The meeting was called to order at 6:05 PM. Pastor Nettleton opened with a short devotion on Saint Valentine. The December and January minutes were approved with a correction. January attendance was lower than previous year’s. We are expecting a few transfers into the congregation in the coming month. January ended $3,600 in the red. Most of this deficit is due to one-time, beginning of the year expenses. Congregation giving has been consistent over the last few months.

Board Reports

• Campus Ministry: Looking for more board members. Currently focusing on how Saint John’s can best facilitate this group.
• Children’s Ministry: Working to establish a more cohesive board. Kids sang during the service last week.
• Elderberries: Met last week. Will be watching the 1953 Martin Luther movie. Have the first Lenten lunches planned. Would like to have another presentation on Advanced Care planning.
• Fellowship: Small Eat-and-Greet this month and the next will be in March. Most evening Lenten meals are taken care of.
• Human Needs: Kimberly Pepmiller is heading out for a trip to Madagascar soon. The Heseders met in early February and plan to host the garage sale in late April. Currently the group is planning to go to inner city Detroit for a mission trip—dates undetermined. Heseders will be helping with Lenten meals and Easter breakfast.
• Human Resources: Currently completing staff evaluations. Pastor and the board are working on a summer internship arrangement.
• Lay Ministry: Met in January. Welcomed Ron Young as a new lay minister.
• Outreach: Has not met.
• Preschool: Looking to add more board members. The Preschool Fair at the Lincoln Center and the annual Open House were huge successes. There are three new registrants from these outreach events alone, bringing our expected total to fifteen students for the coming year.
• Trustees: Met last Sunday. Hung a bulletin board downstairs and will look into a solution for the cracked baptismal font.
• Worship: Met last month and reviewed the Advent and Christmas services. Have concerns about the restrooms downstairs near the office and would like these to be updated.
• Youth: Nothing to report.

Parish Administrator’s Report

• Music Camp: The group that was looking to use our facility this summer has since found another location.
• Neighborhood Parking: The City is looking to make the neighborhood around Saint John’s a permitted parking neighborhood. Parking along Elizabeth and Mathews would be monitored with a 2-hour once-a-day limit. This will not effect Sunday mornings (the restrictions are in place weekdays only) and, because guests may park on the street for two hours, will have a limited impact on weddings and funerals.
• Downstairs Renovation: The Trustees and others in the church are looking into a kitchen and downstairs restroom renovation. Both areas are very dated particularly the restrooms. Bruce recommends that the Trustees come up with a plan for the downstairs bathrooms as a temporary solution as any major remodel would require handicap accessibility. With this, the Trustees should also look into having a small bathroom attached to the preschool.

Old Business

• Memorial Garden: Will be getting together soon to have matters resolved so the project can be presented to the congregation.

Open Agenda Items

• Summer Pastoral Support: Ruth Seiler, Del Fredin, Ron Young, Pastor, and Wil are part of the committee to work on finding a summer intern.
• Spring Congregation Meeting: Easter falls in late April so meeting will likely be the week after Easter.
• Boy Scouts of America: Due to recent announcements by the Boy Scouts of America and the LCMS stance on the matters, Pastor Nettleton recommends that Saint John’s discontinue our relationship with Troop 96. Discussion followed. Bruce suggests that this be brought up at the congregation meeting for a congregation vote. The Troop is aware that our charter could be dissolved. Pastor Nettleton also recommends that we create a facility use policy to ensure that groups that use our facility share Lutheran theological beliefs. The board of Human Resources will start with getting this in place.

Closed with the Lord’s Prayer at 7:15 PM

The thirteen members of the Church Council are the “Board of Directors” of the congregation, tasked with general oversight of the life and activities of the congregation to the end that everything be done in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws.