Saturday, January 05, 2008

Moving Resources from Structure to People

From 2000 to 2007, Tatesbrook was spending an increasing percentage of its resources (both time and money) on giving to other organizations. While this is a very Christian thing to do, it also reduces the amount of ministry we can do as a relational body.

Having a men's retreat and a women's retreat in the fall were wake up calls to our body and it was fairly obvious that we need to spend more corporate time together in fellowship instead of individual time edging, fixing, trimming, finding, moving stuff, throwing stuff away, investigating, negotiating, administrating, etc.

This is an exciting time as Tatesbrook transitions from paying old debt and servicing the needs of an aging building to ministering to His Kingdom within our body and the community that we serve. As we do that, I am confident that He will provide the income to meet the needs of these ministries.


Sanctuary Allocation

Fellowship Hall Allocation

Education Wing Allocation

Mortgage Reduction Report

During 2007, we had to address some building repairs and maintenance that were necessary to help us continue to help other groups in our community without breaking our budget. If our offerings were closer to our budget, we could have made additional payments to the mortgage as we have in other years, but we were stretched too thin this year.

In 2008, we hopefully will have fewer demands from the building, but I am not budgeting any extra payments because the income from users of the building will be reduced.

2008 Building Usage Rates and Agreement

Usage Rates:
  • $150 for entire building ( Extra deposit of $100 for single time users, ie. weddings )
  • $75 for sanctuary or fellowship hall
  • $50 for small group room

There are many groups that share the building at 3724 Appian Way. In order to keep the building secure, clean, comfortable, safe and usable for everyone, we have put together the following clean up and lock up responsibilities that need to be completed after each use of the building:

Sanctuary:
  • Clean paper and trash out of pews. ( if trash was there before you got there, report to Jackie Eby )
  • Place lost and found items in the lost and found cabinet in the basement
  • Return Hymnals and Bibles to closet
  • Check trash can in sound room
  • Vacuum if necessary


Front Foyer
  • Pick up paper and trash
  • Place lost and found items in the lost and found cabinet in the basement
  • Sweep foyer if necessary
  • Check trash can by the water fountain


Bathrooms ( 2 upstairs, 4 downstairs )
  • Pick up paper and trash
  • Empty trash cans if more than half full


Fellowship Hall and Kitchen
  • Move all chairs and tables to the wall
  • Sweep with dust mop
  • Pick up trash and empty trash can
  • Clean kitchen if necessary


Stairways
  • Make sure all stairways are completely clear of objects ( stairways are not closets)
  • Pick up trash


Cleaning Room
  • Put all cleaning products and tools away


Miscellaneous
  • Set Thermostats to 69 Heat in Winter, 74 Cool in Summer
  • Lock all doors


Thank you!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Join the Tatesbrook Administration Team

There are many changes coming in the next few years, if you would like to be a part of the administration team that helps to manage the administrative matters for the Church at Tatesbrook during this period, please join this mailing list!


Subscribe to Tatesbrook Administration
Email:
Visit this group

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Clutter accumulating again...

The problems are not near as bad as they were last year when we broke a bunch of bad habits and drew lines about storage space but they are approaching that level. I've documented a few of the items left around the building so that people will know when they start disappearing.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Administration Meeting Minutes - July 28, 2007

Attendees:
no meeting actually held ( we seem to be transitioning to being a life-group led church )

Next Meeting:
Saturday, September 22, 8:00 AM

Purpose of Administration Meeting:

Developing leaders that can follow through with excellence in all of the five fold ministries as we coordinate body wide activities and serve each other as unto the Lord

  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Worship
  • Service
  • Fellowship


Specific Topics discussed this month:

Finances
Income and expenses are tracking near the projected budget. Window work is complete.

Share the load (Adjustments for 2007):
New leaders are needed for 1-6th grade and 7th-12th grade this fall.

Discipleship:
Groups have started ( North Lex, South Lex, and Nicholasville ). As the groups become more of a core of our body, we expect them to be responsible for the Discipleship, Evangelism, Service and Fellowship. The transition is occuring... Don't miss out. Join a group if you haven't already!

Building:
Now that the windows are done, the next investment of time that needs to occur is for us to re-evaluate our insurance packages. Our coverage is low, our current provider would like to drop part of our insurance profile, and various users of the building have violated several safety rules that have endangered lives, the building and expensive equipment.

Evangelism:
Commissioning a pair of missionaries to Africa would probably top my list.

Church Calendar


July--
29 - Life Group Party at Shillito Park ( Shelter #5 )

August--
5 - Lord's Supper and Harrington commissioning service
11 - Work Day ( Carpentry and painting for youth room, sound room and windows )
24,25 - Men's retreat at Cleft Rock

Sept--
2 - Lord's Supper
22 - Administration meeting

Oct--
7 - Lord's Supper

Friday, June 29, 2007

Edging is finished

Adam became the first person to be paid ($15) to do the edging and the last person to do it.

The important thing is the edging is done!

While Adam was doing the last 45 feet of edging, I mowed a good portion of the outside of the tree sanctuary and trimmed the trees, so I don't think we will need another outdoor work day this summer.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Administration Meeting Minutes - May 26, 2007

Attendees:
Matt Hind, Kim Hind

Next Meeting:
Saturday, July 28th, 8:00 AM

Purpose of Administration Meeting:

Developing leaders that can follow through with excellence in all of the five fold ministries as we coordinate body wide activities and serve each other as unto the Lord

  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Worship
  • Service
  • Fellowship


Specific Topics discussed this month:

Finances
Expenses are under control. Improvements are occurring later than planned and coming in within budget so things cash flow is not a problem right now. Our monthly electric bill exceeded our monthly mortgage interest this month. I believe that is the first time that has occurred in Tatesbrook's 23 years of being a church. After we get the heating and cooling under control with the stationary windows, there is some potential that we can get the electric bill lower than the monthly interest, but eventually the mortgage interest will be $0 and we will have to give up.

Share the load (Adjustments for 2007):
One of the biggest transitions in work load will be Children's Church. Normally the third Sunday in May is the last Children's Church lesson of the year, but this year only, I have extended it to the 1st Sunday in June. We were one lesson short of completing our three year journey through the Bible, so I agreed to teach one lesson in the summer. I know the parents of the 1st through 6th grade are eager to try new things next year so I am looking forward to hearing great things from these kids in the coming years.

Discipleship:
Groups have started ( North Lex, South Lex, and Nicholasville ). As the groups become more of a core of our body, we expect them to be responsible for the Discipleship, Evangelism, Service and Fellowship. The transition is occuring... Don't miss out. Join a group if you haven't already!

Building:
There are a couple of transformations that are occurring with the building in the coming months that everyone will need to be aware of.
The first is VBS. On June 10th, all of the student desks and chairs in the classrooms will be piled into one room and we will transform the remaining rooms into VBS classrooms for one week. The following week, from June 18 through 21, the windows will be replaced throughout the building. On Saturday, June 23rd, we will have a work day to touch up the windows, finish some of the painting from the previous work day and trim the tree sanctuary.

Someone reported that a Black Nissan Sentra with License Plate 784-AFD has been sitting in the parking lot when no one is present at the building. This vehicle will need to be moved this week before all the summer activities start. We have friends at the TBNA that will help us remove it.

Evangelism:
VBS is a great chance for evangelism this coming month... Please see Tommie Martin about what you can do to help. We also have a few other opportunities with the community this month.

On June 9th, the Tatesbrook Neighborhood Association will be holding the 2nd Annual Ice Cream Social ( right before VBS with Firetrucks, Fireman and Police Officers ).

Starting June 11th and continuing through August 3rd, Mayor Newberry has sponsored a free, nutritious lunch program from 11:00 to 1:00 at the Appian Hill apartments. This lunch is open for all children under the age of 18.

