Present: about 110 members
§ 1 Introduction
Marco Helles, chairman of the Board, prayed for the meeting and summarized the intense and lively start of the autumn with events that have greatly influenced the church, meetings that the Board has had with pastors and staff, and tasks that the Board needs to deal with during the autumn.
Inga Johansson from Equmenia church expressed their thanks to Immanuel for opening up the church to refugees, and for the work that staff and volunteers have done in connection with this. She mentioned that several churches are helping out in different ways and that Equmenia and other denominations have been contacted by Myndigheten för Samhällsskydd och Beredskap (MSB). Equmenia will come back with more information.
The congregational meeting was then declared open.
§ 2 Election of minute reviewers
Madeleine Harby Samuelsson and Christopher Dalid were elected to review the minutes.
§ 3 Approval of agenda
The proposed agenda was approved, with the addition of one point under AOB regarding the mural in the café.
§ 4 Appointment of deacon Camilla Mattebo
Ulla Marie Gunner gave some information about Camilla Mattebo. She is a Graduate Economist by education, has been working as housekeeper at Bjärka Säby, been on the Board of Immanuel church, been working as housekeeper for one year at Immanuel, and now temporary as deacon, pending the decision of the congregational meeting.
The meeting decided to appoint Camilla Mattebo as deacon in Immanuel church at 50%. There will be an installation ceremony in the middle of November 2015.
§ 5 Staff changes
Ulla Marie Gunner presented the new staff members as of this autumn:
Daniel Nilsson, housekeeper, a trained cook. Temporary employment, 75% for one year.
Karin Enberg, responsible for HR, 50%.
Amanda Detchman, youth pastor in the International fellowship. Temporary employment, 100% for one year.
Anna Berndes will be working 50% as student pastor, financed by Equmenia church. She will continue working 50 % as pastor with diaconal coordination. Her remaining 50% will be covered by the existing staff.
Ulla Marie also informed the meeting that a group from the church is working on recruiting a pastor for the International fellowship. More than 20 applications have been received, which is very positive. Steve Armfield will continue as interim pastor for the time being.
§ 6 Upcoming budget work / finances
Göran Johansson informed about the present budget situation and the upcoming budget work.
2015 – At present the costs are according to the budget. The revenues with regard to gifts and offerings are under budget but thanks to a bequest and the fact that we were able to sell securities before the summer, the revenues are over budget.
2016 – The management has asked the pastors of the three language groups to discuss with their respective councils which ministries they want to focus on in 2016 and to present clear documents to the Financial Committee / Board for the final budget work in November/December.
If members have suggestions regarding priorities, they should address the responsible pastor (Claes-Göran Ydrefors, Steve Armfield, Chong-Il Cho) or somebody in the ministry councils.
Göran reminded the members of the possibility to increase the revenues of the church by giving their church fee to Immanuel. Information can be found at the information desk and on the website of the Equmenia church. He also encouraged everyone who has already signed up to check that the fee will go to the Equmenia church and not to the Covenant church, as there is no automatic transfer. Out of 368 members about 30% have not yet changed from the Covenant church to the Equmenia church.
2017 – A new structure for the financial accounting will be drafted at the beginning of 2016 and implemented in the budget work for 2017. The new profit centers will reflect the church as a whole and its focus areas (for instance children, youth, older people, diaconal work, etc) regardless of language group.
On 21 October 2015 at 18.30 there will be a congregational meeting with discussions about the budget for 2016.
§ 7 Election of Nominating committee
The Election Committee consisted of the following persons: Ingvar Kvernes chairman, Lois Hemgren, Mikael Hovemyr, Inga Johansson, Sven Mannervik.
Inga Johansson mentioned that the Committee has worked according to the same overall structure as in 2015. See encl. 1.
