Church Council Meeting Minutes | June 24, 2025

Present: Fritz Sabbow, Pam Gothner, Charlotte Lichtenberg, Robert Rokos, Elizabeth Davidson Derr, Bobbi Perez, Liz Jaques, Laurin McArthur, Jo Husslein, Howard Husslein, Linda d’Avignon, Andre d’Avignon, and Deborah Mitchell.     

Fritz Sabbow opened the meeting at 5:00 PM.  This meeting was held via Zoom. 

Opening Prayer: Elizabeth led us in prayer.   

Determination of Quorum: We had a quorum at today’s meeting. 

Approval of last month’s KVCC Council Minutes: Elizabeth made a motion to accept May Council meeting minutes.  Laurin seconded the motion.  A discussion was held, and the motion passed.      

Finance Committee Report:

There was no formal meeting this month.  There are several items to be noted:

1, While costs will be less with a minister’s salary some much needed but prudent updates to the pastor”s office will be undertaken.  Funds will be taken from the General Account

2. While pledge totals are less than last year, the committee was cautiously optimistic that funds would be sufficient.

3. It has been proposed that the committee meet regularly on the third Wednesday of every month before the scheduled Church Council Meeting on the fourth Tuesday.  The next proposed meeting would be on the third Wednesday on July 16, 2025.

4. $10,000.00 in AMS Funds were transferred from Vanguard Account and dispersed according to the votes of the Church Council.   Should the disbursement be further detailed in the newsletter or website?

5. Printed forms with guidelines for applying for AMS funds will be available in the treasure’s box in the church office after vote by the committee.

Thank you.  R. Rokos

Current Task Groups and Committee Leaders:  AFRI Council Report June 2025

Changes from the initial draft:

1 elevated ARIC RRN to ACTION Item. We can discuss this.

2. Pointed out that the Grange meeting may be political.

ACTION ITEM: Request preliminary approval foe AFRI to be part of the Essex County Rapid Response Network regarding ICE activities.

Possible Action Item: AFRI has been in contact with ARIC, the Adirondack Regional Immigration Council. ARIC is headquartered in the Saratoga Springs area, and they are quite active. We are already on their list of affiliated groups. They are anxious to form Rapid Response Networks in Essex County, and one of our members has attended the first training session. There is no intent to violate the law or unlawfully hinder the actions of federal agents. The intention is to provide

From the preliminary ARIC RRN plan:

An ICE Rapid Response Network (RRN) is created to defend

the rights and dignity of migrants by ensuring community

preparedness, by providing real-time support during ICE

operations, and by providing post-attack legal response and

other support as necessary.

The reason that this is a possible action item is time and effort. There is no point in getting involved further if this is not an allowable action by AFRI. We have already been approached by another group of churches looking for sanctuary participation. We demurred,

Movie Night

The film” The Other Side of Immigration” with a presentation of two clips of interviews with immigrants was held May 28 at 7pm at the Keene Valley Library. We felt that it was well attended, and the venue was great. There may have been inadequate time for everyone to participate in discussion.

Integration with Council - All aspects of financial integration are pretty much complete.

Officers - There will be an election of officers at the next meeting. The proposed slate will be in line with the officers now in place with the merger.

Potlucks will continue to be held, but we would like to say simply that without announcements of date and time.

Event representation - We are planning for representatives at various functions around the area, including the bazaar. One of the events will be held at The Grange on June 28. Elise Stefanik is invited, although her participation is unlikely. This is singled out, because it could be political.

Respectfully and gratefully submitted,

Bobbi Perez

Laurin McArthur

Buildings: No new report.

Flowers: No new report.

Food Mission Report:

Steering Committee Member Attendees: Fritz Sabbow, Nancy McArthur, Cindy Ayres, and Deborah Mitchell              Meeting Date: June 17, 2025              Checking Balance: Approx. $15,500

Keene Food Mission Statement: The KFM provides immediate, short-term monetary support for food insecure families in the town of Keene.  The KFM supports families in accessing other means of local support such as food banks, DSS, etc.  The Steering Committee will work together toward following the KFM’s principals and being fair and equitable when assessing an individual’s food insecurity needs.  

