Three Things from Admin Council

The Administrative Council had their regularly scheduled meeting on Sunday May 21st immediately following the Worship Service. Here are "The Three Things" that you need to know from that meeting.

1. Hospitality as a Focus
   We centered our "New Business" time around a larger conversation of Hospitality. Oftentimes we think of hospitality in very narrow terms -- it is that thing that we outsource to the Fellowship Team and the Greeters in the Narthex, right? But actually, hospitality is something that needs to be baked in to everything that we are and everything that we do as Christians. That means that hospitality needs to be a part of each of our ministry teams. Over the course of the conversation we reframed hospitality as invitations and follow-up. So what are we doing that invites folks to be a part of our community? What makes FCC Scottsdale a warm and inviting place? And how can we follow-up with folks who have participated in some aspect of our ministry?
   
2. Property Updates
   We received several updates on church property related projects. New doors will be installed in the sanctuary this summer and the parking lot has been resealed. Administrative Council authorized Curt McCormick to seek an appraisal of our buildings as a supplement to our insurance. And we received the good news that through the first five months of the year our income is exceeding our expenses!
   
3. Post-Election Plans
   During my Pastor's Report I shared my plans for communicating with the church following the UUA General Assembly's Presidential Election. 

Hospitality

The Executive Team and I have just completed a book study.

For folks who don’t know, the Executive Team at FCC Scottsdale is comprised of our Moderator Judy Kares, our Vice Moderator Scott Eubanks, our Treasurer Curt McCormick, and myself.

We meet regularly to discuss important items for the church, set the agenda for the Administrative Council Meetings, and discern the ways that God is calling our congregation forward. In order to set a theological grounding on those wider conversations, we have just finished reading Henri Nouwen’s spiritual classic “Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life.”

Henri Nouwen was a prolific writer, a deep Christian thinker, and bringer of profound insights into life and faith. Nouwen was a Catholic priest, author, professor and activist. He taught at the University of Notre Dame as well as the Divinity Schools of Yale and Harvard. He spent the final years of his life teaching and ministering to the mentally and physically disabled at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Toronto, Canada.

“Reaching Out” details the three movements of a spiritual life. They include:

1. The movement from loneliness to solitude;
2. The movement from hostility to hospitality;
3. The movement from illusion to prayer.

Ultimately the book is about the fullness of right relationships. The first movement in a spiritual life is about coming to right relationship with our truest, inner self. From there we are prepared to move to right relationships with others. Finally we move all the way to the transforming power of a true relationship with God.

It is a beautiful, vivid way of envisioning the Christian faith, and in our discussion together the Executive Team came to see that the second movement (from hostility to hospitality) is actually the key component. Here is how Henri Nouwen puts it:

“Once God has touched us in the midst of our struggles and has created in us the burning desire to be forever united with him, we will find the courage and the confidence to prepare his way and to invite all who share our life to wait with us during this short time for the day of complete joy.”

This coming Sunday during our Administrative Council meeting we’ll be spending a lot of time talking about hospitality – about how our individual ministry teams can bring it to life; about the ways we create “safe spaces” for others in our church; about how we can grow in relationships with ourselves, with others, and with God.

I’m looking forward to continuing this conversation about hospitality, and seeing all the wonderful ways that God uses us to reach out to the world!

Three Things from Admin Council

The Administrative Council held their regularly scheduled meeting this past Sunday immediately following the Worship Service. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1. S.A.I.L. Coming up on June 14 to July 19
   Our Summer Adventures In Learning series will return for a third straight year, with the program running every Wednesday Night from 5:45 to 7:30 from June 14 to July 19. There will be dinner, Bible stories, dramatic performances, crafts, songs, and wonderful fellowship! Postcards will be going out shortly to all of our young people and volunteer opportunities will be coming up for our church members!
   
2. Understanding our Love Gift Policy
   Mary led an excellent discussion on the church's "Love Gift" Policy. (For the record, "Love Gifts" are any financial donation that is made by a member or a friend of FCC Scottsdale that is not a part of their regular pledge or offering). The discussion helped all of the Admin Council members come to a clearer understanding of our church's financials, the difference between designated and undesignated gifts, and how we can better record the wishes of the giver for our church records. If you would like to see a copy of the "Love Gift" Policy then just contact us in the church office.
   
