Council of Elders Meeting in Cincinnati Ohio
United Church of God, an International Association
Council of Elders Meeting Report
Wednesday, August 8, 2001 - Cincinnati, Ohio
The Council of Elders continued its meetings at the home office today. They dealt with miscellaneous business matters, established a Family Life Studies subcommittee, considered a request for a Bible reading program, and met all afternoon in executive session to handle a long list of personnel matters.
Council Business
Don Ward moderated early discussions, first walking the Council through suggested edits to an article submitted for the Ministerial Quarterly, regarding church assistance for members.
The Council examined a letter to be sent by Roy Holladay on their behalf to all ministers regarding the recently graduated class of the Ambassador Bible Center; the group critiqued the draft and approved the final version unanimously, by consent without resolution.
Family Life Studies Subcommittee
Dr. Ward introduced a proposal for a subcommittee on Family Life Studies, a concept suggested by Victor Kubik at an earlier Council meeting. Working from a prepared synopsis, the group worked together to fine-tune the vision and mission statements for the new subcommittee, then hammered out the goals, objectives, and a strategic plan. A list of proposed participants (husband-wife teams) received the Councilâs approval, and will be released once all those being asked to participate are contacted. The formal resolution authorizing the subcommittee, as proposed, passed by a vote of eleven to zero, with one abstention. Messrs. Antion, Dean, Holladay, Jewell, Kilough, Kubik, McCullough, Seiglie, Thompson, Walker, and Ward voted in favor; Robert Dick abstained.
Here is the final wording in the proposal that passed:
Vision Statement:
Because scriptures show that God is expanding His family and teaches us about Him through the family unit, the United Church of God, an International Association, is dedicated to clearly teaching the biblical principles that lead to developing godly families bonded together in love, in an atmosphere of peace and joy (Malachi:4:6; Ephesians:5:22-31; Hebrews:13:4).
Mission statement:
The mission of the Family Life Studies Subcommittee is to serve to enrich marriage and family life.
Goals and Objectives:
- Research the biblical teachings on all facets of marriage and family life.
- Identify and collect appropriate sources of biblically compatible information on marriage and family life.
- Provide educational information and resources for use in booklets, articles, videotapes, CDâs, seminars and the UCG Web site on relevant topics of marriage and family.
Strategic Plan:
- Assign a team of individuals to clarify and explain biblical principles on marriage and family life and provide relevant educational materials that can be accessed by the ministry and membership.
- Provide resources for the development of seminars, workshops, and a Web site for the ministry and membership
- Keep the ministry and membership informed of progress and programs, inviting and welcoming input at every stage of the process.
Bible Reading Program
One particularly successful program instituted by the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship, was a Bible reading program, featured on their Web site. Anyone interested can access the site, and read commentary written by the ministry, accompanying the scheduled Bible reading. While the program will continue to appear at that web site until September, as the corporate operations of the CGCF close, the program as envisioned is not yet complete. Mr. Holladay brought a request to the Council, from the elders formerly serving in CGCF, asking the United Church of God to consider continuing the Bible reading program under Unitedâs auspices. They have offered to continue the work they have started as part of their service as newly credentialed elders of the United Church of God.
Mr. Holladay informed the Council that he had explained the process of review that any material published by the UCG must undergo ö this was already understood. Council discussed the proposal and agreed to move ahead, working through Mr. Walker (Doctrine Committee chairman), Dr. Ward (Education Committee chairman), and Richard Pinelli (operation manager for Ministerial Services) regarding the review process. Mr. Kubik assured the Council that the material could easily be placed on the UCG web page, when the Internet transition comes later this autumn.
The Council of Elders spent the remainder of the day in executive session.
-Doug Johnson
