north madison congregational...

NORTH MADISON CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

1271 DURHAM ROAD

MADISON, CONNECTICUT 06443

Annual Report

May 21, 2017

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NORTH MADISON CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

ANNUAL REPORTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Call to the Annual Meeting 3

Minutes

June 12, 2016 Congregational Meeting 4

December 11, 2016 Annual Budget Meeting 11

February 5, 2017 Special Meeting -

Open and Affirming Covenant 15

Report from the Pastor 18

Book of Records 22

The Treasurer’s Report 23

NMCC Budget vs Actual 25

Open and Affirming (ONA) Covenant Adopted 27

Board of Christian Education 28

Board of Deacons 31

Deacons’ Membership Review 35

Circle Nursery School Board 37

Communications Committee 39

Deacon Service 40

Generosity/Stewardship Committee 41

Missions Committee 42

Music Committee 44

Pastoral Relations Committee 45

Property & Planning Committee 46

Quiet Ministry 48

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North Madison

Congregational Church United Church of Christ

Rev. James H. Latimer, Pastor

May 9, 2017

To the Members of North Madison Congregational Church: You are hereby notified of the Annual Meeting of the North Madison Congregational Church on Sunday, May 21, 2017, immediately following the morning service. The purpose of this meeting is to:

1. Hear reports from all Boards and Committees. 2. Vote with respect to the Report of the Nominating Committee as to the election of officers

and members of Boards and Committees. 3. Vote with respect to the Deacons’ Review of the membership rolls. 4. Hear a report from Pastor Jim Latimer. 5. Any other business proper to come before this meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Eileen M. McCann Clerk

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North Madison Congregational Church Congregational Meeting Minutes

258th Annual Meeting June 12, 2016

In attendance: 35 members and friends of NMCC

I. Executive Committee Chairman Thomas Lauher called the meeting to order

at 11:32 AM

II. Pastor Jim opened the meeting with a prayer. Copies of the Meeting Agenda were handed out to those present.

III. Calvin Price moved that the minutes from the December 13, 2015 meeting

be accepted and approved. Kenneth Munro seconded the motion. No discussion. Motion passed unanimously.

IV. Pastor Jim Latimer’s Annual Report

Pastor Jim reflected on our journey since the departure of our beloved Rev. John Pelletier. We are moving forward into our “new normal,” including our “right-sizing” at many levels, including membership, leadership, worship attendance and all aspects in between. He indicated that we are “living into” our new Purpose Statement, which has been tweaked a bit, resulting in the following: Experience a welcoming spiritual community seeking to deepen relationship with God through fostering positive life change, caring for all creation and sharing the joy of love and service. By “living into” our Purpose Statement, Pastor Jim explained that we are engaged in the life of our church in many ways, including being guided by the principle of “I am the Church,” rather than “I go to church.” He remarked that the Generosity Team has moved beyond the issue of money and more into the act of engagement, especially the idea that “everyone needs a friend and a job.” He touched on the inspirational worship themes of the past year, the vitality of the Children’s Church and the Junior and Senior Youth Groups, Caring Ministries, efforts to beautify our property, the music, and raised awareness of inviting and welcoming folks to our church. He shared his key priorities for the next 12 months, which include creating a sustainable model for our Christian Education ministry, adult spiritual enrichment,

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new member orientation and integration process, telling “God- Stories” and a continuation of the ONA (Open and Affirming) discernment process.

V. By-Laws Revisions (see Proposed By-Laws Revisions, attached)

John Nassif made the motion that the congregation approve the Proposed By-Laws Revisions, as outlined in the attached Proposed By-Laws Revisions. Ken Nichols seconded the motion.

1. Officers and Duties (Article VII): The proposed revision would

combine the duties and responsibilities of Two Assistant Treasurers into a single position, with responsibilities to oversee and coordinate the finances of the Circle Nursery School.

2. Boards (Article VIII): The proposed revision would make the Board of

Finance responsible for the financial affairs of the Circle Nursery School by having the Board of Finance fully review the monthly and annual financial reports of the Circle Nursery School and be familiar with the various transactions overseen by the Assistant Treasurer.

Discussion: Ken Munro suggested we have an audit every 5 years and have an audit committee. Sally Lottick suggested that an outside audit be done every 3 years. The Chairman remarked that this is not part of the By-Laws revision nor the time to vote on the timing and manner of the audit process. John Nassif recommended that we take the audit proposal under advisement and that would need to be made by a different By-Law change, which could be voted on at the next congregational meeting in December, 2016, after it is brought to the Board of Finance and the Executive Committee. When the Chairman called for the vote, the Motion to Revise the By-Laws, in accordance with the attached Proposed By-Laws Revisions document, passed, unanimously.

VI. Deacons Membership Review

The Membership Review as included in the Annual Report

presented. Calvin Price moved to endorse the membership review. Holly seconded the motion. After discussion, the Motion to approve the Membership Review passed unanimously.

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VII. Treasurer’s Report

A. Auditing: Jon Dickey spent many hours reviewing the records. He found they were largely in order but made some procedural recommendations which are being implemented.

B. Chart of Accounts: Line item titles were revised to improve consistency and

transparency.

C. New Budget: The Circle Nursery School has now transitioned to a calendar year to conform to the Church’s accounting cycle. Responsibility for expenditures has shifted from the main office and treasurer to the committee chairs for approval and authorization.

D. The drawdown to balance the budget in 2015 was $45,300.00. As of this

date, the drawdown to balance the budget is expected to be $61,625.00 for 2016.

VIII. The Nominating Committee presented the slate of 2016-17 Officers, Boards

and Committees. Motion to approve said slate was made and seconded. Discussion was held. Joyce Rivera volunteered to serve on the Fellowship Committee. Ken Munro offered to serve on the Property and Planning Committee. The Revised Motion was passed unanimously.

On behalf of the Congregation, all those whose terms were expiring were thanked for their generous service

IX. Motion by John Nassif to Approve June 2016 Annual Report. Holly seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

X. Strategic Initiatives

A. ONA Discernment Process overview was presented by Peter

Meier. Larry Kilburn and Gail Faithfull gave testimony in support of the ONA process. Peter indicated that the next step would be to survey the congregation

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B. Grow the Church Initiative – Calvin Price

1. Focus on membership growth 2. Open house for NMCC – hosting 3. Membership drive 4. Invite former members back 5. Facility use initiative – open it to community for use 6. Increase wealth – will designation – stock designation estate

planning, legacy planning, professional will do a presentation 7. Community soup challenge

C. Capital Campaign

We are still populating a study group

D. Structural Reorganization The Executive Committee decided to prioritize the various Strategic Initiatives and has put ONA as a priority at this time. Structural Reorganization initiative will be addressed following ONA Discernment completion.

XI. Other Business

A. Report on CT UCC Annual Meeting

1. Gender neutral restrooms 2. State mandated greenhouse gases – renewable resources 3. Opposition to further legalization of marijuana - did not carry 4. $15 minimum wage – passed 5. Other votes $8/per member paid to OCWM at the State level 6. Combining CT/Mass/RI Conference – no vote. Discussions going

forward.

B. Ken Munro made a motion to adopt a Resolution regarding the flags to be displayed in the front of the sanctuary. Calvin Price seconded the motion.

PROPOSED RESOLUTION

WHEREAS:

THE PRESCRIBED PROTOCOL FOR DISPLAY OF THE NATIONS COLORS AND THE CHRISTIAN (OR UCC FLAG) FLAG AS MANDATED BY THE U.S. FLAG CODE AND UCC STATED ETIQUETTE DESCRIBES THAT THEY SHOULD BE DISPLAYED PROMINENTLY IN FRONT, EMPHASIS ON FRONT, OF THE CONGREGATION WITH THE AMERICAN FLAG TO THE LEFT OF THE

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FORWARD FACING CONGREGATION AND THE CHRISTIAN OR UCC FLAG TO THE RIGHT.

AND WHEREAS:

THE TWO FLAGS HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED UNTIL RECENTLY IN THE PROPER MANNER FOR OVER 75 YEARS AT NMCC.

AND WHEREAS:

THERE IS NOTHING LITURGICALLY INCORRECT REGARDING THE DISPLAY OF THESE FLAGS IN OUR CHURCH.

