Read up on all the wonderful work the Session is doing!
Starting August 2022, we will be posting summaries from our Session meetings, including important conversations that are being had, decisions that have been made, and anything else that might help you feel more "in the loop" on what's happening in, around, and behind the scenes at First Presbyterian Church.
Session Notes for August 18, 2022
The Session met on Thursday, August 18 in the Fireside Room for a regularly scheduled meeting. As we gathered, smiles and laughter contributed to a general feeling of joy and camaraderie. After opening with prayer at 6:35pm and approving the agenda, we spent some time responding to a question Pastor John posed to the group: “What is one thing at First Presbyterian Church that you are proud of?” Responses included Grete Hansen’s work in coordinating back-to-school Backpacks for kids, hosting the upcoming one-day Pedal 4 Protein ride, the Give & Get kids gear giveaway on October 1, our partnership with Open Arms Playgarden Preschool, the new AVL upgrade and all the work that went into that, our general engagement with the broader community, and our church bees that keep our garden pollinated. God is doing so much through us, and there is much to be encouraged by and to celebrate.
Pastor John then shared a pastor’s report, highlighting the launch of the (mostly-done) church website, grateful for Stephen and Elizabeth McNeil who are now taking leading roles in our social media and website presence. He also presented a draft Statement of Inclusion for the Session's review. Session will provide feedback and revisit this at the next meeting. For now, the Statement is included on the new website but still “pending Session review.”
Clerk of Session, Shawn Dooley presented the Clerk’s Report, which included discussion and planning of a “Fall Bounty” kickoff Sunday on September 11. In worship we will celebrate the things God is doing in the congregation, things that are coming up this year, ways folks can get involved, and then we'll share a BBQ shindig after worship. Ledra Brady volunteered to organize the event.
Mark Sturges gave an update on our new partnership with Elece Hempel (PPSC), Petaluma Senior Center, and the planning for a fall Young At Heart style event in Koinonia Hall. Session discussed our upcoming Pedal 4 Protein one-day-ride hosting, and Pam Sommer reported the Worship Commission’s support of the Fijian congregation using our new AVL system (under the condition that their technicians are trained by Enrique Rojas).
Budget and Finance Elder Shawn Dooley reported that through July, the finances for 2022 are in good shape based on the budget. Pledge giving is slightly behind budget, partly due to the normally slow summer giving. This is offset by lower than budgeted expenses to date. Rental income continues to supplement the financial standing of the congregation. Investments are down with the market through June this year.
Session adjourned with prayer at 7:58pm.
Pastor John then shared a pastor’s report, highlighting the launch of the (mostly-done) church website, grateful for Stephen and Elizabeth McNeil who are now taking leading roles in our social media and website presence. He also presented a draft Statement of Inclusion for the Session's review. Session will provide feedback and revisit this at the next meeting. For now, the Statement is included on the new website but still “pending Session review.”
Clerk of Session, Shawn Dooley presented the Clerk’s Report, which included discussion and planning of a “Fall Bounty” kickoff Sunday on September 11. In worship we will celebrate the things God is doing in the congregation, things that are coming up this year, ways folks can get involved, and then we'll share a BBQ shindig after worship. Ledra Brady volunteered to organize the event.
Mark Sturges gave an update on our new partnership with Elece Hempel (PPSC), Petaluma Senior Center, and the planning for a fall Young At Heart style event in Koinonia Hall. Session discussed our upcoming Pedal 4 Protein one-day-ride hosting, and Pam Sommer reported the Worship Commission’s support of the Fijian congregation using our new AVL system (under the condition that their technicians are trained by Enrique Rojas).
Budget and Finance Elder Shawn Dooley reported that through July, the finances for 2022 are in good shape based on the budget. Pledge giving is slightly behind budget, partly due to the normally slow summer giving. This is offset by lower than budgeted expenses to date. Rental income continues to supplement the financial standing of the congregation. Investments are down with the market through June this year.
Session adjourned with prayer at 7:58pm.
