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2008 ANNUAL REPORT
. MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER Greetings in the name of Christ! Last month, the Church Council charged the committee that has been working on Conflict Resolution and Church Governance, to write a letter to the West District Executive highlighting the healing and reconciliation that has been occurring on our charge. What a wonderfully enlightening process it was to do so. It didn’t take long to find positive benchmarks of the healing process now taking place. Right from the beginning of this process, it was recognized that conflict resolution must arise from within our congregations and not be imposed from the outside, and we feel that there is evidence that reconciliation is occurring and our charge is returning to health and strength again. We wanted to share that evidence, so you, the Gander Pastoral Charge Family of God, can also celebrate the way God is working within our church family. Two Biblical references that jump to mind come from the Apostle Paul and King Solomon. Paul reminds us of our connection and commitment to each other in the letter to the Romans, chapter 12 saying “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer... Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.” In Ecclesiastes 3, King Solomon proclaims that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Writing a letter of our own, the Conflict Resolution and Governance Committee found evidence that this is a time to laugh, dance and celebrate as we remain the joyful, hopeful and faithful people of God! We wish to draw attention to the following examples:
Other significant indicators of reconciliation are noteworthy:
We feel that all of the above indicators show that we are part of a healthy and healing congregation. We will continue to have growing pains, but rather than wallow in negativity, we revel in the fact that we have been blessed indeed! May 2009 be another year of healing, reconciliation and improvements as we learn to live in harmony with one another. With eager anticipation, Rev. Stephanie McClellan . MARRIAGES 2008
. FIRST UNITED CHURCH
. FIRST UNITED CHURCH Nil . . BAPTISMS
. . FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH CONFIRMATION RECEIVED BY TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP Elizabeth Anne BURKE (Wicks) from Gambo UC TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP OUT Kathleen L. MANUEL to 1st UC Mount Pearl MEMBERSHIP REMOVED BY DEATH
CONFIRMED REMOVED BY DEATH . BENTON CONFIRMED REMOVED BY DEATH
Rev. Stephanie McClellan opened the meeting with a prayer, followed by an in memoriam for those members of our congregation who passed away in 2007. Rev. Stephanie read the names of those people while candles were lit in their honour by Dianne Anderson. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND SECRETARY APPROVAL OF AGENDA APPROVAL OF MINUTES BUSINESS ARISING It was brought to the attention of members present that the $7500.00 we receive from M&S for our Chaplaincy program has been increased to $10,000.00 this year. Rollie Forward let the members know that M&P is being Co-Chaired by him and Don Sweetapple.
. PASTORAL CHARGE CONGREGATIONAL MEETING . The Pastoral Charge met in the church hall following morning worship on Sunday, October 13, 2008. It was also brought forward that the congregation needs to know who the Chairs of all committees are and where to direct their questions or concerns. It was suggested something be done up and placed where the congregation can have access to it.
. CHURCH COUNCIL
I would like to thank all Council members for your dedication, work and support in 2008. To our brothers and sisters in Glenwood/Appleton and Benton it’s a pleasure working with you. May God’s Blessing be upon you all in 2009. Bonnie Adams . . SESSION
Our Session meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm in the church hall except for summer months of July and August. We are looking for new members, the only requirements are full membership in the United Church with membership on historic roll at Fraser Road. We have a total of 14 members, we had one youth resigned because of school commitments and we thank Jillian very much for her faithful service and contribution to the work and worship of Fraser Road. We added three new members: Nancy Wright, Evelyn Forward and Winnie Roebothan and we welcome them as we continue to serve the church. We had several baptisms, marriages and transfers in and out. These are all recorded in the front pages of your docket by our very capable secretary. Lay Visitation still continue at Lakeside Homes, Nightingale Manor and James Paton Hospital. We would like to thank these people for their continued support, we are always looking for people to help, if you can spare a couple of hours once a month we will greatly appreciate it. This would make less visits for everyone. Communion is served on a regular basis on the first Sunday of each month and is available for home or institutions if necessary. Baptism on the last Sunday of each month or at other times if necessary – a ten day notice is required prior to baptism. We greatly appreciate the services of Ministers and Lay People who have helped us this past year: Rev. Oake, Gander; Rev. Watkins, Botwood; Rev. Elliott, Lewisporte; Rev. Stuckless, Gambo; Glenn Keefe; Bonnie Adams; Roy Jenkins; Church Choirs; UCW Fellowship Unit; Mr. Carl Arnold, Hare Bay; Genesis UCW; Youth Group and Sunday School for their Christmas music and programs and to leaders of the Sing Along one Sunday evening per month. Thank you so much. At this time we would like to thank all our Session members who helped out so much during this past year:
