Heard it at Council: February 2025

By Kate Silfen, Church Historian | February 11, 2025 Council Meeting Report

The February Council meeting was “chock full o’” business due to news about our finances, updates from the HR Committee, and Leadership Committee nominations. Treasurer Bill Bulkeley offered a report on the state of Old South’s finances. Early returns from the pledge campaign look promising, and we completed the year with a smaller deficit than we had anticipated. There are ample surplus funds to cover this budget shortfall. Bill also introduced a motion to move a variety of liquid funds into a single fund that will be managed by the Board of Trustees. These funds will not be part of our endowment but will be available as needed for church operations and as requested by Council. The motion carried.

Finance Committee Chair Niels Peetz-Larsen presented a budget proposal for the coming year. The Committee is not proposing any structural changes to the budget. He predicts a small deficit for the coming year. Being fully staffed this year means our payroll expenses are up slightly. However, pledges have increased by about 5%, and

The release of restricted funds into the general budget means that we have a healthy revenue picture for the coming year. A motion to approve the budget for the coming year was presented, seconded, and carried.

This is the time of year when we see many changes to the leadership of our boards and committees. Leadership Committee Chair Randy Billings introduced a motion for Council to approve a new slate of nominees to serve on Boards and Committees. The council unanimously approved the slate, and Maren noted that several leader’s terms are ending.  She expressed gratitude for their years of service to Old South’s community.

HR Committee Chair Lisa Loveland presented Council with a summary of their work over these past two years. They have re-organized the reporting structure so that the Senior Minister no longer manages the work of nineteen people. They have initiated a process for yearly staff performance appraisals and completed an employee handbook. Lisa thanked former Director of Operations John Braught and our current Director of Operations Rebecca Pasipanodya for their work and contributions. She also thanked Clerk Rob Gabler for lending his legal expertise to the writing of the handbook. Lisa said that the Human Resources Committee has moved to monthly meetings and will operate with four core members. They will bring in other members of the leadership team to consult with them as needed. The HR Committee will continue as an advisory committee rather than becoming a standing committee.

Maren announced that there will be a new format for our Annual Meeting this year. It will be more interactive and allow for dialog and conversations among our members. She proposed increasing our all-church meetings to allow members to self-organize into small groups and find ways to engage in the life of our community. Council will continue to discuss this possibility in the coming months.

At the close of our meeting, Council members offered words of gratitude for departing members, and the Reverend Ashley Popperson read Margie Percy’s poem “To Be of Use,” ending with these words:

The people I love the best

Jump into work head first

Without dallying in the shallows

And swim of with sure strokes almost out of sight