St. Paul’s United Church of Christ
Annual Meeting Agenda
February 25, 2024
Mission Statement
To be an emphatically inclusive, progressive community on the Path of Christ, seeking justice
and peace for all Creation through creative ceremony and celebration, soulful questioning, and
acts of compassion and service.
'Agenda
Call to order
Opening prayer
Appointment of parliamentarian
Attendance
Minutes of the 2023 Annual Meeting (to be approved)
Call Agreement (to be approved)
Pastor’s report
Other reports
Budget
• Income/Expense Report for 2023
and Proposed 2024 Budget
• Investment Funds report
• United Church Funds report
Election of Administrative Council
• Open Nominations for Council
• Elections
Open period of comment
Closing prayer
Adjournment
St. Paul’s United Church of Christ 2023 Annual Meeting Minutes
2/19/23
Call to Order 11:57 am
Opening Prayer: Given by Rev. Ken
Appointment of parliamentarian: Paul Cors
Attendance: Kay LaGrange, Annie LaGrange, Carol Uhl, Tara Mattimoe, Betty Holmes, Cindy
Legg, Crystal Ballard, Ginny Vincenti, Ken Ingram, Don Denham, Paul Long (guest speaker),
Paul Cors, Roger Iverson (by proxy)
Minutes of the 2022 Annual Meeting (to be approved) Betty moves to accept minutes, Annie
seconds
Pastor’s Report: Presented by Rev. Ken
Administrative Council Report: Presented by Carol.
Other Reports:
Parsonage Report: Presented by Ginny.
Care Team Report: Presented by Cindy Legg
Budget Report: Presented by Cindy Legg. She thanked everyone who continues to support the
church. Our contributions didn’t go down much during covid which is pretty amazing. We
added sabbatical support of $3,000 for Ken this year. Rev. Ken says they are still working out if
Marcus can guest preach here as part of his internship. Also new to the budget is office help,
to pay for all the work Don does like putting slides together etc. Ginny asked if we should
invest more in our own church, like building a program that would attract more youth. She feels
that part of being a church should be reaching out to the community to try and expand our
church. If we don’t invest in building the youth group, it will never grow – but it is hard to justify
investing anything when we hardly have any kids right now. It is sort of a chicken/egg question.
Crystal says we could take money from Springbrook in order to fund an expanded youth group,
rather than changing the current budget as it stands. Carol suggests that a special meeting
could be called, including the congregation, in order to approve any plans surrounding any
investments.
Betty moves we accept the budget as presented by Cindy. No second necessary. Everyone
approves, motion passed.
Investments: Presented by Betty. Betty thanked Cindy for all that she does as Treasurer, and
presented her with a gift from the council.
Election of Administrative Council, Financial Officers, United Church Funds Liaison, Faith
Exploration Team, Parsonage Rental Manager, Worship Leaders (with addition of Tara
Mattimoe), Stewardship Committee
Motion by Ginny to accept, Kay seconds. Motion passes.
Open Period of Comment: Ginny suggested that we resume some sort of class or study again,
where people can come together to discuss issues. She feels discussing social issues and
coming up with actions to try and help is what Living Your Faith means. Carol and Ginny note
that it seemed to work better when we open it to the public. Rev. Ken ordered a bunch of class
material in the past, guides on how to structure classes, etc. – so he has a bunch of stuff ready
if we need it.
Closing Prayer: Carol gave the prayer.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 1:06 pm.
Pastor’s Report
Rev. Dr. Mark Lee
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even
Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of
the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will God not much more
clothe you.... Strive first for the kingdom of God and that righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:28-33)
There are two constants in our lives: One is that there is always change. The other is that God
is always faithful. These have shaped my life personally and our life together this past year.
