Moderator Report for July 2025

 

 Moderator Report

July 2025

 

Seek Justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Missions. NTR

Worship. NTR

Education. NTR

Building and Grounds. The front doors have been repaired—no change to other projects.

Fellowship. Our turnout for the last fellowship meal was small. I suggest we cancel the last 2 Fifth Sunday meals and focus our fellowship gatherings on the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals that follow those evening services. The next fellowship meal is scheduled for 31 August 2025 (Team 3). Agenda Item.

Other

Elder Retreat. The Elder Retreat is scheduled for 9 August 2025 at 8 am. The agenda will be promulgated soon.

Elders, please begin your prayer and meditation regarding your nominations for our next elders or reducing the size of the session. Here are the responses from elders so far.

Ethan Delp       Yes

Danny Rush      Not at this time

Rick Reeves      No response     

Kathy Stegall     No response   

Larry Walker      No response

Rodney Chilton As a last resort 

Carolyn Murray  No response   

 

Pastor Turnover. You have what you need to formulate your part of this equation.  

 

Projects in Search of a Champion.  

Dates for Planning Purposes.

Unfinished Business.

Previous Reports

Template for Janitor IICA

 

Independent Contractor Agreement

1.  Independent Contractor Agreement.  This agreement is for contract janitorial services between the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Burns Flat, Oklahoma (hereafter referred to as church)   and                                                                                                                                (hereafter referred to as contractor).  This is not an employment contract.

 

2.  Scope and services contracted.  The following services are required weekly within the recurring windows provided.  The church will provide the contractor access to the building during these periods.  The contractor will clean to the church’s satisfaction the following areas of the church each week during the windows provided.

 

Sunday 8:00 pm to Wednesday 8:00 am

Sanctuary (pick up, straighten pew supplies, vacuum pews and floors)

Offices (pick up, dust, vacuum)

Empty all trash containers in church

Entry way and main hallway (sweep, mop, vacuum)

Bathrooms (clean all, replace tissue and towels)

 

Wednesday 9:00 pm to Sunday 6:00 am

Kitchen (clean all external surfaces on counters, floors, and appliances; inside of microwave and ovens)

Sanctuary (pick up, straighten pew supplies, vacuum pews and floors)

Empty all trash containers in church

Entry way and main hallway (sweep, mop, vacuum)

Classrooms (pick up, vacuum)

Disinfect all door handles

Bathrooms (clean all, replace tissue and towels)

 

The contractor defines the manner and means of cleaning within the windows provided.  The contractor should note scheduled church events so as not to conflict with these events.  Schedules are available from the church.  From time to time, the contractor will be required to work around short notice events (e.g. funerals).

The contractor is not required to be bonded, but must carry medical insurance on all contractor employees.  The contractor will submit to the church a list of all employees that may be used in the performance of this contract.

The contractor may use church supplies such as vacuum cleaners, brooms and mops, and other non-consumables provided they are cleaned and returned ready for use in their assigned location.  The church will provide supplies to be used by the congregation (e.g. toilet tissue, paper towels, hand sanitizer, etc.). The contractor will provide all consumable cleaning supplies (e.g. rags, cleaners, disinfectants, etc.)

 

 

3.  Consideration and payment.  The church will pay the contractor $                                                         each month for the services listed above.

The contractor will invoice the church on the last day of the month for the month’s contract service just completed.  The church will remit payment within 15 days of receiving the invoice and certifying satisfactory performance.

 

 

4.  Effective dates of performance.  This contract is effective                                                         2011 and is for a period of                                  months unless otherwise terminated.

 

 

5.  Changes and termination.  Either party may terminate this contract at any time for cause.  Liquidated damages for such termination are limited to the part of the contract performed up to the termination date plus one month’s contractor fee.

Either party may terminate this contract with a 30-day written notice.  Such notice must be delivered by service to:  Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Box 8, Burns Flat, Oklahoma 73624 or in person to the church’s designated representative.

Any changes to this contract must be in writing and signed by both parties to be effective.

6.  Complete Agreement.   This is a basic contract between the church and the independent contractor.  It is written and intended to be executed as a complete contract.  No single part constitutes a contract within itself.

