Friday Epistle Archives

1/29/2010 The Friday Epistle A project of the North Central Chapter of NACBA, the National Association of Church Business Administration Friday, January 29, 2010             fridayepistle@nacbancc.org           www.nacbancc.org The North Central Chapter of NACBA The National Association of Church Business Administration Our Mission:          To empower Christian ministry through support of church administration. Our Vision:          To equip and reach out to people in church administration through education, connection, and communication. The 2009-2010 meeting schedule is on line at http://www.nacbancc.org/mschedule.asp. Minnesota Association of Church Facility Managers MACFM (www.macfm.org) was established to promote fellowship, networking and educational opportunities for Christian Facilities Professionals (managers, maintenance, custodians), through the form of monthly meetings, discussion groups, and professional training. Come check us out!                                                  For more information contact: President, Jeff Johnson, Jeffj@hosannalc.org or call #952-898-9128. CBA Education Section Certification Program in Church Business Administration Get the tools you need to be an informed or certified CBA The next certification class is scheduled for June 7-18, 2010 at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, University of Saint Thomas, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. View and print the on-line Brochure at http://www.stthomas.edu/spssod/nacba/nacbapdf/NACBA_2010-11Brochur.pdf (pdf format) or visit the website for more information at http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/lmcarrillo/NACBA/program.htm . We are now accepting registration for 1 week at a time. Get your registration in early. Scholarships: For NACBA National and North Central Chapter members: - If your church does not pay 100% of your training fees and you are a member of both the local chapter and the national office you can apply for a scholarship through the local chapter of up to $500! For more details visit the national website at www.nacba.net; scholarship application at http://www.nacba.net/PDF_FILES/Endowment%20Fund%20Scholarship-App.pdf or the local chapter website at http://www.nacbancc.org Linda Carrillo, NACBA Coordinator The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity University of St. Thomas 2260 Summit Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55105 (651) 962-5050 lmcarrillo@stthomas.edu www.stthomas.edu/spssod/nacba/default.html C’mon and Join Us Section 2010 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE North Central Chapter – NACBA Whether you have been a member for many years or have just been thinking about joining, now is the time to sign up to be a part of this dynamic, educational, and forward thinking group. Some of the benefits to membership include: •     Association with friendly people serving in the ministry of church administration •     Educational programs and seminars presented by local and national speakers that are pertinent to your call in administrative ministry •     Scholarships for the certification program offered at the University of St Thomas. •     Scholarships for the National Conference held each July •     Member rates for local conferences and seminars •     Network of many Church Administrators throughout the metro area and beyond. This year, in order to save some cash and trees, we will not be mailing out the application forms. We ask that you please download the application form from our website at http://www.nacbancc.org/minfo.asp. Please complete the form and mail it along with your check to our membership chair: Ellen J. Thorson Lake Harriet UMC 4901 Chowen Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55410-1713 If you have any questions about membership, Ellen can be reached at ellen.thorson@lakeharrietumc.org       We look forward to meeting you soon at our upcoming meetings! Share the Knowledge Section Job Available Be sure to check the Job Line at www.nacbancc.org/images/JobLine.pdf. Elim Lutheran in Robbinsdale is looking for a half-time CBA! Regarding Coffee Hour/Fellowship/Treat time •     How does your church handle the “duties” of Coffee Hour/Fellowship/Treat time between services? •     Who is “in charge” of setting up, making coffee, buying treats, and cleaning up? •     Do you have a number of groups that rotate serving? Are individual families assigned? How are the servers assigned? •     Does the church have a fund set aside for purchasing treats? Your input, comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please send replies to: Tricia Falk Our Savior Lutheran Church & School 23290 Highway 7 Excelsior, MN 55331 (952) 474-5181 tricia.falk@oslcs.org Local Mailing Lists For my home church, we are seeking access to a local mailing list; names and addresses of everyone within, say, a mile of the church. Can anyone suggest a reputable source for this? Thank you! Dottie Brown Judson Memorial Baptist Church Dotbrown10@yahoo.com Technology References I am looking for references in two areas. I'm looking for companies that provide excellent service. 1. Telephone System - I am looking for a company to take over the servicing of our telephone system.       We have a Toshiba Strata DK280 System. 2. Computer Network Support Any recommendations you can provide would be most helpful. Thanks! Annette Beseman Redeemer Lutheran Church 61 Mississippi Way NE Fridley, MN 55432-4318 763-574-7445 ext. 206 a.beseman@redeemerfridley.org 4-Step Job Hunt Workshops Saint Andrew’s Lutheran Church of Mahtomedi is hosting a job hunt series. Get full details at www.nacbancc.org/images/JobHuntWorkshop.pdf. Talking Trash At yesterday’s VERY informative North Central Chapter meeting, we had a presentation on trash, hauling, recycling, and even ORGANIC recycling. This discussion reminded me of an experience we had here, an experience from which you may be able to learn. Our hauler was the big national firm with the green trucks and the 2 initials. We had a scheduled pickup of garbage, but we had an “on call” plan for recycling, assuming it was less expensive. It wasn’t, but they never told us that. (I should have checked.) In the summer, when we had less trash, we altered the pickup schedule. They’d send us a form with the old schedule and new schedule; we’d sign it and send it back. What we didn’t notice in the 10% screen, 8-point type on the back of the form was that every time we signed it, we were establishing a new 3-year contract. When I asked them how we could change the pickup schedule without re-upping, the told me, “You don’t have to sign that form.” So I waited out the contract and, observing the 90-day notice to terminate, sent them a letter at 120 days. There was no response whatsoever. So, at about 100 days, I sent them the same letter via Certified Mail. Their response was immediate, calling to argue with me and make dark implications about what might happen. When I explained about the misleading contract, she asked me, “Well, do you understand the trash haulage business?” I replied, “Of course not. But I do understand when I am being tricked into signing something I don’t want”. So be cautious with trash contracts! Craig M. Wiester University Lutheran Church of Hope 601 13th Ave. SE Minneapolis, MN 55414-1437 (612) 331-5988 craigw@ulch.org Beg, Buy, Sell, or Give-Away Section Rental Space Available Do you know of non-profit organizations looking for ideal rental space? In these difficult economic times, reasonably priced space designed to accommodate non-profits is scarce but Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington has a community house with a total of 2914 square feet of available space. The building is nicely divided into distinct business areas. The larger area (2210 SQ FT) includes a large kitchen and meeting room with 6 private offices. A smaller area, about 700 SQ FT, has 4 private offices and a separate outside entrance/exit. There is ample parking available and great access to Highway 35W. Two non-profits already find parts of this space perfect for their business needs and, although the space is appropriately divided for privacy, the existing tenants look forward to welcoming new organizations to this energetic business environment. For more information call David Edstrom Building Manager Saint Luks’s Lutheran Church 1701 W Old Shakopee Rd Bloomington, MN 55431-3098 (952) 881-5801 Ext. 105 12-Foot Christmas Tree - FREE Artificial Christmas Tree in good shape needs a new home. Valued at ~$250.00. Lights and stand included. (New owner will need to come pick it up.) If interested, contact Stefanie Fiser 7625 Chicago Avenue South Richfield, Minnesota 612-866-8471 office@house-of-prayer.com Free Toner Cartridges! We have 2 unused toner cartridges to give away to whoever has a use for them. They are both Ricoh Toner Type 1140D (black) and were purchased from Metro Sales. Our new copier takes a smaller size and Metro does not buy them back, so our loss is your gain! Contact me if you want them. Eleta Pierce Edgcumbe Presbyterian Church 651-698-8220 secretary@epchurch.org Looking for Brass Church Bell The congregation of Trinity Lutheran at Bemidji is wondering if there is a congregation that has a 24” or 30” Brass Church Bell that they are trying to find a home for. Trinity, Bemidji may be a possible home for your Church Bell. Contact the church office, talk to Marilyn (218) 444-4441 trinity3@paulbunyan.net Job Line Find the Job Line at www.nacbancc.org/images/JobLine.pdf . Meeting Schedule Our chapter’s meeting schedule, complete with maps and hyperlinks, is on our web site at http://www.nacbancc.org/mschedule.asp. Check it out! About Us The Friday Epistle, a project of the North Central Chapter of NACBA, the National Association of Church Business Administration, is a free e-mail service for church administrators available to anyone who wants it. Feel free to pass this document to anyone who may be interested! To subscribe, please send your e-mail address to Craig M. Wiester fridayepistle@nacbancc.org