The newly elected Board of Elders met for their first meeting in October. Pastor Kirk began the meeting with thoughts on the role and responsibility of an Elder from Paul’s charge to the Elders of Ephesus in Acts 20 and Peter’s remarks to Elders in 1 Peter 5. With these thoughts in mind we began the work set before us.
This year the following members will be serving on our Living Hope Board of Elders:
Kevin Gatschene – Chair
Rick Orban – Vice Chair
Shannon Vinter – Treasurer
Gwendolyn Schroeder – Secretary
Deji Oyetuga
Kirk Cowman – Lead Pastor (ex officio)
Ken Thiessen submitted his resignation from the Board of Elders, due to a pending move to Calgary and health issues. We thank him for his time of service on our Board of Elders. As per Living Hope’s constitution and bylaws, the Board of Elders will appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of Ken’s term which lasts until September 30, 2022.
Pastor Kirk updated the board on the staff transitions taking place this fall. Chandra Hollands, Colin Turner, and Daniel Ngo have each submitted their resignations, with Chandra taking a break after a stressful ministry season, Colin accepting the position of Senior Pastor of the Alliance Church in Golden, BC, and Daniel returning to school to complete a Master’s degree in counselling. We will be saying farewell to them at our service on December 5.
An update was given regarding the recent policy that was implemented requiring all staff to receive and maintain their COVID19 vaccinations. We believe that this policy is necessary as our staff meets with many different people and minister to many who are most at risk from COVID19. Pastor Kirk reported that all staff are fully vaccinated.
The Board of Elders also met on October 30 for a one-day retreat with the Shepherding Team and Pastoral Staff. At this retreat Dr. Charles Cook and Lauren Goldbeck of the Jaffray Centre at Ambrose University in Calgary spoke with the group about developing their cultural fluency. We recognize that our church is made up of many people groups; over the last several months the Board, Shepherding Team, and Pastors have been learning how to lead an intercultural church.
We recognize that communication with our congregation is key. You will see monthly updates like this one shared on our church’s website and in the weekly email bulletin sent on Mondays.