We were very fortunate to have Glenn Keefe complete his discernment process and have his conference interview. His candidacy is depending upon successful transferring courses and completing some academic courses which are necessary. However, we have been in contact with a university and are working on getting this in order. A special thank you to the Choirs and Karen, our Director, and to all soloist and musicians who so greatly gave of their time to fill open spaces when choir was unavailable and extra people were needed. Also thank you to Rev. Stephanie for her work during the year especially since we only have one Minister on staff and not sure when this will change. Last but not least, thanks to the members of Session who have been so good to me this past year and were only a phone call away. Geof has been a tower of strength to me. God’s Blessings to you all. Respectfully submitted, Betty Hodder
. MINISTRY & PERSONNEL As a continuation from the previous year, the M & P Committee as well as our churches and its congregations have been dealing with conflicts in our Pastoral Charge. It has been a long and extensive process but our committee has contributed to the reconciliation process which is overcoming these matters. During the month of September the M & P Committee hosted a workshop whereby Reverend Faith March-MacCuish, Conference Personnel Minister of East and West Districts, provided an updated educational presentation on the responsibilities of Ministry and Personnel Committees. The workshop was open to the various congregations of our Pastoral Charge as well other committees. There was a small attendance but the positive outcome was very beneficial for those who attended. I have been a member of the M & P Committee for about three years and in February agreed to Co-Chair this committee along with Roland Forward. In September Roland resigned as Co-Chair, but is still a committee member, and I assumed the position of Chair. I would like to thank Roland for his work as Chair for the past two years or so as well as all other members of our committee. This committee has the responsibility of addressing the concerns of all paid employees of our Charge whether they are presented by these employees or from a member of the congregations. Everyone is reminded that for a concern to be addressed it has to be received by our committee either in writing or by the person providing the concern attending one of our meetings. The M & P Committee meets at least four times per year but will meet more often if issues arise. We advertise all meetings in the weekly bulletins prior to the meeting but emergency meetings may not be advertised. Our goal is to continue to be a willing participant in everyone’s concerns by listening and assisting with guidance individually as well as through other committees. We are very positive about the future of the Gander Pastoral Charge and will commit our services to its success. Sincerely yours, Don Sweetapple . . COMMUNICATION AND MEMBERSHIP The Communication & Membership Committee has continued working on the Fraser Road United Church Newsletter in 2008. Our Committee is again requesting that you take advantage of this newsletter by letting us know of any items of interest that you would like see printed in the newsletter. Five deliveries were made in 2008 which included two financial statements, the church envelopes and one newsletter. The Committee sends a big thank you to our delivery people for the excellent job they did last year and hopes their support can be counted on again for the coming year. Remember to check out our website for church announcements, events, photos and more. Our web address is: www.unitedchurchgander.ca Respectfully submitted Oswald Anstey . .
2008 - It was a year of celebration ! With a great deal of thanks and appreciation to the pioneers who laid the strong foundation upon which this congregation was built, the year was a busy one as we celebrated 50 years at this present site. The seeds planted years ago have continued to grow and flourish into the strong roots and beautiful facility this congregation has today. Events held to celebrate included -
Lorraine Elliott
PROPERTY 1. Many thanks to David Tremblett for his many years of service. He has decided not to participate this year. Welcome to two new members: Gerald Clouter and Barry Hicks. The remaining members have been with us forever and their faithfulness is appreciated. We would certainly welcome more new members. It would be nice to have some younger persons come aboard as they have the needed energy. How about it “Kids”? Membership is not limited to the masculine gender and it’s been my experience that the feminine gender likes to express an opinion. You are challenged ladies. . . CHRISTIAN DEVELOPMENT Christian Development has continued with its mandate to provide Christian leadership and support to the various church groups that come under our umbrella, including the Sunday School, the Youth Group, Scouting, UCW, and the Sign Choirs. Most groups prepare individual reports, so the following are some additional observations. Although no one has assumed the role of Superintendent, our Sunday School program has been running very well. A curriculum with prepared resources is in place, in conjunction with a sign-up system for teaching the separate age groups each Sunday. Several dedicated volunteers have been overseeing this to ensure that things run smoothly. At the present time, plans have been made to form a Youth Worship Band and to have our youth participate in a Drama Team for Worship. We always appreciate their contributions to our church community. Our youth made inspiring contributions during the Christmas season through the Sunday School concert and the Youth Group presentation “The Silhouette Nativity”. Both were well attended and very meaningful. They also participated in a float, commemorating our 50th Anniversary, entered in Gander’s Christmas parade of lights. We have welcomed three new members to our committee this year. This is an active group with diverse responsibilities, and new people are always welcome. Many thanks to anyone who has volunteered for or supported any of our endeavors.
