August Open Session Meeting Notes

Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: Faith Classroom

Attendees: Rev Ev, Beth Fite (Chair/Lay Leader), Audrey O’Donald (Associate Lay Leader), Gene Jones, Liz McAuley, Mike LaRock, Carol Loyer, Jimmy Porter, Sarah Wright, Jessica Grau, and Debra Hockey (Secretary) - Kennis and Larry away in Africa

Welcome and Opening Remarks: The meeting began with Breakthrough Prayer.

Spiritual Formation, Carol: Focus on Jesus’ invitation to the table of Christ. We, like the Israelites, need to trust God is in control instead of relying on our own resources. Lamentations reminds us that Great is God’s Faithfulness!

Leadership Equipping: Review of Safe Sanctuary policy, as it applies to the church and to the preschool.

Meet The Pastor: The highest attended meetings were the ones on church property and the largest group of attendees were from our senior population.

Ongoing Business: New bulletin format rolled out in August and has been well received. Gutter cleaning estimates are in progress. Shrubbery trimming is in progress. We are looking at black top cracks in our parking lot: should we just fix or reseal the whole thing again? We also have a Handicapped sign that needs to be replaced in the parking lot by the main entrance. Safety review by VBPD is going to be in October.

Financials: Monthly giving is in each bulletin, for the previous month. The summer brought a drop in stock and gifts, but we generally see that bounce back in fall.

Closing Prayer

Next Meeting: September 22 at 6:30 pm