Your Session at Work, 8/22
After a summer break, which included an evening retreat at the Manse on July 20th, Session resumed its regular (or “stated”) meetings schedule on August 31st with a two and half hour meeting. There were many items important for the life of this congregation on the agenda, with significant decisions being made.
Session:
Endorsed the application of Tori Paquette to the Presbytery of the Coastlands to move from Inquirer to Candidate for Ministry of Word and Sacrament. Session was highly impressed by Tori’s application and will be formally supporting her in this next stage of her journey. Doug McCleery will continue to be her liaison.
Accepted the formal termination of Montgomery Ministries: a ministry of this congregation which started in 2003 and was a faithful witness in Montgomery.
Determined to proceed with paving work at the Manse and in front of the Creative Connections Play School entrance, using monies from the Memorial Funds and the Building Contingency Fund. VA Construction of Lawrenceville will be the contractors.
Agreed to contract with Jersey Art Stained Glass Studio for the renovation of the side aisle windows in the sanctuary for $77,700. It is hoped that this work will be completed in March/April of 2023.
Agreed to enter into contract review and negotiations with Baxter Construction for the Sanctuary Renovation Project for an adjusted estimated cost of $579,462.
Authorized the Sanctuary Taskforce and the Personnel Committee to solicit, interview and hire a candidate for the position of Owner’s Representative for the Sanctuary Renovation Project. This person will be the primary point of contact between the church, the project architect, and the contractor. The expected cost of this part-time position is $10,400.
Noted that tithes and offerings (the monies that pay for the ministry and mission of the church) are $17,000 behind projected budget for the period June-August 2022.
Noted that limited final additional distributions from the Sharipen Estates are expected in the coming months.
Approved the job description for the position of Nursery Worker, and authorized the Pastor to hire a person who meets the qualifications. This part-time position chiefly involves “providing a safe and fun space for children ages 0-3” during Sunday worship. Estimated cost is $2500 for 12 months.
Formally adopted three policies (Conflict of Interest, Harassment and Discrimination, and Child Youth and Vulnerable Adult Protection) presented by the Personnel Committee. These policies are part of the comprehensive Personnel Policy Document prepared by the Personnel Committee. Session will review and approve the remainder of this very important document at the next stated meeting. Session warmly thanks the Personnel Committee for their hard and diligent work,
Received with thanks a gift of $7000 from Creative Connections Play School.
Continued to discuss the revised ministry structure, and particularly the charge of the new Programming Ministry and educational offerings planned for the Fall.
Masking Policy. In response to requests, Session reviewed current practices and policies for masking as part of continuing efforts to address the continuing Covid epidemic. The church’s revised policy to align the HPC masking practice with the current NJ Department of Health recommendations based on COVID-19 Weekly Surveillance report.
Specifically, revising our current statement as follows:
‘As it pertains to indoor worship, for the foreseeable future, HPC will use the New Jersey Department of Health | Communicable Disease Service | COVID-19 Weekly Surveillance Reports (nj.gov) to guide our decision making regarding the need for masking. When the Community Level is reported as “High”, masks will be required indoors. We remain vigilant about masking on our education wing on Sundays, when our children are in nursery.’
The current Session comprises: Rev. Melissa A. Martin (Moderator), Ian Burrow (Clerk of Session), Bonnie Altieri (2024), Chris Cox (2025), Becky Ludeke (2025), Doug McCleery (2023), Ruth Mortensen (2025), Molly Peterson (2023), and Sandy Sherrard (2024). Please continue to hold them in prayer as they seek to discern God’s will for this congregation and community.
Ian Burrow