If you are reading this on the day of its publication, Sunday 25th June, then there is a very important Church Meeting next Wednesday, June 28th, and all Church Members are asked to make a special effort to attend. All Church Meetings are ‘very important’, of course, but there are several decisions which need to be taken with some urgency, and although we have reduced the quorum number from eight to six we also know that there will be certain absentees next Wednesday. Those decisions include:
- dealing with the ‘pigeon problem’ between the Quiet Room and the boiler room
- an application for adult baptism
- whether or not to incorporate ‘Songs-of-Praise’ type services occasionally in our worship
- whether or not to hold Bible Studies during the ‘holiday-month’ of August.
So if you are a Church Member, please, please make every effort to attend the Church Meeting next Wednesday evening at 8 p.m.
One of the distinguishing features – indeed the distinguishing feature – of a Congregational Church like ours is that all decisions must be taken by Church Members at Church Meeting. During the recent Covid pandemic, when we were not legally allowed to meet together, Church Members agreed (by postal vote) that our deacons should take necessary decisions on behalf of Church Meeting, but that concession lapsed after the pandemic. We deacons are ‘ordinary’ Church Members, elected annually by Church Meeting and trusted by the other Church Members to keep Church life ‘ticking over’ on their behalf when, for example, Church Meetings are inquorate, but we cannot do more than that and cannot otherwise take decisions on behalf of Church Meeting. So, if you are not already a Church Member and would like to become part of that decision-making process of Church Meeting, then please speak to one of our deacons or to another Church Member.