Parish Council
The Parish Council meets on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Small Social Room.The members and officers of the 2007 Parish Council are:
Maria Alexander
Dennis Branoff
Elaine Christofilis, Secretary
Diane Dellis
Stella Economy, President
Hiram Fitzgerald, Treasurer
Yvonne Joseph
Curt Kosal
George Lafkas
George Mansour, Vice President
Alexis Popoff
Elan Stravos-Nichols
Fr. Mark SietsemaConcerns about parish matters may be communicated to any member of the Council. Anyone wishing to contact the President directly may reach her by e-mail at: Stellaecon@aol.com .
Other members may be reached by e-mail by clicking below:Maria Alexander: mariaalexander1@comcast.net
Dennis Branoff: dbranoff@ww-wmi.com
Elaine Christofilis: echristofilis@comcast.net
Diane Dellis: d.arta@comcast.net
Stella Economy: Stellaecon@aol.com
Hiram Fitzgerald: fitzger9@msu.edu
Yvonne Joseph: classarms@aol.com
Curt Kosal: kosals2@comcast.net
George Mansour: mansour@msu.edu
Alexis Popoff: ampopoff@consenergy.com
Elan Stravos-Nichols: estavros@malansing.com
Fr. Mark Sietsema: frmarksiet@sbcglobal.net
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Special Meeting Minutes
January 6, 2008
Approved January 14. 2008
Members Present: Father Mark, Maria Alexander, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis, Stella Economy, Hiram Fitzgerald, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Alexis Popoff, Elan Nichols
Members Absent: Dennis Branoff, Yvonne Joseph, Curt Kosal
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 12:45 PM.
Purpose of meeting is to elect 2008 Parish Council Officers.
Father Mark opens the floor for the election of 2008 Parish Council Officers:
-Nominations for Parish Council President- G. Lafkas nominates S. Economy. S. Economy accepts the nomination, passed unanimously with voice vote. -Nominations for Parish Council Vice President- H. Fitzgerald nominates G. Mansour. G. Mansour accepts the nomination, passed unanimously with voice vote. -Nominations for Parish Council Secretary- H. Fitzgerald nominates E. Christofilis. E. Christofilis accepts the nomination, passed unanimously with voice vote. -Nominations for Parish council Treasurer- G. Lafkas nominates H. Fitzgerald. H. Fitzgerald accepts the nomination, passed unanimously with voice vote.
Other Business:
S. Economy reminds Parish Council that H. Fitzgerald has e-mailed the proposed 2008 budgets to be discussed at the January meeting. Also, M. Karagoulis has two options for the pull down screens to be installed in the Large Social Room, one is a manual pull down screen the other an electronic one. M. Karagoulis suggested the manual pull down screen because of the price difference, all agreed with this suggestion.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 12:50 PM.
Elaine Christofilis, Parish Council Secretary
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
Fr. Mark Sietsema, Parish Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes, January 14, 2008
Approved, February 11, 2008
Members Present: Fr. Mark, Maria Alexander, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Stella Economy, Hiram Fitzgerald, Curt Kosal, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Elan Nichols, Alexis Popoff.
Members Absent: Diane Dellis, Yvonne Joseph
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:07PM.
Welcome: S. Economy, Parish President, welcomes the new members. All members write their hopes and wishes for Holy Trinity for the upcoming year, all are collected and placed in an envelope to be opened in December 2008.
Approval of December 10 meeting: Motion by G. Mansour, seconded by D. Branoff, to accept minutes with approved revisions, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Approval of January 6 meeting: Motion by G. Mansour, seconded by G. Lafkas, to accept minutes with approved revisions, passed unanimously by voice vote.
November 2007 Treasurer's Report: (H. Fitzgerald reports)
a. Bills for Payment: H. Fitzgerald motions to accept the Bills for Payment with corrections, seconded by D. Branoff, passed unanimously by voice vote.
b. December 2007 financial report: H. Fitzgerald explains the end of the year reports. Discussion and questions followed. A motion by E. Christofilis to accept all December Financial reports, seconded by G. Mansour, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Correspondence: S. Economy reports the following has been received: a thank you from the Traverse City mission priest for donated chairs (sent in July, just found in mailbox); a thank you from the family oi Nick Revelos for our donation to the Ohio Church in his memory; a letter from Langendorf Law Firm in Ohio notifying us that Holy Trinity is a beneficiary to Nick Revelos' Estate; a thank you from Fr. Mark for the flowers for his father's funeral; also a thank you from Fr. Mark's mother for the flowers; a thank you from Fr. Mark, Mary, and Gregory for the end of the year checks; from GO ARCH- a clergy benefits plan changing to an automatic withdrawal program on December 31, 2007; a thank you for our fire donation;, and a letter requesting an update of data base on National Level remit by January 31, 2008 our stewardship list; and a thank you from Capitol National Bank for opening a new CD.
Remarks from Priest: Fr. Mark wishes everyone a Happy New Year and welcomes the new members. Fr. Mark reports Cindy Hoag would like to pass on the responsibility of the Bookstore to someone else and Holy Trinity will be hosting Interfaith Day this year. Father Mark will be on vacation from February 5th to February 22nd. A letter from the Archdiocese Benefits Committee was received (and distributed to all P. C. Members) stating that Holy Trinity has not complied with the 'Electronic Withdrawal Program' and the Ancillary Benefits will be withdrawn. Father Mark and our treasurer cleared up the situation and it turned out to be a mistake. D. Branoff suggests writing a letter requesting a written verification for being in compliance with the program. S. Economy will follow through with a letter.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy welcomed M. Alexander and E. Nichols to the Parish Council and gave them a copy of the Holy Trinity By-laws. S. Economy updated the Parish Council member information as well as distributed the Sundav Service Schedule.
Committee Reports
(S. Economy will assign the head of the committees for 2008 at the February meeting.)
a. Maintenance: S. Economy reports G. Lafkas will be the maintenance representative.
b. Personnel: Fr. Mark requests a time sheet is given to Gregory to fill out.
c. Stewardship: E. Christofilis and A. Popoff report as of today there is a total of $223,289.00 pledged and a total of 186 pledged units for 2008.
Sub Committee Reports
a. Fund-Raising-Raffle Report: G. Manosur and G. Lafkas distribute an official report. The total revenue from the ticket sales was $7550.00. The total expenses including the prizes were $3100.00. The total profit was $4291.00.
b. Iconography: G. Mansour reports 45 financial statements have been prepared to go out to the 2007 donors only.
Old Business
a. 2008 Budget (action item): H. Fitzgerald reports two 2008 Budget scenarios (both distributed to members prior to meeting). The proposed budget for 2008 differs from past budgets. It is not presented as a profit and loss statement, but as a revenue and disbursement statement. This change enables us to track and list all disbursements from our operational fund. The two scenarios presented differ as follows: 1) Budget 2 assumes that Fr. Mark transitions to a new salary level effective June 1. This requires the parish council to accept Fr. Mark's tenure in clerical orders fits the Clergy Compensation guidelines. 2) Budget 2 assumes that Fr. Mark's YMCA and cell phone use are negotiable items (not required by the Clergy Compensation guidelines), and therefore must be negotiated annually, or for some specified period. The two items involved amount to $966.00. Discussion and questions followed. D. Branoff suggests taking the roof loan and turning it into an interest only loan, which in turn can save the church some money. D. Branoff will look into this and get back to the council. It was also suggested to appoint a Fund-raising committee consisting of parishioners not on the parish council. G. Mansour moved that Fr. Mark's llth year be introduced on June 1st, seconded by S. Economy, did not pass. D. Branoff moved that Fr. Mark's ll"1 year be introduced on January 1st, seconded by M. Alexander, passed.. Discussion on the two negotiable items followed. D. Branoff moved to keep Fr. Mark's membership to the YMCA, seconded by G. Lafkas, passed. G. Mansour moved to continue Fr. Mark's cell phone benefits passed. C. Kosal does not agree with having the cell phone benefits as a negotiable item. G. Mansour suggests going back to the General Assembly on February 3rd with the budget and the adjustments made. Parish Council reviewed the 2008 budget presented by the Parish Council Treasurer, corrections and adjustments were made. G. Mansour moved, seconded by A. Popoff, to approve Budget 2 -with corrections, passed.
New Business
a. Social room rental contracts: S. Economy reports two wedding receptions (200-250 people each) are requesting the renting of the Social Room-the Stathopoulos wedding on May 17th and Worthington wedding on October 4th. G. Mansour moved to accept both rental contracts, seconded by C. Kosal, passed by voice vote.
b. Technology upgrade proposal: H. Fitzgerald reports on the Technology upgrade proposal. Details on the computers requested were distributed. Funds would come out of the Capitol Fund. Discussion and Questions followed. C. Kosal moved to purchase the Dell Vostro 200 Desktop, a
Dell Vostro 1500 Notebook, and a HP printer. as well as include the services needed, seconded by G. Lqfkas, passed by voice vote.
c. Marketing Holy Trinity: H. Fitzgerald asks how we market Holy Trinity. The Welcome pamphlet printed in 2001 was distributed. All agreed it needs to be updated. Several pamphlets were presented from other churches. Discussion followed to include welcome programs, pamphlets, and website. G. Mansour suggested getting a committee together to brainstorm ideas
and come back with a proposal. The committee will include C. Kosal, G, Mansour, and H. Fitzgerald.
d. Memorial Garden: S. Economy reports the Philoptochos is interested in beautifying the back patio area and are suggesting a memorial garden. The Philoptochos is requesting an informal response in order to start gathering ideas. Everyone agreed it is a great idea. They should go ahead and start planning. Fr. Mark added that Ann Arbor has done something similar and will ask the parish for information.
e. 40th Anniversary Celebration/Iconography Dedication: S. Economy reports 2008 could be the 40th Anniversary for entering Holy Trinity if indeed it is S. Economy suggests having a celebration to include both the Anniversary and the Iconography Dedication. Fr. Mark reports the
Archbishop is interested in coming. The Metropolitan says most of the lighting should be in place prior to the dedication. Fr. Mark stated that this should be kept in mind. Fr. Mark will talk to the Metropolitan on how to proceed.