. YOUTH GROUP Youth Group meets every Wednesday night 7:30pm-9pm. This past year we have been kept very busy and have accomplished so many good things! We would like to thank all our special guests for providing us with beautiful crafts, skits, presentations and great food! We always love to have newcomers so if you’re grade 7 and up, please consider our group! Some of our past year activities include:
As you can plainly see, we balance play and service as we gratefully take our place in this family of God. Submitted by: Marilyn Boone
FIRST UNITED SCOUTING In looking back at my last several reports it seems like every year I’m talking about how numbers are up in our group. 2008 was no different. In 07-08 we had 2 Beaver colonies, 1 Cub Pack and 1 Scout troop involving 89 youth and 26 adult volunteers. For 08-09 we still have 2 Beaver Colonies but this year we had to expand to 2 Cub Packs. We have our Scout Troop and this year saw the rejuvenation of a Venturer Company. This year we have 97 youth and 26 adults involved in our program. As in past years we participated in a couple of important environmental projects, Trees for Canada in May and the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup in September. Also in the Fall we had our annual apple day and popcorn fundraisers and attended the Remembrance Day service. Our group also attended the Blue Mass which was organized by Knights of Columbus to honor volunteers in the community. The 2 Beaver colonies have been kept busy. During the Winter and Spring they were involved in a number of activities and both had Spring camps at Camp Hancock. In the Fall they were back with 2 groups again and close to 40 kids. They had a sleepover at the hall among other exciting activities. They have introduced the singing of O’ Canada and the reciting of the Lords prayer into their weekly routine and this has been a positive addition to the spiritual element of their program. For the Cub pack it has been a busy year as well. In January Reverend Stephanie attended 3 meetings and helped the boys complete the requirements for their Religion in Life awards. The Cubs thoroughly enjoyed the meetings where Rev. Steph covered the issue of spirituality in a fun yet thought-provoking manner. Also during the Winter they worked on their Kub Kars and had a Winter Camp where they tried their hand at building shelters and cooking their own meal over an open fire. In the Spring they finished off their Red Stars and participated in a number of activities outside. The year ended with a great summer camp at Camp Nor’ Wes. In September we had 40 kids show up for registration so we had to form 2 packs. Initially one group had to meet at the Arts and Culture Centre due to limited time slots at the church hall but eventually we were able to meet with Council and arrange a time to meet at the hall. Due to the success of our group we were approached by the Provincial council and asked to do a trial test on a new badge which we did. Both Packs had Fall camps and by Christmas had finished off their Tawny stars. Our Scouting group continued with many outdoor activities during the past year. Our Winter camp was held on the weekend of the big ice storm last winter if you can recall it. A memorable experience to say the least. We also had Rev. Steph come in and do the Religion in Life program with the Scouts. Over the course of the Winter and Spring the boys worked on a number of badges and by the end of the year several of them had earned their Voyageur Scout Award which was quite an accomplishment. We also had a Spring camp at Little Harbour and a number of hikes and other outdoor events including an orienteering course. For our Summer camp we canoed across Terra Nova Lake to the mouth of George’s Brook where we had a fantastic time on a huge stretch of beach. In the Fall we once again had a camp and the boys built their own lean-to’s and slept under the stars. Just before Christmas we had a wake-a-thon. Not as a fundraiser but rather just for fun which we certainly had. As I mentioned earlier a Venturer Company was formed in September. They attended a couple of camps in the Fall including one at Camp Nor’Wes which was organized by the St John’s Rovers. To keep an organization as big as ours has become running requires a lot of support from volunteers. With this in mind I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who make this wonderful Scouting program possible. Every year we continue to attract more and more youth to our organization and this is no doubt a reflection of the excellent work of the many volunteers we have dedicated to providing personal and spiritual development within the Fraser Road United Scouting program. The benefits to the youth we have involved in Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Venturers are significant and the contributions made by Fraser Road United Church and its congregation are fantastic. I have no doubt that this September will see our group grow to over 100 youth. WOW! In Scouting, Blair Sparkes
