ST. JOHN PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 16, 2002

Msgr. Art Valenzano opened the meeting with a prayer.  
The June minutes were approved.

Council Members in Attendance:  Bob Andrews, Joe Cinquino, 
Tom Greene, Terry Jones, Peggy Rager, Joe Rankin, Fran Rock, 
Paul Rock, Mike Rodgers, Pat Scheper, Frank Tontala, Dawn Walsh, 
Gail Young, and Ken Yuhas. 	 

Council Members absent:  Mike Oster, Clolita Williams

Staff in Attendance:  Fr. Leo, Pat Brink, Seminarian Michael, 
Paul Gallagher, Sr. Bernadette, and Teresa Greene		

Guest:  Charlie Swinderman

Parishioner Concerns: Mike Rodgers said that a parishioner is concerned that there won’t be enough parking and Ken Yuhas mentioned that the plywood leading into the church is a safety concern.  Terry Jones said there will be more parking by spring and the plywood will be removed within the week. 

OLD BUSINESS:
	Master Plan 2003 – Terry Jones said that the new church is on schedule; the foundation is in; the next step is the underground duct work.  Our goal is to be “under cover” by mid-December.  We are soliciting bids and working on a preliminary design for renovation of the existing church, which will begin soon after opening of the new church.  We will be transferring the existing baptismal font, pulpit, altar, statues, and the main stain glass window to the new church.  
	Religious Education – Bob Andrews distributed information on the program. This year’s fundraiser is Entertainment books; Frank Tontala said that a parent asked if they could just give the money.  There was much discussion about fundraisers because tuition does not cover the costs.  This year, Religious Education teachers will be required to participate in the Child Abuse Training program.  St. John’s has the largest number of certified catechists in the archdiocese.   In Youth ministry, there were a large number of participants for the Life Teen and The Edge opening activities.   
	Development – Paul Rock said that in the upcoming stewardship presentations, the capital campaign will be emphasized.  Gail Young indicated that the silent campaign ends on October 7th.  The public campaign begins October 15th, and the committee expects to wrap it up by early December.  We will need many volunteers; we will have 25 teams, 10 on each team.  
	Liturgy – Joe Rankin indicated that this year, the emphasis will be on increasing mass attendance by 10% and continued evangelization.  On January 18th, there will be a mini retreat for all liturgical ministers.  In a survey of 1000 families, 252 parishioners responded.  Of those who responded, 76% were female, 50% were under 50, 71% attend every week, 11% attend most weeks, and 7% attend occasionally.  47% appreciate the music the most.  26% want better music, 52% put preaching in the top 3.  22% say there is need for improvement in preaching.  The committee will address all of these issues.
	Management & Finance- Paul Rock said that the year closed with a small profit.  The report was finalized and forwarded to the Archdiocese.  Everything is on a normal trend.  Of course, the new church will be a major expenditure, so fundraising will have to continue.
	Outreach & Evangelization – Frank Tontala said that there will be review and approval of a new ministry handbook (available in November).  Teresa O’Brien will be new chairperson of the Welcoming Committee.  Peggy Rager reported that the nursery will be opening on November 17th in the St. Matthew room in the school.  The co-op nursery will be held during the 8:45 and 10:30 masses.  
       Sesquicentennial Committee – Fran Rock distributed a calendar of events for the coming year. The committee has designed a logo. The parish time capsule will be displayed on Sept. 29th, and a new time capsule will be placed in the new church.  Plans for the dedication of the new church are proceeding well. 
 
New Business:
Electronic Withdrawal for weekly contributions – Paul Rock said that it will be advertised in the bulletin and discussed in the Stewardship talks. Stewardship talks have been moved to Oct. 7th to coincide with the capital campaign.  Talks will be at every mass except the 6:30 and 12:00, which will be done the next Sunday.   Terry Jones said that the memorial bricks for the new church have already raised $3500.

Announcements – Msgr. Art announced that Teresa Greene will be leaving and thanked her for all of her service to our parish.  Terry Jones is now working at St. John’s in facilities management.  George Misulia will no longer be the music director; Fr. Leo will chair the search for a new music director.  Msgr. Art thanked Seminarian Michael for his work on the September 11th prayer service.  Msgr. Art emphasized that under the direction of Cardinal Keeler, we will continue to create a safe environment for our children. 

Meeting adjourned.
						Submitted by, Peggy Rager, Recording Secretary