Council Updates

Council Updates are posted after each quarterly Council meeting.

The most recent updates are listed below:

Posted March 12, 2010
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ANNUAL MEETING

The 2010 Annual Meeting of the National Conference was conducted by teleconference on March 7.  The majority of Conference members were on-line for the meeting and all participated in the balloting.

The Director of Operations gave an address entitled “Going Forward Even in Tough Times” using Exodus 14 to show how, when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, they had a great deal of adversity but were still able to go forward and cross the Red Sea.

He rehearsed how the World Tomorrow was first broadcast in 1933 during the depression.  While the cost may seem small to us, the $2.50 rate per week was a great deal for a small group of people to come up with during tough economic times.  A portion of that amount was pledged by the brethren, but in the end, they had to go forward in faith trusting God to provide the rest – which He did, through the depths of the Great Depression.

During our current recessionary times we are confident that God will open doors to preach the Gospel even more widely.  The Israelites saw the great work that the Lord did for them.  The work that God did through Mr. Armstrong reached many.  As we plan for growth we must utilize the principle practiced by George Mueller: “pray and the money will come.”  We must beseech our Heavenly Father to grant the income needed at this time and to bless the outgo – so that what He provides is used to good effect.

David Palmer and Dennis Horlick gave an update on our media efforts.  The United States is in the process of improving the Beyond Today television program which likely is great news for us.  

Anthony Wasilkoff gave an update for Ministerial Services.  Average Sabbath and Holy Day attendance has increased at a steady rate since UCG began in Canada.  He mentioned that the National Office has a copy of the Pastor’s Manual which will be “Canadianized” over the next few months.  The target for distribution is next December when we hope to have a ministerial conference.  He then read some encouraging excerpts from letters written recently by appreciative subscribers.

The Treasurer’s address was given by Edwin van Pelt.  He reviewed some statistics noting several records set during 2009 and then read the results of last year’s auditor’s report.

The Chairman’s Address was entitled, “Keep The Big Picture In Mind”.  He talked about two participants of the Winter Olympics who inspired him.  One was, Joannie Rochette, who won a bronze medal after performing during the grief-stricken days following her mother’s death.  The other was Petra Majdic from Slovenia who had fallen during a warm-up and ended up competing with five broken ribs and a punctured lung.  Petra kept going because she wanted to honor the people who sent her there.  These two Olympic heroes did not get focused on their own personal problems but kept the big picture in mind – to represent their countries and to follow their own dreams. 

Mr. Salomaa referred to Ezekiel 24:15-18 and asked participants to imagine what it would be like to have a spouse die and then be told to continue working, not showing any grief.  He said that the lesson seems to be that, in spite of traumas we go through, we need to keep the big picture in mind.  It is easy to become cloistered in a local congregation and get overly focused on petty issues, but we need to keep the big picture in mind.

The secretary read the ballot results.  The 2009 National Conference Minutes, Audit Report and appointment for the auditors for 2010 were approved.  A Budget Resolution, the Strategic Plan, Operations Plan and Budget were approved.  A Proposed Amendment for Bylaw 8.6.2 was approved.  Three council members were selected to a three-year term starting April 1, 2010.  They are: Garry Lucas, Rainer Salomaa and Ellsworth Stanley.

At the end of the meeting, conference members were given time to ask questions and make comments.

Shortly after the National Conference meeting concluded, the National Council met briefly, also by teleconference, and approved a procedure for selecting a chairman.  The ballot results were announced by the secretary via e-mail the next day. Rainer Salomaa had been selected for another three year term to be chairman.

Linda Wasilkoff
National Council Secretary

Posted November 30, 2009
COUNCIL MEETING IN TORONTO
NOVEMBER 17-19, 2009

The National Council had its third meeting of the fiscal year in Toronto starting Tuesday evening, November 17.  Some council members had already been involved in a Media Team Meeting and/or a Ministerial Services Team meeting earlier in the week.  By putting the meetings back-to-back, the church is able to save a significant amount in air fare costs.

Some members of the office staff had attended a law seminar for charities the previous week.  An overview of that seminar was given to the National Council so that council members can stay abreast of the most recent legal concerns and updates for charities.

Edwin van Pelt provided statistics about growth in the church.  Overall statistics are positive in spite of the economy.  We have had a small decrease in members this year which is due to a number of deaths and the fact that a number of people have not yet filled out a membership form.