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:

Increasing Resources for KFM Recipients:

Wild Work Farm: Cindy and Nancy were instrumental in obtaining a $1,500 grant from the Adirondack Foundation.  We agreed to allocate $100 on a Wild Work Farm card for five families for three months (July-September), totaling $1,500.  KFM recipients will take the initiative to meet with staff at Wild Work Farm to obtain their cards and information about the CSA.  Deborah has spoken with and/or met with those families who are really excited to access fresh, local, organic produce. 

Elizabethtown Food Shelf: Nancy and Cindy have built a positive rapport with staff at the Elizabethtown food shelf, fostering a wonderful community relationship between our church and theirs.  Because of this collaboration, our KFM families can shop once a month as their town of residence is now included in the catchment area for the food pantry.  One family shopped there, found it clean and well organized.           

An informational letter about the two new resources – Elizabethtown Food Shelf and Wild Work Farm - will be presented to the families after this month’s steering committee agrees with the final draft. 

Criteria for Beneficiaries: No new information this month as we focused on other priorities.  This topic will be the focus of our July meeting. 

KFM Steering Committee:   Nancy and Cindy continue their outreach efforts to identify a community member who may be aware of a family in need of food assistance and be a referral source for us. 

Next Steps: 

Post Office Box: Our Keene post office box is now closed. A small refund was deposited in our checking account.   All mail will now go to the church’s mailbox.  Liz has done a great job of communicating with Cindy and Deborah when new donations are received. 

Planned Fundraising: 

Mid-year Campaign: The Steering Committee agreed that we will not need to have a midyear campaign given our current financial status. 

Bazaar: August 1^st and 2^nd

Holiday Appeal: First week in November 2025

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at 4 PM via Zoom (Third Tuesday of the month). 

Respectfully submitted:   Deborah Mitchell, KFM 

Grounds Report - June 2025

In early June three pink potentilla and some low catmint were planted between the back doors of the manse and the area was mulched. Ingrid Carman has been adding some shade-loving plants to the Memorial Garden. Susy Doolittle has worked hard to create and fence the vegetable beds on the side lawn. Not much weeding was done during the first weeks of June, so we must play catch up very soon. June - September - ongoing maintenance of the grounds. July - Gather pollinator plants to sell at the Bazaar.

Mission and Social Action – No new report.

Personnel: No new report.

Worship: No new report.

Discussion Items: 

Request for AMS funds: Church Website – Fritz opened a discussion with the Council around the new website design.   There was a lot of positive feedback especially around how easy it is to scroll through and look at the pictures and information provided.  Elizabeth made a motion to accept the website and allow Jessica to move forward with the launch of our new website.  Pam seconded the motion.  A discussion was made and the motion passed.  Patience made a motion to disburse payment from the AMS funds to pay for the cost of the website, cited between $3,000 and $5,000. Charlotte seconded the motion.  A discussion was made, and the motion passed.  

Manse Rental Discussion: Fritz led a discussion around whether we could continue with our leasing at the Manse or making it available for housing the interim pastor. (The current lease expires in November.) The Council weighed options on both situations to include possible renovations to the manse.  The Council will continue to evaluate this situation and follow up in the coming weeks. The Council talked at length and agreed to proceed with a 90-day notice for our current tenants which would coincide with their rental renewal.  The Council will discern the best use of the manse and the purposes it serves. 

Transition Team Update:  Fritz updated the Council on how things are moving forward during our transition to a new pastor.  There have been several candidates, and members of the Transition Team are interviewing another candidate tomorrow. 

Pride Flag Discussion: Our Pride Flag is missing with no details as to why. Liz was able to purchase another one to replace it.  We agreed not to take any action at this time and discussed what to do if this happens again. 

HeartSongs Update: Martha Gallagher sent out flyers about her upcoming event in August and provided this link: https://link.zixcentral.com/u/9ac1620b/qP8AigxR8BGU-rIl8Y9C_g?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventleaf.com%2Fe%2FHeartSongs

shared that with the Council. There was a lot of positive feedback. 

AFRI: Laurin and Bobbi brought to the Council that AFRI is interested in participating in the ARIC (Adirondack Regional Immigration Collaborative) network and sought endorsement for their involvement in this group.  The Council gave their endorsement and thanked AFRI for their mission. 

Other New Business: None

Future Dates:

June 29^th – Tri-Lakes Pride Festival, Saranac Lake, noon-4pm

July 22^nd – Church Council Meeting – in person

August 1 & 2 – Annual Church Bazaar

Pam made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:04 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Deborah Mitchell