This is a history of the business meetings we have been having at 6:00 PM prior to the regular CSF general meetings. The purpose is to find a permanent church home and establish operational procedures.
Next Transition Meeting
No more business/transition meetings are scheduled. They will be scheduled as necessary for specific needs.
Transition News
March 2, 2008: The leadership committee met, agreed on responsibilities, and discussed operations.
| Chair: | Jared Barlow |
| Vice chair: | Sheldon Metcalfe |
| Secretary: | Charles Shipley |
| Treasurer: | Cathy Van Aerden |
| Communications coordinator: |
Ken Jackson |
February 24, 2008: A vote was taken to remain at Crossroads Church, which must now be confirmed.
February 17, 2008: There was discussion about the four candidate churches described in this table.
| Churches in consideration for hosting CSF singles ministry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LOCATION | FACILITIES | CHURCH SUPPORT | |
| Crossroads Church of the Nazarene Nazarene |
2750 Rogers Ave., Ellicott City, 21043 410-465-1103 Pastor Kevin Hardy Pastor Tom Gray Near Chapelgate, main roads |
Sanctuary w/ sound system and projector (no computer) Gathering Place food area, gym | Flexible--pastoral staff would help guide leadership, provide teachers; CSF may join program meetings. Use of bldg and offering periodically (no financial support). CSF may remain doctrinally independent. |
| Christian Life Fellowship Independent / Charismatic |
Old Frederick Rd., Catonsville, 21228 410-747-9307 Pastor Larry Gary Near Beltway, Route 40, city; park at shops |
All purpose room with projector, sound | Minimal; use of bldg, set fee for materials/power |
| Baltimore 1st Seventh Day Adventist Church SDA |
St. Johns Lane, Ellicott City 410-465-6864 Pastor Ben Boggess Near Chapelgate, (Old Chapelgate bldg: birthplace of CSF) |
Fellowship hall with use of kitchen Projector Sanctuary being repaired |
Minimal support but flexible on how much. Limited Saturday use and no all-day Sunday use of bldg. |
| Calvary Community Church Independent Evangelical, doctrinally open or neutral |
9180 Rumsey Rd D1, Columbia, 21045 410-381-5200 Pastor Mark Scott Pastor Dan Beasley Near routes 100 and 108, 29 |
All-purpose room with chairs, tables, sound system, projector, white
board, counters (must be set up) Living Room coffee area Sanctuary for events Smaller rooms, new equipment, classrooms |
May become regular program of church with pastoral/other support or remain independent. CSF's mission closely fits with Calvary's mission for broad Christian outreach. |
February 10, 2008: Five leaders were elected. They are Jared Barlow, Sheldon Metcalfe, Cathy Van Aerden, Ken Jackson, and Charles Shipley. There was also some discussion about selecting our permenant church home.
January 27, 2008: Six candidates were nominated for
leadership. They are Jared Barlow, Sheldon Metcalfe,
Cathy Van Aerden, Ken Jackson, Charles Shipley,
and Paul Smith. There will be no CSF meeting next week
(Superbowl Sunday). We will vote February 10.
We are now
listed in the
Christian Singles Groups MD list.
January 20, 2008: We met and continued the discussion on possible permanent church homes.
January 13, 2008: A procedure for electing leadership was presented, discussed, amended and adopted. The procedure is shown below.
January 6, 2008: We were delighted to meet for the first time at Crossroads Church of the Nazarene where we felt warmly welcomed. We did not have a transition meeting to discuss business. At the bottom of the page are some pictures taken by Jared of us fellowshiping and enjoying snacks.
We had a meeting on December 2, 2007, in which these items were discussed.
- A Statement of Faith was presented, discussed, modified and adopted by the 18 people present. The intention is to include only the group's core Christian beliefs since the group comprises people from a wide spectrum of denominations, and we are not a church, after all.
- Further information about the candidate host churches was presented and discussed.
- The decision was made to continue the same schedule of 6:00 PM transition meetings and 7:00 PM main meeting on Sundays and to accept the gracious offer to tentatively meet at Crossroads Church of the Nazarene while we search for a permanent host church.
We had a meeting on November 25, 2007, in which these items were discussed.
- Three additional churches were discussed as possible hosts.
- There was to be a vote at this meeting whether to accept the statement of faith of one candidate host church and whether to remove a particular denomination from further consideration as a host. But after a lengthy discussion a motion to send the ballot back to committee was adopted. All the candidate host churches are to be investigated and presented for a single vote.
- A preliminary statement of faith for Christian Singles Fellowship was prepared, but there was insufficient time to present or review it.
