The Annual Meeting (Celebration?) Is Coming!

By Pastor John E. Schmidt

On January 28th, at 1:00 pm, we will have our Annual Congregational Meeting. I can imagine the reaction many of you are having right now: "Great! I've been waiting for this ever since last year!!"

Well, maybe not. But don't ignore it either. The Annual Meeting is an important part of Presbyterian church government. In it, the most important regular decision that comes to the congregation is made: who will be your elected church officers? Session members are responsible for the whole spiritual direction of the church and set all major church policy. Deacons are those responsible for setting up the teams and procedures that are intended to deal with the crises and care needs of our body, and sometimes the care needs of the community around us, as well. The Trustees officially represent the church in legal matters, advise the Session on financial and facilities-related matters, and implement the decisions and policies approved by the Session.

In our process, candidates are nominated months before. A Nominating Committee (also elected in part by the congregation) contacts, interviews, informs and evaluates candidates, ultimately presenting the slate of leaders that will be presented for your election at the meeting. In 2006, our Nominating Committee worked hard from about late October until December preparing this slate of nominees. They are as follows: for Elder--Art Moorshead, Neil Pohlhaus, Kim Turner and Kathy Vaselkiv; for Deacon--Don Michael, Dan Schulze, Maria Schwartz, Rob Williams and Doug Wolfe. In addition, although they are not ordained for office, the Trustees are selected through the same rigorous process and make the same spiritual commitments. The Trustee nominees are Les Bley and Bruce Stuart. I am personally excited about the spiritual maturity and gifting of the people nominated this year, but it is your impression and decision that matters!

Also at our meeting, the congregation affirms the budget set by the Session. A simplified version of the budget will be presented and more detailed questions can be asked at any time by contacting Jim McClure, our Director of Ministry Support. Also, Session members would be glad to answer those questions, when they can, and get the answers for you when they can't.

The final purpose for the meeting, and the most fun part, is celebrating what God has done among us this year. In the middle of all this "business," we need to be reminded of what our core identity is all about. The church is a body where God is at work. That is why we exist, and what makes all our labor, structures, and budgets matter. Come and celebrate that with us!