An update on the current Media strategy was given by David Palmer.  We are planning to continue airing the Beyond Today program, but the two networks we are on have recently been sold.  Time will tell what type of programming the new owners will wish to have.  Prayers for guidance and intervention in this will be much appreciated.

Following the lead of the US, Canada has embarked on giving a unified appearance to local websites.  Currently four local congregation websites have been moved over to the new “template”.  This will make us look more professional, make it possible for more congregations to have their own sites, enable local information to be posted while still ensuring that all the booklets and other links are updated and create a more unified look so that whenever someone goes from one site to another, it will be obvious that we are all connected.  These sites have a member section that will be password protected and allow the posting of more sensitive issues such as prayer requests.  Another plus is that the local webmaster won’t need a special program to do updates.

Anthony Wasilkoff gave a report on behalf of the Ministerial Services Team (MST).  Among other things the MST discussed Canadian Feast sites for next year, a Pastor’s Manual that is being “Canadianized” and how ministers can “pace” themselves as they grow older.

A report from the Office Move Task Force was given by Dennis Horlick.   Council was given an update as to what is happening in the current facility and given a few sample listings of what is available for lease in the area.  The Council discussed priorities and options.  The health concerns in the current office space were put at the top of the priority list. There was a discussion on whether to lease or purchase office facilities.  Having a sufficient down payment to purchase would be a major challenge but would give other advantages. Prior to the meetings a tour of some buildings had been arranged.

Both the 2010-2011 Operations Plan and the 2010-2011 Budget were approved to be sent to the National Conference for ratification next March.

The question of whether or not the church can be involved in raising funds for Life Nets was again discussed.  The Council determined, after looking at Canada Revenue requirements for charities, that to be involved in fundraising for Life Nets would put our charity status at risk.  Church members are free to make donations to whichever charity they wish, but the church cannot, for several reasons, sponsor or promote any charity – especially a charity that is not registered in Canada.

Committee meetings were held on Wednesday afternoon.  As much as possible the committees do preparatory work prior to meetings and put finishing touches on their projects in person and then present their findings to Council for consideration and approval.

On Thursday morning the Strategic Planning Committee presented their financial analysis regarding a potential purchase or lease of office space.  They also presented and the Council gave approval for meeting dates for the next year.  The rest of the morning was spent touring potential office space.

In the afternoon, the Governance Committee presented several documents for Council approval.  A Job Description for Church Pastors was approved along with two policies - one for non-salaried elders’ expense and another regarding church assistance.

Linda Wasilkoff
Secretary

Posted July 2, 2009
NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETS IN CALGARY 

The latest round of National Council meetings occurred in Calgary on June 24 and 25.  Even though two council members were unable to attend, there was still a quorum and business went on as usual.

On Wednesday, the usual adoption of previous Council minutes and review of both the Council Code of Ethics and Council Job Description was the first order of business.  That was followed by reports on Pentecost in all the congregations across Canada.

Robert Berendt gave a report on what is happening on the Council of Elders.  Following that, the Council gave Mr. Berendt a token of appreciation for his years of service on the National Council (from January 1996 until April 2009).

A PowerPoint presentation by Edwin van Pelt showed growth of the church in graph form.  Graemme Marshall reported on the work of the Personal Correspondence Department, giving examples of some of the letters received by the National Office.

Dennis Horlick gave a report on behalf of the Media Team, assisted by a PowerPoint presentation.  Council was able to review the response rate for the Beyond Today television program and was informed of a testing of another avenue for advertising.

The Ministerial Team report was given by Anthony Wasilkoff.  The Team had discussed short-term, mid-term and long-term goals for hiring pastors.  They also looked at Feast of Tabernacles plans for next year.

In the afternoon, there was some discussion of committee realignment.  Dennis Horlick was assigned to the Governance/Ethics/Pastoral committee.  Since the former chairman of that committee, Robert Berendt, is no longer on the Council, the committee had to select a new chair.  Graemme Marshall was selected to be the chairman.  The remainder of the afternoon was spent in committee meetings.

On Thursday morning, there was a report on behalf of the National Office Relocation Task Force.  This task force was struck about a year ago to check on potential sites for when the current office lease expires this coming October.  The Council gave the task force the mandate to look more earnestly now because of health concerns in the current office space.

