The meeting was called to order at 6:04 PM in the Large Fellowship Hall. Pastor Nettleton read from Psalm 70 and offered a prayer. Ernie moved that the minutes from the March 8 meeting be approved as circulated. Jim seconded the motion and it passed.

Pastor Nettleton noted average weekly attendance in March was consistent with February. There were five official acts performed during the month of March:

• The release of Bud and Judy Schalles March 9.
• The funeral of + Kelly Bauer March 12.
• The baptism of Noah Harp March 13.
• The baptism of Aidan Harp March 13.
• The transfer of Terry True to Peace with Christ (in Fort Collins) March 31.

Monthly expense exceeded income by about $1,134 with a resulting fiscal year to date budget deficit of about $13,707.

Board Reports

Stephen reported Open Arms Preschool enrollment for next year is looking good. Universal preschool, which is a program out of the Colorado legislature to support about ten hours of class time for 4-year-olds, will be starting in fall of 2023. It is uncertain if and how this might impact our students. Additionally, April 13 is Rocky Mountain Raptor program day and there are also a few other upcoming trips and activities planned for the children.

Grant mentioned there was a decent turnout during the spring cleanup on April 9 with about four or five new people attending out of a total of fourteen. Eric provided an email indicating all trustees projects are on hold pending future project prioritization.

There were no other board reports.

Parish Administrator’s Report

Exterior windows were washed in preparation for spring. Tom is also going to begin working with the trustees to prioritize some of the various building and maintenance needs to address throughout the summer, which was mentioned in the Trustee’s board report.

New Business

We are in need of finding a lay delegate to send to the Rocky Mountain district convention on June 9 and 10. Dale has graciously offered to support Saint Johns by attending this year. Jim moved to approve Dales attendance and Robert seconded. The motion carried in approval of Dale’s delegation. Formal signatures were added to the necessary documentation at the end of the meeting.

Old Business

Dale mentioned the previously discussed date of May 1 for the spring congregation meeting should be rearranged to help address some conflicts. Stephen moved to have the meeting on May 15 and Ernie seconded. The motion carried.

Board reports will also be provided at the congregational meeting. Jim will provide the Human Needs report, Dr. Marschke will provide the Open Arms Preschool report, and Grant offered that either he or Eric will cover for the Trustees.

There are also proposed bylaw changes to be voted upon in the next congregation meeting, which require a minimum of ten days of advance notice to the congregants. Tom proposed we send out the communication through bulk mail and he offered to prepare a draft letter to support this need.

Ernie provided a report from the sabbatical committee. They have developed a comprehensive plan that targets a pastoral sabbatical that will run from June through August 2023 to allow for adequate financial planning, pastoral coverage planning and congregational education. Some high-level milestones in the current plan include Council approval in August and Congregational approval in November of this year. Jim made a motion to approve the time parameters presented in the sabbatical plan schedule and Dr. Marschke seconded. The motion was approved.

The final topic of old business was the discussion of congregational restructuring and how to proceed. It was recommended that a plan be put together, similar to that of the sabbatical committee, so we can ensure all members are on task. Such a plan will likely be reviewed in the next meeting. Additionally, Dale will pull together the previously developed board purpose statements and share with the council prior to the next meeting to support further dialog on restructuring and constitution updates.

The meeting adjourned at 7:08 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.