Friday Epistle Archives

6/1/2012 The Friday Epistle A project of the North Central Chapter of NACBA, the National Association of Church Business Administration Friday, June 1, 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. Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nacba-North-Central-Chapter/373429122686026. 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 Need a Wheelchair, Crutches or Other Medical Equipment? Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota lends assistive living medical equipment to anyone in need. They offer wheelchairs, commodes, walkers, crutches and more free of charge in this temporary loan program. They make short-term loans of equipment for up to two months. Please make those in your congregation aware of this service. Learn more at http://www.goodwilleasterseals.org/site/PageServer?pagename=serv_other_medequip. Share the Knowledge Section Advice on Audits Needed I'm looking to do a financial audit and am interested in what other churches are doing. Do you do an internal audit? What does that look like and who does it? Do you pay for a professional audit? How often do you do it and how much does it cost? Do you have a recommendation of an individual or audit firm? I'm specifically interested in what churches with an attendance of 400-700 and/or operating budget around $500k are doing. Thanks for your feedback! Carla Halverson Business Administrator Cedarbrook Church N6714 470th Street Menomonie, WI 54751-1281 715-231-5433 administrator@cedarbrookchurch.net Library Furnishing Advice Needed Elmwood Church is getting ready to “re-do” its library. We are looking into what would be the best option for library shelving. What have other churches done for library shelving? We would like to get something sturdy, that won’t sag under the weight of books, is attractive, yet economical. Thank you. Linda Dickinson Administrative Assistant Elmwood Evangelical Free Church 3615 Chelmsford Road N.E. Saint Anthony, MN 55418-1739 612-788-9408 elmwoodsecretary@usfamily.net Telecommunications Advice Needed We're still investigating to determine what company we want to move our voice and data to. I'd like any info from those of you who use TDS. Does anyone have experience with their products & services? Are there hidden costs that you found out about after you made your decision? Would you stay with them? Thanks for your information sharing. Beth Angerhofer Office Administrator Oak Grove Presbyterian Church 2200 West Old Shakopee Rd. Bloomington, MN 55431-3034 952-888-4621 bangerhofer@oakgrv.org Staffing Structure Questions We're evaluating our staffing structure and planning for future staffing growth. So I'm poling my peers to get an idea of how other churches may be staffed. I'm especially interested in feedback from churches with 500-1000 in weekly attendance. 1. What's your average weekend attendance (adults, kids)? 2. How many adult members do you have? 3. What is your annual operating budget? Do you have facilities capital/loan costs paid out of your operating budget? If so, how much? 4. What % of your annual operating budget is HR? 5. Do you have an organizational chart/reporting structure you'd be willing to share with me? 6. Are you willing to share a list of paid positions and their employee/contractor status as well as their PT/FT percentage? 7. Do you have a guideline for your office hour expectations for pastoral & ministry leader staff? 8. What is the square footage of your facility and how is your facilities staffing structured? Thank you! Carla Halverson Business Administrator Cedarbrook Church N6714 470th Street Menomonie, WI 54751-1281 715-231-5433 administrator@cedarbrookchurch.net Sign Policy Needed We just installed a permanent outdoor signs to post worship hours and other special events. (The sign is a block from the church and a ladder is needed to change the message on both sides. This is not ideal but our only option.) I need to come up with a policy so I don’t have groups asking every day to have their ministry highlighted. I would appreciate any policies/procedures that are working for you. Blessings, Cindy Delmonico Operations Administrator Our Saviour's Lutheran Church 19001 Jackson Street NE East Bethel, MN 55011-9544 763-434-6117 cindy@oursaviourslc.org Beg, Buy, Sell, or Give-Away Section “Gather” Books – Free! Delano church has 500+ green Gather books we are willing to part with. No charge to an interested church, though a donation would be appreciated. Please contact Genevieve Fiedler Parish Business Administrator Delano Catholic Community Churches of St. Peter & St. Joseph 204 S. River St. Delano, MN 55328-9242 763-972-2077 X226 genevieve@delanocatholic.com Oak Pews Emmaus Lutheran in Bloomington is doing a sanctuary remodel and update this summer and have about 30 solid oak pews, each 15 ft. long, that we would like to find a "good home" for $100 each (negotiable) but you must haul them. Check ‘em out at www.nacbancc.org/images/pews1.jpg and www.nacbancc.org/images/pews2.jpg. Contact me for more information. Mavis Miller Director of Administration Emmaus Lutheran Church 8443 2nd Avenue South Bloomington, MN 55420-2339 952-884-4751 mmiller@emmauslutheran.org Grand Piano for Sale I have a 5'7" Samick grand piano with a rich walnut finish that would look and sound beautiful in a church. Price $6425. See a photo at www.nacbancc.org/images/piano.jpg. Please contact Lynn Wells 612-741-7040 lynn.is.wells@gmail.com Sauder Oaklink/Paragon Chairs For Sale 100-150 Sauder Oaklink Paragon chairs by Sauder Church Furnishings. New approx. $160 each. For sale $20 each. Currently 100-150 are available with another 100 or so to follow later in 2012.   Photo at http://www.sauderworship.com/protestant--evangelical/chairs/oaklok--paragon.html. Please contact Pastor Eric Walbolt Servant of Christ Lutheran Church 740 Hayden Lake Rd E Champlin, MN 55316-1407 763-427-5070 pastorhook@servantofchrist.com 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.