GOD TOLD ABRAHAM
“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse” (Gen. 12:1–3). That’s an incredible promise, isn’t it? God will favor those who favor Abram and set Himself against those who oppose Abram.
YOU
MAY SEND ME A COMMENT IF YOU WISH TO
CHARLIESOPINIONTODAY@GMAIL.COM
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SEPT 4 , 2024
IT is past time for me to post MY
OPINION again. As a new presidential election is just a little over
two months away I still believe the main issue is ABORTION I said
this before and I will repeat I believe this is the number one issue
which will determine the new president.
As I have also stated before in my opinions
I believe GOD controls the leaders of the nations of the world. He
will work on the hearts and minds of voters to have the outcome he
chooses. I was talking to a person the other day and he was telling
me about an individual that said he just couldn't bring himself
around to vote for Trump , this person said , WHAT , what would you
rather have open borders , people coming into the country we don't
know anything about and high gasoline and energy prices , sky high
inflation just because you don't like the person. As individual voters I believe God will
also hold us responsible to make good choices , we need to search our
options carefully and vote for the best of the country , choices that
God would approve of.
Was god working on the mind of the
person who didn't like trump ?
Think about this , the outcome God
chooses may be devastating if we make bad decisions just because we
don't like someone. We should study our options and vote to please
God after all he has allowed us to have the greatest country in the
world and , why would we throw that away? Voting for people who
would allow abortion I don't think will please God.
We also have another issue in this
country and it involves the Jewish people , antisemitism , hostility
to or prejudice against Jewish people. Like it or not these are Gods
chosen people.
Think about this God said , ( promised
) “ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I
will curse” Gen. 12:1-3. I will not vote for the party that
dishonors the Jewish people , i'm going for the Blessing.
We don't know what the curse is but be
sure it won't be good.
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IN MY OPINION
February 2024
AM I
WORRIED ABOUT THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE OF THE DIRECTION IT IS HEADED
POLITICALY,
MORALLY OR ECONOMICALLY ?
IF
GOD IS IN CONTROL AND ALLOWS WHOM HE WISHES TO BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT
WHY SHOULD I WORRY , GOD IS GOING TO HAVE THE LAST SAY.
AS I
THINK ABOUT THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS PEOPLE SAID DONALD TRUMP
WOULD NEVER BECOME PRESIDENT ,OUTSIDER ,HE WASN'T PRESIDENTIAL OR NEW
ANYTHING ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY BUT GUESS WHAT HE FOOLED EVERYONE , GOD
WORKED ON THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE VOTERS AND ALLOWED HIM TO
BECOME THE 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. THE COUNTRY WAS A
MESS ECONOMACALLY , HE PULL THAT TOGETHER BY REDUCING UNEMPLOYMENT ,
KEPT US OUT OF FOREIGN CONFLICTS AND WAR , MADE US ENERGY INDEPENDENT
, MOVED THE CAPITAL OF ISREAL TO JERUSALEM. GOT ABORTION OUT OF THE
HANDS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND I CAN NAME MUCH MORE. AFTER ALL
THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS , THE COUNTRY ROLLING ALONG SMOOTH IT WOULD BE
A NO BRAINER, A SECOND TERM WOULD BE A SNAP.
I CAN
REMEMBER I MENTIONED IN A PREVIOUS OPINION THAT I DIDN'T THINK HE
WOULD BE PREISIDENT AGAIN ,BECAUSE , WHERE WAS GOD IN THIS , HE
DIDN'T GIVE GOD ANY CREDIT FOR HIS SUCCESS ,THAT GOD HAD ACCOMPLISHED
THRU HIM. IT APPEARED TO ME HE LIKED TO TAKE ALL THE CREDIT HIMSELF.
I
THINK I CAN TELL YOU GOD DOESN'T ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE TO GET THE CREDIT
FOR WHAT HE DOES. DID WE AS A PEOPLE THANK GOD FOR GIVING US
PRESIDENT TRUMP ? DID TRUMP PUBLICALLY THANK GOD FOR GIVING HIM
SUCCESS , I DONT THINK SO.
NOW
FOR THE BIDEN ELECTION , THE CAMPAIGN WAS MINIMAL , WE DIDN'T LEARN
MUCH FOR WHAT HE WOULD DO , THE GREEN NEW DEAL (DECEPTION , MONEY
GRAB FOR THE RICH) SHOULD HAVE TOLD US SOMETHING. THE MAINSTREAM
MEDIA , OUR WATCHMAN DIDN'T DO THERE JOB.
THE
BIBLE SAYS , MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE :
BECAUSE THOU HAVE REJECTED KNOWLEDGE , I WILL REJECT THEE , THAT
THOU SHALL BE PRIEST TO ME : SEEING THOU HAST FORGOTTEN THE LAW OF
THY GOD , I WILL ALSO FORGET THY CHILDREN. (Hosea 4:6)
GUESS
WHAT GOD WORKED ON THE HEART AND MINDS OF THE PEOPLE AND ALLOWED
BIDEN TO BECOME PRESIDENT.
WHAT
DID WE GET OUT OF THAT DEAL , A BIG BIDEN FAMILY SCANDAL , HORRIBLE
FOREIGN POLICY , CONFLICTS, WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS , ECONOMIC
DISASTER ,PRICES ALMOST DOUBLING , ENERGY PRICES GOING THRU THE ROOF.
WE GOT EXACTLY WHAT WE ASKED FOR.
NOW
AM I WORRIED ABOUT THIS COUNTRY ? YES WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR THINKING
, THANK GOD WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE , TACKLE THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM IN
THIS COUNTRY , ABORTION , GET RID OF ABORTION , I BELIEVE GOD WILL
WORK ON THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE PEOPLE AND WE WILL HAVE PEOPLE IN
OUR GOVERMENT THAT WILL GET THIS COUNTRY BACK ON TRACK.
BORDER PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED , ECONOMY WILL BE SOLVED , ENERGY
PRICES WILL COME DOWN WE WILL BE ENERGY INDEPENDENT . THESE PROBLEMS
ARE SIMPLE , PRESEDENT TRUMP ALREADY ACOMPLISHED THAT ONCE AND IT
DIDN'T TAKE LONG.
