4-8-24 Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes
ST. JAMES PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
MONDAY, April 8, 2024
The April meeting of Pastoral Council was called to order by Chairman Kevin Casel at 7:00 p.m. The following council members were present: Fr. Mike Roach, Deacon Chuck Koesterer, Dan Bacon, Eddie Baker, Phil Baumert, Kevin Casel, Betsy Lewey, Joan Peluso and Sherri Porterfield. The opening prayer was given by Joan Peluso.
Guest Report: Tom Greufe, Grand Knight of the St. James Knights of Columbus, addressed the Council concerning two ministries in which the Knights are involved and asked for possible ideas for a solution to a problem concerning both ministries. One of the largest ministries is the In As Much food ministry. The food collection is held four times each year and parishioners of St. James donate up to three to four tons of food each collection. The other large ministry is the annual Coat Drive held each November. Because of the renovation taking place in the old church area, the Narthex is not available for use to store the collected items as in previous collections. The Knights have tried other areas to house these items, but nothing seems to work.
The Council discussed possible solutions for both problems. One possible solution is to build an outbuilding to store the mowing and other equipment. The Knight could then use this area, but there is a problem concerning the temperature in the winter and summer because the garage is not air conditioned or heated. This is the same problem if food was stored in the outbuilding instead. Because the next collection will be in May, Tom said the Knights would like to find a storage place before this time. Fr. Mike told Tom and the Council that he guarantees this will occur. He needs to discuss this with the staff first.
Old Business:
Pastoral Council New Member Recruitment: Chairman Casel updated the Council on the upcoming discernment for new members. There are five candidates for two open positions. Discernment sessions will occur on April 21st and 27th. The Pastoral Council retreat will be held on the morning of Saturday, August 3rd at the Precious Blood Center. It was discussed to form a Planning Committee, but this was not needed because all planning had been completed.
Hillcrest Ministries: The Council was also told that Yvette Lopez had reported to Kevin Casel that painting for the apartment should take place within the next two weeks. The Council discussed how to get parishioners involved so that the parish members can take ownership of this very important ministry. Phil Baumert shared with the group that it is important that we inform and show to parishioners that this is one of St. James very important ministries. He suggested that other ministries be involved in the three teams needed to maintain our sponsored apartment with the Council agreeing. More discussion will take place on this matter at the May meeting.
New Business:
Review and Changes of Council Bylaws: The Council discussed and agreed upon any needed changes to the Bylaws written last Spring. The changes included some items that did not apply to the Council being deleted and as well as changes in wording. All changes will be completed at the May meeting and the updated bylaws will be published on the St. James website and given to all Council members.
Upcoming Officer Selections: Chairman Casel reminded the Council that elections of new officers for the 2024-25 year will be held at the May meeting. He also briefly explained the process.
Closing Prayer:
Fr Mike closed the meeting with a prayer and the Council members prayed the Our Father together. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
The Council’s next meeting is Monday, May 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the AV Conference Room. If you have any ideas or concerns for the Council, please contact Fr. Mike or Chairman Kevin Casel. If you would like to attend the meeting, please contact Kevin Casel no later than Thursday, May 9th.
Respectfully submitted,
Sherri Porterfield, Pastoral Council Secretary