Liaisons- S. Economy will have the committees set up for the February meeting. G. Lafkas reports Odyssey will hold a dance this Saturday at 9:OOPM. The AHEPA will have the Greek Village Feast on January 27th, tickets are still available. Pikilia and a Movie will also take place on Sunday, March 2nd.
Round Table- General Assembly will take place on February 3rd.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 10:15 P.M.
Elaine Christofilis, Parish Council Secretary
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
Father Mark Sietsema, Parish Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes 10 December 2007
Approved, January 14, 2008
Members Present: Fr. Mark, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis Stella Economy, Hiram Fitzgerald, Yvonne Joseph, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Members Absent: Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:06PM.
Approval of November 12 meeting: Motion by G. Lafkas, seconded by D. Dellis to accept minutes with approved revisions, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Approval of November 26 meeting: Motion by A. Popoff, seconded by E. Christofilis to accept minutes with approved revisions, passed unanimously by voice vote.
November 2007 Treasurer's Report: (H. Fitzgerald reports)
a. Bills for Payment: H. Fitzgerald motions to accept the Bills for Payment with additional invoice for $884 to David Abood for the painting done, seconded by G. Mansour, passed unanimously by voice vote.
a. September/October/November 2007 financial report: H. Fitzgerald explains the adjustments made in the Reports. Overall for 2007 we will be low for the year or really close. For 2008, H. Fitzgerald suggests looking at the areas that were over expenses, stewardship letters need to go out more often, and the roof loan which is paid monthly needs to be represented correctly. Discussion and questions followed. Motion by G. Mansour, seconded by D. Branoff, to accept September, October, and November 2007 financial reports, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Correspondence: S. Economy reports the following has been received: A thank you from the Archdiocese for our donation toward the Greece Fire Relief Fund; a thank you for our donation in the memory of Nicholas Revelos from his family; and a Christmas card from the Metropolis.
Remarks from Priest: Fr. Mark thanks everyone for their support following the passing of his father. Fr. Mark also reports holding a discussion on Orthodoxy with a group from Spring Arbor University. The 2008 Calenders are in and need to be distributed during the Christmas Services.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy reports the following: The Parish Council Oath and coffee hour will take place on December 30th and a thank you to both V. Nicolaou and M. Karagoulis for their service on the Parish Council.
Committee Reports
a. Maintenance: S. Economy reports the following (e-mail from M. Karagoulis): M. Karagoulis is working on the projection screen for the large social room. The icons have been put up in the stairwell going up to the choir loft. The temperature in the large Social room is being looked into.
b. Personnel: None
c. Stewardship: E. Christofilis and A. Popoff report as of today there is a total of $204,339pledged and a total of 168 pledged units for 2008.Sub Committee Reports
a. Fund-Raising-Raffle: G. Lafkas reports the Raffle will take place this Sunday, December 16" An estimated 250 tickets have been sold. All tickets need to be turned in by Saturday.
Old Business
a. 2008 budget - next General Assembly: H. Fitzgerald will generate three budgets to be presented at the January meeting. The one the Council agrees upon will be presented to the February 3'd General Assembly. Fr. Mark requests to have $30,000 of his compensation designated as his housing allowance for 2008. H. Fitzgerald motions, seconded by D. Dellis to place Fr. Mark's housing allowance at $30,000 for 2008, passed with voice vote.
New Business
a. End of Year: S. Economy reports what should be done about the Employee Christmas gift this year. G. Mansour would like to clarify what exactly will be given, is it an end of the year check,
a gift, a bonus. Discussion followed and it was agreed upon that it will be an end of the year check. Motion by H. Fitzgerald, seconded by G. Lafkas, to give what was given last year with the addition to Gregory Dines at $175.00, passed with voice vote.
b. Looking to 2008: S. Economy would like the Council to start thinking about the following for 2008: 1) Possibly having a Family Outreach Sunday in 2008 where we invite family we have not seen in a while to come and join us for a Sunday and have the information available on the different organizations. 2) Forming a fund-raising committee outside of the Parish Council. 3) Audit committee members (3) are needed. 4) Considering First Aid training for members. Article distributed. Suggestions are encouraged.
Liaisons- none
Round Table- Eva Kokinos, the Metropolis Youth Director will attend the GOYA Lock-In scheduled to be here in Lansing.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 8:20 P.M.
Elaine Christofilis, Parish Council Secretary
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
Father Mark Sietsema, Parish Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Special Meeting Minutes
26 November 2007
Approved December 10, 2007Members Present: Fr. Mark, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Stella Economy, Hiram Fitzgerald Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, George Mansour, Curt Kosal, Vackis Nicolaou
Members Absent: Diane Dellis, George Lafkas, Alexis Popoff Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:05PM.
2008 Budget: S. Economy called this special meeting to discuss the 2008 Budget, to be presented at the December General Assembly. To date $184,069 pledged and 150 pledges have been turned in. S. Economy reports the 2008 pledges are low and asks the Council to either present a budget based on a basi number such as $225,000 which is the pledge amount from 2006 or to base a budget on the actual $184,069 which are pledged to date. Discussion and suggestions follow. H. Fitzgerald moves to present an interim budget (2007 budget of $282,075) and come back with a new figure based on the 2008 pledge: in January, seconded by G. Mansour. Passed unanimously with voice vote.
Other Business:
A. S. Economy reports L. Vlahakis will like to purchase and install a motion day/night light for the lobby lights. G. Mansour moves to pass the purchase of the motion light for the lobby lights by L. Vlahakis, seconded by H. Fitzgerald. Passed unanimously with voice vote.
B. Fr. Mark reports after a discussion with Metropolitan Nicholas that he will be entering his 11th year as an ordained Priest in May 2008.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 8:15PM.
Elaine Christofilis, Parish Council Secretary
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
Fr. Mark Sietsema, Parish Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes, 12 November 2007
Approved, December 10, 2007Members Present: Father Mark, Diane Deilis, Stella Economy, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff, Dennis Branoff.
Members Absent: Elaine Christofilis, Hiram Fitzgerald.
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:05pm.
Approval of October 8, 2008 meeting: Motion by George Mansour, seconded by D. Deilis to accept minutes with approved revisions; passed unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer's Report (G. Mansour reports)
Bills for Payment: The line item under expense checks written since October Parish Council 10/16 Michael Karagoulis was from last months meeting and it was approved. There were questions pertaining to the expense for the Fox and Hound and Double Tree; both were related to the Clergy Laity Conference. Motion by G Mansour, seconded by C Kosal; passed by unanimous vote.
September/October 2007 Treasurer's Report: G Mansour explained the Profit and Loss sheet reflects a loss -$41,997.77; a gross exaggeration. This is due to a number of reasons. The first is that fundraising is not listed under income and will reduce that deficit. Next, maintenance repairs are approximately $9,000+ over budget. These items probably belong in Operation Improvement. We underestimated "other donations" as we have a budget of $1,500 and we have taken in over $3,700. The item for "flowers" belongs to Philoptochos; however, we will ask H Fitzgerald to confirm. Finally, stewardship donations have been averaging $5-8,000/weekly and this is anticipated to continue until the end of the year.
On the Combined Balance Sheet under Current Assets the item "Certificates of Deposit 674" has an amount of $13,181.37; G. Mansour asked if we want to roll over into next year or do we want to look for a better investment. Additionally, the National City Savings Account has $7,324.12 and is not earning any interest. A suggestion was mad to move this and combine with our CD. Motion by Y. Joseph to approve the reports; however, it was decided to table these reports for another month.
Correspondence: S. Economy reports the following was received: Information on a project at an orphanage in New Mexico to help kids in need. Father Mark would like us to consider the Mid-Michigan area (i.e. local) as our focus to help those in need. There is no set up or standard for charity donations and maybe we could establish one. In the Sheppard's Staff there was an article about Father John (former priest in Ann Arbor).
Remarks from the Priest: Fr. Mark reported that he is finished with his trips and traveling; his trip to Washington D.C. went very well. The final two icons have arrived and were installed. Presvytera and Father provided hospitality to Filippakis for two nights. Father Mark will solicit donations from parishioners to support Friend of the Metropolis. S. Economy and G. Mansour suggested for the organization to request donations sooner in the year.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy reported the results of the 2008 election on November 4th Maria Alexander, Elaine Christofilis, Curt Kosal and Elan Nichols. Stella spoke with everyone on the ballot and sent letters. See attached for actual results. Peggy has quotes for estimates on acoustical tiles in the Baryames Social Hall; they begin at $7,000-$ 13,000. We need to release Peggy from her responsibilities in the Social Hall and refer everyone to M. Karagoulis. We are going to ignore the quotes for now as we need to tint the windows and look into a projectior screen.
Committee Reports
a. Maintenance: M. Karagoulis looks forward to seeing everyone on November 17th for the church clean up day. The exhaust hood in the kitchen has new fan belts and works great.
b. Personnel: V. Nicolaou reports that he and Father Mark met with Gregory, Ruth and Mary for their annual reviews. Mary enjoys working with everyone especially Father Mark. Gregory does well and had nothing negative to say; he gets along with everyone. Ruth is very happy and says things are going well. She is pleased to have young members in the choir. She would like to have more robes and was pleased that the church takes care of her trip expenses. Father Mark commented that he appreciates the Parish Council's support of the choir.
c. Stewardship: A. Popoff reported for the year 2007 we have a total of 207 pledges and $263,866.00 pledged. For 2008 we received 117 pledges with $147,309 pledged (approximately 56%). Also discussed was the urgency to send letters to those who have not submitted a pledge for 2008. We need this information for the General Assembly in order to propose a budget. D. Branoff suggested that we look at the 85 pledges that have not been received and take the average from the previous year to calculate the estimated donation for 2008. E. Christofilis and A. Popoff will work with Father Mark to generate another letter to send.Sub Committee Reports
a. Fundraising-Raffle: G. Lafkas reports that he has distributed 230 tickets. We have five weeks to sell tickets and recognize that times are tough. G. Mansour commented if every family sold 3-4 tickets we would exceed our goal. At the Ann Arbor and Flint Parishes tickets are mailed to everyone. Both Georges sold a total of three tickets at the Bake Sale. Our goal is $9,000.
b. Iconography update: G. Mansour reports summary of funds. The Dormition, Lamb of God and Iconostasis icons have balances; however, they are on installment plans. There is an outstanding amount of $695.67 from the Pantokrator which we will never get the payment. M. Karagoulis asked about colors of paint for the choir loft. Pistachio for the side walls and gold for the front and back. He has called Dave Abood for a quote; however, he hasn't received anything back. Mike doesn't think the quote will exceed $1,000. This area should be painted prior to December 1st when the lighting project begins. The two remaining old icons (Arch Angels Gabriel and Michael) will be put in the choir stairwells. Motion by M. Karagoulis, second by D. Dellis to paint the choir loft; the vote; passed by unanimous vote.