Youth: ( Matt )
Matt is finishing up his series of Bible teaching using "Indiana Jones" as a theme. The youth group will be changing soon with the addition of several 7th graders. There are only three slots left for the B.A.S.I.C summer camp and there are former youth members that are interested in going, so please see Matt if you want to go to camp this year.


Church Calendar

May--
26 - Life Group Party and James and Carol's

June--
3 - Lord's Supper
9 - Tatesbrook Neighborhood Association ( Second Annual Ice Cream Social )
10 - VBS "Gameday" building decoration
11- Free Nutritious Lunches Start ( 3645 Appian Way )
11-15 VBS "Gameday"
16 - Kara cleaning the church on Saturday morning
17 - Surgery on Sunday
18 - Windows installed ( Monday through Thursday )
22 - Kara cleaning the church on Friday after windows are installed
23 - Work Day ( finishing windows, painting, outdoor work )
24 - Church Picnic at Shillito Park ( Shelter #3 )

July--
1 - Lord's Supper
8-14 B.A.S.I.C. Summer Camp ( 7 of the 10 spots are reserved, See Matt if you are interested )
20-21 Promise Keepers at Nashville ( See Kevin if you are interested )
28 - Administration meeting
28 - Life Group Party at Shillito Park ( Shelter #5 )

August--
3 - Free Nutritious Lunches End ( 3645 Appian Way )
5 - Lord's Supper
11 - Work Day ( Trimming Tree Sanctuary, Carpentry Work )
24? FCPS 3 day weekend - Church campout at Aldersgate ( Matt to schedule/reserve )

Sept--
2 - Lord's Supper
22 - Administration meeting

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Work Day Accomplishments

I arrived at the building at 7:00 to trim some hedges before everyone got there at 8:00 and found Josh getting an early start on finishing the walls in the foyer. As far as I know, Josh was the selector of the green colors and the planner of the work in the foyer as the leader of the South Lexington Life Group.

Many members of the South Lexington Life Group contributed to prepping and painting the foyer. ( Paul and Tracy Barth, Josh and Kresta Wilson, Lynn Wilkerson and Jaren )

Other contributors were Eric Nieland, Kim Hind and Lewis Jones (seen here)

Shortly before 8:00 AM, Mike Brady rolled into the parking lot with a load of mulch, Ronnie Brock and a sledge hammer.

I had to leave at 8:50 to take Adam to a baseball game, and by that time, Kim had arrived with a sledge hammer of her own.

Kim gave Ronnie a much needed break, but really didn't break off as many bricks per hit. I don't think she spent as many hours on the baseball field.

Later, Kim and Ronnie cleaned up all the brick debris.



While Kim helped Ronnie, Matt helped Scott with the sanctuary lighting. Scott was determined to finish the job before leaving.

Scott and Matt have both worked two other days to be in position to finish the job today. Knowing the Matt had other plans later in the morning, the focused first on the assembly of all the lamps and ceiling fans so that Scott could finish the job.

After dropping Adam off at the game I returned with Becca, who helped take hedge clippings and the remains of Kim's annual "bush to tree" campaign to the water basin, pick up trash around the property and play with Cameron.

After about 90 minutes of work, she decided it would be more fun to pester Scott while he worked.

The Jones Family arrived in the heat of the day to finish Becca's job. They cleaned and swept all the paved surfaces and took trimmings to the water basin. They also did some minor fill in work where holes showed up in the lawn.

In the afternoon when I returned to finish the hedges and repair a leaking toilet, I found everything cleaned up and piled neatly. ( a trademark of the Jones Family )

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Edging has begun... you need to act quickly to participate

Because of the dire shape of the water retention basin in 2005 and 2006, the city sent officials to the church grounds to make a list of the items that required attention. Edging the sidewalks was one of the items on that list.

In the 15 months since the list was presented to us. I would estimate that the church has spent 12-15 man hours discussing strategies and equipment investment strategies. During our Administration team meeting walk through yesterday, James said he would do the edging with a shovel.


This picture represents one hour of work with a shovel and a SUV. ( 30 minutes to dig, 30 minutes to pick up and move the extracted sod ) In this picture, you can also see what a dramatic improvement this will be to our community. It will be good for people to walk side by side instead of single file.

If you have a pickup truck, the would take less than an hour, but you may not dig as fast as James.

I paced off the remaining work. There is only 16 hours of work left for one person, an SUV and a shovel. You need to act quickly before this work is completely done.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Administration Meeting Minutes - April 28, 2007

Attendees:
Matt Hind, James Davis, Dan Leahy, Mike Brady, Josh Wilson

Next Meeting:
Saturday, May 26th, 8:00 AM

Purpose of Administration Meeting:

Developing leaders that can follow through with excellence in all of the five fold ministries as we coordinate body wide activities and serve each other as unto the Lord

  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Worship
  • Service
  • Fellowship


Specific Topics discussed this month:

Finances
Personal finance class was a success. The newest graduates are John and Theresa Holmes and Carol Davis. First quarter results are not closed, but are very close to our budget. April offerings and expenses are unknown. ( Our mission payments are a function of the first quarter offerings )

We also discussed a few other mission opportunities for this year or next year.

Share the load (Adjustments for 2007):
Tony Jones and his family are pitching in to do sound setup and Eva Leppert is doing the sound. The music team would like Eva to play bass so we could still use some more sound people.

Discipleship:
Groups have started ( North Lex, South Lex, and Nicholasville ). As the groups become more of a core of our body, we expect them to be responsible for the Discipleship, Evangelism, Service and Fellowship.

Travis is teaching Ephesians on Sunday morning. At the current pace, this class may be finished at the end of May or early summer.

Building:
A few struggles with electronic equipment, extension cords and nursery toys being "borrowed" and not returned. A few struggles with settings on the sound equipment. Additional discussion about how to better share the building in 2008 and beyond.

Evangelism:
Our body has been active in evangelism this past month. We need to have a Dare2Share for adults to take our eyes off of the circumstances that we deal with day to day and alert us to the needs of those around us and the commands that our Lord and Saviour gave to us.

Youth: ( Matt )
Attendance is down to three students per week. Much discussion about how best to serve the middle school youth.


Church Calendar

April--
29 - VBS volunteer meeting

May--
1 - Deadline for B.A.S.I.C. Summer Camp Registration
6 - Surgery on Sunday
6 - Lord's Supper
12 - Work Day ( Lights, mudding, repairs, edging, outdoor cleanup )
18-20 - Bob Warren
26 - Administration meeting
26 - Life Group Family Reunion at Jordan and Sarah's

June--
3 - Lord's Supper
10 - VBS "Gameday" building decoration
11-15 VBS "Gameday"
17 - Surgery on Sunday
24 - Church Picnic at Shilito Park ( pending availability )

July--
1 - Lord's Supper
8-14 B.A.S.I.C. Summer Camp
20-21 Promise Keepers at Nashville
28 - Life Group Family Reunion at Shilito Park ( pending availability )

August--
First or second week - Family camp at B.A.S.I.C.
Last week - Church campout at Aldersgate

Work List after Church Building Walk-Through

May 12 Work Day:

The work day will be focused on outdoor spring clean up. Bring a shovel, mower, weed eater, hedge trimmers, sledge hammer, gloves for weeding and mulching, lopping shears and other outdoor tools.