The Strategic Planning/Finance committee report was given by Larry DeLong.  The committee put forward and the council approved putting a Budget Resolution and the 2010-2011 Strategic Plan on the ballot for the National Conference March 2010. 

Graemme Marshall, on behalf of the Governance Committee, put forth a proposed amendment to Bylaw 8.6.2.  The council put their stamp of approval on the proposed bylaw which will now be forwarded to the Amendment Committee.

The Governance Committee also put forth two new policies, one on Employment and another on Expense Disbursement, both of which the Council approved.  Two existing policies, Salaried Elders Expense Guidelines and Mileage Reimbursement, were amended.

Since there was no old business to discuss, the Council spent some time brainstorming.  One issue discussed was retirement since a number of pastors will be facing that in the next few years.  Another was summer dress – specifically, what is appropriate for those who are going behind the podium on the Sabbath. 

The last item discussed was areas where we might be able to cut costs.  There was a short executive session in the afternoon followed by an “informal” session when the annual evaluation of the Director of Operations was held and the Council did a self-evaluation.

Linda Wasilkoff
(Council Secretary)

Posted March 13, 2009
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of the Canadian National Conference took place at the National Office on Sunday, March 8. Twenty-one elders from across Canada took part in the meeting either in person or by teleconference (a record in attendance). Others who were unable to be online for the meeting took part in the balloting process which was completed before the meeting.

The Director of Operations, Anthony Wasilkoff, gave the first address of the day. He referred a movie starring Meryl Streep. The managing editor of a fashion magazine exclaims, “. . . you think this is just a magazine, hmm. This is not just a magazine. This is a shining beacon of hope. . . .” If a fashion magazine (even in a movie) can be referred to as a beacon of hope, then what is the Good News magazine? As a church we are promoting hope through our publications, Beyond Today television program and the internet (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

Next, David Palmer gave a Media Team update. Much of his focus was on the Beyond Today television program and the responses to it. He noted that in just a short time after improving our time slot, the weekly response rate has more than doubled.

Robert Berendt then reported on some items the Ministerial Services Team has been working on. Within the Canadian ministry there have been some severe health problems during the past year. On the positive side, another elder was added during the past year (making a total of twenty-five in Canada). We are awaiting a ministerial manual from Home Office.

Next on the agenda was the Treasurers’ Report. Edwin van Pelt began by saying that our regular income continues to be above what was budgeted although our Holy Day offerings are below budget. He then read a letter from our auditor which again gave the church a good report. He noted that this year we processed and mailed about 10% more donation receipts than last year.

In his report the chairman, Rainer Salomaa, discussed the “wear factor”. He quoted Daniel 7:25 and explained how the adversary can use mental and physical fatigue to wear God’s servants down. A reference was made to a recent study regarding the ministry and stress. He pointed out that there is a strong correlation between a strong sense of calling and the ability to deal with stress. He gave two concrete points for the conference members to cope with their stress.

The secretary was asked to read the ballot results. The minutes from the 2007 meeting were approved as was the financial report. Approval was given to use the same auditing firm again. The Strategic Plan, Operations Plan and Budget for the next fiscal year were approved. One amendment to the bylaws which gives elders and members the right to submit both positive and negative comments to any potential bylaw amendment was also approved. The following people were appointed to a three-year term on the National Council: Dennis Horlick, David Palmer and Anthony Wasilkoff. This term will begin on April 1, 2009.

Following this, the date for the next annual meeting was set for March 7, 2010. The remainder of the teleconference was dedicated to personal health updates and to a question and answer session. Questions centered around two main topics: furthering the gospel and ministerial training.

A short Council teleconference meeting followed the Conference meeting. Appreciation was extended to Robert Berendt for his many years of service on the National Council. Recognition was given to the additional time pressure on him while he serves on the COE.

The minutes of the previous meeting (November 2009) were adopted. Bill Dimovski was selected to serve another three-year term on the Amendment Committee.

Initial plans for the next face-to-face Council meeting in June were finalized. The meeting will take place in Calgary on June 24 and 25. Prior to the Council meeting, the Media Team and Ministerial Team will meet. Following the Council meeting a second Leadership Development Workshop will be held. Costing out expenses showed that a significant amount of funding would be saved by placing all meetings back-to-back within the same week.

