CBCGB Church Council Minutes, Q2 of 2016

June 18, 2016

1. In Attendance:

1. Board of Elders (“BoE”): Bryan Che, Ke-chieh Chu, Yuguang He, David Ho, Terry Yang
2. Board of Deacons (“BoD”): Christopher Cheng (Secretary), Chun-Yi Hu, Lance Pan (Treasurer), Phil Sailer, Beata Shih, Haiguo Wu (Head Deacon), Jian Zhang, Tuanfeng Zhang
3. Pastoral Staff: Pastor Steven Bowman, Pastor Steve Chang, Pastor David Eng, Pastor Jennifer Lin, Pastor Sandy Liu, Pastor Chuck Lowe*, Pastor Jiang Wei, Minister Yuegang Zhang
4. Absent:

1. Elders: Timothy Lu
2. Deacons: Joshua Chang, Xin-Wen Wang, Jimin Xiong, Shanchuan Zhao
3. Pastors: Sr. Pastor Caleb Chang, Pastor Ju-Ta Pan

2. Location: 151 building main meeting room

3. Meeting Agenda & Minutes

1. Meeting started at 9:10 am.  Elder Terry opened in prayer.
2. English and youth pastor search update (Elder Terry)

1. The English pastor search continues; it is unlikely that that an English pastor will be in place when Chuck leaves at the end of this month.
2. The youth pastor candidate, Stan Chang, was here last week and has asked for a couple of weeks to make a decision.

3. Board of Deacons update (Deacon Haiguo)

1. Technology updates

1. A/V update

1. A new sanctuary projector was installed in April.
2. The sanctuary projector Image ghosting problem was resolved by replacing VGA cabling with HDMI cables in May.
3. The chapel VGA cables need to be replaced but doing so requires a lift.
4. The committee is investigating enabling local live streaming with both projector and camera video feeds within the church local area network.

2. Phone system update

1. In April, the recorded phone message was fixed to remove staff members who are no longer at CBCGB.
2. In May, an outside vendor was contracted to completely replace the existing phone system.  The contractor will replace the phone system in the next few weeks.  The new system will have some new features for staff members, including cell phone forwarding and number blocking.

3. Network status

1. Network up-time has been more reliable recently, but there are still intermittent connection difficulties.
2. To Do:

1. Increase the number of access points in the sanctuary area.
2. Investigate replacing the existing access points with enterprise level access points that can accommodate more concurrent users.
3. Diagram and document the existing network architecture.

4. Website updates

1. In April, roles and responsibilities with the existing website team were clarified.
2. The committee has determined the need for a “marketing” team to manage website content.  The website team will no longer be developing content.
3. The committee has discussed the relationship between both the existing website team and the English ministry website team.  The English ministry website is waiting on brand design from English ministry leadership.

2. Stewardship Update

1. As part of the carriage house and church office parking expansion project:

1. The trees in the carriage house parking lot have been removed
2. The carriage house parking lot has been widened/cleared
3. An area has been created next to the carriage house to allow for easier turnaround.  
4. An area has been paved at the front left of the church office for extra parking spaces.
5. Pot holes in the main driveway have been repaired.
6. It was noted that clear communication needs to be made that people cannot park in the carriage house turnaround area.

2. There is an investigation testing solar-powered lighting in the upper parking lot that is using temporary basketball hoops to ascertain effectiveness.  If successful, a more permanent installation will be created with lights mounted on 20-foot poles.
3. The 151 building meeting room far wall has been painted with special screen paint to enable clearer projection.
4. Sanctuary ceiling fans have been cleaned.
5. Property Management:

1. Laid out new mousetraps in the church, except for the children areas
2. Compiled to Town demands to replace water meter
3. Conducted quarterly elevator maintenance

6. A google spreadsheet has been created for recording room reservations

1. From now on, all room reservations should go through this web form: https://www.cbcgb.org/Room

3. The main building HVAC systems for the chapel, first floor classrooms, and front entrance/lobby require replacement due to reliability issues and low efficiency.  The current system for the front entrance/lobby is also underdesigned.  Most of the systems will be converted from electric to natural gas.  The church has received quotes for replacing these systems which will cost $170-200k.

1. Deacon Haiguo moved to approve the capital budget request of up to $200,000 for the HVAC project as provided in the capital budget request form.  Deacon Jian seconded.  The motion passed.