  • Remove brick mail box - replace with a normal mailbox in one of the community's cluster of mail boxes. Safer for drivers pulling out of driveway, elimination of an eye-sore. (need volunteer)
  • Repair and reinforce our neighbor's fence
  • Edge the sidewalks ( Already started )
  • Mow the tree sanctuary
  • Spread mulch
  • Remove pew in hallway
  • Finish installation of lights in santuary


Windows to be done in Summer:
James and Kevin are collecting quotes for windows, work to be done in May or June. A few windows in rear of building at dangerous point of falling out (LCF suggested sliding windows with screens instead of crank windows or fixed windows)

  • 28 Large windows ( 67 x 23.5 )
  • 6 Medium windows ( 23.5 x 31.75 )
  • 7 Small windows ( 31 x 19.5 )


Hiring a plumber for the following items:
  • Repair the outside faucet in the rear of the building
  • Repair the leaking faucet in the upstairs men's restroom
  • Repair baptistry heater ( water heater or jacuzzi heater instead of current system)
  • Install valve on toilet in women's restroom in basement of education wing
  • Repair broken toilet in women's restroom upstairs in education wing

South Lexington group will be doing on May 3, May 10 :

  • Repair drywall and paint in entry way.
  • Install new lighting in foyer
  • Install new lighting in the sanctuary
  • Finish mudding and painting in the CAT Closet

Finish the youth room project:
  • Cabinets and counter tops in the youth room
  • Trim along top of wallboard
  • Baseboard
  • Six switch light panel
  • Cover for unused wires above the door
  • Paint hallway
  • Install video equipment securely

Other things that can be done:

  • HVAC ( Install air return for the sanctuary, ventilation for sound room for equipment, workers and most importantly the thermostat )
  • Arrange for exterminator to protect church from termites
  • Hire stump grinder for two stumps in front yard near the neighbor's yard
  • Rebuild shed or tear it down ( need communication with users and neighbors )
  • Replace ceiling tiles in basement
  • Install thermostats that are not adjustable by occupants
  • Replace many fluorescent lights throughout the building ( Men's restroom in basement has no lights at all )
  • Talk with city about picking up herbies in the back instead of by the street

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Church Work Day on May 12

Things that we can do:

  • A few windows in rear of building at dangerous point of falling out (LCF suggested sliding windows with screens instead of crank windows or fixed windows)
  • Need to repair drywall and paint in entry way.
  • Plumber: Repair the outside faucet in the rear of the building
  • Plumber: Repair the leaking faucet in the upstairs men's restroom
  • Plumber: Repair baptistry heater ( water heater or jacuzzi heater instead of current system)
  • HVAC ( Install air return for the sanctuary, ventilation for sound room for equipment, workers and most importantly the thermostat )
  • Install New Lighting: Sanctuary and foyer
  • Remove brick mail box - replace with a normal mailbox in one of the community's cluster of mail boxes. Safer for drivers pulling out of driveway, elimination of an eye-sore. (need volunteer)
  • Need to rebuild shed or tear it down ( need communication with users and neighbors )
  • Need to replace ceiling tiles in basement
  • Need to replace many fluorescent lights throughout the building ( Men's restroom in basement has no lights at all )
  • Finish mudding and painting in the CAT Closet
  • Install cabinets and counter tops in the youth room
  • Minor carpentry finish work in the youth room
  • Repair and reinforce our neighbor's fence
  • Edge the sidewalks
  • Talk with city about picking up herbies in the back instead of by the street
  • Mow the tree sanctuary

Saturday, February 24, 2007

2007 Service Team Roles

Service Team Leader - Kevin Eby

Elders
Mike Brady, Dan Leahy

Trustees
James Davis, Kevin Eby , Scott Faulkner

Building
Maintenance - Seeking Paid Staff for this position
Calendar - Jackie Eby
Cleanliness - Kara Imes ( Paid Staff )

Treasurer - Kevin Eby
Financial Secretary - Cindy Faulkner

Sound Operation - no one
Sound Setup - no one
Video Projector - Duane Keaton
VBS Director - Tommie Martin
Web Communication - Josh Wilson
Book Store - Josh Wilson

Prayer - Dan Leahy

Administration Meeting Minutes - February 24, 2007

Attendees:
Matt Hind, James Davis, Dan Leahy

Next Meeting:
Saturday, March 24th, 8:00 AM

Purpose of Administration Meeting:

Developing leaders that can follow through with excellence in all of the five fold ministries as we coordinate body wide activities and serve each other as unto the Lord

  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Worship
  • Service
  • Fellowship


Specific Topics discussed this month:

Finances
The $6,000 deficit in January was combination of lower offerings, higher quarterly giving associated with higher offerings in 4Q06, and Dare2Share tickets for 35 people that will be reimbursed in February. I will be offering a class for personal finances for those that are interested. The introduction to that class will be held at our home on Sunday, February 25th at 5:30 PM. The class will be five weeks long and it will start on March 4th. I'd like to be finished by the end of April, but it is a self paced class.

Share the load (Adjustments for 2007):
Duane Keaton has taken over the responsibility of operating the video projector on Sunday mornings. It is also good for our body to add some new responsibilities in teaching and book sales on Sunday morning. The most immediate needs will be a sound operator for the next few months and window replacement.

Discipleship:
More discussion that this month indicating that one on one accountability and discipleship in groups of three are more important for us than the classes or the groups of 12.

Evangelism:
Our body has been active in evangelism this past month. We need to have a Dare2Share for adults to take our eyes off of the circumstances that we deal with day to day and alert us to the needs of those around us and the commands that our Lord and Saviour gave to us.

Announcements:
Mike and Dan to discuss. Since many people come to the service late and many people leave early, it might be good to do the announcements before or after the fellowship session in the middle of the service.

List of repairs around the building: ( Looking for Paid Staff to remove items from the list )
Windows remain the top priority. We also added a few new items to the bottom of the list.

  • A few windows in rear of building at dangerous point of falling out (LCF suggested sliding windows with screens instead of crank windows or fixed windows)
  • Need to repair drywall and paint in entry way.
  • Plumber: Repair the outside faucet in the rear of the building
  • Plumber: Repair the leaking faucet in the upstairs men's restroom
  • Plumber: Repair baptistry heater ( water heater or jacuzzi heater instead of current system)
  • HVAC ( Install air return for the sanctuary, ventilation for sound room for equipment, workers and most importantly the thermostat )
  • Install New Lighting: Sanctuary and foyer
  • Remove brick mail box - replace with a normal mailbox in one of the community's cluster of mail boxes. Safer for drivers pulling out of driveway, elimination of an eye-sore. (need volunteer)
  • Need to rebuild shed or tear it down ( need communication with users and neighbors )
  • Need to replace ceiling tiles in basement
  • Need to replace many fluorescent lights throughout the building ( Men's restroom in basement has no lights at all )
  • Finish mudding and painting in the CAT Closet
  • Install cabinets and counter tops in the youth room
  • Minor carpentry finish work in the youth room
  • Repair and reinforce our neighbor's fence
  • Edge the sidewalks
  • Talk with city about picking up herbies in the back instead of by the street

Youth: ( Matt )
Youth have been leveraging other groups this month with Dare2Share and a "Face the Giants" movie night at another church. One afternoon this week, Matt also discovered that we have many kids that are playing ball in the church parking lot even without a decent basketball goal. Matt also has a few other basketball ideas before there is a court on the property. Praying for mentors for the youth.