November 27, 2008
Hello Everyone;

There was a flurry of post-feast meetings in Toronto. The Media Team met all day on November 18 at the National Office. The following day, the Ministerial Services Team did likewise. That evening began National Council meetings. Business items that evening included festival reports, a National Office update and a Media Team report.

The following day, a Ministerial Services report was given as well as a PowerPoint presentation from the Office Relocation Task Force. The current National Office lease expires in October 2009. At that time, as it stands now, the church will be offered a two year extension. Also that morning, Robert Berendt gave a short Council of Elders update. After that, the Operations Plan for 2009-2010 was presented by the National Office staff. After some discussion, this was approved by and now awaits final ratification by the National Conference in March.

That afternoon, the National Office presented a proposed budget. This is based on a 5% increase over the actual amount received in each calendar month of the previous fiscal year. After some discussion and fine-tuning, the budget was accepted, and will be balloted upon by the National Conference.

On Friday, November 21 the Council heard committee reports. Future meetings were discussed as well as on-going crafting of various job descriptions. The National Conference agenda was set. It will again be a teleconference on March 8, 2009. In being pro-active, Kevin Ford presented a “crisis budget” if for some reason the global economic downturn would cause a drop of receipts by 20% compared to the amount received in the previous fiscal year. This was discussed and fine-tuned, leaving it as an option if circumstances forced us to revert to dealing with reduced income. He then presented an “apocalypse budget” which was based on a 75% decrease in income. This again was discussed and filed as a part of a contingency plan, with the hope that we would never come to this, because for all practical purposes, we would be in a major depression. There was then a short executive session that dealt with human resources matters.

The meetings concluded with brainstorming about the global financial crisis and how it might affect the church. It was brought up that eventually the time will come when the modern day nations of Israel will collapse. At that time, there would not be an economic recovery for them until Christ returned. Another council member mentioned that even the economists don’t really have a handle on what is happening. It is important that we have spiritual reinforcement. We will have to support one another. It was mentioned that we can end up with inflationary depression or deflationary depression. It was agreed that there is still more work to be done.

We were reminded that during times of crisis, people turn to God, as happened for a short while following 9-11. If this crisis continues to worsen, more people will be looking for answers. Some will be looking for churches. We could be affected by more growth, yet with fewer funds to deal with the growth. Recently, a subscriber called the National office, wanting to get in touch with Mario Seiglie in response to an article he wrote about the economy. Future adjustments might call for a crisis budget, more webcasting of services in local areas, less driving, more in-home services, localized feast sites and other cost-saving measures.

It was felt that we need to be positive. Jesus Christ preached the Olivet Prophecy to His disciples. He preached the Sermon on the Mount to a much larger group, emphasizing not to worry, that God knows our needs. We need to forge ahead. We need to trust God. Our attitudes are important. We are to pray for our “daily bread.” When all these things begin to happen, we are to “look up” – not down.

Sabbath services were held at the usual time and location in Toronto with Robert Berendt and Richard Pinelli giving split sermons. That evening the Canadian ministerial conference began with opening comments by Anthony Wasilkoff and a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “Teaching as You’ve Been Taught” by Richard Pinelli. Most stayed to watch the Media PowerPoint that had been presented to the council.

On Sunday morning topics covered were: “The Right Environment for Growth” (Richard Pinelli), “Honing Your Listening Skills” (Anthony Wasilkoff), and “Intervention/Mediation” (Richard Pinelli). After lunch, the following topics were covered: “Using Church Literature as a Resource” (Graemme Marshall), “Church Youth Retention” (Robert Berendt) and “Elder-Pastor Communication” (Rainer Salomaa).

On a few personal notes, Larry and Maureen DeLong became grandparents during the conference when their first grand child was born in Lethbridge. Also, June Steeves is awaiting a double lung transplant. She was there, on oxygen, with her husband Gary. For now, they are living in Toronto, awaiting word when a donor becomes available. On another health note, Dr. Ian Simons has finished his chemotherapy and was looking and feeling much improved. Our prayers are still needed for June and Ian, as well as for each other. We are living in difficult times. We see through a glass darkly, but we do know that what we pictured at the Feast of Tabernacles will ultimately become a reality. In the meantime, we continue to wait patiently for the Lord as we preach the gospel and prepare a people.

Warm Regards,

Rainer Salomaa

September 19, 2008
Hello everyone,

Here is a short update before the fall festival season.