4. Board of Elders update (Elder Ke-chieh)

1. The Board of Elders approved a new ministry charter for the Vocational Ministry whose goal is not just to facilitate job transition but also train people on evangelism in the workplace.
2. The missions ministry and office administration ministries were reviewed by the Board of Elders in April and May respectively.  During the second half of the year, Chinese ministry spiritual formation (coordinated by Elder Terry) and English ministry (coordinated by Elder David) will be reviewed.
3. A church-wide information session was held on April 17.
4. Elder and deacon nominations are ongoing and will be finalized before September 2016 as required by the bylaws.
5. For more information, please refer to the June 2016 Board of Elders meeting minutes.

5. Quarterly Financial Report (Deacon Lance)

1. May financials:

2. Up to May 31, our total expense is at 85.3%, and our total offering is at 99.6% of the total annual budget (fiscal year ending June 30).  The target percentage is 91.7% (11 months of a year).
3. The current month general fund deficit is largely the result of the inclusion of summer retreat expenses without including the corresponding registration fees (which will be in the June financials).

6. FY 2017 general budget approval (Deacon Lance)

1. FY 2017 budget proposal:

1. The proposed FY 2017 budget is a 3.4% increase over the FY2016 budget.
2. The proposal renames the following budget items:

1. Account 51080 - Rename from “Finance  Committee” to “Finance Fees and Expenses”
2. Account 56900 - Rename from “Job Transition Ministry” to “Vocational Ministry (CM)”
3. Account 56400 - Rename from “In-House Conference” to “Summer Retreat”
4. Account 56410 - Rename from “EM In-house Conference” to “In-house Conference”
5. Account 57901 - Rename from “English Ministry Focus” to “EML Core”

3. The proposal changes the signing authority of Account 54060 (Sound System) from the Stewardship committee chair (Jian Zhang) to the Technology committee chair (Joshua Chang)
4. The proposal merges Account 54130 (Maintenance Supplies) into Account 54100 (Church Cleaning)

2. Deacon Lance Pan moved to approve the FY 2017 budget as proposed.  Deacon Chun-yi Hu seconded.  The motion passed unanimously.
3. Deacon Lance noted that for the past four years, general fund spending has been between 92-101% of the original budget.  General fund spending has been between 81-85% of offering in that same timeframe, but the general fund does not include capital fund expenditures related to property improvement and maintenance.
4. It was noted that our church needs to improve our long term planning and budgeting for known, expected capital expenditures.

7. Metro-south member loan payment updates and others (Deacon Haiguo)

1. The outstanding Metro-south member loan balance is $126,429. Through May 31, 50% of General Fund surplus attributed to Metro-south has reached $26,996. Together with MS Building Fund balance of $107,873, the combined balance of $134,869 is sufficient to pay off the member loan, which will take place after the fiscal year concludes in June, with an excess balance of $8,439. The initial projection for the payoff was at the end of FY2017 (June 2017).  Praise the Lord!
2. The mother church remains committed to support Metro-south beyond the repayment of the member loans associated with the property purchase.  The council discussed the transition process from now through Metro-south independence, but decided to table any proposal pending further communication with Metro-south and their needs assessment.

8. Metro-south independence and building project pledge status (Pastor Jiang)

1. Metro-south received tax exempt status from the IRS in May.  This process was much faster than anticipated in that it only took two weeks.
2. Member loans related to the purchase of 383 Old Post Road in Sharon will be paid off by the end of this fiscal year.  This is one year ahead of schedule, primarily due to increased offering from Metro-south this past year.

9. Church building expansion requirement document report (Deacon Phil)

1. Why expand?

1. The reason for expanding is rooted in our church vision.  The Chinese population in the surrounding 10 cities and towns in 2011 exceeded 27,000 and is growing.  This does not include the Chinese student (non-resident) population.  Our current church attendance (1,300) accounts for less than 5% of this population.  Even accounting for other churches in the area, there is a large non-churched Chinese population.  If the CBCGB vision includes reaching these immigrants and training them to be disciples, we will require expanded capacity of CBCGB ministries to invite and keep them in the church.
2. 25 years ago, if CBCGB did not undergo a church building project and move to Lexington, CBCGB would still be serving about 300 members and would not have the human and financial resources and facilities to expand its various ministries locally and globally.  Ministry capacity expansion requires strong support from the base.
3. There are varying goals to double our church size by either 2020, 2025, or 2030.  Regardless of the timing, this goal means 100% growth in various ministries in the next 5-15 years provided that we have sufficient facilities within the next 3-4 years.

