A Special Congregational Meeting is called for Sunday, May 5, 2019, to elect Elders and Deacons for the Class of 2022, to elect a Nominating Committee, to amend the WPC Congregational Manual, and for other business purposes. The meeting will take place immediately after the 11:00 AM worship service, which will be shortened to accommodate the meeting.This year’s Nominating Committee, co-chaired by Candace Spence and Will Hochstetler, will present the slate of nominees for new members of the Session, the Board of Deacons, and next year’s Nominating Committee. The new members will assume their duties in mid-June.
The proposed amendment to the Congregational Manual would change the date of the Annual Congregational Meeting from the third to the fourth Sunday in January. Read more . . .
. . . At its February meeting, the Session approved the following motion: That Session propose to the Congregation, in accord with Section XI of the Congregational Manual (2013), an amendment to Section III of the Manual to read: “The Annual Meeting of the Congregation shall be called by the Session and will ordinarily be held on the fourth Sunday of January.” This date change would allow much-needed additional time between the January Session meeting (second Sunday of January) and the Congregational Meeting for the preparation of the financial and other reports that are submitted to the congregation. In recent years, the Stewardship Campaign has extended well into December, delaying Session’s approval of an Operating Budget until its January meeting. Allowing only one week between the Session and the Congregational Meeting has created a difficult and stressful “crunch time” for our Staff and Session Elders—especially those involved with church finances. Adding another week in between the two meetings would go a long way to alleviating this situation.
Therefore, the question presented for congregational vote will be: Shall Section III of the WPC Congregational Manual be amended to read: “The Annual Meeting of the Congregation shall be called by the Session and will ordinarily be held on the fourth Sunday of January”?
Please come to the meeting! Thank you—Nadine Roddy, Stated Clerk of Session 2018-19
Relevant Document Provisions
From the WPC Congregational Manual:
III. Meetings of the Congregation (G-1.0501)
The Annual Meeting of the Congregation shall be called by the Session and will ordinarily be held on the third Sunday of January. At that meeting, the following business may be transacted:
- Annual Reports
- Election of Church Nominating Committee
- Election of Ruling Elders and/or Deacons
- Election of Trustees
- Calling a Pastor, co-Pastor or associate Pastor
- Changing existing pastoral relationships by reviewing and approving (or declining to approve) changes to the terms of the call for the Installed Pastor(s).
- Receipt of the church’s annual budget for informational purposes.
XI. Amendments to the Congregational Rules
These Rules may be amended by a majority vote of the members present and voting, providing that the proposed changes shall have been distributed at the same time as the call of the meeting at which the changes are voted upon.
From the Book of Order (2017-19):
G-1.0501 Annual and Special Meetings
The congregation shall hold an annual meeting and may hold special meetings as
necessary, for any or all of the purposes appropriate for congregational consideration.
The business to be transacted at special meetings shall be limited to items specifically
listed in the call for the meeting.
All active members of the congregation present at either annual or special meetings
are entitled to vote. Congregations shall provide by rule the quorum necessary to conduct
business.