• Jeong Mi Jensen, Chairperson of the Korean Council, was invited to today’s board meeting. This as a part of the Board’s ambition to get to know each language group’s ministry better. Jeong Mi spoke on three issues:
1. Volunteers and leadership. She emphasized that the Korean group wants to work in its own way, but also more clearly together in fellowship with the entire congregation. There is currently a rejuvenation of the Korean council.
2. Democratic processes. Work is in progress to increase Korean fellowship participation in, for example, congregational and annual meetings.
3. Challenges. The group of children is growing, but there is a shortage of Sunday school teachers. The focus of the Korean group today is on reaching second-generation Koreans in Stockholm. The group is working on increased cultural exchange, but it is also important to maintain Korean identity.
• The congregation has been asked by the Uniting Church in Sweden to, before the Church Conference 2020, submit comments on the Church’s three-part leadership and propose names to fill these positions. The Board decided to propose to the Church conference three names: Lasse Svensson, Jenny Dobers and Robert Ericsson and pointed out that the Board recommends shared leadership. The Board is also open to two-fold leadership and looks forward to review the assessment of the church leadership function after eight year’s experience.
• The Communications and Fundraising Committee reported on its work. From a somewhat gloomy situation during the summer, we are now well in terms of fundraising. In a new way, the collection has become an active part of the worship services and can be noticed on screens and from the pulpit and that gives results. After more than a year of dialogue, education and encouragement, the congregation as well as the employees seem to want more, even when it comes to collections.
The committee will put more time into communication issues in the future, in collaboration with our new communicator.
• The congregation has not had a deputy senior pastor since Claes-Göran Ydrefors left the office earlier this year for retirement. Therefore, the Board decided to propose, at a forthcoming Assembly meeting, that Chris Peterson will hold that position.
• Reports
The Equmenia Association reported that no board meetings have been held and that the “scouting project” has been put on ice for the moment in the absence of a scout leader. Search for a new leader is ongoing and we hope to be able to resume the ministry as soon as possible.
The Administrative manager gave a positive report and summarised that it is fully realistic to believe that this year’s budget targets are being met.
The Finance Committee looks confidently at the collection increase and plans for an increase in fundraising in the budget of 2020.
The Personnel Committee reported on continued work to find a leading pastor to the Swedish language group.
Senior pastors report: Good staff days at Aronsborg in Bålsta. Thirty-one employees participated under the leadership of Barbro Ericsson and Marco Helles. The Korean group currently has an inflow of new families The Portuguese language group has formed a working group that leads the work with Pastor Ivani Ahlberg. They also run a language cafe and meet in small home groups.
This year’s confirmation was celebrated with participants from all the congregational language groups, and it became a real feast. The Confirmands will now begin K2, which is a follow-up year which ends with a trip to Taizé.
The new group for coordination and management, SOL – Samordning och ledning, is starting to take shape and have had its first meeting. The group consists of ten people, from children ministries, young people´s ministries, diaconal work and property management to leadership management
• Probitas and IFAB reported positively that they can meet the set targets without cutting capital. IFAB will report back to the Board with suggested intentions for future investments.
• Upcoming board meeting will be held on October 17, 2019.