2. Where are we?

1. Years ago, CBET proposed a design based on what they thought CBCGB needed to varying levels of support from the church congregation.
2. CBET conducted a survey in July 2014 to collect usage needs from church leadership.  The results of this survey were never formally presented to the church council, and there is a need to review and revise the data so that CBET can create requirements specifications which CBET architects will use to create new designs.
3. As we think about needs and requirements, we have to envision what the church will look like in 2030, not what the needs are in 2016.

3. Needs categories

1. Worship: our current church sanctuary has already reached its capacity for Chinese ministry and joint services.  The maximum seating capacity has been 850-900 attendees.
2. Fellowship: current children, AWANA, youth, and ICF ministries urgently need an indoor fellowship and activity center, especially in the winter.
3. Education: CBCGB lacks adequate meeting spaces suitable for small groups to gather in focused study, collaboration, and prayer.

4. Requirements summaries

        These potential requirements were gathered during discussions with ministry leaders.

4. Worship

1. Current English worship max attendance is 310.  If we assume double attendance, this would grow to 620 which still fits in the current sanctuary, so English ministry does not require expanded worship facilities.
2. Current Chinese worship worship max attendance is 891.  Double this is 1,782, so the sanctuary needs to support 1,800 people assuming we do not intend to divide CM worship into two or more sessions.
3. Other potential considerations:

1. Expanded parking capacity
2. Expanded storage needs
3. Loading dock for movement of large items/quantities
4. Coffee/tea social area

5. Fellowship

1. Space

1. Ability to host large fellowship and outreach events on premise
2. Multi-function fellowship/activity center
3. Full-size basketball court with perimeter space for people/children to sit if they unable to play in a game
4. Ability to divide space in half, floor to ceiling
5. Ability to divide space further, perhaps with portable partitions.

2. Facilities

1. Coordinated planning regarding lighting and A/V projection/screens
2. Good HVAC
3. Sufficient Storage
4. Quality flooring

3. Features

1. Several four-square courts
2. Rock climbing wall
3. Modest food court with 3-4 food options and small cafe tables and seating suitable for discipleship, evangelism, board games, etc.
4. Designated prayer chapel

4. Accessories

1. Modern water fountains
2. Foldable chairs with padded feet
3. Support for volleyball nets
4. Scoreboards

5. Other considerations

1. Adjacent outdoor playground

6. Education - To be covered in a future session, as the next major phase of CBE will focus on worship and fellowship.

10. Pastoral staff reports

1. Senior pastor report

1. The Memorial day summer retreat was held on May 28-30 with almost all positive survey responses.

1. Youth and Children programs were well-attended.
2. Thanks to all co-workers on the planning team.
3. Newly trained small group leaders led small groups with positive responses.
4. Pastor Caleb hopes that the retreat will be church-wide in the future and include English ministry.

2. The English pastor search committee is not likely find a replacement before Chuck’s departure, but an interim plan has been created.
3. Youth pastor candidate Minister Stan Chang and his wife Christine visited June 8-13.
4. The Pastors have approved one seminarian scholarship who has actively served in Children’s ministry and City Outreach Ministry.
5. Praise the Lord for the high morale regarding Metro-south church planting.  The mother church would like to join hands in the new Metro-south Building Project fund drive.  An announcement has been made on Sunday.
6. Chinese ministry summer sermons will be mostly evangelistic and focused on Basic Doctrine topics. Seekers are welcome.

2. Lexington Chinese ministry

1. Fellowships and small groups keep growing.
2. 2016 Small group leader training is finishing up.
3. 25 small group leaders were trained and served during the May retreat.
4. Inductive Bible study and evangelism explosion training will begin soon.
5. Five marriage enrichment retreats (two associated with CBCGB) in the New England area had been held by mid-April.  Monthly follow-up meetings are on track.  A sixth retreat will likely be held in the fall.
6. Six Stephen ministry trainees are halfway through their training (to be completed in mid-August)

3. Lexington Children’s ministry

1. AWANA year end meeting and award night was on June 17.
2. Friday summer program teacher training was held on June 12.
3. Friday summer program will be held from June 24 to August 26.
4. During the Memorial Day retreat, the ministry covered the Children’s Program both here and off-site which was a large burden.  Pastor Steven recommends that next year, the services back at church hold family worship to reduce the burden.
5. Attendance highs for the quarter

1. Sunday Session 1 (0 - 4th grade): 144
2. Sunday Session 2 (0 - 4th grade): 138
3. Friday nights (0 - 5th grade): 125

6. Three is a need for core leaders for AWANA, Friday nursery, and summer/special programs.

4. Lexington Junior High Youth Ministry

1. Junior high has finished studying Thessalonians for the semester.
2. Pastor Jen coordinated administration, registration, speakers, games, activities/scheduling, working with Nichols, and recruiting counselors for the Memorial day retreat.
3. New York City short term missions training and planning is ongoing.
4. Youth Pastor Search Committee:  Candidate visit (Stan) occurred on June 9-13.
5. The ministry is looking for more counselors and Sunday school teachers.