Church Calendar


February--
25 - Biblical Financial Class ( Eby's at 5:30 PM )

March--
4 - Lord's Supper
4 - Sarah Westerfield Baby Shower ( Leahy's at 3:00 PM )
TBD - Ice Skating for the whole family
24 - Administration meeting ( if necessary, may move to every other month )

April--
1 - Lord's Supper
13-15 - B.A.S.I.C. Men's retreat
28 - Administration meeting ( if necessary, may move to every other month )

May--
1 - Deadline for B.A.S.I.C. Summer Camp Registration
6 - Lord's Supper
12 - Work Day ( Lights, mudding, repairs, edging, outdoor cleanup )
18-20 - Bob Warren

June--
3 - Lord's Supper
TBD - VBS "Gameday" theme

July--
1 - Lord's Supper
8-14 B.A.S.I.C. Summer Camp
20-21 Promise Keepers at Nashville

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Administration Meeting Minutes - January 27, 2007

Attendees:
Matt Hind, James Davis, Dan Leahy, Mike Brady

Next Meeting:
Saturday, February 24th, 8:00 AM

Purpose of Administration Meeting:

Developing leaders that can follow through with excellence in all of the five fold ministries as we coordinate body wide activities and serve each other as unto the Lord

  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Worship
  • Service
  • Fellowship


Specific Topics discussed this month:

Administrative emphasis for 2007:
We did not discuss this at the meeting, but our behavior is still aligned with the tentative direction that was discussed by Dan at the December meeting in regard to the five fold ministries. Applying less time to Service, instead, moving time to Discipleship, and secondarily to Evangelism.

Share the load (Adjustments for 2007):
Much discussion about some people carrying heavy loads. Most of this will come out in the celebration when we talk about the opportunities with Preschool (now), Children's Church (August), Middle School (TBD)

Discipleship:
One example of that behavior would be the Ephesians class taught by Travis and the Small Group Leadership class taught by Mike on Sunday mornings in February. Everyone present agreed that one on one accountability and discipleship in groups of three are more important for us than the classes or the groups of 12.

Evangelism:
Dare2Share, Basketball, ..... this is secondary

Announcements:
A proposal was made to change the way we do announcements. Only a few people read them on the screen before or after the service. Posting them in the back is marginally better. Few people pick up a paper copy. Mike and Dan to discuss.

Finances:
No discussion of church finances today but given the move to Discipleship, I will be offering a class for personal finances for those that are interested. The introduction to that class will be held at our home on Sunday, February 25th at 5:30 PM. The class will be five weeks long and it will start on March 4th. I'd like to be finished by the end of April, but it is a self paced class.

Job Posting:
One of the goals of this team was to identify jobs that could make our ministry better and to better utilize some members that would like to contribute time and service but just don't know where to start. We have made some progress but still have a few roles to fill:

  • Maintaining a list of small repairs around the building ( Looking for Staff Position )
  • Mercy administrator ( need volunteer )
  • Maintain a rack of pamphlets in the bookstore (see Mike if you are interested)

Building: ( Looking for Paid Staff Position )
Windows remain the top priority. We also added a few new items to the bottom of the list.

  • A few windows in rear of building at dangerous point of falling out (LCF suggested sliding windows with screens instead of crank windows or fixed windows)
  • Need to repair drywall and paint in entry way.
  • Plumber: Repair the outside faucet in the rear of the building
  • Plumber: Repair the leaking faucet in the upstairs men's restroom
  • Plumber: Repair baptistry heater ( water heater or jacuzzi heater instead of current system)
  • HVAC ( Install air return for the sanctuary, ventilation for sound room for equipment, workers and most importantly the thermostat )
  • Install New Lighting: Sanctuary and foyer
  • Remove brick mail box - replace with a normal mailbox in one of the community's cluster of mail boxes. Safer for drivers pulling out of driveway, elimination of an eye-sore. (need volunteer)
  • Need to rebuild shed or tear it down ( need communication with users and neighbors )
  • Need to replace ceiling tiles in basement
  • Need to replace many fluorescent lights throughout the building
  • Finish mudding and painting in the CAT Closet
  • Install cabinets and counter tops in the youth room
  • Minor carpentry finish work in the youth room

Youth: ( Matt )
Preparing for Dare2Share. Praying about a separate Middle School ministry for multiple reasons. Michael Harrington has talked with our city councilman about the basketball goal. All of us agreed that the next step would be to talk with the TBNA. Matt also has a few other basketball ideas before there is a court on the property. Praying for mentors for the youth.


Church Calendar


January--
28 - Celebration

February--
2-4 - Dare2Share in Columbus
4 - Lord's Supper
24 - Administration meeting

March--
4 - Lord's Supper
24 - Administration meeting ( if necessary, may move to every other month )

April--
1 - Lord's Supper
13-15 - B.A.S.I.C. Men's retreat

Suggestions for upcoming events:
- Ice Skating for the whole family
- Spring camp out instead of fall camp out
- Big Bang for Brother's Meeting ( March )

Saturday, January 13, 2007

New cleaning schedule for 2007

Now that we have nearly got the building organized ( only a few storage details to close on now) into shape and are able to move to the steady state of weekly cleaning, Kara has asked for an adjustment to her schedule.

I have cleared Thursday and Friday afternoons on a regular basis with Jackie and posted them to the church building calender: Regular Building Use Calendar

For special (non-regular) use of the building, please contact Jackie Eby directly so she can coordinate any changes in the building schedule

Friday, December 29, 2006

Mortgage Reduction Report

At the December Administration meeting, there was a proposal to install a full basketball court for the community at the top of the hill. This basketball court would also be available to our youth and members and the members of the other churches that use the building, but the primary use would be for the community on a day to day basis.

It was determined that we would delay this until we have eliminated the remaining debt on our building and seek approval from the community and the city council. The current project for debt elimination is mid 2009. Delaying the purchase until 2009 should also help us to determine the right location and right suppliers for concrete and goals.

Even though finances were only a small portion of the decision, I thought I would include this projection of the elimination of the debt if we decided to install the court sometime in 2007.

The information provided in this posting is not a commitment for our body to install a basketball court in 2009, but rather an example of some of the ways that our body is suggesting to expand our ministry as more resources become available to us. ( Better suggestions may come in before we reach 2009 )

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Fellowship Hall Allocation

After discussion with Gregg and Kent, we have made the following changes to the allocation of the building so that the LCF / Mars Hill / Coffee Shop can have more locked storage and the table and chairs can be kept closer to the location where they are used. Tatesbrook agrees that this is good situation for all of the users.

However, we need for each user of the building to return the tables and chairs to this location in order for us to clean the rest of the building. We have already attempted this a few times, so we recognize that this adjustment will take time.


Education Wing Allocation

After discussion with Gregg and Kent in early December, we have agreed on Gregg's proposal that none of the classrooms be allocated to Mars Hill since they don't have locks. Since they are community territory, Kara has begun the process of cleaning them up.

In December, Kara scraped black stains off of the floors and moved the chairs and tables to their new area twice, but the chairs and tables still make their way back...

In order for Tatesbrook to do the next step ( strip and wax floors so they can be mopped easily by one person ), we will need for all the owners to know that the tables and chairs belong in the LCF/Mars Hill/Coffee Shop storage in the fellowship hall as Kent and Gregg proposed.

Now that we have reduced the clutter, we will also be reducing the size of the lost and found tables. Two of the three pieces of furniture in the hall will be gone in January. If anyone would like to have them, please let me know.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Brothers Meeting Minutes - December 16, 2006

Attendees:
Dr. Scott, Donovan Lakes, Matt Hind

Next Meeting???: January 20th ( 3rd Saturday of every month??? )

2006 Purpose of the Brother's Meeting:
Men getting together to share with each other. Ministering to one another and sharing encouragement from individual areas of ministry

2007 Purpose of the Brother's Meeting:
????

2007 Ideas for the Brother's Meeting:
- Mission trips ( projects [ Work Days, Habitat for Humanity, etc. ] )
- Breakfast ( bacon & eggs instead of donuts or bananas )
- Retreats ( Friday night / Saturday [ like Corinth in 2005 ] )
- Fishing Trips ( Donovan casting his vision )
- Need a leader to organize and communicate

Meeting Minutes:

Brothers testified as to what God is doing with the various challenges we face in life:

Matt:

  • Commitment is the topic
  • Why do we do what we do?
  • I'm stuck in the "principle of the cross" ( infinite loop )
  • Walking the line between "helping people help themselves" and "enabling them to stay where they are"
Tim:
  • Care what God wants
  • Jesus draws the line based on his own attitude. "In a hurry" vs "Important"
  • Are you at the Brother's meeting for the body or for you?
  • Is the Brother's meeting a blessing or a burden?
  • Choosing the path of least resistance is not the right choice.
Donovan:
  • How do we change?
  • If I was half as committed to the church as I am to work, I would be doing it all.
  • Tim offered Romans 12:2 as a place to start.
    Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

    And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.