I have long had a soft spot in my heart for this church. Back when Jamie Kepros was your
pastor, I did pulpit supply several times. I keenly remember the first time I was here. I was
preaching on the resurrection story of the “Walk to Emmaus.” As I sat behind the pulpit, taking
in the church and congregation and preparing my heart to preach, I suddenly noticed that the
beautiful stained-glass window across from me showed exactly that story! It was definitely “A
God Thing,” and I worked into my sermon on the fly having us look at that window together. An
auspicious beginning to my service with this church.
My connections to Laramie go back even further than that. Even before I met my late partner
Ivan Loy, who was working on his Master’s at UW when we met, I did a series of “clobber
passage” (Bible and homosexuality) workshops for the then nascent gay/lesbian group on
campus. The group was so small that they met in their advisor the late Steve Heyman’s office.
Some years later, I did a more formal series for a new crop of students – the main thing I
remember is that one of the religion professors attended as well, and how nervous that made
me. (He seemed to appreciate the workshops.) And then, of course, there was the Matthew
Shepard crisis, and work I did in connection with that from my role with the MCC in Cheyenne.
So it was with pleasure last summer that I agreed to Rev. Ken Ingram’s request to do pulpit
supply for him while he was at General Synod and taking some sabbatical time. I had known
Ken and Don socially and at Plymouth UCC since before he went to seminary. Later on, Ken
and I had traveled and roomed together at a Rocky Mountain Conference Annual Meeting in
Salt Lake City one year, and on the way back, I’d driven us through the Snowy Range to
introduce him to one of my favorite places on earth. When I was here this summer, I greatly
enjoyed worshiping with you outdoors. And was thankful for the help of Carol, Don and
Francine who smoothed all the logistics and helped lead worship.
Ken also shared with me his plans for retiring at Easter. I made a mental note that I wanted to
look into candidating for the position when it came open and mentioned that aspiration to Erin
Gilmore who was then associate conference minister for search and call. She and I had been
having conversations about how, what or where my ministry might develop ever since my
ministry in Rapid City concluded and then Ivan had died. Upon realizing that I was tethered to
Ivan’s and my longtime home north of Fort Collins (his family has granted me a lifetime lease
so long as pay the expenses and keep it up), I sent inquiries to all the UCC pastors of
congregations within commuting distance about what ministry opportunities or gigs they might
have available. This led to fruitful discussions with several pastors. I have done a couple of
series of adult education for First Congregational Greeley. And it led to several conversations
with Rev. Ken about ways I might serve this church.
Our discussions morphed over time, and where we settled and then worked with the Church
Council was to hire me as “Transitional Associate Minister” starting November 1. Rev. Ken and
I would split the workload and salary, with me taking over more of the preaching as we moved
together towards his retirement celebration. Upon his retirement, the church would call me as
its pastor. This would enable a “smooth handoff” of responsibilities and knowledge, so I could
learn the church and community, with him introducing me to all the folk he’d built up
relationships with over his ministry. This “smooth handoff” model of pastoral transition differs
from the “search-and-call” model used for many years but has been used by more churches in
the UCC when circumstances warrant.
Being called as your “Designated Pastor” for a year makes good sense given our situation.
“Designated Ministry” in the UCC a termed contract for specific purposes, open to renewal and
allowing the minister to stand as a candidate for the permanent “Settled” position in a year if
mutually agreeable. It will give us a chance to work together, to give the church opportunity to
take stock of its mission, ministry, and goals, and to discern if an ongoing call is right for us.
The first day I semi-officially came to work with Rev. Ken was in mid-October since I was going
to do some pulpit supply for him that month prior to my November 1 start date. The snows had
started to come. As I came over the hill at Pumpkin Vine, I saw the valley pure white with
snow. I laughed to myself and said, “Welcome to your new ministry in Wyoming!”
In November, Rev. Ken was away most of the Sundays, so I did the preaching. We spent a
couple of days together in which he sought to orient me to the church, tell me who was whom
and who did what, how to do the worship slides, and where the broom and cleaning supplies
were kept. He asked me to take over responsibility for Transgender Day of Remembrance
since he would be away that day as part of his vacation.