AND WHEREAS:

THE CHRISTIAN FLAG IS A SYMBOL OF OUR ASSOCIATION, AND BELIEF AND ALLEGIANCE TO JESUS CHRIST AND THE AMERICAN FLAG IS A SIGN OF PATRIOTIC HONOR TO OUR COUNTRY WHICH ALLOWS US TO WORSHIP FREELY.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

THAT THE CHRISTIAN AND NATIONAL FLAG WILL BE DISPLAYED APPROPRIATELY FROM THIS DAY FORWARD IN THE FRONT OF THE NMCC SANCTUARY.

Discussion regarding the Flag Resolution: Sally Lottick asked how they ended up in the back of the sanctuary. It was speculated that they were moved for an event and never returned to their place in front. Ken offered to clean them. When put to a voice vote, all approved the Resolution, except Jim Latimer, who abstained.

C. Mike Efenecy Question: Why was the passing of the peace eliminated?

The Chairman indicated that the deacons are experimenting with the order and elements of the worship service, including number of verses in hymn, number of hymns, passing the peace, children’s message. The passing of the peace has not been eliminated but may not be every week.

XII. Ken Munro moved to adjourn the meeting. Calvin Price seconded the

motion and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 1:20 pm, with a prayer.


Eileen M. McCann Eileen M. McCann, Clerk

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Proposed By-Laws revisions

Article VII. OFFICERS AND DUTIES

(pg 13) Purpose: Combine the duties and responsibilities of two Assistant Treasurers into a single position,

with responsibilities to oversee and coordinate the finances of the Circle Nursery School.

5(a) Assistant Treasurer. The Assistant Treasurer shall have all the [same] duties and responsibilities

[as] of the Treasurer and shall assume these duties and responsibilities at the request of the Treasurer and/or

the Executive Committee. The Assistant Treasurer shall oversee and coordinate the financial operations for the

Circle Nursery School. The Assistant Treasurer shall submit monthly a detailed statement in writing of the

condition of the finances of the Circle Nursery School to the Board of Finance and the Board for Circle Nursery

School.

(b) Assistant Treasurer for Circle Nursery School. The Assistant Treasurer for Circle Nursery School

shall receive and account for all monies and shall make disbursals there from upon proper authorization for the

Circle Nursery School. The Assistant Treasurer for Circle Nursery School shall submit monthly a detailed

statement in writing of the condition of the finances of the Circle Nursery School to the Executive Committee.

The Assistant Treasurer for Circle Nursery School is only responsible for the Circle Nursery School and does

not have any duties or responsibilities of the Treasurer and the Assistant Treasurer as described in Section 5

and 5(a).

Article VIII. BOARDS

(pg 15) Purpose: Have Board of Finance responsible for the financial affairs of the Circle Nursery School by

creating new responsibility, #3 below, revising new #4, and reorder remaining responsibilities of the Board of

Finance, #5-12.

3. Board of Finance.

Subject to the ultimate authority of the Executive Committee, the Board of Finance shall be responsible for the

financial and financial-related affairs of the church. Among other things, it shall:

1. Fully review with the Treasurer the monthly and annual financial reports and shall be familiar with the

various transactions performed by the Treasurer.

2. Review, understand, and monitor the Church’s insurance coverage.

3. Fully review the monthly and annual financial reports of the Circle Nursery School and shall be

familiar with the various transactions overseen by the Assistant Treasurer.

4. Be familiar with the financial condition and future of Summer Hill Cemetery [and the Circle Nursery

School].

5. Be concerned with the long-term growth of the Church’s capital and be responsible for monitoring the

growth of all Capital funds and monitoring all Capital Expenditures.

6. Review and advise the Executive Committee with respect to capital projects suggested by the

Property and Planning Committee.

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7. Make recommendations to the Executive Committee with respect to the use of major gifts and

bequests.

8. Give the Stewardship Committee suggestions as to the goals of the annual stewardship campaign

and the Human Resources Committee with respect to annual salary adjustments.

9. Plan and present the annual budget to the Executive Committee for its approval for presentation to

the congregation. In preparation of the annual budget, the board shall receive recommendations from

all relevant church boards and committees. With respect to any meeting or portion of meeting at

which substantial consideration will be given to the budget, the Chairperson shall make a good faith

and reasonable effort to insure that representatives of the following attend such meeting or portion of

meeting: the Board of Deacons, the Human Resources Committee, the Property and Planning

Committee, the Board of Christian Education, the Stewardship Committee, and the Missions

Committee. Final budget votes, however, shall be limited to the nine members of the Board of

Finance.

10. Be responsible for the investment of capital funds and endowments of the Church. The board shall

recommend investment objectives to the Executive Committee and shall carry out the methods by

which the approved objectives are to be accomplished. In doing this it shall observe generally

accepted standards of prudence, maintain and keep current an overall investment strategy, and take

into consideration the needs of the Church.

11. Be familiar with the functions and activities of the Financial Secretary for Receipts and the Financial

Secretary for Disbursements.

12. Consider any recommendations from the Audit Committee and annually, if an outside audit has not

been performed in the preceding five years, specifically consider the advisability of having an outside

audit performed.

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North Madison Congregational Church

Congregational Meeting Minutes Annual Budget Meeting

December 11, 2016


XIII. Executive Committee Chairman Thomas Lauher called the meeting to order at 11:32 AM

XIV. Pastor Jim opened the meeting with a prayer. Copies of the Meeting

Agenda were handed out to those present.

XV. Calvin Price moved that the minutes from the December 13, 2015 meeting be accepted and approved. Kenneth Munro seconded the motion. No discussion. Motion passed unanimously.

XVI. Stewardship Committee/Generosity Team Election

Motion by Calvin Price to elect new members to the Generosity Team:

Gailey Teller, Kate Holthausen. Roberta Hanlon seconded the motion. The congregation approved the motion unanimously. Tom thanked the Generosity Team from last year.

XVII. Review of 2016 Budget: Holly Francis

Holly began with some opening remarks. People have been loyal with their pledges. Boards and committees have

been careful with their expenses. Members of the congregation are helping out with the cleaning. Overall, we have spent $30,000 less for expenses, and taken in $25,000 more in income

Question from the floor: Weren’t we going to hire a Christian Education director? Holly explained that we have been making efforts to hire a CE Director, but we have not found one yet.

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Proposed 2017 Budget: there are 3 parts: 1. Profit and loss 2. Restricted deferred account 3. Investments

Last year, our budget was $282,625.00. This year, if approved, it will be $298,728.00 (the budget was $290,778 in 2015). 1. Administration has increased less than $2,000.00. We need more support from

Nerds to Go. Other supplies costs have gone down.

Kate: What are the pledging expenses? There is a fee charged by Vanco for electronic pledging. We are still buying pledge envelopes. Electronic giving ends up providing a greater cash flow and helps individuals consistently give.

2. Building and Grounds. This part of the budget is going up $3,000.00 and will include

toilet repairs, arborist, and the cleaning service will be $1,500.00 over last year. Volunteers save the church $60,000.00 (property manager fee), minus $18,500.00 for cleaning. We are doing more work than used to occur 4 years ago, since we had a property manager. Volunteers are very enthusiastic.

3. Christian Education- no increase in the budget. 4. Communications- no increase in the budget. 5. Deacons: new member badges and bibles are now under Deacons. Slight reduction in

proposed budget. 6. Missions: asked for an increase and have been granted it by the Finance Committee -

- $2,300.00. Pay it Forward has increased $150.00. Gail Faithfull made a point to indicate that the percentage for giving to missions is not a great percentage of the overall budget. Response was that our generosity is not all reflected on this budget, including the giving tree, Columbus House, and other functions. Also, we are trying to constantly give more to missions each year.

7. Music: increase from $2,700.00 last year to $3,475.00. That is shown as the Sunday

Substitute which now has a separate line item.

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8. Staff: Budgeting for a CE director for 9 months starting in March. A raise is going to Jackie Fix of $1/hr. No salary increase for the minister of music or the Pastor. Cost of benefits have gone up. They will get a 2016 Christmas bonus.