The Canadian National Council had a teleconference on Monday, September 15. It just so happened that we had scheduled it for the same day as a financial meltdown took place on Wall Street. The made-in-America mortgage debacle helped topple three of the five venerable independent investment banks – Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns in just six months. The crisis is massive in its scale, speed and complexity. Americans are losing homes they cannot afford and the U.S. financial system is losing temples of capitalism it can no longer afford to prop up. Professor Robert F. Bruner, dean of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and the co-author of Panic of 1907: Lessons Learned from the Market’s Perfect Storm was quoted in the National Post as saying, “In absolute value of monetary destruction, this rivals what happened in 1929 and it exceeds the complexity and the speed of the unfolding crisis.”

Nerves are rattled on Wall Street, Bay Street, Bond Street and most likely on the streets where you and I live. It is especially at times as this that we can take comfort in God’s promise to send His Son to set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, a kingdom that will bring lasting peace from wars and upheavals.

During our scheduled teleconference, the Media Committee gave us a short report on the latest statistics from the last two Reader’s Digest ads as well as walked us through the obtainment of better air times for the Beyond Today television program.

Our National Office has another year left in its lease agreement and it was looking like we might have to vacate to different facilities.  Dennis Horlick was appointed to spear-head an office relocation task force. Several members from the Toronto congregation as well as an employee from our national office have been helping Dennis on this. They have come up with five options to consider. A hard copy with more details is being prepared for each council member. More work and discussion will be involved. Your prayers in this matter would be much appreciated, especially considering the uncertainty of the economy.  (Subsequently we have learned that the church will have the option to renew for at least two more years.)   

The Strategic Plan was approved and recommended to be forwarded to the National Conference next spring for their approval.  The Strategic Planning Committee formatted a “Canadianized” version to match what was approved by the General Conference of Elders last May.

An amendment was approved to be sent to the Amendment Committee, chaired by its new chairman, Bill Dimovski of Toronto.  (The other members of the committee are Lynne Broschak of Edmonton and Dennis Kerrighan of Lethbridge.) This amendment adjusts our bylaws so that positive support can be given for proposed amendments and not just statements of concern.

Our next face to face meeting will be held in Toronto on November 20-21, followed by a Canada-wide ministerial conference.

On behalf of the National Council, I wish you all a very uplifting and encouraging fall festival season. Have safe travels and remember to pray for each other and those who organize these gatherings.

Warm Regards,
Rainer Salomaa

June 4, 2008
Greetings everyone,

Summer has finally arrived after a late spring in many parts of Canada. It is interesting that the Passover was later than normal this year. Some areas were hit by winter weather during Passover and Unleavened Bread.  In Calgary, where I attended, we were hit with a major snow fall during Passover evening. Some were not able to make it and had to take the second Passover a month later. When my wife and I were driving to services on the Sabbath after the Passover, radio reports were saying that there were about 300 reported accidents in the city since the storm had started.  On the first day of unleavened bread some got snowed in and were not able to get out of their driveways. There were some American congregations in the mid-west that had to cancel services on the last day of unleavened bread because of snow storms.

I have often wondered if the seasons of the year do not more accurately follow the calendar which God gave to Israel, commonly now called the Hebrew calendar. Jim Franks gave an interesting PowerPoint message on the topic of the Hebrew calendar on a recent trip to Toronto. It was recorded and is available on DVD through the National Office.

The Canadian National Council, as well as the Media and Ministerial Services Team recently held meetings in Winnipeg. This was the first time that we have gone back there since March, 2001.  The brethren were extremely hospitable and some were keen to sit in on the council meetings as observers. Dr. Ian Simons and his wife Mariana did an excellent job in taking care of the arrangements. Please continue to pray for Dr. Simons as he undergoes cancer treatment, beseeching that our Awesome God would be merciful to him, his family and the Winnipeg church, which they are so much a part of and where they are needed.

Linda Wasilkoff’s report of the council meetings is attached. We appreciate her hard work and diligence as our secretary.

Have a wonderful Pentecost weekend!

Warm Regards,

Rainer Salomaa

Winnipeg National Council Meeting

The summer meeting of the National Council was held on Sunday and Monday, June 1-2 in Winnipeg.  Quite a few church members along with their pastor, Herb Teitgen, sat in on the meetings. Prior to this, the Media and Ministerial Services Teams met on Thursday and Friday. The council members attended Sabbath services. After the service, everyone enjoyed a delightful time of fellowship and a catered Chinese meal.