Transgender Day of Remembrance on Monday November 20 was my first public event. I’d
learned enough about the slides to have put them together for the service. With help from
several of our church members and other community leaders, it went fine.
Tuesday, November 21 in the evening, I received a text message from Don Denham from
Mexico where he and Rev. Ken were vacationing. Rev. Ken had collapsed and died from a
heart attack. I contacted Carol and the church council, and they telephoned through the
congregation to let people know. In the following days, I sent an email to the church mailing list
telling them the tragic news. Don was able to come home within a week with Ken’s cremains.
So we moved into Advent trying to adjust to the sudden change as I was unceremoniously de-
facto promoted to solo pastor. On one track, we were preparing for Christmas; on another
track, we were grieving Ken. We held a gathering on December 10 after church, something
akin to a wake, to give people the opportunity to tell stories about Ken and remember him
together. We had quite a few guests from the community and further who joined us for
refreshments and discussion. Also in December, the Council met with the Rev. Erin Gilmore,
Acting Conference Minister, to discuss our path forward. Providentially, that meeting had
already been scheduled before Rev. Ken died; we just had to shift the content of our meeting
to adapt to new circumstances.
Christmas fell on a Sunday, and we did both a regular morning worship service and a lessons-
and-carols candlelight service. We had a snafu with the slides in the evening, but people were
very gracious as we ran off impromptu bulletins and started late. Turned out that the snafu was
because “someone” had unwittingly unplugged the sanctuary wifi router while looking for a
place to plug in electric candles. Mea culpa! However, we sang Silent Night as candles lighted
throughout the sanctuary, so all was forgiven. (Sometimes in ministry you have to either laugh
or cry, so I chose to laugh.)
In January, we held Rev. Ken’s celebration of life. The church was packed with over 120
people, with extra chairs set up in the sanctuary and a few people downstairs watching on the
TV. Around 40 people also joined via YouTube. Kind and fond words were shared, beautiful
music was sung, tears were shed. It is a tragedy that we were honoring Ken at a memorial
service rather than a retirement party. I am personally grateful for all the people who helped
make that day special – those who spoke, the musicians, those who set up chairs, those who
provided and served and cleaned up lunch, and all those who ministered to Don, the rest of
Ken’s family, and each other in this time of sorrow. It is always humbling to see the church
step up and be the church.
Now we stand on the edge of a new era for the church. We will continue to grieve the loss of
Rev. Ken, just as the church grieves prior losses his loss awakens. We will spend some time
taking stock of who the church is, how it has come to this place in its life, and where it wants to
go in the future. One key element is to pick the best two or three things to focus on out of all
the good things that the church might do. The future of this church will build upon the best of its
past, and welcome fresh ideas as we serve one another, our community, and our God.
Administrative Council Report
Council members: Crystal Ballard, Luke Ballard, Betty Holmes, Ann LaGrange, Tara
Mattimore, Carol Uhl, Rev. Ken Ingram, Rev. Mark Lee, Cindy Legg
Council usually met monthly to do the work of the church, although we had a few additional
meetings during this tumultuous year. That work included managing finances with the help of
Cindy Legg and Betty Holmes and managing the Parsonage with the help of Ginny Vincenti.
Maintaining the church building is essential and thanks to Cindy Legg the bills got paid. Thanks
to Luke, many repairs and upkeep chores were done. Our custodians, Tara Mattimore and
Katie Uhl did their best to clean up after us.
Among the regular duties of the Council are creating and proposing the annual budget to be
presented to the congregation at Annual Meeting. The sticky thing is trying to stay within the
budget when unexpected things occur. Unexpected expenses are a normal occurrence for any
entity and when that happens Council figures out a way to pay them from our other financial
resources. Another duty is to disburse the Spring Brook funds. This is usually done in
December, although we may parcel out funds during the year when necessary. The financial
reports show where that money has been donated. One of those sponsorships is to help
Marcus Frye in his ministry education.
