St. Brigid’s Episcopal Church Mission Committee Minutes June 15, 2008, Drury Home, Rio Vista, CA Present:  Warden, Owen Drury; Treasurer, Chandra Drury; Clerk, Roz Malone; Worship Chair, Carol Dugger; Member-at-large, Pat Akers; Jessie Kelly; Deacons Susan Reeve and Derek Jones. Prior to the opening of the meeting the Committee enjoyed a wonderful brunch prepared by Chandra Drury. Warden Owen Drury led the opening prayer at 10:00 AM. Approval of Minutes:  The minutes from the April 5, 2008 meeting were reviewed and approved. Additions or Changes to Agenda:  None. Reports Warden:  No report. Treasurer We are still bringing in more than we are spending, but just barely.  Donations are declining somewhat.  Monthly contributions average around $1,000.   Because of our increased expenses this year St. Brigid’s might not be able to make outreach contributions at the same level as in the past.  Possibly our focus can be more on action and participation in fundraising projects for the programs to which we have contributed in the past.  (See New Business for a discussion of such projects.) Reserve funds are held in three CDs of $2,000 each.  The CDs have a maturation period of 182 days, and currently they all mature at about the same time.  It might be advantageous to stagger the maturation dates of the CDs so funds would periodically be available if needed.  Derek Jones suggested the CD’s be staggered so two of them would be liquid in the summer months when donations often lag, and the other would mature in the winter.  The Treasurer will shorten the CD maturity rate of the one that matures this week to 3 months and then convert it to a 6 month CD when it matures again.  With the staggered maturation dates CDs will mature six times a year at well spaced intervals. ACTION:  The Treasurer will complete the CD conversion. Worship and Hospitality Committees Carol Dugger reports things are going well with the rotating Altar Guild crews.  The new set- up arrangement that doesn’t move any of the Lighthouse Church’s worship set-up has worked out especially well.  We have new altar table and with the risers we use a new altar cover is needed.  In addition another set of risers is needed for the credence table so the lovely cover made by Jessie Kelly can be used.  We still need shelves installed in the 2nd metal storage cabinet.  Owen Drury has been unable to find shelf brackets to match the ones which are missing.  Possibly some other brackets or shelf support system can be developed. ACTION:  Acquire fabric for white altar cover (possibly a king size sheet) and create cover. ACTION:  Acquire another set of risers for credence table. ACTION:  Install shelves in storage cabinet. Clerk:  No report. Members-at-large: Jessie Kelly inquired about our average attendance and how many folks are participating members.  There are 16 households representing 23 adults and 2 children on our mailing list.  We have a more folks on our e-mail distribution list.  Average weekly attendance is 12 people.  Last week we had 16.    Deacons Deacon Susan Reeve reports the Southwest Deanery Clericus (quarterly clergy meeting) held for the first time in Rio Vista and hosted by St. Brigid’s at Lighthouse Church was very successful.  Carol Dugger provided wonderful homemade scones and lemon curd among other treats.  Carol was an attentive hostess and set up and cleaned up after the event.   Susan expressed thanks to Carol for her contributions to the successful event. ACTION:  The Treasurer is requested to obtain an invoice for the building rental. Old Business Audit:  The audit committee has been formed and is in the process of scheduling a date to conduct the audit. ACTION:  Schedule session, conduct audit, and provide audit report. Aging to Saging:  Deacon Derek Jones reports that the program scheduled at Trilogy in May did not attract enough participants and was cancelled.  St. Brigid’s has no current plan to offer the program. Rite 1 Eucharist:  Deacon Susan Reeve advised she has not had an opportunity to discuss the issue with the Rev. Donna McNiel. ACTION:  Deacon Susan will follow-up with the Rev. Donna McNiel. Visioning Conference: Chandra Drury and Owen Drury report the Diocesan Visioning Conference was very energizing.  Chandra attended a group focusing on Growing the Church and she and Owen came away with many ideas that might contribute to St. Brigid’s future development. New Business Church Growth A number of issues related to Church growth were discussed:  space for services; availability of children’s education programs; Sunday morning services; creating opportunities for invitation; and outreach activities in the community; Space We currently have a verbal month to month agreement with Lighthouse Church for space rental.  The space is working out well at this time.  The Committee discussion focused on the need to find a space which is available to rent which would allow Sunday morning services.  It might even be possible to rent a space that would be for St. Brigid’s exclusive use. Sunday School In order to attract young families and to serve the children who are already members of our congregation, an education program for children is essential. Chandra Drury has discussed establishing a “Sunday School” program for children with Donna Harris who is an experienced early childhood educator and trained in the Catechesis Model.  Having a class for Children would attract families to attend St. Brigid’s.   ACTION:  Add discussion of Sunday School to the next Mission Committee meeting Agenda.  (Sr. Warden) Sunday Morning Services It appears to be difficult to attract folks to join a congregation that does not offer services at the traditional Sunday morning times.  