5. Lexington Senior High Youth Ministry

1. Youth short term missions training/preparations/support-raising are underway.
2. All youth attended the Memorial Day Retreat except for Hopi & NYC short term teams.
3. 30 seniors are graduating (of which 21 are regular attenders)
4. Senior High has finished studying Romans; the Ethics/Bible/Church History Sunday School is also complete.
5. Pastor Sandy coordinated the Joint Easter service and preached twice on Mother’s day.
6. Upcoming quarter transitions:

1. 4 ALIVEs in Aug, No ALIVE in July (due to short term missions and holiday)
2. Summer Sunday school video series (9 weeks, except for 7/2, 9/4)

7. Senior high is anticipating a new pastor and new staff.

6. Lexington English ministry

1. English ministry identity: branding, naming, and website projects near end.
2. Spring preaching roster: “Life in the meantime” (focus on life between the first and second comings of Christ, ending 6/26).
3. Pastor Chuck’s last Sunday and last day is June 26.

1. For the summer, Pastor David will preach twice a month.  Pastor Bowman and missionaries on home assignment will preach during the other Sundays.
2. For the fall, if there is no pastor hired yet, preaching will be handled by Pastor David and Professor Jeffrey Arthurs from Gordon-Conwell.

4. English ministry member is resigning from job for seminary / ministry.
5. Average year-to-date attendance is 219 (same as 2015).
6. ICF exceeded one of their annual goals of having 55 spiritual conversations with unbelievers, but fell a bit short of the goal of this being done by 25 different individuals.  Senior roast was held in May for graduates.  9 seniors graduated (5 will remain in the area for the upcoming year and will hopefully join Charis).
7. Charis is continuing to work on their goal of having our members internalize the gospel and live it out.  Members have been assigned prayer/accountability partners.  A Charis retreat was held in May.  Pastor Moses Park from Christ the King Church spoke.  

7. City outreach ministry (COM)

1. Around 40 people will leave during the summer after the end of the school year; students will also leave temporarily for summer vacation or internships.
2. COM has not been able to find a suitable third Friday meeting place in Malden.  The process will continue, but the start of this ministry has been slowed.
3. COM is planning its first outreach short term team to Lewiston, Maine to serve immigrants from Somalia.
4. The annual coworkers retreat was held on August 20.

8. Metro-south (MS)

1. MS has received its tax exempt status extremely quickly.  The Metro-south core team is in the communicating with Deacon Haiguo and the finance committee regarding the process of becoming independent.
2. MS will pay off all the personal loans for purchasing 383 Old Post Rd., primarily because of large jump in offering.
3. MS has a building fund pledge drive of $1 million.  They have already achieved the cash donation goal of $250,000, and are around $300,000 away from the personal loans goal.

9. Pastoral Off-Campus Service

1. Pastor Sandy: Hopi (July 5-17), Kyrgyzstan/Norway (July 17-August 9), Last day is August 31
2. Pastor Steve Chang: Asia (August 4-8)
3. Pastor David:  Asia (July 29-August 18)

11. Briefing on church building expansion Phase I part 2 updates (Elder Ke-chieh)

1. Land survey was completed on March 29.
2. Proposal to Boston property regarding using their parking lot as a CBCGB exit was submitted on April 26 with no response thus far.
3. Upper parking lot lighting investigation is ongoing.
4. Road design is on hold.
5. Stairway design is on hold.
6. CBE project fund balance is $279,617, which is more than sufficient to complete Phase 1 part 2.

12. Church building expansion requirement document review/approval (Deacon Phil)

1. The church council split into four groups to review the church building expansion requirements described previously during the meeting for worship and fellowship.  Deacon Phil will collate the output of these discussions which focused on identifying any missing items and relative requirements prioritization.

13. Elder Bryan closed in prayer and Elder Ke-chieh adjourned the meeting at 3:59 pm.