January 31: Annual Congregational Budget Meeting
Our annual budget meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 31 at 10 a.m. on Zoom. The Zoom link will be distributed through the Words of Hope newsletter. Member may also receive it by calling the church office Monday, Wednesday or Friday, 9 a.m. – 12 noon (480-759-1515).
At this meeting members will review and approve the budget and consider changes to our constitution. We need a quorum to conduct this important business, so please mark your calendar!
To prepare for the meeting, please review the 2021 Budget for Esperanza Lutheran Church. The council has taken a new approach this year, identifying mission goals and constructing the budget around them.
The Proposed 2021 Constitution-Amended Constitution for January and the Proposed Amendments to Constitution January 2021 are also available for download.
Printed copies of all materials are available by contacting the church office on Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. at 480-759-1515. Any questions, comments or other inquiries regarding the budget and the constitutional changes are encouraged and can be directed to the congregation council. Find names and email addresses here.
Constitution and Bylaws
During the past year, Council has taken on the task of updating the Esperanza Church Constitution. This passage of the update will be an agenda item for the upcoming congregational meeting on January 31st 2021. We will also ask for congregational approval of the 2021 budget at that same meeting.
The Model Constitution for Congregations was adopted at the first Churchwide Assembly in 1987 and is the governing document for all ELCA congregations. Amendments to the constitution are presented at Churchwide Assemblies and provided to all congregations to update their governing document. The last Churchwide Assembly was held in 2019 and at the upcoming congregation meeting the approval of the amended constitution will bring us current.
Certain sections of the constitution cannot be changed as they establish the foundation of the ELCA. Amendments are possible in the administration of a congregation to recognize local conditions and practices. We plan to present two separate motions relating to the constitution.
The first is to adopt the amendments made by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly and incorporate them into our constitution. They become effective immediately following a vote of approval by our congregation.
The second motion deals with amendments which have been approved by the congregation council and are presented to the congregation for approval and incorporation into the constitution.
The amendments are listed on the back page of this letter and deal with:
* Implementation of the position of deacon into the congregation structure.
* The effective date of terms of office for council members.
* Review of pledge and giving records.
* Defining committees, teams and task forces to provide flexibility in organizational structure,
Thank you for your participation in this important undertaking!
Congregation Council
The Congregational Council is elected by the church membership and meets monthly to provide general oversight of the ministry of Esperanza.
Current officers of the Council are with email contact information:
President – Michelle Tinsley Email: [email protected]
Vice President – Elizabeth Farquhar Email: [email protected]
Treasurer – Michael Paradise Email: [email protected]
Secretary – Doris Dorwart Email: [email protected]
Council Members
Robert Elsaesser Email: [email protected]
Paul Gerrish Email: [email protected]
Craig Peck Email: [email protected]
Herb Pinske Email: [email protected]
Peggy Wagner Email: [email protected]