Council of Elders Meeting Report: December 6–9, 2021

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United Church of God, an International Association

Council of Elders Quarterly Meeting Report

Milford, Ohio

Monday, December 6, 2021

Chairman Len Martin called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Scott Ashley, John Elliott and Paul Wasilkoff were online.

Chairman Martin welcomed everyone. The last Council meeting minutes were approved. The agenda for the week was discussed with a few edits and approved.

President’s Report—Victor Kubik

President Victor Kubik greeted everyone. He read Zechariah:4:1-14 and mentioned that this was God’s message to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. God’s message to Zerubbabel is that the work of rebuilding the temple will be accomplished not by human strength or ability, but by God’s Spirit. Mr. Kubik believes that we are living in a similar time as in the days of Zechariah. As the hymn, based on Psalm:127:1, states, “Unless the Lord shall build the house, the weary laborers toil in vain.”

President Kubik appreciates the positive support and encouragement he receives. He then went through some various events since the August meetings in the area of Organizational Stewardship, which is the heart of his responsibility in administration. He then went on to report on other key areas of the Work:

  • Ambassador Bible College (ABC) began its 23rd year with 17 students. It is a wonderful class that has been able to have live classes as it approaches the half way mark of the current academic year. There will be ABC samplers during the upcoming winter break in Columbia, Maryland and Indianapolis, Indiana as well as through the summer.
  • United Youth Camps had its 23rd annual camp conference for the teen camp directors on October 25-27 to assess the camp program. They updated a COVID-19 plan to be implemented at all teen camps for the 2022 season. The Christian Living theme for 2022 will be “Becoming Sons and Daughters of God.” Work on the camp video is underway and will be available to play in all U.S. congregations in March or early April. Online camp registration begins March 1, 2022. Also, a new “Challenger-Sierra” program for a dozen young adults, ages 18 to the early 30s, will be held in the Emigrant Wilderness just north of Yosemite and will be directed by Scott McKeon.
  • International areas continue to have some travel restrictions, but some have been able to visit some areas. International areas are being required to act independently but have been able to interact over the internet. Some areas mentioned:
    • New Zealand: Mike Fike and his wife are still waiting to get into New Zealand. He is still helping to assist Ken Skorseth as an associate pastor in North Dakota right now.
    • Afrikaans Translation: The Council approved funding a year ago to help with translating our UCG booklets into Afrikaans. The 20th booklet, The Book of Revelation Unveiled was just completed. Three more are in progress.
  • Feast of Tabernacles 2021 was another year of adapting to ever-changing circumstances, but nevertheless, post-Feast reports were overall positive. Total attendance for the Feast was 9,631, which was more than a thousand over those registered and more than 2020. The annual Feast coordinators meeting will be sometime in February 2022.
  • Good Works in the past four months has been able to help the following areas:
    • India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with COVID-19 relief.
    • Chipata, Zambia for the purchase of a bus for transport for members to services, the Feast and youth camp.
    • Zambia for youth camp in a unique location.
    • Columbia for upgrades on their church hall.
    • Zimbabwe for drought relief and food aid.
    • Nkhwazi, Malawi for upgrades on church property
  • LifeNetshas had many building contributions to UCG and President Kubik showed slides of those church buildings and community centers in areas of Angola, Malawi and Zambia.
  • Podcasts over the past six years are now at 225, which help to show our church life and culture.
  • Internet continues to be a main area of preaching the gospel. More on this topic will be covered later in the week.
  • Local Radio has been given a try by Brady Veller in the Tampa area with a program titled “Teach Me Thy Way” airing on Sunday mornings.
  • Planned Giving continues to have a separate section in the United News. The Council approved Howard Marchbanks to coordinate Planned Giving and he has been a wonderful asset to Mr. Kubik the past two years.

Operation Manager Reports:

Ministerial and Member Services (MMS)—Mark Welch

Mark Welch welcomed everyone. He read from Ephesians:2:12 and then spoke of the importance of looking for young pastors like Timothy who will sincerely care for their congregations. The goal of MMS is to care for the state of our members and congregations.

