2020 District Council Updates

District Council has been canceled for 2020.

Dear Partners in Ministry,
We trust that God is blessing, protecting, and providing strength as you navigate these uncharted waters.
This morning, the Presbytery met via video conference. In that meeting, they voted to take emergency executive action to completely cancel District Council 2020. This action is allowed by corporate law in the State of Missouri. As you can imagine, a decision of this nature was not made lightly. Several factors played into this action:
1.     Concern for the health and well being of our ministers
2.     Concerns for the well being of the host church and their staff
3.     An overall feeling of the District Leadership that with it already being October, it seemed best to delay all business until we could meet in-person in our regularly called District Council 2021.  Though online was an option, there were concerns over the weightiness of all the decisions which needed to be made, including the election of all three executive officers and all four executive presbyters. To best insure everyone feels their voice is heard, in-person is the best option.
According to this action, all current officers will remain in their present roles until District Council 2021. Terms of office will be adjusted at the time of those elections to keep all of our election cycles intact. (For example, the executive officers will be elected for a three year term which will begin following the 2021 District Council).
We had hoped that we could move forward with the Council, however, we can see that Covid does not seem to be letting up, and just this week, we felt we had clarity as to a final decision regarding this event.
Later in October, the three executive officers along with the District CFO will provide a video report updating everyone on the current state of the District. As well, we will continue to look for ways to speak life and encouragement into the hearts of our ministers and churches during this troublesome time. In addition, there will be an online presentation of missions needs sometime in October.
Arrangements will be made for all ordination candidates to have a time of “laying on of hands” before December 31 as directed by the General Council so they will be officially ordained in this calendar year. However, all 2020 candidates will be invited to participate in the 2021 Ordination Service so that they can experience the full spiritual impact of being challenged through the Word and of the District Presbytery praying over them.
Thank you for your understanding and support on this weighty decision. We believe the Lord is guiding us. We also know that God placed you right where you are on purpose. Knowing all that would happen in 2020, he positioned you to impact your family, community and world. Please know that we stand ready to assist you in any way possible through Resource, Relationship, and Renewal.
If you have any questions regarding this information, please feel free to contact us.
Great Days Ahead!
Pastor Don