WAKE
UP AMERICA , VOTE RESPONSIBLY AND THANK GOD THAT WE STILL HAVE THIS
GREAT COUNTRY WHERE WE CAN VOTE AND HAVE A SAY. THIS COULD SOON
BE GONE.
JANUARY 31 2024
Read More
WITH A NEW PRESENDENTIAL ELECTION
COMMING UP, AND WE KNOW, AND ITS NO SECRET THAT GOD IS IN TOTAL
CONTROL AND WILL ALLOW WHOM HE WISHES TO BE ARE NEXT PRESIDENT.
THAT BEING SAID I THINK THE CANDIDATES
ARE MISSING THE MAIN ISSUE , I BELIEVE THE NUMBER ONE
ISSUE IS ABORTION
AND UNTIL WE PROPERLY SOLVE THIS PROBLEM GOD WILL
CONTINUE TO CAUSE THINGS TO HAPPEN WHICH ARE NOT TO ARE LIKING, TO
GET OUR ATTENTION. WE NEED TO TOTALLY ABOLISH ABORTION FOR ANY REASON
EXCEPT FOR LIFE THREATING CONDITIONS FOR THE MOTHER ESPECIALLY IF
SHE HAS SMALL CHILDREN WHO RELY ON HER FOR THEIR WELL BEING AND A
DOCTOR HAS DETERMINED SHE LIKELY WILL NOT SERVIVE THE PREGNECY.
MOTHERS DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO KILL ANY BABIES , HARD TO BELIEVE
ESPECIALLY THEIR OWN. THERE WERE APPROXAMATELY 930,000 ABORTIONS
PERFORMED IN THE USA IN YEAR 2020. I AM CERTIAN GOD WILL NOT PUT UP
WITH THIS.
SECONDLY THE
SITUATION AT THE BORDER NEEDS TO BE SOLVED, THE MEXICAN US BORDER
NEEDS TO BE CLOSED NOW. THINK ABOUT IT THE GARDEN OF EDEN HAD A GATE
TO KEEP BAD PEOPLE OUT , HEAVEN HAS GATES , PEOPLE ALL OVER THIS
COUNTRY LIVE IN GATED COMMUNITIES TO KEEP BAD PEOPLE OUT. WE HAVE LET
APPROXAMATELY 10 MILLION PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY WHOM WE DONT KNOW
MUCH ABOUT AND THE FBI HAS WARNED WE ARE BEING INVADED . ONE PERCENT OF 10 MILLION IS 100
THOUSAND , A SIGNIFICATE ARMY SECRETLY WITH IN THE COUNTRY, TWO
THOUSAND SOLDIERS FOR EVERY STATE. IF WE WERE ATTACKED FROM ABROAD
WITH CELLS OF SOLDIERS ALREADY IN POSITION WE COULD VERY EASILY BE
OVERTHROWN.
WE HAVE
IMMIGRATION LAWS WHICH I BELIEVE WERE INSPIRED BY GOD TO HELP CONTROL
THE FLOW OF PEOPLE COMMING INTO THIS COUNTRY WE NEED TO GET THEM
BACK IN FORCE NOW.
THIRD , THE BIBLE IS CLEAR THAT GOD REQUIRES EQUAL JUSTICE . I BELIEVE THIS
IS VERY IMPORTANT TO GOD . I BELIEVE GOD WILL PUNISH ALL THOSE
INVOLVED IN UNEQUAL JUSTICE , IT WILL NOT BE GOOD FOR THEM. I WOULD
NOT CARE TO BE IN THE SHOES OF THOSE JUDGES , LAWYERS AND GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS WHICH ALLOW OR PRACTICE UNEQUAL JUSTICE.
FORTH , AS CITIZENS
OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY WE SHOULD TREAT OUR NEIGHBOR AS WE WOULD LIKE
TO BE TREATED NO MATTER OF COLOR OR RACE. LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS
OURSELF. WE ARE ALL IN THIS WORLD TO PLEASE GOD , REMEMBER ,GOD HAS A
CHOSEN PEOPLE , THE JEWS AND ISERAL , ISERAL THE HOME OF GODS CITY
JERUSELEM , THE HOLY CITY. REMEMBER, GOD SAID I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO
BLESS ISREAL AND I WILL CURSE THOSE WHO DO NOT . I THINK I WANT TO BE
ON THE RIGHT SIDE FOR THE BLESSING . WE NEED TO BE SURE THAT OUR
GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS ISREAL AND WE SUPPORT THE JEWISH PEOPLE . IT WILL
GUARANTEE US A BLESSING FROM GOD, GOD SAID IT.
MARCH 2 , 2023 WATCHMAN , ARE YOU A WATCHMAN ??
Read MoreAs You know , we depend on the news media to give us accurate news so we can make good decisions on maybe our investments or who we might vote for or how and when we might take a vacation. Mabey it is a health decision or whether we might want to get a vaccine for covid or shingles. What we see on TV and or the corporate media news or glean from the internet , ( Google , You Tube , Twitter , Facebook ETC. ) influences the decisions we make , so you see it is very important we have accurate , current information with nothing omitted or left out , what is the big word now ? REDACTED.
I believe all the , organizations , affiliates , people and associates above are our WATCHMAN and will be held responsible by GOD almighty for the information they provide thru the media outlets .
What does GOD say about the WATCHMAN.
EZEKIEL 3:17
17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved
yourself.
EZEKIEL 33
3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will [a]save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’
People are dying because of other people making bad decisions. God will hold someone responsible for every single baby aborted (millions upon millions) . Am i going to share the guilt for my tax dollars helping to pay for abortion.? We need to outlaw abortion now.
How come the Media WATCHMAN is not warning the people ?
LEVITICUS 20:13
13 If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.
What kind of people do we have in our Government who would possibly think of such a thing as same sex marriage and allow it to become law . It is an abomination and a recipe for death.
How come the Government and MEDIA WATCHMAN are not warning the people.
How come the MEDIA WATCHMAN are not warning us of bad political decisions that are getting people killed in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Guess what i don't think i would want to be in any of their shoes for a minute , i'm not without guilt but these people will be held at a higher standard and for not sounding the alarm a lot of blood will be on their hands.