. . MEN’S CHOIR AND SENIOR CHOIR The Senior and Men’s Choirs had another active year at Fraser Road United Church. For the most part, the choirs participated in regular Sunday morning worship on a rotating three week schedule. During the more special times of the church year such as Christmas and Easter, the handbell choir joined our choirs to present our musical gifts together. In June, as has been the case for many years, the choirs also take part in a Memorial service. The fall of 2008 was a particularly busy time for our choirs! This year marks the 50th anniversary of our church and of the town of Gander, with our choirs participating in the 50th anniversary celebrations in our church and in our community. Our church received a visit from our Moderator and took part in a musical presentation in celebration of his visit. The CBC sponsored Christmas fundraiser of “The Christmas Carol” took part in Fraser Road United Church this year and the Senior Choir supplied much of the musical support. We also sang in the Gander Ministerial Service. We were recently blessed with new members, but more are always welcome! You don’t have to be able to read music, or be a great musician, you just need to enjoy music and be ready to have fun singing in a choir! Participating in a musical ensemble where many people sing as one is an invigorating and extraordinary experience. And you also can feel great knowing you are volunteering your time and energy for our church family. Please contact our church office for more information if you are interested. Big “Thank-You s” to the congregation of Fraser Road United Church for your support and assistance, and to each and every choir member for your dedication and commitment! Karen Nevin
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The Fraser Road United Church Guitar Group continues to meet in the choir room every Thursday at 6:45 to 7:45 pm. Following our meeting the accordion group begins their practice, and a number of guitar group members pick up their accordions and carry on. The choir room is really sounding great on Thursday nights and it’s nice to see that all members of both Groups are continuing to show interest in the music side of our church life. The guitar group has 15 active members at present. Twenty members is realistically the maximum that the group can handle and I would tend to discourage any additional new members beyond twenty. We have lost a couple of members due to other personal commitments this winter. From my experience, this is normal for any group. Being a member requires some dedication to, not only public performances, but to weekly practices as well. We have played at all senior’s homes in Gander, gone to Glenwood/Appleton to supply music for their service, have actually planned and conducted a service both at Fraser Road and Glenwood/Appleton, and have performed at the old fashioned hymn sings in our church. We may visit other congregations in our region to supply music for their service sometime in the future. Also, since we have recently purchased a new sound system, we will be doing a mid winter music concert in the church hall on the 27th of February to help pay for our system. Stay posted for the announcement on this up and coming exciting musical event which promises to be a great evening of music, skits, and fun. Thank you all for your support in 2008 and we hope and pray for enriched church life in 2009. In appreciation for your support, we will entertain you and support our church services in every way we can, given our busy schedules. May God richly Bless you All, Yours in continued Music and Song Ken Slaney
. . THE ACCORDION BAND . Last year was an interesting year for the Accordion Band, which was formed on April 2, 2007. The Band joined with the Guitar Group to perform in the “Great Big U.C. Concert” in February; the Band played for the Moderator during his visit and put on performances at Lakeside Homes, the Golden Legion Manor and Nightingale Manor. The Band has continued to learn new selections, both sacred and secular, and have expanded its repertoire to more than 50 pieces. Last year we reported on a second group of beginners which were preparing to integrate with the Band. That has been done and we now have one group only. The members of the Band are Bonnie Adams, Mackenzie Blake, Sylvia Burry, Bram Freake, Melissa Kinden, Vicki Lear, Gerard Noseworthy, Joan Pike, Carol Sturge, Edna Thorne, Ewart Tibbo and Ross Williams. Gerard has agreed to take the leadership of the Band when I am unavailable. Anyone interested in joining the Band are invited to contact Gerard Noseworthy at 256-8650 or Frank Tibbo at 256-8388. We normally meet on Thursday evening in the Choir Room. Frank Tibbo . . SOCIAL CLUB The members of the Social Club were very saddened in January past with the sudden passing of a very Dear Member Viola Ross. Viola was a friend to all and will be deeply missed. The Social Club is still very active and meets on the last Saturday of each month at 8 P.M. except July, August and September. The Social Club was formed approximately 25 years ago to raise funds for the purchase of the Grand Piano which is still in use in the sanctuary. Since that time the members of the Social Club with the support of the public have contributed to the financial picture of Fraser Road United Church on a yearly basis. The only fund raiser we have is our Bean Supper which is held as close to Valentine’s day as possible and has always been a success. This past year the Social Club donated $ 2000.00 to the church and assisted in making for a better Christmas for a needy family. We also give an annual contribution to the Alzheimer's Association. Some of the activities of the Social Club are:
Overall the members of the club enjoy the fellowship and the activities on a monthly basis, if you would like to be a member, please come and enjoy. We extend best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2009 to all members of our congregation Veneta Anstey . . FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH WOMEN
We presently have 47 members on our roll which includes 23 life members. The average attendance is 28. Our rallies and UCW district meetings keep us in touch with other UCW local groups and give us a time to renew old acquaintances and make new ones. We were sorry to lose one of our long-time members this year, namely Clara Snook. Clara was one of our life members and a very active and dedicated member. Life Membership Pins were presented to Joan Guy, Sadie Lane and Hilda Lewis. These ladies have served our UCW quite well over the years and we wish them God’s blessings for years to come. Worship and Programs presented from Jan. 08 - Dec. 08.
