“We dare to live the Way of Jesus,

embodying the Love of God”

Annual Report 2015 AGM March 13, 2016

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2015 Annual Report AGM March13, 2016

Table of Contents Annual Report

Agenda ............................................................................................................... 5 Narrative Budget Report .................................................................................... 6 Nelson United Church 2015 in Pictures ........................................................... 18 NUC AGM Minutes March 1, 2015 .................................................................. 20 NUC Congregation Special Meeting June 28, 2015 ........................................ 23 Nelson United Church Income Sheet as at 12/31/2015 and 2016 Budget ..... 24 Nelson United Church Comparative Balance Sheet as at 12/31/2015 ............ 27 Liabilities and Deferred Revenue and Trustee Loan 2015 ............................... 28 Memorial Fund Report 2015 ............................................................................ 29 Trustees’ Accounts as at December 31, 2015 .................................................. 30 James Hamilton Allen Scholarship Account ..................................................... 31 Guilford Brett Scholarship Account ................................................................. 32 UCW Financial Report 2015 ............................................................................. 33 NUC Recognitions 2015 ................................................................................... 34 Membership Report 2013 ................................................................................ 35 Scholarship Report ........................................................................................... 35

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Nelson United Church Annual General Meeting Sunday, March 13, 2016

Agenda

1. Call to Order 2. Opening Prayer and Song 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Voting Privileges 5. Consensus Decision Making 6. Approval of minutes of AGM, March 1, 2015 7. Approval of minutes of Congregational Meeting June 28, 2015 8. Presentation of Narrative Budget 9. Approval of Narrative Budget 10. Movie of Congregational Life 11. Small Table Discussion “Three Reasons for Celebration” 12. Membership Report and Prayer of Remembrance 13. Financial Reports:

- Approval of Financial Statement of 2015 - Approval of Budget for 2016

14. Nomination Team Report - Election of Board members Kathy Baker Catherine Rose - Election of Trustees Morgan Gould Lonnie Snyder - Election of Administration Team Jasmine Lysenko

15. New Business - Introduction of Stewardship Campaign

15. Closing Song and Blessing 16. Adjournment

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Narrative Budget Nelson United Church 2016

For the year 2015

Introduction: David Boyd As I consider 2015, two things come readily to mind: it was a busy year; it was a year of abundance. Let me consider the idea of abundance first. At the end of Psalm 65 we read:

You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

There are many psalms and scripture passages that speak of such abundance. In the early Church, scenes of resurrection almost always involved depictions of a new Garden of Eden; in other words, they were scenes of lavish abundance and lush greenery. It was a new creation. Many scholars today reflect on the fact that since the Industrial Revolution in particular, we have become a society of scarcity. We operate on the principle that we do not have enough, that we must acquire more! Frederick Buechner, a Presbyterian writer in the USA, once wrote a book of abc’s about Christianity; it was a tongue and cheek presentation of various church ideas and words. Buechner wrote about gluttony—one of the 7 deadly sins—and said, “Gluttony is when you open the refrigerator door to find spiritual sustenance.” If we were to expand Buechner’s idea of gluttony, consumerism would be the idea that we need to buy things in order to feel whole. This is scarcity thinking. Operating from a sense of abundance is to operate with the Hebrew principle of dayenu. Check out hymn 131 of Voices United. A rough translation of dayenu is “it would have been enough.” Knowing that “it is enough” is an important starting point to a theology of abundance. Abundance is celebration. It is welcoming love. It is overflowing grace and compassion. 2015 was a year of abundance. Not only did we end the year with a surplus again (!), we were gifted with an extraordinary donation of $100,000. The surplus gives us a cushion to deal with any unforeseen situations and the extraordinary donation will enable us to build a vision for the future both in terms of capital improvements to our building and in terms of programs that speak about love, compassion, radical welcome and inclusivity. Thank you for your important contributions to our community!