Worker’s compensation expense to the Church will decrease as Circle Nursery School pays their portion of the burden. Income: Increase of pledges from $164,000 in 2016 to $171,000 for the coming year. Fundraising: Budget reflects a $500 increase over last year. Craft Fair has gone down by $500. “Other fundraisers” increased by $1,000.00 because Roberta will drive the tag sale items, presenting them at Lions club and at our Antique Show. We are hoping that the $1,000.00 is a low projection. That leaves us with an estimated $72,228.00 deficit between Income and Expenses which we need to cover from Investments. Board of Finance has asked for a legal opinion re: drawdown from Johnson Trust. If there is any limitation about drawing from the Johnson Trust, we will take the difference from the Unrestricted Funds. Motion by Mike Efency to approve the 2017 Budget proposed by the Executive Committee, recommended by the Finance Committee, with the understanding that the Investment Drawdown will be apportioned in accordance with the pending legal opinion. Cal Seconded. All approved 2017 Budget.

XVIII. Strategic Initiatives – Tom Lauher

A. ONA Discernment Process: will be having a special meeting 1/29/2017 B. Grow the Church Initiative

1. Generational Engagement survey 2. Workshop hearing a speaker legacy giving and estate planning 3. Pot luck suppers and socials to attract new members. Generosity

Team will help with that. 4. Additional fundraisers – numerous ideas.

C. Capital Campaign: identifying which projects have priority D. Structural Reorganization: We have been living into a reorganization for

about 3 years, such as having small teams rather than committees. There will be a “task force” to determine task-driven initiatives and put them in place

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XIX. Other Business.

Peter Haff commented that Tom Lauher should be thanked for his service above and beyond the call of duty, especially in connection with maintenance of the property, and his leadership of the Executive Committee. All members of the congregation agreed and joined in a heartfelt and rousing round of applause in appreciation for Tom’s service to the NMCC Community in the last several years.

XX. Adjournment.

Calvin Price moved to adjourn the meeting. Scott Conover seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 12:46 pm, with a prayer.


Eileen M. McCann

Eileen M. McCann Clerk

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North Madison Congregational Church

Congregational Meeting Minutes

Special Meeting: Open and Affirming Covenant

February 5, 2017


of which, 61were members

I. Executive Committee Chairman Thomas Lauher called the meeting to order at

11:30 am. Copies of the Open and Affirming Motions were

handed out to those present.

II. Pastor Jim opened the meeting with a prayer.

III. Tom Lauher thanked the ONA Committee and they received a round of applause.

IV. Anna Lefante, Elizabeth McCann and Haley Murphy handed out the ballots.

Open and Affirming Covenant is as follows:

We, the members of North Madison Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, commit ourselves publicly to

be an Open and Affirming Community. Grateful to God for creating us in our rich variety, we gather to worship, serve

and model justice in an unjust world. As followers of Jesus, we promise our love and support to all persons, embracing

differences of age, race, ethnicity, mental and physical capability, marital choice, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith

background and socio-economic status. Upheld by the Spirit, we welcome the authenticity of each other and affirm the

dignity and worth of every person. Together, we create a safe inclusive community where we are called to witness God’s

love for the world.

A. Motion by Peter Meier to adopt, live and make public the attached ONA

Covenant. Linda Young seconded the motion.

Discussion was held.

Long time former member, John Bischof attended the meeting and spoke. He

indicated that we have been working toward this Covenant for 22 years.

Larry Kiburn spoke in favor of the motion and thanked Peter Meier for his leadership.

Calvin Price spoke in favor of the motion.

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The ballots were cast. The motion passed 60-1, an overwhelming majority.

Peter Meier made the motion re adding the Covenant to the bylaws. Mike Efenecy

seconded the motion. The motion passed, 55 people voted in favor, by a show of hands.

Mike DiGiorgio moved to adjourn the meeting. Everyone seconded the motion and the

motion passed unanimously because everyone left.

The meeting was adjourned at noon, with a prayer.


Eileen M. McCann

Clerk

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Proposed Motion for Special Congregational Meeting on February 5, 2017

ONA PROCESS-Discernment Team

January 11, 2017

WHEREAS the Open and Affirming Process Discernment Team of the North Madison Congregational Church

has conducted a program of examining and discussing the issues surrounding the adoption of a public

commitment to become an open and affirming Church in the United Church of Christ, and

WHEREAS the discernment process resulted in the majority opinion of the community that we should adopt a

public commitment to become an open and affirming Church in the United Church of Christ,

BE IT RESOLVED THAT The North Madison Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, adopt, live,

and make public the following covenant.

We, the members of North Madison Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, commit

ourselves publicly to be an Open and Affirming Community. Grateful to God for creating us in

our rich variety, we gather to worship, serve and model justice in an unjust world. As followers

of Jesus, we promise our love and support to all persons, embracing differences of age, race,

ethnicity, mental and physical capability, marital choice, sexual orientation, gender identity,

faith background and socio-economic status. Upheld by the Spirit, we welcome the authenticity

of each other and affirm the dignity and worth of every person. Together, we create a safe

inclusive community where we are called to witness God’s love for the world.

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Pastor Jim’s Annual Report May 21, 2017

You, O God, are supreme and holy. You create our world and give us life. Your purpose overarches everything we do. You have always been with us. You are God.* Much wonderful ministry has happened among and through us since May 2016. In a time of particular anxiousness and tension, you have responded to God’s Call to be a vehicle of reconciliation, a community of safety and vibrant spiritual body of positive life change and caring for all creation. We followed through with ONA in a time when sentiments are on the rise to narrow down and exclude. We found a wonderful new mission partner in Continuum of Care in New Haven whom we served powerfully during Lent through hands-on mutually inspiring activities. And our Children’s Church and youth groups continued to grow our young people’s hearts, minds and spirits with an image of a God that is loving, compassionate and inclusive rather than judgmental and excluding. You, O God, are infinitely generous, good beyond measure. You came to us before we came to you.* Selected Ministry Accomplishments since June of 2016 – 1. Living into our new Purpose Statement with intention and adventure

Experience a welcoming spiritual community seeking to deepen relationship with God through positive life change, caring for all of creation and sharing the joy of love and service.

Lenten “Purpose Project: Practicing the Presence of God”

2. Becoming an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ after a 14 month-long discernment process. 3. Being reconciling and healing presence in these usually divided and fractious times by -

Changing the way we speak and listen to those with whom we live and work each day we can promote healing.

The Magic Question for Healing: “What’s the dream behind this conflict for you?” (“Tell me more...”)

Thriving Children’s Church and Youth Groups 4. Building and grounds beautification. You, O God, are Holy Spirit. You empower us to be your gospel in the world. You reconcile and heal; you overcome death.* Selected Strategic Priorities for the coming year –

Focus on engagement – raising the number of NMCCers who experience positive life change and a deepened relationship with the living God. It’s the shift from “I go to church” to “I am the church” as one shares the joy of love and serving others.

o Reviewing our system of governance (including board/committee structure) so as to better link how people want to serve with opportunities for doing so.

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o Emphasis on Millennials and families with children o Tracking NMCCers “ministry hours” that happen outside our Sunday morning

worship and Children’s Church (Data base & coordinator)

Create sustainable models for our Christian Education and Property & Planning ministries

Maintain our strong commitment to caring – o Through our Caring Ministries, people and families are getting much needed support in

times of crisis (meals, transportation, prayers, listening ears, a card, houses and yards cleaned, walls painted, prayer shawls, etc.). The receivers benefit and the “givers” too as they channel Holy Spirit.

My priorities from the previous 12 months (June 2016 to May 2017)

Worship vitality

Faith formation / Christian education for children and youth (need sustainable model)

Adult enrichment….

New Member orientation and integration process

ONA discernment process

Testimony – telling our God-stories

Engagement - Some things we know for sure –

God is with us!

God’s timing is not our timing.

Giving into the fear of what might happen causes despair and inaction.

The compassionate community that NMCC offers is needed now more than ever. (And this requires positive action - especially outside of one’s normal circle of acquaintances.)

Love does overcome fear, but it takes courage, careful listening and being centered in your God-Self.

Life isn’t about what happens to us, but how we respond. Yours gratefully, Rev. Jim You have revealed and proved your love for us in Jesus Christ, Who lived and died and rose again. You are with us now. You are God. We worship you.* Data for Worship attendance, new members and giving.