Donations Made Church Operating Expenses Fundraising Projects Three Afternoon Teas Our members continue to be active in friendship and visiting. Any non-attending or sick members are sent flowers, cards, phone calls, fruit baskets and visited whenever needed. We would welcome new members and your involvement with this group will not only help others but you will find it rewarding as well. We have had a successful 2008 - let’s look forward to the same for 2009 ! With God’s blessings, Ida M. Winter
. . FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH WOMEN Genesis has had another year of fellowship and fun. Each meeting we shared worship, programs and ended with great lunches. Our Executive is:
We started our fall with an overnight at Marilyn Feltham’s B&B in Eastport where we had a great fun filled evening which bonded our group with close camaraderie. We are 16 members strong with an average of 11 members attending each meeting. 75% of our members are working fulltime day jobs which challenged us to meet our obligations but we always found the time to attend our monthly meetings and fulfill our expectations. With our monies raised we were able to:
Activities Genesis was involved in: Helped Fellowship with their Fall Bazaar We hope to become stronger and enjoy another successful, rewarding year. Mary P. French
. GLENWOOD – APPLETON Greetings from First United Church, Glenwood-Appleton. We have been involved with the Conflict Resolution and Governance Committee from June to October. As most of you know this committee has recommended some restructuring of Governance for the Gander Pastoral Charge. I would like to thank Rev. Stephanie for doing her best with very limited time, and also any other pulpit supply who has filled in while Rev. Stephanie has been away on study leave or vacation. Our Sunday School has combined with our neighboring Anglican Church Sunday School. It is working out great. We have 16 children registered and most Sundays see at least 12 or 14 kids attending. We have installed a new chimney in our church and have purchased a new ride-on lawn mower. We are concentrating on our to do list for the coming year, the biggest project is to get our parking lot paved. Thank you to the UCW for their continued support. The Christmas Party was a treat again this year, and one that we’ve come to look forward to as part of our Christmas celebrations. Our Choir remains to be the heart of our church. Your hard work and dedication is very much appreciated! Our Sunday School pageant couldn’t have been the same without you. Thank you all for the time you spent practicing with the kids, and for reading the beautiful story, Shirley. Thanks to everybody who has supported our church in any way this past year. Maxine Barbour
GLENWOOD/APPLETON Session meets on a monthly basis with ministerial staff and eight members in the group. We had three confirmations, one baptism, one marriage and said good-bye to three of our church members in 2008. Sunday, June 29th saw our congregation share and enjoy a family barbecue. Our “well attended” Flower Service was held on a sunny July 27th. A spiritual discussion group, centered around our revised “Statement of Faith” begun in March and continued for six weeks. We all enjoyed the lively interactive communication between us. Our Sunday school program has re-started with a combination of children from both Anglican and First United. This Christmas season saw them delighting a full church when they performed their first Christmas pageant for us. A special thank you to Rev. Stephanie, lay readers and all other people who have helped with “pulpit supply” for our congregation during this past year. We want to give our gratitude to those who provided “our ministry of music”, our choir, Diane Best our organist, the Community Choir and the Guitar Group from Gander. We remember and thank the session members for preparing the communion table and providing readers on a regular weekly basis. The work done by all of you and others is greatly appreciated. A special thank you to all our session members for your dedication in trying to meet the spiritual needs of the congregation. May God give us the courage, motivation and determination to “keep the faith” and keep our church strong and active in our communities. Gertie Little
GLENWOOD/APPLETON Another year has quickly passed by and I am beginning to believe what my Grandparents tell me…”the older you get the faster time passes” Our very small lady’s group has had another very successful year. This year we had the privilege of hosting the UCW Rally. We had a great day and it gave us the opportunity to boast about our church and all its facilities, we enjoyed each other’s company and got the opportunity to show off our talents. The ladies were very impressed and look forward to visiting us again soon. It seems that every other weekend this past summer and fall we were cooking up a scoff for the residents of Glenwood and Appleton, their families and friends. Whether it was for a graduation, wedding, anniversary or company staff party it seemed we were always in the kitchen, and one would think that we should be very wealthy, well not so, and as a result we have had to increase our prices. As our