Dear Fellow Elimites,
 
I am writing to you today in the unexpected role of president of the congregation, having been asked by the Leadership Team to fill the vacancy in that position created by the death of our friend and brother in Christ, Roger Davis. In that capacity, my focus over the next two months will be to prepare Elim for a congregation meeting to be held on May 16, 2021, to push forward with plans for reopening the church as we emerge from COVID-19, and otherwise to ensure a smooth transition to a new Leadership Team that will be elected and take office on May 16.
 
Leadership Changes
In assuming the presidency, I was required by law to give up the office of treasurer of the congregation. We are blessed that Andrea Nortz has accepted the Nominating Committee’s nomination to the office of treasurer, which means she will be on the ballot at the annual meeting on May 16. We are even more blessed that Andrea has agreed to take on the role of treasurer during the interim, and the LT has appointed her treasurer for the remainder of this term. While Andrea is coming up to speed, she will have day-to-day support from our Finance Team—Richard Maxon and me. Thank you, Andrea, for your willingness to take on this important role!
 
The other members of the Leadership Team—Vice President Don Bent, Secretary Richard Rodkin, and at-large members Kevin Jensen-Unger, Karen Pesutich and Cindy Skanderson—will continue in their current roles until the annual meeting. I would like to thank the members of the LT and, in particular, Don Bent and Rich Rodkin for their ongoing work for the congregation throughout Roger’s illness and the transition period.
 
Annual Meeting Plans
As I mentioned above, the Leadership Team has scheduled the annual meeting for May 16, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. We expect most members to be joining the meeting online rather than in person. Closer to the date of the meeting, you will receive official notice by electronic mail (or snail mail if you do not have an email address on record with Elim).  The Leadership Team is working now to select appropriate technologies and rules of order to enable this meeting to be held legally, efficiently, and successfully, and we will keep you all informed as we progress.  We are looking forward to holding the annual meeting, long delayed by the pandemic!
 
Returning to In-Person Worship
Finally, as Sonoma County has emerged from the purple tier in the state’s COVID recovery model and is now in the red tier, I know that many of you have questions regarding when we will be returning to worshiping in person. As in our society at large, Elim members have a wide range of thoughts about when that should be, with some desiring an early return and others waiting until mass vaccinations have been completed.
 
The Leadership Team will move with all deliberate speed to return the congregation safely to in-person worship. We have committed to using pre-recorded worship services through Easter. Elim has acquired the hardware necessary to begin streaming our worship services live over the internet to members who are unable to attend in person; however, to take advantage of this hardware, network upgrades are needed on our campus. We are currently transitioning from a Comcast cable modem to Sonic fiber networking in order to provide the necessary network bandwidth, and we are in the process of contracting for the network wiring upgrades needed to support streaming. Once these are in place, we will be able to start a process of introducing live elements into our worship, beginning with the pastor “going live” on Sunday mornings, followed by readers and musicians, and ultimately—as we work out the logistics for worshiping safely together—the inclusion of congregants in the live service. At present, our bishop recommends that congregations plan to reopen to live worship in early September, and the Leadership Team considers this a good goal for Elim as well.  This Leadership Team is committed to moving things along and leaving the September date a viable possibility for the new LT that will be elected in May. We further believe that Elim should continue to live-stream its worship as a service to members who cannot be with us in person even after the COVID-19 pandemic is truly behind us, and our investments in equipment and infrastructure reflect this intent.
 
Finally, I would like to thank the LT and the congregation for their trust and support as I take on the role of guiding the congregation’s business through the next two months. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me, or any of the members of the LT, if you have any questions or concerns.
 
In Christ’s Peace,
Kevin Prime, President

CLICK HERE to download a PDF version of the letter.

Contact Us

OFFICE CLOSED, But we will be checking voicemail and emails
Phone:  (707) 762-4081  Address: 504 Baker Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
Check out our website: www.elimpetaluma.org                                                
Main email address: office@elimpetaluma.org

Pr. Kathryn Gulbranson
, Interim Pastor
Erin Hetrick-Hohenner, Office Manager
Richard Maxon, Bookkeeper
Barb Villa, Bulletin Production & Ministry Scheduler
Lauren Haile, Music Director
Kevin Prime, Congregation President
Andrea Nortz, Treasurer
Sierra Pacific Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Copyright © 2021 Elim Lutheran Church, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp