September 3, 2026
The church’s new fiscal year (FY) started on July 1, 2026. The Executive Committee (EC) did not meet in July due to the members’ summer travel plans, so our first meeting of the FY was on August 24.
New EC Member
Our first order of business was welcoming Doug Plumer to the EC. Doug was elected to the committee at the June 28 Congregational Assembly. His usual place of worship is our Shawnee site. We are thankful for Doug stepping up to this role, as we are of all the EC members, for taking the time to help govern the church.
Financial Needs for Facilities
We reviewed the financial reports for the FY that concluded on June 30. We ended with a slight deficit, but better than what was budgeted. The church necessarily operates on a breakeven, barebones basis, not attempting to collect money in excess of projected needs, meaning it would be difficult to make budget cuts without it significantly affecting our ministry. However, we are facing more capital type expenditures, especially regarding our HVAC and electrical systems.
While we were able to address the two HVAC units for the sanctuary last year, the fact is between our two sites, we have 30 different HVAC systems. That number is dictated by the layout of our buildings, which don’t lend themselves to HVAC consolidation. Many of those units need significant repairs if not replacement. In fact, we recently incurred about an $8,000 repair at the Shawnee site.
As for the electrical systems, we replaced and upgraded one outdated electrical panel at the Mission campus. This upgrade removes a fire hazard and will allow the food pantry to install a new freezer to provide more food to our community neighbors.
We are thankful for our facilities, but their aging requires more financial support. We can’t always count on grants, like those from the Trinity Foundation that covered the sanctuary HVAC units, so we ask that you prayerfully consider how you might increase your giving, keeping in mind that any increase is helpful.
Call Committee for Third Pastor
In other news, there is a call committee operating under the direction of Josh Theiss. The objective is to call a third pastor to further support our ministry and return to the level of pastoral staff we had previously. Having just two pastors to cover the two sites becomes problematic when just one of them is absent for any reason. The committee is currently considering a call list of 20 names received from the Kansas District. The goal is to have that list pared down to potential interviewees by the time Pastor Luke returns from his sabbatical in October.
Choir Director Interviews
Finally, choir director interviews for three strong finalists are in process by the Choir Director Search Committee, headed by Dr. Lara West. This is to replace Dr. Brett Robison, who moved out of the area.
As always, you are encouraged to seek out, get to know, and engage with your EC members that worship alongside you.
