April 2025

Pastoral Council Minutes, April 22, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m.
The mission of St. Mary Parish is to make Christ real in our Communities by living the Gospel, worshipping together and serving others.
Present:  Elizabeth Amsberry, Leo Beschorner, Michelle Even, Nathan Heitz, Val King, Mary Jo Stromberg, LuAnn Scallon, Becky David, Sandy Risvold, Phil Paladino, Fr. Doug Wathier 
Call to order:      Nathan Heitz at 7:10 p.m.                               Prayer:       Fr. Doug Wathier
 We reviewed and approved as written the Pastoral Council minutes from 3/11/25. We also reviewed for discussion the Finance Council minutes of 3/11/25, the Parish Life minutes of 3/10/25, the Peace and Justice minutes of 3/17/25, and the Faith Formation minutes of 4/1/25.
Finance Council  - Becky David

• Still working on the budget. Changes are being discussed and we are determining what to set for offertory income. Also, finalizing payroll changes.
• Goal is to avoid covering a budget shortage with savings dollars as we have done in the past.
• Staff have been asked about opportunities to cut costs and increase tithing.
• We have hail damage on the siding on the new edition, HVAC is dented, and roof of the nave has some damage.
• We will use money out of savings for parking lot repairs when the bill arrives.

Building Update

• The first phase of the construction in competed.
• Second phase is started – no timeline yet and the beams have not arrived.
• Furniture – we will move in and use what we have for a few months and then assess what other furniture we could use.
• Pledges continue to come in.

Pastoral Council Members

• The 3-year terms of Leo, Mary Jo, Michell, and Val expire this year. Leo will continue for another term and the others stated that they will not be staying on for another term.
• All presented agreed it would make sense for 2 of the open positions be 1-year terms so we have 2 members rotate off in 2026. Then, going forward we will have 2 members rotate off every 2 years.
• Mary Jo stated she would be willing to fill one of the 1-year terms. So, one 1-year term and one 3-year term  are open.
• Members should bring names of potential candidates to be considered by the Pastoral Council.

DMI – Disciple Maker Index
We briefly discussed the findings of the DMI. We need to remember that this instrument is a measure of vitality and not a needs assessment. Over 70% of the St. Mary respondents were female over the age of 50. We need to be thoughtful how we draw conclusions from the results.
As there were no further items for discussion, we adjourned at 7:40.
The next meeting is Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.  Minutes prepared by Val King

Finance Council, Apr 22, 2025
Present: Becky David, Joe Barber, Katie Crouse, Adam Losey, Fr Doug Wathier. Also present: Deacon Phil Paladino, Dixie Jacobs.
Meeting opened with prayer.
Minutes: Katie made a motion to accept the minutes as presented. Adam seconded; accepted unanimously.
Financials: Our offertory continues to be strong and is over $25,000 above budget to date.
Budget 2025/26: Increased the electric from $17,480 to $24,000 based on space to accommodate the addition HVAC, which is an electric system. The church needs some tuckpointing; the first quote is $14,000. This is typically paid from savings. Committee and staff submitted budget items are included. Offertory budget was increased by $23,000 to reflect the stronger offertory this year. The draft budget is about $50,000 in the “red.” The finance council asked the staff to review their budget items for opportunities for reduction. The goal is to not rely on savings withdrawals to cover budget shortages as we have done for the past couple years. At the May meeting, finance will review the changes to the budget, offertory, and staff packages.
Building Update: The addition is complete and the canopy/handicap parking has begun. The canopy and handicap parking lot work will be completed in Aug. Hail damage on Good Fri has been reported to our insurance agents. The addition has roof, siding, and possibly damage to the HVAC roof unit. The current church’s roof has damage to the roof ridge and a some shingles. The parking lot drainage repairs will be completed when the handicap parking is changed this summer.
Finance Members Terms: Becky W and Joe are completing their 2nd term. Members were asked to bring suggestions for possible members for the vacancies to the May meeting.
Meeting adjourned. Next meeting is May 20.

Peace and Justice Meeting Minutes for May 12, 2025 7PM
Present: Lindsey Kuhlmann, Phil Paladino, Teresa Moerer, and Jan Kriener
                Sharon Denner is a guest to help her decide if she would like to be part of the Committee.
Opening Prayer: Teresa
Habitat: Wayne informed us about a day that TruStage and  Veridian Credit (30 volunteers) partnered to build walls/panels for a 2 story house. The assembled walls are stored at their warehouse in preparation when a home needs to be built.
Food Bank: Six volunteers assisted in May. Next volunteer day is June 7th. It was decided to cancel the scheduled day July 5th since it was the holiday weekend. August 2nd work day also canceled due to event at Food bank.
Volunteer Opportunities: Since last meeting, Jan discussed with Geri contacting other nursing homes in our parish for volunteer ideas. Some activity coordinators have gotten back to Jan with some suggestions. Coordination of this effort was discussed, Phil will discuss at staff meeting, and Geri will be included. Teresa will work on some way to publicize it such as a poster.
Articles for bulletin: Wayne will write article about Habitat and Teresa will write one on Birthright.
Tithing: Local: $1,000 to Larrabee Center, National: $1,000 to Guiding Star and $500 to Retrieving Freedom. International  $1,000 to Caritas.
Next Meeting: Monday June, 16,2025.  Closing Prayer: Lindsey
Meeting adjourned: 7:45PM
Minutes per Jan Kriener
 
 
Parish Life Minutes, Monday, April 14, 2025
Present:  Mindy Hart, Fr. Wathier, Helen Melichar, Mary Lou Ungs, Liz Poock, Gerri Dix                                                       Meeting called to order by Mindy Hart
Opening Prayer: Prayer Intentions by Mindy
Review of March Minutes:  No additions or corrections
Old Business
Bingo: April 5,  28 people  in attendance.   Will not schedule for April 2026. Calendar for 2025-2026:  October 4- Bingo, November 1- Saints and Subs, December 6-Bingo, January 10-Trivia (Location needs to be changed to accommodate  the date) February 7-Bingo, March 7-Bingo, March 21-Easter Egg Hunt, April - No plans,  June-Parish Picnic with Bingo
Egg Hunt:  69 kids attended…feedback was positive -Possibly shorten to 90 minutes in spring of 2026.  Need signage at each station.  Much gratitude to Karen and her family for all the efforts put into this activity.
Care Packages for Wartburg Finals Week:  7 left, 23 handed out
Spring Tea:  Cancelled for 2025
New Business:
Graduation Breakfast:  May 25 after the 10:00 Mass.  Parents of juniors will be asked to make the egg bakes.  Gerri will send a letter to them.  Junior students will be asked to be servers.
 Parish Picnic:  Sunday , June 8, after 10:00 Mass.  Lynn will be in charge of potato salad and also help Gerri.  Gerri will speak with Troy Merkes about grilling.  There will be cowboy beans, and soft serve ice cream. Mary Lou has reserved the soft serve machine.  Different toppings will be available. Mindy will be in charge of games.  There will also be bingo along with activities for kids.
Celebration of the Opening of the Addition:  Early in May-possibly May 10-11.  Cookies after 5:15 Mass on Saturday, and coffee and donuts on Sunday.  There will be a structured program/tour.
Parish Welcome Protocol:  Brief discussion, but tabled.
Pillow and Towel Drive: Peace and Justice Committee has arranged a collection for Friends of Family in August.
Other Business:
 St. Mary is hosting VBS this year - July 13-17.  We may need to assist with this.
Closing Prayer:  Father closed the meeting with “Hail Mary”.
 
Next Meeting:  Monday, May 12, 2025.