Minutes from Executive
Council Meetings |
March 2007 |
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EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MINUTES March 5, 2007 Present: Rev. Gordon Forbes, Rev. Sandy Dodson, Aldene Ault, Judy Cox, Bud Dennie, Sue Dollins, Trish Esposito, Stevan Fisher, John Gipson, Pete Hotchkiss, Karen Lee, Cynthia Page, Dan Pence, Doris Raber, Kate Rogers, Anne Weissenborn, Leslie Weyn, Tim White. Guests: Bill Neal, Neville Platt. Rev. Gordon Forbes called the meeting to order at approximately 7:35 p.m. He opened the meeting with a time of silence and prayer. Anne Weissenborn reminded all boards to submit minutes of their meetings to the office. After brief discussion, it was agreed that submission via e-mail would be sufficient, with no need to submit a paper copy. The Council approved the minutes for the February meeting, as presented. Board and Committee Updates
Physician Assistance in Dying Bill Neal requested that the Executive Council put the proposed resolution on Physician Assistance in Dying before the congregation for a vote. Bill reported that the resolution had been approved by both the Board for Social Witness and the Senior Adult Committee. Bill explained that his passion about this issue was inspired by the plight of his father, who lived with Parkinson’s Disease for 17 years, and died slowly and painfully. Bill expressed his belief that the theological basis for the resolution is that God’s will does not include suffering beyond endurance. Bill proposed that his paper on physician assistance in dying be distributed to the congregation and then Bill would conduct question and answer sessions with interested members of the congregation. Thereafter, Bill would like the congregation to vote on the resolution at a congregational meeting. Rev. Gordon Forbes and Dan Pence both inquired what Bill’s purpose would be in having the congregation vote. Bill responded that it was his hope to be able to bring his resolution to the Central Atlantic Conference having been adopted by CCC. Gordon explained that the Central Atlantic Conference would not vote on the resolution before its 2008 meeting. At the 2007 Conference meeting, Bill will be presenting a workshop on the issue. It is Bill’s hope to bring the resolution to the General Synod in 2009. Bill explained that he hopes to have a main line Protestant church endorse the concept of physician assistance in dying to counter the position of the Catholic Church, which opposes it. There was discussion during which council members, including Cynthia Page, Rev. Sandy Dodson, and Rev. Gordon Forbes stressed the need to fully explore and explain the theological basis for supporting physician assistance in dying. Trish Esposito pointed out that the congregation will need time to study and dialog about the issue. Pete Hotchkiss pointed out that the Executive Council had previously asked Bill to bring the issue before the Board for Social witness, which he has done. In that way, Pete said, Bill has jumped over the bar, and the Executive Council should act. John Gipson said that, in his view, Bill didn’t need the Council’s permission to bring up the issue before the congregation. Sue Dollins moved that the Council authorize Bill Neal to bring the issue of physician assistance in dying to a congregational meeting, to be preceded by educational opportunities that include discussion of Bill’s resolution, as well as the theological issues involved. Aldene Ault seconded the motion. The motion passed without objection. Structure of the Board for Christian Education Karen Lee reported that, at the time the responsibility for adult education was transferred from the Board of Deacons to CE, the membership of the CE Board increased to 21. This number of members has proved to be somewhat unmanageable, Karen said. Therefore, the Board met with Rev. Sandy Dodson to discuss reorganization. The result of that meeting is a proposal to change the membership of the Board from 21 to 12. Sandy explained that 10 of the positions will be for rotating terms of 3 years, there will be one youth member serving a one-year term, and one young adult member, also serving a one-year term. The focus areas for the Board will be: Children, Youth, Young Adults/Adults/Family, and Camp. Sandy said that adult education is seen as being self-directing on an ongoing basis. Trish Esposito reported that Toko Ackerman had informed her that changing the membership of the CE Board requires a change to the CCC Bylaws. Accordingly, Karen Lee moved that the Bylaws be amended to reflect that the membership of the Board for Christian Education is changed from 21 members to 12 members. Dan Pence seconded the motion. The motion passed without objection. Volunteer Needs of CCC Trish Esposito, as Chair of the Nominating Committee, reported that the task of recruiting volunteers is becoming overwhelming. There are so many special task forces and committees, such as search committees, currently being staffed, that people are already feeling stretched thin. In addition, a number of standing committees, such as Sanctuary, Referral and Service, Kitchen, and Buildings and Grounds are in great need of new members and leadership. Moreover, it is a continuing struggle for CE to recruit teachers for Church School. Dan Pence asked whether other Boards should down-size as CE decided to do. He also wondered whether there were committees that should be sunsetted. Trish said that the Nominating Committee has been looking at these issues, but that there were no immediate recommendations along these lines. Trish encouraged Boards to try to identify discrete tasks that volunteers could undertake that would support the Board without the volunteer having to commit to being a full Board member. Karen Lee and Stevan Fisher pointed to coffee service at fellowship time and preparing supper for youth group as examples of discrete tasks that volunteers may perform without being members of a Board. Trish said that the Nominating Committee will try to identify members for committees as well as Boards. Trish also announced that a representative of the Red Cross will make a presentation at CCC on volunteer recruitment. Karen Lee observed that the difficulty of recruiting volunteers is a systemic issue at CCC. Rev. Gordon Forbes suggested that this is an issue that would be appropriate for the Interim Search Committee to inquire about when interviewing candidates for Interim Minister. Tim White suggested that perhaps we should have fewer Boards and Committees and instead organize around short-term, focused projects. Aldene Ault expressed thanks for the year-round efforts of the Nominating Committee. She also observed that the Board for Stewardship has had difficulty incorporating gifts of time and talent into the stewardship campaign. Karen Lee pointed out that folks want to be asked to serve. Trish agreed, but said that the process of asking can be a lengthy one, because of leaving messages and waiting to get called back. Sue Dollins emphasized the need to be specific when asking someone to serve. Trish agreed, and asked Boards to provide as much specific information as possible about their vacancies. After evaluation of the meeting, Rev. Sandy Dodson closed the meeting with a prayer. Rev. Gordon Forbes adjourned the meeting at 9:31 p.m. Respectfully submitted, |
