Attendees
Nancy Batson, Betsy Bennett, Dana Cann, Paul Connor,
Violaine Dumorne, John Hatch, Kent Hughes, David Jacobs, Diane
Kupelian, Gary McDavid, Mary Schoonmaker, Shirley Stubbs, Claudia
Thurber
AGENDA (January 20 @8:30am)
Opening:
Claudia
Minutes:
TBD
Treasurer’s
Report:
Kent
Committee
Updates:
S.O.M.E., Arts Committee/Concerts, Public Forums, Bazaar, Middle East
Committee, Volunteer Corps, City Gate/Marie Reed
Organization for
2008
Betsy/All
Focusing
John
Pielemeier, Volunteer Corps,
All
ACTION ITEM SUMMARY
· Co-Chair:
Betsy to send a summary of concerts and other fund raising activities
for 2007.
· Co-Chair: Betsy will send
out a summary of the openings and sub-committee/projects sheets.
· ALL 2008 Members: Send
Betsy calendar dates for events. Sign up sheets for both the Openings
and Committee assignments were passed around, as was a contact sheet
for Board Members to be updated.
· S.O.M.E.: Claudia will
request support for the SOME casseroles at today’s service, will submit
a reminder request via the “net”, and John H. will ask Kathy Ireland to
do an e-mail reminder to the congregation.
· Middle East Committee:
Diane will review the request and make a recommendation to the BCA at
the February meeting.
· Other Projects: Diane to
get notice in Westmorelander about the new Haitian Orphanage committee.
DECISION SUMMARY
· DECISION:
The committee agreed to fund $500 to the United Nations Association of
the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA), with preference for a Marie Reed
students, and second for Roosevelt High or Cardozo High class.
· DECISION (TO BE RATIFIED
AT ANNUAL MEETING): Proposed Slate of Officers for 2008: Betsy Bennett
and David Jacobs, Co-Chairs; Paul Connor, Treasurer; Mary Schoonmaker,
Secretary.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
· February 9
@9am-12pm (optional) – Annual all Boards retreat to be held in the
Social Hall.
· February 17 @ 8:30am - BCA
meeting
MEETING TOPICS
Meeting opened by John Hatch at 8:38am
Opening Reading – Claudia read an excerpt from Martin Luther King’s
sermon entitled, The Drum Major Instinct (Feb 4, 1968). The full
sermon can be found at http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/sermons/680204.000_Drum_Major_Instinct.html
"Every now and then I guess we all think realistically
(Yes, sir) about that day when we will be victimized with what is
life's final common denominator—that something that we call death. We
all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death
and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid
sense. And every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would
want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning.
If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I
don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the
eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I
wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a
Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I
have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them
not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)
I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther
King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody
to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. I
want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question.
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the
hungry. And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my
life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say on that day that
I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. I want you to
say that I tried to love and serve humanity.
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say
that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for
peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other
shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind.
I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But
I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to
say."
Past Minutes
Not available at this point in time.
Treasurer’s Report
A full report will be given at our next meeting.
BCA’s current balance is $4,136. There may be additional funds
coming in from the Christmas offering, although this particular
offering is conservatively forecasted at $7,100. The Board of
Trustees has also removed the BCA’s responsibility for funding
membership to 3 of the 6 local organizations. (This is per plan.)
Based upon the spending forecast of $35,680 and a revenue forecast of
$29,615, there is a potential gap in spending versus funding.
There was a $1K request from the United Nations
Association of the National Capital Area to fund a Model UN
Participation for local students. Nancy B. had submitted a
background letter to the committee via email.
DECISION: The committee agreed to provide $500 to the
Model UN organization is to pay for the costs of sending one teacher
and his or her class of about 30 students to the Model UN event held at
the State Dept. in April 2008. If the Marie Reed Learning Center
decides to send a class our grant is to go to pay for that class, if
not, then the grant should go to support either a class from Bell
Multicultural High School (if they send a group) or Roosevelt High
School. All of these schools have a high percentage of students in the
free or reduced fee lunch program.
Committee Reports
S.O.M.E.
The number of casseroles has declined in the past month. The
church usually provides ~15 casseroles. ACTION ITEMS: Claudia
will request support for the SOME casseroles at today’s service, will
submit a reminder request via the “net”, and John H. will advise Kathy
Ireland.
Arts Committee/Concerts
There is a Jazz concert planned for 7 pm, April 5, to benefit Marie
Reed Learning Center. More information will be forthcoming.
Public Forums
Another “green” group presentation is planned in the future.
Bazaar
Amy Wooden is enthusiastic about the results from the Bazaar and sees
an expanded role for engaging as many people as possible in the fund
raising event.
