St. John United Church of Christ
Outreach Missions Group (OMG)
Meeting Notes (by Eileen Thornton)
Date: August 7, 2014
Attended: David Hiser, Bruce Horn, Stephen Phillips, Eileen Thornton and Willie Tackett
Accomplishments:
1. Summer Salad Buffet Congregational Meal at Church on June 9th.
2. Senior Meal on June 28th at the Callahan Center: 25 people attended. Chicken salad, Jell-O,
tossed salad, cottage cheese and cookies were served. Bingo was played.
3. Senior meal on July 26th at the Callahan Center: 20 people attended, including 5 new ones. The
meal was stuffed brisket of beef, saffron rice, mixed vegetables, tossed salad, and cookies. During
social time, several rounds of Uno were played.
4. Special OMG Meeting on July 3rd to discuss the Senior Center; Bruce, Will and Eileen attended.
Bruce compiled the minutes and a floor plan, which he and Willie discussed with the SLC at their
meeting on July 24th. It may open on October 1st, depending on the construction completion.
5. Bruce discussed the Chili Cook Off with SLC. He created a poster and had tickets printed which
were distributed at the August 10th Worship Service. An article was published in the e-Weekly,
encouraging the congregation to sell 5 tickets at $5 each and help the OMG acquire items for the
Silent Auction and door prizes.
6. Willie places an ad monthly in the Bellevue Community News advertising the Senior Free Meal &
Social, indicating it takes place on the last Saturday of the month and the location.
7. Steve has taken on the task of sending a welcome card to newcomers. Debbie provided him with
a stack of new cards saying: “The doors are open – our hearts are too”.
8. Willie attended the “Save the Marianne Theater” opening & meeting to discuss the theater’s future.
9. We discussed the annual Church Picnic. It will take place on September 21st in the church
parking lot after Service. Bruce will organize it. It will be a pitch-in; sign-up sheet is provided.
Challenges:
Budget: Bruce brought up the problem he is encountering when purchasing food or products for the
various meals he coordinates. He needs to pay upfront out of his pocket, and it takes three weeks for
the reimbursement to take place. He proposed that the OMG obtains its own checking account from
the SLC. David, our treasurer, does not think it can be done under our current fiscal system.
Independence Senior Citizen and Community Center (ISC) Field Trip planned. David shared
information on the Center; Sandy Kerlin proposed to organize a field trip for her and the OMG to visit
it mid-September.
Bellevue Neighborhood Association: Melissa Artopoeus attends their monthly meetings. She will
inform Willie of any relevant happenings, and he will see that an article is published in the e-Weekly.
Events:
CROP Hunger Walk: Sunday 10/5. Melissa Artopoeus and Cindy O’Bryant are assisting Russ
Kimmerly, the coordinator.
GLSEN Youth Summit at NKU: Saturday 10/25. St. John will not participate, other than Willie
providing HIV Testing.
Next meeting: Thursday September 4, 2014, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the Church Lounge