Other Council responsibilities include planning celebrations and events within the Church year,
such as Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter observances and World Communion Sunday.
Rev. Ken planned a book study of The Pilgrim’s Progress. One of St. Paul’s objectives is to
be visible and involved in the community. Rev. Ken and Rev. Mark attended local ministerial
meetings. PFLAG meets at our church, and we hosted a youth group from Loveland Colorado.
Then there is the fun stuff. We set up booths at Freedom has a Birthday, Pride Fest, and Back
to School Bash where we talk to people about who we are and what we do and give out
information and fun trinkets. Other fun events were potlucks, cook-outs and parties, a wedding
(Marcus and Nathan), and a Rockies baseball game.
One of the most important items the Council discussed was Rev. Ken’s retirement and the
transition to a new minister. We had worked out a plan for Rev. Ken and Rev. Mark to share
the ministerial workload until Rev. Ken retired at the end of March. As you know that plan took
a tragic turn with Rev. Ken’s death. Thankfully, Rev. Mark felt he could take on the whole job
now. One of the Annual Meeting agenda items is to vote to accept the Call Agreement for Rev.
Mark.
We held Rev. Ken’s memorial service on January 20th. Many of his friends, family and
associates gathered to celebrate his life. With Rev. Erin Gilmore’s encouragement and Rev.
Mark’s compassion and experience, we are carrying on. Thanks to all of you who have
stepped up to help when needed, and for your caring and support for each other.
Submitted by Carol Uhl
Parsonage
The total expenses for 2023 were $1439.65. We did not have any major work done, but we
have had some difficulty starting in December with the furnace not consistently heating. Eagle
Plumbing has been at the parsonage several times to replace a valve, but the problem of
heating and stopping persisted into February. We were charged for the first replacement part
and labor and one other labor charge when that part had to be replaced, but there have been
no charges for multiple other times the technician came to try to diagnose the problem. Black
Hills Energy has replaced a regulator controlling the pressure of the gas coming into the
house. It is working at the moment, but we aren’t sure if the problem is permanently fixed.
Time will tell. In 2024 we plan to have the exterior of the house painted. I’m trying to get bids
now. There may also be some maintenance items that come up.
A challenge continues from 2021. Since we abandoned plans to partially finish the basement,
we have yet to recoup from Vasquez Drywall & Painting $1400 paid in 2021 he said he wanted
to buy wallboard, finishing compound, and paint before the prices increased as was occurring
during the pandemic. He has continued to give excuses about why he can’t return the $1400.
Even after filing a claim with the WY Attorney General’s Office, the issue has not been
resolved. We filed a small claim with the District Court. Our hearing date has been delayed
twice because of criminal trials. We are currently scheduled for February 24th at 3:30 pm in the
Courthouse.
Jonathan Prather renewed the lease for another year ending 7/31/24. Jon has two teenage
sons who will be living in the parsonage part time. He seems to be very conscientious and
respectful of the property. He has been a very good tenant and very patient as we have
worked to get the furnace problem resolved.
Submitted by Ginny Vincenti
Parsonage Rental Manager
Budget
Because of difficulties getting the financial forms to paste into the webpage, please refer to hard copies available at the meeting or upon request via email to the church email, [email protected]
This includes the 2024 budget and recent budget histories, the Springbook accounts and distributions, and our charitibal giving to the community.
Officers
Administrative Council
Carol Uhl
Crystal Ballard
Like Ballard
Tara Mattimoe
Betty Holmes
Ann LaGrange
Financial Officers
Cindy Legg, Treasurer
Carol Uhl, Financial Secretary
Karl Knopf, Financial Secretary
United Church Funds Liaison
Betty Holmes
Faith Exploration Team
Carol Uhl
Kristi Hansen
Amy Krist
Katie Uhl
Parsonage Rental Manager
Ginny Vincenti
Worship Leaders
Crystal Ballard
Amy Krist
Katie Uhl
Carol Uhl
Ginny Vincenti
Roger Iverson
Sam Burkett
Annual Meeting Agenda
February 25, 2024
Mission Statement
To be an emphatically inclusive, progressive community on the Path of Christ, seeking justice
and peace for all Creation through creative ceremony and celebration, soulful questioning, and
acts of compassion and service.
