United Church of God, an International Association

Council of Elders Quarterly Meeting Report

Milford, Ohio

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

*These are not the official minutes from the Council meeting. The official minutes are filed at the home office with the Council Secretary.

Chairman Don Ward called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Eastern and the meeting was opened with prayer. Eleven Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Mario Seiglie joined about 90 minutes later because he was teaching an ABC class.

The Council began in scheduled executive session.

The Council came into open session at 3:03 p.m.

Proposed Amendments to the Fundamental of Beliefs—Mario Seiglie

Mario Seiglie, chair of the Doctrine Committee (DC), presented two proposed amendments from an elder to the Fundamentals of Belief in Constitution 2.1.6 “The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ” and 2.1.7 “Three Days and Three Nights.” The Fundamental Beliefs Advisory Committee (FBAC) and Doctrine Committee unanimously disagreed with the proposal.

The proposals were passed out and read. The proposals suggest the changing of the wording associated with the precise time of Jesus Christ’s burial and resurrection. The FBAC and DC did not agree with the proposal.

The FBAC’s letter was read, as well as the DC’s letter to the author stating the disagreement of Scripture with the proposed change. The author still wants his proposed amendment to proceed. So now it is before the Council.

The Council was asked if anyone supported these two amendments to our Fundamental Beliefs. There was no support. A Council statement of concern will accompany the proposal when it is sent to the GCE to assess if there is a one-third support from the GCE.

Doctrine Committee—Mario Seiglie

Mario Seiglie, chair of the Doctrine Committee (DC), presented five doctrinal projects to the Council for discussion and approval. Three projects: #58 on the identity of Melchizedek, #60 on personal body fluids, and #59 on preaching from house to house were finished and had no support from the DC or the Council.

Part of the ongoing review of the Personal Correspondence Department (PCD) letters included an update to one on the subject of gelatin from unclean sources. The letter reinforces our long-standing belief that we don’t eat gelatin from unclean sources and also provides resources for gelatin products that do not come from unclean sources. It was unanimously approved by the Council and can be found on the Ministerial Resource Site.

The study paper Marrying Outside the Faith was discussed with a minor edit to changing the word “extenuating” with “problematic” to better convey the meaning in the paper. It was unanimously approved to change the wording and can be found on the Ministerial Resource Site.

Chairman Ward thanked the DC for all their work.

The Council went into scheduled executive session at 4:35 p.m.

The Council adjourned at 5:24 p.m.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Chairman Don Ward called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Eastern and the meeting was opened with prayer. Eleven Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Mario Seiglie joined about 90 minutes later because he was teaching an ABC class.

Consider Discretionary Assistance Increases—Bob Dick

Bob Dick, chair of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee (SPFC), brought forward an item of unfinished business from the August meeting regarding the formula for figuring an employee’s share in his retirement income. A new formula was adopted in August and the Council was asked to approve the adjustments created by the new formula. The Council gave unanimous approval to the recommendation.

Review of the Strategic Plan and Budget in Preparation for the February Meetings—Bob Dick

Bob Dick, chair of the SPFC, led a discussion as the Council and administration reviewed the outcomes and indicators for fulfilling the goals of the Strategic Plan (SP). This will help the administration as they finalize the SP to be presented to the Council in the February 2019 meeting.

The upcoming preparation of the Budget was also discussed. The month of November and December will give us a more complete view of how the income is trending for the current fiscal year. We always want to examine ways to improve the effectiveness of the return on expenditures.

Cincinnati East Building Update—Rick Shabi/Larry Darden

Following up from Tuesday morning’s discussion regarding the potential acquisition of a church building for the Cincinnati East congregation, Rick Shabi and Larry Darden led the Council in a discussion of the financial and legal considerations of the proposed contract to purchase the building. Discussion ensued for about an hour as financing alternatives, questions and the interpretation of some of the provisions in the contract were addressed.

After discussion, the Council passed a resolution to approve the contract to purchase when written clarification of certain contract items is received and such clarification is accepted. The vote was 8 for, 2 opposed (Dan Dowd, Len Martin), 2 abstained (Bob Dick, John Elliott).

Chairman Ward closed the meetings reminding the administration to have a balanced budget presented to the Council in the February meeting, including the potential new building purchase.

The Council adjourned at 11:53 a.m.

-end-

Council Reporter

Shawn Cortelyou

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