Old Business
a. Lighting Committee contract update: G. Sinas looked over the lighting contract and suggested a couple revisions to Jim Vlahakis to return to Keystone. One revision was made that the consultant, Keystone, not exceed sixty hours consulting and the other was for a total budget not to exceed $32,428. The contract has been signed and returned to Keystone.
b. Dinner Dance final report: D. Dellis reported a credit of $225.00 was given to us by the Lansing Center and the bottom line was a deficit of ($356.72) which was a great deal less than we anticipated.
c. Review of Social Room Contract update: A. Popoff will give the contract to Angela Vlahakis to review. A banquet room at the Kellogg Center similar to the size of our Social Room costs $475.00 for an all day meeting without food and beverage. The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham charges $500.00 for an all day meeting without food and beverage. It was also suggested to charge a different fee to "members" versus "non-members". It was recommended that we bundle all costs including maintenance fees when we quote room rental. V. Nicolaou asked that we keep Ed Chammas in mind if we decide to have a Banquet Manager on staff.
d. Borner Roof Issue-update: S. Economy received a call from Borner reiterating their commitment to the project. They assured us that spring '08 we would be high priority and someone from the company would follow up with us in February.
e. Youth Forum recap: A meeting was held ten days ago to discuss the Youth of our Parish. Various organizations within our church were represented such as Parish Council, Sunday school, GOYA and OCF. Questions were raised such as "what are we doing for our youth", "what would attract and keep the youth involved". There was good discussion and enthusiasm among everyone in attendance. It is important to bring and keep families involved in the church and it is going to take a certain level of support and commitment. Some recognized challenges are to get the cooperation of the parents; their commitment is critical to our success.
New Business
a. Employee yearly reviews: V. Nicolaou reports Mary currently works twenty hours a week and gross is $16,369. Gregory's hours are not specified and gross is $12,006. Ruth's gross is $7,680 and Kristin earns $300/month. Motion by M. Karagoulis to give a 3% raise to Mary, Gregory and Ruth as well as to use these for budgetary figures. This was seconded by D. Dellis. There was discussion around a performance "evaluation" of Father Mark and Fr. Mark brought to our attention that this is not appropriate. Father Mark is available and willing to have open discussions with anyone who feels it's necessary. He appreciates one on one conversations regarding expectations and concerns.
b. First Aid/Emergency Plan: Do we have a procedure for emergency or is this common sense? There was discussion to take 1st Aid classes through the Red Cross. We also discussed asking other churches what emergency plans they have in place and how to handle 911 situations. Father Mark stressed to the group that if someone falls DO NOT MOVE THEM.
c. Liaisons- Y. Joseph mentioned there have been no Narthex attendants and said we need schedules. Father Mark would like to do two week schedules. People aren't signing up.why? Where are they?
Round Table- S. Economy asked group if we would like to partake in a Dollar Store Gift Exchange at our December meeting or if we would like to have a Christmas Party (i.e. snacks and lighter agenda). The group decided to revisit over the next couple weeks.
G. Mansour brought up the National City loan and the status. We would like to obtain quotes and estimates for prime rates and interests. G. Mansour brought up a concern regarding a letter sent by the Archbishop pertaining to the fires in California; however, there has not been any mention of a ollection and compared with the efforts to help Greece this is rather discouraging. He also mentioned the letter refers to us as "Greek Americans"; there needs to be more sensitivity to demographics.
A rumor has been going around that we are going to change the stained glass windows in our church to be more Byzantine. Again, this is simply a rumor and no intention of this happening is evident.
M. Karagoulis reported a variety of assets left over from the Iconography and we need to figure out what to do with these items.
G. Lafkas reports a decline in youth enrollments in the Odyssey Program. As a result tuition is not bringing in enough money and could result in issues if the numbers are not good.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 10:10pm.
Alexis Popoff, Secretary pro tem
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
Father Mark Sietsema, Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes, 8 October 2007
Approved, November 12, 2007
Members Present: Fr. Mark, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis Stella Economy, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, George Lafkas,, Curt Kosal, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Members Absent: Hiram Fitzgerald, George Mansour
Guests: Jim Vlahakis and George Sinas
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:02PM.
Lighting Committee Presentation: S. Economy gave overview of the Special Meeting that took place on September 27 with the Lighting Committee chaired by Jim Vlahakis. Only the blueprint of the Lighting plan will be agreed upon tonight. J. Vlahakis will be the contact person throughout this project. S. Economy distributed the proposal for review. Discussion followed. J. Vlahakis and G. Sinas give a brief presentation on the information distributed. Questions and Comments followed. It was discussed that cost related options will be presented if this proposal is agreed upon, a high end fixtures, middle and low cost one as well. A copyright concern was brought up. The time line stated on the contract should also be adjusted before signing off. J. Vlahakis will discuss the issues brought up with the Keystone Design Group. M. Karagoulis motions to accept the proposal in principle, pending minor contract revisions, seconded by D. Dellis, passed unanimously 10-0-0.
Insurance: G. Sinas also distributed the Insurance documents concerning the Iconography. The new premium for the church is $8581, saving the church $4723 a year.
Welcome: S. Economy distributed "You know you are Greek if..."
Approval of September 10 Minutes: Motion by D. Branoff, seconded by A. Popoff to accept the minutes with corrections, passed unanimously by voice vote. Reviewing the minutes a question arose concerning Bornor and the time-line for the roof repair. S. Economy will contact them and see where we stand and report back.
Approval of September 27 Special Meeting Minutes: Motion by M. Karagoulis, seconded by Y. Joseph to accept the minutes, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer's Report (S. Economy reports)
a. September 2007 financial report: TABLED
b. Bills for Payment: G. Lafkas motions to accept the Bills for Payment, seconded by D.Branoff, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Correspondence: S. Economy reports Study Abroad informational flyer was received.
Remarks from Priest: Fr. Mark shows the Holy Trinity Icon purchased for the James Setas family. Fr. Mark gave an overview on some of the discussions that took place at the Clergy Retreat he attended. He will be at the Archdiocesan Council November 1-2. The Bible Study has been very well attended. The GOYA kick off also had a good turn out and there will be a meeting this Sunday. The Metropolis GOYA Lock-In is scheduled for March 14-15, 2008. A list of our responsibilities as the host parish was distributed. The local OCF chapter is also willing to help. Discussion followed. C. Kosal motions to accept the responsibility as hosts for the GOYA Lenten Lock-In, seconded bv E. Christofilis. oassed 9-0-1. Fr. Mark also would like the Council to consider purchasing a laptop for him, as it would be helpful to have access to his computer outside of the church office, if there is a surplus of monies at the end of the year, he would appreciate this.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy reports the book signing event with Bess Stamatakos will take place next Sunday. The old desks were taken by the Monastery. When cleaning out the kitchen Philoptochos have two old fryers that no longer are used since the purchase of the Loukomatha machine, Fr. Mark will contact the Traverse City parish and see if they are interested. The parish directory is ready to be printed, 401 copies will be printed. The directories will be given to all members. The final accounting from P. Thodis for the redecoration of the Social Room was distributed. G. Mansour is working on the church website. The budget meetings were poorly attended. Stewardship Sunday will be November 4th.
Committee Reports
a. Maintenance: M. Karagoulis reports the new icon panel behind the altar has been hung.
Fall Clean-Up Day is coming up, there is a long list of items to be cleaned, and hopefully there will be a good turn out. The ovens need to be professionally cleaned before the bake sale. The projection screen has not been hung back up in the social room. The carpet still needs to be stretched. There are candles in the closet across from the office, which should be moved, a potential safety issue. C. Kosal talked to Land Visions and they will honor the current prices/contract.
b. Personnel: V. Nicolaou has no current information to report. He is remained to get appointments for the yearly reviews scheduled for the Church Secretary, Custodian, Accountant, and the Choir director.
c. Stewardship: E. Christofilis and A. Popoff report a Stewardship letter for 2008 will be sent out the week of October 15th in time for Stewardship Sunday on November 4th.
Sub Committee Reports
a. Fund-Raising-Raffle: G.Lafkas reports raffle tickets are available at $30/ticket or $100/four tickets. 1st: $2000 2nd: $1000 3rd: $100. If less than 250 tickets are sold it will be a 50/50 raffle with a minimum of $1500 prize.
Old Business
a. Lighting Committee Presentation: see above
b. Dinner Dance final report: A preliminary report was distributed. Next month a final report will be given.
c. Review social room rental agreement: S. Economy opens discussion. Comments and discussion followed. Ideas brought up included added a cleaning fee to the current rates, increasing the rates, opening up the room to non-parishioners, and hiring a manager. No final decisions were made. A.
Popoff will look in to the current rates at various banquet halls in the areas. Everyone is encouraged to keep thinking about this issue.
New Business
a. Land Visions Contract: (See Maintenance)
b. Icon Presentation: S. Economy suggested when the icon should be presented to the J. Setas family. All agree Stewardship Sunday, November 4th, is a good day to recognize a good steward of the church.Liaisons- none
Round Table- There will be a Seminar by Father Mark on October 21st for the Parish Council nominees. G. Lafkas reminds everyone of the dinner and a movie event on October 21st at 6:00 PM with the movie at 7:10 PM.
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council Special Meeting
Minutes
September 27, 2007
Approved, October 8. 2007
Members Present: Father Mark, Stella Economy, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal, George Mansour
Members Absent: Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis, Hiram Fitzgerald, George Lafkas, Alexis Popoff, Vackis Nicolaou
Guests: Jim Vlahakis, George Sinas, Gus Kavalaris, David Pridnia, Sheryl Sinas Lighting Presenters: Barry Wood, Gary Steffy
The lighting committee chaired by Jim Vlahakis asked that a special meeting of the council be called to discuss and act on the proposed lighting plan for the sanctuary. Unfortunately, we were without a quorum and no action could be taken.