'Agenda
Call to order
Opening prayer
Appointment of parliamentarian
Attendance
Minutes of the 2023 Annual Meeting (to be approved)
Call Agreement (to be approved)
Pastor’s report
Other reports
Budget
• Income/Expense Report for 2023
and Proposed 2024 Budget
• Investment Funds report
• United Church Funds report
Election of Administrative Council
• Open Nominations for Council
• Elections
Open period of comment
Closing prayer
Adjournment
St. Paul’s United Church of Christ 2023 Annual Meeting Minutes
2/19/23
Call to Order 11:57 am
Opening Prayer: Given by Rev. Ken
Appointment of parliamentarian: Paul Cors
Attendance: Kay LaGrange, Annie LaGrange, Carol Uhl, Tara Mattimoe, Betty Holmes, Cindy
Legg, Crystal Ballard, Ginny Vincenti, Ken Ingram, Don Denham, Paul Long (guest speaker),
Paul Cors, Roger Iverson (by proxy)
Minutes of the 2022 Annual Meeting (to be approved) Betty moves to accept minutes, Annie
seconds
Pastor’s Report: Presented by Rev. Ken
Administrative Council Report: Presented by Carol.
Other Reports:
Parsonage Report: Presented by Ginny.
Care Team Report: Presented by Cindy Legg
Budget Report: Presented by Cindy Legg. She thanked everyone who continues to support the
church. Our contributions didn’t go down much during covid which is pretty amazing. We
added sabbatical support of $3,000 for Ken this year. Rev. Ken says they are still working out if
Marcus can guest preach here as part of his internship. Also new to the budget is office help,
to pay for all the work Don does like putting slides together etc. Ginny asked if we should
invest more in our own church, like building a program that would attract more youth. She feels
that part of being a church should be reaching out to the community to try and expand our
church. If we don’t invest in building the youth group, it will never grow – but it is hard to justify
investing anything when we hardly have any kids right now. It is sort of a chicken/egg question.
Crystal says we could take money from Springbrook in order to fund an expanded youth group,
rather than changing the current budget as it stands. Carol suggests that a special meeting
could be called, including the congregation, in order to approve any plans surrounding any
investments.
Betty moves we accept the budget as presented by Cindy. No second necessary. Everyone
approves, motion passed.
Investments: Presented by Betty. Betty thanked Cindy for all that she does as Treasurer, and
presented her with a gift from the council.
Election of Administrative Council, Financial Officers, United Church Funds Liaison, Faith
Exploration Team, Parsonage Rental Manager, Worship Leaders (with addition of Tara
Mattimoe), Stewardship Committee
Motion by Ginny to accept, Kay seconds. Motion passes.
Open Period of Comment: Ginny suggested that we resume some sort of class or study again,
where people can come together to discuss issues. She feels discussing social issues and
coming up with actions to try and help is what Living Your Faith means. Carol and Ginny note
that it seemed to work better when we open it to the public. Rev. Ken ordered a bunch of class
material in the past, guides on how to structure classes, etc. – so he has a bunch of stuff ready
if we need it.
Closing Prayer: Carol gave the prayer.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 1:06 pm.
Pastor’s Report
Rev. Dr. Mark Lee
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even
Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of
the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will God not much more
clothe you.... Strive first for the kingdom of God and that righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:28-33)
There are two constants in our lives: One is that there is always change. The other is that God
is always faithful. These have shaped my life personally and our life together this past year.
