United Church of God, an International Association
Council of Elders Meeting Report
December 13, 2007 - Cincinnati, OH

Robert Dick called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. After the opening prayer, Mr. Dick introduced David Register to lead a discussion on planning for the 2008 GCE annual meeting.

GCE Planning Task Force

Mr. Register handed out the preliminary schedule of events, suggested themes and proposed workshops, and he asked for comments.

The location this year will be at the Kings Island Resort and Conference Center, which is just north of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. It is the same place where the Winter Family Weekend was held for a number of years. The date of the annual conference will be Sunday, May 18, 2008. The full schedule of the Sabbath and the day following the annual meeting will be included in the packet of information that will be sent to the GCE.

The Council asked the president, Clyde Kilough, to give the sermon. Last year, Mr. Dick spoke. It was decided that there should be just one sermon and no sermonette. By telephone hookup and webcast, over 100 congregations are able to hear the Sabbath service during the GCE conference.

Then the Council decided that the keynote address, which sets the tone for the meetings, should be given by Chairman Robert Dick.

There is a possibility that the facilitator the Council has contracted for advice on strategic planning may present a lecture to educate the GCE on what strategic planning is all about, and why organizations use it in their business plans.

The discussion of the theme for the meeting was next. There were a lot of comments about the importance of "Going on to Perfection—Increasing Spiritual Maturity." That theme was chosen by unanimous decision. The workshops, also unanimously decided upon, will follow the tone of this theme.

• "The Spiritually Mature Congregation" (conducted by Lyle Welty).
• "Pitfalls to Godly Wisdom" (conducted by Bill Bradford).
• "Ministerial Calling" (conducted by Doug Johnson and Greg Thomas).
• "Planning for the Loss of Life" (conducted by Britton Taylor and Alice Robinson).

The future GCE annual meeting dates were also confirmed: Sunday, May 3, 2009, and Sunday, May 2, 2010. Mr. Dick thanked Mr. Register and the GCE planning committee for their hard work.

Nomination Process

Mr. Dick asked Bill Eddington to present to the Council the nomination letter that will go to the GCE. This year, the elders who will be in the pool of candidates for the Council, will need to indicate their willingness to serve.

Mr. Dick asked that the letter encourage all the elders who are able and willing to serve on the Council, to put their names forward. There has been a concern that a number of elders are reluctant to volunteer for service because of the appearance of self-promotion. The Council does not view this action as self-promotion, and the letter that will come from the Council will explain that in more detail.

There was also a discussion to give Ministerial Services the go-ahead to begin posting elder profiles on a Web site. This will allow elders to get to know more about those whose names are listed as nominees.

Elder's Forum Task Force Update

Mr. Dick asked Victor Kubik to lead the Council in a discussion about the Elder's Forum task force, which also included Bill Eddington, Larry Salyer and Richard Thompson. The task force put together a draft survey for review by the Council.

The Council reviewed all the questions and presented a number of edits and clarifications. This survey will be available in January, and all elders will be encouraged to fill it out.

Future Council Meetings

Mr. Dick finalized the dates and location for the next three Council meetings:

• Feb. 29 until March 5, 2008, in San Antonio, Texas.
• May 21 until May 22, 2008, in Mason, Ohio.
• Aug. 12 until Aug. 14, 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Home Office Visit

Mr. Dick asked Mr. Kilough to discuss with the Council the recent visit to the home office of three ministers (Richard Ames, Dibar Apartian and Douglas Winnail) of the Living Church of God. This was a reciprocal visit, as Mr. Kilough and Mr. Franks had visited the headquarters of the Living Church of God last year.

Mr. Kilough mentioned that he had given them an office tour that lasted over two hours. Some previously scheduled activities had brought some of our elders into town. Many of those elders, as well as many in the home office, had known these men years ago, and so friendly conversations took place.

Mr. Kilough mentioned that it was very good to be able to talk through various issues of mutual concern in a respectful manner. The men presented a gift of a beautiful globe to the home office. It has Isaiah:11:9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. engraved on it. Mr. Kilough mentioned that this globe can be seen on the Dec. 6, 2007, "About Our Father's Business" program.

Proposal to Enter Into Contract With Developer

Mr. Kilough stated that since the Council approved the purchase of the property, the next step would be to enter into negotiations with a developer, and that his recommendation is David McCarble, who had given the earlier presentation.

Roy Holladay asked if we have considered a second opinion or bid. Mr. Kilough explained that we did consult a second opinion, but not in the sense of a formal proposal. Based on information we gathered during our due diligence period from the architect and civil engineer, we asked Mr. McCarble and a Dallas/Fort Worth contractor to prepare cost estimates on our phase one development plans. It was readily apparent to the administration that Mr. McCarble would present the best option to the Church as the project developer.

A number of Council members asked questions about funding. Mr. Kilough mentioned again that the price of the land is very good. He also said that the Church is in very good financial shape, we have cash in hand, and we have some very competitive financing options. We are in a good position to eventually choose from several options that would best benefit the Church. The Council decided to go into executive session to continue the discussion, which lasted for the remainder of the afternoon.

Appreciation to Former Council Reporter

Prior to the conclusion of the open session for the day, Mr. Dick, on behalf of the Council, publicly thanked Don Henson for all his work and long, hard hours for the last five years as Council reporter. Mr. Henson and his wife, Rannie, were asked to come forward and receive a token of appreciation from the Council. He was given a card of appreciation signed by all the Council members along with gifts.

Mr. Henson thanked the Council for the past five years, and said he appreciated the opportunity to be with the Council.

On a personal note, these last three Council meeting reports could not have been produced without the many long hours of help and advice and guidance given to me by Mr. Henson. It was a pleasure having his assistance in this transition.

John Foster
Council Reporter

© 2007 United Church of God, an International Association