Jim Vlahakis and George Sinas gave a brief overview of steps the lighting committee took to make the presentation.
Jim introduced Keystone Design representative Barry Wood who in turn introduced Gary Steffy, lighting designer from Ann Arbor. Both Barry Wood and Gary Steffy explained their roles in the lighting design.
The basic goals that they were charged with and what their proposals are based on include: 1) improve "house" lighting (that is the lighting that was removed or changed due to the Iconograpy and used to generally light the sanctuary) and 2) illuminate the Iconography.
There was a question and answer period during which general costs, timelines, materials, etc. were discussed. No specific figures on costs, timelines or materials were made.
It was suggested that all council members view Gary Steffy's website to better understand the projects he has undertaken, and the quality of design he will bring to our project.
Jim Vlahakis and George Sinas were invited to re-present their report to the entire council at our October 8th meeting.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 8 P.M.Stella Economy, Parish Council President
Acting secretary for this meetingFather Mark Sietsema, Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes
10 September 2007
(Approved, October 8. 2007)
Members Present: Fr. Mark, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis, Stella Economy, Hiram Fitzgerald, Michael Karagoulis, George Lafkas, Curt Kosal, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Members Absent: Yvonne Joseph
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:05PM.
Approval of August 13 Minutes: Motion by H. Fitzgerald, seconded by M. Karagoulis to accept minutes with corrections, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer's Report (H. Fitzgerald reports)
August 2007 Treasurer's Report: H. Fitzgerald motions to accept the Treasurer's Report, seconded by G. Mansour. Discussion on the bills for payment followed. A question arose dealing with a bill from the Art Affairs, Inc, it was decided to hold this check until further notice. The payment to Bornor Restoration will also be held until next month. The August 2007 financial reports were discussed and appear normal for this time of year. Motion passed unanimously by voice vote. H. Fitzgerald also reminds the Stewardship committee that a letter should soon be mailed to the parishioners.
Correspondence: S. Economy reports information from Habitat for Humanity was received; this information will be passed on to the youth groups. The National Sisterhood of Presvyteras sent information on an upcoming conference in San Francisco. Father Mark informs the Council that Presvytera Kathy has decided not to attend.
Remarks from Priest: Fr. Mark reports a Trisagion was given this past Sunday for the Greece Fire Victims and a Memorial Service will take place this Sunday. Fr. Mark tried to contact George Filippakis but has been unable to reach him. The following programs will be starting up: Odyssey this Friday, GOYA on September 23rd, and Sunday School this Sunday, as well as the weekly OCF Bible study on Thursday evenings at 8:15PM, everyone is welcome to attend. At the Diocese Clergy-Laity Fr. Mark will discuss "Understanding our Roots" (Church History). He will be out of town for a retreat from October 2nd to the 4th.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy distributes the Sunday Service Schedule. The green chairs have been given away/bought. An old desk and bookcase are available to anyone who may want them otherwise the Volunteers of America will be called to pick them up. The Directory pages should be turned in for final editing. The yearly calendar has been e-mailed to everyone. Bess Stamatakos has been contacted and she is interested in having a book signing event at a coffee hour. It was decided that a book event for her will take place on October 14th, G. Mansour will contact her with this information. The Philoptochos has expressed some concerns: the removal of the freezer (M. Karagoulis reports he fixed the problem and it doesn't need to be removed.), before the Bake Sale the kitchen needs to be cleaned, they request the church pay for 2 Labor Ready workers for a day of cleaning, the Health Department has a list of items to be disposed and would like to inform the Council that these items will be thrown out, and the request for a kitchen Agiasmo.
Committee Reports
a. Maintenance: M. Karagoulis reports the following: 1) Dave Abood provided a bid for the nave painting, he will be doing the painting. 2) Concerns with the items left in the refrigerator, cheese and dressing. 3) There is an acoustic problem in the newly redecorated Social Room, what should be the solution? Discussion followed. 4) New tiles will be put in the candle area. 5) Two Clean-Up days will take place, Oct 27th and Nov 17th from 10AM to 2PM, these dates will be included in the October and the November Lamplighters and the Sunday bulletins. 6) Re-keying of the front doors will take place; Mary has a list of key holders all of whom should be informed. 7) Repairs to the roof over the Social Room were done and a bill will be coming. Bornor cannot give us a date for the roof repairs that need to get done over the sanctuary. 8) The carpet needs to be stretched in the small social room and the hallway before the Bake Sale, the charge is $500. Discussion followed. 9) The tables in the Sunday School hallway need to be removed before Sunday.
b. Personnel: Nothing to report.
c. Stewardship: E. Christofilis and A. Popoff report 199 units, $249,115 pledged with $149,942 collected.
Sub Committee Reports
a. Fund-raising-Fall Fund-raising event: G. Mansour reports so far $12,335 has been raised through fund-raising which is $9,665 short of our goal. He proposes a raffle to take place for the next three months. Detailed information of the proposed raffle is distributed. Discussion follows. D. Branoff would like to consider something else. He suggests a 50/50 drawing at the upcoming Dinner/Dance. G. Mansour motions for the proposed raffle to take place, seconded by G. Lafkas. Motion passes 9-2-0. G. Mansour also gives a final report from the Folk Festival with a total profit of $4463. It is also suggested to appoint a 2008 committee to plan the fund-raising for the year involving members outside of the Parish Council which will report to Council.
Old Business
a. Baryames Social Room - final report: H. Fitzgerald gives a final report on the redecoration. The total expense came to $103,361. An additional charge will be added for the sliders which will be placed under the chairs to help them slide better on the carpet. M. Karagoulis expresses a few concerns
including the acoustics of the room, the carpet padding, and the microphone jack not working.
b. Dinner Dance: The number of tickets sold should be reported today to V. Nicolaou.
c. Smoke detectors - update: S. Economy reports a letter has been received from Telephone Alarm Systems, Inc. (Letter is distributed.) Discussion followed. All agree with the work that has been done.
d. Youth concerns meeting: S. Economy reports the meeting will consist of Sunday School Staff, Greek School Staff, Choir Director, Youth group advisors, and OCF representatives. It was agreed the meeting will take place on October 24th at 7:OOPM.
e. Recognitions revisited: S. Economy opens discussion on the recognition issue. D. Branoff suggests having open nominations for the community and not have the recognition choices limited to the Parish Council. G. Mansour suggests having a process in place to be followed when it is time to recognize a parishioner. G. Lafkas suggest not having a public thanks/recognition. H. Fitzgerald adds that this discussion has taken place in the past years and in the past the priest has been the one choosing the candidates. This type of recognition also has been a very occasional event. Fr. Mark suggests looking at different parishes, maybe connecting with others at the Clergy-Laity.
f. Clergy Laity delegates: S. Economy reports she has sent an e-mail to the whole Council suggesting sending only Fr. Mark to the Diocese Clergy-Laity in Memphis due to the budget. Discussion follows. It was pointed out that the bylaws state delegates should be sent to represent the parish. H. Fitzgerald says there have been various funds not budgeted this year that were spent and there are options in getting these funds, such as pushing stewardship. C. Kosal is willing to pay for the flight cost and M. Karagoulis is willing to drive down with his wife. D. Branoff motions to send Fr. Mark with up to 3 delegates and to pay the expected costs needed, seconded by E. Christofilis. Motion passed 9-1-1.New Business
a. Insurance Report: S. Economy reports the memo received from G. Sinas. It is pointed out that the fixed art on the wall in the sanctuary is part of the building, any non-fixed art would be considered in the fine art category. The details will be worked out. Overall there will be $4000 saved the upcoming year. Information on the new smoke alarms will also be sent to the insurance.
b. Social room rental agreement for Vsetula family: S. Economy reports the Social Room is requested for Oct 11th for the rehearsal dinner and Oct 13th for a cocktail hour. D. Dellis motions to accept the agreement, seconded by H. Fitzgerald, passed unanimously by voice vote.
c. Review social room rental agreement: S. Economy distributed to current Rental Policy. Discussion/Review on this issue was tabled. All are asked to review the policy for discussion at the October meeting.
d. Compensation discussion: S. Economy opens discussion. H. Fitzgerald motions to give Fr. Mark a 3.5% increase to take place in January with an adjustment of a $600 lump sum, seconded by D. Branoff, passed unanimously by voice vote. Discussion pertaining to compiling feedback for Father Mark was tabled.
Liaisons- G. Lafkas thanks everyone for the funds given for the Greek Fire Victims on behalf of AHEPA
Round Table- S. Economy states the budget hearings will take place September 20th and September 24th which will be an open discussion on any budget concerns and a brainstorming of ideas. All parishioners are welcome to attend.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 10:21 P.M.
Elaine Christofilis, Secretary
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
Father Mark Sietsema, Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes 13 August 2007
(Approved, September 10. 2007)Members Present: Father Mark, Diane Dellis, Stella Economy, Hiram Fitzgerald, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Members Absent: Elaine Christofilis, Dennis Branoff.
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 6:59pm. Welcome: "Words to Live By" handout
Approval of July 9,2007 meeting: Motion by G. Mansour, with second to accept minutes; passed unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer's Report: (H Fitzgerald reports the following)
Bills for Payment: A question was raised regarding the charge for Bornor Restoration Labor/Materials/Equipment 7/31/07 for $294.28. M. Karagoulis will follow up. At this time it was agreed not to pay that bill. The payment for the YMCA was questioned and confirmed that payment made in February was a back payment from 2006 and beginning of 2007. This payment is valid. The payment for MEFGOX (Choir Annual Fee-2006/07) should be paid from the choir funds. G. Mansour motions to accept the bills for payment, with second to accept; passed unanimously by voice vote.
July 2007: H Fitzgerald informed us that Kristin will have the report broken down quarterly ready by September. The renovation expense for the Baryames Social Hall is shown correctly and to date the expenses are $82,133 and the estimated final figure is $96,000.
