Church Council
November 2021
The November 10th Council meeting focused on action items that came out of the Sacred Listening Circles and the 2022 budget. Teams have been working to develop meeting guidelines, streamline the church's organizational structure, and develop prayers to open and close meetings. The Deacons are writing a covenant that concerns how we live as a church community, and the Intentional Interim Committee is seeking members for the Senior Pastor Search Committee. The worship service on November 21 will bring to a close the healing and reconciliation process that included the Sacred Listening Circles.
December 27, 2019
REALM will be here soon!
Have you ever wished you could call a church friend but couldn't find a current phone number for them? Ever wanted to check your financial statement but didn't know whom to ask? Ever tried to plan an event at church without access to accurate, up-to-date RSVPs? Situations like these can get really frustrating. Thankfully, there's now a smartphone app to help us with all of that! It's called Realm, and it allows us to access all of that information and more through our phones. (And if you don't have a smartphone, there's a website you can use, instead!). Rooted in the church's database, Realm allows you to update your contact information in real time, find out how to contact folks at church, and even get current giving information for the year. The app and website allow you to adjust your own privacy settings, as well, so that you can choose whether the whole church sees your contact information or only a handful of people (like the pastors). Best of all, it comes at no extra cost to the church because Realm comes with the cost of our database service in the office! On Sunday, January 5, Pastor David will offer a brief training to the chairs of our committees and boards on how to use Realm during the Nominations and Appointments meeting. On Thursday, January 9, a link will be emailed to all church members to start using Realm. If you have questions, you can contact Pastor David directly at or on his cell phone at (571) 339-9343.
June 8, 2019
Final Report: Church Leadership Retreat on June 8, 2019
May 19, 2019
Leadership Retreat on June 8
The Little River UCC Church Council will have a leadership retreat to on Saturday, June 8 from 8:30 to 11:30 am in the Jubilee Room. The purpose of the retreat is to review and reflect on the current governance structure in order to understand how it is working, to discern if and what change is needed, and to determine possible next steps. Church council members who are not able to attend are encouraged to complete this survey (https://forms.gle/TWH3gwZeBTcTywyD9) by June 8 in order to provide input. Please contact Karen Kleiber, Tom Ross, or Larry Roth with questions.
February 13, 2019
The Church Council met on February 13. Pastor Lindsey opened the meeting in prayer. Discussed were the treasurer's report, stewardship, the Excellence in Ministry Award for Pastor Alexis, the Endowment Fund (including a proposal for Room 7 renovation), and the transition of church software. Communications Committee is exploring the live-streaming of sermons. Christian Education chair talked about the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Deacon chair spoke about Lent planning. Nominations and Appointments chair reminded us that there are still key vacancies, including that of Church Clerk. Personnel is now staffed by three members. Little River UCC has a date of Sunday, March 17 for the Hypothermia Dinner. Pastor David gave an update on his Sabbatical planning. Under New Business, the committee discussed the need for a new governance model. Ministry Board will assist with fundraising planning for benevolences. The Council decided to start meeting at 7:00 pm instead of 7:30 pm, and that both Governance and Ministry Boards would meet on March 13 and that agendas would be shared in advance. Pastor David closed the meeting in prayer.
August 8, 2018
The Church Council met on August 8, and discussed the work to be done in the Social Hall in August to repair and improve the wall where the bulletin boards are currently located. This project addresses one of several issues in the Social Hall during a narrow window available to deal with it in August. There may be some modest construction mess while the project is underway. It is expected to take one to two weeks and includes removing the baseboard heater units on that wall. Other issues in the Social Hall will be the focus of future projects.