Shenandoah Association Council
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Present: Barbara
Rhodes, Richard Vaught, Marilyn Heishman, and Willard Lutz
Not present:
Jim Bundy, Don, Smith, Edd Sewell,
Peggy Kennedy, Russell Kohrs
and Leslie Nickels
Guests: Bob Edwards and Melinda Loeblich (for
specific portions of the meeting)
Barbara opened the meeting
with devotions. Marilyn agreed to take
minutes of the meeting.
Melinda reported on the CAC
Annual Meeting Task Force that met following the 2008 Annual Meeting. Shenandoah Association is the host for the
2009 meeting which will be held June 12-14, 2009 at the
The theme will concentrate on
“green issues” with a specific title and concentration to be decided at the
September meeting. Larry Rassmussen, a UCC environmental concerns advocate, has
agreed to attend the 2009 annual meeting. Richard will check with John Barton
of the Virginia Council of Churches (regarding Native American concerns) and a
person from the Heifer Project for interest/availability. The entire CAC AM
Task Force (all associations’ members) will meet with John Deckenback on
September 13, 2008 at a Centenary UCC in
Melinda distributed updated
copies of the Shenandoah Association’s Constitution/By-Laws. Council reviewed the copies with minor
changes being suggested. Motion
made and carried to accept the revised document by consensus. Melinda will
take care of mailing copies to all churches and clergy in August (to meet the
60-day requirement for review of changes).
The revised document will be voted on by delegates at the 2008 Fall
Shenandoah Association meeting at St. Stephens on October 26, 2008.
Motion made and carried to
hire Melinda Loeblich as an administrative assistant to the Shenandoah
Association on an as-needed-basis. Motion
carried by consensus. Remuneration at an hourly rate will be determined by
the Central Atlantic Conference at a later date. The Association will reimburse
the conference the cost of the salary.
Melinda presented a proposal
for the Association to the “Small Church Grant” sponsored by the
conference. It suggested stipends be
offered to small churches to help to pay the way of their delegates to attend
the annual conference meeting as a way to help them become more involved in
wider church activities. An amendment to
the proposal was made to request a specific amount of funds…$9,000 was the
amount approved to be requested. Motion
made and carried by consensus to have Melinda contact Harry Taylor,
Richard reported that Boundary
Training for trainers will be held on September 6, 2008. It is hoped that training for clergy will be
available in October. A survey conducted
by the conference to clergy indicated a strong preference for mid-week
sessions. It is estimated the cost will
be approximately $50 for the clergy participating. Additional information will be forth-coming.
The Minutes of the May
Council meeting were received as presented.
The monthly Treasurer’s
Report and Budget were presented and received as presented.
Marilyn recommended that
money be pulled from our “On Demand” account at the Cornerstone Fund to assist
with our low cash flow situation. Motion
made and carried by consensus to remove $1,000 from the “On Demand” account for
the Association checking account. The budget for 2009 needs to be prepared for
presentation at the Fall 2008 Association meeting on October 26, 2008. A Budget Committee comprised of Richard,
Marilyn, Barbara and Wes Loomis will meet over the summer to take care of this
matter. The Audit Committee still needs
to complete its annual review of the Treasurer’s records and it is hoped this
will happen during July.
Richard’s ACM Report
included information on local churches in search:
Church and Ministry Commission had no report.
No additional Task Force reports
were presented.
No CAC Board report
was presented.
No Virginia Council of
Churches report was presented.
The Fall 2008 Shenandoah Association
meeting is scheduled for Sunday, October 26, 2008 at St. Stephens UCC at 3:30
p.m. Rev. Graylan Hagler of Plymouth Congregational UCC (Potomac
Association) will be our keynote speaker on the topic “Non-violence in a
Violent World.” Barbara will ask Marge Maust and Adair McConnell to be
responsible for music and to assist with a traditional worship service to
include communion. Business items will
be voted after dinner and will include reports, 2009 Budget and
Constitution/By-Laws approval. Barbara will contact Marge, Adair, and John
Deckenback for their availability. The agenda
will be finalized during the summer.
Russ Kohrs emailed Barbara
on June 19th resigning from the Association Council and as General Synod “Under
30” delegate. His resignation was accepted with regret
and thanks for his service. Russ cited time constraints, meeting travel
costs, and additional responsibilities with his new baby as reasons. Richard
will contact Jim Bundy (CAC Board member from Shenandoah) to a have CAC ask Kelly
Sisson from Glade Church for a candidate as our “Under 30” General Synod delegate
to fill the remainder of the term and to serve as a representative on Association
Council.
The next Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 6:00
p.m. at St. Stephens UCC in
Respectfully submitted,
Rev. Marilyn Smith Heishman, Substitute
Scribe