3. Introduction of the General Minister and President Nominee
   Rev. Brian offered a thorough introduction of the Rev. Teresa "Terri" Hord Owens who is our nominee for the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The election will happen at General Assembly in Indianapolis this summer. Rather than rehash the introduction that was offered, you can learn more about Rev. Terri at the "Meet the Candidate" page on the Disciples.org website. In fact, stop by regularly because they are updating that page all the time with new materials!

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their first meeting of 2017 on Sunday January 15 immediately following the worship service. As always, here are "The Three Things" that you should know from that meeting!

1. Joint Lenten Worship Services
For the second year in a row we will be sharing our Lenten Worship Services with our sister congregations at Foothills and Coolwater. FCC Scottsdale will be hosting the Ash Wednesday Service on 3/1/17 at 7PM in our Sanctuary, Foothills will host the Maundy Thursday Service on April 13 and Coolwater will host the Good Friday Service on April 14. It was a great way for us to get to know our brothers and sisters and Christ last year, and I'm sure it is going to be even better a second time around!

2. Finance Team and Gift Policies
The Finance Team will be clarifying our policies and procedures for accepting financial gifts and making sure that they are put to use correctly.

3. Full Budget Review
In a technical part of our work, the Admin Council Reviewed our Budget, and Combined Funds, helping us on our way to a Balanced Budget.

Three Things from Admin Council

Administrative Council had their final regularly scheduled meeting of the year, this past Sunday immediately after the worship service.

Here are "The Three Things You Should Know" from that meeting:

1. Regional Assembly/Asamblea was a huge success
   Thank you to everyone who kept the joint Arizona Regional Assembly/Asamblea in your prayers. It was a different kind of event, because for the first time in a long time we held our Arizona Regional Assembly in conjunction with the Hispanic Convencion's Asamblea. It was a wonderful event with over 300 brothers and sisters in Christ gathering from all over the state of Arizona. Thank you to East Mesa Christian Church for doing such a lovely job hosting our meeting. The worship services were inspiring, the breakout sessions were life giving, the community spirit was palpable. We had a full slate of representatives from FCC Scottsdale in attendance...and oh by the way I was formally installed as the Moderator of the Christian Church in Arizona!
   
2. Admin Council approves a full Nominating Slate for the Annual Meeting
   You'll be seeing the names in the coming days and weeks, but know that our Nominating Team did an incredible job putting together a full slate of Officers, Elders, and Ministry Team Chairs for the coming year. That slate was approved by the Administrative Council and will now go to the full congregational meeting (scheduled for December 11, 2016 immediately following the Worship Service) for final approval.
   
3. Another Successful Stewardship CampaignYou’ll remember that here at the church we received a $10,000 Challenge Grant. For every increase in a pledge this year it will be matched dollar for dollar up to a grand total of $10,000. What’s more, that grant will be used to double every new pledge we received this year! Well, as of Dedication Sunday we have received pledge increases totaling $7,666 and new pledges totaling another $5,040 meaning that the total of $12,706 more than exceeds our Challenge Grant! Great job church!

Three Things from Admin Council

The Administrative Council had their regularly scheduled meeting this past Sunday immediately following the worship service. Here are "The Three Things" you need to know from that meeting:

1) We have several special events coming up!
Please join us for the "Sing Along for Peace" on 9/25 at 2PM in the Sanctuary, the Fellowship Potluck on 10/9, the annual "Unloading of the Pumpkins into the Pumpkin Patch" on 10/15, the Children's Sabbath Worship Service on 10/16, the Stewardship Season Kick-Off on 10/23, and The Fifth with First on 10/30! What a full month!

2) Arizona Regional Assembly on November 4 and 5
Registration is now open for the Arizona Regional Assembly on 11/4-5 hosted by our brothers and sisters at East Mesa Christian Church. Check out the Regional Assembly Website for more information and swing by the Church to register for the event!

