Council Notes September 2, 2026
Council was called to order by President Anne Hutnyk.
Treasurer’s Report: At 66.7% (2/3) of the budget year, Pledged Member giving is at 72.52%, and Unpledged Member giving is at 91.02%. Loose plate giving has decreased to 30.30% of expectations.
We ended August with a deficit of $1,682.74 and a total deficit of $8,137.27, which again is a lot lower than expected due to the generosity of people who loved and honored Carol Taylor. The General Memorials has been updated to reflect recent memorial gifts.
The things that stand out the most when looking at the breakdown of expenses (expenditures) is that the lines for paper products – toilet paper and paper towels, electricity and gas, and water are increased and that is due to the increased building use by the Nueva Jerusalen church. Other expenses seem to be as expected. The outcome of the meeting with Nueva Jerusalen, recommending a rent increase will be addressed by another group.
Council Minutes of the August council meeting were approved as written.
Meeting with the Council of Grace Lutheran Church, Hatfield:
Faith’s council met with Grace’s council to learn about each other’s congregations and sharing ministries. Pastor Ethan led with a prayer, then introductions were made. In a workshop-style format, it was discovered that we have much in common, have similar hopes and concerns, and seem very compatible with our goals for ministry. It was decided that Anne would meet with Kathy (Grace’s council president) to create a task force (a few people from each congregation, not necessarily council members) to discuss our first combined ministry event.
Pastor’s Report: Presided at worship at Faith and Jerusalem Lutheran. Continue to provide pastoral care for members of both congregations. I continue to participate in a clergy text study, monthly clergy meetings, first-call theological education meetings, and SEPA Synod multi-congregational peer group meetings. At Jerusalem, I attended their council meeting, and I am helping to plan their 200th Anniversary Celebration scheduled for September 19. Meeting with Pastor Wayne Shelor about restarting conversations about shared ministries. Faith’s leadership met with Nueva Jerusalen’s leadership for our 4-month review on July 28, 2026. We discussed our relationship and the rent increase at that meeting. We continue with our book study “A Listening Faith”. I participated in and led the games at Jerusalem’s VBS “Son West Round Up” from August 10-14, 2026. Thank you, Faith, for your donation to help support this ministry. There were 25 children who had a great week of VBS!
Pastor Lauren Bruno from St. John’s in Sellersville and I had our pulpit swap on July 19, 2026. She led services at my congregations on that Sunday, and I led services at St. John’s. I volunteered as a chaplain at Bear Creek Lutheran Camp in Wilkes-Barre, PA, from July 12 through 17. It was a great week of camp where I got to spend the week sharing the word of God with over 150 campers. I will be gone on September 27 for the wedding of Luca’s godfather, The Rev. Charles Frekot. Pastor Dolores Littleton will be preaching and presiding at worship that Sunday.
Ministry Team Reports:
Christian Education: Sunday School: is available during 9:30 am Sunday Worship Service for children ages 3 to 11. We will be kicking off the 2026-27 Sunday School year on Rally Day, September 13. We are looking forward to seeing all the children of the congregation.
Monday Night Bible Study (MNBS): will begin on Monday, September 14, 7 pm to 9 pm on Zoom. Participants will discuss and choose a study. We hope you will feel called to join us as we give praise and gratitude to God through prayer, learning His Word, heartfelt discussion, and lifting each other up in His love.
After much discussion, prayer, and discernment, a decision was made to end our two youth ministries: Parent Night Out (ages 3 to 11) and Young Adult Fellowship (ages 12 to 17). Emails were sent to all parents with youth in these age categories explaining that this decision was due to a decrease in enrollment (despite our outreach efforts and prayers), scheduling conflicts, and retiring teachers. We are grateful to all the support we had from the volunteers to the parents, and we take joy that the youth who attended did grow, as did we, in their relationship with God and we know will continue to do so. This decision to close these ministries resurrected our Faith Lutheran Church Fellowship Monthly Event Ministry.