Kevin:
  • Shared many concerns that are common with Matt's ( shared specific examples )
  • Looking forward to mowing tree nursery and digging trenches for downspouts
  • Change is something we can't do, but God wants for us.
  • Drawing the line is very important.


Grace and Peace,
Kevin

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Administration Meeting Minutes - December 2, 2006

Attendees:
Matt Hind, James Davis, Dan Leahy, Michael Harrington

Next Meeting:
Saturday, January 27, 8:00 AM

Purpose of Administration Meeting:

Developing leaders that can follow through with excellence in all of the five fold ministries as we coordinate body wide activities and serve each other as unto the Lord

  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Worship
  • Service
  • Fellowship


Specific Topics discussed this month:

Administrative emphasis for 2007:
Discussion surrounding the direction for 2007. In 2006, the Administration team was focused on increased communication with our peer churches and working together through the "Make-a-mess" project and eliminating the physical clutter that required energy to maintain each time that we entered into the physical building. In 2007, we should have more time to apply to other areas of the five fold ministry. We will wait for confirmation from Mike and from the Lord through prayer, but Dan's initial perspective was that we should focus primarily on Discipleship as God is already beginning to work in that area through the Sunday morning teachings. Secondarily, would be Evangelism, where we have traditionally had a weakness. Worship, Service and Fellowship are all functional.

Finances:
Reviewed 2007 Budget proposal that was distributed. The group suggested the following changes:
  • Increase Youth budget from $2,000 to $4,000 ( Conference, More mileage accounted, Increased activity, scholarships )
  • Increase Children budget from $1,000 to $1,500 ( VBS has worked hard to keep expenses below $1,000 in 2005,2006 but fallen just short )
  • Add $5,000 for community basketball court to 2007 wish list
  • Confirm with Cindy that increase in tithes from 2003,2004,2005,2006 will continue to 2007


Job Posting:
One of the goals of this team was to identify jobs that could make our ministry better and to better utilize some members that would like to contribute time and service but just don't know where to start. We have made some progress but still have a few roles to fill:

  • Maintaining a list of small repairs around the building ( need volunteer )
  • Mercy administrator ( need volunteer )
  • Maintain a rack of pamphlets in the bookstore (see Mike if you are interested)

Building: ( Kevin/James for Donovan )
Windows remain the top priority. We also added a few new items to the bottom of the list.

  • A few windows in rear of building at dangerous point of falling out (LCF suggested sliding windows with screens instead of crank windows or fixed windows)
  • Need to repair drywall and paint in entry way.
  • Plumber: Repair the outside faucet in the rear of the building
  • Plumber: Repair the leaking faucet in the upstairs men's restroom
  • Plumber: Repair baptistry heater ( water heater or jacuzzi heater instead of current system)
  • HVAC ( Install air return for the sanctuary, Ventilation for Sound room for equipment, workers and most importantly the thermostat )
  • Lighting: Sanctuary and foyer
  • Remove brick mail box - replace with a normal mailbox in one of the community's cluster of mail boxes. Safer for drivers pulling out of driveway, elimination of an eye-sore. (need volunteer)
  • Need to rebuild shed or tear it down ( need communication with users and neighbors )
  • Need to replace ceiling tiles in basement
  • Move tables and chairs to carts in the fellowship hall
  • Finish mudding and painting in the CAT Closet

Youth: ( Matt )
Intends to take larger number of kids to Dare2Share and camps this year. This will require more transportation budget and would like to have scholarships as well for first time attenders that have trouble justifying the cost. Is working with Michael on the possibility of having an outdoor basketball court for the community. Kids are already gathering in the parking lot so it would be good to provide a more visible place to play away from the backyards of the neighbors. Just discussion at this point, but Michael and Matt did proceed far enough to get a rough estimate of the material costs.

Calendar
We added the following dates to the church calendar:
January 28: Celebration

Main Church Calendar


December--
2 - Administration meeting
3 - Lord's Supper
16 - Brother's meeting
17 - Christmas Caroling

January--
7 - Lord's Supper
20 - Brother's meeting
27 - Administration meeting
28 - Celebration

Friday, December 01, 2006

Progress towards Cleanliness

LCF cleaned out the sound room this last week while Kara took ThanksGiving week off. After touring the building this evening. I agree with Kara that we are done with the organization phase and ready to move to just cleaning and maintenance.

Completed:
Summer - Two full dumpsters plus 6 Herbies per week or so plus overflow at times.
Week 0 - Extra clutter removal throughout the building to prepare for the debate on Oct 16th ( 7 Herbies plus overflow thrown away on 12th )
Week 1 - Sanctuary Closets / Mike's Office ( 6 Herbies thrown away on 19th )
Week 2 - Mike's Office / Supply Closets ( 4 Herbies thrown away on 27th )
Week 3 - Bookstore ( 6 Herbies thrown away on Nov 2nd )
Week 4 - Supplies / Kitchen Closets ( 7 Herbies, lots of paint and other overflow thrown away on Nov 9th)
Week 5 - Bathroom / Closet in front of fellowship hall / Classrooms ( 5 Herbies on Nov 16th )
Week 6 - Tatesbrook junk out of locked LCF Storage ( 4 Herbies on Nov 23rd)
Week 7/8 - Sound Room Closet ( 5 Herbies on Nov 30th )
Proposed:

After a short conversation with Gregg and Kent tomorrow, I think we are done! Great Job!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Water Problems

Recently, water damage was found in the closet at the front of the fellowship hall. We have had water problems over the years as we have little by little made tiny corrections in outdoor waterflow in order to get the water away from the building.

I'm pretty sure this is the root of the problem since the splashing water has erroded the concrete glaze off the side of the basement wall and the dampness has darkened the bricks above it.

Splash blocks are bad... and ugly.

Five years ago, I moved water from the corner of the building to the parking lot and planted a Lilac bush to help use up some of the water that always seemed to make its way down the hill, into the corner and eventually pressing up through the tile in the foyer outside the fellowship hall.

The black tile can be purchased for about $10 and the only tool you need is a shovel.

The downspouts in the front of Mike's office go into the parking lot drain ( when they are connected ). The downspouts in the rear corner of the building were redirected by a team of young men from LCF several years ago in an effort to get water away from the nursery.

Two years ago, Donovan graded the area outside the youth room and had concrete poured to get water away from the lower door on that side of the building.

There are three downspouts that still dump water right next to the building and the closet is that last victim of water damage.

These last two are not major contributors of water, but we might as well fix all three at the same time.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Brothers Meeting Minutes - November 18, 2006

Attendees:
Dr. Scott, James Davis, Dan Leahy, Mike Brady

Next Meeting: December 16th ( 3rd Saturday of every month )

2006 Purpose of the Brother's Meeting:
Men getting together to share with each other. Ministering to one another and sharing encouragement from individual areas of ministry

2007 Ideas for the Brother's Meeting:
- Mission trips ( projects [ Work Days, Habitat for Humanity, etc. ] )
- Breakfast ( bacon & eggs instead of donuts or bananas )
- Retreats ( Friday night / Saturday [ like Corinth in 2005 ] )
- Need a leader to organize and communicate

Meeting Minutes:

Brothers testified as to what God is doing with the various challenges we face in life:

Tim:

  • Many, many stories: Topped Mike for today
  • Hopes that 9 SEC teams will receive a bowl bid.


