Grace Congregation,

A lot has happened since the last time the council met in June: Fine Arts Camp, Vacation Bible School and Backyard Bible School… Amanda Monroe has joined us as our Christian Education Coordinator and the Preschool has been remodeled.

Preschool Renovations

Many thanks to the numerous volunteers and to Paul Humphries and crew for all of the work over the summer. Thanks to their hard work, they were able to finish just ahead of schedule and on budget.

As we waited for the fire marshal and DCFS to certify the renovation, the teachers, preschool staff and other volunteers got the classrooms ready.

Recently, we had final inspections and all renovations were approved based on our previous exemptions except the interior preschool room.

As Pastor Dustin and Pastor Dahlseng work with the authorities and our architect, school will begin on time in the upstairs rooms until they can relocate to the new rooms. Because the interior classroom is not yet approved, one class will be held upstairs as a result for the entire year.

We will continue to work with city officials, our architect and contractor to find a resolution and will communicate any news.

90th Spaghetti Dinner

You may have heard, there will be a dinner held for Grace’s 90th anniversary celebration. There will be two serving times along with a performance by One Less Tenor!

Special Congregational Meeting

A letter will be sent out to members calling for a congregational meeting to discuss another building campaign. There are several more things to be done to make our church-home last another 90 years.

Other Business

• The Treasurer’s Report (Lisa Peek) was approved.
• Joel Foss (Church Property) reported minor maintenance to be done.
• Pastor Dahlseng attended another Transform Rockford meeting, citing activities in which we can participate in Loves Park.
• Angie Wallace (Service) reported on our standing with the Rescue Mission and Habitat for Humanity.
• We dove deeper into Scott Boren’s report and are starting to identify some actionable steps in our mission work.
• Several items regarding staff training, Pastor Dahlseng’s sabbatical, inactive memberships, church finances and Chris Thomas’ (Youth Coordinator) and Kari Maratos’ (Choir Director) expanded roles were all discussed.

Please contact any of the council members or the church office if you’d like more information or would like to participate in a deeper discussion.