I have long had a soft spot in my heart for this church. Back when Jamie Kepros was your
pastor, I did pulpit supply several times. I keenly remember the first time I was here. I was
preaching on the resurrection story of the “Walk to Emmaus.” As I sat behind the pulpit, taking
in the church and congregation and preparing my heart to preach, I suddenly noticed that the
beautiful stained-glass window across from me showed exactly that story! It was definitely “A
God Thing,” and I worked into my sermon on the fly having us look at that window together. An
auspicious beginning to my service with this church.
My connections to Laramie go back even further than that. Even before I met my late partner
Ivan Loy, who was working on his Master’s at UW when we met, I did a series of “clobber
passage” (Bible and homosexuality) workshops for the then nascent gay/lesbian group on
campus. The group was so small that they met in their advisor the late Steve Heyman’s office.
Some years later, I did a more formal series for a new crop of students – the main thing I
remember is that one of the religion professors attended as well, and how nervous that made
me. (He seemed to appreciate the workshops.) And then, of course, there was the Matthew
Shepard crisis, and work I did in connection with that from my role with the MCC in Cheyenne.
So it was with pleasure last summer that I agreed to Rev. Ken Ingram’s request to do pulpit
supply for him while he was at General Synod and taking some sabbatical time. I had known
Ken and Don socially and at Plymouth UCC since before he went to seminary. Later on, Ken
and I had traveled and roomed together at a Rocky Mountain Conference Annual Meeting in
Salt Lake City one year, and on the way back, I’d driven us through the Snowy Range to
introduce him to one of my favorite places on earth. When I was here this summer, I greatly
enjoyed worshiping with you outdoors. And was thankful for the help of Carol, Don and
Francine who smoothed all the logistics and helped lead worship.
Ken also shared with me his plans for retiring at Easter. I made a mental note that I wanted to
look into candidating for the position when it came open and mentioned that aspiration to Erin
Gilmore who was then associate conference minister for search and call. She and I had been
having conversations about how, what or where my ministry might develop ever since my
ministry in Rapid City concluded and then Ivan had died. Upon realizing that I was tethered to
Ivan’s and my longtime home north of Fort Collins (his family has granted me a lifetime lease
so long as pay the expenses and keep it up), I sent inquiries to all the UCC pastors of
congregations within commuting distance about what ministry opportunities or gigs they might
have available. This led to fruitful discussions with several pastors. I have done a couple of
series of adult education for First Congregational Greeley. And it led to several conversations
with Rev. Ken about ways I might serve this church.
Our discussions morphed over time, and where we settled and then worked with the Church
Council was to hire me as “Transitional Associate Minister” starting November 1. Rev. Ken and
I would split the workload and salary, with me taking over more of the preaching as we moved
together towards his retirement celebration. Upon his retirement, the church would call me as
its pastor. This would enable a “smooth handoff” of responsibilities and knowledge, so I could
learn the church and community, with him introducing me to all the folk he’d built up
relationships with over his ministry. This “smooth handoff” model of pastoral transition differs
from the “search-and-call” model used for many years but has been used by more churches in
the UCC when circumstances warrant.
Being called as your “Designated Pastor” for a year makes good sense given our situation.
“Designated Ministry” in the UCC a termed contract for specific purposes, open to renewal and
allowing the minister to stand as a candidate for the permanent “Settled” position in a year if
mutually agreeable. It will give us a chance to work together, to give the church opportunity to
take stock of its mission, ministry, and goals, and to discern if an ongoing call is right for us.
The first day I semi-officially came to work with Rev. Ken was in mid-October since I was going
to do some pulpit supply for him that month prior to my November 1 start date. The snows had
started to come. As I came over the hill at Pumpkin Vine, I saw the valley pure white with
snow. I laughed to myself and said, “Welcome to your new ministry in Wyoming!”
In November, Rev. Ken was away most of the Sundays, so I did the preaching. We spent a
couple of days together in which he sought to orient me to the church, tell me who was whom
and who did what, how to do the worship slides, and where the broom and cleaning supplies
were kept. He asked me to take over responsibility for Transgender Day of Remembrance
since he would be away that day as part of his vacation.