Dan:
  • Painting foyer with Joje on a 16 foot ladder
  • Praying about his job, he and Joje are both trusting God
  • Best Quote: "I want to go out in peace like grandpa, not screaming like the passengers in his car"


Mike:

  • Wants to see more people involved with Brother's meeting
  • Many, many stories: Tim won the contest, though
  • Mimi's birthday, Amanda's Wedding, Emily's Anniversary and Open House is keeping him busy while he holds down a few jobs.
  • Asked that we keep Eva Sergent in our prayers ( new location for cancer, will be in surgery this week to have it removed, outlook is good )


Kevin:
  • Shared that Jackie has been doing better this last few weeks
  • Encouraged about more people using their gifts, sharing a few examples
  • Likes seeing high school students learning truth in same classroom as adults of all ages
  • Pleased with the progress of decluttering the building, looking forward to reaching steady state, where less energy will be required.
  • Suggested that we have a mini-work day after the meeting to clean up and move chairs.


Grace and Peace,
Kevin

Progress towards Cleanliness

LCF and Mars Hill did a great deal of clean up on Monday. Kara cleaned and organized the Kitchen on Wednesday. Next week it is the Sound Room across from Mike's office. Kent and Gregg are working on a plan for the cabinets and their contents.
If anyone has any suggestions about where we point Kara in December, please let me know!

Completed:
Summer - Two full dumpsters plus 6 Herbies per week or so plus overflow at times.
Week 0 - Extra clutter removal throughout the building to prepare for the debate on Oct 16th ( 7 Herbies plus overflow thrown away on 12th )
Week 1 - Sanctuary Closets / Mike's Office ( 6 Herbies thrown away on 19th )
Week 2 - Mike's Office / Supply Closets ( 4 Herbies thrown away on 27th )
Week 3 - Bookstore ( 6 Herbies thrown away on Nov 2nd )
Week 4 - Supplies / Kitchen Closets ( 7 Herbies, lots of paint and other overflow thrown away on Nov 9th)
Week 5 - Bathroom / Closet in front of fellowship hall / Classrooms ( 5 Herbies on Nov 16th )
Week 6 - Tatesbrook junk out of locked LCF Storage ( to be thrown away on Nov 18th )

Proposed:
Week 7 - Sound Room Closet ( to be thrown away on Nov 30th )
Week 8 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 7th )
Week 9 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 14th )

Claim these Items by November 18th

LCF and Mars Hill made a significant contribution to the clutter clean up this week. On Monday, after Mars Hill was finished, they cleaned out their locked closet. A great deal of the contents that they were able to throw away were old, valueless things from Tatesbrook in the back of the closet where moth and rust destroy.



But in this case, it was mold and mildew... While cleaning and prepping to paint, LCF found water damage. I'm pretty sure the source of the problem is the elbow on the downspout on that side of the building.


Kara was also able to clean the kitchen ( and reorganize it, of course ). It looks great. Ladies, you need to check this out.


Since this is mostly Tatesbrook stuff and LCF has already approved it going out the door, I'm going to suggest that the Brother's move it directly to Herbies after the Brother's meeting this morning.


I really don't want to miss next week's trash pickup, because we will need the Herbies for the following week when we clean out the Sound Room.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Progress towards Cleanliness

Kara combined weeks 5 and 6 this week and will be filling the week 6 slot by working with Billy to rearrange the Kitchen, LCF Storage and Coffee Shop Storage so that the chairs can be stored near the fellowship hall.

Completed:
Summer - Two full dumpsters plus 6 Herbies per week or so plus overflow at times.
Week 0 - Extra clutter removal throughout the building to prepare for the debate on Oct 16th ( 7 Herbies plus overflow thrown away on 12th )
Week 1 - Sanctuary Closets / Mike's Office ( 6 Herbies thrown away on 19th )
Week 2 - Mike's Office / Supply Closets ( 4 Herbies thrown away on 27th )
Week 3 - Bookstore ( 6 Herbies thrown away on Nov 2nd )
Week 4 - Supplies / Kitchen Closets ( 7 Herbies, lots of paint and other overflow thrown away on Nov 9th)
Week 5 - Bathroom / Closet in front of fellowship hall / Classrooms ( to be thrown away on Nov 16th )

Proposed:
Week 6 - Tatesbrook junk out of unlocked LCF Storage ( to be thrown away on Nov 16th [no waiting period] )
Week 7 - Sound Room Closet ( to be thrown away on Nov 30th )
Week 8 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 7th )
Week 9 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 14th )

Claim these Items by November 16th

After cleaning out the 4 & 5 year old room and recleaning some other areas, Kara only came up with a filing cabinet and a storage tub as items to be claimed by November 16th.

It appears that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!


For next week, we will be removing the chairs from the hallway. Kara and Billy are working on a plan to move the chairs to one of LCF's storage areas near the fellowship hall.


There are two carts holding chairs that can fit on one cart so throwing away one cart is a definite goal of mine. Throwing things away is a lot easier than finding storage places in our constrained space.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Progress towards Cleanliness

Kara's injury did not slow her down much, so we replaced the week 4 schedule break with a cleanup of the supplies closets for the kitchen and the cleaning. She is making tremendous progress.

Completed:
Summer - Two full dumpsters plus 6 Herbies per week or so plus overflow at times.
Week 0 - Extra clutter removal throughout the building to prepare for the debate on Oct 16th ( 7 Herbies plus overflow thrown away on 12th )
Week 1 - Sanctuary Closets / Mike's Office ( 6 Herbies thrown away on 19th )
Week 2 - Mike's Office / Supply Closets ( 4 Herbies thrown away on 27th )
Week 3 - Bookstore ( 6 Herbies thrown away on Nov 2nd )
Week 4 - Supplies / Kitchen Closets ( to be thrown away on Nov 9th)

Proposed:
Week 5 - Bathroom / Closet in front of fellowship hall ( to be thrown away on Nov 16th )
Week 6 - Classroom clutter on floor/cabinets ( to be thrown away on Nov 23rd )
Week 7 - Sound Room Closet ( to be thrown away on Nov 30th )
Week 8 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 7th )
Week 9 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 14th )

Claim these Items by November 9th

Kara went through the cleaning and kitchen supply rooms and the mop room and has moved all of the paint and maintenance items to the lost and found area at the end of the hall.


On November 9th, she will fill all the paint cans with kitty litter and take them to the curb.


In my 17 years at Tatesbrook, I have never seen the supply closets so organized and clutter free. There are a few electrical items that may be valuable so you may want to look through the clutter this week.


We have been given some more red stackable chairs so we may be able to get rid of the metal chairs on bulky racks that seem to live in the hall lately.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Fellowship Hall Allocation


Education Wing Allocation

In recent walk throughs of the building with Kara and with LCF, it has become clear that there needs to be a map of ownership of areas of the building. After much discussion, this is what we believe is the current ownership of the areas in the Education wing for 2006.

Mortgage Reduction Report


As we begin to discuss the 2007 Budget, I thought it would be good to update everyone on our progress toward our goal of debt elimination. As you may recall, at the beginning of 2006, we had hoped to make extra payments to reduce the mortgage at an aggressive rate that would allow us to achieve our goal in late 2008. At times this year, we were on that pace, but after the completion of three quarters, we have dropped our pace back to the rate of 2005.

The current projection of debt elimination at this slower pace is mid-2009.

Claim these Items by November 2nd

GOOD NEWS!


We are down to one shelf of clutter for this week! That means we can eliminate a clutter collecting table from the hall next week!

The pictured items are headed toward Good Will or the curb on November 2nd.