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Time and talent is also an important contribution that many make. As you will see in this report, it takes a lot of energy and person-hours to keep our church community going. Many hours were spent engaged in many important activities and programs. Thank you to all who keep our church community alive and functional and thank you for the many hours engaged in work for climate justice, refugee sponsorship, poverty reduction, hospitality, welcoming and the many ministries in which we engage together. We do believe that ministry is ALL OF US working together. With the acknowledgement of the many volunteer hours that have gone into making 2015 memorable, it has to be acknowledged that it was a busy year. I speak personally about the busyness of this year, but also as your Minister. I have noted that there is some fatigue amongst us. I think this is reflected in the struggle that our Nominations Team has had in finding people to fill a number of positions. One last reflection and then on to the report: at our recent presbytery meeting in Invermere in November, Treena Duncan, our BC Conference Personnel Minister, remarked that Kootenay Presbytery was doing well and was in good shape. Our perception within presbytery was that we were struggling, trying to find leadership to fill the ministry teams and positions on the Planning and Visioning Team. Treena offered her reflection in the context of knowing how other presbyteries are doing. Given the overall health of the United Church, Kootenay Presbytery is doing well. I would say that Treena’s comments hold true of our congregation: we are doing well. Yes, we are experiencing some decline in membership and finding people to fill some positions is challenging. But when you consider that very few congregations have a Sunday school still (not to mention a youth group), that our UCW grew when many UCWs have stopped altogether in other churches, and that ministry personnel positions are transitioning to less than full-time work, we are doing well. We still have the largest UCW in the Conference, we have an active and vibrant Sunday school and youth program, we have a creative and dedicated staff, and we have a congregation that is intentional about following the Way of Jesus while embodying the Love of God. We are doing well. There is an abundance of riches in our midst General Introduction & Administration A word about how this Narrative Budget will be presented. According to our year-end financial statement, we spent $206,831.57 (rounded to $207,000 for the purposes of the narrative budget) for 2015. It was a good year and we raised $214,616.54, which gave us a surplus of $7,784.07—YAAY!! Each area of our church life will show a percentage of our total budget and a rounded amount spent on that area. We had hoped to give an approximate number of volunteer hours in each area, but there were too many gaps to be accurate; suffice to say that 100’s of volunteer hours are given to each part of our church life—and that doesn’t account for the gifts that we share in the wider world! The areas of our church life for the purposes of our narrative budget are:

Administration Worship Community and Social Justice Congregational Care Spiritual Growth and Education

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Since the church began, there has traditionally been 4 functions of local congregations: worship and preaching (leitourgia & kerygma); witness and prophecy (martyria); education and spiritual growth (didache) and community and mutual care (koinonia & diakonia). The administration of our congregation involves the support of all the functions of our congregational life, making sure everything runs smoothly. Our Administration Team, comprised currently of Jasmine Lysenko, Leah Gray, Lois and David (Jasmine took over Margaret Stacey’s place on the team), has worked well; this team used to be called The Staff Team, but that seemed unwieldy and undescriptive. Essentially, the Administration Team (the A-Team?) helps to make the decisions of the Nelson United Church Board happen; the A-Team manages the work of the congregation, helps ministry teams implement their goals, and makes sure that things run with a sense of abundance and grace. The A-Team, and within administration more generally, covers things like:

counting the offering and making bank deposits; bookkeeping; managing our reserve funds; making decisions and drafting policies (via direction from the Church Board) managing volunteers and looking for new people to be involved communicating through newsletters, the website and an online presence managing our staff (such as holiday relief staff) folding bulletins holding (monthly) meetings ensuring of building maintenance fundraising ideas programming ideas hospitality initiatives·

Besides the A-Team there are three church bodies to which members must be elected: The Church Board, the Board of Trustees, and the Ministry & Personnel (M&P) Committee. The Church Board: This year there were a number of new people stepping onto the Church Board – the body responsible for discerning the mission of the congregation, creating a strategy for living it out, setting policy and providing oversight of congregational life. It has been a busy year of rich learning and challenge! In addition to (more-than) monthly meetings, the Board took two day-long retreats. The retreat in April helped facilitate the transition between the old Board and the new. In August, the Board gathered to delve into the four mission goals embraced by the last Board. Out of that meeting three immediate goals were chosen: the development of a communication strategy, the reconfiguration of the sanctuary to make it a more flexible and inviting space, and the re-direction of the vision statement of NUC so that groups, teams and individuals within the church feel that they own the goals and have the permission to strategize about how they might creatively live out one or more of them. A fourth board goal of creating a plan for the long term stability of the congregation was added in October.

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A number of conversations and initiatives this year have come together to suggest a clear next step for the Board. In May, Morgan Gould, Peter Busby and Jane Harding introduced the concept of Legacy giving as a way of supporting the ongoing financial viability of the church into the future. In October a small group gathered to brainstorm ideas about the sanctuary space. Then in the late fall we were blessed with an extraordinary donation of $100,000 and a Donation Steering Committee was brought together by the Nominations team to consider the use of these funds. Finally, the presbytery-sponsored Re-Reformation Day on All Hallows Eve, encouraged us to think creatively how we might continue to carry the love and message of Jesus Christ into the world around us, even as we face a future of declining church membership. Considering these developments and in light of our goals, the Board has decided to launch a three-part stewardship campaign, “Building for the Future.” The committee that will head up this campaign will consider programming and the use of physical space, including the sanctuary. As well, we intend to have “cottage gatherings” in order to consult with the congregation about our mission goals and to discuss immediate programs and giving, legacy giving and volunteering. Ongoing work of the Board includes the development of a “Safe Church Policy” and “Safe Church Team” which aims to ensure that the worth, safety and dignity of all members of the community is respected, by providing guidelines and a process for engaging individuals whose behaviour is disrespectful, disruptive or dangerous. As well, the Board is seeking further clarification about the consensus decision making process that is used as a congregation; Beryl Clayton has been invited to address the Board in the spring. Work continues on the development of an overall communications strategy for the church. In terms of personnel, the Board, on the recommendation of the M&P committee decided to change Custodial services from a contract to an employee position effective July 1st, 2015. The Ministry of Family and Youth continues as a contract position until June 30th, 2016 at which time the board will review the terms of employment. Finally, in light of a commitment to climate justice and environmental stewardship, the board made the decision to purchase 2 solar panels in the city of Nelson solar garden. The Board of Trustees had an eventful year in 2015. A new investment policy was drafted and passed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March. The policy has slowly been implemented over the year. First and foremost was to select an investment firm that conformed to our criteria as outlined in the new investment policy. Two identified firms, Wood Gundy and Fiera Management, were evaluated according to criteria identified in the investment policy:

1) Past performance regarding risk/performance: Rate of return versus risk over the past 10 years.

2) Ethical investments. 3) Fee for portfolio management. 4) Risk. 5) Responsiveness and effectiveness in managing rapidly changing market

conditions (choppy markets): Rates of loss and recovery, year-to-year. After careful analysis, the Trustees selected Fiera Capital as the investment firm that met all of the above criteria:

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Of our overall budget, 25% goes toward administration, which represents

$51,750. 20% of David’s time is given to administration (this includes presbytery

and conference work).

All equity or stock positions, including those held in scholarship accounts, were sold and transferred to Fiera Capital.

Two remaining GIC’s (annual return of about 2%) will be evaluated as they come due in 2016 and 2017.

The Trustees wish to express their appreciation to Roy Nelson for his many years of service as a Trustee and especially the last few years as Chair of the Board. Roy resigned during the year. At its December meeting, the Trustees accepted the resignation of long-serving member Elaine Henderson with expressions of appreciation for her role as Secretary of the Trustees. Barbara Couch also resigned during the year and thanks are extended for her participation. Mel Ferraro suffered a stroke this past year and is not able to continue his work with the Trustees; we deeply appreciate Mel’s contributions and sense of humour and wish him well on his recovery. The Nominating Committee forwarded the name of Morgan Gould as candidate for Trustees; the Church Board approved this nomination at its December meeting; the nomination will be voted on by the congregation at the AGM in 2016. Trustees Members through the year: David Boyd - Chairperson, Bess Rathbone, Elaine Henderson - Secretary, Tom Johnston, Bob Steed, Mel Ferraro, Barbara Couch, Roy Nelson - Deputy to Act as Chairperson. The Ministry & Personnel (M&P) Committee has four members, Pauline Daniel, Lena Horswill, Lorna Inkster, and Dirk Jonker. The Committee also has four main roles: staff support and consultation; supervision of and oversight over the employment relationship of church staff; education; and conflict resolution. The Committee met nine times in 2015. If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact one of the above members.

The M & P Committee functions as a team. Decisions are made by consensus. Lena Horswill is the coordinator and Lorna Inkster is the secretary. All meetings are recorded and recommendations are sent to the Board for their approval and action. Administration also includes the work that is done in terms of the wider United Church. Leah Gray and Nancy Jones are your presbytery representatives; presbytery meets twice a year and BC Conference 2 out of every 3 years. David is a member of presbytery and participates in a number of wider church, ecumenical and inter-faith initiatives. David supervised the (now) Rev. Greg Powell in Castlegar; this supervisory relationship ended in April with Greg’s ordination in May.

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Worship The Worship Planning Team, along with the Décor Team, the ushers, readers, prayer-writers, scripture readers, power point preparers and operators. All worship participants, communion servers, bread makers, communion preparers, supply (worship) leaders and preachers try to provide meaningful and sensitive worship for all of us. From occasional worship experiences such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, worship in the park, outdoor Thanksgiving worship, the longest night worship on December 21st to our worship every Sunday morning, worship is the hallmark of our church community. At worship our community gathers to pray together and to celebrate that we are one. We emphasize that we are an Affirming community as we worship and so stress inclusivity with respect to language, images and community involvement. We have invited community leaders to speak, celebrated faith stories, shared in worship with our Anglican and Lutheran friends, had guest ministers from the wider church as well as our own community, and recognized full communion with The United Church of Christ. The Advent and Lenten prayer vigils are important worship opportunities for people to offer individual prayers for others and the world and appreciate a time of silence. Each month also, a group of people from NUC worship with the folk of Jubilee and Mountain Lake. In worship, we gather as a community of faith, offer our thanksgiving to God for the gift of abundance, and pray together for peace and justice and the welfare of our planet. We sing and commune together; we celebrate new journeys in baptism and remind ourselves that we are called to follow the Way of Jesus, embodying the Love of God. Music continues to be important; we appreciate quiet reflective music, raucous contemporary music, pipe organ preludes and postludes, bell choir ringing and recorder harmonizing. We like to sing and are blessed with 3 choirs: the Chancel Choir, the Jubilate Deo Handbell Choir, and the Spirit Winds Recorder Ensemble. John, directing the handbell and chancel choir and accompanying us on the organ and piano, and Robin, directing the recorder ensemble, provide us with ample opportunity to sing and appreciate the spiritual resonance of music. As John Wesley once observed, we are called “to sing lustily!” This year we added a couple of djembe drums to our repertoire of instruments and so our music has a new beat. Over the past few years, the Worship Planning team, based on evaluations from the congregation, has worked hard at being creative in terms of the use of our senses and being more participatory. We celebrated communion on a weekly basis in Lent and Advent and we created opportunities for people to be more engaged in worship. As we are whole people—mind, body and spirit—the planning team has worked hard to engage our different senses. Feedback is always welcome so please talk to Lynne Busby, the chair of our planning team, or David or Lois.

