Getting to Know Your Elders
Known by some around CHBC as “Elizabeth’s husband” and by others as “Ella, Ben or Pippa’s dad,” our family of 5 lives in Chapel Hill (along with our dog, Baxter) and has been in the area since 2014 when we moved from Philadelphia. We currently have a child in 3 different schools (elementary, middle and high) and look forward to gaining an extra half an hour of sleep next year when Pippa moves up to middle school and Ben joins Ella at high school!
Professionally, I am a lawyer and currently work for Investors Title Insurance Company in Chapel Hill as Senior Claims Counsel.
Outside of work, I enjoy playing basketball (while I still can) on Saturday mornings, cheering on Philadelphia sports teams, cooking/grilling, and enjoying a good meal with friends.
Updates
If you have been tracking with us through our Membership Gatherings as well as other periodic updates, the Elders have shared that we have been working on updated “job” descriptions for the Elder and Deacon roles. As we simultaneously 1) consider the forthcoming proposed bylaw changes, 2) continue to venture into policy governance as CHBC’s system of governance and 3) expand the role of parishes in our system of care, we recognized that roles and responsibilities of the Elders and Deacons would necessarily change while still operating within the Scriptural framework for these two offices. Thus, in addition to providing much needed clarity in the expectations of those serving in these roles (as well as for those who aspire to them), the updated descriptions are also valuable to our members in knowing how to pray for your Elders and Deacons as well as discerning who in your sphere possesses the gifts to serve in these offices.
The updated descriptions for the elder role can be found here and for the deacon role here and were utilized during the nomination period that recently concluded April 7. On this point, we believe that we have already seen the fruit of this work as we received an exceptional number of nominations for both the Elder and Deacon roles!
In light of these nominations, we would ask you to join us in prayer both for the nominees and for the current Elder and Deacon boards, as both sides discern next steps on candidates to be brought forth to the membership for affirmation at the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 5th. As we read through all of the nominations, we are so encouraged and praise God for the testimony of so many faithful servants in our midst!
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Jason Portnoy