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0

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4

6

8

10

12

14

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ay-

13

No

v-

13

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ay-

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No

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15

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New Members

020406080100

2012(latterhalf)

2015

Worship Attendance

$28.00

$30.00

$32.00

$34.00

$36.00

$38.00

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Avg. Pledge

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Charts: Sunday Worship Attendance (incl. children): 2012 (2nd half): 75; 2014: 95; 4/2014 to 4/2015: 99; 5/2015 to 5/2016: 97; 5/2016 to 5/2017: 93 New Members (not including Confirmands): 2013 (6 people); 2014 (17); 5/2015 (6), 10/2015-5/2016 (11), 10/2016-5/2017 (1) Average Weekly Pledge: 2011 ($32.32), 2012 ($34.86), 2013 ($34.52), 2014 ($31.67), 2015 ($31.71), 2016 ($35.26), 2017 ($36.92)

3 Guiding Principles:

Consumer Church Missional Church

“I go to church” vs. “I am the church”

Pastor-centered Congregation-centered Ministry is done by the staff vs. I serve using my talents and interests (“Feed” myself

by serving others)

Welcoming Inviting “We’re glad you’re here,” vs. “What are your needs & interests?” “I have an idea you

may like…” “Would you like to join us…?” The vitality of Children’s Church and JYG and SYG this year is a delight! The smiles on our children’s faces tell us they know God loves them. *”Affirmation of Faith,” A New Zealand Prayer Book

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BOOK OF RECORDS May 1, 2016 – May 1, 2017 BAPTISMS (4)

August 14, 2016: Ava Aboulian, daughter of Jill & Kai Aboulian August 14, 2016: Sydney Aboulian, daughter of Jill & Kai Aboulian October 2, 2016: Natasha Kate Friend (adult baptism during Baptism Renewal Worship) October 9, 2016: Riley Edan Murphy, son of Heather and Cooper Murphy

WEDDINGS (0) NEW MEMBERS (10)

New Member Sunday (5) May 22, 2016: Marisa Abbott, Ivy Alexander, Kimberly Breyan, Elaine Clark, Cindy Williams Confirmation (5) May 15, 2016: Jordyn Belcourt, Kathryn Donahey, Danielle Farrales, Jessica Murphy, Shelby Whitehead

FUNERALS AND MEMORIAL SERVICES (3)

July 9, 2016: Nancy Pyle Conover (officiated by Rev. James H. Latimer & Rev. John

Pelletier)

September 27, 2016: Amanda Marie Bernier, 9/27/16 (officiated by Rev. James H. Latimer)

October 29, 2016 William R. Leonard (officiated by Rev. Martin Gibbs)

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TREASURER’S ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2016

Team

Assistant Treasurer: Keith Luckenbach

Secretary for Financial Records: Susan O’Connor

Internal Auditor: Michele Mauro

Staff: Office Managers, Jackie Fix and Cathy Meier

Overview

What a great transition year! This is the first year of our new accounting system with a new chart of accounts,

new procedures/systems and decentralized budgeting/bill payment systems. Happily, everything fell into

place and the new systems worked as intended with some minor adjustments along the way. The board and

committee chairs expressed appreciation for their direct involvement in their budget and the ability to sign off

on expenditures posted to their accounts. They also took full advantage of requesting reports whenever they

needed them which reinforced our sense that they were closely monitoring their budget. Their willingness to

fully engage in this new process was very much appreciated.

As a direct result of these changes, we were able to have the records audited thanks to the ongoing efforts of

Michele Mauro who also performs ongoing audits of our Script Program. She is also engaged in auditing our

investment accounts. Because of her involvement, we only require the use of an external Certified Public

Accountant to reconcile our records and close out the year after a review of her work.

We also established a new fiscal year for Children’s Nursery School to coincide with our fiscal year enabling

the entire church financial record to be fully audited with the ability to close out the year ending December

2017. This would not have been possible without the work of co-directors, Kathy Niejadlik and Donna Perry.

They had the difficult task of translating the income and expenses of a school year program and fitting it into a

fiscal year based upon a calendar year. We are most grateful for their cooperative spirit.

Our Electronic Giving initiative was well received by the congregation and greatly increased the number of

people participating in the program. This provides us with a consistent stream of income and reduces the

need to tap into our investments to cover our day to day expenses.

One final note, we were sad to see Cathy Meier retire in December after many years as our Financial

Secretary. She did an amazing job and was our go to person in recalling historical data so vital to our work.

She will be missed!

Investment Portfolio

Our comingled investments are managed by Vanguard and overseen by the Board of Finance and the

Treasurer in the categories noted below:

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Unrestricted Funds: These funds are available for any purpose approved by the congregation and include two

separate accounts. Approximately eighty five percent of the account represents the primary investment while

fifteen percent represents the “Named Donors” account. The latter fund was created in 2005 on the occasion

of the church’s 250th anniversary celebration and a list of those who contributed to this fund is available from

the church Treasurer.

Restricted Funds: There are four accounts with specific restrictions as to their use as follows:

*William and Helen Campbell Fund to be used to enhance the music ministry of the church;

*Charles H. Hofrichter Mission Fund to be used to enhance the missionary work of the church;

*Harry J. Johnson Cemetery Trust to be used for the maintenance and beautification of the Summer Hill

Cemetery and other funds may be used for religious and charitable purposes without other limitations;

*Barbara A. Munro Memorial Fund to be used generally for youth related programs (final document is

pending).

The Treasurer and the Board of Finance are in the process of working with an outside attorney who specializes

in Trust administration to determine our rights and responsibilities in managing the Johnson Cemetery Trust.

We endeavor to fully honor the generous gift given to us by Dr. Johnson and our ensuing legal responsibilities

and we will share this information with the entire congregation when it is available.

The grand total of our invested funds as of December 31, 2016 is $1,056,273.

The invested funds may (depending on the restrictions in the trust funds) be drawn down each year as

recommended by the Board of Finance and approved by the congregation during the December budget

meeting. Our approved budget for 2016 allowed for a drawdown of $61,625, but thru careful spending and

we were able to meet our budgetary requirements by drawing down only $20,000.

Annual Financial Statements

The financial statement for the church follows on the next page. For your information, details of the budget

were reviewed during the church wide meeting in December 2016. Please review the minutes of the meeting

for particulars.


Holly Francis, Treasurer

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Open and Affirming (ONA) Covenant Adopted

Following a year of discernment, proyer, study, and sharing our stories, we celebrated the adoption of an ONA Covenant and the addition of said Covenant to the NMCC By-Laws at a special congregational meeting on February 5, 2017. The meeting was attended by 60 members who voted nearly unanimously. We were blessed to have with us at the meeting Ms. Cecile Gilson from the Connecticut UCC office, two from First Church, Madison, four from North Haven Congregational, and ex-member, Mr. John Bischof, who was an active ONA supporter 22 years ago when the ONA Team first started meeting. (First Church Madison, First Church Guilford, and North Haven are the other ONA churches in our New Haven East Consociation, ) On February 7, 2017, the ONA Coalition in Cleveland sent this message nation-wide… Dear Friends, Celebrate with the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ as we welcome this new Open and Affirming (ONA) church (NMCC) listed as of today, the ONA church number indicates the position of this church in the chronology of all ONA churches listed since 1985…… ONA# 1417. Glory to God for the many blessings shared by our community. May we celebrate by embracing in love all of God’s creation. The adopted motion is reproduced below. BE IT RESOLVED THAT The North Madison Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, adopt, live, and make public the following covenant. We, the members of North Madison Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, commit ourselves publicly to be an Open and Affirming Community. Grateful to God for creating us in our rich variety, we gather to worship, serve and model justice in an unjust world. As followers of Jesus, we promise our love and support to all persons, embracing differences of age, race, ethnicity, mental and physical capability, marital choice, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith background and socio-economic status. Upheld by the Spirit, we welcome the authenticity of each other and affirm the dignity and worth of every person. Together, we create a safe inclusive community where we are called to witness God’s love for the world. New signage, a new brochure, and verbiage changes to our letterhead, weekly bulletins and newsletters have been adopted or will soon be enacted. Members of the Open and Affirming Process Discernment Team were: Diana Boice, Lyn Boling, Sandy Dickson, Holly Francis, Donna Gardner, Jacob Griffith-Gardner, Gail Faithfull, Susan Kenney, Larry Kilburn, Cathy Meier, Peter Meier, Allison Rivera, Sanna Stanley, Kate Summerlin, David Summerlin, and Pastor Jim.

