Session Meeting

First Presbyterian Church

Davenport, Iowa

August 28, 2017

The regular meeting of the Session of First Presbyterian Church of Davenport, Iowa was held in Von

Maur Hall on Monday, August 28, 2017.

Moderator Richard Miller called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm and opened with Prayer.

Elders Roll (P=Present; E=Excused; A=Absent):

A quorum was present.

Staff members:

P Rev. Richard Miller Head Pastor

P Tiffany Horvath Director of Christian Education

P Diane Pumphrey Communications & Office

Manager

P Shannon Gruhlke Finance & Facilities Manager

P Matthew Bishop Director of Music

Deacons’ Representative:

E Tom Parker

Deacons’ Moderator

Guests:

P Liz Terril Foundation

P Brock Earnhardt Weapons Free Task Force

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Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Class of 2019

A Chad Carr Hospitality & Welcoming

P John Hensel Finance Committee; Nominating

Committee

P Stephanie Arp Finance Committee

P Nancy Chapman Church Gov’t & Personnel

P Val Horvat Congregational Dev. & Fellowship

E Peter Bawden Buildings & Grounds

P Ralph Congdon Congregational Dev. &

Fellowship

P

Jim Keenan Adult Christian Education;

Stewardship; APNC

A Sarah Greim Christian Ed. & Fellowship for

Youth

P Carolyn Draper-Math Adult Christian Education;

Heritage Committee

E Merlyn “Pete” Madden Buildings & Grounds

P Tiffany Horvath Christian Ed. & Fellowship for

Youth

P Jeff Ehrmann Finance Committee;

Stewardship

P Karen Moore Finance Committee

P Matt Kabel Buildings & Grounds

P Louise Hales Church Gov’t & Personnel

E Glen Roebuck Christian Ed. & Fellowship for Youth

E Jane Magnusson Christian Ed. & Fellowship for Youth; Worship & Music

P Judy Hawthorne Church Gov’t & Personnel

E Abby Saskowski Christian Ed. & Fellowship for Youth

E Kristine Oswald Worship & Music

P Kathlynn Price Worship & Music

P Marty Bowles Edwards Clerk of Session

E Jeanne Sherwood Hospitality & Welcoming;

Nominating Committee

On motion, the agenda was unanimously approved as amended.

On motion, the following CONSENT AGENDA items were approved as presented electronically:

• The minutes of the regular Session Meeting held July 17, 2017.

• The REPORT OF THE CLERK OF SESSION (A full copy of the July 2017 Clerk’s report

presented to the Session at the August 28, 2017 Session Meeting can be found in the Appendix of the

official 2017 Session minutes.)

I. REQUESTS FOR ACTION

Requests Resulting in Reduction of Active Roll Allen, Travis 30 days no response Barnes, Craig 30 days no response Beecher, Alexander 30 days no response Beecher, Nicholas Remove from Active roll per membership response card Boddorf, MaryJo Letter returned as not deliverable – no contact information Boruff, Abilyn 30 days no response Busche, Erick No contact information Carthey, Ryan Remove from Active roll per membership response card Connelly, Allyson 30 days no response Corbin, Nicholas 30 days no response Crone, Elise 30 days no response Dague, Joseph No contact information Darland, Alyssa 30 days no response Duncan, Curt 30 days no response Ellard, Garrett 30 days no response Ellard, Schaffer 30 days no response Errett, Harry Remove from Active roll per membership response card Fish, Cody 30 days no response Freitag, Nicole Remove from Active roll per membership response card Gere-Dahlstrom, Cherie 30 days no response Guard, Alan Remove from Active roll per membership response card Guard, Brenna Remove from Active roll per membership response card Guard, Molly Remove from Active roll per membership response card Harris, Jeanita No contact information Hayes, John Remove from Active roll per membership response card Hayes, Lynne Remove from Active roll per membership response card Heninger, Emily Remove from Active roll per membership response card Heninger, Jacob Remove from Active roll per membership response card Hensel, Alex 30 days no response Jasper, Lindsay 30 days no response Johnston, Seth Remove from Active roll per membership response card Jones, Lisa Remove from Active roll per membership response card Keppy, Shirley 30 days no response Kietzman, Jeffrey 30 days no response Kuhn, Molly 30 days no response Laureijs, Aleisha 30 days no response Laureijs, Andrew 30 days no response Laureijs, Rianne 30 days no response Lawler, Marsha 30 days no response Longley, Pam No contact information Meinert, Luke Remove from Active roll per email Meracle, Kenneth 30 days no response Merrill, Ashley 30 days no response Merrill, Mike 30 days no response Miller, Darren 30 days no response Morrison, Tessa 30 days no response Murphy, Charles No contact information Murphy, Deborah No contact information Petersen, Nolan Remove from Active roll per membership response card Pfaff, Ann Remove from Active roll per membership response card Pfaff, James Remove from Active roll per membership response card Pridemore-Place, Tammy 30 days no response Richard, Holly 30 days no response Richardson, Kendall Remove from Active roll per membership response card Richardson, Kyle 30 days no response Rigdon, Cheryl 30 days no response Walker, Lucy No contact information

