Financial Update

As we approach the close of the 2014 fiscal year, as predicted at our Janual meeting, LHC is operating with a budget deficit. However, the picture is not all doom and gloom. LHC has many positive, uplifting things happening. We have a great Interim Pastor. Worship attendance is trending upward. Our Ministries and Committees are functioning at top performance (though each could use a few more folks in their ranks). Bible study and the Book Club are running smoothly. We have Confirmation and New Member Classes underway. And per our treasurer's monthly report, the past few months have seen a upswing in giving, we are ahead of plan when looking at a three year average, and the Ministries have under spent somewhat.

But operating at a deficit is serious business. Each month Council reviews the budget but at the November meeting we will dedicate efforts to discuss our financial status and brainstorm ways to reduce the deficit. Our goal is to work towards a balanced budget. Do you have thoughts and ideas to put out there? Please contact me, Bob Kaska Stewardship Chair or any Council member and share your ideas.

The Personnel Relations Committee has been at work updating the role and responsibilities of the committee as per our By Laws. This document revision has been approved by Council. Next steps include updating job descriptions for the staff, revising the 1998 LHC Personnel System document, and creation of an Employee Manual.

Your Pastor and past, current and future Moderators attended a joint fall meeting of the Chicago Metropolitan and Fox Valley Associations October 18th at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Chicago. The worship was exciting and the music inspiring as the Huston-Tillotson University Choir from Austin, Texas led us in song. We each attended a different "energizer" or workshop on Stewardship, Non-traditional Families in Church, Ecological Justice, and Building Spiritual Life Teams.

Your Search and Call Committee held its first meeting October 16. Rev. Jonathan Knight, Association minister and our adviser, was present to introduce us to the UCC search process. We received the Manual that will walk us through the process step-by-step, watched a PowerPoint presentation and discussed how to proceed. The first task is the development of a LHC Church profile. The profile is an extremely comprehensive document that will require extensive research and information gathering. It will include information about our congregation, financial picture, the community and its needs, how we see ourselves serving our community, our strengths and our challenges. At some point you as a congregation member will be asked to participate in this information gathering. This is an important task as this document will define who we are to potential candidates for our next settled Pastor. Once the profile documents are completed, they will be forwarded to Rev. Knight and LHC will be posted on the National Ministry Opportunities website.

Phase I of the New Beginnings Program, a pre-visioning process, has gotten underway. Data has been collected about our membership, financial status, our buildings and present day activity and forwarded to Doug Pfeiffer from Hope Partnership. Doug has also obtained various data and information from the Association and visited our website.

So what's next? Phase I culminates in the analysis of the information and development of a comprehensive report for our review. We can expect our report sometime in December. Phase II is scheduled for February and involves leader training programs. Phase III will be initiated after the training and will require the participation of the entire congregation in a decision-making and action-taking process.

Shalom,