Harmony had a party last Sunday night! Hundreds of us packed into the auditorium at the Burlington campus for the Annual Members Meeting. There was a notable energy and joy in the air as members and attenders from all campuses gathered. We sang songs and heard updates from church leaders.
The ballot items were explained by Russ Reed (Elder Chairman), Tim Svoboda (Director of Administration), and Don Helton (Pastor of Discipleship & Theology). Chris Carr (Lead Pastor) spoke on the state of the church, giving reasons for Harmony to rejoice and ways for us to grow.
Once all the ballots were counted, it was joyfully announced that all items passed by 98% or greater. This means:
- The proposed 2018 budget was approved.
- The elder and deacon nominees will begin serving their 3-year terms in January 2018.
- The proposed changes to the Membership Covenant are now in place.
- The membership reaffirmation process will begin in January, and any current member who wants to remain a Harmony member will need to submit a reaffirmation form by April 30, 2018, if they do wish to remain a member. (Online and paper reaffirmation forms will be made available in January. Clear instructions to this simple-yet-important process will be made available then too. Questions about membership reaffirmation should be directed to Pastor Don Helton, don@harmonybiblechurch.org or your campus pastor.)
The largest scheduled part of our time in the auditorium was given to prayer where we got up into groups and asked God to guide and empower Harmony in the coming year. After spending an hour in the formal part of the meeting, we moved into the lobby for a massive potluck dinner. There was a lot of talking and laughing (and eating!). Some stayed a couple hours enjoying time with each other. Fellowship is sweet.
With the votes on all issues coming in at 98% and above, we are thankful for the unity our church family is experiencing. This is a gift of God to our church. All glory goes to the Lord for what He is doing in us, through us, and despite us. As we move into the holiday season and the new year, let us continue to focus on Jesus Christ and His commission to make disciples. As we are commanded in Ephesians 4:1-3, “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."