October 16, 2008                    Administrative Council Reports

 

1.  Finance Report:  The reports for September were included with your agenda.  Following direction from the September Council meeting, I moved some funds from money market accounts to certificates of deposit at Mid-Country Bank (9 months, 3.4 %) and opened a savings account with ING (3.15%).  

2.  Gaming Report:  During the October 7, 2008 meeting, it was reported by Bev Mathwig that pull tab sales are still weak.  The premises permit for Jack’s Tavern in Darwin has been received from the State.  The tavern will be opening October 15th.  All start-up purchases for the new site have been made including 4 jars, a scale, a scanner and other miscellaneous supplies.  These expenses diminished the amount that went into the donation fund balance.    The following disbursements were made:  $105.58 to Ellsworth Township (for charitable distribution).

 

3.  Maintenance Committee:  Did not meet in September, but we are working on improving the heating system at the school.  The pump was not working correctly and we hired Climate Makers to come in and assess the system and give Dave pointers on fixing and maintaining the system.  We have purchased a new pump which Dave installed and we will be working on getting the system ready for winter.  We have been told that once we have the system operating correctly our energy costs will be greatly reduced.

 

4.  Cemetery Committee:  Did not meet in September

 

5.  Worship Report:    No written report at this time

 

6.  Peace and Social Justice Report:  No written report at this time

 

7.  Faith Formation Report

Grades 3-Adult-Jodi Schons

  • We have completed 4 class sessions
  • The Community Service Project, Kids Against Hunger, was a huge success.
  • No Faith Formation classes on Oct. 15 due to MEA break
  • Our enrollment for grades 3-11 is 135 students
  • Golden Faith Formation will begin on October 29 after daily Mass
  • Classes are going well. Dividing the space between St Philip’s School and Church has been a great and positive change.
  • I am hearing positive remarks and comments from parents and youth about the changes we have made this year regarding Faith Formation…more class sessions, but yet still incorporating the community service nights, activity nights etc

Youth Ministry Report: 

St. Philip’s Youth Group Highlights:
  *Pizza and Prayer Power Hour debuted Sept. 17 and ran Sept. 24 and Oct. 1. The Spirit was moving during this time together. If you had walked in you would have seen youth laughing, praying, discussing and running crazy races! ‘Regulars’ at youth group events were there as well as many new faces, exciting! Three more ’Power Hours’ are planned for Oct. 22, 29 and Nov. 5.
 *The Guatemala Mission team is currently formed with 13 youth and adults from St. Philip’s and Church of Our Lady. Mission trip dates are July 13-24. Our next gathering will be at Geri Buresh’s home on Nov. 16 from 6:30- 7:30pm
 *Youth Weekend (where youth take active roles in weekend masses) and the Youth Group Bake Sale is planned for Oct. 11-12. We have more youth signed up for lectors, ushers and musicians than our first youth weekend last April! On Sunday the 12th youth group members will deliver home baked goods they also baked to residents at Gloria Dei.
 *The youth group will serve breakfast at the VFW on Sunday, Oct 19 as a fundraiser. Dena Carlson is heading up this fundraiser.

 *Registrations are coming in for a special MEA Fun Day for parish girls in grades 5-6pm. This day will start at St. Philip’s with games, crafts and food. We’ll then visit Nelson Farm for fun together. We’ll wind up the day back at church for wrap up activities and prayer. Older parish girls are helping the youth minister facilitate this day, so it’s a great leadership builder for those girls too.
 *The Senior High Youth Rally is in Benson on Oct. 26. The past two years no senior high youth have attended this rally, but a few are already signed up for this year!
 * The Youth Advisory Council will meet Nov 3. We have four council members at this point. We meet every other month with the goal of helping address the needs of youth in our parish. Parents and youth (grades 6-12) are invited to join this leadership team!

 

8.  School Report: 

There has been excitement at the school during this past month.

