As you can imagine, this month’s council meeting was consumed by the departure of Pastor Dustin. We covered Pastor’s entire tenure and we’re confident that he’s left us in great shape as we move forward in our ministry. He and Patricia will be missed.
Nevertheless, we wish Pastor Dustin and Patricia the best as they transition to their new commitment to Living Waters in Crystal Lake. They will undoubtedly do great and we pray for their success!
Next, Pastor Jeff Clements from the ELCA Northern Synod, walked us through the process of transition. There is much to come on this as the council is meeting again in February to complete some of the preliminary work. Dan Jacobson (Council President) will speak to this process on Sunday, February 22nd as we identify some of the pressing issues. Please pray for guidance as we enter this exciting time!
In other new business, the Preschool has identified some additional requirements that will come into effect in 2017. We are looking at the legal implications of these new state regulations on both the preschool and the church.
One of the biggest concerns is that of the preschool’s legal structure. For many years, it was understood that the preschool was its own legal entity. It has since come about that it may, in fact, be part of the church’s legal structure.
We are still unsure of the impact of this discovery; however, it may ultimately give us flexibility addressing these new state regulations.
The preschool remains a top priority as our most successful ministry to date and has the full support of the church council. Pastor Dahlseng is consulting several attorneys to map out the best course of action and once identified, he and the council will work with the preschool board of directors to execute the best solution available.
We briefly talked about rebuilding Grace (phase two) and the next steps in organizing another campaign. A letter from Dan Jacobson and Pr. Dahlseng is being drafted and will be sent out very soon.
Finally, we heard an update on Daniel Johnson’s Eagle Scout project. He is organizing the storage closet (aka the “igloo”) and recommends that we have an electronic catalog itemizing the storage closet’s contents.
We will continue to keep the congregation informed as the council identifies the next steps in the departure of Pastor Dustin, Rebuilding Grace (phase two), and the new preschool regulations.
God’s Peace,
Drew Hall