OFFICE AND BUILDING PROCEDURES Updated Nov 22 2011
Office hours are 9:00am-4:00pm T W Th F; Sundays 9:00am-1:00pm (Aug 15-June 14)
BUILDING USE
There are increasing demands for all church spaces and rooms. Please schedule all committee/council meetings and other events through the office. The online calendar (lower right hand corner of the front page of the website) is now the master calendar. This same calendar is also posted in the Church Office. You are welcome to check these calendars to see if a date is available; please do not publicize a date until you have cleared it through the office staff.
If you schedule a meeting or event in the church building, it is your responsibility to ensure that there is a person responsible for unlocking and locking the building. Be aware that the key code is changed at least once per year. Be responsible for cleaning up after your meeting: wash dishes, empty coffee pots, put chairs and tables away, carpet sweep or vacuum crumbs, turn off lights, lock all doors. Cleaning supplies are located in the custodial storage area across from the kitchen.
If a committee sponsors a community meeting at our church, at least one committee member must be present at the meeting. Arrangements for building entry must be made. For non-cmte. sponsored events, a minimal building use fee of $25 will be expected in some cases. If the building requires additional custodial work, an additional fee may be assessed in either circumstance.
Please be aware that our church is a non-profit organization which is not allowed to endorse political candidates. We may educate about political issues, but must not endorse any candidate. Our committees may not sponsor (by waiving fees) candidates meetings, unless all parties are invited. We may rent at full fee to political parties or candidates.
If you discover something that needs repair, please let the office know as soon as possible.
PURCHASES
Purchases for church use should be approved by the committee chair in charge of the budget from which the purchase will be paid. Receipts should be turned into the office, signed, with an indication of what the purchase was and from which budget line it should be paid. Our tax exempt number is 5-781967. Most businesses require the filing of a tax exemption certificate in order to waive paying sales tax. If your council or committee does not have a budget, please have some creative plan for how to pay for purchases (such as a fundraiser – check with the Fundraising Committee on policy). Confer with the office if something unforeseen arises.
SUPPORT FROM STAFF
The office staff is here to support our professional staff as well as the board of trustees, council, organizers and committees. We have a full week of work planned in keeping up with the needs of our church community. Every day brings extra unscheduled projects and challenges. In order to allow us to respond to increasing demands, your help is needed.
SERVICE & PROGRAM CANCELLATION
In the event of weather conditions likely to jeopardize the safety of persons attempting to reach church to fulfill responsibilities, the Minister will have the authority to cancel Services or Programs. In the Minister’s absence from Lincoln, the Religious Growth Director will have this authority.
The Minister (or Religious Growth Director) will reach his/her decision in consultation with the Administrative Director and affected leaders. In the Administrative Director’s absence from Lincoln, consultation will be with the Administrative Associate. The decision will be made at 6:00 pm on the Saturday preceding affected Sunday morning services or programs; or at 2:00 pm on the day of affected evening services or programs.
The Administrative Director (or Administrative Associate) will communicate the cancellation of services or programs through the following means:
a) Email to all church constituents
b) Posting on the church website
c) Announcement on radio station KFOR (1240 am)
d) Announcement on TV station KOLN (10/11)
DEADLINES
- Newsletter deadline is 3:45pm on the eighteenth of each month; submissions to be emailed to news@unitarianlincoln.org. You should expect a response to your email indicating that it has been received. If you do not receive a response by the 20th of the month, please make a second contact to ensure that your newsletter item will be included.
- Copies - One week’s notice is requested for any committee work that needs to be generated by the office - this includes generating labels and postcards for mailings, complete mailings, copying or data entry. We appreciate the help of those committee members who assist by stuffing and labeling their mailings.
- Mailings - Two week’s notice is requested for any mass mailings (over 50 items) or mail merging. Mailings over 200 pieces which are identical, can be sent using our non-profit bulk mail permit (resulting in significant savings per piece). Our copy equipment is capable of collating and folding most mailings, but it needs several hours to do so, and we must plan around other copying needs.
We appreciate your help in using these guidelines, and we will be as flexible as time and schedules allow.
Sensitive equipment and confidential data are kept in the church office. Access to the office during hours when the church is closed will be limited. We suggest that if you need to use office equipment you plan ahead so that we can help you during the week or on Sunday.
Jean Helms, Administrative Director,
cell: 402-202-5326
Christina Strong, Administrative Associate
