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Minutes still be to be approved.
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HOUSTON AND KILLELLAN KIRK
Joint Session and Congregational Board Meeting on 16 February 2010
MINUTES
The Session and Congregational Board of Houston and Killellan Kirk met at 7.30pm on Tuesday 16 February 2010 in the Church Hall with the Rev. Donald Campbell, Minister in the Chair. The Rev Donald Campbell constituted the meeting with a prayer and a reading.
Sederunt/Apologies:
44 members attended the Meeting as detailed in the Sederunt book. Apologies were received from 10 members.
Finance:
Mr John King presented the 2009 Accounts which had previously been circulated and presented to the Congregational Board at a previous Meeting on Tuesday 2nd February 2010.
- During the year, our Offerings plus tax reclaimed on Gift Aid totalled £149,455, an increase of £330, with total income showing an increase of £3,866 to £164,549.
- There was an increase of £2,376 in our allocation to 121 George Street but other expenses have been contained which means our total expenses were up £1,527 to £140,273 creating a surplus in the General Account of £24,276
- We have transferred £10,000 from the General Account to the Fabric account leaving a balance in the General Account of £46,651
- After this transfer the Fabric Fund stands at £71,365. The Kirk Carnival brought in £5,310 which is a substantial sum considering that the day was the wettest in recent memory
- During the year the balance of the loan for the Manse extension was repaid One major item of expenditure was the new hearing system in the Kirk. This was charged to the Legacy Account which along with the installation of new electrical switches reduced the balance of this account by £14,378 to £17,555
- From the statement of funds our total assets are £136,095 an increase of £12,557 over last year.
- £123,100 is held with The Church of Scotland Deposit Scheme where the current interest rate is 1.89%
Treasurer’s Report continued/-
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Treasurer’s Report continued
Financially we have had a good year and I would like to thank the Finance Committee for their input and support with a special mention to Anne & Jack who give so freely of their time and financial acumen and to Douglas who has spent so much time negotiating with Scottish Gas to ensure we get the best possible energy rates.
Mr King clarified a number of points in the form of question from the Members, thereafter the Accounts were approved, proposed by George Colquhoun and Seconded by Allan Gilfillan.
Mr King once again thanked Mr Graeme Finnie, who attended the Meeting in his capacity as Independent Examiner, for all the help he had given Mr King and the Finance Committee. Mr Finnie stated that he would be happy to continue as Independent Examiner, this offer was gratefully accepted.
Mr John McKechnie summarised the Budget proposals for 2010/2011 which had been circulated prior to the Meeting. A number of items were highlighted i.e. a salary increase for the Organist, the Church Officer and the Church Secretary.
The Chairman thanked Mr King, Mr McKechnie and the other Members of the Finance Committee for all the hard work carried out throughout the year and in particular for the extra work involved in the preparation of the Annual Accounts.
Fabric Committee Update:
1. Mr John Wilson highlighted a number of issues that had arisen since the last Meeting:
2. Repair to the Belfry – it has been found that one of the rafters in completed rotted and more extensive work than previously proposed will have to be carried out at an extra cost. It would be of advantage to have Cox repair the roof when the rafter is replaced as this would come within the warranty terms. Action – Fabric Committee
3. Jock and Jenny Plinth – it is hoped that glass covers will be installed in about 4 week’s time. Ian Spearing has volunteered to paint the frames beforehand.
4. Fire exit lights are being replaced in the halls and extras will be installed at the stairs end of the big hall. The fire alarm has had a new battery installed to replace a defective one.
5. A notice board has been installed for the Sunday Club in the big hall.
6. Taps have had replacement parts fitted in the ladies and gents toilets.
7. Service plan for the heating boilers has been increased to cover 365 days, with parts included, as the previous plan did not cover weekends. The extra premium costs sare less than we paid out for parts last year.
8. The console for the sound system was replaced under warranty.
9. Estimates are currently being obtained for redecoration of the Manse lounge. To date we have received two similar quotes, the smaller of which is likely to be accepted.
Fabric Report continued/-
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Fabric Report continued:
10. Estimates are required for a replacement front door in the Manse. Action – Fabric Committee
11. Lead flashing was replaced in the roof of the small hall. A leak in the Manse garage roof was also repaired.
Mr Wilson wished to thank all of the Fabric Committee, in particular at this time, to Mr Ian Spearing and Mr Jack McNeil. Mr Wilson highlighted that the cost of repairs was only kept to a minimum through the hard work of the Committee members.
The Rev Campbell thanked Mr Wilson and his team, on behalf of the Session, the Congregational Board and the Congregation for their continuing excellent efforts often at unsociable times.
AOCB
New Communicants – the first of the new Communicants will be admitted on 28 February and the remainder on Sunday 7 March 2010.
Church Extension Project Presentation:
Mr Iain Cameron and Mr Alastair McGregor gave a very detailed, informative, presentation of the current position with the above project. Mr Cameron updated the Members on ‘where we currently are’ and ‘where we hope to go from here’ with regard to planning permission etc.
The Session and Board Members were given a ‘Google visualisation display’ of the proposed plans; paper copies of the plans were also displayed on the notice board in the hall for all members to view and comment on.
Questions were invited and a wide ranging discussion followed. One of the major concerns was how this project would be funded.
At the end of the discussion the Rev Campbell commended these proposals to the Members and asked that we be willing to take the leap of faith that Mr Cameron had spoken about.
It was agreed that the proposals should be taken forward to the Congregation. The display will be shown in the Church on three Sundays, one of which will be the week of the stated Annual General Meeting. The Congregation will then be asked to make comment on the plans.
The Rev Campbell highlighted to the Meeting that the majority of the work already carried out on the Project, had been done on a voluntary basis at no cost to the Church and Mr Cameron and Mr McGregor are due our very grateful thanks.
The Meeting closed at approximately 10pm with the Benediction.
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