The Hall and picnic grounds sustained extensive roof and tree damage during the August storms. As a result, the Hall will be the main topic of discussion at the Monthly General Membership Meeting held THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11th at 6:30PM in the South wing of the Church. Please attend this very important meeting. We hope to see you on the 11th. Read the recent Special Review Letter from the Executive Board in its entirety:

Special Review – St. Sava Hall

Dear Member,

We wish to update you on the current situation with our St. Sava Hall. As you may or may not know, the Hall sustained extensive roof and interior damage as a result of the severe storms which hit our region in August. In addition, the picnic ground sustained significant damage due to fallen trees and debris. Indiana Insurance Company is the insurer of our Hall and Church and they were immediately contacted in the aftermath of the storm and advised of our damage conditions. Indiana Insurance then sent out a regional adjuster to assess the damages, When it became apparent that the damage was more severe then they anticipated, a second adjuster from their corporate offices in Indianapolis was sent to inspect the Hall, a process so extensive that it took more than two days to complete. The results are as follows: Due to the damage to the Hall roof many of the interior ceiling tiles have been damaged and could fall, as a result Indiana Insurance will not provide any liability coverage should someone become injured in the Hall until such time that the roof and all interior ceilings are either repaired or replaced. As a result BINGO has been indefinitely cancelled. All scheduled events for the balance of the calendar year have been cancelled. This would include KOLO Slava, Folklore, and the Church Anniversary. Each organization has been advised to seek alternative area locations in which to hold their event and you will be advised of those locations in your monthly Bulletin. The Church Anniversary will be held at St. Elijah Hall on November 18, 2007. Our Brothers and Sisters of St. Elijah have graciously offered their help in reducing the costs associated with our hosting our Anniversary luncheon at their hall.

The HALL HAS NOT BEEN SOLD. Despite much discussion, we can report to you that as of this writing our Hall has not been sold. We have received one tentative offer, however, that offer was still in negotiations during the time that the Hall was damage. We will continue to market the Hall for sale despite its damaged condition. All heating and cooling and primary electricity has been turned down or off in the Hall. In addition, all services to the Hall have been discontinued. Our Hall Custodian continues to reside in the Hall apartment so as to care for the outside maintenance of the Hall, as well as to be available to open the Hall when required. Compensation and benefits for our Hall Custodian have been adjusted accordingly.

What comes next? We must now await the report from the Insurance adjuster to tell us how much we will be paid for the damages incurred. At such time that the Executive Board receives this information we will then make a determination as to our next best course of action, meaning simply, will it be worth it to repair the Hall. Our membership will be advised. In times of trouble St. Sava members always seem to rise to the occasion and the aftermath of our Hall damage was no exception. The Executive Board wishes to thank the following members for their “hands on” dedication to the clean up and the follow up of the Hall damage. Milan Tomich Mike Suvajac Lazo Knezic Janko Kraguljac Mike Ajder and many others.

Monthly Membership Meeting: Due to the extraordinary circumstances and required follow up to our closure of the Hall, our next general membership meeting will be held on October Thursday October 11 at 6:30PM in the south wing of our Church. All monthly meetings will continue on the second Thursday of each month thereafter.

We need your Help! With the loss of BINGO which was a great contributor to the monthly income of the Church we are asking that you please consider participating in our monthly Pledge Program as the Church will greatly need this money. In 2006 our Pledge Program generated over $7,000.00 per month which contributed to the success of the Church. In 2007 our Pledge Program is generating only one-half of last year's monthly average. We have come so far in such a short period of time; please do not let us slip back. In 18 months we have paid off the mortgage and now have over $100,000.00 in our savings for the future. It would be a terrible shame if we now had to use our future savings to pay for today simply because our members have stopped giving. Please do not let this happen as we want to keep moving forward with new growth and the development of our Church property, particularly now with what has happened to our Hall. Please send your monthly pledge in whatever amount you can afford. Thank You.

Sunday Luncheons: We are very happy to also have some good news for our members and that news is that our Sunday after Church luncheons is being well attended and very much enjoyed. Please contact the Church office at 736-9191or Beba Rudman at 462-4524 if you wish to host, or join with another family to host, a Sunday luncheon. Remember the food can range from pasta to pizza to sandwiches to whatever you choose to bring as it is all pot luck and greatly appreciated. The Church office or Beba can offer you menu suggestions if you require. Also, if you do not wish to bring a luncheon you can donate a luncheon for that day. All donated luncheons are donations to the Church and families cannot be reimbursed.

Hvala. Dennis Svilar President – Executive Board