Fellowship: We are currently putting a team together to plan monthly events for all ages in our congregation and nearby community. You will receive more information for each monthly event as it enfolds. Rally Day is our first fellowship event for the month of September. We hope you come join in for fun fellowship enveloped in the love and presence of Jesus Christ. Anyone interested in joining the planning, development, and execution team for this ministry, please contact Gail Achilles.
Finance: The Financial Ministry has started to work on preparing a proposed budget for 2027. Janet has sent out Preliminary Budget Worksheets to the ministry team leaders. They are due back September 6. On September 22, the team will meet to put together a Preliminary Budget, and the Preliminary Budget/Pledge packets will be available to the congregation on September 27. Currently Pastor Ethan and Deb Hollenbach are participating in a Stewardship Zoom course called Building a Culture of Generosity. They are hoping to incorporate components into the Pledge drive (possibly renaming it the “Intent Drive”.)
Hospitality: Coffee Lites except for an ice cream bar on Rally Day, September 19, and Oktoberfest on October 4.
Long-Range Planning: Pastor is meeting with Pastor Bradley Gow, head of the Synod’s vitality team, about coming out and talking with the long-range planning team.
Mutual Ministry: Gary will be gathering the team and starting the interview process in September.
Property Management: Council reviewed the old version of the Building Use Agreement. Discussion followed on how to bring the rental charge in line with the actual costs of using the facility. Gary motioned that the new rate would be $50/hour (with leaving the property in the same condition it was found in). If post-event cleaning is required, it would be an additional expense. Council approved the motion unanimously.
Property Team: The annual fire inspection took place. There was one issue with cords in the Pastor‘s office, which was resolved.
Shepherding: The team has sent out cards to those who have not been able to attend church.
Social Ministry: Social Ministry Project – July & August Veterans (Nancy Gansner) - Generous donations of personal care items were received for veterans at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. Larry Gessner kindly used a Thrivent Action Team card to purchase even more items. Social Ministry Project – September & October – (MaryLou Foster) - Individually wrapped snacks are being collected for the North Penn Boys & Girls Club in Lansdale. Social Ministry Project – “Noisy Can” – Collection total for January - August is $334. This total has been sent to 141 Impact as their fundraising efforts are being matched. Therefore, the total is $668. Preparations have been made for serving dinner at Feast Incarnate in Philadelphia on September 15.
Stewardship: Through the generosity of the Synod, we have been given the opportunity to participate in the program entitled "Building a Culture of Generosity." This program was and is run by GSB Fundraising, which is a consulting company for nonprofits on fundraising. Debbie and I are planning and executing the program. We have and will be attending different Zoom workshops with consultants from GSB. We are looking for leaders who may get interested in sharing a story about generosity. Please reach out to pastor if you have any interest.
OLD BUSINESS Constitution Update – Rich will continue to work on this.
NEW BUSINESS A wedding/reception was recently held by the members of the Nueva Jerusalen church. They contributed $500 to the use of the space, but Adam provided set-up and clean-up support. Based on our new Building Use Agreement, Gary motioned that $300 of that fee be used to cover cleaning time and costs. Council passed this motion.
Nuevo Jerusalen Church Discussion: Discussion started with a timeline overview to make sure all were on the same page. This review was required as the initial lease has expired since it was only for four months.
Finance Team met in June to determine actual additional costs incurred. They made a recommendation to council to increase the rent to $3000/month. Council met to review the recommendation and agreed to this increase in July.
Since the start of the lease, there have been numerous issues with Nueva Jerusalen using items that are not for their use, not leaving the church in the condition in it was found, leaving lights and fans on, breaking things without telling us, etc. A list of guidelines/rules were created, as well as a departure checklist, to help them adhere to our standards.
Council also agreed that: We should remain firm on our increase to $3000. No matter what – they need to adhere to the rules and guidelines and respect our facilities. Although it was hoped that by allowing another church to use our facilities that it would somewhat ease the burden of our deficit, there is no way that we can manage to financially support their ministry too.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
6 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
Council was called to order by President Anne Hutnyk.
