The meeting was called to order at 6:03 PM in the Large Fellowship Hall. Pastor Nettleton read from Psalm 118 and offered an opening prayer. Ernie moved that the minutes from the February 8 meeting be approved as circulated. Eric seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

Pastor Nettleton noted attendance continues to rise. February attendance was approximately 75% of the pre-pandemic historical average for the same month. There were two official acts in February. The funeral of + Margaret Griffin on February 15 and the funeral of + Marilyn Hagedorn on February 19. Both were performed by Pastor Nettleton.

February income was down a bit, at about 83% of the budget projection. This reduced income along with several one-time or annual expenses plus a high gas bill due to colder temperatures contributed to an overall budget deficit of $7,440.05 in February. Year to date we are carrying a $12,573.04 deficit in 2022 whereas at the same time last year we were only carrying a $698.84 deficit.

Grant provided a trustees report and mentioned they met recently. They discussed window replacements and a previously discussed front drainage project. The draining project now has a revised bid to complete the work to aid in decision making. The trustees are planning a future meeting to prioritize future maintenance and improvement options prior to making any investment proposals to the council or the congregation.

Dr. Marschke provided a preschool report. He indicated the preschool has a Mother’s Day event planned in addition to a couple school trips to support enhanced learning. Upcoming events include a children’s program with skits and plays in the evening on May 12 and graduation on May 18. Finally, he noted the preschool has ordered new chairs for the children and is considering a possible investment into new playground equipment.

Council discussed the Holy Week schedule. It was determined that this Easter will mark a return to pre-pandemic procedures where we will have a 6:30 AM sunrise service and a traditional 9:00 AM service with a breakfast in between. Dale and Grant agreed to take on organizing the breakfast.

The council also decided the spring congregational meeting shall be on May 1 to avoid conflicts with Mother’s Day and Confirmation. [NB: this date was changed to May 15 at the April meeting.]

The council discussed a proposal provided by Stephen to make amendments to the Church constitution and bylaws. The focus of the changes is to modify the requirements around church council membership. The proposed changes reviewed and discussed are outlined below by section. Bold strikethrough items are to be removed and italicized items are to be added.

• Bylaw Section 4.3 - Slate of Candidates: The Nomination Committee shall present a slate of candidates for officers and for Church Council members to the Voters’ Assembly at its semi-annual meeting in November. In the case of officers, such slate shall should consist of at least two names for each office. Additional nominations for officers and for Church Council members may be made from the floor. No person shall be nominated without his or her consent.
• Bylaw Section 4.7 – Vacancies: In the case of a vacancy in an elective office, the Church Council shall may appoint a successor to fill the unexpired term until the next regular election in November at which a successor shall be elected to fill the remaining unexpired term.
• Bylaw Section 6.1 – Membership: The Church Council shall consist of the officers of the congregation, the senior pastor and nine (9) members at large, all of whom shall have been voting members of the congregation for at least one year prior to such election and, at the time of such election, be at least nineteen (19) years of age. A member’s place on the Church Council shall be declared vacant if the member (a) ceases to be a voting member of the congregation or (b) is absent from four (4) successive meetings of the Church Council without cause.
• Constitution Article 9.2 – Membership: The Church Council shall consist of the officers of the congregation, the senior pastor and nine (9) members at large, all of whom shall have been voting members of the congregation for at least one year prior to such election and all of whom shall be at least nineteen (19) years of age.

Dr. Marschke moved that the council approve the amendments as submitted and Eric seconded the motion. The motion was carried.

Ernie represented the sabbatical committee and presented an action plan and timeline to support a summer pastoral sabbatical. However, it was the recommendation of the sabbatical committee that this plan should not be adopted on the grounds that it is too aggressive. The counter proposal was that the sabbatical committee instead work to prepare a plan to support a successful 2023 sabbatical.

Finally, with the topic of a 2022 pastoral sabbatical being addressed, the council again returned to discuss congregational restructuring. The discussion focused on a proposal from a past restructuring committee. There was much healthy dialog around the future state quantity and makeup of boards and the decision was made to review these topics at the next council meeting to further the discussion.

The meeting adjourned at 7:51 PM with everyone standing for the Lord’s Prayer.

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.