Since this was the first meeting of this fiscal year, the Council Code of Ethics and Council Member Job Description were read.  New council member, Patrick Read, was welcomed to his first meeting and was asked to give a short ice breaker.  Following that, Herb Teitgen talked about the rewards and challenges of serving a Canadian congregation while living in the U.S.

A PowerPoint presentation from the National Office contained various graphs depicting our growth patterns. Graemme Marshall reported on personal correspondence questions which he has received, as well as questions asked by new contacts.

The Media Team PowerPoint presentation showed statistics from the Beyond Today television program and the results of the recent Reader’s Digest ads. Council was informed of future plans for the rest of the year.

Next the Ministerial Services Team reported that leadership development is still an important issue for the church.  Canada is tapping into some of the programs of the U.S.  There will also be a ministerial conference later this year for all Canadian elders as well as a Western Canada leadership workshop weekend in Calgary on June 21-22.

Each pastor gave an update on how the spring festival season went in the areas for which he was responsible.  The trends are positive.

Larry DeLong was asked to give his impressions of this year’s General Conference of Elders, since this is the first time that he has attended one of them. He said that it is difficult to justify the personal expense to attend until you actually are there, just the same as if a person tried to describe the Feast of Tabernacles to someone who had not attended one.  The interaction, instruction and spirit of unity were highlights. Robert Berendt then gave an update on the most recent Council of Elders meeting. 

The National Office was asked to do a study regarding the potential need to move from the current office space.  The council reviewed the study and referred it to the Strategic Planning/Finance Committee for further discussion.  Next on the agenda was a discussion regarding the new Strategic Plan and Operation Plan that UCGIA just approved.  The question as to whether Canada should model next year’s yearly plan after these was also referred to the committee.

Monday began with a report from the Strategic Planning/Finance Committee.   They submitted a resolution for ratification of expenditures to keep charitable purposes ratio in acceptable CRA guidelines.   The committee will continue to work on the Strategic Plan for 2008-2009 to have it ready for council approval during the September teleconference.  The committee also worked on strategies for the National Office to use for finding new office space.

The Governance Committee presented a proposal to amend the policy on establishing new churches and Bible Study groups. A motion was passed to accept the amended document. An Elder Appeal Policy for Canada was approved by council.  Refinements to the lay member nominations process were also discussed. 

As a part of council education, Robert Berendt was asked to cover the topic of “Masterful Meetings.” He gave a short summary from an all-day seminar during the last Council of Elders meetings in which Michael Wilkinson had talked about how to make meetings more productive.

The regular session ended with a short brainstorming session.  Following that, the council went into executive session where they discussed designated funds and reserves. Also, the annual review of the Director of Operations was conducted.

Linda Wasilkoff

Greetings;

Here is a brief pre-amble for the attached write-ups:

The Canadian National Conference had their annual teleconference, followed by a short National Council teleconference on Sunday, March 9. Claudia and I flew in to Toronto arriving about an hour and a half behind schedule because of weather conditions at the Toronto airport. On the Sabbath, we attended services in Toronto. The attendance was sparse since a major snow storm was building. We hunkered down that evening with the Wasilkoffs in the comfort of their home beside a warm fireplace as the snow swirled outside. Sunday morning saw sunny skies and high snow drifts. The mounds of snow in Toronto were such a contrast to the warm temperatures and bare ground which greeted us in Calgary when we returned on Tuesday.

Please take the time to read Linda Wasilkoff’s report on the teleconferences.

I want to publically thank Dennis Horlick for his three years of service on the National Council and to welcome Patrick Read from Toronto as a new council member. I also want to express appreciation for all those who let their names stand for nomination. We are blessed with a large pool of talented people in United Church of God – Canada.

Warm Regards,

Rainer Salomaa

Annual National Conference Meeting
March 9, 2008

The 2008 annual meeting of the National Conference started at noon (Eastern Time) and ran for two hours. There were a record number of conference members online for the teleconference – twenty out of a potential of twenty-five.

All balloting was completed prior to the meeting.