Correspondence: S Economy reports the following have been received: A CD from IOCC. Father Mark received information on the Clergy Laity Diocese Conference which is to be in Memphis Tennessee October 16-19, 2007.
Remarks from the Priest: Fr. Mark gave an extra special thank you to George Mansour for his help at the Folk Festival. Mary Brown has volunteered to be the High School Sunday School Teacher for the upcoming school year. John Karagoulis and Fr. Mark will be GOYA advisors with occasional assistance from Maria Alexander. Fr. Mark will be in Nashville, TN for the upcoming church service on Sunday. In his absence Father Charles will be present.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S Ecomony raised the question "on what occasions would it be appropriate to close the church?" She will follow up with Metropolitan Nicholas for clarification.
Committee Reports
a. Maintenance: M. Karagoulis reports a church clean-up day has been scheduled. There was discussion regarding the specific date. We received a formal request from Philoptochos to remove the freezer and refrigerator located in the corner of the kitchen. There was discussion on whether or not we should keep these items. Bob Kaplan removed and disposed the A/C
unit from the Social Room; however, we need to fill the hole where the unit was located. M.Karagoulis checked with Bornor regarding a date for the white roof and they were not able to give us one. We still have a lot of green chairs available. G. Mansour has a concern about the men's restroom; M. Karagoulis will check with a plumber. There is a drain leak in the kitchen sink and G. Mansour mentioned a problem with the disposal.
b. Personnel/discuss review for all in January: Nothing to report. A discussion was held regarding unification of employee's performance review dates. S. Economy suggested the review dates to be in November and salary increments, if appropriate, effective January l . G. Mansour motion to accept, seconded by H. Fitzgerald, passed unanimously by voice vote.
c. Stewardship: Nothing to report. S. Economy informed mid-year statements will be sent out with the 3rd Quarter statements.
Sub Committee Reports
a. Iconography: Nothing to report. No major contributions to report. The parish is wondering about visits to show the iconography; although, there have been some invites. H. Fitzgerald volunteered to contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau regarding "Tourist in your Town". Fr. Mark is going to start putting information together in a brochure that explains iconography. The Lighting Committee has met and they have a proposal to present to the Board.
b. Fundraising-EL Folk Festival-preliminary report: G. Mansour reports success. We had "new" volunteers and there were more young people. An estimated $4,000-5,000 net; however, this is 20-25% less than last year. The attendance was large but the money spent was less. This could be a reflection of the economy. Thanks to Jim Setas who donated the refrigeration truck and all the produce. Vackis Nicolaou donated baklava and Edmund Chammas donated all the humus and pita bread. Some questions for next steps include: offering an expanded menu, a new committee, having a folk festival on the church property
and how to involve younger people.
Old Business
a. Donation of chairs: 30 chairs will be given to Impression 5 Museum. Marina Poroshin works with homeless families to find housing and could use chairs also.
b. Baryames Social Room-update: The renovations have been completed; there will be an Agiasmo on August 26* during the coffee hour (H. Fitzgerald and G. Mansour to organize). At this time we will also honor Peggy Thodis for all her hard work. H. Fitzgerald will pick up some type of art piece to present to Peggy and S. Economy will check with some of Peggy's friends to determine the style in her home and taste.
c. Dinner Dance-update, promotion and tickets: D. Dellis reports the menu has been determined after completing a taste test at the Lansing Center with Sue Vlahakis. The dance is to be held on September 15* and there will be a DJ, the time is TBD. A flier will be distributed. S. Economy distributed a list of our parishioners and requested each board member contact them to inquire about their interest in the dance and to confirm their address, phone and e-mail information for the Church Directory. Our responses are due by Labor Day.
d. Smoke detectors-update: Several smoke detectors were installed. It was determined that we need a better diagram and information. Some questions raised were regarding the code and wiring. Boynton Company inspected all fire extinguishers.
New Business
a. Youth Challenge, leaders needed: S. Economy suggested getting parents and college kids to help with our youth. It is important to get our youth involved and motivated, ultimately, participating more. Ellen Repzka is the advisor for OCF. A bible study was suggested as an idea. G. Lafkas suggested special sessions to talk about the Youth and generate ideas. Maybe all Directors could get together and brainstorm.
b. Calendar meeting report: S. Economy attended the meeting on August 1st. Mary will provide each board member a copy of the calendar. Budget Hearings are scheduled for September 20th and 24th.
c. Social Room rental agreement for Nick Colovos (action item): The Retired Teachers Association has requested to meet on Thursday's for a couple hours.
d. Memorial for Fr. John Paul: A second tray will be passed at church in the fall for the former priest in Ann Arbor.
e. Other ?: Is the Social room a good location for the Church Book Store? We discussed a more permanent location; G. Mansour suggested the bookshelves in the Small Social room. D. Dellis will inform Philoptochos. A motion was presented by H. Fitzgerald to buy commercial vacuum cleaners for the church. This was seconded by G. Mansour and passed unanimously by voice vote. M. Karagoulis is going to research movie screens for the Social Room as requested by S. Economy. G. Mansour suggested a raffle for fund raising to make up our deficit as it relates to fund raising. He will send us a formal proposal.
f. Liaisons- Nothing to report
Round Table- V. Nicolaou's brother has requested to take a couple of our Divine Liturgy books back to Cyprus; the council agreed with this request.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 10:00pm. Respectfully submitted,
Alexis Popoff, Parish Council Member and Acting Secretary
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
Father Mark Sietsema, Parish Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes
9 July 2007
(Approved August 13, 2007)Members Present: Elaine Christofilis, Stella Economy, Yvonne Joseph, Curt Kosal, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Members Absent: Fr. Mark, Dennis Branoff, Diane Dellis, Hiram Fitzgerald, Michael Karagoulis, George Lafkas
Guest: Tiffy ZachosMeeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:10 PM.
Approval of June 11, 2007 minutes: Motion by G. Mansour, seconded by A. Popoff to accept minutes with corrections, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer's Report (S. Economy reports the following)
Bills for Payment: G. Mansour motions to accept bills for payment, seconded by A. Popoff, passed unanimously by voice vote. Discussion followed. A. Popoff confirmed that we can not make our payments via Visa for the Consumer's Power bill. S. Economy also brought up the issue of the Metropolis Oratorical Festival expenses and who is responsible for paying them. The Metropolis Youth Director has not been available to respond to this issue. If we are obligated to pay we will do so. The issue of following proper payment procedures also was brought up and discussed.
June 2007 Treasurer's Report: G. Mansour motions to accept June 2007 with the condition that the Treasurer bring an adjusted Profit & Loss Operations Fund Report for both May and June to be apart of the official record seconded by Y. Joseph, passed unanimously by voice vote.Correspondence: S. Economy reports the following has been received: An invitation from the Parish in Cincinnati for a Grand Banquet celebrating 100 years.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy reports she is still working with getting the smoke detectors installed. Also S. Economy has looked thru past minutes and has noted a few items that have been passed over and not taken care of such as having the Weekly Bulletin e-mailed to parishioners, the Parish Directory, which Stella will take what we have and get the information confirmed, and the Consumers Energy bill being paid via Visa, which A. Popoff confirmed above that we are unable to do so.
Committee Reports
a. Maintenance: C. Kosal reported the worker hired to weed the front area has been doing a good
job. Discussion followed and it was agreed that we should also have him weed the other areas
and the islands before the mulch is put in.
b. Personnel: Nothing to report.
c. Stewardship: A. Popoff and E. Christofilis report the following stewardship pledged amounts 196 units and $247,815 pledged.Sub Committee Reports
a. Iconography: G. Mansour reports no additional payments have been received. The opportunity for all the donors to dedicate the icons they donated should be the next step in finishing the Iconography Project. The time line was discussed. This issue will be revisited.
b. Fund-raising- Folk Festival: G. Mansour reports the East Lansing Folk Festival will take place on August 10, 11, and 12. There are still volunteers needed. The menu will consist of Gyros, Spinach Pie, Greek Salad, Baklava, Soft Drinks and Bottled Water. L. Vlahakis and G. Christofilis met with G. Mansour to go over the items for the event and J. Christofilis will do the ordering and look for the best prices. Ideas for an additional tent have been looked into however it is suggested not to have a second booth. Taste of Greece: G. Mansour distributes the final report for the Taste of Greece. Attached to minutes.
Old Business
a. Ratify email approval of the donation of 120 chairs to Traverse City Mission Church: All approved this donation.
b. Baryames Social Room - update: S. Economy reports P. Thodis is doing a great job and is on site daily. Currently the project is under budget. A few items have come up that were not in the original plan such as an additional exit sign, and dimmer switches. The projector screen is being looked at being replaced. The freezer's electrical outlets were questioned and the issue will be directed to the Philoptochos who purchased the freezer. The amount of chairs purchased also was discussed, the capacity of the room is 250 and 256 chairs were purchased; we will keep 50 of the old chairs.
c. Lamplighter: S. Economy reports the Lamplighter is not being sent out early enough. Mary is willing to be editor for an extra fee. It was suggested to talk with the current editor and explain how important the Lamplighter is in our community and to set a due date for items to be turned in and sent out. The council suggested Fr. Mark discuss this issue with the editor.
New Business
a. 2007 Budget review- S. Economy discussed the 2007 budget. It was pointed out that there were items that were added on to the budget such as the 2006 sales tax, the bookkeeper raise, the choir conference, the installment of the fire alarms, and others. Discussion followed.
b. Begin 2008 and beyond budget talks: S. Economy reports it is necessary to start brainstorming for the 2008 budget. Discussion followed. G. Mansour suggests having all the personnel be reviewed in January. This issue will be brought up again at a later date. Other suggestions included appointing a Budget committee consisting of members not on the Parish Council, to hold Budget hearings to give everyone a chance to bring forth ideas, and to include a raining day fund into the Budget. Stewardship Sunday will be set sometime in October.
Liaisons- The AHEPA Lugnuts game had a good turn out. G. Mansour suggests having a brainstorm session on the youth of our parish. All agreed discussion time should be devoted to the concerns of our youth.
Round Table- V. Nicoloau brought up concerns dealing with the thermostat in the Church.Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 8:55 P.M.