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Board of Christian Education

Annual Report

2016-17

The children and youth of our congregation are such an integral part of our church, our

Sundays, OUR FUTURE. Their thoughts, actions and hearts inspire all of us to be stronger

in our faith, kinder in our hearts and generous with our time.

Thank you to ALL who have made our Christian Education Programs better and richer

because of YOUR devotion.

Children's Church- serves preschool-8th graders

led by adult and teen volunteers

We have had approximately 8-22 kids each week attend our services downstairs. On holiday Sundays our

numbers are closer to 30.

We followed Group's Buzz Curriculum for Fall and Spring. During Advent season, we prepared for the Annual

Christmas Pageant which took place during the worship service.

Youth Groups

Junior Youth Group- serves 7th-8th graders led by volunteers Rene Chin and Karen Murphy

Our goal is to expand our thinking beyond ourselves while connecting and living God's love. Between 4-11 youth attended each event

Date Activity Notes

9.16.16 Cooking for church members Serving others

10.28.16 Ziplining in Middletown Connecting with each other

11.5.16 Harvest Dinner -assisted with JYG made ALL salads

11.18.16 Created Holiday cards for UCC Churches in

Japan AND played games

Learned about the effects of 2011

earthquake and resulting tsunami and the

devastation that occurred which the

community is still recovering from

12.3.16 Craft Fair - ran raffle sales

12.16.16 Fantasy of Lights and Bowling

1.20.17 Project Linus Blankets Teens made blankets to donate to

children in CT who are in need

2.10.17 SNOWED OUT: meeting CANCELED

3.17.17-3.19.17 In house Mission Trip Teens served 55 clients of a New Haven

Warming Center - making bagged

lunches and homemade sit down dinner

for them. They then cleaned the center's

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donation closet and helped distribute food

from the CT Food Bank. The teens then

went to work the CT Food Bank boxing

donations for 250 senior citizens. This

group then planned and delivered the

Children's Message during Sunday's

service.

4.28.17 Rollerskating in Middletown

5.19.17 Hiking and eating packed dinner Teens left words of inspiration along the

hiking trail

6.9.17 Scavenger Hunt with church members Teens went to 7 homes interacting with

the residents and collecting the makings

for smores which they then enjoyed back

at the campfire at church. At each house,

the teens had different ways they engaged

with the families from creating pictures,

to leading young children in a craft, to

playing a game, to singing a song, to

striking a yoga pose.

Senior Youth Group Highlights - serves 9th-12th graders led by volunteer Jeff Chin

Between 10-15 youth attended each event. Bi-monthly meetings

Date Highlights comments

9.11.16 Cooking for your parents

9.25.16 SYG runs Sunday Service "What is Faith?"

10.16.16 Yoga with PJ

10.20.16 Homelessness Experience Interfaith activity FCC,SUUS, St

Andrews

10.30.16 Ziplining

11.5.16 Interfaith Progressive Dinner Interfaith activity FCC,SUUS, St

Andrews

11.19.16 Wallingford Food Bank

11.20.16 Cookies for NMCC Christmas Fair

12.18.16 SYG Yankee Swap/Christmas party



4.30.17 Cooking for the NMCC freezer

6.24.17 Mission Trip Youthworks.com

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Confirmation

Curriculum Lead by: How many

attended

Junior Deacon

Mentors

How many

confirmed

My Faith

Journey:

adapted from

curriculum from

Simsbury

Church

Pastor:Jim

Latimer

Volunteers:

Dan Mallon

Diana Boice

Rene Chin

5 youth

Matt Parker

May 2016:

5 confirmed

Remembering that with each baptism that occurs,

EVERY child of NMCC belongs to EACH of us,

Rene Chin

Chair of Board of Christian Education

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Board of Deacons Annual Report – 2016-17

This year’s Deacons are: Carol Anne Bachhuber, Dawn Barber, Beth Berestecky, Ann Damarjian, Sandy Dickson, Miles Dunn, Karen Miller, John Nassif and Kristin Polisky. The Board of Deacons provides the spiritual leadership of the church, working with the pastor in worship and pastoral care and the retention and growth of NMCC membership. It’s been a busy year with particular focus on enhancing our Ministry in three areas:

1. Caring Ministries: · Knitting Ministry – Our Knitting Ministry Members knit and distributed 16 prayer shawls to

members and friends of the church. We also gave 7 shawls to Middlesex Hospital Hospice on 2/8/2017. The knitters have been building a beautiful new collection of prayer shawls to extend the work of God and our ministry to our members and into our wider community. Each shawl is blessed during worship and includes a card with a prayer and information on how the shawl was made and blessed. Smaller projects, (prayer squares, baby hats, knitted hearts) have been added to the repertoire. Leader: Heather Crawford

· Called to Care Ministry provided outreach to members in need of a friendly phone call, an errand to be run, or a visit. Whether it’s yard work, painting, gardening, cleaning out homes or needs that can be filled by the other Caring Ministries teams or members of the congregation, it’s all about Caring for each other in need. A men’s group was also formed this past year, R.O.M.E.O.’s (Retired Old Men Eating Out), providing fun, fellowship and friendship for the men in the congregation and their friends. It meets usually once a month throughout the year and includes outings to the Surf Club, local restaurants, etc. Leader: Peter Haff

· Caring Cooks distributed food to those experiencing illness, surgery, economic hardship or to help those who take care of family members. 15-20 members of this team provided meals for families as needed. We could not have covered all requests without the wonderful support from both our Junior and Senior Youth groups who gather at youth meetings to cook, write special messages and freeze dinners for those who need last-minute help. Leader: Karen Chapman

· Prayer Ministry sent out cards to those in need of comfort and support, health concerns, the passing of loved ones, Thinking of You and Christmas and Graduation. In addition, the Prayer Chain was called upon throughout the year for special prayer for members, friends and family in crisis. Leader: Linda Young

2. Adult Enrichment The Adult Enrichment program offers one on-going program and held another this winter. While we did not have as many as we have had in previous years, we do have several ideas and look forward to planning a couple for next fall. · Gentle Yoga: This ongoing program is held in Fellowship hall Monday Evenings. Attendance

ranges from 10 to 20 participants each week including long-time church members, people new to the NMCC church family, and community members. Sessions run for 6-7 weeks and we generate a small profit on every participant. New this year: we are now promoting the classes to our community with a signage in front of the church and have attracted 6 new yogis.

· Nature Walk: On April 1, Mike DiGiorgio led a group from the church on a walk through Hammonasset State Park looking at wildlife.

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3. Worship Team/Special Services The Worship Team is an ad hoc team that supports the Board of Deacons. Members this year were Melissa Blundon, Sandy Dickson, Roberta Hanlon, Peter Haff and Nora Price. The team worked closely with Pastor Jim to develop themes, liturgies, visuals, and activities to directly engage the congregation in the worship experience. Highlights this year were:

15th Anniversary of 911 – to mark this anniversary, created a theme of Grief and Hope by featuring

a live tree to symbolize Peace, liturgy, music and a prayer for healing offered to individuals by the

deacons during worship. We convened to the upper gardens to plant the tree at the close of

Worship. The Eastern Redbud was chosen for not only its physical beauty but also for its heart-

shaped leaves which are symbolic of the love and appreciation of our First Responders.

ONA Sunday – supported the ONA theme with liturgy and an “altarscape” that feature a projected

graphic surrounding the cross and a wide variety of colorful flowers and vases.

Day of Remembrance – to celebrate and remember loved ones during a Sunday worship service;

included putting the names and a message (I’m sorry. I forgive you. I love you. Thank you.) for

those we wanted to remember on “grapes” and affixing them a grapevine graphic behind the cross

at the front of the sanctuary.

Advent: With an underlying theme of healing and connecting, offered liturgy and Safety Pins with a

heart charm symbolizing safety.

Lent: In response to questions about how we were using our Purpose Statement, created the

“Purpose Project” Lenten program in which we hoped to identify NMCC members willing to lead

activities in the community that would introduce our members/friends to people and organization

they would not normally encounter in their lives. The Worship team worked with both target

organizations (Continuum of Care, Columbus House and the Madison Land Trust) and members to

create, promote and deliver 7 activities. Based on surveys filled out by the participants, along with

follow up thank you notes, the program was very successful with requests for more activities in the

future.

