First Wednesday Parish Potluck December 3, 2008
by Patti Warden, for the Deacons and the Stewardship Team
This First Wednesday potluck included members of Laura Clawson’s and Margaret Wilkie’s parishes. We gathered in the adult library after dinner and began our meeting a little after the scheduled time, at 6:40. Laura Clawson welcomed everyone on behalf of the Deacons.
Scott Anderson spoke first, mentioning that the Sunday scripture was Isaiah Chapter 40, and read part of that. He pointed out that the audience that Isaiah was addressing was the southern tribes, who had been taken over by the Babylonians. Their best educated leaders and professionals were then sent into exile in Babylon. They suffered a complete dislocation.
The questions for them were “Who are we now? What do we do? Where is our hope?” Scott pointed out their similarity to us: we are a mix of where we’ve been and what has happened to us, and the Promise is that God is coming to us, bringing our salvation.
Julie-Kae Sigars spoke next. She handed out copies of a table that the search committee had put together in trying to understand what would be different as we moved from a “choir director” to a “pastoral musician.” Part of the change intended was a move from the responsibility of preparing anthems and selecting hymns into a pastoral role, where the person holding the position would look at the continuity of the service as a whole. Julie-Kae has two music degrees, but also has a Master of Divinity, so her qualifications fit that role well.
Julie-Kae said that she enjoys her relationship with Scott, and especially enjoys the idea that they are on the same page as far as worship is concerned. She looks for ways for all ages to participate meaningfully in the worship service. She explained that music in church is not performance, but that it should help us “chew on the words” and think more deeply about them. The choir offers praise to God in song, but she wants to avoid regarding that as a performance. The Book of Order points out that the choir’s job is to lead the congregation in singing in prayer.
This led to a short discussion of applause in church. Applause as a response of delight is fine. But children especially can get the wrong idea if applause occurs in one instance and then not in another, so we want to be careful about that.
Music is not a filler, a cover for time to chat, or a cover for silence. Listening as a body is equally important, and it’s work. We tolerate each other more when we sing together. And we can give each other courage to “make a joyful noise,” which is why sometimes the choir will sit with the congregation – to give reinforcement to the voices of the assembly.
Julie-Kae’s hopes for the future involve more coordination with youth, and encouraging more participation from them. She also wants to coordinate more with Helene Krasko, to take advantage of all the instruments she can play, to work with the bell choir, etc. She sees the choir’s preparation and musical offering as a gift to the whole body. But she cautions that we should not worship the music (that borders on idolatry) but rather pay attention to what happened to us because of the music.
Discussion following Julie-Kae’s presentation brought both favorable and unfavorable comments. Some expressed a lack of comfort with, for example, singing the Psalms, because it was not what they were accustomed to. One suggestion brought out was that there be some kind of introduction of the Psalm, to make singing it easier and more comfortable.
Laurie Rossnagel spoke about the work of the Ministry Department. She gave out copies of a description of the duties and responsibilities of the various aspects: worship/music, youth education, adult education, and fellowship. A couple of recent highlights:
· Soccer on Saturdays activity had had as much participation from adults as from kids
· Wednesday Homework Club has been very successful.
Her encouragement to all is “try it!” Long commitments aren’t necessary. She asked for feedback about the times of Adult Education classes. And she encouraged anyone who has concerns to speak to any of the Ministry Department elders: herself, Pattie Holt, and Stan Hastings. They can take feedback to the appropriate people.
Forester Woodruff spoke on behalf of the Outreach aspect of the Mission Team. The team is emphasizing getting information about St. Andrew to prospective members. Red plastic bags have been put together with various kinds of information, and are intended to be given to guests who come to worship. We need to encourage them to sign the guest book, so the Deacons can follow through with their plan of delivering homemade bread to all first-time guests.
The Mission Team is also working on updating our membership information. Their follow-up has led to several inactive members converting their membership to active, and some going the other way around. A new directory will be completed when they finish their process.
Roger Paulsen shared information about other aspects of the Mission Team. He shared that the results of the Gulfport trip showed that we have mixed feelings. There is high support for local and youth mission trips, but low support for out-of-state mission trips.
Roger also recapped several recent Mission Team efforts:
· Clothing Bank—We are accepting donations here at the church. Judy Paulsen is liaison with the Renton Clothing Bank, following OEC’s closure.
· Salvation Army Food Bank—A special effort in November gathered 629 pounds of food and $810, in addition to the Deacons’ contribution of $1,000. We will continue to emphasize giving to the Food Bank.
· Peacemaking Offering—St. Andrew people contributed approximately $800.
· Mission of Your Choice—Budget is available, usually in $100 donations, for organizations suggested by different people. Total budget for this giving is $1,900.
· Christmas Giving Tree—Several changes have been made this year. Unwrapped clothing and toys can be left under the tree in the entry, or in baskets under the tree in the sanctuary.
Elder at Large Andy Peck distributed a handout summarizing what he is working on.
· Organizational Structure—Andy is formulating a combination between our current department structure and a more traditional committee structure. He wants to formalize a few standing committees for essential functions, hoping to make the functioning of the church more accessible. Part of his plan involves a person from every organization or committee who will act as liaison with the Session.
· Who’s On First List—This list would describe the duties of every person in a staff or leadership position. It will be followed by a “Go To” list, which will tell whom to contact for any foreseeable concern or activity. The first step has been the Elder/Staff photo board in the Narthex.
· Leadership Guidance— Andy is working on documenting guidance for each identified function within the congregation, so that someone new in a position will find it easier to learn what’s needed and how to do their job.
· Technology Committee—Lainey Sickinger has agreed to take leadership of this group. Immediate plans include upgrading our internet access, looking for ways to improve computers available for youth doing homework, and establishing a guest computer to be available at the church.
Indru Primlani spoke as representative of the Operations Department. Operations has three areas of responsibility: financial/budget matters, personnel, and the physical plant. His responsibilities mainly have to do with the physical plant. The goal he would like to achieve is walking into the building and not noticing anything.
Indru related that older areas of the building have been gradually modernized, through installation of more efficient light fixtures and bulbs, for example. Recoating of the roof in the recent past extended its life. We also have a fairly new furnace. He expressed thanks to several people who just keep helping, like the Golden Hammer and Saw Team (Andy Resor, Don Patterson, Bob Mullen, Gary Glasscock, Dick Jaslowski, and others from time to time).
Indru stressed that the Operations people always have their eyes open looking out for things that need fixing. But if anyone sees something that needs some attention, please tell someone on the team. He expressed thanks for all who help, especially at work parties.
A question was raised about staining and wear that are becoming obvious on our carpet. Indru agreed that the carpet needed to be replaced. He also noted that the roof needs to be replaced, but both items will be fairly expensive, and we do not have an identified budget item for them at this point.
During our General Discussion, a question was raised about whether or not anyone keeps track of rumors that someone is leaving St. Andrew. Forester Woodruff responded that we do track attendance, and one of the things that should accomplish is to be able to tell the appropriate Deacon when a member of their parish has missed worship for several weeks in a row. That is not working too well yet. Dana Holstine suggested that if someone hears such a rumor, they could ask the person who is the subject of the rumor.
The next First Wednesday Parish Potluck will take place on January 7.