________________________
Elaine Christofilis, Secretary
_______________________
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
________________________
Father Mark Sietsema, Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes
11 June 2007
( Approved July 9, 2007)Members Present: Father Mark, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis, Stella Economy, Hiram Fitzgerald, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:05 PM.
Approval of May 14, 2007 minutes: Motion by G. Mansour, seconded by D. Dellis to accept minutes with corrections, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Treasurer's Report (H. Fitzgerald reports the following)
Bills for Payment: G. Mansour motions to accept bills for payment, seconded by Y. Joseph, passed unanimously by voice vote.
May 2007 Treasurer's Report: H. Fitzgerald motions to accept May 2007 Treasurer's Report, seconded by G. Lafkas, passed unanimously by voice vote.Correspondence: S. Economy reports the following have been received: A thank you letter from the church of Latter Day Saints for our donation in the memory of our bookkeeper Kristin's father in law. A letter from the Metropolis asking for a volunteer to sit on the board of trustees for the Endowment fund. The 2006 Sales Tax has been sent to the State of Michigan, no response has been received yet. A letter from the Metropolis Youth Office requesting a donation of $250 for the general operations of Rose City camp. (action will be taken later in the meeting). Fr. Mark reports Traverse City has been assigned a priest, Fr. Iakovos.
Remarks from the Priest: Fr. Mark reports the focus at the Archdiocesan Council in Houston was Religious Education and how we can build it. The Metropolis Council focus was sexual misconduct and prevention. Fr. Mark will be in Rose City for week zero, the week of June 24th and week two, the week of July 8th. Koula Nicolaou will be stepping down as GOYA advisor; any suggestions to fill the position are welcome as well as for the position of High School Sunday School teacher. An anonymous donor has donated cabinetry for the altar. The Bible Readers for the children have been well received by the families; more copies have been purchased with Sunday School funds and will also be available at the church book store. There will be an Archdiocesan clergy retreat on October 2nd - October 4th at the Antioch. Village in Pennsylvania, Fr. Mark is interested in attending. Y. Joseph motions to send Fr. Mark to the retreat in October, seconded by A. Popoff passed unanimously by voice vote.Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy thanks G. Mansour and G. Lafkas for the Taste of Greece event. Thank you to the Parish Council for their contributions for the Pentecost Luncheon. The Sunday service schedule was also distributed thru September.
Committee Reports
a. Maintenance: M. Karagoulis reports B. Kaplan will install the air filtration system this Wednesday. The fan to be placed in the refrigeration area was discussed, B. Kaplan stated to M. Karagoulis that it might make the problem worse, a solution was not agreed upon. Bornor will do some work on the roof atop the Social Room, no date has yet been set for the correction work for the roof atop of the Sanctuary. G. Plastis is available to help with yard work if needed.
b. Landscaping: C. Kosal reports Labor Ready workers came and weeded in preparation for the Taste of Greece. Curt will look into getting a more permanent schedule for the up keeping of the landscaping.
c. Personnel: V. Nicolaou reports Gregory is doing a better job.
d. Stewardship: No report.
Sub Committee Reports
a. Iconography: G. Mansour reports one of two payments for the Lamb of God Icon has been received and an outstanding pledge for the Pantokrator has also been received. A posting in the Lamplighter/Bulletin will be written up to inform the community of what will be done to the old Icons as well as the Candilla. S. Economy reports that by mid-October Filippakis will install both the Lamb of God icon and the Dormition icon.
b. Fund-raising- Taste of Greece: G. Mansour and G. Lafkas give a preliminary report on the Taste of Greece event which was distributed. The Fund-raiser was well organized and efficient. Discussion followed on the pros and cons of the event, including the pre-sold tickets sales, traffic, drinks, and the increase of cost. The reporting of Sales Tax also was discussed. It was suggested to request a formula to be approved by the State of Michigan. D. Branoff suggests to make the best efforts and to just submit the Sales Tax and to not bother with a letter firstOld Business
a. Restricted Donation for books (action item): S. Economy reports that $530 has been received and deposited from the Valaoras family. Y. Joseph motion to accept donation, seconded by D. Dellis, passed unanimously by voice vote. It was discussed that the proper procedures should be taken when dealing with a restricted fund donation in the future.
b. Baryames Social Room update: H. Fitzgerald reports a total of $54,000 as the projected expense with $1300 included for the consultant. M. Karagoulis is still looking for volunteers to help take apart the room. A large construction container will be brought in for duration of the work. Fr. Mark reported he talked to Fr. Dean and he confirmed that we did not need the Metropolis approval.
c. Parish Directory: S. Economy reports the directory is moving along and will be printed off and confirmed by the fall.
d. Old Icons update: The old icons are currently in the Sunday School wing. No response has yet to be received from Traverse City.
e. Fire Alarm coverage (action item): S. Economy reports she has contacted the alarm company to attach heat detectors to the existing system, it will cost $1050 to install the fire alarm and the smoke detectors and the monthly payment will remain the same. This will reduce our overall insurance. Y. Joseph motions to accept the installment of the fire alarm and smoke detectors, seconded by H. Fitzgerald, passed unanimously by voice vote.
f. Sanctuary painting/colors, front door painting color: S. Economy reports that the final decision on the color in the Sanctuary will be done by Fr. Mark. Fr. Mark reports he would like everyone's input. The colors requested by Filippakis were distributed. The top plenums and the rear plenums to glass wall to be Concord Ivory and the area by heating vent to be Sapphire berry. Fr. Mark will contact each Parish Council member for their opinion. S. Economy shows the color requested for the front doors. H. Fitzgerald motions to accept the color presented, seconded by A. Popoff passed 8-3-1.
g. Strategic plan 2007 and beyond/any ideas?: TABLED
New Business
a. Metropolis camp donation (action item): S. Economy revisits the $250 donation requested by the Metropolis for the general operations of Rose City Camp. Discussion followed. G. Mansour motion to donate the $250, seconded by H. Fitzgerald, passed unanimously by voice vote.
b. Dennis' memo on meetings: D. Branoff revisits the set up of the Parish Council meetings and how to make them more efficient and productive. Discussion/brainstorming followed.
c. Disposal of social room chairs: S. Economy reports 50 chairs will be kept. Discussion followed. G. Mansour motions to offer the chairs to the parishioners at a fixed donation of $10 and $5 for the tablecloths and to find another medium for the left over items, seconded by A. Popoff, passed unanimously.
Liaisons- G. Lafkas reports V. Nicolaou was honored as the AHEPAN of the year at the District level and A. Nicolaou was awarded the highest AHEPAN scholarship. Fr. Mark reports the OCF has requested a Bible Study starting in the fall to be scheduled for Thursday nights. S. Economy reports the Oratorical Festival had a great response.Round Table- none
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 10:05 P.M.
________________________
Elaine Christofilis, Secretary
________________________
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
________________________
Father Mark Sietsema, Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes
14 May 2007
(Approved June 11, 2007)Members Present: Father Mark, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis, Stella Economy, Hiram Fitzgerald, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:05 PM.
Welcome: Fortune Cookie activity
Approval of April 9, 2007 meeting: Motion by G. Mansour, seconded by D. Branoff to accept minutes, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Approval of April 17, 2007 meeting: Motion by G. Mansour, seconded by D. Dellis to accept minutes, passed unanimously by voice vote.Treasurer's Report (H. Fitzgerald reports the following)
Bills for Payment: G. Lafkas motions to accept bills for payment, seconded by G. Mansour, passed unanimously by voice vote. A. Popoff will look at getting the Consumers Energy bill paid via visa.
March 2007 Treasurer's Report: G. Mansour motions to accept report as e-mailed, seconded by E. Christofilis, passed unanimously by voice vote.
April 2007 Treasurer's Report: D. Dellis motions to accept report, seconded by E. Christofilis, passed unanimously by voice vote. D. Branoff suggests a quarterly report broken down to show a realistic report. H. Fitzgerald also reports the Sunday counters need to be more mindful when counting the money on Sundays, there have been a few underestimates recently.Correspondence: S. Economy reports the following have been received: -Letter from the National Archdiocese for a donation for the National Oratorical Festival. Questions followed concerning why this event is not budgeted at the National level. - Information from the Orthodox Health Plan Insurance. -Information on a request for the usage of the Parking Lot. -A thank you from the Open Arms of Minnesota for the donation.
Remarks from the Priest: TABLED until next month.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy reports Roberta Schneidermen's friend had the articles from the newspapers framed and donated to the church. After the Rummage Sale there was no vacuum found in working condition, Gregory has one that he uses. G. Mansour proposes purchasing one vacuum for the custodian and two more for parish use. G. Mansour will look into this. Due to the redecoration of the Baryames Social Room the rummage sale event will retire. S. Economy also discusses the flagpoles located in the front of the church which currently have no flags. It is proposed to purchase the same flags originally voted on.
Committee Reports
a. Maintenance: M. Karagoulis reports the following:
Alpha Mechanical bids: The bid includes the exhaust fan for the walk-in refrigerator at $725 and an air filter system, (ducts are nonexistent right now) at $1485 for a total of $2210. M. Karagoulis moves to purchase both items at $2210, seconded by C. Kosal, passed unanimously by voice vote.
Bids for painting and lighting: The bid for the painting under the plenums, the choir loft, and the stairwell is $2350. Discussion followed concerning the paint color. The Metropolitan would have to approve the final decision. No action was taken, more discussion will follow. Jim Vlahakis will get bids for the lighting and the lighting committee will have a meeting to discuss.
Front door painting donation by G. Dines: S. Economy reports the vote via e-mail for the painting of the front doors was approved 9-0-3. Fr. Mark disapproves of the rust color and is also concerned with the work time line for Gregory. Discussion followed. Different paint will be considered.
Update key holders/change locks: G. Mansour suggests it is a good practice to regularly change the locks and update the key holders. M. Karagoulis will change the keys after the remodeling of the Social Room.
b. Landscaping: C. Kosal reports he was able to decrease the mowing cost and get the refund for the mulch, the front circle needs to be weeded.
c. Personnel: V. Nicolaou will speak to Gregory about the bathrooms.
d. Stewardship: A. Popoff reports 194 units and $245,565.00 pledged.