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4. Other Deacon Business

Memorial and Celebration of Life Services Deacons provided support for two funerals and one celebration of life service for former members Nancy Conover and Amanda Bernier and one non-member, Bill Leonard. Whether members, former members or not, we work closely with each family to ensure their service reflects how they want their loved one to be remembered.

Membership

· New members – 10 new members joined NMCC this year (May 2016 to April 2017): 5 new adult members in May 2016, and 5 young adult members through confirmation in June. Adult membership involves attending a new member orientation session with Pastor Jim and at least one deacon prior to New Member Sunday. Our confirmation class of 6 is expected join on June 4, 2017. We have one new member joining on May 21, 2017.

· Review of Membership - The Deacons reviewed of the church membership rolls, mailed letters and recommended moving 10 people to associate membership and removing 10 inactive members from membership at the 2016 annual meeting, amended during the meeting. Membership rolls review and proposed adjustments are underway for the 2017 Annual Meeting.

Development

· Welcomed 2 new deacons, Karen Miller and John Nassif and 7 new Junior Deacons. We currently have 9 Deacons and 13 Junior Deacons serving. Training included onboarding the new Deacons and Junior Deacons with personalized training.

· Deacon Retreats – We held 2 retreats this year:

o Spring Retreat - The Spring retreat was held in July 6, 2016 timed to welcome the new deacons. The retreat included getting to know and build intimacy with each other and preparing to engage the church community for the coming year. We closed with a closure ceremony for 3 deacons whose term was ending.

o Winter Retreat - In February 2017 we focused our attention on taking an inventory of the skills of the current deaconate and identifying skills we needed in the deacons we intended to recruit. We concluded with looking for ways in which we could begin to incorporate the new Purpose Statement as deacons.

Ushers, Readers, Deacon and Junior Deacon Scheduling The Deacons schedule all readers, ushers and deacons throughout the year for each service. In addition to the 9 deacons and 12 Junior Deacons, this involves schedules for the 13 readers, including and 11 ushers.

Junior Deacon Program 2016-17 Junior Deacons: Ben Chasse, Emma Connolly, Emma Green, Danielle Farrales, Anna Lefante, Matt Parker, Erica Mallon, Elizabeth McCann, Abby Murphy, Haley Murphy, Jessica Murphy and Emma Segnere, The Junior Deacon program is open to all confirmed 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade members of our church. The Junior Deacons have helped the Deacons with many aspects of worship each Sunday including leading the

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Call to Worship, serving as ushers and serving communion. The Junior Deacons are an integral part of the deacon team, and a very important part of our worship service.

Baptisms We provided deacon support for the celebration of four baptisms: Ava and Sydney Aboulian (daughters of Jill and Kai Aboulian), Natasha Friend (adult baptism during Baptism Renewal Worship) and Riley Edan Murphy (son of Heather and Cooper Murphy).

Videotaping The videotaping of the service provides an important outreach to those unable to attend worship on Sunday morning. We currently have 6 members of the team: Jeff Chin, Nina Hseih, Kevin and Kelly Kane, Tim Murphy, and Karl Zoeckler. Respectfully Submitted,

Dawn Barber Beth Berestecky Co-Chairs, Board of Deacons May 17, 2017

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Deacons’ Membership Review May 2017

Move to Associate Membership

(Letters sent May 8, 2017 without response, except * - telephoned in change) Benson, Gail* Boroczky, Richard Boroczky, Susann Dalton, Casey Fumiatti, Dawn Fumiatti, Michael Hartmann, Melissa Hartmann, Buddy Korik, Dawn Maenpaa, Pamela McAllister, Lisa McGuire, Terry Ruge, Anita Sokolosky, Robert Shanley, Susan Whitehead, Conrad Whitehead, Jean

Recommend moving to Associate Membership (New category for confirmed young adults that are currently inactive)

Allen, Shelby Berestecky, Lauren Berestecky, Michael Brown, Jake Brown, Luke Chapman, Andrew Chapman, Katherine Donahey, Hunter Donahey, Kathryn Gilbert, Grace Lussier, Maggie Lussier, Matthew McAllister, Lauren Shanley, Chris

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Remove from Membership

Butler, Tim Butler, Jane Butler, Peggy Butler, Timothy Butler, Will Cadwell, Dennis Cadwell, Marylou Cadwell, Morgan Cadwell, Ben Cadwell, Sam Clark, Elaine* Cornell, Ed** Cornell, Peg** Esposito, Andrew Esposito, Claudia Forti, Erica Francisco ,Catherine* Francisco, Charles* Gorruso, Jason* Kahler, Carollyn* Kursawe, Christina Kursawe, Sean Purcell, Thomas* *Requested change **Transferred membership

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Circle Nursery School

Annual Report for the 2016/17 School Year

Mission Statement

The mission of Circle Nursery School is to provide exceptional early childhood education for the young

children in our community. Highly qualified and dedicated professionals work in harmony with our families to

create an ideal learning atmosphere.

Nursery School Board

Director—Kathy Niejadlik & Donna Perry President- Rene Chin

Treasurer—Holly Francis Secretary – Jessica Scheps

Parent Representative- Lindsay Greco Parent Representative-Marilyn Rowland

Parent Representative-Megan Pearson Parent Representative- Nina Halliwell

Parent Representative- JoAnn St. Pierre Parent Representative-Christine Fitzpatrick

Legal Consultant- Sue Barrett

Our Families

Circle Nursery School served 48 families (from Madison, Killingworth, Guilford, and Clinton) in four classes

for the 2016/2017 school year

Teaching Staff

Currently, our staff consists of eight teachers.

Circle Tots 2’s: Kathy Niejadlik

3’s class: Head Teacher: Shannon Baker, Assistant Teachers: Amy Morrissey, Kim Malary

4’s class: Head Teacher: Donna Perry and Assistant Teacher: Lindsay Aiello(Sept – Jan) Debbie Edwards (Feb-

June)

Pre K class: Head Teacher: Amy Heilmann and Assistant Teacher: Debbi White

Our 4’s Assistant Teacher, Lindsay Aiello, left at the end of January. We hired Debbie Edwards into the job

beginning in February.

Program Development

CNS has completed it’s fourth full year as a NAEYC accredited program in January 2017. The staff is currently

working on reaccreditation. This process requires current evidence to be collected in the form of policies,

lesson plans, pictures, etc. for all criteria within NAEYC’s 10 Standards. Renewal materials will be completed

and mailed to NAEYC by May 31,2017. A visit from NAEYC assessors is expected to occur anytime between

September and December. The goal is to pass and continue maintaining accreditation for another 5 years.

Our curriculum and assessment tools used in all the preschool classes are based on the Connecticut Early

Learning and Development Standards (ELDS).

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Current Financial Situation

Please refer to the most recent information available in the Treasurer’s report for CNS budget information. We

began the school year with a full roster in the 3’s, 4’s and Pre K classes. We expect to end the school year with

a surplus.

Fundraisers

Our fundraising this year kicked off in September with Fit & Fresh: lunch bags, plastic food containers and

water bottles. We hoped that our incoming families might purchase these items for their child’s use during the

school year but began the fundraiser too late. Many families had already purchased these items. We raised only

$143. We will consider this fundraiser again but run it at the beginning of the summer.

Our Butter Braid Fundraiser in October raised a little over $1000.

We held a movie night in November which raised $95.

Fundraising money is earmarked for purchases for the children, either items or improvements for the

playground or classrooms.

Community Service

Circle Nursery School children and their families participated in the following community service programs this

year:

-Clothing Drive- CNS collected gently used clothing to send to flood victims in LA in September

-Food Drive - CNS collected nonperishable items to donate to the Shoreline Soup Kitchen

-Toy Drive- CNS collected gently used toys to donate to Life Haven in December.

-Trike-A-Thon - The children will participate in a “Trike-A-Thon” in Mid May, riding their tricycles and

bicycles to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

Nursery/Church Relationship

We continue to maintain open lines of communication with Rene Chin, concerning the space we share with

Christian Education. We believe that having Rene Chin as our board president serves as a positive connection

between the NMCC and CNS. We also have experienced strong support from Tom Lauher, Holly Francis, and

the Property and Planning Committee.

Looking to the Future

Going forward, we are in the process of surveying our families to better meet their needs. While our goal is to

maintain our presence in the community as a traditional preschool, there may be ways to extend our hours

and/or services to ensure CNS remains a viable outreach program of NMCC.

