Pastoral Council Minutes 12-16-2024
ST. JAMES PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2024
Vice Chairperson, Kevin Casel called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The following council members were present: Eddie Baker, Phil Baumert, Kevin Casel, Betsy Lewey, Yvette Lopez, Sherri Porterfield and Jeff Ridder. The opening prayer was given by Jeff Ridder.
Guest Report: The Council welcomed two staff members Office Manager, Kirsten Maggi and Business Manager, Katie Klassen, who told about their jobs here at St. James.
Kirsten Maggi’s job for the 1800 registered families at St. James requires an immense amount of organization. Kirsten ensures that the front office is staffed with each volunteer having specific jobs and responsibilities and finds substitutes when the main volunteers need time off. She makes sure that any phone messages go to the correct staff person. She is also in charge of any paperwork which includes ordering office supplies, scheduling and recording of Mass intention stipends, and. making sure bulletins are mailed to shut-ins. She keeps in contact with Jeanne Verssue concerning those who wish to receive Communion at home or care centers, and communicates anointing requests, etc. to Fr. Mike. Kirsten coordinates the registration of new parishioners and updates any contact information of current parishioners. She also oversees all aspects of baptisms including paperwork before and after the baptism and coordinates everything needed for volunteers to teach baptism preparation classes. In addition, Kirsten’s job includes recording First Communions, Confirmations, marriages, and parishioner deaths in their respective registries. Kirsten assists RE with required forms and constant contact emails, organizes and makes sure that everything is taken care of for Christmas and Easter flower offerings, and the Golden Anniversary Mass. She works with Katie Klassen and Jeanne Verssue scheduling special events and with Jeanne Greenwald as a backup scheduler for room usage requests for the campus. If a parishioner needs to be added to the Prayer Chain or parish emails, Kirsten is the person to contact. If these job responsibilities weren’t enough, Kirsten volunteers as a Cantor, Middle School RE catechist, Confirmation catechist and is the Chair of the Respect Life Ministry.
Business Manager Katie Klassen began working in the church office as a volunteer and became Finance Manager in 2011. Since this time, Katie’s job responsibilities have expanded greatly. She oversees anything having to do with parish finances, including budgets for the church and school, all record keeping for deposits and expenditures and payroll. If it has to do with money, Katie is the staff member whom you contact. It is Katie’s money management skills that has helped St. James to pay off the debt of our new church in a short 5 years. In addition, Katie takes care of maintenance issues for the campus buildings, securing help to fix any problems. She oversees any remodeling projects the parish may undertake, working with Fr. Mike to set goals and plans for future projects and capital improvements. A third large area of which she is in charge is employees. Katie does the interviewing and hiring for parish and school staff and takes care of any staff issues. She oversees staff payroll, benefits, and short-term disability. It is in these three areas of her job, in which Katie has a tremendous responsibility in helping our parish to continue in the growth and success of our parish.
The Council members expressed their appreciation for the work that both Kirsten and Katie do each day. As with all our staff members, both these ladies are essential to making St. James the outstanding parish that it has become.
Old Business:
Adult Faith update: Sherri Porterfield shared with the Council information about the upcoming new study, Prayer: Finding Intimacy with God which will begin on Thurs. Jan. 16th through Feb. 27th, 6:30 – 8:00 pm in the Parish Hall. Registration will be held beginning Dec. 22nd through Jan. 9th. She encouraged Council members to consider registering for this study. She also suggested they consider volunteering to be a small group facilitator which is a wonderful way to meet and get to know our parishioners.
Hillcrest Hope apartment update: Betsy Lewey informed Council members that we were supposed to have a resident several weeks ago and members on each team stepped up to get everything ready for the new tenant. But it ended up this possible resident decided it was not a good fit. We may have a resident within the next couple of weeks and we are now in wait mode. 50 parishioners are participating in one of the teams in this ministry.
Confirmation update: Betsy Lewey told the Council that there will be two dates this year for the 2025 Confirmation. These are scheduled for February 26th and March 21st. The Council will again help provide a reception for those Confirmed and their families. She reminded everyone to place these dates on their calendars and make plans to volunteer. Volunteers are especially needed for setup.
Discussion of needs or concerns to be addressed: The Council briefly discussed any needs and concerns that have been brought to their attention by parishioners and how the Council may help. Members had a discussion of possible activities the Council may do to encourage parishioners in their spiritual growth. It was suggested that members review our Statement of Purpose and Article II of the Bylaws and set goals and dreams for the future. It was decided that this be our assignment in preparation for the January 2025 meeting.
New Business: The Council held a brief discussion on how to handle requests for clarification of minutes and letting those who are guests read the minutes concerning their report before the minutes are published. The Council agreed that the meeting minutes will never include everything said at the meeting. These are meant to provide a “snapshot”, giving essential information or highlights of what occurred. The meeting minutes each month are approved by the Council members before publication in the bulletin and online. For these reasons, clarifying information in the bulletin after the minutes are published and letting guests read what is written about their reports for their approval before publication should not be allowed.
Closing: Vice-Chair Casel closed the meeting with a prayer and the meeting was adjourned at 8:39 p.m.
The Council’s next meeting is Monday, January 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 Chairperson Joan Peluso. If you would like to attend the meeting, please contact Joan Peluso no later than Thurs. Jan. 9th.
Respectfully submitted,
Sherri Porterfield, Pastoral Council Secretary