 

 

For the church:                                                                                  For the contractor:

Template for Pastor Independent Contractor Agreement

 Independent Contractor Agreement

1.  Independent Contractor Agreement.  This agreement is for contract pastoral services between the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Burns Flat, Oklahoma (hereafter referred to as church)  and                                                                                                                                 (hereafter referred to as contractor).  This is not an employment contract and thereby does not require standard employee benefits.  The church may conduct recurring background checks on the contractor at the church’s expense.

2.  Scope and services contracted.  Contractor will provide general pastoral services to include preaching, teaching, counseling, planning, moderating the session, and other such duties as typically are included in pastoring a congregation.  The contractor is permitted and expected to participate in the connectional duties of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and local church bodies of other denominations to the extent possible.  Such duties include participating in Presbyterial meetings, serving on various boards and agencies within the denomination, working in and with the Ministerial Alliance, and other such connectional meetings and duties as may from time to time be appropriate.

The contractor will provide                           Sunday services and be present for                          Wednesday gatherings/services/classes.  The church is responsible for filling the pulpit or assuming other duties for Sundays and Wednesdays other than those contracted. The contractor will be available for planning, meeting, counseling, teaching, community outreach, and other activities normally associated with a pastor for                    hours each year.

The contractor will perform pastoral duties in a manner and by the means as contractor determines best with the concurrence of the church.

3.  Consideration and payment.  The church will pay the contractor a fee of $                                        each month for the services listed above.  Ministry expenses belong solely to the contractor unless he is sent out of the local area or incurs expense beyond the customary and usual range.  In those cases, the directing party is responsible for expense.  That may or may not be the church.  The church will provide consideration for pulpit supplies on Sundays for which the contractor is not scheduled.

Absent termination, the church will remit the monthly payment no later than the 4^th Sunday of each month. 

4.  Effective dates of performance.  This contract is effective                                                           and is for a period of                    months unless otherwise terminated. 

5.  Changes and termination.  Either party may terminate this contract at any time for cause.  Liquidated damages for such termination are limited to the full month of contract performance in which the termination date was effective plus one month’s contractor fee.

Either party may terminate this contract with a 30-day written notice.  Such notice must be delivered by service to:  Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Box 8, Burns Flat, Oklahoma 73624 or in person to the church’s designated representative or in person to the contractor.

Any changes to this contract must be in writing and signed by both parties to be effective.

6.  Complete Agreement.   This is a basic contract between the church and the independent contractor.  It is written and intended to be executed as a complete agreement.  No single part constitutes a contract within itself.

 

 

For the church:                                                                                  For the contractor:

 

Budgeting References

 

Budget Authority

Priority-Based Budgeting

Turnover Background Documents

 

Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) for Pastor Turnover

Tom’s Synopsis for Who We Are

 Turnover List (One of Many)

Balance

Balance

 

The life of the church is important to believers. We share the gospel, encourage and comfort each other, and do the things that God planned for us to do before we were born. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed. Sometimes we think that we should do more. I ask that you consider what we are called to do and what we are doing and see if we have some balance (not equality but balance).

We want to reach people and see them in worship, education, and fellowship activities, but we also know that through the ages, God has worked with a remnant. Sometimes we are to grow. Sometimes we are to strengthen what remains. We want to get it right.  We want the right balance. The session is likely the only place where balance is discussed much among leaders.

Let’s do a simple exercise called RAD (Recognize – Analyze – Divide) and see what we already know. You may want to grow the lists in each area. Let’s start with what we recognize.

Worship

Sunday Morning Worship X2

Wednesday Evening Worship (usually 1 time per month)

Summer Singing (1 time per month)

Thanksgiving worship and meal

Christmas worship and meal

Community Services (2 times per year)

Come & Go Communion (2 times per year)

CPC Birthday worship & Fellowship Meal

 

Fellowship

5^th Sunday Meals (under review)

Summer Singing (1 time per month)

Thanksgiving worship and meal

Christmas worship and meal

One Pot Meal + Activities X2 (sometimes X3)

CPC Birthday worship & Fellowship Meal

 

Education

Sunday School

Wednesday Evenings (7 Months)

Occasional Bible Studies

Outreach/Evangelism

Walk A Block for Jesus (or other event/activity to reach those beyond our walls)

Hour of Power

Broadcast of services (can be a double-edged sword)

Online Posts – Life of the Church

Wristbands/Gospels/Other giveaway items for any occasion

Food Ministry

Take home supplies to give to Trick or Treaters

 

Reserved for Families (Typically nothing scheduled for the body other than Sunday morning worship)

Resurrection Sunday

Mothers’ Day

Father’s Day

Christmas Day

Days/Times Unique to  a specific family/families

 

Other Activities

Meetings

Committee/Commission Work

 

Worldly Competitors – Not saying these are good, bad, or ugly, but they are competitors for our time and energy.

