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The Annual Meeting was held Sunday, April 15. The meeting was called to order by Moderator Rick Lloyd, with the Rev. Ed Townsend leading us in prayer.

Following the prayer, the pastor presented his report, based on his understanding of our mini- workshops with Rick Cowles during his Sabbatical. He asked what we had gleaned during those sessions, and there was much comment. We told him had come to realize that we have real value- both in our physical plant and in ourselves, and that we should promote both resources. In addition, it's important to be more community-oriented and we hope to build on what we have already accomplished (the dinners, the exercise, helping the Buschor family). We were also encouraged to try new ways to strengthen our congregation and not be discouraged if they don't turn out exactly the way intended. Most importantly, we have learned that we have to take more responsibility for our church affairs.

Ed Townsend suggested possibly we "shop around" to see what other churches have to offer. Also, he proposed a Saturday night service at 4:00, followed by food - possibly pot luck - and live music rather than the traditional Sunday morning service of worship. He did admit it was a "fantasy," but asked that we think of alternate ways to spark interest in our church. He added that, while we would wish more people could be involved, he paraphrased former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld: we go forward with "the congregation we have, not the one we want." There is no reason why a small congregational cannot, by working together, accomplish big things.

When asked about his Sabbatical, Ed said that it was a time of introspection and insight - and that he found that was not happy away from the churches.

Ed explained that he will be moving to 3/4 time July 1, and he believes that the only difference we will see is in the vacation time: 12 days a year from 6 days a year. He will arrange for interim ministers; however, Lawrence suggested that we could fill those vacation spots ourselves, with a hymn sing, Bible study, lay preachers from the congregation, etc.

The next item on the agenda was the financial report. The figures show that we are again in positive territory, because of increase in tithes and offerings, and the fact that expenses turned out to be lower than anticipated. Our assets and liabilities balance at $176,831.

Dave Lloyd then took the floor representing the Buildings and Grounds Committee. He mentioned that the basement will take a lot of work to get it back into pre-flood shape, and has come to the conclusion that it may be better to gut the entire basement and start over from scratch. That way the walls, which probably harbor mold from the water, can be replaced as well as the entire floor. The Congregation voted to have Dave look into the matter and get definite costs for the project which will be, as he said, a capital project, estimated at about $50,000-$60,000. He is hoping that some church members and friends can help off-set some of the costs with their labor.

The Moderator asked for nominations from the floor to fill the positions of vice-moderator and council person, with no one volunteering.