by Pastor Craig Shirley
Annual Meetings and Synod Assemblies
Over the last several decades, basically since Baby Boomers became adults, many formal institutions and organizations have found themselves to be of less and less importance in people’s lives. People no longer join things just because their parents did, or because it was expected, or because that was the thing to do.
Institutions have become suspect, and sometimes even anathema, to the modern person.
Yet, there is no getting around the fact that the church is an institution. Churches have many variations and manifestations, but all churches are institutions. And, as such, they must learn how to serve the people who make them work while at the same time fulfilling the mission God has given them. This often involves formal congregational meetings. Here we hold our ANNUAL MEETING of the congregation and this is THE MOST IMPORTANT business meeting of the institution. It is meant for EVERYONE who is a member or a person who is interested in the life of University Lutheran Church of Hope.
Some years the meetings are relatively simple, and perhaps a bit boring. But most years there are major issues to be debated, big decisions to be made, and critical mission choices to be discussed. This year we are facing major issues revolving around staff, budget, building upkeep, and giving. The Vision & Governance Board has presented to the congregation a budget based upon pledging, and now it is up to the MEMBERSHIP to make a decision about the budget, and thereby the work of this congregation for the year 2012. Decisions concerning staffing, by-laws, leadership and outreach, as well as on-going programs of education, mission, worship, and fellowship will be presented and discussed. Please plan to attend. We begin with lunch (a Fellowship Meal) following the 10:30 a.m. service and the meeting begins at 12 NOON ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12th in Fellowship Hall. All members should be present. Nursery services will be available.
An important meeting of a broader institution will also be taking place this February. The Minneapolis Area Synod will meet in Assembly on Friday and Saturday, February 17 and 18th, in Shakopee, MN. Your voting delegates from University Lutheran Church of Hope to this two-day event are all staff members this year: Craig Shirley, Diane Shallue, Scott Rohr, and Matt Fleming. This meeting will also highlight issues around decreased funding to the Synod, and how that affects staff and mission. But perhaps the biggest item will be the election of a new bishop for the Minneapolis Area Synod.
Why should you care about this? It may feel distant – just one more layer of bureaucracy. But the role and call of bishop has become more and more important through the years, as synods have taken on new challenges in issues of social justice, ecumenical relationships, mission outreach and growth, as well as national and international relationships from church to church and from church to state. Who leads us and who serves us as bishop shapes who we are to the larger community and to the state. As you know, our congregation has had several pastors move on to be synod bishops and even a national bishop. Hence you know the importance of these roles and the need to have a person of integrity and compassion filling them.
Last month we printed the names of candidates nominated at conference assembly. If you want to read more about them, go to
http://www.mpls-synod.org/assembly/bishopnominees. If you have favorites, or if you want to express your own views on candidates or on the process, I invite you to speak with one of the delegates I have named above so that we can keep your thoughts and wishes in mind as we vote on this important position. And above all, keep all of the candidates, and all of us delegates, in your prayers this month.
Pax.
– Rev. Craig M. Shirley
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