Address by Director of Operations

Anthony Wasilkoff referred to the scriptures where Christ asked his disciples who people were saying He was. Christ then asked the disciples who they thought He was. One point being made was that He wanted his disciples to be aware of what was happening around them – of public opinion.

A recent poll showed that the American religious economy is very competitive. Some are growing, some are in decline. We have a fluid society where people often change jobs, homes and churches.

Several articles from the Toronto Sun, Time magazine and even National Geographic have apocalyptic themes. The gospel message is not one-dimensional. The gospel should be a warning. Matthew 24 talks about the end time being shortened for the elect’s sake. Today there are many talking about the apocalypse.

Mr. Wasilkoff referred to Colossians 1:4-23, which talks about the gospel message that is also a message of hope. Our message to the world should be a warning but one that also has hope for a better future. Soon we plan to run another ad in Reader’s Digest that will extend some hope to people in a troubled time.

Media Update

The Media Team has been working to get the Beyond Today television program on better viewing times. The problem that we run into is the “Canadian content” rules.

We have negotiated another ad in the Readers Digest magazine with a different theme this time. It should come out in late April.

Internet requests are now averaging about 28 per day.

Ministerial Services Update

Ministerial Services has started getting a police background check on every individual who works with youth in the church.

There are programs under development and some being implemented to train and upgrade our leadership. We recognize a need for additional elders and pastors across Canada.

As an aside, Robert Berendt mentioned that the Roles and Rules committee of the Council of Elders is working on the various roles of ministers at various times of their lives. There will be an all-Canada ministerial conference held this November in Toronto. We anticipate having Jim Franks join us for that.

Address by Treasurer: Edwin van Pelt

Mr. van Pelt read a portion of the auditor’s report showing that we are in good financial health.

There was a significant increase in our data base this year with over 10,000 new names added. That gives a net increase (after cancellations) of about 3,600. We now have 148 subscribers to the Bonnes Nouvelles.

Outgoing mail is increasing. We issued about 10% more donation receipts this year than last year.

Address by Chairman

Glen Beck interviewed Jon M. Huntsman a self-made billionaire who is donating $1 billion of his own money to help fund cancer research and hospitals.

At one time, Mr. Huntsman made a $54 million deal to sell a portion of his business by a handshake. By the time the deal was completed, the value of the business had increased to $225 million. The CEO he was dealing with offered to split the difference, but Huntsman kept to the original agreed upon deal. Huntsman’s integrity had so impressed the CEO that when he died several years later, Huntsman was asked to speak at his funeral even though they were not that close. Hunstman went on to say in his interview that he has a plaque behind his desk which says, "The greatest exercise for the human heart is to reach down and lift another up."

Here in the UCG we are not fighting cancer but are involved in something much larger than ourselves – lifting others up to a higher plateau, God’s standard. To do that takes character, integrity and a right personal example. There is a parallel between where we are today and the time of the rebuilding of the temple. We need to heed what God instructed the Israelites at that time: Be strong, do not fear and work!

Business

Ballot results were read. The Strategic Plan, Operations Plan and Budget were all ratified. The 2007 National Conference Minutes and March 2007 Financial Statements were approved. The company of Marsh, Goulding was officially appointed to conduct the 2009 audit. The three individuals selected to start a three-year term on Council on April 1 are: Larry DeLong, Graemme Marshall and Patrick Read.

The National Conference determined that the next National Conference meeting would be held on Sunday, March 8, 2009.

After some discussion the meeting concluded with prayer.

Linda Wasilkoff

MARCH 9, 2008
NATIONAL COUNCIL TELECONFERENCE

The spring session of the National Council meeting was held by teleconference on March 9. The first item of business was to adopt the minutes of the previous meeting.

A new council member, Patrick Read, will be starting a three-year term on April 1. That necessitated assigning him to a council committee. After discussion, it was determined that Mr. Read would be assigned to the Governance/Ethics/Pastoral Committee.

The Amendment Committee had an upcoming vacancy that needed to be filled. The Council discussed the possible candidates for this and determined that Dr. Dennis Barney Kerrighan would be asked to fill the vacancy.

Some time was allotted to a discussion regarding how Canada can assist some other country in preaching the gospel. This has been a desire since our inception but must be done within governmental and church guidelines. More research will be needed before any action can be taken.

This was the last meeting that Dennis Horlick will attend as a council member. Gratitude for his service was expressed.

Linda Wasilkoff