Sub Committee Reports
a. Iconography: G. Mansour reports the payments have been received. The Dormition has been fully pledged. The Altar icon has $12,500 currently pledged. There is one Candilli left to be funded. There has been a $300 check received to be applied toward the Dormition icon after the icon has been fully pledged, what should be done. Fr. Mark will talk with the donor. The Pantokatora and the Iconostatis still need more funds. A summery of the project will be put in the Lamplighter.
b. Fund-raising- Taste of Greece: G. Mansour reports 28 people are interested in working the day of the event. 1300-1400 dinners will be prepared. The event is on June 7th from 4:30-7:30. Flyers have been distributed. Folk Festival: G. Mansour reports discussion is still open for which items will be sold at the festival as well as the number of booths.
c. Sales Tax committee report: G. Lafkas, H. Fitzgerald and G. Mansour distributed the subcommittee report. The subcommittee agrees with the Board of Auditors that sales taxes are due and recommends that a sales tax return be filed. The sales tax due is $1178.65. Along with the payment a letter indicating that the Council only recently became aware and requests a one time waiver of the penalty. G. Mansour motions to approve the subcommittee report, seconded by S. Economy, passed unanimously by voice vote.
d. Lamplighter G. Mansour reports the Lamplighter sponsorship is low, he will send Fr. Mark information to post in next Sunday's bulletin to remind the community of this opportunity.
Old Business
a. Roof Issue- Borner: S. Economy distributes letter sent out to Borner.
b. Pascal Feast- final report: See attached report
c. Baryames Social Room- update: H. Fitzgerald reports the work will begin after the Vacation Bible School ends and will take about 8 weeks. The work will start by the kitchen. M. Karagoulis and crew will start the demolition process on June 23rd. Deposit of $6,800 to F.D Hayes Electrical Company for the Social Hall recessed lights, and deposit of $10,000 to Stafford-Smith for the chairs are due by May 29th. Y. Joseph motions to approve these items, second by D. Dellis, passed unanimously by voice vote. An add on item for the hallway recessed lights at a total cost of $2,500 was presented. C. Kosal motions to accept this item seconded by E. Christofilis, passed 6-5-0.
d. Bookkeeper raise: H. Fitzgerald motions to increase the bookkeeper's salary by $50/month to $300/month for additional workload, which would total an additional $600 a year, seconded by G. Mansour, passed unanimously by voice vote.
e. Parish Directory- update: The committee will take a look at the information and check for accuracy.
f. Old Icons- update: Traverse City is still interested in the old icons. However, their plan is to just borrow them until they are able to get their own. They are also considering another church's icons as well.
g. Basement inventory: Discussion still in progress with what should be done with the items in the basement.
h. Strategic plan 2007 and beyond/any ideas? It is suggested that University Outreach should by included in the plan.
New Business
a. Sunday School sermons: Fr. Mark is open to suggestion on this topic. The high school discussions have had varying attendance. The Sunday School Superintendent suggests having one children's sermon a month. Discussion followed. It was suggested to distribute a survey on this issue and get the feedback from the community.
b. Restricted Donation for books: TABLED
c. Choir National Dues: M. Karagoulis reports choir national dues are $5/person ($75 for the whole choir). The expenses for the Choir Convection are approx. $400/person. The choir would like to send 4 people. M. Karagoulis motions to pay up to $1600 for the Choir National Convention expenses, seconded by D. Branoff, passed 9-0-2.
d. Fire alarm coverage: S. Economy reports we have no fire alarm coverage. Talking with the insurance the premium could be reduced if the fire alarm was included. S. Economy will contact the security alarm company and see if it may be included. All agreed this issue should be pursued.
e. Other: Fr. Mark will be away Memorial Day weekend. A Luncheon is scheduled for that Sunday, Sunday of Pentecost. It is suggested to change the luncheon to the following Sunday, June 3rd. Fr. Mark will look into this and report back. The Metropolis Oratorical Festival will take place on May 19th. The Philoptochos will provide the food.
Liaisons- none
Round Table- Ant and spiders have been found in the church. What is being done? Is Eradico Services getting the job done?Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 10:25 P.M.
________________________
Elaine Christofilis, Secretary
________________________
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
________________________
Father Mark Sietsema, Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council Special Informational Meeting
Minutes
17 APRIL 2007
(Approved May 14, 2007)Members Present: Father Mark, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis, Stella Economy, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou
Members Absent: Dennis Branoff, Hiram Fitzgerald, Alexis Popoff.
Guests: Dan Popoff, Nick Colovos, Gregory Deliyanne, Pam Heos Brancheau
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 6:30 PM.
New Business/Informational items:
A. Audit 2006 presented by Dan Popoff, Nick Colovos, and Gregory Deliyanne: D. Popoff distributed and went over the report in detail to the Parish Council. Discussion and questions followed. G. Mansour motioned to accept the report, seconded by G. Lafkas, passed unanimously by voice vote. G. Mansour motioned to appoint a subcommittee of three Parish Council members to study the sales tax issues/implications and come back with recommendations, seconded by D. Dellis, passed unanimously by voice vote.
B. Baryames Social Room redecoration presented by Pam Heos Brancheau: P. Heos Brancheau distributed Preliminary estimated cost figures for the redecoration. A board displaying the details of the redecoration was also presented. Discussion and questions followed. It was noted that the Metropolitan has approved the changes. Issues that were brought up, the storage room floor should be included as well as the bar, the actual capacity of the room should be determined in order to purchase enough chairs, extra chairs will be ordered to accommodate the need of chairs in church service, and the necessity of new florescent lighting. M. Karagoulis motioned to amend the report by leaving out the florescent lighting part and keeping the ones we have, seconded by G. Lafkas, did not pass 1-11-0. G. Mansour motioned to accept the report as presented, seconded by D. Dellis, passed unanimously.Old Business:
A. Amend March 2007 approved minutes: S. Economy reported the request to amend the March 2007 approved minutes to read: under Subcommittee Iconography, omit the "The cost of the Iconostasis at an amount of $150,000 was approved by the General Assembly; under Old Business add Eric Haynie's name in addition to G. Mansour's to "(currently G. Mansour's name is listed)". G. Mansour motioned to accept the amended March 2007 approved minutes, seconded by G. Lafkas, passed unanimously.Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 8:00PM.
_____________________________
Elaine Christofilis, Parish Council Secretary_____________________________
Stella Economy, Parish Council President_____________________________
Father Mark Sietsema, Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes
9 APRIL 2007
(Approved May 14, 2007)Members Present: Father Mark, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis, Stella Economy, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Vackis Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Members Absent: Hiram Fitzgerald
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:05 PM.
Welcome: S. Economy welcomed everyone and distributed a Christos Anesti scramble activity.
Approval of 12 March 2007: Motion by Y. Joseph, seconded by D. Dellis, to accept the minutes. The correct full name of Pam Heos was questioned. Minutes passed unanimously by voice vote.Treasurer's Report (Treasurer absent, S. Economy reported)
Bills for Payment: Mary, the church secretary has started to send the bills to be paid daily via e-mail to the Treasurer to keep him up to date. The Consumers Energy bill has not yet been updated to be paid via VISA. G. Mansour motions to accept, seconded by G. Lafkas, passed unanimously by voice vote.
March 2007 Treasurer's Report: The Combined Statement as requested has not yet been put together. After further discussion all agreed to table the acceptance of the March 2007 Treasurer Report for next month. S. Economy also reported Kristen, the bookkeeper has requested a raise. Discussion and questions followed. This issue will be put on next months agenda.Correspondence: S. Economy reports the following have been received: The Metropolitan's Deacon Teodor Petrutiu will be ordained in Plymouth on Saturday, April 14th; The Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Plymouth is asking for ads for their Taste of Greece booklet; Information on Campus Ministry; Clean-up day will take place at the Monastery in Rives Junction on June 2nd; The Shepard Staff, the Metropolitan Newsletter; Meijer is changing their program, one has to have a credit card in order for the church to get the percentage; Information on the Fine Arts Floater coverage for the Iconography from Voss Insurance Service, Inc.; The Ingham County Health Department held the routine inspection, the report was given; A letter from the City of Lansing indicating the need to register our security alarm system. A discussion followed dealing with changing the locks and updating the key holders and resetting alarm codes, this will be looked into.
Remarks from the Priest: Fr. Mark thanked everyone for their help and organization during Lent and Holy Week. Traverse City is very interested in the old Icons, they will hold a meeting to discuss this issue and get back with us. The Metropolis Leadership Conference in Westland on March 24th was a good opportunity to exchange ideas, the Archdiocesan new assessment formula was also discussed at the conference. This Friday Fr. Mark will be in Detroit for the Metropolis Council Conference, on Saturday in Plymouth for the Ordainment of Deacon Teodor and on April 26-27 in Texas for the Archdiocesan Council.
Remarks from the Parish Council President: S. Economy thanked Fr. Mark for the beautiful Services during Holy Week and to all the members of the Parish Council for their help and to Vackis for the wonderful Paschal Dinner. The General Assembly will take place on Sunday, April 22nd and we will be hosting the coffee hour as well. S. Economy distributed the Parish Council Service list of the next couple of months.Committee Reports
Maintenance: M. Karagoulis reported that trash pick up day is currently on Thursdays. Mary will try to get the date changed to either Monday or Tuesday which will be more convenient for us. This past clean up day 25 people showed up to help and many things were accomplished. The painting under the plenums, in the stairwells and in the choir loft needs to be done. M. Karagoulis will have bids by next month's meeting. The chime system also will be updated; the speakers need to first be put back in at a new location due to the new steeple.
Landscaping: C. Kosal has received bids for the lawn/snow. Information was distributed. Discussion followed. C. Kosal recommends staying with Land Visions and he will try to negotiate with them on a few areas.
Personnel: V. Nicolaou reported Mary's annual evaluation took place and a report was distributed.
Stewardship: Not all information was available. Currently there are 191 units.Subcommittee
Iconography: G. Mansour reported a letter has been sent out to all donors stating their 1st or the total payment is due by April 30th. The check has been sent out for the Dormition Icon and the contract has been received for the Altar Icon.