Youth Sports (Traditional boundaries of Sunday and Wednesday are nearly eviscerated).

Travel (We are a very mobile society)

Livelihood (You don’t work. You don’t eat or make the car payment)

 

  

Other Areas of Consideration

Salvation belongs to the Lord, but these belong to us:

Worship

Evangelism

Discipleship

Education

Fellowship

 

CPC uniqueness

Known for our grace

Connectional (among judicatories, generations, and institutions)

Connectional (among members. Campers, Presbytery meetings, Youth Retreats, and General Assembly help with connections)

Tom’s Synopsis for Who We Are

 

I know that I am a pain in the (pick your part) about this individual thinking business, but thinking was my business for a while, and there are dividends to be earned from individual thinking. That said, here are my thoughts. I don’t expect you to agree, and I am not asking you to.  This is input. You are the synthesizers. The objective is to state concisely in the CIF and expound with potential pastors about who we are.  Do NOT read this if you have not done your individual thinking.

The Burns Flat Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a small, family church that has been on the verge of growing for two decades. We have had some surges, but the losses continue to outnumber the gains. This body is known for its love. We are involved in our community, and people know it. Some don’t want to pronounce or spell Presbyterian, so they just call us the love church.

We are known as Christ’s disciples by our love! Service is the predominant gift in this congregation. Giving is good for the number of adults who attend.

Our evangelism—taking the good news to our neighbors and discipling them when they respond—is often stuck in neutral. It is a challenge not unique to this area, but our challenge nonetheless. We have not given up, but we need reminders that making disciples and resting in our comfort zones are at odds with each other.

About 5% of the town’s population attends services here, and the mission harvest fields sit just across the street from the church building. We can do more. That said, we are one of two congregations in the Presbytery that have experienced any growth over the past few decades. Apathy and ambivalence among the adults we reach are often the most significant obstacles to connecting many adults in the community with worship and fellowship in this body.

We do reach many children and youth!

We are blessed to have a rotating session with elders who are both young and old, male and female, and dedicated to bringing glory to God.

The congregation loves each other—a bunch. Over a decade ago, our passing of the peace was moved to the end of the service because we enjoy each other so much. The fellowship of believers continues well after Sunday morning's last amen.

This is a church body that purchased a building it could not afford and made it a place of worship and fellowship while without a pastor.

This church body paid off the loan for this building in record time.

This church body purchased an additional three acres of land during the worst part of the recession of the first decade of this century.

 

Trends and tendencies.

·         We like to sing (Y2K Survey)

·         We like to eat (Food with almost everything—early 2000s). Backed off some a few years later.

·         We help with physical needs (Food for the hungry, school supplies, help with some bills, host for addiction recovery meetings, host many drug court community service people, help via MA, other help—last 17 years).

·         We don’t like to sign up but will often show up for events and ministries.

Our biggest outreach ministries are VBS and the Backpack Ministry.

For a time, our SEO for the church website attracted a higher ranking on most search engines than our denomination’s placement. We received calls from all over the country with CPC questions.

I would characterize the last three decades of pastoral care like this:

Jim – Coffee Shop Ministry, venturing into established circles. Letting people know we were here. Coffee Shop.

Duawn—Youth and Fellowship, to include more food in more of our activities. Walmart ministry for ambulatory elderly for a time. F4 Feasts.

Tom – Missions and Evangelism, to include ongoing challenges to fulfill our commissions and make disciples. Walk A Block and Walking Ministry. First overseas mission for this body (X2).

 

Other turnover notes not related to the CIF.

 

Domains owned by Tom. See separate page. I expect to retain the Burnsflat.org domain for a while. The cumberlandpresbyterianchurch.net domain is scheduled to renew in July of this year, but I plan to release this domain. I have never transferred a domain to anyone before, but if you want it, let me know as soon as possible so I can figure out the how part.

The other Cumberland domains don’t expire until 2026, but if you are interested, let me know. My initial plan is to retain .com and release .org.

Another option if you have not worked with domain ownership before is to start from scratch. I’m sure that there wouldn’t be much competition for BurnsFlatCPC.