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On Tuesday, June 3, 2008, the Immaculate
Conception Pastoral Council met for its
final meeting of FY 2008. On the agenda
for the evening was the approval of the
FY 2009 budget, an update of upcoming
facility projects throughout the campus
and a presentation by the Parishioner
Engagement Process (PEP) Program. The
Pastoral Council is comprised of the
following members: Leo Ryan, John
McFadden, Stacey Roig, Debra Bartgis,
Kirsten Hoffman and Chris Scholtes.
Parish Engagement Process
Earlier this month two members of the
Parish Engagement Process (PEP) Core
Team, Mike Coan and Marci Towle, provided
the Pastoral Council with an overview of
this Process that will focus on how our
Immaculate Conception Parish can better
reach out, invite, involve and engage
our parish community. To date, this
dedicated group of parishioners
(the Core Team), has completed a series
of workshops (implemented by a
consulting firm hired by the
Archdiocese) focusing on the 4 PEP
principals: Inviting, Welcoming,
Engaging, and Affirming. We have also
collected a significant amount of time
and talent information through our
recent exercise of "Moving Immaculate
Forward" (Contact Information Updates),
which will be utilized for this parish
wide engagement program.
Next steps for PEP will be to conduct a
parish-wide survey with 3 main
objectives: (1) identify challenges, (2)
identify how well Immaculate Conception
invites and engages people to use their
talents and (3) develop a Parish
Engagement Team that will address the
challenges collected in the survey. To
ensure that PEP and the Pastoral Council
are working in unison, a Pastoral
Council member (Debra Bartgis) has
joined the PEP Core Team.
Finance and Budget Update
Chris Scholtes, the chair of the Finance
Committee, presented the Parish budget
to the Pastoral Council. The budget for
FY 2009 was prepared to make certain all
our goals, as defined at our general
meting, will be funded. The Council
unanimously approved the budget. Chris
also reported that the Finance Committee
will continue to meet monthly to
continue its ongoing review of the
parish and school(s) financials. The
Finance Committee along with the Council
reviews all our expenses, ministries and
capital plans to allow for proper
allocation of the revenue we receive.
Msgr. Tinder went on to add that as long
as our weekly offertory stays on track,
we should be able to stay on budget for
the FY 2009. Changes in the economy
could impact our parish goals, budget,
staffing and upcoming facility
projects. Parishioners who wish to see
the detailed parish budget for FY 2009
should contact Dennis Kenney, Parish
Business Manager, for an appointment.
Mr. Kenney can be reached at
410-427-4742 or dkenney@theimmaculate.org.
Upcoming Facility Projects
Msgr. Tinder presented the 2008-2009
Facility Projects to the Pastoral
Council. Projects that will be ongoing
throughout the summer will include:
Parish
1. Maintain and improve hillside around
Church
2. Paint the exterior of the Rectory
3. Repair the slate roof on the original
Rectory
4. Paint the Sacristy
5. Light the exterior of the Church
6. Install a video security system for
the Chapel
7. Install projectors for the school
8. Wallpaper the Parish Hall hallway
9. Paint the front and back stairwells
10.Construct the Columbarium
11.Construct a sign on Bosley Avenue
Towson Catholic High School
1. Air condition the
cafeteria
2. Add exterior lighting to parking lot
3. Install a video security system
4. Install projectors for the school
5. Continue to improve the athletic
field
Immaculate Conception School
1. Install a video security system
2. Install projectors for the school
3. Upgrade the Science Rooms
4. Install a sun dial in front of the
school
Msgr. Tinder also noted that the
projects listed above have been funded
through a variety of sources, including
Capital Campaign funds, Fall Giving Day
funds, grants from the Archdiocese,
funds from the ICS Home School
Association and other fundraisers.
Projects like the construction of the
Columbarium, new parish sign on Bosley
Avenue and the upkeep of the athletic
field will stretch beyond the summer
months and will take more time to
complete.
Msgr. Tinder asked that Council members
bear in mind that we have a large campus
and are challenged with older buildings
that are, at times, in constant need of
repair. He went on to note that we have
made every effort to keep the parish
staff to a minimum, with many of our
employees working on a part-time
capacity. We are blessed to have the
staff of people who work at Immaculate
Conception because it is their calling,
or ministry, and they work extremely
hard to ensure that the parish runs
smoothly. We hope that all of these
projects will be completed over the
summer; our team will work as hard as
they can to ensure that the work will
get done.
Outreach Committee
Stacey Roig, chair of the Parish
Outreach Committee, reported that we
have agreed to support My Sister’s Place
by serving lunch once a month to its
clients.
The Pastoral Council meetings will
resume in the Fall, at which time we
will continue to report the meeting
minutes in the weekly bulletin. |