3) Financial Review Completed
The Finance Ministry Team reported back to the Administrative Council that the contracted financial review has been completed and a full report received. With the help of Curt and Mary we are "digesting the report" and will be making policy recommendations on any necessary changes.

Three Things from Administrative Council

This past Sunday the Administrative Council had their regularly scheduled meeting.

As is our custom, we ended the meeting by coming up with three talking points from the meeting that I want to share with the entire congregation. We call this “The Three Things…”

So, without further ado, here they are!

1: We are making healthy progress on our 2016 Goals!
At our January Retreat the Administrative Council identified a series of short term and long term goals. It only makes sense that at our July meeting (which is half-way through the year) that we would take stock of each goal and appraise where we are. I’m happy to report that we are moving forward in healthy and productive ways on those goals.

As a general reminder, here are those goals:

   Short Term Goals:
     -- Introduce and support a Planned Giving Program
     -- Support, equip, and grow the Education Ministry Team and Programs
     -- Continue to grow the breadth and depth of our Outreach Ministries
     -- Improve and expand “communication” in the church and outside the church.
     -- Identify, mentor, and train members for leadership

   Long Term Goals:
     -- Relationship building among our members and non-members
     -- Bring the community onto the campus and make the church a bigger part of the community.
     -- Investigate and consider the NBA’s XPLOR residency program

2. New Air conditioners for the Sanctuary!
With the failure of one A/C for the sanctuary and pending failure of three more units we approved the use of funds to replace four units in the Sanctuary. We are blessed to have received a $15,000 gift earlier this year (above and beyond this church members regular pledge) that will help underwrite the expense. The remainder of the cost (between $10-15,000) will come from the Property Budget and Long Term Maintenance Budget. The Property Team will take the lead on finalizing the bids and overseeing the process.

3. Nominating Committee is requesting prayers!
Our Vice Moderator Judy Kares walked us through the timeline and plans for the Nominating Committee. She began with a specific call to prayer. This year Judy would invite church members to be in prayer for the Nominating Committee and the nominating process that helps us select our leaders for the coming year AND she is also inviting church members to be in prayer themselves, asking “how might I serve God, by serving at FCC Scottsdale?” I hope that you’ll join this prayer effort and support the wonderful work that is happening here at the church!

Three Things from Administrative Council

The Administrative Council had their regularly scheduled meeting on Sunday May 15 immediately following the worship service. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1. Insurance Presentation
   Andrea Weingel, our Account Manager with Church Mutual Insurance Company, came to our meeting to walk the Administrative Council through our various insurance policies. It was a comprehensive presentation and I am glad to say that as a church we are well covered and taken care of in this important (but blessedly often unnoticed) area.
   
2. Master's Talent Concert Series
   Administrative Council officially recognized and endorsed our Master's Talent Concert Series as a ministry of the church that is helping us reach out to our local community in new and innovative ways.
   
3. Great Things are Happening in Education
   With each Admin Council Meeting we focus on one or two of our annual goals, and this time we featured our goal to "Support, Equip, and Grow the Education Ministry Team and Programs." We heard a wonderful report from the Education Ministry Team that detailed the many Sunday School Classes and mid-week small groups that we have in the church. They also outlined their hopes for the future and specifically requested help with volunteers for the S.A.I.L Program as well as helpers and teachers for the fall. We are so blessed to have Carol and Julie leading this revitalized effort and for everyone on the Education Ministry Team who is helping to make it happen!

Three Things from Administrative Council

It was a busy weekend for Administrative Council. They had their Annual Leadership Retreat on Saturday and then met for their first official meeting of 2016. As always following those regularly scheduled meetings of the Council, here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1) We're in the Black
I am happy to report that we finished 2015 in a strong financial position. Not only were we able to complete all of our Dream Fund Projects, but we were also able to pay all of our bills and still roll over just short of $4000 into our longterm reserves at the end of the year! Your continued generosity and support makes these things happen!

2) A Full House
We are truly blessed to have ever single leadership position filled on Administrative Council. Each ministry team has co-chairs and everyone is excited for the good work that will come in 2016!

3) National Stewardship Conference
I reported to the Council that I have been selected by the Center for Faith and Giving as a "Stewardship Ambassador" on behalf of the wider church. That means that at the end of March (right after Easter) I will be attending a National Stewardship Conference in Orlando, Florida that will bring together some of the best minds and best practices for developing generosity in local congregations. This Conference will be a joint effort between the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and our cousin denomination the United Church Christ. Oh, and as a "Stewardship Ambassador" I have been awarded a full scholarship plus travel expenses to cover the event! I am looking forward to being there, learning lots, and bringing plenty of good things back to the church.

2016 Leadership Retreat

Administrative Council met for their Annual Leadership Retreat this past weekend. It was a tremendous event filled with purposeful prayer, faithful conversations, and an opportunity to continue to dream big dreams!

We celebrated the good things that happened last year, set goals (short term, long term, and on-going) to govern our work for the coming year, and felt the Spirit moving in us and through us in our holy time together!

Here are "The Three Things" we want you to know from that Leadership Retreat...followed by some pictures of the day!

1) Dream Big!
In 2015 we put the Dream Fund to wonderful use in the life of the church, and in 2016 we want to build on that momentum. We are going to "Live the Dream!" and "Keep Dreaming!" and "Dream Big!" in the coming year. The Administrative Council is looking forward to cultivating big ideas for our congregation as we faithfully discern God's dreams for us in the coming year.

2) A Full Slate!
What a blessing to have every leadership position in the life of the church filled! Please keep Administrative Council (and all of our various Ministry Teams) in your prayers as they take on the good work before us.

3) The Church of Yes...And!
In reviewing our Hope Partnership Best Practices we heard once again the longstanding refrain that we want FCC Scottsdale to be the "The Church of Yes!" We want to be a place that is filled with the overwhelming affirmation of God's love! We want to celebrate new ideas and support innovation. Instead of simply defaulting "No" for any new project or opportunity we want to be able to say "Yes!" In fact, we want to go a step further. Improv comedy troops talk about "Yes...and". It is the strategy of not only agreeing with what your partner offers, but building on it to make it better. We not only affirm new ideas, but we add our own piece to the growing tableau in order to make something even richer and more rewarding.

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their last regularly scheduled meeting of 2015 this past Sunday immediately following the Worship Service. Here are the "Three Things" you should know from that meeting!

1) Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee presented a full slate of leaders ready and willing to serve our congregation in 2016. The Administrative Council unanimously approved the slate that will now go to the Annual Congregational Meeting (scheduled for Sunday December 6) for final approval. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Nominating Committee for their prayerful, tireless work on behalf our congregation. Thank you to Judy Kares for chairing the committee and to Ron Prast, Donna Blakely, and Jean Decker  for serving on the Nominating Committee this year. Thank you as well to all of the church members who have accepted the invitation to serve in 2016.

2) Stewardship Season's Blessings
Administrative Council was appreciative of the hard work of the Finance Team and our Pastor in putting together an excellent Stewardship Season. This was our second year of working with the Narrative Budget framework and it was such a joy to spend four weeks talking about the Worship, Mission & Ministry of our congregation alongside of our Dreams.

3) Outreach Ministry Recognitions in our Community

Rev. Judy lifted up a long list of Outreach accomplishments for our church in the month of October. That list included:

• The Pumpkin Patch, our major fundraiser, was a great success thanks to all the 350+ volunteers.Nearly $5000 was raised for the community!
• The Healthy Packs distribution has increased to include all seven Title One elementary schools in Scottsdale!
• We partnered with Scottsdale Congregation UCC as they hosted homeless families on behalf of Family Promise. We helped by preparing and serving dinner on two nights as well as by leading activities after dinner. 
• We gave 35 pairs of glasses to the Lions Club.
• Monthly we donate to Vista Del Camino food bank and to Family Promise.
• We were invited to join city, faith communities, businesses & non-profit leaders from all around Scottsdale for the Mayor’s “Our City” Task Force to help with the needs and concerns of Scottsdale citizens. It is an important gathering of leaders from all around our city, and our church was specifically invited to be there!
• Rev. Judy was asked to deliver the prayer at a recent Paiute Community Center Fundraiser.
• At a recent the Interfaith Breakfast Meeting Rev. Judy was one of three featured presenters that morning, where I had the chance to talk about Healthy Packs.
• Several of our members screened families for Adopt a Family.
• More than 20 Church members participated in the East Valley Crop Walk.

