Meeting Minutes
Sacred Space Committee, April 14, 2010
Present: Doug Anderson, Mimi Arnspiger, Julie Bryant, Lois Davis, Kathryn Gutz, Ron Hansen, Janet Leary, Steve Meehleder, Martha Rogers, & Jim Spencer.
Absent: Susan Arnspiger,Ian Montgomery, Phil Thomas.
Ron opened the meeting with a prayer. Julie motioned for the approval of the minutes from the April 7th meeting. Kathryn seconded; unanimously approved.
Ron asked if anyone had any questions or concerns. Martha stated that she was having problems finding a bulletin board and space for the interactive concerns/questions box. Doug offered to donate a display board that can be placed on a table.
Martha also asked for feedback from the committee on the question of whether the church should donate all extra pews to the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Iowa City. The committee believed that the extra pews in the garage should be donated but we should save the pews that match the ones where the bell choir performs. Those pews are currently up against walls in the hallways and may need to be moved back into the sanctuary at some point. Since they are fairly expensive, it was suggested that we need to wait on this and let the vestry make a decision about these particular pews sometime in the future.
Guiding Concepts
The committee looked at sample copies of a Guiding Concepts document that Gale provided. The document is an example of the broad concepts that Gale will pull from the first Brainstorming session based on comments and suggestions from the at-large group. Martha commented that this process will get everybody on board; now how do we go about accomplishing this?
Letter to Congregation
Jim commented that he had some concerns about the letter. He feels there are two main issues that need to be communicated to the congregation.
- We need to get the space in the front of the sanctuary organized; the choir is not visible, the organ is in the way, and the interior decorating need to be addressed. And how do we make it all flow?
- Can we do anything about the welcoming area?
Doug responded that the 5 specific items mentioned in the letter really justify the need for space change. Ron suggested maybe beginning the letter with stating the need for a redo of the physical space instead of starting the letter with a listing of the specifics. Janet mentioned that we should combine the adjustments to the floor as one entry in the list. Mimi expressed concern that the letter might not convey a sense of urgency if we don’t mention the things that need immediate concern. Martha suggested that we eliminate the list of 5 needs and write about them in a broader sense and also stress the greater need for a long term comprehensive plan. Everyone agreed with Martha’s proposed revisions. Martha and Julie will spend time after the meeting to revise the letter and make it ready for immediate mailing.
Logistics for Brainstorming Meetings
There was discussion about a Saturday date not being the best choice for encouraging attendance to the sessions. It was decided, after looking at the church calendar, that the session dates and times needed to be changed from Saturday, May 1st 9-12 to Sunday, May 2nd 5-8 and from Sunday, May 16th to Sunday, May 23rd 5-8. Ron called Gale to get the dates approved by her.
Ron will check with the Men of Excellence to see if they might be available to cook burgers for the May 2nd session. Doug will make baked beans and the rest of the committee will provide desserts. Ron volunteered to purchase drinks for the evening.
Julie suggested that the committee be at the church at 4:30 for set up on May 2nd. Ron will check with Gale to see if she will need projection equipment. Martha will check with Kate Hogg to see about child care provisions for the evenings.
Martha suggested that maybe GEMS might be willing to provide the meal for the second session. Lois said that she will check with the choir to see they would like to prepare the meal. Ron suggested that we might be able to go to purchase ready-made Lasagna and serve with bread to make it easier. We decided to discuss it further at the May 12th task force meeting.
There was discussion about the particulars of the first session. Some committee members voiced concern about the evening lasting longer than 3 hours. Others believed that we could end up with many different suggestions for change and that Gale might have a difficult time narrowing the focus for the 2nd session. Martha said that we need to trust the processes and that the document will drive us to the conclusion.
Communication
Julie told the group that she had worked with Lisa to get space for the SSTF on the website. She said that there is text to ‘set the stage’ and also space for Gale’s presentations. Lisa set up boxes where feedback can be entered and the boxes follow the 5 items for discussion that were created by Julie, Doug, and Mimi. Ron and Steve suggested that we direct the congregation to the website after the first session and we could begin to gather feedback at that time. Julie said that we could promote the website and release the slide show prior to the first meeting but the discussion section would not be opened until after the first session. Julie said there will also be a way to link the meeting minutes to the SSTF web page.
The group agreed that we will need an RSVP on the invitation. RSVP deadline will be April 30th. Lois will field telephone responses and Mimi will field email responses. There will also be a blurb in the newsletter and a sign up at the back of the church.
Janet will lead the devotion at the May 12th, meeting. Meeting was adjourned at 8:25.
Respectfully submitted,
Mimi Arnspiger