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Session Notes These Session Notes give a brief summary of business that is conducted at Session meetings. They are intended to help keep members of the church informed on the work of Session. The Session, which is the principal governing body of the church, meets monthly from September through June or July of each program year and also holds special meetings from time to time. June 2010 The Session held its regular monthly meeting in Congregational Hall on the evening of June 8th, commencing at 6:30 p.m. and moderated by Interim Pastor Dr. James Carter. This meeting was both a regular meeting as well as one in which the Session met with the current class of new members. The beginning portion of the meeting was given to informal, small-group discussions with new member candidates. The Session with enthusiasm voted to accept the 14 members in this new class. It is a custom for our Session that an Elder speaks to the new member class on his or her faith. At this meeting, these remarks were given by the Clerk of Session. A major item on the docket for this meeting was a report and recommendation from the Worship Committee. With the support of the pastoral staff, the Worship Committee brought a recommendation that we adopt for the new program year beginning in September a Sunday worship schedule in which there is an 8:00 a.m. service with Communion in the Chapel and a 10:00 a.m. service in the Sanctuary. Mary Ledwith, Chair of the Worship Committee, summarized for the Session all of the work completed recently and even going back to prior years that led to the recommendations that were being presented. Many considerations dealt with the reality of where the church is today, but also consideration of what may create the most vibrant worship and also afford opportunities for the congregation to be together in worship, Christian Education and other activities. The Session discussed the Worship Committee proposal at length, including questions of what drawbacks or challenges the change might create. It was recognized that extensive planning would be needed to prepare for this worship schedule change. Following all of this discussion, the Session, with unanimity, voted to adopt the new worship schedule. Church Member and Trustee Ron Gregg came to the Session meeting to give a report on the Main Line Adult Day Center (MLADC), for which he serves as Board Chairman. Through BMPC efforts, including those of the Senior Adults Council, MLADC was created in 1990. It provides adult day care service in the church-owned Foerderer House, which is on Radnor Street adjacent to the Ministries Center and the Radnor Street parking lot. BMPC provides the Foerderer House space to MLADC rent-free. In 1999 MLADC became a joint venture between BMPC and Main Line Health. Main Line Health (MLH), a non-profit, provides significant health services in our region, including Bryn Mawr, Lankenau, and Paoli Hospitals. Ron Gregg reported that MLH has made a strategic decision to leave the adult day care business and had sold two centers providing these services in other locations. Ron reported that MLH will be withdrawing from the MLADC partnership. Ron Gregg said that MLADC plans to continue its operations in the same manner as before the MLH decision. He gave the Session information on all of the steps that were being taken to adjust to MLH departure, including plans on obtaining administrative services that MLH had provided and plans to reformulate the Board, with expanded BMPC representation. Ron indicated that it is MLADC’s goal to be self-sustaining, with no additional support from BMPC beyond what is currently provided. Trustee Vice President Bill Thorkelson was a meeting guest to discuss the process for establishing a church budget for 2011. Some planning on this budget will occur this summer with a goal that the Session may be able to act on a recommended 2011 budget by the end of the year. The relationship of budget planning to other planning initiatives was discussed. These include work on long term capital needs and the giving that will be needed to fulfill those needs. Session members also spoke of the importance that the budget be aligned with and consistent with strategic directions that may emerge from the congregational study work and from listening to the congregation in that process. Dr. Carter noted that all these initiatives do have inter-relationships and that we will be mindful of those interrelationships as we move forward.
The Session approved grants for the current year from both the Richard Shaull Fund and Eugene C. Bay Fund. A Shaull Fund grant was approved to BorderLinks for its House of Hope and Peace community center that provides services for low income school children and their families in Nogales, Mexico. A second Shaull Fund grant was approved for Faith in Practice, which brings medical professionals to Guatemala to provide medical services to the poor who would otherwise have none. A Eugene C. Bay Fund award was approved for the Creative Germantown Initiative, which is providing a very promising and rich summer school program for youth in Germantown. These three grants totaled $51,000. Additional Eugene C. Bay Fund grants may be proposed this coming fall. Elders Carol Cobb-Nettleton, Bob Guthrie, and Bill Smith made a recommendation to the Session regarding support in 2010 to the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. The Covenant Network is a national organization of Presbyterians whose goal is to help work toward a fully inclusive church while emphasizing the unity of the church and looking for ways that we might live together in gracious hospitality. BMPC has supported this organization steadily since it formation in 1998. The Session approved a $5,000 grant to the Covenant Network. In other business areas, a plan for fund raising efforts in conjunction with the Choir trip in 2011 was approved. For the Membership Committee, Elder Suzanne VanderVeer reported on a new hospitality initiative. The Clerk reported that the Presbytery examination of BMPC’s Session records for 2009 had been successfully completed. At the conclusion of the June meeting Dr. Carter commented broadly on church matters. In this report, he spoke of the anticipation that Pastoral Residents Susan Sytsma Bratt and Graham Ford would soon have new calls. He also outlined a busy fall season to commence when the new program year begins in September. The June meeting is expected to be the last one before the Session holds its next regular monthly meeting on September 14th. A special meetings can be called before then should the need arise. If you have questions on the Session Notes or on the work of the Session, please contact Dr. Carter (JimCarter@bmpc.org) or Paul Bergsteinsson, Clerk of Session (bergies@comcast.net). |
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