Council Highlights - February 2023

Greetings from your new council president! I will be following some big shoes (I don't mean literally but figuratively) of former president Bennet Bloomquist. Let's hope I can live up to all he has and continues to do for our church congregation and community we live in. Let's all give him a huge thank you for his tireless work!

I am honored to have attended and ran my first council meeting on February 14, yes you heard that correctly, on Valentine’s Day, but in the evening

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Council Highlights - January 2023

It has been great serving as your council president. Here is a picture of one of the activities I will be doing in my free time. 

Grace,

Bennet Bloomquist, Outgoing Council President

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Council Highlights - December 2022

Greetings everyone! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. This month the council did not have its regular meeting, but instead gathered for a Christmas get together. I would like to take this time to thank the members of the council for all their work in the past year. I would also like to thank all of the members of Gethsemane that spend countless hours making a difference, not only here at Gethsemane, but in our community as well.

   

I know sometimes we might feel kind o

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Council Highlights - November 2022

Merry Christmas!

At our church council meeting in November, the biggest thing on the agenda was going through the 2023 budget. A budget was agreed upon and will be presented to the congregation for their approval at the annual meeting. I can’t thank Bruce Kniivila, our Treasurer, enough for all of his hard work preparing the proposed budget and for the amazing job he does all year. Gethsemane is blessed to have him. 

   

We are looking for two individuals to represent our c

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Council Highlights - October 2022

Greetings all!

At the October Council meeting we went through the reports from the various ministry teams, financial reports and discussed new and old business matters. We are considering work on the church doors as well as some improvements to the sound system in the church.

Our nominating team is looking for members to fill open spots on the church council and, if you are approached, please prayerfully consider joining the council. Our council is made up of a group of ind

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Council Highlights - September 2022

Happy Fall, 

It was so wonderful to see so many familiar faces and new ones too at our “Welcome Back Sunday.” We also had a number of new kids register for Sunday School and Confirmation.

Letters have been sent out to folks that have not attended church in some time. We are requesting information to enable us to update our church roll.

We are working on several other items, which have not been finalized but we will share with you later. Some things that have been up for discu

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Council Highlights - August 2022

Greetings everyone! At the August council meeting we heard about the planning going on for the Rock The Block Picnic to be held on Wednesday, August 24. I hope you are (or were) able to attend and help out. We also discussed Rally Sunday which will be on September 11.

I hope you can make it as we kick off the Fall season, the beginning of Sunday School, Confirmation, and get back into full swing after the Summer.

Updating the church rolls is in the planning; this needs to be

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Council Highlights - July 2022

Hello all! Remember last winter when we were complaining about how cold it was? Anyway, the council held its monthly meeting on the 12th of July and went through the goings on at Gethsemane. Ministry team information was shared along with financial reports and old and new business. The main doors entering the Narthex from the south were discussed as during heavy rains water gets in and flows toward the lift. Not exactly ideal! Possible replacement of the doors was discusse...
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Council Highlights - June 2022

At our June meeting we heard from a number of our ministries. Char Meinzer reported that CYF has planned VBS for Aug. 7-10, 5:30 - 7 pm. They also made the decision to shorten confirmation from 4 years to 3 years. A high school ministry will be established for 9th - 12th grades. Ken Alaspa said the property crew continues making repairs as needed in the church. Sheila Davidson said the generosity team did very well for the “Cleaning Closets for God” June Favor of the month...
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Council Highlights - May 2022

Happy Spring! At the May Council meeting we heard reports from the various ministry teams about all the things going on at Gethsemane. The nominating committee and the audit committee are in need of members willing to serve in these two important areas. Please give prayerful consideration and say yes, I am willing to serve. We are also looking for one of our young people to join us on the council, this is a great way to have input on the direction of our congregation.    W...
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Council Highlights - April 2022

Hopefully by the time you read this, winter might be over. Part of the discussion at council this month was how the plowing and utility bills were higher this year than last. We can all understand why. Reports were given on the goings on of the various ministry teams as well as financial reports. The council then reviewed and discussed Mission and Goals for the council in 2022. We are in need of volunteers for the nominating committee (recruiting for council) and for the a...
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Council Highlights - March 2022

In February, our Council and Pastor Amy enjoyed a one day retreat at Camp Hiawatha. Our discussions involved ways to improve the council and visions for our congregation's future. 

At our March meeting, we had reports from our various Ministry teams and reviewed our budget. We decided to actively seek out a teen/young adult to join us as a council member. Currently, we do not have a member in that age category. If you know someone that would qualify, please encourage them t

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Council Highlights - February 2022

Greetings all! At the February council meeting we discussed all of the usual business and reports. Also discussed was the finalizing of the new church Personnel Policy which has been in the works for some time now. An update on the new outdoor sign was given, a retreat for the council was set, Bruce reported on a possible Employee Retention Credit and information on Lenten Soup suppers was given. One other item from the meeting was the need for a nominating committee for t...
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Council Highlights - January 2022

Happy New Year! At our January church council meeting a number of things were discussed and decided upon. Outreach to our community and to members of Gethsemane was a key part of the reports by the ministry teams. Your help is appreciated in these efforts and more help is needed! Let’s continue to stretch out beyond our walls to minister to those outside our walls.During the financial reports the final proposed budget received some “tweaks” from Bruce and is now ready to b...
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Council Highlights - December 2021

Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to 2022.    The council did not have a regular meeting this month, but we did get together to celebrate the season and enjoy each other’s company. I want to thank all the members of the council not only for all the wonderful things they accomplished this year but also for all of the thought and insight they brought to Gethsemane in 2021. Just in case you didn’t know, our council members are Sheila...
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