Visioning for the Future
7/21/24 Congregational Meeting to Approve Capital Appeal Priorities
Meeting Minutes
A quorum was confirmed, and the meeting was called to order by Natasha Werner at 11:20 with a motion by Laurie Brown, second by Jewel Ekern and subsequent approval by meeting attendees.
The agenda was reviewed by Natasha and then Paul Ludwig motioned for approval of the agenda with a second by Lisa Krause and subsequent approval of the agenda by meeting attendees.
Laurie Brown provided the background for the Capital Appeal and how we got here, followed by additional comments from Tim Johnson and presentation of the five capital project options and estimated costs.
Option 1: Cameras for $6,000
Tim shared the details of what is included, and Katie shared more background and details about the purpose/functionality of the new cameras. No questions were asked
Option 2: Electronic Building Security for $18,000
Tim shared the details of what is included. There was a question about whether ongoing costs were included. The answer is yes, that the first contract period for any ongoing services to be provided were included (rough cost is ~$26/mo. for entry level monitoring so quite minor).
Option 3: Sanctuary Steeple/Ceiling
Tim shared the details of what is included. No questions were asked.
Option 4: Parking Lot Options A and B for $135,000 and $71,000 respectively
Tim shared the details of both options. There was a question about how long they will last, and Laurie shared that it is unknown, but likely 10+ years on both options, knowing that the more expensive option likely has a longer life. Laurie also shared the council’s discussion about the possibility of doing option B two times and still being less of a cash outlay than option A. A question was asked about how long the parking lot repair will take and Brandt responded via text that it will likely take about a week. A question was asked about how durable option A would be, and Laurie shared that it was not as durable as a county highway that endures heavy truck traffic but was the same as a city street. A question was asked about a warranty on the parking lot and Brandt shared via text that there is a one-year warranty, with an option to buy an extended warranty. A question was asked about whether the area included the dirt area that had trucks parked on it for a while (and whether that was an ongoing arrangement) and the answer is that the pavement will only cover the currently paved area and that the trucks belonged to the city and were only allowed to park there for a finite period. A question was asked about heavy trucks causing damage to the new parking lot with the fellowship hall renovations, and the answer is that no heavy machinery will be needed for the current scope of fellowship hall renovations. However, if we ever decided in the future to do a larger scale capital project that would require excavation and concrete that required heavy machinery, there could be a risk of damage at that time that would need to be address by that future capital campaign.
Option 5: Fellowship Hall $250,000
Tim shared the details of the smaller scope for the fellowship hall. A question was asked about how much wider the hallway would be and Tim shared that the hallway will be 6 feet wider by the nursery and shorter with the removal of the classrooms. The bathrooms will not be changed. A question was asked about whether new bathrooms were included, and the answer is no, because Vanman is fairly confident the project will be approved without needing more bathrooms given the same population in the sanctuary would be present in the fellowship hall (rather than additive populations). A question was asked about whether the additional space in the opening would make a difference to whether people would move into the fellowship hall following service. Tim said that we will need/want to make intentional efforts to make sure it does make a difference.
After reviewing the projects, Laurie explained that we would take an initial vote on the smaller cost items totaling $39,000 followed by a vote for the higher cost items as described on the screen and ballot. Laurie mentioned that in no scenario do we have pledges to date that would allow us to move ahead on fellowship hall renovations as currently planned, but that with whatever funds are available/pledged as we look ahead, the building committee will consider options and potential phasing to move forward with as much as possible until/unless more pledges are received. All members who have not yet pledged or who want to reassess their pledges to give more (if they like what they see) were invited to do so. A question was asked about how quickly the low-cost items could be done, based on funds received. Pastor shared that $49,000 has been received to date, so these items would happen immediately.
The first vote to approve spending $39,000 on projects 1-3 was passed with a unanimous vote with 100% for and 0% against. Thus, capital projects 1-3 are approved to begin immediately.
The second vote resulted as follows:
Option 1 (Parking lot $135,000 and Fellowship Hall $20,000) received 14 votes (20%)
Option 2 (Parking lot $71,000 and Fellowship Hall $84,000) received 56 votes (76%)
Option 3 (Fellowship Hall $155,000) received 3 votes (2%)
Thus, Option 2, having received a majority vote was approved.
Jon Wissink motioned to adjourn the meeting and Steven Dickey seconded, attendees voted in favor and the meeting was adjourned.
