Updated 6-24-10

 

current needs – Work will not be done until these are filled.

 

(1)    Grounds Volunteers – Ingrid Carman, Ground Interest Group, needs help maintaining the church flowers and trees.  You can work whenever you want.  Please contact her to find out what needs doing 576-5090

(2)    Bazaar and Quilt Show – There is a sign up form on the bulletin board near the kitchen.

 

Update:    Suzy Doolittle has agreed to become the Church Historian and Nancy Emrich has agreed to be the Summer Music Scheduler.   THANKS !!

 

 

The great tree saga of 2010

 

Let’s begin with the results and work backward from there.  The four trees removed during the Keene Valley Water Project have been replaced.  As you are facing the Church:

 

(1)    A Maple tree was placed between the sign board and the driveway.  This will be in front of the aging and diseased Maple.  We do not know how long the old Maple has before it must be taken down.  The one planted will serve as its replacement in our view when that time comes.

(2)    A Norway Spruce was placed on the right hand side near Nature Way.  This will serve to block the view of the Nature Conservancy’s garage and vehicles.  It also replaces the one felled with the same type of tree.

(3)    A Maple was placed between the Manse and Market Street.  It will be back from NYS 73 so that it does not hamper the view of vehicles trying to turn from Market St. to the Highway.

(4)    A Norway Spruce was placed on the Market St. side and will replace the tree that needs to be removed next to our parking area.

 

Now some truth and groveling.  This whole affair needed better planning and discussion.  The failure is shared between the church and the contractor.  We should have been more pro-active last fall and made our will known at that time.  The contractor should have come to the church in an official capacity requesting our opinion and decision.  We, meaning the church leadership, apologize to you.  We promise to be more vigilant and proactive in the future.  If you feel any need to speak to us or if you have any questions please contact Milton (4711 or kvcc@kvvi.net) or Jim Marlatt (9159 or marlatt2324@gmail.com).

 

AND A THANK YOU OR TWO.  Thank you to all who responded to our request for opinions.  More than 30 people responded by email, phone and notes.  Clearly, from the results there were no clear favorites, we needed more conversation and study to make this decision.  Another thank you to Ingrid, Jim and Milton who sought to gather input at this late date but found that the trees had been ordered.

 

Spen Nye’s Business Sign

 

Spen Nye was given permission last summer by the Council to put up a business sign on Nature Way.  We felt that in this turbulent economy that supporting a local business was “good neighbor” thing we could do.  The sign is within the parameters of the agreement and is back far enough so as not to interfere with the vision of drivers trying to get onto NYS 73.

 

Update:  The Church Council has heard a lot of grapevine reports of dissatisfaction with the sign and the Council granting permission to place it on the corner.  We would like to invite you to share your opinions, concerns, suggestions and complaints directly to the Council at a “Sharing or Hearing” time.  This will happen midweek, in the evening, after the 4th of July.  If you believe we made the wrong decision, we need to hear from you.  If you believe this decision should have come before the full congregation, we need to hear from you.  It is very important in this church that we are able to share truth with each other, whether it is a pat on the back or telling each other that we disagree, have been disappointed or are just plain mad.  Help us model good church communication by coming to this gathering.  The date and time will be announced.

 

Kvcc and union theological seminary summer event 

 

We are very excited to be hosting a summer theological education event with Union Seminary (www.utsnyc.edu).  The Rev. John Webster (retired Presbyterian minister and summer resident) and Milton are teaming up to present this opportunity on July 8-9.  The speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, former Professor of Theology at Yale University Divinity School and current President of Union Theological Seminary in New York City.  On July 8 Serene will focus her talk and discussion around the state of theological education in the United States and the challenges it faces in the 21st Century.  On July 9 Serene will focus her talk on the state of the Church in the U. S.  Both days will be based on her latest book, Trauma and Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World.

 

John and Milton hope that this effort will lead to a yearly summer educational opportunity at KVCC.

 

The end is near !!

 

The final projects of our Capital Campaign Remodeling are set to begin soon.  It is hoped that they will be finished this summer and we can officially bid a fond, a very fond, farewell to this effort.  The remaining upgrades include:

 

(1)    Sound System – A task force is meeting to assess needs and recommend changes and upgrades including assistive listening devices.  The budget for this project is $2,500.

(2)    Choir Chairs – The purchase of 10-12 choir chairs has been approved but we will wait to make a fabric choice until the pew cushion decision is made.  The budget for this project is about $500.

(3)    Pew Cushions – The Congregation voted to research the cost of cleaning and repair, and consider more fabric options.  Once those items are before the Congregation it will make a decision.  The budget for this project is about $5,000.

(4)    Hymnals and Bibles – This item is on hold until the other items are completed.

 

THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS

 

The Strategic Planning Task Force had its first meeting.  This task force will design and present the process to the Congregation.  The process will focus on what is needed and wanted at KVCC for the next five years and include a long term vision beyond five years.  This will include planning around our mission, understanding of our role in the area, how our buildings can best be used, the role of our endowment, the next minister and the demographic future of our congregation and the North Country.

 

The Congregation, most likely, will be divided into several sub-groups for the purpose of discussion and dealing with the focus items.  Our goal is to be sure that everyone is contacted, heard and comes away feeling that their input was important.