Reaching the Lost. Discipling the Saved. Sharing the Love of Jesus with Everyone.

Tag: 15% (Page 1 of 3)

2023 ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL VOTERS’ MEETING

On Sunday, October 29, 2023, following worship (around 11:15/11:30am), LifeBridge will hold its annual Congregational Voters’ Meeting.

Information and agenda items will appear below as they become available (so check back often).


AGENDA

Call to Order

Opening Prayer

Approval of Minutes

LifeBridge Special Voters’ Meeting Minutes
February 5, 2023

Call to Order – President Dale Leland called the meeting to order. 

Opening Prayer – Pastor Scott Heitshusen opened the meeting with prayer.

Approval of Minutes Annual Meeting on October 30, 2022 – Jan Heitshusen made a motion to approve the October 30, 2022 Voters’ Meeting Minutes.  Second by Jesus Sanchez.  Motion passed.

Description and Explanation of Why We’re Here – Becky Jungklaus will soon complete her Deaconess program and will be ready for a call.  LifeBridge Community Church could extend a call to Becky if approved by the congregation.  There would be no funds associated with this call for LifeBridge.  Becky would be raise her own funds.  LifeBridge would be Becky’s home base; however, her ASL ministry could have her working as a missionary at large.  A call by LifeBridge would put Becky on the list of LCMS trained ASL Deaconesses.  A motion was made by Angie Wolfe that LifeBridge Community Church extend a call to Becky Jungklaus as a Deaconess.  Second by Jason Wolfe.  Motion passed.

“Open Ear”/Open Floor – President Leland asked if there were any topics not covered that needed to be discussed.  None were presented.

Call for Adjournment – Mary Gray made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Second by Angie Wolfe.  Motion passed.

Closing Prayer – Pastor Scott closed with the Doxology.

Sherri Santoro
Secretary,
LifeBridge Community Church

Nominating Task Force Presentation & Elections

Current Election Information

Current Nominees

  1. President: Vic Grisbee
    {Has agreed to serve on an interim basis until someone else steps up.}
  2. Secretary: Sherri Santoro (incumbent)
  3. Elder Position 1: Wayne Heitshusen (incumbent)
  4. Elder Position 3: Giles Montgomery (incumbent)
  5. Elder Position 5: Brad Biss (incumbent)
  6. Elder Position 7: Pastor Dale Leland
  7. {Treasurer: Mary is continuing to serve, but would still like to find a replacement!}

Nominations from the Floor

Staff & Ministry Reports

Pastor: The Rev. Scott Heitshusen

Deaconess Becky Jungklaus

Worship: Hannah Gibson

Children: Stephanie Reed

Youth: Giles Montgomery

Outreach: Angie Wolfe

Sealy Pregnancy Resource Center – Update

Sealy Christian Food Pantry – Update

Board Reports

President: The Rev. Dale Leland

Head Elder

Treasurer: Mary Abbott-Gray

15%

One of LifeBridge’s Foundational Principles is “to give 15% or more of the Church’s income for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.”

The following is a summary of what LifeBridge has given away for this effort since 2015!

We praise God for the honor and privileged of helping and serving others!

Remodeling // Renovations

Proposal for remodeling to the office area, paving, and a sound booth for the sanctuary.

Office Area

2023-09-15@1235v17 — Floorplan
2023-09-15@1235v17 — 3D Rendered

Crow’s Nest / Sanctuary Sound Booth

Budget Presentation / Approval

Open Discussion

Closing Prayer

Call to Adjourn

LifeBridge & the Sealy Resource Pregnancy Center Write-Up in “Lutherans Engage” Magazine

Check it out!

LifeBridge and the Sealy Pregnancy Resource Center are wonderfully in the Spring, 2023, issue of “Lutherans Engage.”

Read the article here: engage.lcms.org/pro-life-ministries-spring-2023/

You can also see it in pages 15-18 of the print edition here: files.lcms.org/file/preview/engage-spring-2023

We praise the Lord for the wonderful partnership we have!

2022 ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL VOTERS’ MEETING

On Sunday, October 30, 2022, following worship (around 11:15/11:30am), LifeBridge will hold its annual Congregational Voters’ Meeting.

Information and agenda items will appear below as they become available (so check back often).


AGENDA

Call to Order

Opening Prayer

Approval of Minutes

Minutes of the October 10, 2021, Annual Voters’ Meeting are below.

LifeBridge Annual Voters’ Meeting Minutes
October 10, 2021

David Pacher – President
Mary Gray – Treasurer
April Treybig – Secretary
Scott Heitshusen – Pastor

Alan Boehm – Elder
Collin Dwigins – VP/Staff
Jesus Sanchez – Elder
Giles Montgomery – Elder/Staff

Brackston Nutt – Staff
Richard Clayton – Elder
Stacey Wills – Staff
Congregation

David Pacher calls the meeting to order. Pastor Scott opens in prayer.

Alan motions to approve the minutes from the January voters meetings. April seconds the motion. The ayes have it and the motion passes.

David explains the term limit questions in our constitution. The way it reads there are some gray areas.

Jeff moves that we allow members to complete a term and then serve two more terms. Jason seconds the motion. The ayes have it and motion passes.

David nominates Jason Wolfe as an elder for a one year term. Wayne Heitshusen, Giles Montgomery, Brad Biss, Jason Wolfe are all running as elders. There was a unanimous vote to elect the four as Elders.

Sherri Santoro is running for Secretary and is elected unanimously by the congregation.

David discusses the Treasurer and President positions and the need for volunteers for both of those.

Our 15% giving and 2021 budget were presented to the congregation. The income projection was kept the same for 2021, the expenses increased slightly due to staff pay increases and repairs/maintenance. Brief discussion on future plans involving spending. April motions to approve the 2022 budget, Jason seconds the motion. The ayes have it and the motion passes.

The congregation was presented with staff report updates.

David presents an opportunity to the congregation for any open discussion. John Scott reminds the congregation to reset AC and turn off lights if they have used the facility. Patsy give an update on the pantry and how many families they are serving. They are very grateful for LifeBridge in allowing them to use the facility.

Angie motions to adjourn, Collin seconds the motion. The ayes have it and motion passes. Alan closes the meeting in prayer.

Proposed Changes to the LifeBridge Constitution and By-Laws

Available as a PDF here, or embeded below.

Nominating Task Force Presentation & Elections

Current Election Information

Each year new officers of LifeBridge are needed due to vacancies.

This year the following positions are open and need to be filled:

  1. Congregational Vice-President (Position Description – vice-President)
  2. Congregational Treasurer (Position Description – Treasurer)
  3. Four (4) members of the Board of Elders (Positions 2, 4, 6, 8) (Position Description – Elder)

Click to the right of each above for a description of the position, including duties, qualifications, limits, etc. Please read through those position descriptions prior to nominating someone for a position to make sure the person meets the requisites.

Any voting member of LifeBridge may nominate or be nominated for each of these positions (with the gender restriction for those serving on the Board of Elders), with the stipulation that the prior approval of the person being nominated must be secured. (That is, if you are going to nominate someone, talk to them first and get their approval.)

Self-nominations are acceptable.

You may nominate by filling in the form below. Or, if you would prefer to not do so via the form, please email both the LifeBridge President and Vice President your nominations.

Current Nominees

  1. Vice-President: Jesus Sánchez
  2. Treasurer: NONE
  3. Elder Position 2: Paul White
  4. Elder Position 4: NONE
  5. Elder Position 6: David Walker (incumbent)
  6. Elder Position 8: Jason Wolfe (incumbent)

Nominations from the Floor

Staff & Ministry Reports

Pastor: The Rev. Scott Heitshusen

Worship: {VACANT}

Children: Stephanie Reed

Youth: Giles Montgomery

Sealy Pregnancy Resource Center – Update

Sealy Christian Food Pantry – Update

Board Reports

President: The Rev. Dale Leland

Head Elder

Treasurer: Mary Abbott-Gray

15%

One of LifeBridge’s Foundational Principles is “to give 15% or more of the Church’s income for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.”

The following is a summary of what LifeBridge has given away for this effort since 2015!

We praise God for the honor and privileged of helping and serving others!

Budget Presentation / Approval

Open Discussion

Closing Prayer

Call to Adjourn

2021 ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL VOTERS’ MEETING

Video of the Voters’ Meeting on October 10, 2021, at LifeBridge

On Sunday, October 10, 2021, following worship (around 11:15/11:30am), LifeBridge will hold its annual Congregational Voters’ Meeting.

Information and agenda items are below and will be updated as needed until the meeting.

We will live-stream the meeting on the YouTube Channel for any who would like to view it.


AGENDA

Call to Order

Opening Prayer

Approval of Minutes

Minutes of the January 10, 2021, Special Voters’ Meeting is available below or as a PDF here.

Attendees

Mary Abbott-Gray – TreasurerCollin Dwigans – VP/Staff Brackston Nutt – Staff
April Treybig – Secretary Jesus Sanchez – ElderDavid Walker – Elder
Scott Heitshusen – Pastor Giles Montgomery – Elder/StaffCongregation
Alan Boehm – Elder

Collin calls the meeting to order.

Pastor Scott opens in prayer.

Motion was made to approve the minutes from the last voters meeting. Motion was seconded. The ayes had it and the motion passed.

David Penner gives details about the Sealy Pregnancy Resource Center, its history, and its purpose. David presented a proposal for Pregnancy Center’s new building. Pat gives insight as to what the plans are for the building and what they will be able to accomplish with the added space. Open discussion and questions were answered regarding the building and the effects it will and will not have on LifeBridge.

It was moved to lease the land to the Pregnancy Center. The motion was seconded. The ayes had it and the motion passed.

Pastor Scott presented a Synodical request to add a year to the current 2019-2022 triennium. A motion was Giles made the following motion (as requested by the Synod, with wording from them):

“Shall the Synod add a year to the current 2019–2022 triennium, allowing districts to hold their conventions in either 2021 or 2022, and moving the upcoming national Synod Convention from 2022 to 2023? [Thereafter, the triennium cycle will continue forward from 2023 in three-year increments, as before (i.e., with district conventions held in 2025, 2028, etc., and Synod Conventions held in 2026, 2029, etc.).]”

Motion was seconded. The ayes had it and the motion passed.

Collin closed the meeting in prayer.

A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded. The ayes had it and the motion passed.

Nominating Task Force Presentation & Elections

Need for Feedback – “Term Limits of Board Members”

The Problem

The By-Law dealing with term limits of those serving on the Management Team or Elders is vague. Consequently (and somewhat unknowingly), it has been interpreted differently over the years as evidence of who has been or can be elected to serve at different times.

Specifically, the sentences:

Management Team and Elders shall be limited to two consecutive terms…[An] appointed individual shall serve until the term for that particular position expires.

By-Laws, Article I.B. Approvals and Terms of Office

The question arises: “When someone is appointed to fill the remainder of a term for someone who vacated the office (moved, stepped down, etc.), is that person eligible to be elected for one more term or two?”

The Implications

If an appointed person serves out a portion of a term and are elected for another, they would end up only being able to serve less than two terms. That is, they would serve one term and one partial term. [Theoretically, if they were appointed a month before an election, they would only be able to serve, say, 25 months.]

If, on the other hand, someone who is appointed to fill a vacancy is still eligible to be elected to two more consecutive, full terms, they would still be under the requirement as they have not served more than two consecutive terms; merely two full and one partial terms. [Theoretically, if appointed on the first month after an election and subsequently elected to two more full terms, they could end up serving a total of 71 months.] But this would still be less than 3 terms.

The Consequences

We have had some who have served a partial term and one full term and it was deemed that they can’t run again because they were “term limited”.

We have had others who have served a partial term and two full terms before being deemed they have maxed out their terms. [In fact, some nominations below as well as some currently serving fall into this category.]

In addition, being a smaller congregation, we consistently have challenges filling elected positions. The current language in the by-law could serve to exacerbate this issue even more over time; disqualifying good, willing, and experienced candidates.

Current Election Information

Each year new officers of LifeBridge are needed due to vacancies.

This year the following positions are open and need to be filled:

  1. Congregational President (Position Description – President)
  2. Congregational Secretary (Position Description – Secretary)
  3. Congregational Treasurer (Position Description – Treasurer) Still needed from last year.
  4. Three (3) members of the Board of Elders (Position Description – Elder)

Click to the right of each above for a description of the position, including duties, qualifications, limits, etc. Please read through those position descriptions prior to nominating someone for a position to make sure the person meets the requisites.

Any voting member of LifeBridge may nominate or be nominated for each of these positions (with the gender restriction for those serving on the Board of Elders), with the stipulation that the prior approval of the person being nominated must be secured. (That is, if you are going to nominate someone, talk to them first and get their approval.)

Self-nominations are acceptable.

You may nominate by filling in the form below. Or, if you would prefer to not do so via the form, please email both the LifeBridge President and Vice President your nominations.

Current Nominees

  1. President: None
  2. Treasurer: None
  3. Secretary: Sherri Santoro
  4. Elder Position 1: Wayne Heitshusen
  5. Elder Position 2: Giles Montgomery
  6. Elder Position 3: Brad Biss
  • Daniel Cardiff has offered to help in any position except President.

Nominations from the Floor

Staff [via video] & Ministry Reports

Pastor

Worship: Collin Dwigans

Children: Stacy Wills

Youth: Giles Montgomery

Trustee: John Scott

Outreach: Angie Wolfe

Sealy Pregnancy Resource Center – Update

Sealy Christian Food Pantry – Update

Board Reports

President: David Pacher

Head Elder: Alan Boehm

Treasurer: Mary Abbott-Gray

15%

One of LifeBridge’s Foundational Principles is “to give 15% or more of the Church’s income for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.”

The following is a summary of what LifeBridge has given away for this effort since 2015!

We praise God for the honor and privileged of helping and serving others!

Budget Presentation / Approval

Full page link here.

Open Discussion

Closing Prayer

Call to Adjourn

“Thank You!” from Daniel & Rachel Heitshusen

May 16, 2021

Dear LifeBridge Community Church,

Rachel and I have been continuously thankful to receive your financial and prayer support during our time in Seminary. Your help has not only been helpful but has also been so appreciated! Thank you so very much!

We would love to take a minute to update y’all on what is happening in our lives, as our first year of studies is about to end.

For me (Daniel), I am currently in three classes: Luther as Pastoral Theologian, Introduction to Historical Theology, and Pauline Epistles. I am also in formation lab, Greek lab, and Field Work. I think my favorite class right now is Luther as Pastoral Theologian, as it has proven to be practical and fascinating. I loved our unit on prayer. It focused on how God commands us to pray and promises to hear and answer our prayer as well as how we can approach God in boldness and confidence as our dear Father! We have also covered suffering, which is a hard topic, but an important one to deal with. Right now we’re dealing with the Christian life.

Rachel is also currently taking three classes in addition to attending Formation Lab and Greek Lab: Spiritual Care and the Word, Creeds and Confessions, and Pauline Epistles. She is particularly enjoying Spiritual Care and the Word where she gets to learn listening skills and the basics of how to provide spiritual counsel.

I have been loving being a Field Worker at Salem Lutheran Church in Black Jack, MO! I get to do children’s messages, help lead the service on some Sundays, and had the opportunity to lead Bible class once. The past two Sundays (and the 4th in May and 1st and 4th in June) I attended a different church, however, for a cross-cultural module I am required to take here at Seminary. It is a church called Chai V’ Shalom, which is a congregation that focuses on outreach to the Jewish population (as even the pastor converted from Judaism).

Rachel continues to help some with the Sunday School and special music at church while also attending a mid-week women’s Bible class that she enjoys. She also had a cross-cultural module helping with a sewing class for women at Christian Friends of New Americans. She had a great time learning about the women’s culture as well as how to navigate a language barrier.

Lastly, I am working at Chick-fil-A and Rachel continues to work at Christ Memorial Child Care Center.

Thank you again for your continued financial and prayer support! We are excited to hear about the building project for the pregnancy center and all that happens at LifeBridge! We hope and pray all is well with y’all.

In Christ,
Daniel and Rachel Heitshusen

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