Fund-raising: G. Mansour gave an update on the status of the Folk Festival. Currently our space is $200, to get a double space it will be $400, he will try to negotiate to get the double space for a lower rate.Old Business
a. Roof issue-prepare MEMO for Borner (action): S. Economy reported she will prepare the memo for Bornor with the advice of G. Sinas. Most everyone agreed this is a good idea. M. Karagoulis believes it is best to get a longer warranty and pay the amount. The memo will be sent to the members of the Parish Council for review before sending it to Bornor.
b. Iconography dedication: S. Economy made sure all necessary details are getting done for this event. M. Karagoulis is getting bids for the painting and a lighting meeting will be scheduled.
c. Lansing Center date - September 15, 2007: S. Economy questioned if this event is worth having. Discussion and questions followed. It was agreed that a dinner/dance will take place on this date. G. Mansour, D. Dellis and V. Nicolaou will help organize this event.
d. Pascal Feast recap: The final expenses have not yet been determined; it will be reported at next month's meeting.
e. Baryames Social Room remodel update: S. Economy reported a meeting will take place on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. The remodeling is scheduled to be finished by the summer.
f. Candillia: S. Economy reported a correction in the donor names for one of the Candillia, it should read "donated by the family in the memory of Tom Heos".
g. Parish Directory update: S. Economy reported the directory is continuing to be worked on.
h. Old Icons: See Priest's remarks above
I. Internet banking info: S. Economy suggested including this information in the Stewardship 2008 package in the fall and to see how many parishioners are interested.
j. Strategic Plan 2007 and beyond ideas: D. Branoff brought materials from the Archdiocese website to share as requested from last month's meeting. Information was distributed and discussion followed. All are encouraged to visit the website. S. Economy is still welcoming more ideas on this topic.
New Business
a. Basement inventory: A list of the inventory was distributed and will also be distributed to all organizations. M. Karagoulis will take items not spoken for and place them in the Rummage Sale which will take place on April 28th.
b. Other: Y. Joseph requested the usage of the kitchen on Saturday, April 14th and Sunday, April 15th. S. Economy motion to grant this request, seconded by D. Dellis, passed unanimously by voice vote. M. Karagoulis also added a leak in the Baryames Social Room needs to be fixed before the renovations get started.
Liaisons
-Odyssey: G. Lafkas reported the Rummage Sale will take place on Saturday, April 28. He suggested another organization take over this event next year perhaps the youth groups. On May 20 there will be Loukomathes at the coffee hour.
-Philoptochos: D. Dellis reported the Festival of Tables will take place on Saturday, May 12.Round Table: A special informational meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 17 at 6:30 PM covering the 2006 Audit and the Baryames Social Room redecoration plans.
Meeting adjourned with closing prayer at 9:30 P.M.
________________________
Elaine Christofilis, Secretary
________________________
Stella Economy, Parish Council President
________________________
Father Mark Sietsema, Priest
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Parish Council
Minutes
12 March 2007
(Approved as amended, April 17, 2007)Members Present: Father Mark, Dennis Branoff, Elaine Christofilis, Diane Dellis, Stella Economy, Yvonne Joseph, Michael Karagoulis, Curt Kosal, George Lafkas, George Mansour, Vackis, Nicolaou, Alexis Popoff.
Members Absent: Hiram Fitzgerald
Meeting called to order with opening prayer at 7:04 PM.
Welcome: S. Economy welcomed everyone and distributed a basket with questions about Pascha for everyone to answer to get to know each other a little better.
Approval of 12 February 2007: Motion by Y. Joseph, seconded by E. Christofilis, to accept the minutes with corrections, passed unanimously by voice vote.Treasurer's Report (Treasurer absent, S. Economy reported)
Bills for Payment: The Treasurer will have the prepared bills of payment beforehand to review them prior to the monthly meetings. A. Popoff suggests paying the monthly Consumers Energy bill via visa, this will be looked into. Motion by D. Branoff , seconded by G. Lafkas to accept bills for payment, passes unanimously by voice vote.
January 2007 Treasurer's Report: The Combined Balance Sheet will be added to the report next month as requested by D. Branoff. Motion by Y. Joseph, seconded by D. Dellis to accept report, passes unanimously.Correspondence: S. Economy reports the following have been received:
-The Archdiocese Development Website is up and running at www.development.goarch,org
-A fax from MSU directory requesting us to reserve a spot in the next publication.Remarks from the Priest: Fr. Mark wished everyone a Kale Sarakostee and a Kalo Pascha. This Thursday and Friday he will be in Traverse City. Fr. Mark thanked everyone in advance for their help during Holy Week. The Choir has also been very good during the recent Wednesday and Friday service.
Remarks from the President: S. Economy distributed a flyer on Church Etiquette. G. Mansour has been added to the Past President plaque, S. Economy also presented G. Mansour with a gavel as a gift for his hard work as President. There is also a need for volunteers as head of the Library and head for the Friends of the Metropolis.Committee Reports
Maintenance: M. Karagoulis reported the loose glass in the lobby has been repaired. Clean up day is scheduled for March 24th. The brick in the narthex is in need of cleaning. M. Karagoulis motioned, seconded by Y. Joseph, to get the bricks cleaned in the narthex at $20/hr, timing being flexible with the Lenten Services, passed unanimously by voice vote. Curt Kosal reported nine letters have been sent out requesting bids for the ground work, lawn and snow plowing. D. Branoff suggested sending letters to two other landscaping companies, Lillio and Mownopoly.
Personnel: V. Nicolaou has no report. S. Economy reported a parishioner fell on ice outside of the church. It was suggested to report incident to the insurance agent, G. Mansour will call to report this. It was also suggested to look into making sure all areas/door areas be cleared and de-iced by including it in the Landscaping contract or having it in the custodian job description. This will be discussed. Also the annual evaluation of Mary also will be scheduled.
Stewardship: A. Popoff and E. Christofilis reported 186 units and 244,515 pledged as of March 9th. S. Economy also distributed a summery of Sunday donations.Subcommittees
Narthex Attendants: Y. Joseph requested a list of the young girls participating.
Iconography: G. Mansour reported the 2nd payment on the deacon doors has been received at an amount of $2,220. G. Mansour motioned, seconded by D. Dellis to apply the $2,220 to the principal of our loan, passed unanimously by voice vote.Old Business
a. Roof Issue/Michael Karagoulis report (Action Item): M. Karagoulis distributed the report concerning the roof issue. According to the thinking of G. Sinas and M. Karagoulis three options are recommended to the Council: a) We ask Carlisle to extend the life warranty by five years as further evidence of the sincerity of their belief that our problem is of little consequence. b) We could ask Bornor to give the church a discount on the remaining balance in recognition that this was a workmanship error with an aesthetic impact, if not a functional defect. c) We could pay the bill in full and forget the matter, in recognition that Bornor has been a very good contractor for the church. Discussion and questions followed. Many agreed that we are not happy with the roof and something needs to be done. G. Mansour motioned, seconded by Y. Joseph, that it is workmanship not a material issue and to have G. Sinas, talk with a Carlisle representative to ask how they are going to fix the problem, passed 9-1-0.
b. Other Business: G. Mansour motioned, seconded by G. Lafkas, to have "President" and "Treasurer" (officers of the Parish Council) be the ones authorized to draw on the line of credit (currently G. Mansour's and Eric Haynie's names are listed) and to be able to sign off on a loan, passed unanimously by voice vote.
c. Accept the donation of 9 Candillia (Action Item): A list of the donors was distributed and a letter will be sent out to the donors. D. Branoff motioned, seconded by D. Dellis to accept the donation of the nine candillia and to consult the Fire Department and Insurance on the placement of the (Mt Athos icons) candillia, passed unanimously be voice vote.
d. Iconography dedication postponed/what's next?: All agreed this event needs to happen and possibly be scaled down. The setting of the date will be revisited at a later time.
e. Lansing Center possible functions (Action Item): (dates available 9/9,16, 23, 10/7, 28, 11/3, 25) V. Nicolaou expressed his feeling to keep the Fall Dance at the Kellogg Center because of the good attendance of MSU students. The dates available seem to be Sundays; Sue Vlahakis will be contact to see if other dates are available, a date will be determined via e-mail.
f. Pascal Feast update: V. Nicoloau will be preparing the food starting at 8PM, G. Lafkas and D. Branoff will help with the preparation. H. Fitzgerald and E. Haynie will be in charge of cleaning up and closing up the church, E. Christofilis and A. Popoff will be setting up the room and C. Kosal will be purchasing the wine. G. Mansour will write up a flyer informing the community of the extra leg of lambs available for sale, cooked $35 and uncooked $25, this will also be included in the bulletins.
g. Baryames Social Room remodel update: H. Fitzgerald reported that P. Thodis and P. Heos are underway with the details of the remodeling. Questions and discussion proceeded on their experience. It was reassured that they are experienced in this area. P. Thodis and P. Heos Brancheau will report to the Parish Council at a special meeting and the report will then be presented at the April 22nd General Assembly. The redecorating is scheduled to be finished by the summer. Questions arose on any payments due to the contractors who provided plans for the remodeling, it was stated there may be a bill sent to us from Richard D. Anselmo & Associates who had said a payment will be due if we do not work with him. S. Economy stated that we will not be working with him.
h. Dormition Icon funding update: G. Mansour reported on the amount of pledges at this point. A total of $10,425 pledged and $5,275 received. The total cost of the icon is $19,000. A parishioner has come forth who is willing to donate the whole cost of the icon. However, funds have already been collected, it was decided the donor will pledge the difference instead. G. Mansour motioned, seconded by Y. Joseph to accept the 28 donations toward this icon, passed unanimously by voice vote. A letter will be sent out explaining the 3 payment installments, having the 1st payment be due in 30 days.
i. LSJ Ads: S. Economy reports the dates for the ad are March 24th and March 31st. All agreed to go ahead with the advertising.
j. Parish Directory update: The directory should include all members with stewardship form and those without. Fr. Mark will need more time to look over the names to makes sure it is a complete and correct listing.
k. Old Icons placement: S. Economy shared that many parishioners are not happy with the old icons being stored in the small social room. It was agreed to temporary place the icon in the classrooms, this may be done during our Clean Up Day. Fr. Mark will be visiting the Traverse City church and he will ask them if they are interested in our old icons.
l. Timeta