Middle East Committee
There was some confusion over a memo requesting BCA support for
NRCAT/WRRCAT.
ACTION ITEM: Diane Kupelian will review the request and
make a recommendation to the BCA at the February meeting.
Volunteer Corps
The recent concert raised $2k for the Volunteer Corps.
Marie Reed and City Gate
Gary is working with the math club at Marie Reed and is coordinating
math volunteers. There is a current need for a photo-copier at Marie
Reed. The BCA donated $4k toward books for City Gate.
Martha’s Table
Monthly sandwich making continues, totaling 3,000 sandwiches for
2007! Most recently the Sunday school children assembled 80
stockings for City Gate children.
Other Projects
Diane K. will be forming a committee to help with the Haitian
orphanage. Gary plans to locate laptops for the Haitian school.
ACTION ITEM: Diane to get notice in Westmorelander about
this new committee.
Lincoln-Westmoreland Housing
This $12M project is for low income housing
improvements. Gary is trying to get City Gate involved in
the committee that works closely with this co-owned facility.
Executive Committee REPORT OUT
The capital campaign project group will conduct a
feasibility study to understand what is possible in terms of
funding. One consultant (Rob Peters) has stated that capital
projects typically raise 2-3 times the annual pledge
budget. Pledges are up 16% with 20 fewer pledging
units. There will be a social these on selected Sundays and each
committee with help guide the format of the service.
February 9th, from 9am to 2pm, an
annual retreat is planned for all board members. The purpose is
to network and create synergies. Please attend if you are able.
BCA BUSINESS
Officers Slate – John Hatch
Betsy Bennett – Co-Chair
David Jacobs – Co-Chair
Paul Connor – Treasurer
Mary Schoonmaker – Secretary
Current Meeting Schedule is 8:30 – 9:45 on the 3rd Sunday of
each month.
A sign-up sheet for openings and sub-committee/projects
was passed out.
ACTION ITEM: Betsy will send out a summary of the
completed sheets.
Volunteer Corp FOCUS DISCUSSION
There is a proposal for the BCA and VC to have a “focus
efforts” discussion. The idea is to work closely with a few
agencies/groups. While this concept is worthy, it is challenging
to match agencies/groups that can meet the criteria to sponsor a
volunteer and vice versa, volunteers that align well with a particular
agency/group. This discussion will continue.
Recently, one of the VC personnel had to leave his/her assignment after
6 months, which demonstrates the challenges aforementioned.
Note from John Hatch that accompanied VC discussion:
The BCA, through John Hatch, would like to work with the
WVC board on an idea that grew both out of a sense that our outreach is
quite fragmented and could be more effective if it had greater focus
and out of the worship study initiative which, among other things,
asked how we could realize more of what we say and do in worship
outside the church building.
The idea is that working together BCA and WVC would
select two or three agencies we would like to work with for a
longer-term and on a wider basis than just placing a volunteer for a
year. The agencies would be selected to be consistent with a
theme for our outreach, e.g., reducing the causes and effects of
poverty by providing education, counseling, and food and shelter, and
with the interests and skills of members of our congregation (a la
Marie Reed).
Westmoreland would commit, via the WVC, to make a good
faith effort to place a volunteer in one of the positions (related to
the theme) available at the agency for each year for a three to five
year period. It would also work with BCA to make an effort to
interest members of the congregation in working with the agency on
other needs and activities related to the theme it could use people to
help with on a volunteer basis. BCA would also make a grant to
the agency in addition to the usual $1000 grant associated with having
a volunteer. We could not, of course, promise to guarantee to
find a suitable candidate every year or to supply a minimum number of
person-hours from congregation members.
The agency, for its part, would make a good faith effort
to commit to providing a position (or positions) for a volunteer for
each year during the period and to working with church members who want
to become involved in the agency’s work.
The WVC would not be expected place all of its
volunteers with such agencies. In order to maintain WVC
flexibility for placing candidates according to their skills and
interests as well as BCA flexibility in changing our outreach
priorities, we would begin with one agency next year and expand to two,
perhaps three, at the rate of one each year.
We would probably start with well-established agencies
that have a variety of positions, such as Bread for the City, N Street
Village, or SOME. If WVC identified an agency we thought might
benefit from a longer-term relationship, it could suggest the agency to
BCA. Ideally, we would find agencies that have some activities
related to those church members are already doing, e.g., sandwich
making, casserole preparation, English teaching, or maybe developing in
the future.
New Business
Paul Connor proposed a sub-committee to engage the
church members in helping guide BCA decision processes. Members
are Betsy, Gary, Mary, and Paul. Next steps are TBD.
Meeting adjourned by Betsy at 9:58am
