Recent Council Meeting Minutes

Parish Pastoral Council (17 September 2024)

Present were: Joyce Brandt, Amy Luecke, Becki Orscheln, Fr. Dylan Schrader, Deacon James Haaf, Charles Williams and Dawn Haslag

• Janice Wieberg reported on the parish picnic and offered suggestions for future improvements.
  
• Liturgy committee report. Nativity set is being repainted. Father Schrader reiterated that there is no reason why high-schoolers can’t continue to serve for Mass, proclaim readings, etc.
• School students are working on post cards to invite people to Mass.
• Father Schrader is trying to form a stewardship council to organize volunteers.
• Discussion of need to get the word out and pray in opposition to Amendment 3.
• Father Schrader repeated the importance of supporting young people in the faith. It will take adults willing to organize and recruit if people want youth ministry.
• School enrollment is up this year. Father Schrader and Mr. H are focusing on organization, communication, and pride in our school.

Parish Finance Council (17 September 2024)

Present were: Fr Schrader, Mr. Horvath, Barbara Reichart, Joyce Brandt, Kelly Kampeter, Ben Holterman, Steve Massman and Dawn Haslag

• Detailed review of all account balances and profit/loss statements.
  
• A new comprehensive diocesan finance manual for parishes just came out, some areas that need attention:
  • Sunday collection procedures
  • scrip
  • finance council will review this manual for further discussion, diocesan finance office will be invited to help with implementation
• Discussion of how to communicate weekly collections clearly in the bulletin.
• Decision that it is necessary to withdraw $125,000 from savings to make up for lost operational revenue.
  • Lost operational revenue is the result of the new stewardship model in which grant money cannot be used for operational expenses but instead must be designated for special expenses. Collections need to go up to compensate for this.
    

Parish Pastoral Council (28 May 2024)

Attending: Joyce Brandt, Kathryn Badami, Amy Luecke, Sharon Lehmen, Becki Orscheln, Fr. Schrader, Deacon James Haaf, Patricia Kirk, and Dawn Haslag
* Liturgy Committee reports on Corpus Christi preparations
* Home and School reports issues with communication of budget to school families via FACTS, need for volunteers for board positions, discussion of graduation reception
* Discussion of evangelization proposal of sending out postcards
* Discussion of draft parish cemetery policy updates; once finalized, this will be communicated to parishioners since many are unaware of the current cemetery policy from 2006
* Sharon Lehmen has completed her term on the parish pastoral council; we thank her for her service; Becki Orscheln was accepted as her replacement; membership roster will be updated and published to the parish when ready
* Discussion of stewardship meetings with families
* Discussion of transition to new principal; thank you to Miss Kirk
* The parish office is updating information in Flocknote to better use its database features


Parish Finance Council (28 May 2024)
Attending: Fr Schrader, Ms. Kirk, Barbara Reichart, Joyce Brandt, Kelly Kampeter, Ben Holterman and Dawn Haslag
* Review of all parish accounts and profit/loss statement with reports from our accountant
* Discussion of changes in revenue over the last several years, in particular: 1) large amounts of money given by the government to the parish during COVID, which now have been used; 2) changes due to the diocesan stewardship policy, especially with regard to grant money (previously used for operational expenses, now for non-operational expenses only) and fundraisers
* Discussion of middle school lift repair and ramp construction
* Detailed discussion of initial draft budget for 2024-25 fiscal year, to be continued further at the next meeting
* Major diocesan finance policy changes are still forthcoming but are on the horizon; details not fully known yet
* Decision to offer parishioners a more detailed update on parish finances via an open parish meeting with presentation to help explain the changes resulting from the stewardship model and look at possible upcoming new diocesan policies.




Parish Finance Council Meeting (19 March 2024)

Present were: Fr Schrader, Ms. Kirk, Lisa Verslues (via phone), Joyce Brandt, Kelly Kampeter, Ben Holterman, Steve Massman and Dawn Haslag.

• Scrip is slightly down. Discussion of IRS restrictions on how non-profits handle scrip and upcoming policy changes. Changes in how we process scrip may be needed, but we will wait for the official word before making any changes.
• PPP/SBA money that was given during COVID for salaries and at that time put into a "special projects" account has now been transferred to be used for salaries as intended
• Discussion of the generosity of the Schwartze Foundation to St. Joseph over the years and how much they have helped us
• Discussion of upcoming diocesan financial policy manual for parishes; changes to how we handle the Sunday collection will be needed; we will explore the possibility of a more secure place for people to drop envelopes in church
• Discussion of the possibility of a collection for the Good Shepherd Center; it was decided to encourage parishioners to donate directly to the Good  Shepherd Center and to facilitate this without taking up an additional collection
• Discussion of the possibility of establishing a foundation/endowment/restricted fund to support the school; we will look at what other parishes do and what options there are under the new stewardship policies
• We have now cleared up an account for earmarked funds; donations that are given with designations/restrictions will be put into this account and tracked so that the money goes toward the purpose for which it was given; in the past, donations were put into a variety of accounts without clear labeling; this has now been corrected
• Discussion of the middle school elevator situation; further investigation by elevator companies points to a cost of $300,000 to replace the current lift with a full elevator; the decision was made to repair the current lift (approximately $9,000) and to pursue diocesan approval to install an ADA compliant ramp on the side of the building, while also continuing to consider eventual installation of an elevator
• Father shared with the council a buildings/grounds to-do list that includes both big and small items
• Of note is that the main school building's wiring will need to be worked on; this was a need identified in the self-study of several years ago that has not yet been addressed
• Initial work on school budget
• Father presented a proposed list of meeting dates with key tasks for the coming year (including annual financial report, review of parish accounts and signatories, etc.)

Parish Pastoral Council Meeting (19 March 2024)
Present were: Joyce Brandt, Kathryn Badami, Amy Luecke, Sharon Lehmen, Chris Massman, Charles Williams, Margie Luebbert, Fr. Schrader, Patricia Kirk, Dawn Haslag and guest, Deacon Ric Telthorst

• Deacon Ric Telthort, diocesan director of Catholic cemeteries, helped discuss best practices for the "St. Joseph Cemetery Association" policies; the most recent written policy for St. Joseph cemetery that anyone has discovered is from 2008; parishioners have wondered what their cemetery dues pay for and other policy questions; the council also examined cemetery documents from other parishes; we will revise and update our cemetery policy and then communicate it clearly to parishioners
• Discussion of how to evangelize / invite back to Mass those in our community who have been away; we looked at a sample post-card mailing and discussed several strategies; we will look at what other parishes have done and develop a plan
• Divine Mercy Sunday there will be a holy hour with confessions and devotions
• Using the new stewardship time/talent forms, the liturgy committee will begin bringing back greeters at some Masses
• Social Concerns discussed modifying how Christmas Wishes is handled
• We discussed the recent survey that was sent to school parents
• Father has negotiated with the diocese on the stewardship renewal process; the plan for the coming year is to do pledging at a more convenient time (such as August or September) and then use the results to update the stewardship directory for the parish; the hope is to offer an online time/talent form as an option
• Assisted listening devices for church: this will not be pursued at this time due to lack of parishioner interest
• Father presented a proposed list of meeting dates with key tasks for the coming year
• Discussed stewardship meetings with school parents; the focus is on checking in with families and encouraging participation in Mass and involvement with the parish
• Discussed praying for our community, especially farmers, on April 25 with the Major Rogation Day, asking God's blessing on our fields and flocks
• Discussed upcoming school events and retirement of several long-serving teachers

Parish Pastoral Council Meeting (16 January 2024)

Present: Becki Orscheln, Joyce Brandt, Kathryn Badami, Amy Luecke, Sharon Lehman, Fr. Schrader and Patricia Kirk

• Liturgy committee reported on Advent/Christmas season; outdoor Nativity set will be repaired for next year
• Home/School will vote on funding a movie trip for the kids for Catholic Schools Week; interest in the proposed pavilion will be gauged and any specific proposals presented to the finance council
• The parish library is moving forward; books are ready
• The diocese is holding a stewardship workshop Sat., April 13: mandatory for priests, other parish leaders are encouraged
• Fr. Schrader will try to work with the diocese on possibly adjusting the timing of the time/talent pledging to fit our schedule better
• The council reviewed the old by-laws for the cemetery association that were uncovered; we will consult with the diocesan director of Catholic Cemeteries and with the cemetery committee for possible updates and publication to the parishioners so that people know what the cemetery policies/practices are; we will consult with other parishes on their practices
• Discussion of whether there is interest in offering assisted listening devices for church
• Discussion of whether we should take up a monthly collection for the Good Shepherd pantry
• Next diocesan update on SOFT is Feb. 27th; official announcement is Mar. 26
• Continued work on the school elevator issue: trying to get more quotes on repair/replacement options
• Fr. Schrader repeated that he is glad to post information such as minutes from other committee meetings to the parish website, but he cannot post information if committees fail to send it to him
• Next meeting is March 19, 2024

