Church Council: Meeting in a Minute | September 30, 2025
Council business + financial health:
UCC Norwell: as reported last month, budget deficit projected at EOY.
The New Nursery School:
The Schwab investment account for NNS has been opened.
NNS has a surplus as of July (their EOY).
Linden Ponds is on track to meet their operating budget.
Building and Grounds working on the overhaul of the HVAC which is needed and sooner rather than later. This is tied into our strategic plan item involving solar/energy efficiency.
Issue with sprinkler system – Upon inspection it’s an issue that needs to be corrected or this could result in severe damage. The Finance Committee will make a recommendation as to how to finance the sprinkler system repairs.
Church Center update:
60 recurring pledges needed to be moved over to Church Center; approximately 10 still need to be moved over from Vanco. Steve Burke is working with individuals to support them in this process.
Feedback is encouraged – Let leadership know if there are any issues.
Next step is communication to the congregation on how to set up your directory for your family household.
Emily Mathews is working on a “how to” video for users to review.
There are still Ministry Teams that are not represented on Church Center.
Linden Ponds update:
As of last week, Rev. Barbara Terese has given her notice. The leadership team and congregation have been notified.
Linden Ponds is responsible for taking the next steps to fill the position (25 hours per week), but UCCN will be supporting and assisting with this.
ASAPROSAR funding:
ASAPROSAR is proposing ongoing fundraising throughout the year to help defray costs related to travel and room/board at the clinic for who would like to participate in a mission trip through ASAPROSAR.
M + O does not support expenses related to individuals/individual travel for mission trips. Their funds are used to support the work of organizations themselves.
Questions were raised as to whether the money raised by the ASAPROSAR ministry team would go toward offsetting the cost of the room and board at the clinic for all participants, or would this be a scholarship?
The type of fundraising must be approved by council, as there are restrictions for fundraising for a non-profit that could affect our status.
ASAPROSAR Ministry Team will need to have further conversation about the type of fundraising they will introduce, as well as whether it will go toward offsetting expenses for all participants or provide scholarships for individual travellers.
Council approved the ASAPROSAR fundraising request.
Safe Church and security update:
Separating Safe Church Policy from emergency procedures related to security. These need to be treated differently as they each present unique challenges.
Safe church deals with under 18 and vulnerable adults.
Security deals with safety of all within the church.
A group is working on the security plan and will come back to leadership at the end of October to present their findings.
Norwell Police - Sgt. Resnick came to do a site visit and gave feedback.
The goal is to create safety, security while still allowing parents access to their children. Discussion about not just putting responsibility of safety and security on Deacons and Ushers.
Leadership is working on creating a team that would be willing to take this role on.
Strategic plan prioritization:
Prioritization needs to be communicated to the congregation.
4.3 – Christian Nationalism Ministry team has met; there has been a lot of discussion on this about expanding and putting in more concrete goals about raising awareness of Christian Nationalism. They would like to focus on local, grassroots efforts.
Ministry Team fair wrap up:
This year it was spread out in the sanctuary. This was mostly received positively – More room to walk around, easier to hear each other while spread out. More attendees signed up than in previous years. Overall, it was a huge success.
Homecoming Sunday wrap up:
Thanks to all who made phone calls. Great energy and a great turnout. Second week of September seems to work better.
Pumpkin patch:
October 4th – Pumpkins arrive at 5pm.
POS is all set. Will keep pricing static from last year to keep ourselves competitive. Schedule for volunteer signups is on church center.
Next Council meeting: October 28, 7:00 pm, UCC Norwell Library.
Please note, these are not official meeting minutes. These are highlights intended to inform and emphasize the collaborative spirit driving our church community forward in an inclusive manner. Official meeting minutes are available by request. For further details, check back in to this blog and our weekly newsletter. Keep an eye out for future meeting updates, briefly!