – Sarah Myers, Dan Graham, and Wayne Carpenter

10. For the Good of the Order -- Mary Freeland thanked all volunteers for their service and asked anyone who is not presently volunteering to please find something at Plymouth to volunteer for. She pledged to help new volunteers “learn how to do it.” -- Dianne Stober thanked all the choir members for their contributions. Then she thanked Jieun Newland for her excellent leadership as Music Director, closing her praise with, “The choir is hot, too!” 11. Closing – Jake Joseph, Acting Associate Minister Respectfully Submitted by Nancy Bryan, Clerk of the Leadership Council

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Nominees for 2016 The slate for the Leadership Council and Boards comes to you from the Nominating Committee. Members are Sally Gilmore, Carol Halac, Saralyn Laughlin, Nancy Sturtevant, Eva Wallace and Sue Yadon with Nina Burkardt as Leadership Council representative. The charts that follow graphically show names and terms of each nominee. This year we are voting for the names in bold.

Term limits for At-large members: two consecutive 2 year terms Term limits for Moderator & Vice-Moderator: one 2 year term Term limits for Treasurer & Clerk: 3 consecutive 1 year terms Staff Member: Hal Chorpenning, Senior Minister Note: Christian Formation programming continues as usual, but the Christian Formation Board is being redesigned with the help of a team led by Terri Schulz and with outside consultants from Ministry Architects. Once that process is complete, a new Christian Formation Board will created. Board of Christian Formation

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Annie Krieg Jan Baynton BenSlocumb, chair

Judy Leatherman Amy Norskog Term limits: 2 consecutive 2 year terms Staff: Mark Lee, Director of Christian Formation for Adults and Mandy Hall, Director of Christian Formation for Children and Youth

Leadership Council 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Moderator Jennifer Lowry Vice-Moderator Bob Sturtevant

Clerk Nancy Bryan (3rd term)

Mary Freese (1st term)

Treasurer Sharyl Haas (1st term)

Sharyl Haas (2nd term)

At-large 1 Nina Burkardt (2nd term) At large 2 Linda Preston (1st term) At-large 3 Terri Schulz (2nd term)

At large 4 Nick Redavid (1st term)

Nick Redavid (2nd term)

At large 5 Ron Graver (1st term)

Barry Beaty (1st term)

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Board of Congregational Life 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Lory Clukey, chair (2nd term) Kathy Houser (2nd term) Jackie Schneider Jean Greuel (1st term) Saralyn Laughlin (1st term) Debby Hamilton Leslie Frantz (1st term) Term limits: 2 consecutive 2 year terms Staff: Jake Joseph, Acting Associate Minister Board of Deacons

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Curtis Wray / Sharon Smith** Carol Rooze (2nd term) Megan Emmerich (2nd term) Karen Nestler (1st term) Sally Gilmore (1st term) Marilu Theodore, chair (2nd term) C. Kozlowski / Saralyn Laughlin** Lori Pandy Anna Olsen (1st term) Tom McIntosh David Stubbs (1st term) Jan McIntosh Scott Houser (1st term) Rick Riddoch Rick Riddoch (2nd term) Kevin Schneider Beth Levane (1st term) ** Completing 2nd year of a vacated 2 year term Term limits: 2 consecutive 2 year terms Staff: Hal Chorpenning, Senior Minister Board of Progressive Evangelism

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Stephanie Cotton Joe Donnelly

Chris Gloor Mike Hooker Maureen Houser New Board: Three people with 2 year terms & two people with 1 year terms. Terms shown are example only. The new Board will decide on terms for each member when they meet. Term limits: 2 consecutive 2 year terms Staff: Hal Chorpenning, Senior Minister Mike Hooker chair?

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Board of Outreach and Mission 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Betsy Bedient, chair (1st term) Marge Morgan (1st term) Adam Holdorf (1st term) Marty Marsh Marty Marsh (2nd term) Jay Rourke Nancy Bryan (1st term) Amy Zwahlen (1st term) Term limits: 2 consecutive 2 year terms Staff: Jake Joseph, Acting Associate Minister Board of Stewardship

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Eric Lea (1st term) Keith Schulz Alan McLarty (1st term) Mark Nelson Mark Nelson (2nd term) David Peterson Wolf Filusch (1st term) Anne Jordan Sarah Parmenter (1st term) Term limits: 2 consecutive 2 year terms Staff: Jane Anne Ferguson, Acting Associate Minister Who is chairperson? Board of Trustees

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Judy Barth, chair (1st term) Jerry Clough (1st term) Bruce Lieurance (1st term) Rob Haas Rob Haas (2nd term) Allen Norskog Allen Norskog (2nd term) Greg Rutherford Greg Rutherford (2nd term) David Smith David Smith (2nd term) Term limits: 2 consecutive 2 year terms Staff: Hal Chorpenning, Senior Minister