Dear Beloved Community,
I never thought I’d hold such a fondness in my heart for an ordinary church business meeting until the pandemic pressed these onto a screen for years. Perhaps your warmness to a church business meeting grew after contentious ones, somber ones, desperate ones. Or perhaps you’ve never had a fondness for church business meetings at all!
Yet in all its common splendor — reports here, questions about the intricacies of Robert’s Rules of Order there — business meetings are but one way that we act out our commitments to one another as a church. We show up. We listen carefully. We ask questions, and answer some. We take some votes, and commit to prayer. We make decisions together, bringing individual convictions into common ground. We hold our vision firmly before us in light of buildings and budgets, stories of mission and calling and what God is doing in our midst.
This past Tuesday’s business meeting was our first in-person since the pandemic, and around the tables for a little more than an hour, we practiced being the church. Lee Anne told us about all the incredible missions partners we support as an extension of our commitments to “cultivate the well-being of children, mitigate poverty in our community, become a teaching and learning church, and grow in number and faithfulness.” Linda celebrated the 60 new members who have joined our beloved community in 2023. Roper told of Personnel’s newly-announced search for a Communications Specialist. Mark talked about our church house and the various projects around the building. I shared on Kim’s behalf the work of the Deacons to attend to our space, people, and financial resources. Scott walked us through the 2024 Ministry Funding Plan, and talked about the financial commitments we make to God through our church. Together, we celebrated the unanimous call of Zack Jackson to the gospel ministry and pledged to ordain our brother next month.
Linda said at the end, “isn’t it nice to be part of a church who has calm and hopeful business meetings?” Yes, we nodded in assent. It’s not only nice, but rather extraordinary if you ask me.
Together in God’s work of Love,
Pastor Emily
P.S. The latest draft of the 2024 Ministry Funding Plan can be found below. We will vote on it at the conclusion of the November 19 worship service.