Of our overall budget, 30% goes toward worship and music, which represents

$62,100. 25% of David’s time is given to worship and music.

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Community and Social Justice Our Outreach Team stopped meeting a couple of years ago; since that time, community engagement and social justice have happened via specific projects. One of the ways of living out our call to justice is through the Social Justice Team (SJT), which convened for the first time early in the year. Members of the SJT were: Danaraj Doraisamy (Akka), Morgan Gould, Liz Knox, Donna MacDonald and Rona Park. Within a few months of deliberation, the SJT chose to mount an ambitious project which came to be called “Nelson: Poverty in Modern Times.” The project was modeled after the hugely successful ‘Hope in the Shadows’ project in Vancouver’s east side. The SJT collaborated closely with Vanessa Alexander, Community Outreach Worker, with Nelson Community Services. Vanessa helped the team recruit 10 individuals who lived in poverty or were homeless who agreed to participate in the project. They were given disposable cameras, invited to take photos reflecting their experience, and to provide text with each photo that expressed their thoughts and feelings. The images were reviewed by members of the SJT and NUC’s Decor Team, and 12 images were selected for inclusion in a calendar to be sold in Nelson. With the support of Vogue Photographic and Hall Printing, the calendars were produced and ready for sale by early September. Liz Knox was instrumental in lining up local businesses willing to sell the calendars (some seven venues). And numerous NUC members signed up to assist with selling calendars at Oso Negro over two cold days in early December. The calendars were also featured at Capitol Theatre performances and the Civic Theatre run of Star Wars. The calendar was launched on October 4th with full and thorough coverage by Will Johnson of the Nelson Star. To date, an estimated 200 - 250 calendars have been sold from the print run of 400. There is wide community support for the project, and the SJT will review how to involve others in deciding whether and how to repeat the project in 2016. The project is complex, and involves production, marketing and promotion, sales, distribution, inventory, and so on. An estimation of volunteer hours is not possible, but surely exceeds 80 – 100 hours. The question remaining from NUC church members is ‘how do we maintain the momentum?’ The comment reflects ongoing interest in issues of poverty and homelessness in Nelson, and how Nelson United Church can be a platform for advocacy and change. Climate Justice was an important concern for our church community. We partnered with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) to create a 6-week dialogue series. This was held in the Spring and was very successful with over 30 participants from the congregation and wider community. It was turned into a kit that has been shared through the United Church and with other community groups. This dialogue series was created with the understanding that substantive change occurs when enough people are engaged and informed through dialogue, and can then share new insights with

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Of our overall budget, 15% goes toward Community and Social Justice, which represents $31,050. 25% of David’s

time is given to Community and Social Justice. Please note that the above total does not include:

gifts to the Mission & Service fund of $18,817.20. emergency response gifts of $2,145. the calendar project receipts of $1871.77. the refugee processing of donations: $36,429.34.

others. This is an example of “person-to-person peace-making.” When there is enough citizen engagement and a critical threshold is achieved, politicians are forced to follow. Climate Justice was again on our schedule in another discussion series, this time around Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Laudato Si’. This was a very successful inter-faith initiative hosted by Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic Cathedral parish, St. Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ascension Lutheran Church, Yasodhara Ashram, Kootenay Shambhala Meditation Centre, and Nelson United Church. Montana Burgess of the West Kootenay Eco-Society coordinated this effort and a huge thanks goes out to her. As a side benefit, these conversations created a new inter-faith initiative in the Nelson region and other new relationships. The other main focus this year has been refugee sponsorship. The United Church of Canada is a Sponsorship Agreement Holder with the federal government of Canada; because of this, local congregations can easily initiate sponsorships of refugees because of the support of the denomination. Every 5 years or so, we have engaged in refugee sponsorship with other community churches and organizations. A number of us felt it was time to engage in a new refugee sponsorship. As a result of our partnership with Ascension Lutheran Church and folk from the wider community, the Kootenay Refugee Coalition was created under the auspices of Nelson United Church. After preparations began in March, Selem came to Canada in June via Cairo from E. Africa. Helen came via the same route at the end of July. We are currently working hard to bring Selem’s family to Canada, which includes 4 daughters, 1 son, a son-in-law and three grandchildren. Just before Christmas, Nelson United hosted a number of information sessions about refugee sponsorships in general. Syrian refugee sponsorships have become a hot-button topic because of the high need of those fleeing persecution and oppression in Syria. Because of our expertise, the Coalition is able to share its experience with others in the community.