IN MY OPINION
10/19/22
Mid term elections just around the corner I thought I would put my two cents worth in and make a couple comments.
I believe it is a Christians responsibility to vote and to study the issues that support Christian values and vote accordingly no matter how it AFFECTS ME OR YOU.
When I grew up there were two main voter groups , Democrats and Republicans they thought alike on a lot of social issues such as Abortion , drugs and family, went to the same churches and supported good wholesome school curriculum and activity. Now these are the main issues that separate the democrats and republicans . There are other issues I will talk about later. Now we have the Independent voter party they have different views on the issues. These are people that have separated from the republican and or democrat party for one reason or another.
Democrats are usually associated with a social more Liberal view and big government while Republicans are associated with a more conservative and small government.
Personally I am for small government (less regulations) , I believe abortion is murder except if the life of the mother is in jeopardy especially if she already has small children. You want to play around and you mate and a new life is created you and your mate have the responsibility to take care of that new life ( HUMAN BEING) and bring it to maturity not murder it for your convenience.
I believe that the family was created by God , God gave Adam ,Eve as his mate he thereby created the family I do not believe government has the right to re define the family. Legalizing drugs to me is a no-brainer we know the devastating effect drugs have on people and families and the homeless and the crime that goes along with the use of drugs.
Democrats would allow abortion and pay for it with your money , (tax payers money) . I don't want my taxes to pay for murder. Democrats have re-defined marriage . Democrats would legalize the use of hard drugs and open our borders for drugs and crime to enter freely . I just cant believe all Democrats are like that, the party has been taken over by the radical left. They should kick the bums out or get out themselves , like Tulsi Gabbard she done the right thing and got out.
This november lets all get together and take are country back. Lets get abortion outlawed and only used for special reasons for the safety of the mother , Lets get our Borders sealed , our military back to the greatest in the world . Lets get our economy back by being energy independent that will bring energy prices down very crucial for this winter heating season, and lower food prices at the store . We know everything is geared to oil and energy we get this fixed and stop foolish spending inflation will level out. The Biden administration hasn't figured this out or just don't care they keep pushing the green new deal which is a biggest scam this country has ever experienced..
Remember God has everything under perfect control but he expects us to do our part with the tools given to us . VOTE RESPONSIBIE
I believe we will be held accountible.
IN MY OPINION
MARCH 2022
How stupid can our leaders on the left get. THE GREEN NEW DEAL , What a joke and a terrible deception , in my opinion , and i will tell you why.
Most people will agree that GOD created this WORLD and everything in it - if you are not a fool - the Bible says only a fool says there is no GOD.
( Psalm 14:1 The fool says in is heart , "There is no God." ) That being said , in Genesis 8 the Lord said in his heart, " I will never again curse the
ground on account of man , even though the inclination of the heart of humankind is evil from youth. Nor will i ever again smite all living
creatures as i have done. WHILE ALL THE DAYS OF LAND REMAIN , SEADTIME AND HARVEST , COLD AND HEAT , SUMMER AND WINTER , DAY
AND NIGHT SHALL NOT CEASE . " So what kind of crap are these green new deal people trying to pull ??
NOW FOR THE DECEPTION PART ,
THE " GND " GREEN NEW DEAL "
THE " GND " THE GREAT NEW DECEPTION "
Read below , i believe what this man has to say. I have read some of Mr. Caseys work and i believe he is on the right track.
According to proponents of climate change, also called global warming, in nine years this World will face a tremendous crisis because of the world getting hotter.
However, well-known and reputable scientist John Casey has presented facts that indicate this Earth is actually getting cooler. His research has “now been corroborated by 17 independent scientific individuals and organizations.”
The facts put forward proves that “Global Warming” is “a $22 Billion Scam.” That is the amount “our government spends financing global warming initiatives” each year.
Now the fear that Man has caused the Earth to warm up should be considered nothing but fiction. Since 1998, the temperature has been declining, not rising.
By His Word God created this Earth and it will be His Word that will make it disappear. That will happen after Jesus has ruled this Earth a thousand years.
But the danger to America, and the World, is the present mindset that Global Warming does exist, and that we have to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. Doing so would create a catastrophic event that would cause millions of American lives, and billions of lives worldwide.
Little do they know that “it was discovered that a mere 1% of scientists, believe” that “human activity is causing change.”
America, and this World, owes a lot to the invention of the internal combustion engine, and to the fuels, which makes the 25 million highway transportation vehicles in the United States function. Plus millions of farm tractors and other equipment which use fuel to function.
Any interference in the present system would cause an un-imaginable interruption, which would undoubtedly cause precious human lives, because we are totally dependent on them.
The crazy folks who think of themselves as being progressives are in fact just the opposite. Their ideas will destroy our country, just the way they are doing right now.
Their ungodliness will eventually bring destruction upon America and the world. Possibly very soon, God is going to say enough is enough, or whatever words He chooses to use. He is the one who said He will bring judgment upon Man for their disobedience.
Manuel Ybarra Jr.
I like what "Archie" has to say below.
As we well know the leftist enemies of our nation have predicted all manner of terrible things that were going to happen. Polar bears would all be dead by the year 2000. Seas rising and flooding coastal communities by 2010. The polar ice caps would be melted etc etc. As of now none of these things have happened and the polar bear number has more than doubled in that time. Two talking heads, Al Gore and Barac Hussein, have both bought mansions on ocean front properties. Apparently they don't believe their own BS either.
FOLLOW THE MONEY , I WILL HAVE MORE SUPPORT FOR THIS SOON.
IN MY OPINION
February, 2021
FOR OUR COUNTRY
In My Opinion We havn't seen anything yet. What do I mean by that ? As I reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year I have decided I do not want a repeat of 2020 for my life , covid 19 pandemic, great political division do to presidential election and unrest in our cities do to political leaders not backing up our GREAT law enforcement community.
As I look back I believe this is a God thing and I believe God is trying to get our attention and if we don't make some changes now we will have greater consequences than Covid or hostile political unrest ever thought of being.
First In My opinion , I believe we need to get rid of the horrible scourge of abortion , murder of our live babies. A total of 27,339 abortions were reported in Michigan in 2019 according to MDH. I believe God is not going to put up with this any longer.
Second in my opinion I believe gods hand was with the founders of this great nation and gave us a sacred constitution that we people as voters need to protect. The People we elect take an oath to protect the constitution , not to change it or or get rid of it . We need to hold them to this OATH or have them removed and maybe prosecuted. As good citizens I believe that God requires us to vote and vote responsibly for people that will protect the constitution and condemn abortion.
Third , In my opinion I believe that God designed Marriage between a man and a woman only and we need to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. How you may wish to live different than this is up to you and we as people should have respect for all but our government should define it as god designed it.
IN MY OPINION
HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY BE
Everyone said it was impossible for an outsider especially like TRUMP to be elected President of the United States but guess what it happened.
Donald J Trump was elected 45th president of the United States and against all odds such as the Evil Fake News Media and you know who they are, false Russian Charges as we were to find out later were not true ,unwarranted impeachments and a lot more. He managed to stay in office and to top it off managed to bring unemployment to the lowest point In many years, managed to get the country energy independent, managed to close the southern border , got rid of needless regulations which got the economy booming and other great accomplishments. I call these good things ACCOMPLISHMENTS, thru TRUMP , by GOD using Trump to give the people of this Great Country, Peace , Prosperity and Security, what more could you want.
Did the people ever thank GOD for working thru Trump to achieve these accomplishments. Did you ever here Trump say or thank God publicly for allowing him to achieve these accomplishments , I don't think so it always appeared to me that he enjoyed taking the credit for what God had accomplished thru him instead of giving God the credit. Guess what down thru the ages God doesn't allow people to take the credit for what he does and that is the same for today.
IN MY OPINION , Trump would be President today if he would have given God the credit for what he accomplished under the worst conditions and the people would have shown some appreciation and thanked God for his goodness.
IN MY OPINION , Trump will not win another term , if he should decide to run -- unless he is willing to give credit where credit is due. God may give us a second chance if we are willing to thank him for what he has already done for this Great country. But be sure to give credit where credit is due.
MAY
2021 HUMC NEWS LETTER (APPLES) SNOVER, M
THE
GOOD WORLD by
Edgar A. Guest The
Lord must have liked us, I say when I seeThe
bloom of the rose and the green of the tree,The
flash of the wing of a bird flitting by,The
gold of the grain and the blue of the sky,The
clover below and the tall pines above - Oh,
there's something about us the good Lord must love.
MOTHER'S
DAY (taken from Mother
Newsletter May 2014) Every
year on the second Sunday of May, Families in the United States and
several other countries celebrate Mother's Day. 1906---It
began with Anna M. Jarvis, who was deeply attached to her Mother,
who had taught Sunday School in St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal
Church in Grafton, W. Virginia. She passed May 1 1907---Sunday,
in May, Anna started a special service in remembrance of her Mother 1908---She
convinced her own church in Philadelphia to celebrate. White
carnations were supplied to all Mothers 1914---Mother's
Day Observance passed by Congress
HAPPY
MOTHER'S DAYMay
9th
APPLES Which
the blossoms are starting right now!(Taken
from Mother's Newsletter, May 2014) A
few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention
in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in
plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush to catch the
plane home and with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesman
inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples.
Apples flew everywhere, Without stopping or looking back, they all
managed to reach the plane in time.
ALL
BUT ONE!!!
He
paused, took a deep breath, {AND EXPERIENCED A
TWINGE OF COMPASSION FOR THE GIRL WHOSE APPLE STAND HAD BEEN
OVERTURNED}. He told his buddies to go on without
him, waved good-bye and told one of them to call his wife and explain
his late flight.
Then
he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the
terminal floor. He was glad he did. The 16 year-old girl was
totally blind. She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks
and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as
the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping or caring for her
plight.
The
salesman knelt on the floor, gathered up the apples, put them back on
the table and organized her display. The bruised apples, these he
set aside. When he finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to
the girl. “Here, please take this money for the damage we did.
Are you OKAY?” She nodded through her tears. He said, “I hope
we didn't spoil your day too badly”. As he started to walk away,
she called out to him, ”Mister.” He paused and looked back into
those blind eyes as she continued. “Are you Jesus?”
He
stopped in mid-stride....and he wondered. He slowly went back and
said, “No, I am nothing like Jesus - He is good, kind, caring,
loving, and would never have bumped into your display”. The girl
gently nodded. “I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me
gather the apples. He sent you to help me. Thank you for hearing
Jesus, Mister”.
Slowly,
he left to catch the later flight with question burning in his soul.
“Are you Jesus”?
Do
people mistake you for Jesus?
That's
our destiny, is it not?
Too
be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we
interact with a world that is blind to His Love, Life, Grace.
You
are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a
fall, He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a
hill called “Calvary” and paid in full our damaged fruit.
THOUGHT
YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS STORY.
FUMC
Dec
2, 2021, 10:48 AM
Copied from
FB and the “Next Door” community app.
“In
1979, I was managing a Wendy's in Port Richey, Florida. Unlike
today, staffing was never a real problem, but I was searching for a
someone to work three hours a day only at lunch. I went thru all my
applications and most were all looking for full time or at least 20
hours per week. I found one however, buried at the bottom of a
four-inch stack that was only looking for lunch part-time. His name
was Nicky. Hadn't met him but thought I would give him a call and
see if he could stop by for an interview. When I called, he wasn't
in but his mom said she would make sure he would be there.
At
the accorded time, Nicky walked in. One of those moments when my
heart went in my throat. Nicky had Downs Syndrome. His physical
appearance was a giveaway and his speech only reinforced the
obvious. I was young and sheltered. Had never interacted on a
professional level with a developmentally disabled person. I had no
clue what to do, so I went ahead and interviewed him.
He
was a wonderful young man. Great outlook.
Task
focused. Excited to be alive. For only reasons God knew at that
time, I hired him. 3 hours a day, 3 days a week to run a grill. I
let the staff know what to expect. Predictably, the crew made sure
I got the message, "no one wants to work with a retard."
To
this day I find that word offensive. We had a crew meeting, cleared
the air, and prepared for his arrival. Nicky showed up for work
right on time.
He
was so excited to be working. He stood at the time clock literally
shaking with anticipation. He clocked in and started his training.
Couldn't multi task, but was a machine on the grill. Now for the
fascinating part.....
Back
in that day, there were no computer screens to work from. Every
order was called by the cashier. It required a great deal of
concentration on the part of all production staff to get the order
right.
While
Nicky was training during his first shift, the sandwich maker next
to him asked the grill man/trainer what was on the next sandwich.
Nicky replied, "single, no pickle no onion." A few
minutes later it happened again. It was then that we discovered
Nicky had a hidden and valuable skill.
He
memorized everything he heard!  Photographic hearing! WHAT A
SKILL SET. It took 3 days and every sandwich maker requested to
work with Nicky. He immediately was accepted by the entire crew.
After his shift he would join the rest of his crew family, drinking
Coke like it was water! It was then that they discovered another
Rainman-esque trait. Nicky was a walking/talking perpetual
calendar! With a perpetual calendar as a reference, they would sit
for hours asking him what day of the week was December 22, 1847.
He
never missed.
This
uncanny trait mesmerized the crew.
His
mom would come in at 2 to pick him up.
More
times than not, the crew would be back there with him hamming it
up. As I went to get him from the back, his mom said something I
will never forget. "Let him stay there as long as he wants. He
has never been accepted anywhere like he has been here." I
excused myself and dried my eyes, humbled and broken-hearted at the
lesson I just learned.
Nicky
had a profound impact on that store. His presence changed a lot of
people. Today I believe with every fiber of my body that Nicky's
hiring was no accident. God's Timing and Will is Perfect. This
Christmas, I hope we all understand what we are celebrating.
We
are all like Nicky. We each have our shortcomings. We each have our
strong points. But we are all of value. God made us that way and
God doesn't make mistakes. Nicky certainly wasn't a mistake. He was
a valuable gift that I am forever grateful for. We are celebrating
the birth of the ONE that leveled the playing field for all of us.
God doesn't care if you are rich or poor, republican or democrat or
black or white. He doesn't care if your chromosome structure is
perfect. He doesn't care what level of education you have attained.
He
cares about your heart.
He
wants us all to love and appreciate the gift HE gave us on
Christmas, His son, the Savior, our salvation. His Son that was
born to die for our sins. To pay our debt. To provide us a path for
eternity. So this Christmas, let’s check our hearts. There is a
little bit of Nicky in all of us and I suspect there is a Nicky
somewhere in your life that is looking for the chance to be
embraced. Thank God for that. Thank God for His perfect gift,
Christ Jesus.”
Copied
from a friend’s page and what a beautiful story.
Blessings,
Jerome
Taylor
Church Administrator
First United Methodist
Church
118 King Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904)
829-3459
Fumc@aug.com
Rosemary Blank
Dec 5, 2021, 4:32 PM (1 day ago)
That is a great story! This is a picture of John Cordova who I taught in second and third grade. He is doing so well academically and everyone loves him. John has a lot of friends.
LUNCH WITH GOD
A litle boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six pack of root beer and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a rout beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted.
They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "That he had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked? "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
Therefore send this to people who have touched your life in a special way. Let them know how important they are. Have lunch with God.
Author Unknown
MOORE TWP MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE AT CEMETERY, MONDAY MAY 31, 2021. 11: am . pictures from 2020.
***********************************************
It will soon be January 28, 2022. Guess what that is our mothers Birthday and she will be 100 years young. My Brothers and Sister -- Chuck (me) Dick , Dave , Andrea and Daryl -- and family's
are looking to celebrate her Birthday that day .
Family of Ray and Laura Kilbourn
top left to right --- Pete , Harold , Joe , Fred Bottom row --- Mother (Geraldine) , Irene , Laura , Ray , Margaret and Dorthy
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
DISAFFILATION PROCESS
THINGS TO KNOW AND DO
Compile
an up to date membership role and determine if you have enough
members that are willing or want to disaffiliate from the UMC.Call your
DS and explain to him you are considering disaffiliation and would
like to know how much it will cost on there part for pension and
insurance etc. Pastors I know say they should know right away and
should be able to give you a figure. If you owe conference for loans
and back apportionmont that will be taken that into consideration.Once all
things considered and you wish to disaffiliate you will have to make
arraingments for the DS to come to your church for the official vote
and vote certification. If you have two thirds of vote required you
should be able to start the disaffiliation process.STANDARD
FORM DISAFILLLIATION AGREEMENT BELOW
GCFA-Developed
“Standard Form Disaffiliation Agreement” As mandated
by ¶ 2553 In February 2019, the General Conference adopted petition
90066, which added a new ¶ 2553 to The Book of Discipline. 1 This
new paragraph allows a local church to disaffiliate from The United
Methodist Church “over issues related to human sexuality.” Among
other things, it requires a local church’s disaffiliation be
“memorialized in a binding Disaffiliation Agreement,” which must
be consistent with certain provisions set forth within the
paragraph.2 Additionally, GCFA is tasked with “develop[ing] a
standard form for Disaffiliation Agreements under [¶ 2553] to
protect The United Methodist Church as set forth in ¶ 807.9.”3 In
fulfillment of this provision, GCFA’s Board of Directors has
adopted the enclosed “Disaffiliation Agreement Pursuant to ¶
2553.” This “standard form” is intended to address the minimum
requirements for a disaffiliation agreement, as set forth in ¶
2553. It also reflects that “the disaffiliation agreement [must]
be ratified by a simple majority of the members of the annual
conference present and voting,” as required by Judicial Council
Decision 1379. It is not intended to be a comprehensive document
which addresses all issues that could be relevant in any particular
disaffiliation process, especially given that, per ¶ 2553.4a,
“annual conferences may develop additional standard terms that are
not inconsistent with the standard form of this paragraph.” Thus,
there are a number of specific and general legal and practical