Current statistics include:

  • 397 elders in the United Church of God (UCGIA)
    • 108 outside the U.S.
    • 289 in the U.S.
      • 77 church pastors
      • 10 associate or assistant pastors
  • 192 churches and Bible study groups in the U.S.
    • Bloomington and Canton, Illinois merged to Central Illinois
    • New Bible Study group in Springfield, Illinois
    • Discontinued Bible Study group in Meade, Kansas
  • 29 U.S. baptisms since the August meetings (99 baptisms so far in 2021)

Mark Welch summarized some manpower changes since the last meetings in August:

  • Three elders were ordained:
    • Josphat Gakuo (Nairobi, Kenya)
    • Ken Loucks (Portland, Oregon)
    • Mark Nyakwara (Magenche, Kenya)
  • New re-credentialing:
    • Sal Cimino (Charlotte, NC)
  • Five elders have died since the August meetings:
    • Ken Martin (Macon, GA, 8/21/21); widow Barbara Martin
    • Randy D’Alessandro (Chicago, IL, 10/13/21); widow Mary D’Alessandro
    • Ken Collinsworth (East Texas, 10/14/21); widow Ethel Collinsworth
    • Lomax Morris (New York City, NY, 10/20/21); widow Marcia Morris
    • Patrick Read (London, ON, Canada, 11/28/21); widow Jo-Anne Read
  • Three deceased elder’s wives:
    • Mary Ledy (Freeland, MI, 9/11/21), widow of elder Duane Ledy
    • Mary Jones (Jacksonville, FL, 10/22/21), wife of elder Bob Jones
    • Donna Myers (Oshkosh, WI, 12/2/21), widow of elder Norm Myers
  • Changes in assignment:
    • David Mills is now interim pastor of Macon and Columbus (GA).
    • William Bradford is now pastor of Chicago (IL) and Beloit (WI).
    • Andy Duran is now pastor of Worcester (MA), Southern New Hampshire, Saratoga Springs (NY), and Bangor (ME).
    • Andy Diemer is now associate pastor in Ft. Lauderdale (FL).
    • Lonnie Johnson is now pastor of Springfield (MO).
    • Gary Petty is now regional pastor for Southeast region.

Mr. Welch also listed and mentioned some of the activities and visits since the August meetings:

  • September 4-7, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK, during the Feast of Trumpets weekend. Much time was spent with Ed and RaeAnn Dowd and it was also an opportunity to show appreciation to John and Merrie Elliott upon his retirement and their move to the Tulsa area.
  • The Feast of Tabernacles was another major highlight both spiritually and physically, although quite a number were affected by the COVID-19 virus. Three Feast sites (Bend, Pewaukee and Daytona Beach) were interrupted in order to help stop the spread of the virus.
  • October 25-27, annual UYC Camp team conference at the home office.
  • November 13, Macon and Columbus, GA. visit with David and Sandy Mills and also spent time with Barbara Martin.
  • November 27, Sioux Falls and Watertown, SD. visit with Randy and Linda Stiver and also Mitch Knapp who was also visiting the area. Also elders Quentin Rhody, Terry Johnson and Jerry Zemlicka and their wives.
  • Regular bi-monthly Regional Pastor meetings have been held online. At the last meeting it has become apparent that some of our pastors are feeling the brunt of difficult times. It was expressed that it would be best to put their plans for the Pastoral Refreshing Program on hold for now.
  • The Word Fitly Spoken Clubs will be offered to the elders to see how many would like to take the online speech club. The second round of this club for the pastors is being planned to conclude before the beginning of summer.

Media and Communications Services—Peter Eddington

Peter Eddington went through some of the following statistics as of November 30 this year:

  • United News circulation is currently at 18,449, which is 2.8% more than this time last year and just below our all-time high of 18,475 reached for the September 2021 issue.
  • Our coworker count is now at 8,799 (16% higher than the same time last year) and just below our all-time high from October 2021 of 8,809.
  • Our donor list now includes 10,599 people—12.9% higher than this time last year. (Our all-time high was 10,834 in June of 2021.)
  • Donors combined with our coworkers is now 19,398 (14% more than same time last year).
  • Total Beyond Today magazine circulation worldwide is at 327,229 for the Nov.-Dec. 2021 issue—which is 9.2% more than the same time last year and the highest since 2008.
  • U.S. magazine subscribers are at 279,406 for the Nov.-Dec. 2021 issue. This is 12.3% more than the same time last year and the highest since 2008.
  • Those people on our U.S. file associated with the Church (teens, members, associated) as of November 30 is 12,112.

Some other items Mr. Eddington talked about were:

  • Roku App advertising results: According to eMarketer, U.S. Roku monthly users will increase by 11.5%, reaching 111.7 million monthly users. After five years of advertising, which began on November 26, 2016, we are seeing the following total results through November 20, 2021:
    • 39.71 million advertising impressions (25% increase over last year).
    • 278,040 channel installs (15% increase over last year).
    • 768,254 unique viewers (18% increase over last year).
    • 562,503 sessions by returning viewers (21% increase over last year).
    • 953,470 videos watched (12% increase over last year).
    • 59.45 average minutes on channel for the last six months.
  • New Dutch Website and Hymnal: UCG-Netherlands has completely revamped the Dutch website which makes it easier to find by search engines. It can be found here: www.verenigdekerkvangod.org. In addition, a new Dutch-language hymnal has been printed and made available to our membership. And, a Dutch version of our UCG hymnal app is being developed as well.