Our Let Us Build a House capital appeal kicks off next weekend! Everyone is invited to a fun and meaningful event on Saturday evening, April 6th. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Kids and adult drinks available. Then a wonderful one-of-a-kind event for all, with comedian David Ferrell at 7:00 PM! We wanted to have fun together as a church family, and that's exactly what we'll do!
Right after the program in the sanctuary, you're invited into Fellowship Hall for dessert and to receive your personal appeal packet of information. Some inspiration, encouragement and fellowship, and you'll be on your way!
NEXT SUNDAY, April 7th, we kick off our Let Us Build a House capital appeal. Initial Appeal Packets will be distributed after worship so be sure to pick up yours!
This appeal is the first step in a big vision we have here at Light of Christ. Making sure that our building and our overall church campus helps us to connect better is the heartbeat of the appeal. Being a welcoming, accessible and safe place is top tier for us. And so a couple of our initial objectives include rebuilding our parking lot instead of doing endless repairs, and making our building more secure, with a new building entrance layout and strategy. Oh, and our steeple keeps leaking. So, we're taking care of that, too!
Our Building Committee has been creatively working up ideas and plans for how to make for better connecting space through a new "flow" plan between our sanctuary/narthex area and the fellowship hall. They're excited to share those ideas with you soon. This might well occupy a second appeal phase, but we'll seek your feedback soon. Plus, we've come up with some cost-saving strategies from the initial plans we received from the design/builder.
This is a church, a ministry, we all share. And it takes all of us to not only be involved but to financially help make these priorities happen. So please pray about how you and/or your family might make a gift and/or three-year pledge to our Let Us Build capital appeal, over and above your regular giving. What a joy to be called to the Lord's work! Please reach out with any questions you might have.
Appeal Leadership Team:
Laurie Brown Tim Johnson
Steven Dickey Pastor Bruce
Derek Horeis Lisa Spencer
Please click here to view the masterplan for possible renovations.
Click here to view our Look Book which previews some of the ideas for the potential upcoming capital campaign.
Please click here to view our 2023-2025 Strategic Plan.
Your input has been important all through our Visioning Process. And now is an opportunity for you to share your input on two important things: Some Ministry Initiative ideas and also some possible Facilities Options or upgrades. Open the Response Form and then watch Pastor Bruce’s Overview from his Oct. 23rd sermon - see links below. Register your priorities and then submit your form. Thanks for sharing your perspectives!
Vision Response Form: https://forms.gle/46TXsnH4hBHbc9xk8
Pastor Bruce’s Overview: https://youtu.be/Es5lzXs2iCw
We'd love your input! Please check out the following and share your thoughts. You are encouraged to fill out the Response Form below and/or simply email your input to our Shared Ministry Director, Tim Johnson, at Tim.Johnson@LOCDelano.com Thank you!
Ministry Initiatives Intro video: https://youtu.be/R2150nSsILQ
Ministry Initiatives Explained video: https://youtu.be/NZngN4XeZLY
Click here for the Ministry Initiatives
Click here for the Response Form
Watch for coming Vision Conversation Groups beginning in September. Small gatherings to share with you some of our discoveries and ideas for moving forward as a congregation. We're looking forward to some good conversation and your feedback on a couple of fronts:
- Mission/Ministry Initiatives -- special objectives or areas of focus that will sharpen some of our energies and resources for the next 3-4 years
- Facilities/Campus/Building improvements— everything from redoing our parking lot to refreshing our bathrooms and kitchen to enlarging our main entry and narthex/gathering area to better conferencing possibilities to building security to improving our outdoor worship space and playground to, well, yes, probably a new hot water heater. We're excited to see what you think. These aren't proposals, but an opportunity to share, have some dialogue and to consider together how these improvements might best bolster our mission and ministry.
Please continue praying for the Spirit's leading us as we discern how best to shine the life-giving life and hope of Jesus Christ out into our community and beyond.
Reach out to any of us on the Vision Team at any time:
Kylee Amdor
Derek Horeis
Tim Johnson
Pastor Bruce Kuenzel
Lisa Spencer
Dave Wuerger
A number of Table Talks were held in the spring at Light of Christ. These were designed as an outreach to all members, recognizing that the past couple of years have been a challenge and that many aren’t as connected as they might like to have been. Many different days and times were offered to the congregation. Checking in with one another, sharing some thoughts and experiences, and dreaming a bit about future steps as a congregation were all a part of meaningful conversation.
Click here to view a summary containing some insights and reflections.