Treasurer’s Report: At 66.7% (2/3) of the budget year, Pledged Member giving is at 72.52%, and Unpledged Member giving is at 91.02%. Loose plate giving has decreased to 30.30% of expectations.
We ended August with a deficit of $1,682.74 and a total deficit of $8,137.27, which again is a lot lower than expected due to the generosity of people who loved and honored Carol Taylor. The General Memorials has been updated to reflect recent memorial gifts.
The things that stand out the most when looking at the breakdown of expenses (expenditures) is that the lines for paper products – toilet paper and paper towels, electricity and gas, and water are increased and that is due to the increased building use by the Nueva Jerusalen church. Other expenses seem to be as expected. The outcome of the meeting with Nueva Jerusalen, recommending a rent increase will be addressed by another group.
Council Minutes of the August council meeting were approved as written.
Meeting with the Council of Grace Lutheran Church, Hatfield:
Faith’s council met with Grace’s council to learn about each other’s congregations and sharing ministries. Pastor Ethan led with a prayer, then introductions were made. In a workshop-style format, it was discovered that we have much in common, have similar hopes and concerns, and seem very compatible with our goals for ministry. It was decided that Anne would meet with Kathy (Grace’s council president) to create a task force (a few people from each congregation, not necessarily council members) to discuss our first combined ministry event.
Pastor’s Report: Presided at worship at Faith and Jerusalem Lutheran. Continue to provide pastoral care for members of both congregations. I continue to participate in a clergy text study, monthly clergy meetings, first-call theological education meetings, and SEPA Synod multi-congregational peer group meetings. At Jerusalem, I attended their council meeting, and I am helping to plan their 200th Anniversary Celebration scheduled for September 19. Meeting with Pastor Wayne Shelor about restarting conversations about shared ministries. Faith’s leadership met with Nueva Jerusalen’s leadership for our 4-month review on July 28, 2026. We discussed our relationship and the rent increase at that meeting. We continue with our book study “A Listening Faith”. I participated in and led the games at Jerusalem’s VBS “Son West Round Up” from August 10-14, 2026. Thank you, Faith, for your donation to help support this ministry. There were 25 children who had a great week of VBS!
Pastor Lauren Bruno from St. John’s in Sellersville and I had our pulpit swap on July 19, 2026. She led services at my congregations on that Sunday, and I led services at St. John’s. I volunteered as a chaplain at Bear Creek Lutheran Camp in Wilkes-Barre, PA, from July 12 through 17. It was a great week of camp where I got to spend the week sharing the word of God with over 150 campers. I will be gone on September 27 for the wedding of Luca’s godfather, The Rev. Charles Frekot. Pastor Dolores Littleton will be preaching and presiding at worship that Sunday.
Ministry Team Reports:
Christian Education: Sunday School: is available during 9:30 am Sunday Worship Service for children ages 3 to 11. We will be kicking off the 2026-27 Sunday School year on Rally Day, September 13. We are looking forward to seeing all the children of the congregation.
Monday Night Bible Study (MNBS): will begin on Monday, September 14, 7 pm to 9 pm on Zoom. Participants will discuss and choose a study. We hope you will feel called to join us as we give praise and gratitude to God through prayer, learning His Word, heartfelt discussion, and lifting each other up in His love.
After much discussion, prayer, and discernment, a decision was made to end our two youth ministries: Parent Night Out (ages 3 to 11) and Young Adult Fellowship (ages 12 to 17). Emails were sent to all parents with youth in these age categories explaining that this decision was due to a decrease in enrollment (despite our outreach efforts and prayers), scheduling conflicts, and retiring teachers. We are grateful to all the support we had from the volunteers to the parents, and we take joy that the youth who attended did grow, as did we, in their relationship with God and we know will continue to do so. This decision to close these ministries resurrected our Faith Lutheran Church Fellowship Monthly Event Ministry.