Transgender Day of Remembrance on Monday November 20 was my first public event. I’d
learned enough about the slides to have put them together for the service. With help from
several of our church members and other community leaders, it went fine.
Tuesday, November 21 in the evening, I received a text message from Don Denham from
Mexico where he and Rev. Ken were vacationing. Rev. Ken had collapsed and died from a
heart attack. I contacted Carol and the church council, and they telephoned through the
congregation to let people know. In the following days, I sent an email to the church mailing list
telling them the tragic news. Don was able to come home within a week with Ken’s cremains.
So we moved into Advent trying to adjust to the sudden change as I was unceremoniously de-
facto promoted to solo pastor. On one track, we were preparing for Christmas; on another
track, we were grieving Ken. We held a gathering on December 10 after church, something
akin to a wake, to give people the opportunity to tell stories about Ken and remember him
together. We had quite a few guests from the community and further who joined us for
refreshments and discussion. Also in December, the Council met with the Rev. Erin Gilmore,
Acting Conference Minister, to discuss our path forward. Providentially, that meeting had
already been scheduled before Rev. Ken died; we just had to shift the content of our meeting
to adapt to new circumstances.
Christmas fell on a Sunday, and we did both a regular morning worship service and a lessons-
and-carols candlelight service. We had a snafu with the slides in the evening, but people were
very gracious as we ran off impromptu bulletins and started late. Turned out that the snafu was
because “someone” had unwittingly unplugged the sanctuary wifi router while looking for a
place to plug in electric candles. Mea culpa! However, we sang Silent Night as candles lighted
throughout the sanctuary, so all was forgiven. (Sometimes in ministry you have to either laugh
or cry, so I chose to laugh.)
In January, we held Rev. Ken’s celebration of life. The church was packed with over 120
people, with extra chairs set up in the sanctuary and a few people downstairs watching on the
TV. Around 40 people also joined via YouTube. Kind and fond words were shared, beautiful
music was sung, tears were shed. It is a tragedy that we were honoring Ken at a memorial
service rather than a retirement party. I am personally grateful for all the people who helped
make that day special – those who spoke, the musicians, those who set up chairs, those who
provided and served and cleaned up lunch, and all those who ministered to Don, the rest of
Ken’s family, and each other in this time of sorrow. It is always humbling to see the church
step up and be the church.
Now we stand on the edge of a new era for the church. We will continue to grieve the loss of
Rev. Ken, just as the church grieves prior losses his loss awakens. We will spend some time
taking stock of who the church is, how it has come to this place in its life, and where it wants to
go in the future. One key element is to pick the best two or three things to focus on out of all
the good things that the church might do. The future of this church will build upon the best of its
past, and welcome fresh ideas as we serve one another, our community, and our God.
Administrative Council Report
Council members: Crystal Ballard, Luke Ballard, Betty Holmes, Ann LaGrange, Tara
Mattimore, Carol Uhl, Rev. Ken Ingram, Rev. Mark Lee, Cindy Legg
Council usually met monthly to do the work of the church, although we had a few additional
meetings during this tumultuous year. That work included managing finances with the help of
Cindy Legg and Betty Holmes and managing the Parsonage with the help of Ginny Vincenti.
Maintaining the church building is essential and thanks to Cindy Legg the bills got paid. Thanks
to Luke, many repairs and upkeep chores were done. Our custodians, Tara Mattimore and
Katie Uhl did their best to clean up after us.
Among the regular duties of the Council are creating and proposing the annual budget to be
presented to the congregation at Annual Meeting. The sticky thing is trying to stay within the
budget when unexpected things occur. Unexpected expenses are a normal occurrence for any
entity and when that happens Council figures out a way to pay them from our other financial
resources. Another duty is to disburse the Spring Brook funds. This is usually done in
December, although we may parcel out funds during the year when necessary. The financial
reports show where that money has been donated. One of those sponsorships is to help
Marcus Frye in his ministry education.
