Recap of Annual Meeting Sunday & Election Results
We had a lively and fun Sunday on January 26th! Thank you to all who made it possible. Here’s a quick recap of the day in case you missed it!
We started with a wonderful worship service. The theme of the morning was “We share what we believe in” based on the sermon “What Compels Us?” It was part of our ongoing series called “Life Together.” The outcome of our time together was a renewed push into sharing what we believe (God’s love through Jesus Christ and his work in transforming us) with those outside of our church community. It will be an emphasis for us throughout the year.
We moved into a fantastic potluck lunch. I’m not sure on the actual number served, but with 121 people in the morning service, we fed a lot of people. It was a little “loaves and fishes” there toward the end, but by God’s grace I don’t think anyone went hungry! Thank you to Marjorie, Priscilla, Rob, Kim, and a host of others who helped make sure it was all organized and that it all went smooth!
During lunch we also celebrated Evelyn Zigler’s 80th birthday (actual B-day is Jan. 30). What a joy it was to sing Happy Birthday and share in a cake made by Marjorie and offer Evelyn all the New Hope love we could muster!
We then transitioned back down to the sanctuary for our annual meeting. We spent the first 15 minutes watching a great video (thank you Julia) of our 2019 year in review. We then moved into a pastoral report, business, and vision casting time. A few highlights are as follows:
New Hope experienced 24% growth based on average Sunday attendance from year end 2018 to year end 2019.
We baptized 2, dedicated 3, and heard reports of at least 2 people who experienced conversion during 2019.
We exceeded our operational income goals by 34%.
Our capital campaign will end at Easter this year and presently we expect to be at around 82% in terms of pledges fulfilled. We’d like to raise that to 90%, but it would require new donors. We shared several ideas for how to continue giving if people choose to continue their commitments.
We have 4 staff, 4 Conference Ministerial Candidates (CMC), 1 potential interim CMC over the summer from outside our church, and a lot of leaders doing amazing work as we live into 2020!
Two new Administrative Council members were elected to three-year terms: Ben King (‘23) and Kamillah Ramos (‘23). Continuing on the AC are Tanya Perkins (‘21), Christina Waldo (‘21), Earlando Thomas (‘22), and Eric Logan (‘22). As a point of reference, there are six AC members altogether who serve as the trustees, and governing board for the church.
Mabel Primus received 23 votes to become the delegate for 2020 to Genesis Annual Conference (May 14-15) on behalf of New Hope. Kim Barker received 22 votes and will become the reserve delegate.
We took names from the floor, but did not yet elect a treasurer. Based on general consensus, I and the leadership team will be following up with nominations to determine how and when to move them into a potential treasurer role. The nominations included Phyllis Oliver and Kim Lunstead. Neither are yet members of New Hope and so further conversations were merited to determine next steps. In the interim, Amy Grillo (Assistant Treasurer) will complete the necessary tasks. Elyssia Primus has served with distinction, but needed to step down.
We re-elected the Pastor’s Cabinet for another year. They include Nancy Koke, Melanie King, Dr. Earlando Thomas, and Rev. Lynn Turner.
We elected a new Nominating Committee for the coming year: Nancy Koke, Princess Kabaya, Mabel Primus and Meg Head.
Toward the end of the meeting we heard an exciting report from a partner in ministry. Rev. Tunya Griffin shared about all the ways the community of Marketview Heights has identified that they want to invest in their own neighborhood. She offered these insights in the context of ways we as a church can come alongside of them and continue partnering. Rev. Griffin uses New Hope’s facility on Sunday afternoons to host church services and meet needs in the community.
All in all it was a fun and inspiring day, even though it is was long. We ended around 3:20p on Sunday afternoon. We ended knowing that God has been very good to us this past year. We ended knowing that our community is growing, and working through the growing pains. We ended knowing that we love one another, and we have a lot of love to share with our community. We ended knowing that Jesus Christ is what distinguishes us, what unites us, and that His love is what compels us. We are convinced of His goodness, and we will be sharing His good news as we move further along in 2020.
The key dates and other events that are worthy of your consideration are all available through our midweek email and FB communication. If you have any questions or want to follow-up on anything, don’t hesitate to contact our office (office@newhopefree.org) and we’ll forward your questions to the appropriate people for answers. Please be in prayer with us for God’s grace and love to continue shaping us to reach more people and build a stronger community together.
Blessings!
Pastor Scott