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their regular meeting on Sunday September 20, 2015 immediately following the worship service. Here are The Three Things you should know from that meeting:

1. We celebrated the success of the Thanks You! Event on September 19!
   The Dream Team sponsored a church-wide Thank You! Event that included a wonderful luncheon (with special guest speaker, our Regional Minister, the Rev. Denny Williams), and a morning filled with Outreach Opportunities. We had 80+ folks in attendance for the luncheon! We had 17 folks from the church who spent the morning at Feed My Starving Children in Mesa preparing 31,000 meals for starving children around the group and another 18 folks who met up at the church to make Plarn ("plastic yarn") that will be crocheted into sleeping mats for local homeless men and women.
   
2. Council Approved a full Energy Audit of our Church Campus!
   On the recommendation of our Green Team, Administrative Council approved a full Energy Audit of our church buildings. Rev. Brian has been in contact with a local engineering firm that has agreed to do the audit at no charge and will provide us with a full breakdown of cost saving measures, possibilities, and opportunities for us at the church.
   
3. Hope Partnership Education Survey Needs Your Responses!
   The Hope Partnership Team has begun working to revitalize our Education Ministries here at the church. As a part of that process they have put together a "Christian Education Survey" in order to learn about the wants and needs of our congregation, as well as to discern the best times and places to offer new classes. 

Three Things: Administrative Council

Administrative Council held their regular meeting after worship on July 26, 2015, and here are "The Three Things You Should Know" from that meeting!

1. Multiple Dream Fund Projects Approved!At July’s Admin. Council Meeting the following projects were also approved:
   -- Hired Max Beckman as the newest member of the Praise Team!
   -- New Playground Equipment will be going in for our youth!
   -- New screens and projectors will be going in to the sanctuary!
   -- An upgraded soundboard with the ability to fully record the entire worship service will be installed!
   -- We will be hosting a "Thank You...Now Let's Keep Dreaming!" Event on September 19!
   
2. Budget Numbers Look Great!Our Treasurer did a happy dance in reporting that we are ahead of budget through the midway point of the year and that we are on track for the rest of the year!
   
3. Celebrating the S.A.I.L. Program We celebrated the good news that the S.A.I.L. Program (a project that grew out of the Dream Fund, by the way) was such an overwhelming success! Thank you to Julie and Carol for organizing it, to our church members from volunteering and participating, and our youth and families for taking part in the Summer Adventures In Learning!

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their regularly scheduled meeting this past Sunday following the worship service. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting!

1. A New Name: The Dream TeamThe Dream Fund Task Force continues to meet regularly in order to put our budget surplus to good use for the work of the Lord. They have prioritized several key dreams and are currently collecting bids from different vendors in order to make them happen. They hope to have several bids ready for Administrative Council's approval at the next Administrative Council Meeting. That said, it has been exciting to watch as the Dream Fund Task Force is evolving into something new. The meetings are dynamic and energetic, and this Task Force has become more than a group committed to faithfully putting our budget surplus to work. In fact, it has become an incubator of new and innovative ideas at the church. They aren't simply taking the dream suggestions from the congregation, they are tapping into the Spirit alive and at work at FCC Scottsdale and seeking to dream big dreams for our church. As such, on the recommendation from Administrative Council we are going to stop calling them The Dream Fund Task Force and simply rechristen them as The Dream Team! This is the place (hopefully one among many, actually) where church leaders are coming to dream together about what is possible for our church and what God is calling us to do. How wonderfully exciting!
   
2. A New VBS: The SAIL Program
   One of the Dream Fund dreams that is coming to fruition is a new model of Vacation Bible School. Several dreams from the Dream Fund Box mentioned, "Let's bring back VBS!" and we are going to do that, but in a way that better fits our church and our community. A traditional model of VBS (a full day of Vacation Bible Study done five days in a row in the heat of the summer) isn't the most effective model for our church. We know because we asked our parents and our volunteers. Instead, we are going to an intergenerational weekly evening model. We are calling it S.A.I.L (Summer Adventures in Learning) and Julie Erickson has already put together an amazing program! There will be a light supper, there will be themes, there will be events and opportunities to get to know one another as we deepen our faith this summer. Look for more information (including opportunities to volunteer and help out!) in the coming weeks. The S.A.I.L Program will kick off on June 24 and continue on each Wednesday evening through the end of July.
   