Whalen Jr., Doug (DJ) 30 days no response Williams, Candace No contact information Wilson, Heather No contact information Young, Shelly Remove from Active roll per membership response card

II. INCREASES IN MEMBERSHIP: New Members Received into Membership July 3, 2017 Angie Champlin Certificate of Transfer

Brandon Champlin Reaffirmation of Faith

III. CHANGES TO THE REGISTERS:

Deaths Date Officiated by Margaret “Maggie” McDonald July 14, 2017 Rev. Dr. Richard Miller Ronald Schneider July 30, 2017 Rev. Dr. Richard Miller

BUSINESS OF THE CLERK – Marty Bowles Edwards

Please read minutes carefully prior to the following Session Meeting to allow for timely corrections as

needed.

Received an email communication from NAMI offering a free 1-hour education program on the

concerns and needs of individuals living with mental illness. This message was given to ACE for their

consideration.

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DEACONS’ REPORT – Richard Miller

• Summary of Deacons July Financials

o Green envelopes for July came in at $326, running $701 behind year to date budget

o Total use of funds is running under budget by $1,847 year to date (discretionary accounts and

Salvation Army meals)

o Deacons Endowment Fund balance is being reviewed in light of a recent larger than expected

dip in the balance (~$3,400 or 6.9%). No significant changes have occurred to the Grant Fund

• Deacons Activities Update

o August Deacons meeting (there was no Deacons meeting in July)

▪ A draft 2018 budget was sent to Shannon – $39,250 total hasn’t changed from 2017

▪ Annual review of Deacons Program rankings was completed – several changes were made

▪ A proposed 2018 Deacons planning sheet will be submitted to Session & staff in

September

▪ Two Outreach requests came in from various sources requiring follow-up:

• Augie student Ben Bruster is organizing a project for free lead paint testing for low

income homes – initial investigation is that there’s no role for FPC

• Request for participation in Walk for Life – OR Committee has suggested we decline

to participate due to such close proximity to the CROP walk

▪ Two applications for Deacons Endowment Grants are under further review: Madison

School Attendance Improvement Program and Support Group for Teens with Autism

▪ PCSD Committee chair change – Pat Cresap and TBD are filling in for Steve & Margarete

Johnson who are exiting their service to the Deacons a few months early

o Past Activities

▪ $705 was collected for the Food Pantry in July – a very healthy number!

▪ Food Pantry item collection was also very healthy (exact number not known)

▪ 52 Salvation Army meals were served in July

▪ The first Congregational River Bandits event was held on July 22nd. Attendance was light

but organizers felt we should try it again next year to develop a pattern, maybe change the

time of the summer and advertise more.

