Greetings from the Elder Board.  We trust that you are holding up well during these last few weeks of winter.  Soon the warmer and brighter days of spring will make shoveling snow and fighting colds seem like distant memories.

Vote To Amend Calvary’s Constitution

As you know, we are toward the final stages of restating our old constitution.  Following a well attended member meeting on January 12th, we sent a personalized letter to every member outlining the changes and directing them to a section of our website that provided both the old and proposed restated constitution, as well as an executive summary of the changes.  Essentially the changes are needed to adapt our governance model to a much larger congregation than when the last constitution was written and to improve transparency and accountability to our members.  We used an “informed consent vote” where only votes against the restated constitution needed to be registered. We felt this was the best way to reach all of our 787 members and gauge the will of our entire congregation.

I am pleased to report that as of the end of the 30-day voting period, February 15th, we have received only four votes against the restated constitution.  This means that as of March 1st, 2019, the proposed restated constitution becomes official.  We will immediately begin working on the Lay Elder nomination process and term limit procedures.  You will hear more of this in the very near future.

Good conversations along the way

The elders had two follow up informational meetings following the January 12th member meeting as well as a number of individual meetings with members who had questions and concerns.  These conversations are incredibly important because in order to serve you well, the elders need to be accessible and good listeners.  There were positive discussions about improved transparency and communication that will yield fruit in the days ahead.  I encourage every member to talk to elders and pastors about their ideas, hopes, concerns and questions.  We cannot serve you well unless we have opportunities to hear your heart.  So please don’t ever feel shy about grabbing us on a Sunday after the service, sending us an email, or asking for some good old fashioned face-to-face communication!

What’s ahead

The new constitution allows the Elder Board greater flexibility in assigning pastoral and leadership positions.  As announced in our membership meeting and the personal letter to every member, the Elder Board has sensed the Lord’s clear leading in appointing Josh Reasoner as our Lead Teaching Pastor.  Josh will lead the teaching team, preaching about 30 to 36 Sundays a year, and provide spiritual direction for all ministries in the church.  Please be sure to thank him and encourage him for following the Lord’s guidance in this vital role within the church.  The Elders have started crafting their Nomination Committee policy to guide the new Lay Elder nomination process and this draft policy will be online soon so that our members can comment on it before it’s finalized and adopted.  In addition, you will be hearing more from the Elders about better transparency and communication regarding budget and operational matters going forward. 

It is a privilege to serve you,  

Jon Costas,  Elder Chairman