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Communications Committee Annual Report submitted April 2016 Members: Roberta Hanlon, Chair; Carol Anne Bachhuber; Elaine Clark was a member of this Committee until she left NMCC in February. Overview – The role of the Communications Committee is to ensure that there is a unified, clear and consistent message with all communications, internal and external from public relations, web pages, Sunday Bulletin, weekly church email, monthly newsletter, signage and advertisements. Open and Affirming Communications Team At the request of the ONA Discernment Team, we organized a team to create a communication plan for our vote to adopt our Open and Affirming covenant. Kevin Kane and Peter Meier added their talents and to date have organized an ONA Discernment Team photo, issued a press release, worked with Pastor Jim to create an editorial, created and posted external signage and a new web page. The Team is currently working on several projects that will be rolled out over the coming year. Public Relations The committee promoted NMCC fund-raising activities to the public including the Antique Show on the Green, the Harvest Dinner, and the Christmas Fair. Each of these events was supported by ads, eye-catching posters that members posted around the Shoreline, along with tear-off pads of paper. NMCC Web page Continued to maintain and update the content of the NMCC web page www.northmadisoncc.org which several new faces to our congregation have cited as how they got information about what we offer, including our open and affirming covenant. NMCC Facebook Page The Facebook page continues to be updated through occasional postings, with photos whenever possible. We do not currently have a member assigned to maintaining Facebook so currently rely on the congregation to post news. Internal Communications We continue to fine tune the coordinated process for submitting content for any of our communication touch points (Sunday bulletin, weekly email, monthly newsletter and web site) so the information is consistent and available through all channels, including the announcements during Sunday worship. Signage The team continues to ensure the signage is updated to support all of our events and messages: Summer Worship Services, Antique Fair, Homecoming Sunday, Harvest Dinner, Advent Season services, Christmas Fair, Fire in the Kitchen Concert series, Lenten Special Services, Yoga and Circle Nursery Registration. Our new “Celebrate an Opening and Affirming Community” sign has been added to our “message” signage that also includes “God is Still Speaking”. Respectfully Submitted Roberta Hanlon Chair, Communications Committee April 30, 2016

http://www.northmadisoncc.org/

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Deacon Service Annual Report 2016-2017

The Deacon Service Committee provided support for several memorial services by being available to help with

receptions in Fellowship Hall. The Committee provides coffee and juice each week after church. Coffee hour

has been expanded to include food each week which requires more preparation and clean up by the Deacon

Service Committee as well as purchasing food for sponsors when requested. Deacon Service provided cake for

New Member Sundays, the Christmas pageant and Confirmation. The Committee also provides support for

the annual church picnic in June. The work of the Deacon Service Committee has played a key role in

enhancing the fellowship of our church.

The Hospitality Budget is overseen by the Deacon Service Chair. All expenses submitted for hospitality events

were approved by the Chair Person of Deacon Service. This was successful in managing and consolidating the

purchasing and storage of paper products and supplies.


Melissa Blundon

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Generosity The primary objective of the Generosity Team is to foster a new and renewed Spirit of Generosity in our NMCC community.

For the second year, we celebrated our “Generosity Season”, beginning on October 2nd and concluding with the dedication of our 2017 pledges on Gratitude Sunday, November 30th, 2016.

Three members of the NMCC community presented moving personal testimonials as to why giving is important to them.

We delivered a HUGE quantity of groceries contributed by members to the Madison Food Bank in bags decorated by our Church School Youth.

A member of the Junior Youth Group used $50 for a Pay-It-Forward moment and reported to the congregation.

Our 2017 Narrative Budget was published with photos and brief accounts of our ministries. Members were asked to take a “Step Up” in their 2017 giving. Results were tracked with new

poster in Fellowship Hall and the results were gratifying. We asked the community to suggest what we might do in 2017 were our giving to increase by

$4,000 in 2017. The “WHAT IF” responses included: o Sanctuary air conditioning

o Refugee resettlement o Fix-up someone’s yard or home.

Our Treasurer, Holly Francis, successfully initiated an electronic giving program. We continued to support generosity thoughts and quotes in our weekly updates and bulletins.

We are and wish to remain a very generous community. May we continue in the Spirit of Generosity for all our lives. The Generosity Team: Melissa Clemmons, Ann Damarjian, Miles Dunn, Holly Francis, John Gallops, Jim Farrales, Michele Mauro, Peter Meier, Sanna Stanley, and Frank Walsh (with the dedicated and loving support of Pastor Jim Latimer) Submitted by: Peter Meier

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2016-2017 Missions Committee Report

North Madison Congregational Church continues to support outreach in many ways that help people all year

long. While this report will describe the work of the Missions Committee, we should acknowledge the efforts

by dedicated members of our congregation that expand its commitment to outreach. As a missional church we

subscribe to the belief that God works through everyone.

This past year the Missions Committee evolved to reflect the shifting needs of our church by playing a

supporting role in the broader outreach of both the Worship Team and the Deacon’s service. While we

continued to financially support a variety of organizations in the Greater New Haven community we adopted a

hands-on approach to participating in the life of these organizations. In October, we sponsored a Bingo night at

New Reach’s Martha’s Place, a shelter-in-residence for homeless women. As part of the Worship team’s

Lenten program , we travelled to New Haven with other church members to participate in the knitting workshop

at Continuum of Care. The success of these visits has encouraged us to further efforts to bridge the gap between

our communities in ways that minimize differences , celebrate commonalities and to deepen our relationship to

God.

In our efforts to further our proud mission as a Open and Affirming church, we responded to the call from UCC

National to provide Support for Refugees and Immigrants by calling and writing our congressmen and women

and urging them to take a humanitarian position. We also responded to action in the face of rising

discrimination of marginalized people by making a commitment to New Haven’s Youth Contiuum, especially

to the LGBTQ communinty as focus of our support. It has been our firm belief that opening hearts and minds

through dialogue is the pathway to creating an accepting and inclusive spiritual community. To facilitate

conversation and to create a welcoming spiritual community, we initiated a Church-wide book discussion group

devoted to expanding our awareness of regional cultures, spiritual disciplines and socioeconomic challenges.

Through your generous 2016-2017 stewardship pledges, our annual budget was used by the Missions

Committee of North Madison Congregational Church, walking humbly with our God, to inform and empower

our congregation to:

First, Love kindness through prayerful, financial and physical outreach to Columbus House, Raise the

Roof/Habitat For Humanity, Connecticut Quest For Peace, St. Martin de Porres Academy, Shoreline Soup

Kitchens and Pantries, Reach Up, New Haven Youth Continuum, Continuum of Care , Our Church’s Wider

Mission and various UCC Charities. The Giving Tree offers families a wonderful opportunity to guide their

children in generosity. It is updated quarterly with new needs, so continue to check it out.

Secondly, we Seek justice through supporting programs that respond to the plight of

powerless people by giving them tools, education and opportunities to improve their lives.

Our congregation has fed children in Nicaragua, paid their teachers’ salaries and provided their schools with

necessary supplies through Connecticut Quest For Peace. We continue to give inner-city kids in New Haven the

chance for a rich, nurturing, comprehensive and Christian-based education through our support of St. Martin de

Porres Academy. As a founding partner of Madison Cares / Habitat For Humanity, NMCC supported its members as they worked beside a determined family building a home and their future. This year we expanded

our outreach to include Continuum of Care an agency that helps empower and rebuild the lives of individuals

providing comprehensive residential case management, crisis services, and housing support services to adults

challenged by psychiatric disabilities, intellectual disabilities, homelessness, and substance abuse treatment.

We continue to expand our presence in the community through a monthly collection of loose change which is

distributed to local food pantries. Right here at home, we have recognized individuals within our own

congregation whose burdens can be eased by our financial assistance.

The Missions Committee wants all of us to realize that the scope and breadth of our work

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reflects both the needs of our community and the interests of our individual committee

members. Each of our outreach organizations has deep connection to members of our

church: Allison Rivera is President of St. Martin’s; Gail Faithful is a long-standing advocate for Ct. Quest for

Peace; John Gallops is integral to the success of Madison Cares/Habitat for Humanity; Jim Farrales is a

powerful advocate for Continuum of Care.