▪ Three MC Committee members attended the Meet and Greet event held for Veda Gill of

the Pakistani Pasrur Christian School for Boys on Friday, June 30th. They were very

impressed with Veda and her mission and have formally proposed adding a line item to

the 2018 Deacons budget to financially support this global mission

▪ Craig Foster and Cindy Schalk gave a full account of their June trip to Guatemala that

included a summary of the various activities, interactions, involvements, and

acquaintances. They were particularly impressed with warmth and graciousness of the

people they met and with the accountability and traceability of funds

o Future activities

▪ Homework Helpers is starting up in a few weeks

• Mark Jones reorganized the area – THANK YOU to him, it’s WONDERFUL!

• We’re in need of new tutors. See Meredith Ellard if you’re interested

▪ The next Tabatha’s Circle meeting – August 20th

▪ The next PCUSA Special Offering, Global Mission & Peace, will be featured in the early

fall. Watch the bulletin for more information in the very near future!

▪ September 9th – Women’s Retreat – Pat Cresap, contact

▪ October 1st – CROP Walk – Jennifer Peters, contact

▪ October 1st – Homecoming Dinner – Pat Cresap, contact

▪ Angle Tree program will begin ramping up in mid-November – Jennifer Peters, contact

▪ Fall Men’s Breakfast (early November - date TBD) – Terry Ousley, contact

On Motion, the regularly scheduled Session Meeting was suspended at 7:17 pm for a Special Meeting

of the Members of the Foundation of First Presbyterian Church.

On Motion, the Session Meeting was reconvened at 7:30 pm.

o Action of note during the Foundation Meeting included the passing of two motions:

▪ Approved reimbursing the CMEF from the Development Fund, for parking lot concrete

repairs.

▪ Approved use of the Development Fund for restriping of the parking lots.

o Boys and Girls Club Youth Center discussion is ongoing.

▪ Updated estimate of needed space is 18,000 square feet of building, with no significant

parking needs. FPC properties under consideration are approximately 25,000 square feet.

▪ FPC Strategic Plan Goal of creating a community center was expressed to the Boys and Girls

Club Representative. They were open to discussion regarding creative use of the Youth

Center spaces when not needed for their own programming.

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NEW BUSINESS/COMMITTEE REPORTS

E 20/20 STEERING COMMITTEE – Richard Miller

Moving forward on the two objectives, working through the appropriate committees:

• Memorial to the Lost-addressed by the Weapons Free Task Force

• Increasing the spirituality of Worship services –addressed by Worship and Music and Staff

September Session Meeting will determine whether a September E 20/20 meeting is desired.

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS – Merlyn “Pete” Madden

Two proposals were approved during the Special Meeting of the Members of the Foundation of First

Presbyterian Church, referenced above.

CEFY – Tiffany Horvath

On Motion, with unanimous approval, middle and high school youth groups of FPC be allowed a new

fundraiser this fall and throughout the year selling special “FPC T-shirts” with the church logo on them

to anyone interested in purchasing such. Monies from the sale of said shirts would support Youth

Mission.

CG&P – Louise Hales

Staff reviews by each committee are due at this time. Please submit those reports to Louise.

STEWARDSHIP – Jim Keenan

• Stewardship Sunday will be November 5, 2017;

o The theme for the Campaign is: Listen for God.

o Objectives are to:

▪ Fulfill pledges for 2017;

▪ Ask all pledgers to meet or exceed their 2017 pledges for 2018;

• Numbers may be adjusted in Budget Meeting scheduled first week of September;

• Do not anticipate significant increases in expenses in 2018 over 2017;

• Do have some staff increases to fund;

▪ Expand our base of pledgers from 285 to 310 – accomplished through Stewardship

socials.

• Expect to host Stewardship Socials again, much like those in 2017;

o Emails to potential hosts will be sent tomorrow, along with lists of attendees;

o Lists of those who did not attend a Stewardship Social last year will be compiled, so that

these people – some pledgers, some not – can be sprinkled in to hosts’ lists from last year;

• Expect to gather Stewardship Stories -- :30 videos – featuring Session members and other church

leaders, children, etc. Sign-up sheet distributed.

WORSHIP AND MUSIC – Matthew Bishop

On Motion, with unanimous approval, the Germany Outreach Music Ministry Trip Contract may be

signed contingent upon meeting these two criteria:

• There will be a minimum of 38 participants; AND

• Each participant will have signed a commitment paper listing their financial obligations and

timing for required payments.

