Proclaiming, Welcoming, Serving

​My name is Jean Herriges and I have the honor this year of serving as Secretary on the CGS Council. One of my main responsibilities is to take notes at the Council meeting and make sure they are accurate. As you probably know, the Council and the congregation have spent a lot of time this year talking about CGS’s governing documents. This includes the constitution, by-laws, and continuing resolutions. I’ve learned so much about how our church works this year as we’ve focused on these important documents – and keeping the meeting minutes accurate has been tough!

One of the areas we focused on for the constitution was to propose a change to when the new Council members start their term. Our proposal is for the Council term to start in the spring, rather than in January. January has always been a bit challenging, as we focus so much of our attention, both in church and out, on the season of Advent, that it can be an overwhelming experience for new Council members to get oriented to their roles on Council. I also LOVE the idea that we will be “rebirthing” Council after the season of Easter. Stay tuned to this item, as we will be voting to ratify this and the other proposed changes at our November congregational meeting.
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After the special congregational meeting held in September, Council received feedback from several members about items we voted on and discussed. There were questions, recommendations, suggestions, and even complaints. The Council discussed each of these and continues to communicate with members about their concerns. I’m continually impressed by how much care and concern our members show toward making sure that CGS is a well-run organization. We are lucky to be in this together, and to have each other help guide us as we live out our mission to proclaim, welcome, and serve. 

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