Your Church Board meets the first Thursday of every month (with the exception of July and December). Here is a report from last week’s board meeting:

REPORTS

It was reported that our average Sunday morning attendance (year to date) stands at 762, compared to 825 last year at this time. Giving is up $7,000 over last year. Year to date giving stands at $837,286 compared to $830,975 last year at this time.

ACTION

Assignments (such as resetting and tearing down tables) for the 5 nights of the Church Christmas Dinners were divided among Board members.

The Board approved a request to set aside a few weeks to sell more “Five Forks Gear”…attire that contains the church logo and church name. Items will be seasonal (more fall/winter) with the goal of more color choices.

Discussion took place regarding establishing a Paid Leave/Medical Leave of Absence policy and will continue next month.

The Board set aside the last 2 hours of the meeting to discuss four items of significance: The decline in Sunday morning attendance, financial concerns, staff structure and the anticipated payoff of the loan in March of 2017.   Considerable discussion took place surrounding each topic. 1. How much of our Sunday morning decline should be attributed to other options (Sunday sports, camping, etc.) where we still attend, but not as consistently as in the past…and how much is attributable to people no longer attending at all?  What would God have us do differently? 2. It appears that some see that the church is $40,000 to $50,000 behind the Spending Plan goal and wonder how the church is able to pay its bills.   The board discussed how to communicate more effectively that the Spending Plan goal that appears in the newsletter every week includes $45,000 in extra (voluntary) payments on our loan…and is not a figure that indicates how much we must bring in to meet expenses. 3. The board discussed possible adjustments in staff structure that may provide more accountability on a staff and board level. 4. The board discussed some potential ramifications/benefits of paying off the 20-year loan in a little over 6 years.

Discussion also took place regarding how the board might be able to communicate more effectively with the congregation and vice-versa. These discussions will continue as the board is committed to praying and seeking God’s direction for the Five Forks Church.

Your Church Board consists of…

Pastors: Ray Kipe, Bill Shank, Brian Black, Adam Meredith, Jim Recard, Shaun Kipe

Congregational Representatives (elected at Annual Council) : Heather Ellerbrock, Matt Nolt, Angie Petersheim, Jeff Stitely, Joel Wenger, Lin Yoder

Deacon Representatives: Darwin Chamberlin, Randy Rock

Grounds & Maintenance Representative: Eldon Showalter

Church Treasurer:  Gene Gorman

Sandy Gray serves as the recording secretary.