matters annual conferences should consider when developing an
agreement for a specific disaffiliating church, but which are
outside the scope of GCFA’s mandate in drafting this standard
form. Examples of other topics include: indemnification, maintenance
of insurance coverage, jurisdiction/venue, arbitration, and other
typical contractual terms; any guarantees the annual conference has
made on behalf of the local church; acquisition of denominational
archives and records; and other individuals/entities to be
consulted, such as the annual conference’s foundation. The annual
conference may want to provide a local church which is considering
disaffiliation with a summary of the terms that local church can
expect, including how calculations of any required payments would be
made and estimates of such payments, if available. Nothing in this
standard form is intended to preclude the annual conference from
providing this information to a local church before it conducts a
vote. So that it may fulfill its obligations as the central
organization for the denomination’s group tax exemption ruling,
GCFA respectfully requests that annual conferences – in addition
to its usual process for reporting which United Methodist churches
cease to exist – inform GCFA’s Legal Services Department (legal@gcfa.org) of the name of any church which uses the ¶
2553 process, along with the actual disaffiliation date. GCFA will
review this standard form on a periodic basis and welcomes feedback
regarding its content. 1 By its own terms, petition 90066 was
effective at the close of the 2019 General Conference. 2 ¶ 2553.4 3
¶ 2553.4a. Page 1 of 6 [Paragraph 2553.4a requires GCFA to “develop
a standard form for Disaffiliation Agreements under [¶ 2553] to
protect The United Methodist Church as set forth in ¶ 807.9.” The
below “Disaffiliation Agreement Pursuant to ¶ 2553” is in
fulfillment of that mandate. It is intended to address the minimum
requirements for such agreements, as set forth in ¶ 2553. As stated
in ¶ 2553.4a, “annual conferences may develop additional standard
terms that are not inconsistent with the standard form of this
paragraph.” This form also reflects that “the disaffiliation
agreement [must] be ratified by a simple majority of the members of
the annual conference present and voting,” as required by Judicial
Council Decision 1379.] DISAFFILIATION AGREEMENT PURSUANT TO ¶ 2553
This Disaffiliation Agreement Pursuant to ¶ 2553 (“Disaffiliation
Agreement”) is entered into this ______ day of ________________,
20__, by and between ________________ (“Local Church”) and
_________________ (“Annual Conference”). WHEREAS, Local Church
is a United Methodist church within the boundaries of Annual
Conference; WHEREAS, Local Church has held a church conference, in
compliance with ¶¶ 246.8, 248, and 2553.2-.3 of The Book of
Discipline of The United Methodist Church (“Discipline”), at
which at least two-thirds (2/3) of the professing members present at
the church conference of Local Church voted to disaffiliate from The
United Methodist Church “for reasons of conscience regarding a
change in the requirements and provisions of the Book of Discipline
related to the practice of homosexuality or the ordination or
marriage of self-avowed practicing homosexuals as resolved and
adopted by the 2019 General Conference, or the actions or inactions
of its annual conference related to these issues which follow.”
WHEREAS, pursuant to ¶ 2501.1 of the Discipline, Local Church holds
its real and personal, tangible and intangible property “in trust
for The United Methodist Church and subject to the provisions of its
Discipline.” Page 2 of 6 WHEREAS, property subject to ¶ 2501.1
“can be released from the trust, transferred free of trust or
subordinated to the interests of creditors and other third parties
only to the extent authority is given by the Discipline.” (¶
2501.2) WHEREAS, ¶ 2553 provides a specific circumstance in which
property subject to ¶ 2501.1 can be released from the trust imposed
by that paragraph. WHEREAS, ¶ 2553.4 requires the terms and
conditions of Local Church’s disaffiliation from The United
Methodist Church to be “memorialized in a binding Disaffiliation
Agreement.” WHEREAS, Local Church and Annual Conference wish to
(1) resolve all matters between them, and Local Church wishes to
acquire from Annual Conference all of Annual Conference’s
interest, on behalf of The United Methodist Church, in the real and
personal, tangible and intangible property held by Local Church and
(2) comply with the requirements of ¶ 2553 and Judicial Council
Decision 1379. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and
all the mutual covenants herein contained, and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is
hereby acknowledged, Local Church and Annual Conference agree as
follows: 1. Conditions Precedent. Local Church and Annual Conference
acknowledge and agree: a. Church Conference Vote. At least
two-thirds (2/3) of the professing members present at a church
conference of Local Church must vote to disaffiliate from The United
Methodist Church “for reasons of conscience regarding a change in
the requirements and provisions of the Book of Discipline related to
the practice of homosexuality or the ordination or marriage of
self-avowed practicing homosexuals as resolved and adopted by the
2019 General Conference, or the actions or inactions of its annual
conference related to these issues which follow.” Local Church
must provide documentation, to the satisfaction of Annual
Conference, which evidences the result of the disaffiliation vote
taken at the church conference. Such documentation must be certified
by an authorized officer of Local Church and shall be included as an
exhibit to this Disaffiliation Agreement. Page 3 of 6 b. Annual
Conference Vote. This Disaffiliation Agreement must be “ratified
by a simple majority of the members . . . present and voting” at a
duly-called session of Annual Conference, as required by Judicial
Council Decision 1379 and ¶ 2529.1b(3). Should either of the above
not occur, this Disaffiliation Agreement shall immediately become
null and void. 2. Applicability of ¶ 2501. Local Church
acknowledges and agrees that pursuant to ¶ 2501 of the Discipline,
Local Church holds all property, real and personal, tangible and
intangible, in trust for the benefit of The United Methodist Church.
3. Date of Disaffiliation. Should Local Church timely comply with
all of its obligations as set forth herein, Local Church’s
disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church will be effective on
_______, 20__ (“Disaffiliation Date”).a Such Disaffiliation Date
must be subsequent to the Annual Conference’s ratification
referenced in Section 1 above. 4. Local Church’s Obligations.
Unless a different date is specified, Local Church shall, by no
later than the Disaffiliation Date, do the following: a. Payments.