Parish Finance Council Meeting (21 November 2023)

Present were: Fr. Schrader, Lisa Verslues, Barbara Reichart, Steve Massman,  Ben Holterman, Kelly Kampeter, and Debbie Wieberg

The council:

• Reviewed financial reports and account balances in detail, one correction in coding an expense
• Prepared for sale of old stocks (approximately $1,000 value) that had been discovered
• Reviewed the new diocesan transparency in fundraising policy
• Discussed Catholic Stewardship Renewal process
• Discussed the new diocesan finance policy; members will review and implementation discussed further
• Discussed the school elevator needed replacement / ramp possibility - the school advisory council has been working on this - meetings with contractors for estimates / options are slowly occurring

Parish Pastoral Council Meeting (21 November 2023)

Present were: Fr. Schrader, Deacon Jim Haaf, Becki Orscheln, Sharon Lehmen, Amy Luecke, Kathy Badami, Margis Luebbert, Charles Williams and Debbie Wieberg

The council:

• Celebrated and thanked Debbie Wieberg for her service as parish secretary
• Heard committee reports (liturgy, social concerns, home/school)
• Discussed lack of clarity about the cemetery committee (need for written by-laws or description of duties)
• Discussed Catholic Stewardship Renewal process (forms are coming in; the council will review the stewardship guide and the forms before next year so that they can be updated; no one has been willing to serve on a stewardship council, which the diocese wants us to form)
• Discussed plans for special Rogation Day prayers for April 25, 2024; this is a day traditionally dedicated to praying for good weather and successful crops, with a traditional litany, procession and prayers; Fr. Schrader would like the men's group to help with this and to pray for our farmers this coming year by reviving this tradition
• Discussed need for a parish picnic chair and decided to try to return to the practice of having two people (or couples) chair the picnic on a rotating basis (assist for 1 year, chair for 1 year)
• In conjunction with this, the concern came up that the fall supper is too much work too close to the picnic; there was discussion over the possibility of making the fall supper easier and more social or even of moving it; no decision was made yet
• Discussed a parishioner's suggestion for a parish library, like some of our neighboring parishes have; the council decided to try this out with a goal of having something available for Lent
• Discussed feedback on the fall preaching series, as we near the end of it and prepare to return to regular readings-based preaching each week

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Parish Finance Council Meeting (19 September 2023)

Present were: Fr. Schrader, Barbara Reichart, Ben Holterman, Joyce Brandt, Kelly Kampeter, Steve Massman and Debbie Wieberg

Topics included:

• Review of 2022-23 full financial report as submitted to the diocese
• Review of all account balances and recent activity
• Recap of Back in Black funds and status of school security improvements (ballistic film is installed; doors and additional cameras to be installed hopefully soon)
• Discussion of designation of picnic revenue in accord with diocesan policy: fireproof safe for parish records; minor office equipment and improvements; majority will be placed in a "Capital Improvements" CD; picnic revenue is exempt from paying 10% to the diocese if we follow these designations
• Discussion of grant money from the Schwartze Foundation: the foundation has been very generous with St. Joseph over the years; we recently received a letter from them; in their negotiations with the diocese, the foundation has advised us that in future years grant money cannot be used for operating expenses for the parish or school (such as salaries) but must instead be used for extraordinary expenses; St. Joseph School has been relying on this money for salaries; finance council had a good discussion; Fr. Schrader has written to the foundation asking a series of clarifying questions; St. Joseph is grateful to the Schwartze Foundation for their gifts over the years and has every intention of being faithful to their vision for how those gifts are used
• St. Joseph continues with the Catholic Stewardship Renewal process, especially beginning in October with pledging of time/talent/treasure by parishioners

Parish Pastoral Council Meeting (19 September 2023)

Present were: Fr. Schrader, Deacon Jim Haaf, Joyce Brandt, Amy Luecke, Kathy Badami, Charles Williams and Debbie Wieberg

Topics included:

• Cemetery committee: concerns over brush and weeds by the fence and some headstones that may need resetting; Chris Massman will follow through on this.
• Discussion of additional opportunities for prayer and confession: there will be a special holy hour on Nov. 14th with confessions; discussions will continue about possible implementation of the mostly-forgotten traditions of Ember and/or Rogation Days at the parish
• A parishioner suggested disabled parking spaces by the church ramp; council was in favor; we will proceed with designating several spaces
• Discussion of a "welcome sign" for church with reminders about church etiquette, possibly for use at weddings or maybe all the time; council was in favor of such a sign
• Discussion of the signs at the entrances to town with very out-of-date Mass schedule; since there is no word on Shaping Our Future Together from the diocese, the Mass schedule is likely to remain what it is for the time being; we will try to update the signs for accuracy
• The diocese wants every parish to form a stewardship council to assist with the Catholic Stewardship Renewal process; discussion over how to do this without creating needless work for parish volunteers; how to work with existing volunteer structures and ways of doing things
• Debbie Wieberg will be retiring at the end of the year; discussion over recruiting/hiring process and possibilities for a parish secretary/bookkeeper; ads will be coming out soon; thank you to Debbie for her service!
• Discussion of Christmas Mass schedule options; Christmas is on a Monday this year, which causes the Christmas schedule to interfere with the weekend schedule, so some adjustments are needed; the council considered several possibilities

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Parish Finance Council Meeting (18 July 2023)

Present: Fr. Schrader, Barbara Reichart, Ben Holterman, Pat Kirk, Debbie Wieberg, and Lisa Verslues

• Joe Neuner attended to discuss and formalize our school busing agreement; this has previously been an informal verbal agreement; the council and Joe agreed to adopt a written agreement so that terms of payment are clear and to create a record for financial transparency
• Darlene Helton and Anne Cavender attended to present on problems with the school FACTS online system as an option for families to provide electronic payments of school fees; for this functionality we pay whether it is used or not, and it has problems; the council agreed to get clarity from FACTS on one issue and explore alternatives
• the council reviewed statements of activities in all accounts
• the council reviewed a draft of the 2023-24 budget, to be finalized and approved in the coming weeks
• a report for the whole parish of the previous fiscal year will be published
• because of the diocesan stewardship model, funds from the picnic must be designated for non-operating expenses OR we will pay 10% to the diocese from the picnic proceeds; the council will explore possible designations to avoid the 10%
• Fr. Schrader gave a short demo of online giving through Flocknote; this functionality is already available to us at no additional cost; Flocknote allows secure, easy, online donations and payment of fees; the council agreed to try this as an option for the whole parish for tithing and possibly as an option for the payment of school fees

Parish Pastoral Council Meeting (18 July 2023)

Present: Fr. Schrader, Sharon Lehmen, Deacon Jim Haaf, Kathy Badami, Charles Williams, Pat Kirk, and Debbie Wieberg.

• Prayer Garden Update: Leslie Crane and Laurie Roach updated the council on the rosary prayer garden; they are ready to proceed with phase 2 (accessible entrance and parking); the council approved; more details to come soon
• Stewardship: In October, Folk and Westphalia will participate with all other parishes of the diocese in the Catholic Stewardship Renewal (CSR); this is an annual pledging event for time/talent/treasure; Fr. Stephen Jones will be preaching at some Masses in September to explain it; the parish will have a stewardship directory and pledge cards available
• Shaping Our Future Together: All deaneries submitted proposals; thanks to all the Folk and Westphalia parishioners who took part in the town hall meetings and submitted input; this has all been given to the Bishop; we now wait to hear what happens next
• Fr. Schrader is considering a major preaching series; this could be a series of Sunday homilies that, instead of focusing on the readings, explore a series of topics in a systematic order; for example, it could be covering the Creed line by line or an overview of the whole Catholic faith with practical ways to live it out; Fr. Schrader will draft a possible way of doing this for council feedback
• The council discussed confession times and how to encourage people to use this sacrament; no major scheduling changes will be made till the results of Shaping Our Future Together come out; Fr. Schrader very much wanted to hear from the council what would be the most convenient confession times for people; the council advised that the current times seem convenient enough; to encourage people to go to confession, Fr. Schrader will look into offering special extra opportunities throughout the year
• Principal's report: enrollment for the coming year is 154; security updates will be moving forward; air purifiers are coming (given by grant); cleaning is going well; new faculty and staff seem like they will be good