 

Treasurer and Financial Services Report—Rick Shabi

Rick Shabi distributed Fiscal Year 2021 Audited Financial Statements (“Audit Report”), November balance sheets and other financial statements to the Council as he began his report.

The Audited Report is the official representation of the Church’s financial condition that is provided to and relied upon by vendors, bankers, donors, members, and others. As such, it is important for the Council to take some time to review the statements and the notes included therein. Mr. Shabi then took the Council through a cursory review of the Report.

The Church’s financial condition continues to remain strong, with income for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 exceeding $21 million and total assets increasing by $3 million, continuing a trend we have seen the last few years.

Mr. Shabi pointed out that the financial increases the Church is experiencing are exceptional, especially in the current climate. He cited God as our greatest strength and the reason for the financial benefits the Church has been afforded. The Church’s financial condition is also a “strength” and we will see what work God has in mind for His church to do with the extra funds He is providing.

The financial trends of fiscal 2021 are continuing into fiscal 2022, as Mr. Shabi provided the Council with the November 2021 balance sheet and income summaries.

For the first five months of this fiscal year, General Contributions (first tithe and offerings) are up by 7 percent over budget and prior year; fall Holy Day offerings are up by 5.7 percent over the prior year.

Other pertinent details of the financial statements were discussed, including a review of Restricted Funds and their use and purpose.

Committee Chairman Reports:

Doctrine Committee (DC)—Mario Seiglie

The DC has reviewed the Scope and Responsibilities of the DC as was requested by the RRC. There were only a few minor proposed edits. The DC will discuss later in executive session some changes to the Prophecy Advisory Committee (PAC) members since replacements were needed because of health conditions and a death. The DC also completed a doctrinal summary paper and will go over it with the Council for edits and its approval later this week. Currently the DC is working on three more papers and two queries.

Members on the DC: Scott Ashley, Jorge de Campos, Darris McNeely, Mario Seiglie (chair) and Randy Stiver.

Education Committee (EC)—Aaron Dean

The EC is finishing up the music article with one final proof and then the article will be in an upcoming issue of the United News. The EC has received the Young Adults Leadership Initiative (YALI) report done in 2018 as well as all previous resolutions concerning education. The EC is also looking at the education side of the use of any properties we purchase and future options to consider. This presentation will be later in the day.

Members on the EC: Aaron Dean (chair), Jorge de Campos, Brian Shaw and Paul Wasilkoff.

Ethics Committee—John Elliott

The Ethics Committee has reviewed its Scopes and Responsibilities as was requested by the RRC. There were only a few minor proposed edits. The Ethics Committee also discussed a project that was remanded to it in the August meetings. The results will be presented later in the week to the Council.

Members of the Ethics Committee: John Elliott (chair), Mario Seiglie, Randy Stiver and Paul Wasilkoff.

Media and Communications Committee (MCC)—Scott Ashley

The MCC is mandated to preview the media portions of the president’s report and media operation manager report before each quarterly Council meeting. This was done on December 2 with a number of follow-up questions.

Members on the MCC: Scott Ashley (chair), Jorge de Campos, Darris McNeely, Randy Stiver and Paul Wasilkoff.

Roles and Rules Committee (RRC)—Dan Dowd

The overall responsibility of the RRC is to monitor administrative policies and procedures so that organizational, constitutional, bylaw and legal requirements and standards are complied with. Since the August meetings the RRC has worked on the following projects that will be presented to the Council for review and approval later in the week:

  • Job description of the president
  • Updated committees’ Scopes and Responsibilities
  • Populate all committees and sub-committees of the Council with committee members
  • Proposed amendments for the May 2022 GCE

Members on the RRC: Dan Dowd (chair), John Elliott, John Miller and Brian Shaw.

Strategic Planning and Finance Committee (SPFC)—John Miller

The SPFC has been working on many projects since the August meetings:

  • Three-year update to the Strategic Plan
  • Metrics and Organizational Heartbeat
  • Truth in Love and short summary of the vision statement
  • Review of the Building Policy
  • Review of Salary Categories
  • Regional Property Plan
  • Employee Retention

Most will be completed and finalized to move forward this week.