[Session did not meet in September]
Session Notes for October 20, 2022
The Session met on Thursday, October 20 in the Fireside Room for a regularly scheduled meeting. The tone was jovial as everyone arrived, and the conversation about recent church activities so positive, that we didn't end up calling the meeting to order until 6:51pm. We counted that our devotional time and proceeded with the agenda. Items of note, and actions taken, include the following.
The Session voted and formally adopted a Statement of Inclusion, now posted on the church website here.
Session also voted and approved a Stewardship sub-committee to include Pastor John, Shawn Dooley (Budget and Finance Elder) and Roger Johnson (Bookkeeper)
Eric Goodrich and Steve Crook will once again review and update the membership roll, taking appropriate steps to contact absent members per Book of Order procedures.
The Nominating Committee has been actively reaching out to individuals about filling empty Session positions for 2023. All of our fabulous Deacons are staying for 2023. Yay!
A Congregational Meeting to elect new officers (Deacons, Elders, and Nominating Committee members at large) was voted on and set for Sunday, November 20. This is the same day as our Thanksgiving luncheon, which means (1) more people will be present to participate in the meeting, and (2) it will be a very short meeting because everyone will want to get to the luncheon. Ledra Brady (Missions Elder) volunteered to take the lead on organizing the Thanksgiving luncheon this year.
Session set the date of the Joint Meeting (and dinner) of Session and Deacons for Thursday, December 8, 6pm. This year it is the Deacons' turn to provide the meal.
Thanks to the faithful contributions from the congregation, giving has trended close to the budget for the year through September. Rental income has also tracked with the budget. Although, utility costs have increased at a greater rate than anticipated, overall expenses have been kept in line with expectations. Investments have taken a hit this year, but paying off the mortgage has released us from any long term debt.
Session adjourned with prayer at 7:48pm.
The Session voted and formally adopted a Statement of Inclusion, now posted on the church website here.
Session also voted and approved a Stewardship sub-committee to include Pastor John, Shawn Dooley (Budget and Finance Elder) and Roger Johnson (Bookkeeper)
Eric Goodrich and Steve Crook will once again review and update the membership roll, taking appropriate steps to contact absent members per Book of Order procedures.
The Nominating Committee has been actively reaching out to individuals about filling empty Session positions for 2023. All of our fabulous Deacons are staying for 2023. Yay!
A Congregational Meeting to elect new officers (Deacons, Elders, and Nominating Committee members at large) was voted on and set for Sunday, November 20. This is the same day as our Thanksgiving luncheon, which means (1) more people will be present to participate in the meeting, and (2) it will be a very short meeting because everyone will want to get to the luncheon. Ledra Brady (Missions Elder) volunteered to take the lead on organizing the Thanksgiving luncheon this year.
Session set the date of the Joint Meeting (and dinner) of Session and Deacons for Thursday, December 8, 6pm. This year it is the Deacons' turn to provide the meal.
Thanks to the faithful contributions from the congregation, giving has trended close to the budget for the year through September. Rental income has also tracked with the budget. Although, utility costs have increased at a greater rate than anticipated, overall expenses have been kept in line with expectations. Investments have taken a hit this year, but paying off the mortgage has released us from any long term debt.
Session adjourned with prayer at 7:48pm.
Session Notes for January 19, 2022
The January 19 Session meeting was held in the Fireside room and called to order with prayer at 6:30pm. It was our first meeting with our newly elected and installed Elders: Phoebe Antonia and Sue Carson (co-chairing our Mission/Outreach Commission), Wayne Roberts (Facilities), and Susan Pearce (Budget and Finance). In addition we had Pam Sommer (Worship), Joyce Schipper (Deacon Moderator and representative to Session), Mark Sturges (Personnel), Ledra Brady (Congregational Life), and Pastor John (Moderator).
