Category: Session Info (church Board) - Edmonds Presbyterian Church

Session News

8/4/2020

What has your Session been up to?

It is a challenging time to be on the Session! We have

· Adopted the required COVID-19 response plan that we will follow as we gradually reopen the building or grounds for group use in phases 3 and 4.
· Worked on a Northwest Coast Presbytery grant application for assistance with new Post-COVID-19 ministry needs .
· Continued to support our mission causes.
· Continued to offer worship, bible study, fellowship, and game nights via Zoom.

With the assistance of the deacons and staff members, we continue to reach out to every member and friend in the church directory – online or by phone – to offer our prayers and support.

Please continue to keep your session elders and their work on your behalf in your prayers.

COVID-19

8/4/2020

Building Re-opening Plans

Your session has approved the required re-opening document that will allow us to re-open the building for different types of gatherings starting as early as Phase 4 of the Washington State COVID-19 phases for Snohomish County. Contact Kim or Pastor Amy if you’d like to receive a copy of the document.

Don’t forget – We have special procedures for using the church building during COVID-19
Please log in and log out whenever you use the church building. On the form provided, check the boxes for the areas of the church you visit. Currently there are no meetings scheduled at the church building and staff is using the facility on a limited basis.

We also ask that you monitor your own symptoms and if you have fever, fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, headaches, or sudden loss of smell and taste, fever or chills, cough, muscle or body aches, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea, please do not visit the church building.

What has your Session been up to?

7/1/2020

It is a challenging time to be on the Session!
We have :

Successfully learned how to meet together via Zoom.
Begun work on the COVID-19 response plan that will allow us to re-open our building for use by groups.
Received the sad news that due to the COVID-19-related needs of the Presbytery’s congregations, we will not be partnering with the Presbytery in remodeling our building. Once we have a response plan in place for COVID-19 reopening, we will begin working on the larger question of what is next for our congregation moving forward into 2021 and beyond.
Continued to support our mission causes.
Pivoted to worship, bible study, fellowship, and game nights via Zoom.
With the assistance of the deacons and staff members, we have reached out to every member and friend in the church directory – online or by phone – to offer our prayers and support.
And proposed congregational bylaws changes for our next congregational meeting that will officially ratify our decisions during this time and allow for electronic meetings as valid meetings of the session and/or the congregation.

Please continue to keep your session elders and their work on your behalf in your prayers.

Building Re-opening Plans

7/1/2020

Your session is working on the required re-opening document that will allow us to re-open the building for different types of gatherings starting as early as Phase 4 of the Washington state COVID-19 phases for Snohomish County. A task force has been formed and has begun meeting. On Sunday, June 28th at 2 PM (following our 1 PM check-in), we invite you to log-in by Zoom to ask questions of the task force regarding our re-opening plans. We will schedule other opportunities to learn more as we get closer to re-opening the building for group use.

Remodel Update

3/4/2020

We had a great meeting in February with the architect and all three stakeholders. I think we have a final design! Now to move to the cost analysis, final design drawings, and permitting. Oh --- and fundraising. More on that in the next few months! Please see one of the elders or Pastor Amy if you would like to view the design as it stands at this point in time. We would also be more than willing to answer questions. The words of the prophet Isaiah still ring true today – in 43:19 God says to the people of Israel, “I am about to do a new thing – do you not perceive it?” (note: we are currently pressing pause on this project until the fall.)

Session News

3/4/2020

We have a new policy for the gifts given to the church, both designated and undesignated. This is not a change in how we handle the funds, but it is written down so we have it documented for future use. In essence, if a gift or bequest is designated for a particular use, the session will use that gift money for that purpose as best as they are able. In rare circumstances, the session will re-designate gifts for a different purpose. An example of this is (hypothetically) if money was given to pay a preschool teacher, and then the preschool closed. That designated money would be put to use by the session in other ways to benefit children as the original gift intended. Copies of this policy and others adopted by the session over the years are available to view in the church office.

Thank you...

2/5/2020

…to all who provided reports for our annual congregational meeting on January 26th! If you did not receive a copy of the reports and would like one, please contact Kim in the church office, or pick one up from the back table in the sanctuary on one of the next few Sundays.

Curious about EPC and what it means to be a member?

2/5/2020

If you have wondered what Presbyterians believe, what makes EPC the unique place that it is, or what it means to officially profess your faith in Jesus Christ and become a member, let’s talk! Contact Pastor Amy for more information and to be included as we choose a mutually agreeable time to meet.

Session News

10/31/2019

The Session has voted to participate in the Presbytery’s Vital Congregations Initiative! This is a national initiative to help congregations become more vital in the seven marks of vitality. Pastor Amy is the Presbytery coordinator for the initiative, so we will have lots of support in this process. The initiative lasts two years. In the first year we will celebrate all the signs of vitality that we find in our congregation and its ministry. In the second year we will seek to become more vital in one of the other areas. Already it is clear to the session that we do some things well. Look for more information about the initiative and how you can participate in January.

Property Update

10/31/2019

At last we have a meeting scheduled in November with the Presbytery, the architect, and Pastor Amy to go over options. Once again, please keep us in your prayers and look for an update soon.