August-September 2022 Vineyard

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church matters Council happenings Since the last issue of the Vineyard, the St. Mark’s Council has met twice and had two sessions of “Chat with Council.” We invite members of the congregation to come to our chats 30 minutes before services on Council-meeting days and the night before. We thank you for your suggestions and also for your words of encouragement! Here are just a few highlights of our recent Council meetings: FINANCES AND STEWARDSHIP: Our finances continue to trend in a positive direction, as we continue to be under budget on spending and over budget on income. Our giving has lagged in the summer, which is typical during the summer months. We will continue to monitor expenses to keep our budget moving in the right direction. Look for information to come on our Stewardship Campaign, “Coming Together in Joyful Giving.” This year, we plan to highlight the various ministries of St. Mark’s as members consider how to offer time and talent as well as monetary gifts. ESSE: We continue to be excited about ESSE (Ecumenical Support Services for the Elderly) at St. Mark’s, and we appreciated all of the questions at the special congregational meeting, where the congregation voted to designate space at St. Mark’s for ESSE. This meeting was a high point of our summer as we came together to consider hosting this important ministry at St. Mark’s. COMMUNICATION: Plans are in the works to upgrade the display space on the brick wall near our front entrance. Matt Greising and Greg Reiseck are creating innovative, user-friendly “display rails” to replace our bulletin boards. Check this space in September to see what’s happening at St. Mark’s! BUILDING USE: Our Property Team is receiving many requests for the use of our building, both from members and from community groups. We want to make sure that requests are going through the office so they are properly vetted and get on the church calendar. Watch for upcoming information about a new Building Use Application, a Liability Release Waiver, and a Policy and Procedure document. PERMANENT NAME TAGS: As Council has become more visible with name tags, a generous member has offered to create name tags for all members. We are excited for the opportunity to call everyone by name! Look for more information to come. YOUTH AND FAMILY: We have an array of youth and family events coming up at St. Mark’s: • Final Family Fun Day, August 28 • Rally Day, September 11 • FDL, Confirmation, Youth Group, beginning September 14 • Sunday School and Education Hour, beginning September 18 WORSHIP AND THE ARTS: Council approved the hiring of Sue Hildebrand as Facilitator of Worship, Music, and the Visual Arts. She will serve the congregation part-time in this role. RESPONSE ADVISORY TEAM: New “panic buttons” have been installed in the sanctuary and lower level. When pressed, they send out a silent alarm. We also have new Emergency Action Plans posted all over the building. In the future, look for upgraded first-aid kits and drills for weather, emergency action, and so forth. Please feel free to reach out to Council members with questions and suggestions in helping us carry out St. Mark’s mission to share Christ’s abundant love! — Lynnette Brent 14 St. Mark’s Council Randy Steinheimer, President rsteinheimer@sd129.org Lynnette Brent, Vice-President lynnettebrent@gmail.com Jon Miller, Secretary jgmiller6836@gmail.com Rob Creaney, Treasurer rob.creaney@sbcglobal.net Mike Bauman jmb15mjb4@gmail.com Matt Greising mpgreising@gmail.com Izzy Jones isabellemjones06@gmail.com Tyler Mabrey yerbam719@gmail.com Mark Mueller mueller1110@comcast.net Anna Themanson acthemo@gmail.com Patrick Fish, Pastor pfish@stmarksaurora.net Marnie Rourke, Pastor mrourke@stmarksaurora.net Joni Ackley, Recording Secretary jackley@stmarksaurora.net
church matters Emergency Action Plan The Response Advisory Team (RAT) continues to work for the safety of our members. New Alarm System: Our newly installed state-of-the-art system protects and integrates our entire building and replaces the former alarm systems that had been added as our building expanded. In addition, panic buttons have been installed in the sanctuary and lower level. In the case of an emergency, when both buttons are pressed and held simultaneously for several seconds, a silent alarm is triggered. An alarm signal is sent directly to emergency personnel and identifies an emergency at St. Mark’s, as well as the location within St. Mark’s where the distress signal is coming from. Emergency Action Plan: The original plan has been updated and printed in teal blue binders, strategically placed in 10 locations around St. Mark’s: • Main office • Staff hallway • Sanctuary • Sanctuary Hall • Nursery (in book shelves) • Welcome Center • Education wing (outside the door) • Education wing office • Lower level • Kitchen Please stop by one of these locations to examine the new Emergency Action Plan. Thanks to our Office Manager, Joni Ackley. St. Mark’s monthly financial recap for July 2022 Monthly Information First-Aid Kits: As we continue implementing ways to keep our members safe, we will complete our task of replenishing/replacing outdated First-Aid Kits. Safety Drills: In the Fall we will implement safety drills for worship, Sunday School, and FDL. These drills will be pre-planned and announced, and procedures/expectations will be explained. These drills will be in preparation for severe weather, fire, and other emergency situations. The RAT will continue to update you on our work. If you have any questions about ongoing safety measures, please contact the church office. Monthly Budget Goal $ 76,213.92 Monthly Offering information Envelopes – General Fund $ 61,496.62 LSSI Rent $ — Miscellaneous $ 311.00 Other (loose, Sunday School, interest) $ 322.63 Total General Fund Income $ 62,130.15 Monthly Surplus (Shortfall) $ (14,083.77) Summary General Fund Information as of 07/31/2022 Annual Budget $ 914,567.00 Percent of Year Completed 58% Offerings/Commitments/Other Income $ 455,915.49 received year to date Actual Expenses year to date $ 527,182.97 Actual Expense Surplus (Shortfall) year to date $ (71,267.48) Budget Surplus (Shortfall) year to date $ (77,581.93) Debt Balances as of 07/31/2022 Principal Remaining on Church Building $ 1,169,287.30 Principal Remaining on CDC $ --- General Fund owes Special Fund $ 15,000.00 15
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Page 3 and 4: families coming together for worshi
Page 5 and 6: coming together for music & fun “
Page 7 and 8: coming together with new members Jo
Page 9 and 10: coming together with our community
Page 11 and 12: teens coming together on a mission
Page 13: coming together with God Looking fo

August-September 2022 Vineyard

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