Following approval of the agenda, Pastor John gave a brief Session mini-orientation, followed by a Pastor's report. That report included a conversation about discerning our 2023 commission priorities, and the creation of a master calendar for the year. Now that we are back in person, it's time to get organized after a chaotic Covid season. We'll be figuring out what we want to focus our time, energy and resources on accomplishing, and establishing which commission will be responsible for each activity or event. To that end, we scheduled a follow-up Zoom meeting for Tuesday, January 24 with the sole purpose of working on this master calendar. The master calendar will also come in handy for others in the congregation who are beginning to take a more active and intentional role in promoting our church activities across our digital platforms (website, Facebook, Instagram, NextDoor). Pastor John also gave a brief update on his Sabbatical planning, including some of the people who will be providing some pastoral coverage while he is away: Rev. Linda Powers, Rev. Nancy Martin Vincent, Rev. Eric Beene, Ariel Mink.
Shaw Dooley (Clerk of Session) presented the Clerk's report which included the following.
Susan Pearce and Shawn Dooley then gave the Budget and Finance report. We closed out 2022 in a good financial position. Overall giving was slightly above budget. Rental income continued to come in as budgeted. Commissions did a great job monitoring spending throughout the year. Utility expenses were higher than expected. Investments took a hit in 2022, but we still have reserves. The building fund has some cash remaining heading into 2023 after paying off the mortgage and the AVL project in 2022!
Pam Sommer brought a motion to approve Rony Kurniawan as the newest Worship Commission member. Rony will be an important link between the Worship Commission, our AVL Technician Enrique Rojas, and our AVL volunteers. Motion approved. Pam also brought to Session's attention an idea that was inspired by our Stewardship Sunday pledges of time and talents. What if we created a resources page where congregants could offer services to fellow congregants. For example, simple sewing, handyman services, etc.). WC will work on developing the idea.
Session adjourned with prayer at 7:50pm.
It was a wonderful first meeting with the new Session. We're off to a great start!
Following approval of the agenda, Pastor John gave a brief Session mini-orientation, followed by a Pastor's report. That report included a conversation about discerning our 2023 commission priorities, and the creation of a master calendar for the year. Now that we are back in person, it's time to get organized after a chaotic Covid season. We'll be figuring out what we want to focus our time, energy and resources on accomplishing, and establishing which commission will be responsible for each activity or event. To that end, we scheduled a follow-up Zoom meeting for Tuesday, January 24 with the sole purpose of working on this master calendar. The master calendar will also come in handy for others in the congregation who are beginning to take a more active and intentional role in promoting our church activities across our digital platforms (website, Facebook, Instagram, NextDoor). Pastor John also gave a brief update on his Sabbatical planning, including some of the people who will be providing some pastoral coverage while he is away: Rev. Linda Powers, Rev. Nancy Martin Vincent, Rev. Eric Beene, Ariel Mink.
Shaw Dooley (Clerk of Session) presented the Clerk's report which included the following.
- Scheduling the Session Retreat for August 19
- Electing Corporate officers: Clerk (Shawn Dooley), Treasurer (Shawn Dooley), President (Susan Pearce), Secretary (Sue Carson)
- Election of Presbytery Delegates: Ledra Brady and Roger Johnson
- Election of Nominating Committee Representatives from Session: Pam Sommer and Phoebe Antonio
- Vote to designate FPCP's 2023 Mission Commitment to the Presbytery ($1,800) as follows: 75% going to Presbytery of the Redwoods/Synod of the Pacific Partnership, and 25% going to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Mission.
Susan Pearce and Shawn Dooley then gave the Budget and Finance report. We closed out 2022 in a good financial position. Overall giving was slightly above budget. Rental income continued to come in as budgeted. Commissions did a great job monitoring spending throughout the year. Utility expenses were higher than expected. Investments took a hit in 2022, but we still have reserves. The building fund has some cash remaining heading into 2023 after paying off the mortgage and the AVL project in 2022!
Pam Sommer brought a motion to approve Rony Kurniawan as the newest Worship Commission member. Rony will be an important link between the Worship Commission, our AVL Technician Enrique Rojas, and our AVL volunteers. Motion approved. Pam also brought to Session's attention an idea that was inspired by our Stewardship Sunday pledges of time and talents. What if we created a resources page where congregants could offer services to fellow congregants. For example, simple sewing, handyman services, etc.). WC will work on developing the idea.
Session adjourned with prayer at 7:50pm.
It was a wonderful first meeting with the new Session. We're off to a great start!