Members on the SPFC: Aaron Dean, Dan Dowd, Darris McNeely, John Miller (chair) and Brian Shaw.

External Audit Report—Kerry Roe (auditor)

Following lunch, Chairman Martin introduced Kerry Roe, who is the President of the accounting firm of Clark Schaefer Hackett and the partner who oversees the Church’s annual audit. Mr. Roe made a presentation to the Council based on financial highlights and analyses from the recent audit. The audit report was presented to the Council earlier in the day by Treasurer Rick Shabi.

Mr. Roe commented that the Church again received an “unmodified” opinion on the financial statements; that no significant deficiencies in internal controls were noted, and no post-closing adjustments were recommended as part of their review.

He also commented on several of the financial indicators apparent in the report, noting the Church’s continuing strong financial position and that the Church continues to maintain a healthy cash balance of six to eight months’ operating expenses.

Following his presentation, Mr. Roe fielded a few questions of a general nature from Council members.

Review of Proposed Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws—Dan Dowd

Dan Dowd, chair of the Roles and Rules Committee (RRC), presented two proposed amendments from GCE members to the Council for input on how they will go forward to the GCE at the May 2022 meeting. Both amendments are very similar in desired outcome, but have different approaches. The Council went through them both for about an hour and decided to give a Statement of Support for the proposed amendment to Constitution Article 5.1.1 by Rainer Salomaa, Gerald Seelig, William Eddington and Roc Corbett. This amendment deals more directly with the majorities required for amending the governing documents through “valid ballots cast.” The authors of the other proposed amendment have stated that they would withdraw their proposal if there is a strong statement of support for the other proposed amendment. A statement of support for the amendment addressing Article 5.1.1 will be presented to the Council for potential approval later in the Council meetings.

Presentation of 3-year Strategic Plan Review—John Miller & Brian Shaw

In August 2021, the COE tasked the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee (SPFC) to develop Paul’s appeal to the Ephesians to “speak the truth in love” and incorporate that concept into the major update of the Strategic Plan that was due for the 2022–2023 fiscal year. The SPFC has been working on the updated Strategic Plan for the past two months. The Council presented this updated Strategic Plan to the administration for about three hours.

We value our responsibility to preach the gospel, make disciples and prepare a people. To accomplish that responsibility, we must plumb the depths of the Word of God and live it out in the Spirit of God. In summary—Truth in Love.

Truth in Love is, in essence, who we are and how we do what we do. It is about much more than just “speaking the truth in love.” Ephesians maps out a path that leads to becoming like Him. It provides a framework to organize and focus “The Work” of the Church.

The SPFC took up the challenge, with the approval of the COE, to incorporate these elements into the update of the 2022-2023 Strategic and Operation Plan. This Strategic Plan builds on the work of those who have gone before, but we believe it brings a new level of clarity, detail and focus to outcomes-based planning and makes it Scripture Centric.

We all desire to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much” (Matthew:25:23, ESV). The Strategic and Operation Plan does not ignore the “small things” (Zechariah:4:10), but keeps the overall Vision and Mission in focus.

We acknowledge that not everything in a work that is both human and divine can be planned, documented and measured. However, we can and should implement, measure, evaluate and continuously improve everything we can with the resources God has so generously supplied. This plan is intended to be a living document that can, and will, be updated each year.

The Council unanimously approved, by consent without resolution, to continue with this Strategic Plan and for the administration to use the framework provided to prepare the Operating Plan and Budget that will be presented to the Council at the February meetings.

Discussion of Property, Purchase and Education—Darris McNeely

After dinner the Council came back to discuss another topic that came up in the August Council retreat. Darris McNeely presented the research from the SPFC since the August meetings. This was remanded to the SPFC in the August meetings to look at the feasibility of owning regional properties that are closer to congregations for multiple purposes. The SPFC concluded there was more research needed in our education programs first, and to look at the vacancy of an Education Coordinator since 2010.

After a presentation of about 45-minutes and discussion with the administration and Council, the Council unanimously approved the creation of an ad hoc committee consisting of members from the SPFC and the EC and up to three members selected by the administration, to examine and bring a focus to all church education programs, past and current, including all resolutions of the Council bearing on education, and to give consideration to an appointment of an Education Coordinator. This ad hoc committee will then present a preliminary report to the Council and administration for the February 2022 meeting.

The Council adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

 

 

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Chairman Len Martin called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council members were present. Scott Ashley, John Elliott and Paul Wasilkoff were online.

The Council was in scheduled executive session for the day.                      