Prior to the Disaffiliation Date, Local Church shall pay to Annual
Conference, in a manner specified by Annual Conference, the
following: i. [either “Local Church shall pay ___________ in
exchange for the right to retain its real and personal, tangible and
intangible property, subject to the following terms . . .” or
“Local Church shall have the right to retain its real and
personal, tangible and intangible property without charge. Any costs
relating to Local Church’s retention of its property will be borne
by Local Church.”] ii. Any unpaid apportionments for the twelve
(12) months immediately prior to the Disaffiliation Date, as
calculated by Annual Conference, totaling __________; iii. An
additional twelve (12) months of apportionments, as calculated by
Annual Conference, totaling __________; a Per ¶ 2553.2, this date
cannot be later than December 31, 2023. Page 4 of 6 iv. An amount
equal to Local Church’s pro rata share, as determined by Annual
Conference, of Annual Conference’s unfunded pension obligations,
based on the Annual Conference’s aggregate funding obligations as
determined by the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits using
market factors similar to a commercial annuity provider, totaling
__________; v. [“Annual conferences may develop additional
standard terms that are not inconsistent with the standard form of
this paragraph.” (¶ 2553.4a) Insert other payments, which may
include, without limitation, other debts and direct bill obligations
to Annual Conference or a related foundation, as “established by
the board of trustees of [Annual Conference], with the advice of the
cabinet, the annual conference treasurer, the annual conference
benefits officer, the director of connectional ministries, and the
annual conference chancellor” (¶ 2553.4)] b. Other Liabilities.
Local Church shall either satisfy all of its debts, loans, and
liabilities, or assign or transfer such obligations to its new
entity. Local Church must provide sufficient documentation of same
to Annual Conference. c. Intellectual Property. Local Church shall
cease all use of “United Methodist,” the Cross & Flame
insignia, and any other intellectual property of the denomination
and Annual Conference, including the removal of all signage
containing the same.” d. Group Tax Exemption Ruling. As of the
Disaffiliation Date, Local Church shall cease to use, and also shall
ensure that any affiliates of Local Church which have been included
in the group tax exemption ruling shall cease to use, any and all
documentation stating that Local Church is included in the
denomination’s group tax exemption ruling administered by the
General Council on Finance and Administration of The United
Methodist Church. Local Church and any of its affiliates which have
been included in the group tax exemption ruling will be removed as
of the Disaffiliation Date. e. [“Annual conferences may develop
additional standard terms that are not inconsistent with the
standard form of this paragraph.” (¶ 2553.4a) Page 5 of 6 Insert
other terms and conditions, as “established by the board of
trustees of [Annual Conference], with the advice of the cabinet, the
annual conference treasurer, the annual conference benefits officer,
the director of connectional ministries, and the annual conference
chancellor” (¶ 2553.4). Such other terms and conditions may
include, without limitation: turning over church archives,
membership rolls, historical documents related to funerals,
baptisms, weddings, minutes, etc.; if the church has a cemetery or
columbarium, provisions related to continued maintenance after
disaffiliation, and continued access for families and loved ones of
United Methodists buried there; addressing any UMC Foundation loans
or related issues as applicable.] 5. Organizational Transition.
Local Church shall take all steps necessary to [close and/or
dissolve any legal entities and to settle, liquidate, or transfer
all assets and obligations of such entities, or to establish any new
legal entities, or to modify its current organizing documents,] b as
needed to effectuate its disaffiliation from The United Methodist
Church, to the satisfaction of Annual Conference. Local Church shall
indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Annual Conference and its
officers, directors, agents, and employees from any liability or
costs (including reasonable attorney fees) resulting from any claim,
action, or cause of action for damages to persons or property
resulting from Local Church’s failure to take all necessary steps
as required by this Section 5. 6. Property. On the Disaffiliation
Date, Local Church will have full ownership of the property and
assets listed in [identify relevant exhibit(s), as required by
applicable law]. The parties shall ensure all necessary transfers or
other transactions relating to the above properties are completed
prior to the Disaffiliation Date. Any costs resulting from such
transfers or other transactions shall be borne by Local Church.
Annual Conference shall fully cooperate with Local Church, as needed
and applicable, to ensure that such transfers and other transactions
convey all of Annual Conference’s interest – both for itself and
on behalf of The United Methodist Church – in the real and
personal, tangible and intangible property of Local Church. [add
detail regarding deeds, related timing issues, etc., as determined
by the Annual Conference board of trustees, with the advice of the
cabinet, the annual conference treasurer, the annual conference
benefits officer, the director of b Within this bracketed language,
GCFA has attempted to address all ways in which a disaffiliating
local church might plan to change its organizational structure, but
we recognize that the legal realities of a given disaffiliation
process may require some modification to this language. Page 6 of 6
connectional ministries, and the annual conference chancellor and/or
as needed to comply with applicable law] 7. Release of Claims. Upon
the completion of all of their respective obligations herein, Annual
Conference and Local Church, for themselves and their agents,
representatives, members, trustees, employees, successors,
attorneys, and assigns, hereby fully and forever covenant not to sue
each other, and release and discharge each other, and their current
and former trustees, officers, representatives, employees, and
assigns, in both their official and individual capacities, from any
liability for any and all causes of action and claims, including any
statutory or common law cause of action, tort or contractual claims,
any claims for attorneys’ fees, expenses and all other damages,
whether known or unknown, foreseen or unforeseen, which Annual
Conference or Local Church ever had, now has, hereafter may have or
claim to have against any of the above-named entities or persons in
any way arising out of their relationship with each other. The
parties further represent they have no pending lawsuit, charge,
complaint, or other action against each other. Notwithstanding the
foregoing releases and covenants not to sue, the parties may take
action to enforce this Disaffiliation Agreement in any court where
jurisdiction and venue are proper. 8. Time Limit. Should the Local
Church fail to satisfy all of its obligations set forth herein by
December 31, 2023, this Disaffiliation Agreement shall be null and
void. 9. Continuing as Plan Sponsor. Nothing in this Disaffiliation
Agreement shall prevent Local Church, after the Disaffiliation Date,
from continuing to sponsor benefit plans from the General Board of
Pension and Health Benefits, to the extent permitted by federal law,
and provided that Local Church has not expressly resolved that it no
longer shares common religious bonds with The United Methodist
Church. 10. Non-Severability. Each of the terms of this
Disaffiliation Agreement is a material and integral part hereof.
Should any provision of this Disaffiliation Agreement be held
unenforceable or contrary to law, the entire Disaffiliation
Agreement shall be deemed null and void. [insert signature blocks
for Local Church and Annual Conference, as required by Annual
Conference policy/practice and applicable law
Once the
form is completed Exhibits will be attached as necessary.
example Exhibit (A) Documentiation evidencing the result of withdrawal
vote
Special Charge
Conference metting minutes. Exhibit (B) List of Real and Personal Property assigned. Property Descriptions. Exhibit (C) Proposed Quitclaim Deed from conference to church.