- With only one regular scheduled weekly meeting left at Chapelgate Church (not counting the Christmas party), there is concern that we will end up with no place to meet and no decision on a host church. Chapelgate may allow us to continue to meet for these discussions, or we may find a temporary place for discussions until we have a new church home.
We had a meeting on November 18, 2007, in which these items were discussed.
- A preliminary Mission Statement and Purpose were adopted. These are needed in discussions with candidate host churches.
- A Statement of Faith is being drafted and should be ready for a vote next Sunday.
- Discussions with potential new host churches are proceeding.
- A new name was tentatively adopted:
Christian Singles Fellowship.
The URL ChristianSinglesFellowship.net redirects to this
web page for now.
Note that it is .net, not .org or .com because both of those variations are already taken.
We had a meeting on November 11, 2007, in which these items were discussed.
- There are four local churches that have offered space.
- A Statement of Faith is being drafted.
- A new name for the group must be selected.
- Our new host may not be able to provide funding, so we may need to be self-sufficient.
Transition Documents
Leader Selection Procedure
Leadership recommendations:
Since its sponsorship by Chapelgate, CCF has been administered by a steering committee of leaders. These leaders were asked to serve after selection by existing steering comittee members with the approval of Chapelgate's leadership. Since Christian Singles Fellowship is no longer affiliated or sponsored by Chapelgate Presbyterian Church, new selection criteria are necessary to form a new leadership committee. This committee will replace all previous members and leaders of CCF's old steering committee.
These recommendations for leadership and voting procedures are as follows:
- The leadership committee will be comprised of five (5) CSF members who
will be nominated and elected for overall leadership and administration.
Their purpose is to guide CSF, plan worship events, select and schedule
speakers, coordinate social activities, and direct other CSF issues as
needed.
- To be eligible for leadership, nominees must have consistently attended
CSF for at least one year, be committed Christians, be of good Christian
character, and support the mission statement and statement of faith of
Christian Singles Fellowship. Those nominated must agree to have his or her
name placed in nomination.
- The term of office for members of the leadership committee will be one
year. No member can be elected for more than three consecutive terms. Any
officer who serves three consecutive terms will be required to step down
for at least one year in order to prevent burn-out and encourage new
leaders with different perspectives and different gifts to serve.
- An announcement will be made at a regular CSF meeting and via electronic
mail as to the dates and times for a special business meetings; during
these meetings CSF members will nominate and elect the leadership
committee.
- On the date designated for nominations, members will nominate
individuals who qualify. A temporary secretary will be selected to take the
minutes of the business meeting, to document the names of nominees, and to
record the names of the nominees.
- Election of leaders will occur by secret ballot at the next business
meeting. The ballot will consist of five blank lines where each member
will write in and vote for only five individuals. Ballots containing more
than five names will be discarded. The 5 nominees receiving the most votes
will be selected for the leadership committee. Votes will be counted and
tracked by at least 2 individuals. In case of a tie which creates more
than 5 committee members, a run-off election will occur to determine the
final five committee members.
- Once the 5 members are selected, the leadership committee will meet
within two weeks to determine a chair person, vice chair person, secretary,
treasurer, and communications coordinator by either consensus or a vote.
The leadership committee will be responsible for appointing other
leadership positions as required (social, food, music, etc.)
- The initial responsibilities of the new CSF leadership committee will be
to review and revise the bylaws, rules, regulations, and/or any other
governing procedures if necessary. Any changes will be brought to the
membership for consideration and a ratification vote. Changes,
alterations, or additions to the mission statement, bylaws, or other
structural issues will require a 2/3rds majority for approval of those
attending the business meeting.
Relocation
II. Relocation
Since a move to a new location is mandated by Chapelgate Presbyterian Church's decision to withdraw their support from CCF, now renamed Christian Singles Fellowship, very careful consideration should be given to where the group will relocate. The decision to relocate is very critical to the success of this singles ministry in the future and a vote of the membership is required for the move. The procedures for relocation are as follows:
- The relocation subcommittee will interview the pastors or officials of
all churches extending an invitation to host CSF.
- If possible, on-site visits should be conducted to potential host
churches or facilities before a final decision is made by the membership.
The relocation subcommittee will then report its information and findings
to the membership for consideration, information, and questions.
- An announcement will be made as to the date and time of a business
meeting when voting will take place as to the new location for CSF.
- At the business meeting, a vote will be taken of the CSF membership to
determine the new location. The members will vote for one of the host
churches and a 75% majority of those voting will be required to make the
move to a particular location. The secretary on the leadership committee
will record the vote and the church or facility that is selected.
- It may be necessary to move to a temporary site before a suitable
location is found. This location should be discussed among the members and
approved as well.
Links
Directions to Crossroads Church.| Contact: |