Robin Webber Chairman

Victor Kubik President

December 18, 2013 Dear fellow elders and beloved members, As Christians, we believe every human being is made in the image of God. We believe our Creator has a purpose for all who ever lived or will be. This powerful understanding is what drives us forward as coworkers in Christ. With all that is presently occurring, either at a personal or global level, we are privileged to proclaim His good news that humanity isnt headed for cataclysmic disaster, but an incredible destiny so precious that our Heavenly Father gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16) that we might experience it. Beyond this, we have now been granted a personal call to holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16) by allowing Jesus Christ to dwell in us now through Gods Spirit (Galatians 2:20). What a hopeful message! Hope is defined as desire accompanied by expectation of fulfillment. As Christians, we have expectations! Its a spiritual yearning inside us to proclaim the good news of a Supreme Being who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truthone Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:4-6). These words form the basis of one guiding principle in our Strategic Plan that molds the spiritual preparation for all we discuss and implement as a Council of Elders and administration when we humbly beseech God to chart our future as instruments in His hands. To quote from our Strategic Plan: We believe God has a plan of salvation for every individual who will yield to Him and His Son Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:4). That plan includes the calling and perfection of those who are being converted now as well as those to be converted in the ages to come. Therefore it is the duty of the Church to proclaim a message of hope, and a call to repentance, to teach all things Christ has commanded and to prepare members of the Body of Christ to teach, lead and serve under Him now and in the future. Its with this guiding principle that the Council did the following at our quarterly meetings last week: We discussed our Mission Statement that was first approved by the General Conference of Elders (GCE) in 1995. Much of the focus centered on various elements of the gospel and the importance of caring for the flock. It was a lively and beneficial study into the scriptures that verifies that preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:31) remains a viable definition that embraces much of our mission and the Bibles revelation. Our mission statements words pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God not only encompasses the good news of Gods Kingdom coming to this earth, but the good news of the purpose
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of Christs life in us today! After discussion, a proposed amendment to the Churchs Mission Statement by one councilor was withdrawn. The Council heard from the Content Committee (placed under president Victor Kubiks direction). The committees role is to pursue and assure our collective teachings in written and spoken form have a distinct voice and tone of expression that engages and convicts all of our audience. By a proper and balanced use of the Scriptures, Gods Spirit transforms those whom the Father calls (John 6:44, Romans 8:14, 12:1-2). We have dual biblical roles to be fishers of men to a wide audience, as well as responsibility to carefully feed the flock of God (2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Peter 5:1-4) in expounding Holy Scripture. The Council approved Mr. Kubiks request for Roy Holladay to become operation manager for Ministerial and Member Services. This completes the administration team and creates an even finer focus in the aspect of providing care for those disciples and preparing a people. Mr. Holladay will be assisting Mr. Kubik in bringing in new pastors and in moving some of our long-time and faithful ministerial servants towards retirement. Im pleased to announce that the Council also approved three ministerial ordinations designed to further care for our members. The Council approved an additional $398,000 to bolster our proclamation efforts in spreading the net towards needs related to The Good News magazine, the Internet and additional Beyond Today program airtime. This action is only made possible by your faith and confidence in what God is performing through the United Church of God by your loving and generous tithes and offerings. The Doctrine Committee gave a report on matters entrusted to their care. John Elliott, committee chair, made it clear that our Fundamental Beliefs, which can only be changed by ballot of 75 percent of the GCE, are not being subjected to alteration. This does not preclude the necessity of always desiring to grow in grace and knowledge and gaining deeper insight and understanding of Gods revelation. The Council discussed the importance of our ongoing review of the subject of spiritual gifts, desiring to continue to explore this topic and seek a Spirit-led and balanced understanding of the Bibles teaching on the subject. The Council and administration discussed objectives and strategies to fulfill our Vision and Mission Statements and the need to produce a balanced budget framed by what comes our way via the faith and generosity of our members and coworkers. We will live within our means, but also remain expectant that God will open doors and stretch funds towards His purposes.

I conclude with this prayer: Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). May His grace and peace be yours,

Robin Webber

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