3. During the Prayer Vigil: Discerning our Gifts
   The Prayer Vigil runs from Wednesday May 20 until Pentecost Sunday May 27, and the Administrative Council has a special request: Please be in prayer to discern what gifts you have to offer in service to our Lord. What is God calling you to do? What ways can you help our church? What ways can your gifts be put to use to benefit the wider community? At our next Administrative Council Meeting (July 26) we'll be talking about leadership and begin the work of discerning Ministry Team Chairs for 2016, and Administrative Council would particularly appreciate it if our church members would use the Prayer Vigil as an opportunity to begin considering those questions. 

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their regularly scheduled meeting on Sunday March 15 after the worship service. Here are "The Three Things" you need to know from that meeting:

1) The Dream Fund Task Force brought an update of their work (they are meeting regularly, reviewing the dreams from the Dream Fund Suggestion Box, and moving ahead to receive bids on certain items) and also three formal motions for Administrative's Council's approval. Those motions were:

• To use $2500 from the Dream Fund to seed a Long Term Maintenance Fund for the church, with the intention that putting money aside into the Long Term Maintenance Fund would become a regular part of our Annual Budgeting Process. Further, at year's end we will examine putting additional Dream Fund monies into the Long Term Maintenance Fund.
• To increase our giving to the Disciples Mission Fund from 9.75% of our total pledges to a full 10%. This percentage increase means will no longer need to split hairs about being a congregation that tithes to the wider church (if you combine the 9.75% with the donations to Special Day Funds you get a full tithe) and from now forward we will be able to affirm that our 10% pledge to the wider church is the baseline for our giving with other gifts and donations going above and beyond.
• To authorize a financial threshold for the Dream Fund Task Force. The Dream Fund Task Force will be permitted to spend up to $1500 to fully complete Dream Fund Projects without seeking Administrative Council approval. There are several Dream Fund Projects that will only require a small expenditure (like say buying a new handheld recording device to record the entirety of the worship service so that we can share it -- sermons, songs, prayers and all -- with out homebound members) and it did not make sense to hold up those projects pending a full formal vote from the Council. At the same time, for those larger projects that require bigger expenditures (i.e. anything over $1500, like say hiring a guitarist/bass player for the Praise Team or replacing the playground equipment) those expenditures will need to be formally approved by the Administrative Council.

2) The Planned Giving Task Force is having regular meetings and will have formal motions for the Administrative Council in the coming days. These motions will address creating a Gift Policy and re-designating our Endowment Fund as a Foundation for First Christian Church Scottsdale. The Planned Giving Task Force is also discussing ways of recognizing estate gifts, encouraging non-budget gifts to the church, and furthering the culture of generosity here at FCC Scottsdale.

3) We discussed the Holy Week Schedule. This will include:

• Palm Sunday/"The Fifth With First" March 29, 2015 at 8AM and 10:15AM
  Our Workship Crew will gather an hour early, meeting at Chaparral Park at 8AM for a brief service before going to a worksite organized by our partners at Operation Fix-It. This way folks wanting to partipate in both the Workship Service and the special Palm Sunday Worship Service in the Sanctuary (including a Palm Processional, special music, and a dramatic retelling of the Crucifixion story) will be able to do both. Following the Worship Service the "Healthy Packs Assembly Line" will be set up in the Fellowship Hall.
• Maunday Thursday April 2 at 7PM
  We will celebrate the blessed gift of Christ establishing The Lord's Supper during this worship service (consistently my favorite one each and every year) while also taking part in a traditional service of Tennabrae (sharing the holy words of scripture detailing Christ's final hours, while extinguishing candles).
• Easter Sunday April 4 beginning at 8AM
  We will celebrate Christ's resurrection and the gift of new life! The morning will begin with an Easter Breakfast in the Fellowship Hall provided by DWM. The Children and Youth Ministries Team will provide an Easter Egg Hunt for our youngest members and friends. The worship service will feature special music, guest musicians, a powerful sermon, and a church filled with people eager to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their first regularly scheduled meeting of the new year immediately following worship on Sunday January 18, 2015. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1. Our Financial Health has never been better!
   I lead the Administrative Council in a thorough discussion of our total financial picture here at First Christian Church Scottsdale. Presently we have over $180,000 in total assets on deposit at the bank. Please note, this is in addition to our General Operating Fund. These are largely reserve funds, designated gifts, and the endowment fund. Of those total assets some of the highlights include $33,730 in the Endowment Fund, $18,848 in the Nehemiah Fund (designed to help cover any annual budget shortfalls), $14,183 earmarked for Missions, and $52,071 in the Reserve Fund. In fact, did you know that we ended 2014 with a small budget surplus and were able to move $3,578 into the Reserve Fund. Financially, thanks to your generosity, the good stewardship of the Administrative Council, and the fiscal planning of the church we are in great shape!
   
2. Administrative Council Retreat
   As has been our tradition for the last five years, the Administrative Council will start off the new year by meeting for their Annual Leadership Retreat. This will happen this coming Saturday, January 24. Julie Erickson has graciously opened up her home to us. The Council will be meeting for a time of prayer, reflection, goal setting, and faithful conversation that will set the stage for our work this year.
   
3. The Evolution of the Administrative Council Meetings
   The Administrative Council will continue having regular scheduled meetings every other month (our next meeting will be Sunday March 15 following worship), but the nature of those meetings will be evolving throughout the year. The Administrative Council will be intentionally working on long term and short term goals. Less of our meeting time will be built around hearing reports (those will be turned in ahead of time and will have a specific section for "Celebrations" to help us share the good news of what is happening at FCC Scottsdale) and more of the meeting time will be given over to big picture issues and discussions about where God is calling us and how we will faithfully get there. It is an exciting time for the Administrative Council, and we will be working hard to find ways to share the success stories of what is happening here at our church. Later this year you can look forward to new sections in our Newsletter and on our website to highlight our "Celebrations of FCC!"

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council held their last formal meeting of 2014 this past Sunday immediately following the worship service.

Here are "The Three Things You Need to Know" from that meeting!

1. Dedication Sunday is November 23! We will complete our "Worship, Mission & Ministry" Stewardship Campaign this coming Sunday when we bless and dedicate our Pledge Cards. Please remember that we have a $10,000 Matching Grant for increased pledges -- that is to say, if you increase your pledge for the coming year it will matched, dollar for dollar, in the coming year up to a total of $10,000! This is a wonderful opportunity for us at the church! Please prayerfully consider your pledge this week and then join us on Sunday for Dedication Sunday as we turn over our tithes and offerings for the new year. Oh, and if you forget to bring your Pledge Card on Sunday morning, have no fear, we'll have plenty in the pew racks this Sunday!
   
2. The Annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for December 14! The Nominating Committee has been working hard on the slate of Officers, Elders, and Ministry Team Leaders for the coming year. The Finance Team has worked hard to prepare our 2015 Budget. Now, we need your buy in as well! The most important decisions in the life of our church revolve around who will lead us and how we will spend our stewardship dollars. We reserve those decisions for the most important deciding body in the life of our church: The whole congregation! We will meet in the sanctuary after worship on December 14 to formally approve our Slate of Nominees and officially adopt the 2015 Budget. Then right after the meeting DWM will be hosting a Christmas Luncheon in the Fellowship Hall complete with all sorts of wonderful food and entertainment!
   
3. Speaking of Christmas Events here in the church, I need you to remember these important dates as well:
   -- We'll be kicking off this year's Adopt-A-Family Program on November 23.
   -- The Worship Ministry Team will host The Annual Hanging of the Greens on Saturday November 29 starting at 9AM. Come out and join them in decorating the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, and Church Grounds for the Advent and Christmas Seasons! Lunch will be provided.
   -- We'll introduce The Christmas Bag Outreach Project on November 30.
   -- We will celebrate Global Ministries Sunday by having our Global Ministries Missionary Mark Behle as our guest preacher on Sunday December 7.
   -- The Christmas Cantata will be performed during worship on December 21.
   -- Our Christmas Eve Worship Service will be Wednesday December 24 at 7PM in the Sanctuary. 

