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Executive Council Meeting May 26, 2020

The Executive Council of the Three Forks Baptist Association met May 26, 2020. Those in attendance were Travis Suits, Dianne Brown, David Cooper, Jennifer Waldorf, and Ben Bolick. In attendance via Zoom were Seth Norris, Peter Vandenberg, Derrick Goddard, and Nancy Williams.

 

Travis Suits called the meeting to order. He shared a scripture passage from Psalm 85 and asked everyone to share some ways they had seen God working during this time of pandemic. After a time of sharing, David Cooper opened the meeting in prayer.

 

Team Reports: As there was no one in attendance from the finance team, the finance report was not given at this meeting. David Cooper reported that activities of the Church Strengthening team have been on hold while the Association continues to finalize the Strategic Envisioning plan.

 

The mission report was given by Jennifer Waldorf. The mission team met on May 21 via Zoom. They were joined by Todd Hendley from Wine to Water, who made an appeal to the Association for assistance with this program.  Wine to Water has partnered with Ransom Pub to help provide food to families during this the pandemic.  They hope to continue with this effort after the crisis has passed.  Two association churches, First Baptist Boone and Mt. Vernon, are already working with them to help pack boxes and distribute food in our local area.  The mission team decided that they would give $500 to help Wine to Water with this effort.  In addition, it was determined that $500 would be given to the Hunger and Health coalition, as they are facing a major financial shortfall due to the cancelling of all their major fundraisers.

 

The Administrative Team report was given by Ben Bolick.  Lowell Younce, who was previously contracted to take care of lawn maintenance at the Association will no longer be able to provide this service.  He has recommended another person to take on this contract.  Ben Bolick will follow up with the recommendation to see if he would be willing to take on the contract.

 

Strategic Envisioning:  We are still waiting to receive the implementation video from The Malphurs Group so that we can schedule our final Strategic Envisioning meeting. Scott has been contacted via email, but has not responded.  Jennifer Waldorf will follow up with a phone call to enquire about the video.  Once the video has been received a meeting will be scheduled to watch the video and talk about next steps.  Seth Norris also noted that some of the decisions were made may need to be refined prior to presentation to the Association at large.

 

There was also some discussion regarding when the results of the Strategic Envisioning would be presented to the Association at an Associational Gathering.  Originally the plan was to be presented at the Spring Gathering and voted on in the fall.  The question raised was whether the plan would be presented in the fall and voted on next spring, or whether there was a need to get the plan to the churches prior to the Fall Gathering so it could be voted on at that time.  It was noted that if the vote is put off until Spring, that would be a further year from now, and would mark two years without a Director of Missions, or a structured plan regarding the direction of the Association.  Jennifer Waldorf noted that this could be a detriment to the Association, as the churches already seem to be less involved than they were at this time last year. It was decided that the primary concern at this time is to obtain the Implementation video, schedule a meeting to watch the video, and determine the next steps.

 

Quorum: It was also noted that there is nothing in the by-laws stating what constitutes a quorum at a Semi-Annual meeting.  This needs to be addressed with a by-laws amendment, which will be presented for a vote at the Fall Gathering. It was not determined at this time what number will be presented for a vote.  This will be discussed at a later meeting. Jennifer Waldorf will ask neighboring association what their by-laws state regarding a quorum, and will report back to the Executive Council with this information.

 

Executive Council and Team Vacancies: It was noted that there are several unfilled spots on the Executive Council and Associational teams.  The finance team is in need of a new member, due to the resignation of their chairperson, and there is also a need for three cluster representatives. The Administrative Team has been attempting to fill these spots for some time, but has not been able to find anyone willing to take these positions. Jennifer Waldorf asked if the teams should be comprised of more than three people, due to the fact that if one person needs to resign, that only leaves two people on a team.  This was affirmed by those present, but the difficulty of filling available spots was reiterated, and there was no further discussion of adding new team members at this time.

 

Non-Contributing Churches: Beginning January 1, 2019, the new by-laws stated that all members churches must contribute a minimum of $50 per year to continue as a Three Forks Baptist Association member church.  Four churches did not send money prior to December 2019.  A letter was sent to these four churches, reminding them of this by-laws change.  Beech Valley sent in $50 and remains a church in good standing in the Association. Rich Mountain sent in their letter of withdrawal from the Association. Two churches, Cool Springs and Willow Valley, did not respond to this letter.  Another letter will be sent to them, asking if they wish to remain a member church of the Association, and if so asking them to remit the $50, and reminding them that an active partnership in the Association is necessary in order to remain a member church.

 

Travis Suits adjourned the meeting with prayer.

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