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Congregational Care We are blessed to have a very active and dedicated Pastoral Care Team. Our team has visited people in hospital, at home, at Mountain Lake Senior’s Complex, Lakeview Village, and Jubilee Manor. Cards of sympathy or congratulations are sent; a prayer circle prays for specific concerns and frozen casseroles and soups are given to folk in times of emergency. The team also helps with transportation to congregational events and worship. Our team also coordinated a number of informative seminars: this fall 3 sessions were hosted under the banner “Putting Your House in Order” and last spring there was an afternoon seminar regarding funeral preparation and issues needing attention at times of death. The team gives out poinsettias in early December to help people feel connected to our congregation and when needed, will take a prayer shawl to those who are ill. Our prayer shawl ministry has become a very important ministry in our congregation. Many hours are spent creating vibrant and prayer-infused shawls that we can take to people who are ill. The knitters get together monthly to pray, talk and share patterns and share in community. An important aspect of our mutual care happens through the Men’s Club. After many years of monthly meetings, the Men’s Club shifted its energies. The Fowl Supper was still hosted in November and the Shrove Tuesday pancakes last February, but the club no longer meets monthly. The Club serves coffee after church and helps out where needed and will continue to assist as able. The United Church Women (UCW), which has grown over this past year, continues to be a busy part of our congregation where mutual care occurs and projects accomplished. The UCW branch of Nelson United Church meets once a month on the second or third Monday of each month. Four women’s groups comprise the UCW: Caritas, 56 Unit, Jubilee, and Unity. New members are always welcome to any UCW units. As usual, this has been a busy year for the UCW, with many various fund-raising and support activities. A successful joint Garage Sale was organized with the Men’s Club in June and the annual Christmas Bazaar in November.

The World Day of Prayer was coordinated in March. An Alzheimer Coffee Campaign in October was facilitated. A Spring Coffee Party was held in the Spring. Refreshments were provided for the Dickens reading in December. And the Summer Social was hosted in July.

Throughout the year, other events included: a “welcome back” lunch in September and a spring soup and bun lunch hosted by Caritas, who also provided assistance with the Homelessness Calendar launch and the Men’s Fowl Supper. The Valentine coffee party was hosted by the 56 Unit, and the Top ‘O The Morning coffee party hosted by Unity. A soup and bun lunch was hosted by Jubilee. Our UCW group facilitated several finger-food pot-luck congregational lunches through the year, as well as funeral receptions. Home-baked and decorated cakes were provided for several occasions, including baptisms and graduation. Each unit, along with the Men’s Club, took their turn, a

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Of our overall budget, 10% goes toward congregational care, which represents $20,700. 15% of David’s time given to

congregational care.

month at a time, to provide Sunday beverages for the congregation after worship. At least once each month, goodies, now including gluten-free and dairy-free options, were provided as well. At the UCW AGM in November, funds of $8,750.00 were dispersed supporting not only the week-by-week work of our church, but also the Nelson Food Cupboard, the Mission and Service Fund, and several community groups such as the Women’s Centre, Nelson Community Services, Camp Koolaree, and Kootenay Lake District Hospital. This year the UCW purchased, along with the Men’s Club, 4 more large tables for the Church Hall. Several members have donated good china coffee mugs, larger luncheon plates and a microwave oven for the kitchen. The annual “deep cleaning” of the kitchen and back room was done in February. This year, we fondly remember long-time UCW member, Audrey Denison, and we sadly mark the loss of our dear Ralph Elliot, a man of endless smiles, hugs and willingness to help wherever he could. Along with welcoming several new women to our UCW family, we are pleased to have Caroline Hopwood back in the fold. The UCW are always thankful for assistance from the men of the church, who take their turn at serving coffee, help to set up for various events, respond to repair and building requests, and haul off truckloads of recyclable material following the annual garage sale. In spite of losing many members over the past few years, we still have over 80 names on our UCW membership list. May we continue to serve our worship community willingly and faithfully with a song in our hearts! We are greeted by folk each Sunday morning and we focus on hospitality and welcome. The Greeters are the welcoming face of Nelson United Church. For our regular attendees we hope to reflect our pleasure at seeing them again amongst our church family. For newcomers our aim is to make their transition into an unfamiliar space an easy and comfortable one. If possible, we follow up with a phone call, name tags, envelopes, and introductions to other people in the congregation. There are 12 greeters on the team, working in pairs each Sunday. We most directly support the Nelson United Church ministries of worship and congregational care. Besides visiting at different times each month, a dedicated group of volunteers goes to Jubilee and Mountain Lake to help with worship each 2nd Tuesday of the month. Volunteers from our church set up communion, help serve communion, help sing, bring residents to worship, and help out in any way.

