Friday Epistle Archives

4/13/2012 The Friday Epistle A project of the North Central Chapter of NACBA, the National Association of Church Business Administration Friday, April 13, 2012             fridayepistle@nacbancc.org         www.nacbancc.org NACBA – The National Association of Church Business Administration The National Association of Church Business Administration® is an inter-denominational association of churches and individuals which exists to serve the Church by advancing professional excellence in individuals serving Christ through administration in local churches. If you are involved in any capacity with church administration, or if you desire a professional relationship with NACBA, there is a membership classification for you. We encourage your participation. Learn more at www.nacba.net. 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 2012 meeting schedule is on line at 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, Jim Theis, jim.theis@westwoodcc.org, or call (612) 618-1727 Tip of the Week Section Why You Should Join NACBA If you’re not a member of NACBA’s national organization, you are missing out on the finest publication available for church administrators, the NACBA Ledger. Edited by Phill Martin, this quarterly publication is loaded with useful and helpful information. For instance, the Spring 2012 issue that just arrived, contains learned articles on: •     Tips on Terminating an Employee •     Severance Pay •     Dealing with Employees Left Behind after a Layoff •     The Health Care Tax Credit •     The Second in a Series of Articles on MS-Excel •     Getting the Best from your Staff •     A Discussion of Leadership Styles •     Social Media Guidelines •     A Case-Study of an Embezzlement •     Ideas for Increasing On-Line Giving This is good stuff, gang. I suggest, in the interest of the congregation you serve and in the interest of your own professional development, to become a member of NACBA. Find out more at www.nacba.net. Special Events Section Chapter Meeting next Thursday Please join us for the next NACBA North Central Chapter meeting next Thursday, April 19, 2012, from 8:30am until noon. No registration is required. 8:30     Continental Breakfast 9:00     Program 11:30     Church Tour •     Join fellow administrators for a time of networking and sharing. Round table discussions will be created based on the questions YOU bring. •     Do you have a project you have been putting off because you’re just not sure how to do it? Maybe someone else has done it and can help you out. •     Questions about fine-tuning your membership database? How have others done it? •     Accounting issues, including designated accounts & preschool. Popular topics may be used for planning next year’s program Host: Karen Hartz Plymouth Congregational Church 1900 Nicollet Ave Minneapolis, MN 55403-3746 Peacemaking Events Rev. Dr. George Williamson of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (BPFNA) will be in Minneapolis for 2 special events this weekend. Saturday morning from 10:00 until noon, he’ll be at Judson Memorial Baptist Church for a presentation and discussion. The Sunday following, George will preach at University Baptist Church. Everyone interested in peace issues is invited and welcome. You don’t hafta be a Baptist! Find full details at www.nacbancc.org/GWflyer.pdf. NACBA 2012 Summer Conference Online registration is now open for NACBA’s 56th National Conference to be held at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston, Texas, July 10-14, 2012. Get full details at http://www.nacba.net/2012/Pages/default.aspx. Tech Pulse Conference Erik Thorsell of Success Computer Consulting (our presenter at the March chapter meeting) has invited Friday Epistle readers to their conference at the Saint Paul River Center on April 17. This free event is further described at www.nacbancc.org/doc/TechPulseSCC.pdf. Share the Knowledge Section North Central Chapter on Facebook The North Central Chapter is excited to introduce their new page on Facebook. Search "NACBA North Central Chapter" and "Like" our page. Use our page to learn about upcoming meetings, keep up on the Friday Epistle, and share ideas & information. Carla Halverson Business Administrator Cedarbrook Church N6714 470th Street Menomonie, WI 54751-1281 (715) 231-5433 administrator@cedarbrookchurch.net Severance Pay Policy Needed I am looking for any examples churches have for severance pay policies. I will look at the policy documents on the NACBA website as well. Thanks, Cindy Folin Director of Administration Westwood Lutheran Church 9001 Cedar Lake Road Saint Louis Park, MN 55426-2354 (952) 545-5623 c.folin@westwoodlutheran.org Strength-Finders for Teams Beautiful Savior Lutheran in Plymouth and Trinity Lutheran in Waconia are working together to bring Phill Martin (NACBA) back to the Twin Cities to conduct a two-day workshop on Strength Finders for Teams. This would be an opportunity to learn more about how individual team member strengths can work in the larger team setting. Phill Martin has indicated that we may be able to accommodate up to four church teams, and thus share the expense. If you are interested in being a part of the planning of this workshop, please let either of us know. Gordon Thomas                    Sherry Wittenberg Trinity Lutheran Church               Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church 601 2nd St E                         5005 Northwest Blvd Waconia, MN 55387-1608               Plymouth, MN 55442-3503 (952) 442-4165                    (763) 550-1000 GThomas@trinitywaconia.org           SWittenberg@beautifulsaviorlc.org Dealing with Hearing Difficulties How does your church help those who are hard of hearing (I’m talking those who have lost some of their hearing ability usually with age – not totally deaf needing sign language)? And, of course, I’m looking for a cost-effective solution. THANKS. Connie Shirkey Business Administrator St. Luke Lutheran Church 7000 Hinton Ave S Cottage Grove. MN 55016-1809 (651) 459-1222, ext. 21 cshirkey@StLukeCG.com Carpeting Advice Needed I’m looking at options for replacing carpeting over concrete in our church’s entryway. We won’t have a lot of depth to work with. The idea of metal grating, possibly with carpeting strips looks like a good option. Has anyone had experience with adding such grating to an existing entryway?   What has been your maintenance experience with such grating? Thank you for your input! Julie Ericson Church Administrator Chapel Hill Church 4888 Pilot Knob Road Eagan, MN 55122-2739 (651) 681-1658 jericson@chapelhillchurch.com Erik Thorsell Presentation At NACBA’s North Central Chapter meeting on March 15, Erik Thorsell of Success Computer Consulting made a superb presentation on computer security issues. He has generously made his handouts available for download at the following sites: www.nacbancc.org/doc/InformationSecurityPresentation20120315.ppt www.nacbancc.org/doc/TopTenThreats.pdf www.nacbancc.org/doc/CyberBullying.pdf www.nacbancc.org/doc/BusinessSecurityFoundation.pdf www.nacbancc.org/doc/SimplifiedBusinessContinuityPlanning.pdf Whether you attended this meeting or not, we urge you to take a look at, and consider the content of, these documents. Beg, Buy, Sell, or Give-Away Section Platforms Free! FREE, 5 each platforms, 4’ x 8’ x 16”, 2x6 construction, plywood with carpet, very sturdy, weight 300 lbs each. One does not have carpet and one does not have legs so you can have two levels of staging. FREE, but you must pick up. Will keep for two weeks and then we will destroy (no room here).   FREE! Thanks in advance, Jim Forrest Business Manager First Baptist Church 1021 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN 55403-1738 (B) 612-332-3651 (F) 612-332-3661 (C) 651-402-1920 jforrest@fbcminneapolis.org Available for Donation Restored and fully-functional church pump organ. Would prefer it went home to a church, but willing to consider other options. See a photo at www.nacbancc.org/images/PumpOrgan.jpg. For more information, please contact: jprusinko@comcast.net. Book Donations Needed Elmwood Church Library will be holding a Used Book Sale on Saturday, April 21. Gently used or new book and media donations for the sale may be dropped off at the Elmwood Church Library on Sunday, April 15th 9:00am – 12:00pm or Tuesday, April 17th through Friday, April 20th from 9:30am – 4:00pm. We will accept your donations of all types of books; adult and children, current and classic editions, DVDs, books on CD. Please consider content when donating. We do not accept old computer manuals, textbooks, or old encyclopedias. This is a great opportunity to clean out your bookshelves. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the Elmwood Library. If you would like a donation receipt, please ask the church office (612-788-9408) or leave a note with your contact information. I have also a flyer for the actual sale that other churches can print and post if so inclined. Find it at www.nacbancc.org/images/BookSale.pdf. Thank you! Linda Dickinson Administrative Assistant Elmwood Evangelical Free Church 3615 Chelmsford Road N.E. St. Anthony, MN 55418-1739 (612) 788-9408 elmwoodsecretary@usfamily.net Heavy-Duty Custom Volleyball Sets – Four Two Available – Free! (Nets NOT included) I used to host volleyball tournaments and we would rent turf space where you are not allowed to drive stakes into the ground… so long story short, I custom-made some concrete bases and poles to hold nets that would not damage turf.   Each base is 150-200lbs of solid steel and concrete, so you will need a good truck to haul them away. I am giving them away because I need the storage space and I no longer host events for volleyball.   They need a good home, but it is first come, first serve. I have given away 4 sets already, and 2 are currently available. YOU MUST pick them up if you are interested. Thanks, Tyree Lawrence Director LVY Foundation info@theLVYfoundation.org (612) 234-1589 Job Line Find the Job Line at www.nacbancc.org/JLS.asp. Meeting Schedule Our chapter’s meeting schedule, complete with maps and hyperlinks, is on our web site at http://www.nacbancc.org/mschedule.asp. 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; it’s 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, CCA fridayepistle@nacbancc.org To unsubscribe, send “Unsubscribe” to that same address.