Progress towards Cleanliness

Due to an injury, Kara will be taking it easy this week if she works at all, so I have moved the schedule back one week.
James Davis, Kent Pittard, Gregg Greer and I walked through the entire building this morning as well. After the walk through, we decided to move the Sound Room Closet to later in the month so that LCF and Tatesbrook can remove some of the clutter before Kara gets to it.

Completed:
Summer - Two full dumpsters plus 6 Herbies per week or so plus overflow at times.
Week 0 - Extra clutter removal throughout the building to prepare for the debate on Oct 16th ( 7 Herbies plus overflow thrown away on 12th )
Week 1 - Sanctuary Closets / Mike's Office ( 6 Herbies thrown away on 19th )
Week 2 - Mike's Office / Supply Closets ( 4 Herbies thrown away on 27th )
Week 3 - Bookstore ( to be thrown away on Nov 2nd )

Proposed:
Week 4 - Break
Week 5 - Bathroom / Closet in front of fellowship hall ( to be thrown away on Nov 16th )
Week 6 - Classroom clutter on floor/cabinets ( to be thrown away on Nov 23rd )
Week 7 - Sound Room Closet ( to be thrown away on Nov 30th )
Week 8 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 7th )
Week 9 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 14th )

Administration Meeting Minutes - October 28, 2006

Attendees:
Mike Brady, James Davis

Next Meeting:
Saturday, December 2, 8:00 AM

Purpose of Administration Meeting:

Developing leaders that can follow through with excellence in all of the five fold ministries as we coordinate body wide activities and serve each other as unto the Lord

  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Worship
  • Service
  • Fellowship


Specific Topics discussed this month:

Finances:
Balances are lower than normal, but no concerns. It is now time to be thinking about the Budget for 2007. Please make Dan, Mike and Kevin aware of any ministries that will need financial resources in 2007. Mike suggested that we set up another Biblical Financial Principles class soon for some of the folks that have recently joined the church.

Job Posting:
One of the goals of this team was to identify jobs that could make our ministry better and to better utilize some members that would like to contribute time and service but just don't know where to start. We have made some progress and still have a few roles.

  • Maintaining a list of small repairs around the building ( need volunteer )
  • Mercy administrator ( need volunteer )
  • Maintain a rack of pamphlets in the bookstore (see Mike if you are interested)

Building: ( Kevin/James for Donovan )
Windows remain the top priority. LCF suggested sliding windows with screens instead of crank windows. We also added a few new items to the list.

  • A few windows in rear of building at dangerous point of falling out
  • Need to repair drywall and paint in entry way.
  • Plumber: Repair the outside faucet in the rear of the building
  • Plumber: Repair the leaking faucet in the upstairs men's restroom
  • Plumber: Repair baptistry heater ( water heater or jacuzzi heater instead of current system)
  • HVAC ( Install air return for the sanctuary, Ventilation for Sound room for equipment, workers and most importantly the thermostat )
  • Lighting: Sanctuary and foyer
  • Remove brick mail box - replace with a normal mailbox in one of the community's cluster of mail boxes. Safer for drivers pulling out of driveway, elimination of an eye-sore.
  • Need to rebuild shed or tear it down ( need communication with users and neighbors )

A few work items that occured during October:

  • Repair of Thermostat in back section of education wing (Thanks Billy)
  • Stripped and waxed floors ( Thanks Tim )
  • Removal of clutter ( Thanks to all, especially Kara )


Youth: ( Matt )
No report this month, Matt in Texas for his grandmother's funeral.

College: ( Mike for Josh/Kent )
Kent has a vision for college ministries in homes of Tatesbrookian's. Someone that can understand that college students stay up late... and minister to each other best at that time.

Calendar
We added the following dates to the church calendar:
November 12: Thanksgiving Dinner ( Pot blessed meal )

Main Church Calendar

November--
5- Lord's Supper
12 - Thanksgiving Meal after church
18- Brother's meeting

December--
2 - Administration meeting
3 - Lord's Supper
16 - Brother's meeting
17 - Christmas Caroling

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Brothers Meeting Minutes - Oct 21, 2006

Attendees:
Dr. Scott, Paul Baker, Duane Keaton, Fred McKinney, Tony Jones, Mike Brady

Next Meeting: November 18th ( 3rd Saturday of every month )

Purpose of the Brother's Meeting:
Men getting together to share with each other. Ministering to one another and sharing encouragement from individual areas of ministry

Meeting Minutes:

Brothers testified as to what God is doing with the various challenges we face in life:

Tim:

  • "Blue Like Jazz" - Story of Ron Rabbit chasing a carrot all his life, then....
  • "Forgotten Children" - Story of children ripped from families, trained as warriors in Uganda
  • Confirmed River of Life plans to build at least one well in Africa ( .., I'll be, It is .., Make me ..)


Tony:
  • lots of schoolwork
  • naming of gray hairs in his beard
  • 22 girls over for Abby's slumber party


Duane:
  • Duane's nephew, Andrew Morgan left for Iraq yesterday. His wife and child live in Texas.
  • Asked about the purpose of the Brother's meeting as it relates to the direction of the church. Discussion ensued:
    1) Weekly Prayer on Monday ( corporate meeting with God )
    2) Monthly Brothers Meeting ( corporate meeting with each other )
    3) Monthly Administration Meeting ( dealing with physical, administration needs )
  • Prayer is the backbone of all the ministries. It places our focus on Christ.



Mike:
  • Reminded everyone to pray for Paul Wilkerson
  • Up late with friends from out of town after attending Lafayette/Henry Clay football game
  • Returned to the house to put his guest to work


Kevin:
  • Encouraged about God's work in the community
  • Plea for brothers to provide feedback to Mike & Dan
  • Requested prayer covering for our ministers dealing with youth


Fred:
  • Good to be on fall break
  • Enjoying life in Missouri
  • Delivered HTML of church website on CD
  • Officially established as a Tatesbrook Stream


Paul:
  • Relating to Carmen's 15th birthday, Paul shared of his childhood experience of stealing his grandmother's car before he had his license and being chased down by the police.
  • Sunday School has boosted the worship service:
    1) Prepares the people for worship
    2) Reinforces the message ( many times it is the same message )
  • Paul votes for Sunday School to continue after these topics are complete


Grace and Peace,
Kevin

Friday, October 20, 2006

Strip and Wax Floors

Tim Padget will be stripping and waxing the floors in the fellowship hall on Friday, October 27.

He has reserved the church from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The floors will ready for use by 5:00 PM for the coffee shop that evening.

Tim will also be providing the church with a few industrial grade vacuum cleaners that are still in good condition, so there will likely be a few old residential grade vacuums appearing in the clutter pile for November 2nd.

All vacuums should be labeled as to where they are to be used, who they belong to, and where they are to be stored.

Plans for progress toward Cleanliness

In an effort to help people know when the clutter was collected and removed from the building, I have taken pictures of what we are throwing out as we go.

If you are missing something valuable, please check the lost and found area first... to see if you can rescue it.

If it is not in the lost and found area, then please check the pictures on the following website:
Cleanliness

Our intent is not to throw away anything valuable to anyone. Our intent is to provide a clean and safe environment for all users of the building. As you attempt to clean up the clutter, I would encourage you to continue to use the shed as a temporary staging area as the clutter moves toward the trash, but please be aware that it is also a very unsafe place that will need to be torn down in the not too distant future.

As you prepare to remove clutter, please be considerate of others and do not simply move it to other areas of the building as a shortcut.

