PERSONNEL COMMITTEE REPORT 2006

Committee members:  Beverly McFadzen, Chair; Alan Ryder, Trustee; Leigh Satriano, Deacon; Linda Pietrowski, Member-at-Large; George Kessel, Member-at-Large; Nancy Bell, Member-at-Large.

The Personnel Committee meets monthly to discuss personnel concerns involving the staff, which includes: James Hulsey, Pastor; Catherine Wallace, Assistant to the Pastor; John Weisman, Facilities Manager; Betty Adams, Administrative Assistant; Cindi Russell, Choir Director; and Pablo Lavendara, Organist.

The year started off with a 3% raise in salaries for the entire staff.  This rate was the recommended increase from Presbytery, although we (the committee) wished we could offer more in appreciation for jobs well done.  The salary increases, although well deserved, had to be incorporated into an overall budget that needed to cut costs.

The Personnel Committee cut our small budget in half to help in closing the working deficit budget the church started to experience in 2006.

One staff concern in 2006 was that our Administrative Assistant, Betty Adams, took sick leave for several months, and we were very thankful for all those volunteers that helped during Betty's recuperation.  Betty was out a bit longer than she had planned, which prompted the committee to investigate if the church had disability insurance.  A policy was located, but it was too late to utilize for Betty Adams.  The particulars of the policy still need to be explored.  We were all very happy when Betty returned, and the committee decided to take all of the volunteers and Betty to lunch.

At Easter, flowers were given to our staff.  We also reviewed the staff job descriptions and discovered that a job description for the treasurer had never been done.  This was followed up with a job description for the treasurer developed by the committee and Martha Ryder.

The Fall got started with a baby shower for Cindi Russell.  This was a most successful event and a happy mon and dad-to-be.  A card was sent when Erin Russell was born.

In a continuing effort to increase communication between staff and the congregation, we changed our approach for yearly staff evaluations.  The committee met with each individual staff person and we got a better understanding of their job, job descriptions, and had wonderful person interactions.  We got great ideas and feed back from the staff.  The staff expressed their appreciation for the attention and concern we had for them and their ideas.  The committee felt it was an extremely positive experience and that we would like to to continue this process next year.

Lastly, as a tribute to our staff, we had members of the congregation reflect on each staff member and printed it in the bulletin to share with the congregation .  Flowers were given to the staff for Christmas in appreciation of their dedication.