(A full copy of the ACFEA Group Tour Contract presented to the Session at the August 28, 2017

Session Meeting can be found in the Appendix of the official 2017 Session minutes.)

FINANCIAL REPORT – Stephanie Arp

Committees are asked to review their budgets and expected expenses for this final quarter of the 2017

financial year. Shannon is awaiting responses to the July email regarding each committee’s budget. This

will assist in budget setting for 2018.

Donations and offerings are strong at this point in our budget year, and salary expenses are behind

budgeted amounts.

The investment market has been strong recently, resulting in over $64,000 in unrealized gains.

Actual Budget Actual Budget

General Fund Income 69,064 66,028 69,317 69,320

Custodial Accounts Income 7,848 6,701

General Fund Expenses 63,921 77,487 59,095 72,662

Custodial Accounts Expenses 7,848 - 6,701 -

Surplus (Deficit) 5,143 (11,459) 10,222 (3,342)

Actual Budget Actual Budget

General Fund Income 561,132 619,236 549,503 575,933

Custodial Accounts Income 54,401 70,614

General Fund Expenses 512,560 586,395 490,667 548,625

Custodial Accounts Expenses 54,401 - 70,614 -

Surplus (Deficit) 48,572 32,841 58,836 27,308

All numbers are rounded.

July 2017 July 2016

2017 Year-To-Date 2016 Year-To-Date

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OLD BUSINESS

WEAPONS FREE TASK FORCE – Brock Earnhardt

On Motion, unanimous approval was given to the Memorial to the Lost proposal. The Memorial will be

set up on September 23, 2017 on the church lawn. An anonymous donor as given $500 to fund this

memorial, which is double the total of anticipated expenses. (The full Memorial to the Lost proposal, as presented to the Session on August 28,2017, can be found in the

Appendix of the official 2017 Session minutes.)

Proposed signage for FPC church and property will be voted upon in the September 18, 2017 Session

Meeting.

APNC – Jim Keenan

• Hosted two on-site visits with “A” candidates;

• Scheduled two additional on-site visits with two remaining “A” candidates on 9/16 and 9/23;

• Lost one of the first two to a call from another church;

• Will decide before next Session meeting whether or not to hold the position open and ask

PCUSA for another match of candidates;

• Reached the nine-month point in what is often an 18-month process;

• Cautioned Session members and congregation members not to be dismayed if APNC decides to

hold the position open;

• Objective is to listen for God’s guidance in finding a terrific fit for the church – not an adequate

one.

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STAFF REPORTS

Diane Pumphrey

First Press is in the printing process and will be mailed out Friday September 1, 2017. Be watching for

yours to arrive. The theme is Connect and uses the imagery of FPC being the Heart of the City.

Shannon Gruhlke

Shannon attended the Fall Calendar Planning Meeting and found it to be a rich opportunity for

collaboration. All committees are strongly encouraged to attend future planning sessions as this is a

prime opportunity to benefit from the synergy created in this setting.

Budget worksheets are due in preparation for the upcoming Joint Budget Committee Meeting, scheduled

for September 7, 2017 at 5:30 pm. Committee chairs are to refer back to the July email with the attached

needed information.

Tiffany Horvath

Special thanks given to Jana Peterson who donated 80+ hours of time to completely sort, clean and

organize the Sunday School Supply Room. Jana’s college-aged son provided the needed muscle for

heavy lifting.

Sunday School Classrooms are each equipped with wall mounted T.V.’s

There are 7 new teachers for the start of Fall Sunday School.

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ADJOURNMENT – The meeting was adjourned at 8:43pm and Moderator Miller closed with prayer.

The next meeting of the Session of First Presbyterian Church, Davenport, Iowa will be held on Monday,

September 18, 2017 at 7:00 pm in Von Maur Hall.

______________________________ ______________________________

Moderator, Clerk of Session,

The Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller Martha Bowles Edwards