Fellowship: We are currently putting a team together to plan monthly events for all ages in our congregation and nearby community. You will receive more information for each monthly event as it enfolds. Rally Day is our first fellowship event for the month of September. We hope you come join in for fun fellowship enveloped in the love and presence of Jesus Christ. Anyone interested in joining the planning, development, and execution team for this ministry, please contact Gail Achilles.
Finance: The Financial Ministry has started to work on preparing a proposed budget for 2027. Janet has sent out Preliminary Budget Worksheets to the ministry team leaders. They are due back September 6. On September 22, the team will meet to put together a Preliminary Budget, and the Preliminary Budget/Pledge packets will be available to the congregation on September 27. Currently Pastor Ethan and Deb Hollenbach are participating in a Stewardship Zoom course called Building a Culture of Generosity. They are hoping to incorporate components into the Pledge drive (possibly renaming it the “Intent Drive”.)
Hospitality: Coffee Lites except for an ice cream bar on Rally Day, September 19, and Oktoberfest on October 4.
Long-Range Planning: Pastor is meeting with Pastor Bradley Gow, head of the Synod’s vitality team, about coming out and talking with the long-range planning team.
Mutual Ministry: Gary will be gathering the team and starting the interview process in September.
Property Management: Council reviewed the old version of the Building Use Agreement. Discussion followed on how to bring the rental charge in line with the actual costs of using the facility. Gary motioned that the new rate would be $50/hour (with leaving the property in the same condition it was found in). If post-event cleaning is required, it would be an additional expense. Council approved the motion unanimously.
Property Team: The annual fire inspection took place. There was one issue with cords in the Pastor‘s office, which was resolved.
Shepherding: The team has sent out cards to those who have not been able to attend church.
Social Ministry: Social Ministry Project – July & August Veterans (Nancy Gansner) - Generous donations of personal care items were received for veterans at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. Larry Gessner kindly used a Thrivent Action Team card to purchase even more items. Social Ministry Project – September & October – (MaryLou Foster) - Individually wrapped snacks are being collected for the North Penn Boys & Girls Club in Lansdale. Social Ministry Project – “Noisy Can” – Collection total for January - August is $334. This total has been sent to 141 Impact as their fundraising efforts are being matched. Therefore, the total is $668. Preparations have been made for serving dinner at Feast Incarnate in Philadelphia on September 15.
Stewardship: Through the generosity of the Synod, we have been given the opportunity to participate in the program entitled "Building a Culture of Generosity." This program was and is run by GSB Fundraising, which is a consulting company for nonprofits on fundraising. Debbie and I are planning and executing the program. We have and will be attending different Zoom workshops with consultants from GSB. We are looking for leaders who may get interested in sharing a story about generosity. Please reach out to pastor if you have any interest.
OLD BUSINESS Constitution Update – Rich will continue to work on this.
NEW BUSINESS A wedding/reception was recently held by the members of the Nueva Jerusalen church. They contributed $500 to the use of the space, but Adam provided set-up and clean-up support. Based on our new Building Use Agreement, Gary motioned that $300 of that fee be used to cover cleaning time and costs. Council passed this motion.
Nuevo Jerusalen Church Discussion: Discussion started with a timeline overview to make sure all were on the same page. This review was required as the initial lease has expired since it was only for four months.
Finance Team met in June to determine actual additional costs incurred. They made a recommendation to council to increase the rent to $3000/month. Council met to review the recommendation and agreed to this increase in July.
Since the start of the lease, there have been numerous issues with Nueva Jerusalen using items that are not for their use, not leaving the church in the condition in it was found, leaving lights and fans on, breaking things without telling us, etc. A list of guidelines/rules were created, as well as a departure checklist, to help them adhere to our standards.
Council also agreed that: We should remain firm on our increase to $3000. No matter what – they need to adhere to the rules and guidelines and respect our facilities. Although it was hoped that by allowing another church to use our facilities that it would somewhat ease the burden of our deficit, there is no way that we can manage to financially support their ministry too.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
6 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