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Of our overall budget, 20% goes toward Spiritual Growth and Education,

which represents $41,400. 15% of David’s time is given to Spiritual

Growth and Education.

Spiritual Growth and Education Climate change and working for climate justice was one of the major educational thrusts this year. This was done cooperatively last Spring in conjunction with The Citizens’ Climate Lobby; a 6-week discussion was created by Laura Sacks and David Boyd. And then again last fall, an Inter-Faith group led in discussions related to Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Laudato Si’. This latter educational discussion series culminated in a series of vigils during the Paris Climate talks in early December. Different faith communities hosted a vigil each day; we learned a lot about different traditions. We engaged in 1 book discussion this year. Our Thursday morning book group discussed Between the Dark and the Daylight by Joan Chittister. This has been an important discipline for those who attend, although it does mean getting up for 6:30 am! The Intentional Living Group meets monthly and there are 10 participants; the group engages in personal storytelling and deep discussion about what it means to live an intentional and whole life. This group has been empowering for participants to discover and share a holistic sense of life. The Contemplative Prayer Group meets twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings. The group engages in ½ hour of meditation and someone provides an opening and closing blessing. The purpose of the group is to support those who are actively engaged in a personal meditative practice. There are 8 to 12 participants depending on the evening. Our NUC Family Ministries encompasses Sunday School, youth, and support to families. The Sunday School program had 25 children participating, with an average attendance last fall of 7 children on Sundays. A team of 11 volunteers made Sunday School happen with Robin planning and preparing all teaching materials for each of the three classes. Children and Youth benefit greatly in terms of both faith formation and making connections to adults in our church community. Our NUC Youth Group had 12 youth (grades 6 to 12) participating with an average attendance of 6-8 on any given Friday. The group gathers in the Church Hall for games, snacks, meaningful conversation, and the occasional movie night or outing to the Capitol Theatre when one or more of our numbers are performing on stage. About half of the participants come from families within Nelson United Church who have participated in the Sunday School program and half from outreach to the community. In terms of Family Ministries more generally, in 2015 we had an Easter Egg hunt for the children after our Easter morning Potluck Brunch; a Christmas Event was held on December 27. Robin continues to seek additional ways our congregation can support young families in our changing times.

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David’s Time and Narrative Budget Pie Charts

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January February

March April

May

June

NUC

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July

August

October

November

December

September

2015

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NELSON UNITED CHURCH ANNUAL GENERAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

MARCH FIRST, TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN 12:35 P.M.

CHAIR: Nancy Jones RECORDER: Peter Lee CONGREGATION: Approximately 68 people OPENING PRAYER: David Boyd led the members in an opening prayer and song: “Draw the Circle Wide”. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by NUC Board Chair Nancy Jones at 12:35 P.M., fol-lowing the Sunday morning worship service and a potluck luncheon. DECISION MAKING VOTING PRIVELEGES: Nancy spoke to the consensus-based decision making process to be following at the meeting and that there are 3 options under this decision based model; those being:

1. All agree; or 2. All agree with reservations; or 3. Do not agree

AND, that all present be recognized as having voting privileges at this meeting. Order of Business: AGENDA: That the 2015 AGM Agenda (amended) be approved. Approved by Consensus ACCEPTANCE OF THE MARCH 9, 2014 CONGREGATIONAL AGM MINUTES: That the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of March 9, 2014 be adopted as pre-sented. Approved by Consensus ACCEPTANCE OF THE TEAM REPORTS (NON-FINANCIAL) AS CONTAINED IN THE 2014 NUC AGM ANNUAL REPORT: Church Board Chair Report, Nominating Committee, Story Map, Approved by Consensus NOMINATING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION TO APPOINT SHIRLEY MOON AND TOM JOHNSON TO THE NUC BOARD: Approved by Consensus Page 1 of 3 NELSON UNITED CHURCH ANNUAL GENERAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING MARCH FIRST, TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN

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NOMINATING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION TO APPOINT BARBARA COUCH TO THE NUC BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Approved by Consensus 2014 MEMBERSHIP REPORT AND PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE: David led us in prayer to recognize those new members, those who have gone before us, those who were baptized and married in 2014 at NUC. TREASURER’S REPORT FOR 2014: Peter Lee, NUC Secretary, on behalf of NUC Treasurer Morgan Gould, presented the 2014 financial statements and 2015 budget. Peter reviewed the operating costs high-lighting the changes in expenditures over the previous 7 years. Peter summarized the 2014 financial performance noting that it was a relatively good year financially for NUC, and that we declared an operating surplus of $15,836.78 at year end. This was due in part to a number of successful fund raising events, including the generosity of the Unit-ed Church Women, the Men’s Group and individual contributions. Questions were discussed concerning Presbytery funding and building expenses, the new heating system, balcony heating unit replacement and repairs to the organ. Peter advised the Board has asked that a team be formed to address building operat-ing costs and efficiencies and that this team will be led by Bob Steed. Approved by Consensus RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT THE 2015 BUDGET: The 2015 budget projects a significant deficit ($6,711.49); unless we increase our revenue. A concerted effort will need to be made to meet these revenue projections. Approved by Consensus TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT: Roy Nelson presented annual report and financial statements for the year ending De-cember 31, 2014, on behalf of the Trustees. Approved by Consensus RESOLUTION REGARDING HELEN CATLEY YOUTH LEGACY FUND: “That the principal amount of the fund will be preserved and the interest accrued each year will be used for youth programming at NUC.” Not Approved (The resolution regarding the HC youth fund was not approved but rather sent back to the Board for rewording.) Page 2 of 3 NELSON UNITED CHURCH ANNUAL GENERAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING MARCH FIRST, TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN

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APPROVAL OF NUC INVESTMENT POLICY: Roy Nelson presented the NUC Investment policy for approval. He explained the poli-cy had been developed by a working committee consisting of two members from the Trustees, Bob Steed and Ralph Elliot and, two Board members, Morgan Gould and Pe-ter Lee. The Board subsequently approved the policy for forwarding to the AGM, on January 14, 2015. A Town Hall meeting was then held on January 18, 2015, following regular service, with approximately 50 people in attendance, to explain the provisions and implications of the policy. The Trustees next approved the Investment Policy on January 20, 2015. Final endorsement and approval is required at the Annual General Meeting in order to bring it into effect. An informed question and answer discussion followed prior to the resolution being made: “That the Nelson United Church Investment Policy, dated March 1, 2015, be approved as presented.” Approved by Consensus OTHER BUSINESS: RECOGNITIONS Gratitude was extended by the Nancy Jones, Board Chair to the members of all of the NUC committees for their volunteer contributions to the community of the Nelson Unit-ed Church. Nancy also recognized and thanked outgoing Board members Liz Knox, Honey Bell-man, Morgan Gould and Peter Lee for their contributions to NUC. Nancy thanked David, on behalf of the congregation for his ministry and the staff team who ensure that NUC operates effectively. Peter Lee, and, on behalf of Morgan, replied in turn, to thank Nancy and the members of the Board, for their fellowship and contribution. Peter explained the dynamics of the role of a Board member, and encouraged others to consider offering themselves to be-come a Board member, particularly if their talents and interest are in the area of secre-tary and treasurer. Peter emphasized these roles and spoke about their value in the context of the Board level. We are all leaders and we each have unique talents to con-tribute. Peter spoke about the Nominating Committee that has been established to strengthen our volunteer focus by matching talent of our members to the needs of our NUC. He asked that should members be interested in any position, they should con-tact a member of the Nominating Committee. CLOSING SONG AND BLESSING: David led us in a song Wherever You May Go I Will Follow, and closing prayer. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:35 P.M. Page 3 of 3 NELSON UNITED CHURCH ANNUAL GENERAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING MARCH FIRST, TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN

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Nelson United Church December 31, 2015 Income Statement and 2016 Budget

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December 31, 2015 Income Statement and 2016 Budget (page 2)

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December 31, 2015 Income Statement and 2016 Budget (page 3)

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Nelson United Church December 31, 2015 Comparative Balance Statement

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Nelson United Church Liabilities and Deferred Revenue December 31, 2015

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” ― Kahlil Gibran

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Memorial Fund Report 2015

Members of Committee: Mildred Anderson, Marg Stacey, David Boyd (ex officio) and Lois Bercg (Church Administer) submitted by Bill Costain, Co-ordinator of the Memorial Fund

Date Description Credit Debit Balance Jan. 1, 2015 Balance 1,881.81 Jan. 15 2014 donations 1,260.00 3,141.81 Aug. 26 Purchased 2 Djembe drums 999.56 2,142.25 Jan. 1, 2016 Balance 2,142.25 Jan. 12, 2016 2015 donations 473.63 2,615.88

31-May-15 Investment in Coast Capital Matured = $ 4,366.17

Reinvested @ 1.65% Matures May 31, 2016 with value of $4,518.50 TOTAL FUNDS AVAILABLE $6,982.05

(2615.88 + 4366.17)

NOTES: A. BMO charges a $2.50 maintenance fee monthly B. Church staff recommended purchase of drums, request accepted by NUCMFC C. Colin Ludwar continues to handle our account free of charge!

“Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car.” ― Garrison Keillor

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NELSON UNITED CHURCH WOMEN- FINANCIAL REPORT-2014-2015

Submitted by Grace Smith

Balance Forward 2,710.68

CREDITS Bazaar Door (840) Bake Table (522.85) Notions (276.25) 1,639.10 Calendars 30.00 Donations 65.00 Funerals 2,800.00 Garage Sale 1,332.45 Spring Tea 932.35 Units Caritas (2100); Jubilee (1000); 56 Unit (2000); Unity (1000) 6,100.00

$15,609.58

DEBITS Bank 33.73 Bazaar 211.70 Camp Koolaree 300.00 Dickens Reading 34.00 General Fund 5,000.00 Hospital Fdn. 50.00 Kitchen Fund Tables 730.00

Chairs 83.82 Kitchen Supplies 1,400.00 Funerals 563.03 M&S 2,000.00 Nelson Food Cupboard 2,400.00 Outreach 400.00 Repairs Equipment 1,075.00 Spring Tea 64.51 Staff Gifts 700.00

$15,045.79

Balance on Hand as of November 30, 2015 $563.79

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Nelson United Church 2015 Recognitions

* Gratitude goes to the many beautifiers, decorators, artists, power point preparers and operators and gardeners of the Church: we would look plain without them! * Gratitude goes to the many voices, readers, writers, dramatists, choir singers, ringers, drummers and recorder players: we would sound empty without them! * Gratitude goes to the many bakers, food preparers, coffee time hosts and meal organizers of the Church: we would not celebrate without them! * Gratitude goes to the many greeters, ushers, event managers, shawl makers, drivers, home visitors, emergency all out folk: they are the front line faces of Nelson United Church. * Gratitude goes to the prayer vigil keepers and prayer circle people of our church: they are the underlying and over-arching support to our congregation.

Church Staff David Boyd

Robin Murray John Pengelly

Lois Berg Barbara Couch

Admin. Team David Boyd Lois Berg Leah Gray

Jasmine Lysenko

Church Board Leah Gray, Co-chair

Catherine Rose, Co-chair Kathy Baker, Secretary

Nancy Jones, Presbytery Rep. Shirley Moon David Boyd

Ministry & Personnel Com.

Lena Horswill Lorna Inkster

Pauline Hughes Dirk Jonker

Presbytery Representatives

Leah Gray Nancy Jones

Trustees

Bob Steed Elaine Henderson

Bess Rathbone Tom Johnston Barbara Couch

Roy Nelson David Boyd (Chair)

Pastoral Care Visiting Team

David Boyd Judy Cameron Dianne Harke

Diane Holt Willa Horsfall

Irene McIlwaine Wendy Steed

Dorothy Wayling Edna Whiteley Joe Woodward

Worship Planning Team David Boyd Lynne Busby Roy Nelson Verna Kidd

Shirley Moon Catherine Rose Judy Cameron Robin Murray

Sunday School Teaching Team Robin Murray

Honey Bellman Riordan Bellman Kathy Johnston Judy Cameron Marg Stacey Fran Flesaker

Jasmine Lysenko Lonnie Snyder

Janet Boyd (emergency sub) Leah Gray (emergency sub)

Building Team

Lois Berg Marg Stacey Jean Elliot Bob Steed

John Pengelly

United Church Women Executive Leah Gray

Donna Strongman Grace Smith Lynne Busby

Bess Rathbone Charlotte Nelson Margaret Stacey Bev Robertson

Men’s Club Co-ordinators

Brian Strongman Peter Busby

Church Envelope Secretary

Donna Strongman

Offering Counting Team Lou Costain Anne Corbett Shirley Moon Marie Berg

Technical Assistance

Kevin MacAskill Dave Haynes David Boyd

Webminister, Mustard Seed Edi-

tor, NUC News Editor Jody Dudley

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Nelson United Church Membership Report 2015

2015 Baptisms

London Haas August 9, 2015 Murray Shunter August 23, 2015 Lynne Shunter August 23, 2015 Tanin Shunter August 23, 2015

Cassandra Ortiz August 23, 2015 Trestan Shunter August 23, 2015

2015 New Members

Rosena Warner May 3, 2015 Gwen Acres May 3, 2015

Harold Arnett May 3, 2015 Murray Shunter August 23, 2015 Lynne Shunter August 23, 2015 Tanin Shunter August 23, 2015

Cassandra Ortiz August 23, 2015 Trestan Shunter August 23, 2015

2015 Weddings

Holly Waywood and Mukhtar Mohammed July 11, 2015 John Simpler and Danielle Hinshaw July 20, 2015

We Remember in 2015

Ralph Elliot March 19, 2015, Memorial March 27, 2015 Michael Pollack March 23, 2015, Memorial April 16, 2015 Vivian Perrier January 12, 2015, Memorial April 18, 2015

Marion Ronmark February 7, 2015, Memorial May 17, 2015 Connie Wah February 4, 2015, Memorial August 6, 2015 Doris Bradshaw May 29, 2015, Memorial August 8, 2015

Rick Askew September 16, 2015, Memorial September 26, 2015 Iris Fraser August 6, 2015, Memorial August 31, 2015

Jan Jonker December 29, 2015, Memorial January 9, 2016

Dunavan Morris-Janzen: Allen Scholarship $400 Gideon Berry: Allen Scholarship $400

Robin Murray: Women’s Scholarship $500 Laura Hoskin: Women’s Scholarship $500

Scholarship Report 2015

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