The following names were suggested by the Election committee for the Nominating committees:
Common Nominating committee
Stefan Nilszén, convenor
Anna-Carin Persson Stenbeck
Johnny Jonsson
Gunilla Herlitz
Jacques Lombard
Kim Skoglund
Julia Hahn
2 vacancies for Immanuel 153, by-elections at next congregational meeting
Swedish fellowship 11.00
Anna-Carin Persson Stenbeck, convenor
Monica Ahlberg
Anders Andersson
Ann-Margret Bergman
Anders Berndes
Margareta Hellman
Johnny Jonsson
International fellowship
Gunilla Herlitz, convenor
Tabea Hennig
Mikael Hovemyr
Jacques Lombard
Pieter Trapman
Korean fellowship
Kim Skoglund, convenor
Julia Hahn
Mi-Hye Kim
Mi-Young Jeon
Soon-Hong Jin
Fellowship Immanuel 153
By-election at next congregational meeting
The above mentioned members were elected according to the proposal. There will be by-elections for representatives from Immanuel 153 at next congregational meeting.
§ 8 Strategic decision concerning the church square
Monica Helles, Sven-Evert Rönnedal and Ulla Marie Gunner represented the Church square committee and began by repeating why it is necessary to renew the church square and the kitchen, according to which key words the group has been working, and who have been members of the committee. The group has presented a revised draft to the Board after suggestions made at the congregational meeting on 27 May 2015.
The chairman clarified that the task of the group has been restricted to looking at the existing church square, café and kitchen. Their focus has been to meet the needs of the activities that are going on regularly, week after week, rather than the few larger events which occur just a few times every year.
Summary of the proposals made by the group:
• The information desk will be moved to the left side of the entrance. It will also serve as a café desk.
• The present cloak room will be turned into a lounge area.
• The café and church square will get alcoves for more private meetings.
• There will be no firm stage, but a simpler stage construction that can be easily installed when needed.
• Round tables for 3–4 and 5–6 persons, firm high tables along the railing towards Congressen.
• There are two proposals regarding the well: to change the present one or make a smaller well.
• The cloak room will be smaller in order to suit worship services and our usual weekly activities rather than certain concerts or the 1 Advent Sunday.
• In the café there will be flexible furniture that can be adapted to children’s activities, coffee after funerals or private discussions.
• The kitchen will be a so called dressing kitchen, divided so that clean and dirty vessels are separated in different rooms. There will also be an activity kitchen outside the kitchen where these strict rules do not need to reign. The kitchen will not have cupboards but trolleys on wheels for chinaware, etc.
The Board has unanimously agreed with the proposal of the committee and chosen the alternative of a smaller well.
The matter was opened to the floor and a lively discussion followed. There were questions regarding capacity, relocations, space for baby strollers, areas for families with young children, acoustics and material needed for good acoustics, art as an important element in church, cloak room, bolder suggestions regarding the area outside the church, the function of the kitchen, the well from a security aspect for children, areas suitable to young people and not only to families with children.
Regarding budget for the renovation it was clarified that Probitas will pay most of the costs, as most of the renovation is regarded as maintenance of the building and something that needs to be done. The church will bear the costs of furnishing.
The meeting agreed to the strategic decision to renew the church square and the kitchen according to the proposal of the committee, with the smaller well. The decision was unanimous.
This decision will be followed by a pilot study by Probitas with the aim to supply quotations and a project plan. The congregation will then make a final decision about the project.
§ 9 Any other business
Some members asked for the promised meeting regarding the mural in the café and the decision of the Board to take it away.
Marco Helles made a brief recapitulation of the many times the mural has been discussed in various meetings in the church, by the Board and at congregational meetings, starting as early as January 2014. It is a long process that has led to the decision to take away the mural.
He stressed the importance of highlighting the missionary history of the Covenant church and Immanuel church by organizing workshops on mission, but also the images and ideas of Africa that we are passing on to future generations.
A date for the meeting will be announced in the Immanuel newsletter Nov/Dec 2015. This meeting will have as its only aim to discuss the mural in the café.
§ 10 Conclusion
After prayer by Ulla Marie Gunner the Chairman thanked those present and declared the meeting closed.
Secretary: Cathrin Sjöström
Minutes approved by: Marco Helles, Madeleine Harby Samuelsson, Christopher Dalid