Dear Rockford Reformed Church Family and Friends,
Here’s another update to keep you informed and rightly giving thanks during this season...
First of all, we are going to celebrate God’s provision of the debt retirement in conjunction with our congregational meeting on 12/2 beginning at 5pm in the gym. And so our gathering will start with the congregational meeting and then we will transition into a potluck dinner and celebration that will include burning the mortgage! Everyone is invited! The main course will be provided. Care Groups 1/2 please bring salads; Care Groups 3/4 please bring sides; and Care Groups 5/6 please bring desserts.
The congregational meeting agenda will include three basic items for our consideration/voting: the 2019 annual operating budget, elders/deacons, and me serving as RRC’s next installed pastor. Chris Orvis, our Treasurer, does great work with managing our finances and he will provide some of the essential proposed budget details for your review before our meeting.
As it relates to 2019 elder and deacon candidates, we express our appreciation to Jason Vergouwe and Tom Wright, who complete their three-year term as elders and Pete Jolliffe and Scott Cool, as they complete their three- and two-year terms as deacons. Thank you!
The elders and consistory carefully evaluated the nominations received from the congregation and developed a list of several whom we were confident were gifted to serve and aligned with the biblical qualifications. After each of these candidates was asked to consider being called to serve as elder or deacon, God provided just what we need with two elder and two deacon candidates who are glad to serve beginning in 2019. This means that we will not have a slate of extra candidates from which we might draw lots and we will instead vote as a congregation to affirm Darryl DeGood and Shaun VanderTuuk as service deacons and Scott Jacobs and Doug Peterman as shepherd elders. We are grateful for their willingness to jump in and take up these vital leadership roles for our church’s mission and ministry.
As you have read or heard, the consistory recommends that we as a church family extend a call to me to serve as your next pastor. According to our church order, it is ultimately the consistory that extends this call but they are also tasked with learning the mind of the congregation before doing so. And so the third item of our meeting’s agenda will involve receiving a vote of yes or no to affirm our consistory’s recommendation. Absentee ballots are available in the back of the sanctuary, or you may call the front office and we will record your vote on your behalf. Once the consistory has the results from the congregational vote and listening, they will meet and decide whether to extend the call.
Finally, at the end of last Sunday’s worship service, I asked for prayer for my wife Ruth as she had been struggling for five months with various symptoms and in recent weeks, a relentless nausea intensified and left her weak and down. On Monday, she began to make a remarkable positive turn with energy and encouragement. Thank you for your prayers and concern for her! We have many reasons to point up to our gracious God and give him the praise and credit for his amazing provision to us.
Pastor Tim
