 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Summary of Council and Session DecisionsSession Meeting February 2012 At its first meeting of the year, Session - considered the meaning of being the Children of God, this year's theme being the Year of the Children of God - set a date for a planning day to which Church leaders outside Session will also be invited - heard about and prayed for pastoral care concerns Council of St John’s in the City Annual Report 2011 Council In some cases, the less you hear about a committee, the more effectively it’s running. I’d like to think that’s the case with Council – on the basis that I don’t think you probably will have heard too much about it this year. Most of the decisions the Council took in 2011 were taken and implemented without fanfare. I only took over as Chair of Council at last year’s Annual General Meeting so I don’t have any basis for comparison, but my impression is that the Council and the various committees it oversees have been working well. Council meets on the third Wednesday of the month in the St John’s Centre. The meetings usually last about 90 minutes and are open to observers. Council membership Council is made up of the conveners of the standing committees of St John’s, the Ministers and the Chair. The Finance and Administration Manager is the ex officio secretary. The Council currently comprises the following:
The major change to the operation of the committees in 2011 was the revamping of the staffing committee, with Session Clerk Paul Ramsay as convener. Membership of the Staffing Committee now comprises the Session Clerk, the Chair of Council, the Ministers, the Convener of the Finance Committee and a representative of the congregation (currently Ailsa Salt). In August, Council noted the resignation of Ross Davis as Chair of the Communications Committee after nine years of service, with effect from the Annual General Meeting. We acknowledge the experience Ross brought to the area of communications and thank him for his contributions both to the Committee and to Council discussions. Major Tasks in 2011 Many of the major tasks Council was involved with in 2011 will be reported elsewhere in this report. Some highlights from my perspective include the appointment of the Pastoral Care Coordinator and the Assistant Children and Families Worker, as well as a new Caretaker. Work on updating the terms of reference for Council and its committees is almost complete. There is no intention to change the roles of the committees but rather to ensure the terms of reference accurately reflect the tasks the Council and committees respectively are undertaking. The Year Ahead Although 2011 was a steady year, there are a number of bigger activities which are likely to require Council involvement in the year ahead. These include the organ refurbishment – which was flagged in last year’s Council report – and refurbishment by the Boys and Girls Institute (BGI) of the space they lease from the church in Troup House. Overseeing management of a more difficult budget situation will also require close observation and consideration of budget policies in conjunction with Session and the Finance Committee. Finally, I would like to formally record my thanks to the conveners and their committee members for the many hours of work put into keeping things running smoothly throughout the year, and also to our ex officio secretary, David Coplon, for his untiring assistance with compiling papers, distributing agendas and taking minutes. Anton Ojala Chair of Council
At the August meeting we accepted the resignation of Ross Davis as convenor of the Communications Committee.
|