Kara is working with me to choose the next areas to address, so please provide me with any input about areas that you feel are off limits. Right now, our plans are to proceed as follows:

Completed:
Summer - Two full dumpsters plus 6 Herbies per week or so plus overflow at times.
Week 0 - Extra clutter removal throughout the building to prepare for the debate on Oct 16th ( Seven Herbies full plus overflow thrown away on 12th )
Week 1 - Sanctuary Closets / Mike's Office ( 6 Herbies full thrown away on 19th )
Week 2 - Mike's Office / Supply Closets ( to be thrown away on 27th )

Proposed:
Week 3 - Bookstore ( to be thrown away on Nov 2nd )
Week 4 - Sound Room Closet ( to be thrown away on Nov 7th )
Week 5 - Classroom clutter on floor ( to be thrown away on Nov 16th )
Week 6 - Bathroom / Closet in front of fellowship hall ( to be thrown away on Nov 23th )
Week 7 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Nov 30th )
Week 8 – Please provide input to Kevin ( to be thrown away on Dec 7th )

Communication is a key to this being successful. Please let me know if there is anything we can do better!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Claim these items by October 27th

Kara has cleaned out the first week of clutter and left the table for the second week. This set of clutter came from the two supply closets in the back of the fellowship hall.

Some really encouraging observations so far:
1) Kara is making good progress toward being able to clean
2) LCF spent time last Thursday to clear out a few things from the hall and stairs before Kara got to them. This will take a few weeks off of the total time to clean the place up. Thanks!


Saturday, October 14, 2006

Claim these Items by October 19th

Lost & Found






Please claim these items by October 19th before they are taken to GoodWill!

Saturday, October 07, 2006

There is a new Sheriff in Town

Carol Davis has found a very special person to fill the cleaning role that we have been looking for. This is a great answer to prayer. The search took on a higher priority after two different users of the building complained about the cleanliness over the summer.

Carol and I took Kara through the building to show her the ropes and she was stunned at the clutter. She will be working two days a week until she gets the place in shape, and then will go down to one day.



She is starting with the sanctuary this week.


She will be moving on Mike's office and the Tatesbrook Sound Closet the following two weeks. ( October 16 - 27 )

In November, she will be moving to the fellowship hall, kitchen, stairways and the classrooms.



Kara is a pastor's daughter so she understands the needs of a church body. She is also aware of the sensitivity involved in dealing with other people's things, but none of the members of the church bodies that share the building want her to be moving things around in order to be able to clean.

If this table belongs to you, please take it home. We will be taking it to the street soon, tables do not belong in the hallway.

The pictures in this blog are the "Before Kara" pictures. I'm looking forward to seeing the "After Kara" pictures in 2007.

This final picture is a picture of the designated "Lost and Found". I don't believe any of it is "Lost and Found", so Kara will be cleaning this off. If the item looks valuable to Goodwill, she will take it there, otherwise it is headed for the trash.


Saturday, September 23, 2006

Administration Meeting Minutes - September 23, 2006

Attendees:
Matt Hind, Kim Hind, Dan Leahy, Donovan Lakes, James Davis

Next Meeting:
Saturday, October 28, 8:00 AM

Purpose of Administration Meeting:


Developing leaders that can follow through with excellence in all of the five fold ministries as we coordinate body wide activities and serve each other as unto the Lord

  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Worship
  • Service
  • Fellowship


Specific Topics discussed this month:

Finances:
Not much to discuss this month. No unusual expenses. Offerings are modest.

Job Posting:
One of the goals of this team was to identify jobs that could make our ministry better and to better utilize some members that would like to contribute time and service but just don't know where to start. We have made some progress and still have a few roles.
  • Greeting ( Brenda Jones, DonnaMarie, Kim Hind, others?!? )
  • Maintaining a list of small repairs around the building ( need volunteer )
  • Mercy administrator ( need volunteer )
  • Moving Trash to curb on Thursday night ( need volunteer)
  • Maintain a rack of pamphlets in the new bookstore (see Mike if you are interested)
  • Organizing a Preventative Maintenance program for cars and homes for members in need of help ( need volunteer )

Building: ( Donovan/Kevin )
Windows are the top priority now that the steeple is repaired. We also added a few new items to the list.

  • Need to repair drywall and paint in entry way now that steeple is repaired. ( Entry way is dry this morning! )
  • A few windows in rear of building at dangerous point of falling out
  • Repair the plumbing leading to the outside faucet in the rear of the building
  • HVAC ( Install air return for the sanctuary, Fix second upstairs thermostat for youth room, Ventilation for Sound room for equipment, workers and most importantly the thermostat )
  • Remove brick mail box - replace with a normal mailbox in one of the community's cluster of mail boxes. Safer for drivers pulling out of driveway, elimination of an eye-sore.
  • Baptistry is in need of cleaning and repair
  • Need to rebuild shed or tear it down ( need communication with users and neighbors )

A few work items that occured during September:

  • Trailers and cars have been cleared from the backyard and parking lot! (Good Work)
  • Parking Lot stripe painting has finished ( Thanks Theresa )
  • Removal of LCF storage ( Thanks Kent )
  • Repair of the Steeple ( Thanks Donovan & James )


Youth: ( Matt )
No report this month, meeting pre-empted to help Mike.

College: ( Josh )
No report this month

Calendar
We added the following dates to the church calendar:
Oct 6- Fifth Quarter after Henry Clay (@ Henry Clay)

Main Church Calendar

September--
24- Paul Wilkerson Testimony
29-Oct 1 - Youth campout

October--
1- Lord's Supper
6- Fifth Quarter (after Henry Clay)
13- Fifth Quarter (after Scott County)
11- Mayoral Debate at Tatesbrook
11- Church Planter from India at Living Hope Fellowship
20-22 Bob's Fall Retreat
21- Brother's meeting
27- Fifth Quarter (after Woodford County)
28- Administration meeting

November--
5- Lord's Supper
21- Brother's meeting
28- Administration meeting

December--

Thursday, September 07, 2006

New missionary called from Street ministry

Many of you know that we have supported Jeff and Tonda Street and their family as they minister to the French speaking communities throughout Quebec and in their summer mission projects around the world.

I received the following email from Jeff and thought I would pass it along to all of you so that you know that God is at work in the missions we are supporting and so that you can pray specifically for Christina.


Greetings from Quebec!
I want to thank each of you for your continued prayers for our ministry and take a few minutes to tell you more about one of the young people from our youth group.

Below you’ll see a picture of Christina. She is 19 years old. She is the youngest of 5 children from a christian family, however the 3 oldest children are not believers.

It has been exciting to see how Christina has grown spiritually over the years. We met her when we came to Quebec in 1997 to start learning French. She was a member of our first youth group and participated in our first overseas trip in 2000 (to the France & The Czech Republic). It was during this trip while distributing copies of the “Jesus” film and inviting children to attend our VBS in Toulouse, France that she was attacked by a muslim teenage girl who kicked her in the stomach. I’ll never forget as I walked her away, crying, from where she’d been kicked I asked her, “Are you ok?” Her response? “Yes, I’m not crying because I’m hurt; I’m crying because I want to hit that girl back, but I know that’s not what God would want me to do!” Later that day the same muslim girl returned and asked our group for a copy of the “Jesus” film. I’m convinced that that girl had already seen a little bit of Jesus in Christina and wanted to see more.

After finishing high school in in 2003 we helped Christina organize a year in Brazil to attend the Word of Life Bible Institute in Belem. While there, God did great things in her life, including calling her to full-time missions. Today she is going to college back here in Quebec City and preparing for how God will lead her into full-time ministry. She is also our most faithful attendee at our monthly prayer meeting for world missions.

Please pray for her as she goes about her studies here. Her older siblings discourage her from serving the Lord and the vast majority of her college professors are atheists and antagonistic towards spiritual things. Also, please pray for her ministry in her local church as she is heavily involved in the children’s ministry. Lastly, please pray for direction to where the Lord wants her to minister in full-time missions.

Thanks for your participation in Christina’s life!

Blessings!
Jeff (& Tonda) Street