Other Council responsibilities include planning celebrations and events within the Church year,
such as Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter observances and World Communion Sunday.
Rev. Ken planned a book study of The Pilgrim’s Progress. One of St. Paul’s objectives is to
be visible and involved in the community. Rev. Ken and Rev. Mark attended local ministerial
meetings. PFLAG meets at our church, and we hosted a youth group from Loveland Colorado.
Then there is the fun stuff. We set up booths at Freedom has a Birthday, Pride Fest, and Back
to School Bash where we talk to people about who we are and what we do and give out
information and fun trinkets. Other fun events were potlucks, cook-outs and parties, a wedding
(Marcus and Nathan), and a Rockies baseball game.
One of the most important items the Council discussed was Rev. Ken’s retirement and the
transition to a new minister. We had worked out a plan for Rev. Ken and Rev. Mark to share
the ministerial workload until Rev. Ken retired at the end of March. As you know that plan took
a tragic turn with Rev. Ken’s death. Thankfully, Rev. Mark felt he could take on the whole job
now. One of the Annual Meeting agenda items is to vote to accept the Call Agreement for Rev.
Mark.
We held Rev. Ken’s memorial service on January 20th. Many of his friends, family and
associates gathered to celebrate his life. With Rev. Erin Gilmore’s encouragement and Rev.
Mark’s compassion and experience, we are carrying on. Thanks to all of you who have
stepped up to help when needed, and for your caring and support for each other.
Submitted by Carol Uhl
Parsonage
The total expenses for 2023 were $1439.65. We did not have any major work done, but we
have had some difficulty starting in December with the furnace not consistently heating. Eagle
Plumbing has been at the parsonage several times to replace a valve, but the problem of
heating and stopping persisted into February. We were charged for the first replacement part
and labor and one other labor charge when that part had to be replaced, but there have been
no charges for multiple other times the technician came to try to diagnose the problem. Black
Hills Energy has replaced a regulator controlling the pressure of the gas coming into the
house. It is working at the moment, but we aren’t sure if the problem is permanently fixed.
Time will tell. In 2024 we plan to have the exterior of the house painted. I’m trying to get bids
now. There may also be some maintenance items that come up.
A challenge continues from 2021. Since we abandoned plans to partially finish the basement,
we have yet to recoup from Vasquez Drywall & Painting $1400 paid in 2021 he said he wanted
to buy wallboard, finishing compound, and paint before the prices increased as was occurring
during the pandemic. He has continued to give excuses about why he can’t return the $1400.
Even after filing a claim with the WY Attorney General’s Office, the issue has not been
resolved. We filed a small claim with the District Court. Our hearing date has been delayed
twice because of criminal trials. We are currently scheduled for February 24th at 3:30 pm in the
Courthouse.
Jonathan Prather renewed the lease for another year ending 7/31/24. Jon has two teenage
sons who will be living in the parsonage part time. He seems to be very conscientious and
respectful of the property. He has been a very good tenant and very patient as we have
worked to get the furnace problem resolved.
Submitted by Ginny Vincenti
Parsonage Rental Manager
Budget
Because of difficulties getting the financial forms to paste into the webpage, please refer to hard copies available at the meeting or upon request via email to the church email, [email protected]
This includes the 2024 budget and recent budget histories, the Springbook accounts and distributions, and our charitibal giving to the community.
Officers
Administrative Council
Carol Uhl
Crystal Ballard
Like Ballard
Tara Mattimoe
Betty Holmes
Ann LaGrange
Financial Officers
Cindy Legg, Treasurer
Carol Uhl, Financial Secretary
Karl Knopf, Financial Secretary
United Church Funds Liaison
Betty Holmes
Faith Exploration Team
Carol Uhl
Kristi Hansen
Amy Krist
Katie Uhl
Parsonage Rental Manager
Ginny Vincenti
Worship Leaders
Crystal Ballard
Amy Krist
Katie Uhl
Carol Uhl
Ginny Vincenti
Roger Iverson
Sam Burkett