The Council adjourned at 5:20 p.m.

 

 

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Chairman Len Martin called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, and the meeting was opened with prayer. Eleven Council members were present. Scott Ashley and John Elliott were online. Paul Wasilkoff wasn’t able to be online because of a funeral.

Update on Web Redesign and Drupal upgrade

President Kubik, Peter Eddington and Richard Kennebeck presented to the Council an update on the new website redesign for about 70-minutes. The new UCG.ORG website is planned to be finished by the end of 2022. Our current website needs to updated from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 software by early 2023. This will also be a time to revamp the whole website. The new website will have a focus on building relationships and engagement with visitors. It will use new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to customize the Web experience for visitors. The emphasis will be to build relationships instead of just a source of knowledge. There was about 15-minutes to answer several Council questions.

UCG/Beyond TodayBranding in New Website Design and Logo

Peter Eddington presented to the Council a potential new logo palette to help in branding the Church’s website when it is redesigned. There are currently three main sections (Church page, Member page and Beyond Today page) on the website and the desire is to have two main sections (United Church of God and Beyond Today) with a logo that seamlessly links the two sections together under a common brand.

Clint Porter, with his graphic design background, presented the look of a new logo and how it would work for each section of the website. The new logo is still being finalized but some of the options were presented with explanation. The Council discussed and asked questions about the potential new logo.

After about an hour of the presentation and discussion, the Council approved by consent without resolution for the combining of the Church and media efforts under a common logo, hopefully for approval in the February/March 2022 meetings if possible.

Local Church Building Policy Review—Dan Dowd

Dan Dowd, chair of RRC, presented the updated “Local Church Building Policy” (3.3.5.1). The RRC went through the policy to streamline and update it for added clarity. Mr. Dowd presented the updates to the Council. It was discussed with edits for about 30-minutes. The Council approved of the revised policy as edited.

“Webcasting and On-Demand Video and Audio Policy” Compliance Discussion—Eddington/Kubik

Peter Eddington passed out the current “Webcasting and On-Demand Video and Audio Policy.” This policy has had updates through the years with the last revision by the Council on May 8, 2012. One of the points of the policy is that live webcasting of church services and Bible studies by local congregations is not permitted without password protection unless given written approval by Ministerial Services. Mr. Eddington asked the Council if password protection is still required in this policy. This was discussed for about an hour.

The Council remanded it to the Council’s Media Committee to review and update the policy and bring it back to the Council in the February/March 2022 meetings.

Upcoming Council Meetings Dates

Feb 28-March 3, 2022

May 17-19, 2022

Aug 15-18, 2022

Dec 5-8, 2022

The Council went into scheduled executive session at 2:15 p.m. for the rest of the day.

The Council adjourned at 6:01 p.m.

 

 

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Chairman Len Martin called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Scott Ashley, John Elliott and Paul Wasilkoff were online.                                   

Review of Committee Scopes and Responsibilities—Dan Dowd

Dan Dowd, chair of RRC, presented the proposed edits for review of the “Committee Scopes and Responsibilities.” All of the Council committees had reviewed the document and gave their edits to clarify and update the document. The Council approved of the updated document.

Resolution to Close Bank Account—Frank Dunkle

Frank Dunkle, as Council secretary, brought forward a resolution to close a bank account that we no longer need or use. The balance of the closed account would go into the Church’s general account. The Council approved of this resolution.

Statement of Support—Dan Dowd

On Monday, the Council discussed the review of proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws. Mr. Dowd, chair of RRC, presented a statement of support for proposed amendment 5.1.1 of the Constitution and 8.6.1 of the Bylaws. This statement of support was discussed with edits and was approved to go forward with the proposed amendments to the GCE for their consideration.

Planned Giving—Vic Kubik

President Kubik gave an update on the Planned Giving (PG) program for about thirty minutes. Mr. Kubik feels that a lot our financial blessings has come from PG. Howard Marchbanks, as a part-time employee, has directed this program for the past two years. The PG website can be found at ucg.org and is one of the eight buttons at the top of the webpage. The United News continues to have an article in each issue that is highly visible on the back page when it is folded. The purpose of PG is to serve in helping individuals manage their finances. PG is not about requesting money but helping to serve and engage with co-workers, donors and members.

The Council went into scheduled executive session at 11:09 a.m.

The Council adjourned at 11:20 a.m.

-end-

Council Reporter

Shawn Cortelyou

[These are not the official minutes from the Council meeting. Elders can find those at the Home Office with the Council Secretary. Video recordings are posted for the elders on the UCG Ministerial Resource Site.]

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