Board of Trustees Meeting, November 15, 2021
Prepare for Meeting and Prayer: Nancy opened the meeting at 6:30 and welcomed members. She shared the sad news that Shannon White’s mother passed away. Nancy next recognized Jake to announce the newly approved Trustees and Committee Chairpersons. Ed then led the Trustees in The Lord’s Prayer.
Pension Plan, Financials, Rentals, 2022 Budget: At 6:50, Bruce Dixon summarized his written report advising that the church close its defined benefits proposal and reorganize RHCC employee retirement benefits as of January 1, 2022. Mary Ann Debnar read the following resolutions:
RESOLVED, that the Church does hereby amend the Pension Plan for Employees of Round Hill Community Church, Inc. (the “Plan”), effective as of November 16, 2021 by deleting from Article VII “Forms of Retirement Benefits - Alternate Options Section 7.3”, paragraphs 7.3 (a)(b) and (c), leaving participating employees with the option of a Cash Settlement or a Life Annuity, and it is further
RESOLVED, that current and future employees will be offered the option to contribute to and/or open a Simple IRA, planned to be effective January 1, 2022, to which the Church will contribute up to 3% of the employee’s salary in addition to the amount the employee chooses to have transferred. In the event the employee does not make a contribution in a given year, the employer is required to contribute 2% of the employee’s compensation, and it is further
RESOLVED, that the Church does hereby terminate the Plan, effective as of November 16, 2021, and it is furthe
RESOLVED, that the Chairperson is hereby authorized and directed, in the name and on behalf of the Church, to do and perform all such further acts and things, to execute and/or deliver, and, where necessary or appropriate, file with the appropriate governmental authorities, all such certificates, agreements, documents, instruments, instruments of transfer, receipts and other papers, and to make all such payments, as she in her sole discretion shall approve or deem to be necessary or appropriate in order to carry out, comply with and effectuate the foregoing resolutions and the transactions contemplated thereby, the taking of such actions to be conclusive evidence of the necessity or appropriateness thereof.
The resolution was carried unanimously. Nancy and the Trustees congratulated Bruce and his team for working so hard and for so long on this project.
Following the Resolution, Nancy reviewed with the Trustees the church’s financials to date. The most recent Dashboard was used and no questions from the Trustees were made. A question did arise regarding the cottage rental, and Ed noted that he would address the question during his Pastor’s Report.
Finally, the 2022 Operating Budget was submitted for vote by Nancy. She first drew the members attention to Tania’s fine work developing our relationship with the Armonk camp for using the campus during the summer. This rental added much needed money to our budget and the possibility of increasing our membership with new families. Jake also asked Nancy about the anticipated addition of a $66,000 bequest. Nancy noted that the listing was an anticipated ‘gift’ to the church. The resolution was made by Mary Ann and seconded by Helen to adopt the proposed operations budget:
RESOLVED, that the Board approves the proposed Operating Budget for 2022.
The Resolution was adopted unanimously.
Approval of the Minutes: At 7:05, The Trustees voted unanimously to approve the minutes from October’s meeting.
Pastor’s Report: At 7:08, Ed announced that Lizzie and Shannon would continue in their present positions into the 2022 year. Lizzie would continue working with the children through July 1, 2022 and Shannon would continue in her position until September 1, 2022. Both Pat and Mary Ann spoke in support of Shannon and Lizzie’s work. Ed next thanked the Ad Hoc Groups and Committees for their continued work to address current issues of interest to the church. The Green Team, the Reopen the Campus Committee and the Let’s Talk about Guns group were signs of congregational health as members worked together on church issues. Ed hoped this trend would continue and strengthen as we move into the future.
Pastor’s Update on Evacuee Resettlement: Ed reported that the Afghan Evacuee Resettlement program was moving along quickly. Pat asked how we could get more information about the settlement projects’ needs and asked whether we should set up a committee to oversee the project. Ed noted that Rachel Kornfeld from Jewish Family Services of Greenwich and our other partners, the Greenwich International Ladies Group and First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, had secured funding and volunteers for helping settle the evacuees and support their transition from military bases into our community. Adequate permanent housing was still a question, Ed reported. Nancy and Ed hoped that our cottage might be used for temporary settlement since it had yet to be rented. Jake asked about the time needed for getting the cottage ready to host evacuees, and Mary Ann asked about our intent and the extent to which we will be involved. Ed noted that the cottage was problematic being so far from public transportation and that it was not really a permanent solution for evacuees' needs in the long run. A location near shopping, schools, work and transportation was needed as they transition into our communities. However, the campus cottage could be readied quickly enough if needed. As to whether there will be more families, Ed noted that we would be flexible and see what the church could do as conditions on the ground changed. Helen asked if the US military or State Department could give us information about the families. Ed noted that IRIS was more likely to be our information contact about the families themselves. Jake then asked if Ed knew how much time he would have to give over to the project. Ed responded that he was setting aside limited but appropriate hours each week to keep in touch with the local settlement team and the project’s progress. Finally, Ed noted that it was important that our Board of Trustees support Jewish Family Services of Greenwich, the Greenwich International Ladies Group and the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, to apply ‘New Initiative’ Fund money to this purpose and put out a call for volunteers to aid the settlement of Afghan Evacuees. The Trustees, following the discussion, were excited by this opportunity for our church to support this worthy project.
Solar Proposal, Report and Proposal: Nancy reported that the Solar Project was approved, and the contact with members was positive and helpful. She wished to thank everyone who worked on the project, and hosted dinners and/or meetings that made the acceptance of the project move along smoothly. She especially wished to thank Bruce for the many hours he and others spent doing the research necessary for getting the project off the ground. Mary Ann made the following resolutions:
RESOLVED, having had meetings with all in the Church who chose to attend, and having received positive feedback, that the Church enter into a contract with ConEdison Solutions to install solar panels on the Church, Community House, and Parsonage roofs as detailed in the plan submitted for approval, and it is further
RESOLVED, that the Church will lease the panels and system from Univest for a period of 7 years and then buy the system in year 8 so that we will own it, having made yearly payments of approximately $49,000 for 7 years and $40,000 in year 8 to buy the system, and it is further
RESOLVED, that we will receive ZREC income of $135,500 over a period of 15 years.
The resolution passed unanimously.
ROTC Report: The Church was continuing to open up for all activities due to the decline of Covid numbers in October. Vaccinations were up among our worshipers and those testing positive for Covid19 were down. We have dropped pre-registration and started hymn singing in worship services. Coffee hour, missing for so long, was making a comeback in the parlor.
The Giving Campaign: Nancy asked Mary Ann to report on the giving campaign at 7:40. Mary Ann started by thanking Leslie Lee for her work and noting that the Giving Campaign was gaining momentum. She hoped that the Trustees would enthusiastically advocate for the church and speak with any members about the importance of supporting our ministry. She also encouraged all trustees to make their pledges as early as possible. Mary Ann noted that Leslie Lee would continue to keep track of contributors to the Giving Campaign. Finally, she announced that information on members would be shared in the January meeting regarding calls needing to be made.
Women’s Retreat: At 7:50, Mary Ann reported that the October Women’s Retreat had been a remarkable success. Both Mary Ann and Pat applauded the wonderful work by Shannon White in organizing and developing the retreat. She also noted that it was the participation by those attending that made the retreat so special.
New Business: At 7:55, Pat asked about the Christmas Eve service times. Ed responded that there would be one service on Christmas Eve this year. It would be held at 5:00 this year because so many members expressed the wish to spend Christmas Eve with family. Mary Ann also took a moment to remind Trustees of the Advent Workshop which would be held on November 28th.