What’s at the heart of your organization?
Where do you see the most pressing needs/challenges in people’s lives?
What has changed in your work in the past two years?
How do you best partner with other organizations?
Where are volunteers most needed?
How might a faith community like Light of Christ serve or support you?
These were some of the questions discussed at Monday evening’s Community Leader Gathering here at church as a part of our Strategic Visioning Process. In all, we had eleven area leaders here to discuss and share perceptions and needs of those in our Delano/Wright County community, things often “under the radar,” challenges for those sometimes more on the periphery or the edge of things. Click here to watch a recording of the July 18th community leader gathering.
A few take-aways:
- Needs have continued to grow, especially over these past couple of years. Everything from loneliness and relationship needs, to affordable housing challenges, to how lethal street drugs have become, to economic/money issues.
- Many, even most, workers on the frontlines of all service organizations feel the squeeze. There are often fewer resources, more needs than can be met, growing discontent and divisions in society, and simply being present with and serving people in need can tax your energies.
- Some of the things that are most needed through these organizations are mostly the things that are simplest to provide. An hour to visit or play a game of cards with someone at The Legacy of Delano; extending an invitation to have someone join you for lunch at the Senior Center; praying for protection for our law enforcement; expressing gratitude; sorting clothes at the Thrift Shop; helping review or prepare someone’s taxes; extending patience to workers whenever you’re doing business anywhere, being mindful of how often they might be short-staffed; donating money to help make food programs go farther, assistance programs meet more needs; the list goes on…
Light of Christ is committed to serving as Jesus has shown us and to loving our neighbors as if they were ourselves. As we envision our path forward, we know that growing our compassion and involvement is key.
A conversation about “what’s hopeful” gave all of us encouragement and reminders about the importance of faith, of love putting into action, of being connected with one another. Watch for more discoveries!
Our Light of Christ Vision Team continues on in our Discovery and Listening phase of our work. At a recent Sunday morning gathering, we considered the reports from the MAP and I-MAP surveys. There were a lot of things we learned even though the number of responses were less than we had anticipated. Fifty-two compared to 152 four years ago. The sampling size was most certainly smaller, though there is still important information.
When measuring respondents experience of Belonging, the vast majority see a direct relationship between feeling a sense of belonging the more one participates in LOC’s ministries, with 87% finding this to be true. Also, almost 90% feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves in our congregation. Yet, describing our church as a “cohesive community” drops to about 2/3. And it drops even a bit more when people reflect upon that in a very personal way—about one-half seeing themselves as “an integral part” of the congregation.
Interestingly, among those who took the survey, we had growth in people’s sense of excitement over the last time the survey was shared. About three-quarters like telling others about what is going on at LOC, compared with about two-thirds four years ago. And, a full 96% believe that Light of Christ is “making a difference in people’s lives.”
When asked about what should be our top priorities in moving forward, the number one priority was, “Growing worship attendance.” Yes, we miss folks who aren’t around. And we know that we have potential to grow our reach out into the Delano community and beyond.
Click here for the full MAP survey report.
Click here for the full iMap survey report.
At the beginning of 2022, we decided to enter a visioning process—thinking and praying about, and also discussing our future steps as a congregation. Our Table Talks have not only connected and reconnected Light of Christ members, but they’ve provided opportunity to share some initial ideas about what God is up to with us and about our future direction. Now we are inviting all confirmed members to contribute input by taking two brief surveys:
The MAP (or Missional Assessment Profile)
The i-MAP (assessing our digital or Internet ministry impact)
While these two surveys are connected, you will click on two distinct and separate links in order to give your input. The last day to take these surveys is May 15th.
What do these surveys measure? A variety of things. Everything from congregational priorities to clarity of our mission to readiness for any change we might engage in to our strength of connections or belonging together to what motivates our giving to how inclined we are to reach out to others beyond LOC.
Both of these surveys will take you about fifteen minutes to complete, total. All confirmed members of your household are invited to each take the survey. You can use the same links. The surveys are anonymous, so please be as open and transparent as you can when responding. BTW, there are a couple of questions that invite you to provide financial information. Please only have one person per household fill out these specific questions.
Watch for an upcoming event when we will share the results of the surveys and also hear an interpretation of the data.
Thank you in advance for sharing your insights and perspectives. Please pray that together we might discern how best to serve God’s purposes in our own congregation and in the broader community. If you have any questions or would like to discuss our visioning process at all, please reach out at any time.
