Board report

At the March meeting of the Board of Management, the main item of business was the presentation of the accounts for 2004 for Board approval prior to presentation to the congregation at the Stated Annual Meeting after morning worship on Sunday 3 April 2005.

Finance Team leader, Ken Mackie, described a new, simpler presentation of the accounts, which has been adopted in advance of new charity requirements to be implemented soon.

It was announced that the late Jack Lachlan had left a bequest of £10,000 to St John's for the care and maintenance of the church and halls. This would be placed in a restricted fund, so that it is kept separate from general funds and used for the purpose Jack had specified in his bequest.

Progress with plans for previous legacy monies was reported. New chairs had been purchased for the halls, and cushioning for the pews had been costed. Other proposals were still being costed. Oversight of these projects was remitted to the Management Team.

A brief discussion of the new, simplified counting system for the offering, ending with general approval of the system and it was agreed to adopt the system for the foreseeable future.

Concern was expressed over parking directly in front of the church doors on Sunday mornings. Although it was not possible to insist, the Board felt that his space should be left for disabled/infirm drivers and/or passengers and also for access for emergency vehicles. A note would appear in a future Sunday Bulletin to this effect, and those on door Duty were asked to keep an eye on things.

At the Stated Annual Meeting on 3 April, 2 Board members would complete their term of office. While these retiring members were eligible for re-election, the Chair of the Board requested that members consider possible nominations of "fresh blood"

The minister and 3 others had attended a conference on Large Churches. While this was mainly a Kirk Session matter, a discussion of Effective Welcoming was appropriate to Door duty, which is a Board matter. Several issues were raised: the "public" face of the church building could be more welcoming, for instance in terms of signage; the possibility of splitting the Door Duty team into a practical team (issuing hymn books etc) and a welcoming team (who would show visitors to a seat and invite them to Time for Fellowship afterwards). It was agreed that these matters should be deliberated more fully.