As we considered our financial Stewardship of North Madison Congregational Church,

we’d like you to think of the Missions Committee as each of us embodying the arms and hands of the Body of Christ—whether hammering at a Habitat site, scrambling eggs at Columbus House, picking a leaf from the

Giving Tree or packing clothing to send to Nicaragua, through all of our pledges WE are truly wrapping many

in a sustaining hug, lifting up others in the name of our Lord.

This energy, this outreach, this caring compels us to imagine, generously and abundantly, the tangible

benefits—in Jesus’ name-- that our stewardship pledges will accomplish in the 2016-2017 budget. As we enter

the new year we invite the entire NMCC to join our efforts as we seek to further a Mission of Justice that

strives to uplift and provide meaningful change to all members of society.


Kate Summerlin, Allison Rivera, Joyce Rivera, Robin Nassif, Ann Damarjan, Lyn Boling, Christine Farrales.

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Music Committee Report

This church year, the choir of North Madison Congregational Church sang during every Sunday from Homecoming Sunday through the end of June. On summer Sundays, we continue to have beautiful music, thanks to the variety of instrumental and vocal soloists and groups who generously volunteer to present one or two pieces during the summer.

The choir participated in a variety of special music activities this year:

December – The choir and various individual members sang at the very moving Longest Night and Christmas Eve services.

March –On Palm Sunday, the choir presented the Vivaldi Gloria, accompanied by a small orchestra including -- Violins: Ann Clemmons, Melinda Clemmons; Debbie Gilbert, Stacy Shafer, Bennett Sprague; Viola: Christine Cohen; Cello: Elizabeth Clemmons; Oboe: Erin Neclario and Trumpet: Carson Nietlisbach.

We are very thankful for Ann Clemmons, who consistently recruits such talented instrumentalists. Soloists were Eileen Clark and Kate Davis. Individual choir members sang on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and the entire choir sang as part of the Maundy Thursday pot luck dinner and communion service.

May-- The choir joyfully participated in the Consociation Choir Festival, this year held at the First Congregational Church of Madison.

We are blessed to have many talented musicians within our own church. Ken Shuey and Miles Dunn have composed music and have offered up their songs during worship this past year. Carol Luckenbach is a sincere blessing to us all when she shares her talents at the piano, providing musical leadership when Linda Juliani is away, accompanying the tenors and basses during sectional rehearsals and joining Linda for four-handed anthems. We are also blessed to have our NMCC string players, Bennett Sprague, Stacy and Emily Shafer, Debbie Gilbert, Beth and Melinda Clemmons, and Miles Dunn.

Music would not be the same at NMCC without the Clemmons family. Bill Clemmons volunteers his time to direct the choir. He also can be heard playing the trumpet on Easter Sunday and playing the violin in the summer. Ann Clemmons writes music for the children’s orchestra at the Christmas Pageant, gathers instrumentalists together to play in church, shares her amazing expertise on the violin and holds up the alto section in the choir.

The heart of the music at North Madison Congregational Church, of course, is our minister of music, Linda Juliani. Her love, kindness and faith permeate the church through her skills in playing the organ and piano, accompanying the choir, as well as planning, selecting and ordering the worship music, recruiting and practicing with soloists, and playing those amazing organ postludes week after week. She is our NMCC treasure!

Each and every Sunday, music wraps our congregation in love and fills our choir members with joy.

Respectfully submitted, Heather Crawford Bill Clemmons, ex-officio member, Linda Juliani, ex-officio member

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Pastor Relations Committee

Annual Report

May 2017

The Pastoral Relations Committee supports Rev. Latimer and fosters communication on issues or concerns. Our role is to assist the pastor in visioning effective ministry from both personal and corporate (community) perspectives.

Confidential meetings are held quarterly or as-needed.

Membership consists of two elected and two appointed individuals……Dawn Barber (E), Scott Conover (A), Peter Meier (A), and Stacy Shafer (E).

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Property and Planning Committee

Annual Report July 2016-June 2017

Background

The Property and Planning (P&P) Committee is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the church

building, adjacent structures, surrounding grounds, Summer Hill Cemetery, and, working in concert with the

Town of Madison, operating as a designated emergency shelter in the event the need arises.

Committee Members

Mark Barber, Bryan Boling, Larry Kilburn, Paul Sprague (Term ending 2017)

Bob Garbarino (Term ending 2018)

Peter Rivera, Tom Lauher (E.I.)

Pastor Jim Latimer, Ex-officio

Since October 2013, the Committee has largely fulfilled the tasks and responsibilities formerly performed by a

full-time Property Manager. The Committee also conducts regular inspections for the following: Roof, Bell

Tower, and Grounds (annually in September); Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, and Kitchen (biannually in January

and July); Circle Nursery classrooms, Playground, and Community Room/Kitchen (biannually in February and

August); and Summer Hill Cemetery (biannually in April and October). Other regularly scheduled activities

include: monthly fire drills in support of CNS; monthly testing of the stand-by gas generator for compliance as

an Emergency Shelter; quarterly water quality testing and reporting under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act;

annual testing/inspection of radon mitigation and fire alarm systems; and annual inspections by Madison Fire

Marshal and Connecticut Department of Public Health Day Care Licensing Unit.

Year in Review

The reduced frequency and severity of storm events last winter and the relatively low energy costs, particularly

the negotiated price of heating oil, resulted in expenditures below projections for this year and well below those

incurred for the past several winters. The Sanctuary chandeliers have been relamped with LED bulbs, and their

dimmer switch replaced, to improve energy efficiency.

Members of P&P and friends continue to perform weekly cleaning of the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall,

supported by Genie Maids on the last Friday of each month (generously paid for by a Church family), and a

monthly visit by a crew from Vista. A cleaning contractor has been cleaning downstairs six times per week. The

friends of the church also participated in the Fall and Spring cleanups of the church grounds, and a spirited

team of volunteers cooperated in a deep cleaning of the entire building one Saturday in February. P&P has

also made good use of our floor machines to clean and maintain the sanctuary carpeting, area rugs

downstairs, and hard floors throughout the building. Facility improvements include a new Fire Alarm panel, a

replaced utility sink faucet, and a new toilet downstairs.

Last summer members of the Committee, along with Church volunteers, painted the Community Room, all six

restrooms, both kitchens, and the front wall of the Sanctuary. On the exterior, volunteers scraped, primed and

painted the eastern wall of Fellowship Hall. Through a generous grant received from the Summer Hill

Foundation, we were able to completely rebuild the front steps of the Church, and have a contractor prep and

paint the historic part of the building housing our Sanctuary.

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The Committee continues to seek opportunities to generate revenue through use of the various rooms offered

to the community. NMCC has been the home to four AA and AlAnon groups that count on the Church as a

weekly meeting place, and pay as they are able for use of the facility. The Church is also used for piano

recitals, birthday and retirement parties, meetings of neighborhood associations, and concerts including our

own Fire in the Kitchen series, all of which are generating fees for facility use. This June, NMCC will be the

venue for Madison Lyric Stage’s performances of Verdi’s “Otello”. Another revenue source, now in its fourth

year, is the Fence Team, which provides our church-owned fabric fencing for community events in Madison

and Branford, earning donations for our efforts. In the last year, we served the Madison Historical Society,

Madison Chamber of Commerce, Town of Madison, and Raise the Roof for six separate events.

The Church grounds continue to be enhanced with seasonal planters donated and maintained in the front of

the church. Last summer Garden Teams ‘adopted’ twelve gardens on the property-watch those areas as they

are refurbished and replanted to realize the gardeners’ visions for their particular beds.

Planned future projects

Two projects, which will be accomplished this year, are repair and painting of the Bell Tower, and replacing the

Sanctuary roof. With budgetary constraints, the Committee proposes no other large projects in the short-term.

A group is forming to study a major Capital Campaign, which will assess the capacity of the church to support

large capital project(s), identify potential projects, and prioritize critical projects.


Tom Lauher, Chair

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Quiet Ministry

We currently have 8 members.

Duties are to make sure pew pockets have necessary papers, e.g., joys and concerns slips, discretionary fund envelopes, blue information slips, and electronic giving slips and pencils. We straighten the hymnals and bibles and remove any used papers. Also fill candles with oil as needed.

Linda Young launders communion linen as needed.

Members on this committee fulfill their duties on their own time. We have no meetings. Submitted by: Linda Young

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