Three Things from Administrative Council

This past Sunday our Administrative Council did something different.

You see, for the very first time we met for a “Mid-Year Appraisal”.

For several years now Administrative Council has had a special retreat at the beginning of the year to identify our goals and lay out a plan for the year. This year we decided to take an extra step and carve out a special meeting in the middle of the year to see how we are doing, identify the larger issues before us, and spell out our top priorities for the remainder of 2014.

You all know that I like to end every meeting by brainstorming “The Three Things You Should Know…” Well, it just so happens we have Three Top Priorities for the remainder of 2014! So here they are:

1. Strengthen the Education Program at FCC ScottsdaleWe have a special Education Task Force that is already meeting to discuss the educational needs and faith formation opportunities here at the church. Be on the look out for some exciting new things!
   
2. Recruit/Train Leaders for the Coming Year(s)This is about more than filling out the slate for the nominating committee. We are seeking to develop a pipeline of leaders to serve our congregation (and the wider community) for years to come.
   
3. Focus on Financial ResponsibilityIn addition to developing the 2015 Budget and coordinating the Annual Stewardship Campaign, we’ll be looking into developing our Planned Gifts and starting up with the SCRIP Gift Card system. More details to come!

Yours in the Journey, Rev. Brian

Bonus “Fourth Thing” from the Meeting: With Administrative Council’s blessing I have accepted the nomination to serve as Vice Moderator for the AZ Region!

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council held their regularly scheduled meeting on Sunday May 18 in the Arizona
Room immediately after worship. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1. Administrative Council formally blessed Sandi DeFeo as our Music Director.
   After serving as our Interim Director of Music Ministries for the past five months (and following much prayer and discernment and conversation with Rev. Brian) we'll be dropping the "Interim" tag as Sandi assumes the position as our Director of Music Ministries here at FCC Scottsdale!
2. Education Task Force coming together. The recommendation of the Executive Committee and with the blessing of our Christian Education Ministry Team we will be establishing an Education Task Force to look the Christian Education needs of our church and build a plan for successfully filling those needs. More details on the Education Task Force will be coming in the weeks ahead!
3. A Different Kind of Admin Council Meeting in July.
   We rescheduled our Administrative Council Meeting in July, moving it back a week to July 27, and instead of having a "regular" Administrative Council Meeting we'll be doing a midyear review. The members of the Administrative Council will go back to the list of goals that we set for ourselves at our January Retreat and see where we stand halfway through the year. What have we accomplished? What still needs more attention? What course corrections do we need to build in to the second half of 2014? We'll be tackling those questions (and more!) at our July 27 meeting. 

Three Things from Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their regularly scheduled meeting this past Sunday March 16, 2014 immediately following worship.

As is our habit, here are "The Three Things" you need to know from that meeting.

1. Future Facing At one of our Hope Partnership Leadership Retreats the question was asked by our facilitator "How much of the time at your Board Meetings is spent discussing things that already happened? And how much of your time is spent discussing who God is calling you to be?" The truth is, those percentages have probably been out of whack for us at our Administrative Council Meetings. So we are intentionally restructuring our meetings to cut down on unnecessarily long reports and focusing instead on the longview of our church's success in ministry. For a practical piece of that restructure see #3.
   
2. Widening the Table We formally moved to include Disciples Women's Ministry and Disciples Men's Fellowship as active participants in the work of Administrative Council.
   
3. New Agenda and an Invitation from our A.C. Secretary
   Instead of having each ministry team bring a full report to Administrative Council we have asked that each time bring "two highlights from their ministry team's work" to share with the council. From there, we have allotted time for any official business that needs to come from our committees, carved out time to get all everyone's events listed on the church calendar, and have created time to talk about specific issues regarding the church's vision for the future (in this particular meeting we talked about the Hope Process and our journey to becoming "The Church of Yes!").