way of saying thank you to everyone who helps out with our group we host an annual Christmas party, and extended the invitation to everyone who contributes to our group in anyway. This year we enjoyed a fine meal, great entertainment and a gift exchange which seem to be the highlight of the church season for Marjorie! We would like to share with the congregation the chores of cleaning and decorating the sanctuary for the church seasons. Because there are only a few members in our group who are able to help with these duties we find it difficult at times to get a group together, please call Netta if you would like to be on a call list for these activities and help us share the load. In closing I would like to thank all our congregation for their continued help and support, to our members Peggy for her dedication as treasurer, Netta, our secretary who pays attention to everything we say, Cora, our social convener everyone gets a call from her from time to time (thank goodness for call display), Ethel for her devotions, Maxine for visiting the sick, and to our newest member Gertie we are sure to find a title for you very soon, and Marjorie, Vice-Chairperson. God Bless Michelle Stuckless
. . FIRST UNITED CHURCH
There were seven fundraisers during the year. We collected $9,600.00 worth of Dominion cash register receipts and we will get $2.00 for every thousand dollars collected. Many thanks to all those that helped with this fund raiser and the other events that we had to raise money for the Church. We were successful in paying off the two loans that we had when the renovations were done to the Church. There is still one outstanding amount owing on material for the renovations and hopefully this will get paid this year. We were blessed on several occasions during the year with members of the Choir from Glenwood. Also many thanks to Diane for playing the organ for us. I also want to thank those that did the services when the Minister was unable to be in Benton. We are a small group but we have accomplished a lot in the past few years. Genny Osmond
. GANDER PASTORAL CHARGE Comments The 2008 church year was indeed a most eventful one. From the perspective of Finance, the year was most successful as can be seen from the following observations:
Special Features of the 2009 Budget Ministry Personnel
Capital Project (Paving Parking Lot) It is estimated that the cost of paving the parking lot will be $100,000.00. It is far beyond our means to find this amount of money in one year; so a plan must be devised to enable the Council to amortize this expense over several years. This budget provides for an amount of $30,000.00 to be raised by weekly envelopes (Building Fund section), capital fundraisers, and any amounts that can be raised through a special congregational appeal as was successfully attempted to pay for the stain glass window, lighting and pew padding projects in 2008. The congregation has several options for raising the balance. One option is to negotiate a Capital assistance loan from General Council for 50% of the total cost of the project ($50,000.00). This loan is interest-free in year one and 3% in subsequent years. The balance of funds needed may be realized from a combination of monies from surpluses, the reserve, and borrowings from the bank. It goes without saying, our church will have a debt to repay over time, and each subsequent budget year will have to provide funding for interest plus principal until the payments are made in full. Reserve A new item, “Reserve” has been added to this year’s budget. The amount of this year’s reserve is calculated from surpluses accumulated. The reserve should be spent cautiously and only with the approval of the Church Board. The Church Board should establish the terms and conditions under which funds can be drawn to meet some urgent situations that might occur. Capital Debt In order for the church to undertake a major project such as is envisioned by the paving of the parking lot, it will require negotiating a loan to be amortized over time. It is suggested that the management of loan payments be undertaken in a manner that is most favourable to the congregation with payments adjusted to pay down principal and interest as soon as possible. The experience of this past year has shown us beyond a doubt that this congregation will rise to a challenge to provide funds for needed projects; and it is generally felt that the deplorable condition of our parking lot is something that must be addressed. It is recommended that all of the income from the “Building Fund” section of our weekly offerings be directed toward the cost of undertaking the paving of the parking lot. Accountable Ministry and Pulpit Supply These items are separated out in this budget submission. The Accountable Ministry section is recorded in the M&P budget as shown in Scenario 1, while the pulpit supply section is reported in the Session budget. This reflects the change adopted by our last congregational meeting, and clearly shows which committee has responsibility for each component of providing these services as required. Claude Hender
. . IN MEMORIAM FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH
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