Issues such as available space, clergy availability need to be considered. Creating Opportunities for Invitation Jessie Kelly suggested it might be helpful to invite folks to an in-home coffee or tea to acquaint potential members with St. Brigid’s.  Several committee members commented they are aware of a number of folks who have participated in Episcopal and related churches who don’t currently have a church home.  The challenge is inviting and energizing them to participate. We might also create more opportunities for folks to identify us as active members of the community through participation in outreach projects, community events, and services in the park. Deacon Susan Reeve pointed out that she, as a representative of St. Brigid’s, has participated in Rio Vista for Christ, an informal association of pastors of the churches of Rio Vista.  St. Brigid’s has also been represented on the program at several shared worship events sponsored by the group. Chandra Drury advised she has talked to some young families who might be interested in attending a service and picnic in the park.  Activities for the children would be available.  It would provide a way of introducing folks to our congregation and hopefully attracting their attendance at regular services. Outreach Projects Outreach projects would provide contributing to the well being of our community; we could use some of our outreach funds to fund projects which would gain more contributions for an organization than we might be able to give; participation would build community within St. Brigid’s; sponsoring and participating in projects would make St. Brigid’s more visible in the community. Garage Sale for Rio Vista CARE Chandra Drury suggested that rather than making a monetary donation to Rio Vista CARE, St. Brigid’s can sponsor a fundraiser.  She reports on the great success of a recent garage sale held to benefit a pre-school program.  The one day event brought in $800 with little overhead expenditure.  Chandra has discussed the project with Araminta Blackwelder, Rio Vista CARE Director.  CARE could serve as a co-sponsor and help advertise the event and help gather donations.  Members of St. Brigid’s and friends can donate goods to be sold.   The event could be held in the CARE parking lot on a Saturday—possibly in August or in the third week of September after the CARE Gala.  Deacon Derek Jones also suggested we might look into using the covered area on Front Street.  Chandra suggested we order T- shirts for St. Brigid’s workers at the event which list Robin Williams’ 10 Reasons to Be an Episcopalian. They are available at the Diocesan Book Store.  Little children’s clothing and shoes sell well.   Jessie Kelly suggested we might also consider a Bring and Buy Sale in the future.  Folks bring an item to sell and buy someone else’s item. MOTION:  Chandra Drury moved St. Brigid’s sponsor a rummage sale for Rio Vista CARE on the 3rd weekend of September.  The motion was seconded by Susan Reeve and passed unanimously. ACTION:  Chandra will follow-up and call together a committee to assist in planning and executing the event. Financial Wellness Expo Chandra Drury suggested sponsoring a Financial Wellness Expo given the financial challenges many folks in Rio Vista are facing with home foreclosures and increased food and gasoline expenses.  The Expo would include booths from various businesses and services.  The Bank of Rio Vista has offered to do a class for teens on financial issues.   Mortgage agencies could provide information on home financing and strategies for avoiding foreclosure.  Credit counseling services might also be represented.  A booth focusing on College Education savings strategies would be helpful.  A tax advisor would be a good addition.  Possibly door prizes like free services and Lira’s gift cards might encourage attendance. Deacon Susan Reeve advised the Rio Vista Library has offered a class by Michael Gordon on real estate issues and it was poorly attended.  Deacon Derek Jones commented that Rio Vista Ministries hosts and FDIC financial information program and has had difficulty attracting participants.  Steven Bissel did a similar expo at the Veteran’s Hall, a good program, but again, low attendance.   Chandra Drury suggested offering the program in the park at Homecoming and including a bounce house of kids, possibly food vendors, and the booths.  She also suggested St. Brigid’s representatives wear t-shirts that were offered for sale at the Visioning Conference. MOTION:  Chandra Drury moved an action committee be established to explore the option of offering a Financial Wellness Expo in Rio Vista.  The motion was seconded by Carol Dugger and passed unanimously. ACTION:  The Financial Wellness Expo committee consisting of Deacon Susan Reeve and Chandra Drury will meet to discuss the project.  Deacon Derek Jones is available for consultation. Bass Festival The possibility of St. Brigid’s sponsoring a booth at the Bass Festival was discussed.   Deacon Susan Reeve suggested we participate in the booth sponsored by Rio Vista for Christ.  St. Brigid’s could provide information about the Episcopal Church and our congregation and St. Brigid’s members could help staff the booth.  We might consider sponsoring a St. Brigid’s entry in the Bass Festival Parade.  The committee affirmed participation in the Rio Vista for Christ booth and will further consider parade participation. ACTION:  Revisit the idea of a parade entry and discuss staffing of the Rio Vista for Christ booth and materials to be distributed. The next meeting of the Mission Committee will be scheduled sometime in late August or early September. The meeting was adjourned at Noon and Deacon Derek Jones offered a closing prayer. Faithfully submitted, Roz Malone Clerk June 19, 2008