  • September 15 – All 4th and 5th graders attended the ordination and installation of Bishop LeVoir.  They were impressed by the entire event, and it was a good experience for them.
  • September 16 and 18 – The teachers in grades K –2 held Parent –Teacher conferences to set goals for the year.  Conferences for the other grades will be after the first quarter report cards in November.
  • September 19 – The 3rd grade class attended the Shrine Circus in Willmar as guests of the VFW, American Legion, Litchfield Eagle’s, Darwin Eagle’s and the Shriners.  They do this for all 3rd graders of the area each year.
  • Officer Nelson of the Litchfield Police Department began the D.A.R.E. drug and alcohol prevention program with our 5th graders on September 9.  Classes are held with him once a week for nine weeks.
  • The teachers attended an excellent Diocesan Educator Day in Sleepy Eye on Friday, September 26.  The keynote speaker was John Carr from the USCCB social justice committee and we were all inspired by his thought-provoking presentation.
  • Student representatives from 4-H visited our students on Tuesday, October 7, during National 4-H Week to speak about the program and encourage joining.
  • Three representatives from the Litchfield Fire Department visited on Wednesday, October 8, to teach the students about fire safety during this Fire Safety Week.  The students loved it, especially the trucks they brought with them.
  • On Wednesday, October 15, the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be going to the Minnesota History Center to view the Vatican Splendors exhibit.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  The exhibit is traveling to only 3 cities in the United States.  We are unable to take our parish bus because there is no driver available that day.  We will be renting a bus and found out that it will cost us only $3 more to get a coach bus from Holt Bus in Cokato than to get a school bus from Hicks Bus in town.  (We are not fools; we are going first class this time.)  The cost will be $495; we do have the funds in our field trip account.  This money comes from recycling used printer cartridges.
  • On October 7 and 8, I attended the second year of the NCEA Catholic School Principals’ Institute on Catholic Identity in Our Catholic Schools.  It was an excellent two days with speaker Lee Nagel from the NCCL.
  • And Finally…

Our Marathon was a great success.

We were fearful that we would not make our goal of $18,000, but with the hard work of our parents and the generosity of our parishioners we have raised $19,755.29  as of today.

 

9.  Area Faith Community: 

10.  Hispanic Ministry Report:  No written report at this time

 

 11.  Stewardship Committee Report:  No written report at this time.

 

12.  Pastor’s Report  

Over this past month I have been working with couples preparing them for their upcoming marriages.  I celebrated the Marriages of Jordan & Angie Hirman and Lindsey Mathwig & Mike Lawrence, baptized three infants, and welcomed our 11th graders into their final year of preparation for confirmation.  I attended and chaired the Diocesan Consultors meeting on Oct. 5th and met with the Region 6 pastoral leaders and developed a Communal Reconciliation Schedule for the advent season.  I attended our Annual Fall Pastoral Leaders Day Workshop in Willmar on Oct.13th & 14th on Scripture. We trained new Eucharistic ministers and altar servers this past month and our Music Worship Committee planned the liturgical music for the remainder of ordinary time, advent & Christmas season.  Our Liturgy Committee met and planned dates for environment set up for Advent & Christmas.  We will be putting the Giving Tree up the Friday after Thanksgiving.  I met two times with LAMA and are working on a way for area churches to sponsor an apartment for temporary housing for the homeless in the county.  LAMA also was asked to help the hospital raise $100,000.00 for the Chapel that will be apart of the new hospital renovation. I walked with school students on Marathon day…and assisted with the Kids Against Hunger food packaging evening.  We packaged 81,120 meals and raised over $8,100.00 for the project.  Many area churches participated with fundraising and bagging food.  Our Area Pastoral Council met here at St. Philip’s in September….Our next meeting we will approve the establishment of an Area Word Committee.  The Staff continue to work at their ministry and we will be preparing once again for the Diocesan Ministry Appeal the end of this month and November.