Thank you to all those who came out to our membership gathering this past Wednesday night, February 7! It continues to be a joy to lean into these rhythms of gathering, breaking bread, sharing, and growing together as the body of Christ.

For those who were unable to join us, we were sorry to miss you, but hope you’ll be able to join in next time! Below is a summary of the evening. You are more than welcome to reach out to Erin Bethany, Roddy Dinsmore, or another attendee with questions or for more details.

Next membership Gathering / Wednesday, June 5

Be sure to mark your calendar now for the next Membership Gathering, our Annual Meeting, on Wednesday, June 5 beginning with dinner at 5:30 pm.

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Family Welcomes & Goodbyes / Ryan McKee

We welcomed 35 new members to our church family and prayed the Lord’s blessing over 9 departing members.

If you or someone you know will be transitioning out of the area or to another fellowship this spring or summer, please reach out to Pastor Ryan McKee or one of our elders so we can support you and pray over your upcoming transition as God leads you into new fellowship and work.

Leadership Updates / Aaron Kirtley (Elder)

• Employee Handbook update completed – After two years of work, a revised handbook has been completed and incorporated for church staff.
• Proposed bylaws revisions expected for June Membership Gathering – Our Bylaws Working Group has extensively reviewed and recommended changes to be voted on in our June Membership Gathering, including a shift of the Board of Directors designation from the Board of Deacons to the Board of Elders. More information will come on this in the coming months, including specific language and opportunities for Q&A, prior to the June meeting and vote.
• Adoption of Policy Governance – The Board of Elders has reviewed and is adopting a policy manual in accordance with the recommendation to use Policy Governance as a tool for clarifying responsibility and accountability among the leadership (elders, staff, etc).
• Elder and Deacon role descriptions updated – These have been reviewed and adapted to more closely align with Biblical descriptions of these two roles as well as reflect the needs of our body in adopting a parish-based model of community and care for one another. Revised descriptions will be shared in the coming weeks as we invite nominations of qualified men and women to take on these roles in the next year.
• Parish Model Growth – We continue to encourage knowing and being known among membership in your geographic area (“parish”). These parishes will serve multiple purposes, including the “4 Cs” – Care, Community, Communication, Community Service/Mission
  • Seek opportunities to connect with fellow parish members via Church Center (accessible via an app on your smartphone or visiting this link).
  • Action steps for members this coming month:
    • 1) Download the Church Center app.
    • 2) Go into your parish group and make your contact info visible to others in the parish if you are comfortable
    • 3) Find someone else in your parish that you aren’t close friends with and be intentional about getting to know them in the next month
    • NOTE: If you’re not sure how to access or use Church Center, reach out to Erin Bethany, Colin Rowley, or another leader or staff member and we’d be happy to help!
• Budget Update & Planning – The Budget Committee has advised that our fiscal year’s giving is anticipated to be significantly below our budget target, so the leadership is looking at ways we can reduce spending as we finish out this year and plan for our 2024-25 budget.  Please pray for wisdom in how we do this.
• Monthly Elder updates in Weekly Digest emails – Members are encouraged to read our Friday email newsletters regularly. In addition to sharing updates at these meetings, the elders have been providing monthly updates in the Friday newsletter. All members are encouraged to reach out to an elder if you have questions and concerns via elders@biblechurch.org.

Staff updates / Jay Thomas & Rodrigo Dinsmore

• Honoring Matthew Wright – Emily Williams (Former Church Administrator) shared reflections on Matthew’s contributions and faithfulness as a staff member and minister of the Gospel over his past 22.5 years of service as our Facilities Director. Matthew was honored with a standing ovation and we prayed over his transition and new season after his retirement on April 30.
• Welcoming Megan McArthur – Roddy shared with joy our gratitude for our new Kids Ministry Associate and her faithful heart and capable hands in serving our CHBC families in the past and present, and into the future in this new role. He also called the body to support her and her family in this role through renewed engagement and commitment to sharing the Gospel among our youngest participants and mentoring young believers into maturity in Christ.

Focus on “ReacH” / Rodrigo Dinsmore

• Pastor Roddy shared more of our emphasis on reaching the Triangle and beyond with the message of Jesus. Paul Robbins (CHBC member) shared some of his evangelistic heart and experiences in an interview, and a time of table discussion focused on sharing who had first shared the Gospel with each of us, and a time when the Lord used us personally to share the message of Jesus with someone else.
• Copies of “Evangelism” by J. Mack Stiles were given to all attendees and will be available for purchase at a reduced price of $5 each as of this Sunday morning. Life Groups are encouraged to go through a 4-week study provided (check “Resources” in your Parish group on Church Center) in order to be equipped and sent out to more effectively share the Gospel with family, friends, and neighbors.

Table Prayer

• Participants spent time lifting these and other things in prayer together.
  • For God to raise up mature men and women among us to shepherd and care as elders, deacons, and life group leaders.
  • That the Lord would grow our church in zeal, boldness, and joy to reach the lost with the Gospel.

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Again, huge thanks to the multitude of hands that prepared food, served the meal, provided desserts and cornbreads, helped lead in Kids Fellowship, and cleaned up! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to Erin Bethany.