Now a New
Name, Incorporation and Registered Office example below
Friendship Church Bylaws 7.19.22
DT Article 1 - NAME, INCORPORATION,
REGISTERED OFFICE 1.01 Name The name of this church shall be
Friendship Church, an independent and non-denominational church. 1.02
Incorporation Friendship Church is a Michigan ecclesiastical
corporation, incorporated pursuant to the provisions of Act No. 327
of the Public Acts of Nineteen Hundred Thirty-One (1931), as amended
and its purposes and objectives are those set forth in the Articles
of Incorporation (Ecclesiastical Corporation) and Bylaws filed with
the Michigan Department of Commerce. 1.03 Registered Office The
street address of the registered office is 1240 N. Beck Road, Canton,
Michigan 48187. The registered agent is as identified in LARA
filings. The County of the registered office is Wayne County. Article 2 - PURPOSE AND MISSION Purpose a)
To promote the spiritual
training, development and benefit of each member by worshiping God
through prayer, the reading and studying of the Holy Bible as the
revealed the Word of God, and the teaching of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ.
b) To share the gospel of Jesus
Christ as empowered by the Holy Spirit with the people in our
church, community, and throughout the world, as possible through
missions.
c) To disciple one another that
all may grow in knowledge of God and grow in Christ-likeness
leading to a total commitment of life, personality and possessions
to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
d) To foster meaningful
fellowship with God and like believers, thereby meeting the needs
of the membership and of the community, demonstrating a bond of
Christ-like love and unity.
e) To promote and provide
meaningful opportunities for ministry and missions through such
programs, but not limited to, schools, daycare centers, relief
programs, social services and other programs authorized by law
which will foster growth in the kingdom of God.
2.02 Mission Reach the community
with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, teach that the
Bible is relevant to everyday life, and connect individuals in
vital relationships to love God and serve others. Article 3- BELIEFS Friendship Church
is inspired by the Wesleyan tradition in its formation and
foundational beliefs. The Statement of Faith will be established,
protected, and may be revised, amended or restated from time to
time by the Drive Team. It will be displayed on the Church website
or other suitable locations. Article 4 – MEMBERSHIP 4.01 Membership Definition
Membership within the Church is composed of persons who profess a
personal faith and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, have received
a Christian water baptism in a church according to the New
Testament, and actively follow the Lord Jesus Christ in
discipleship. Christ constitutes the church as His body by the
power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13,27)
4.02 Membership Requirements
Individuals desiring to join Friendship Church shall first meet
with a pastor to discuss and verify agreement to the fundamental
beliefs of Friendship Church as stated in the bylaws. Individuals
will attend the Membership Class and sign the Membership Covenant
(as it is revised, amended or restated from time to time by The
Drive Team) thus committing themselves to the commitments and
responsibilities stated, and profess their membership before the
body of Friendship Church during a service. Anyone who has reached
the age of 16 may participate in the process.
4.03 Membership List The list of
Members in good standing shall be maintained by a member of the
church staff, who shall report changes once a year to the members
of Friendship Church.
4.04 Conditions for removal of
membership Conflict Resolution Members may be removed from the roll
of the church by the action of the Drive Team when the following
conditions apply: a) The Member is in violation of the teachings of
the Biblical beliefs of Friendship Church and the Membership
Covenant they have signed. b) The Member will be interviewed by a
Member of the Drive Team or Pastor following the principles of
Matthew 18:15-20
. Absent/Inactive Members a)
Definition: An absent or inactive member is one who has not
fulfilled their Membership Covenant by attending worship services,
has not been giving financially, or serving within the body of
Friendship Church for one year. b) They will be contacted by a
staff member to see if any help is needed. c) A letter via mail,
electronically shall be sent to any member who has not participated
at Friendship Church for one year to notify them that they have
been added to a membership removal list to be presented at the
annual church meeting. The letter will have two options for the
member regarding their membership. 1. Recommitting to the covenant
they signed when becoming a member. 2 2. To remove their names from
Friendship Church Membership Rolls d) If there is no response from
the non-participating member following the letter being sent within
the following year,their name will be listed to be removed at the
church annual meeting.
Members Death A Member will be
automatically removed from membership upon death. Article 5 - POWERS OF THE
MEMBERSHIP The powers of this membership are vested in the
Membership Business Meeting, called and conducted as provided in
these bylaws. Specific authority is delegated to the Leadership:
Drive Team or other organization units in this document; all
remaining authority is retained by the Membership, who has the
authority to: a) Elect the Lead Pastor b) Adopt amendments to the
bylaws c) Approve the annual budget d) Approve incurring debt
greater than 1/12th of annual budget e) Elect leadership of the
Drive Team, Personnel Team, and Trustees f) Removal of Lead Pastor
by affirming Drive Team's decision g) Vote on any other matter
before the membership at the annual meeting or any special
congregational meeting called in accordance with the provisions in
these bylaws Leadership: Articles 6 - Article 11Article 6 - DRIVE TEAM 6.01
Purpose of the Drive Team a) The Drive Team functions primarily as
discerners and guardians of the organization to protect and project
the theology, direction, vision and mission of the church. b) The
Drive Team does not determine programming. This responsibility
falls to the Program/Planning Team. However, The Drive Team is
responsible for evaluating programming based on its appropriateness
and effectiveness in furthering the overall mission of Friendship
Church. c) The Lead Pastor will meet with the Drive Team at least
quarterly. 3 d) They are not expected to oversee specific projects
or ministry areas in their capacity as team members. They function
as overseers for the entire organization. Drive Team members should
be discerners and not doers. The team members evaluate the
effectiveness and direction of the organization according to three
criteria: 1. The organization’s mission 2. The organization’s
resources 3. The organization’s doctrine 6.02 Composition of the
Drive Team The Drive Team is composed of five to nine lay members,
both men and women in addition to the Lead Pastor and Associate
Pastor (if one exists). The Lead and Associate Pastors are
permanent members of the Drive Team and are voting members. The
goal of the Drive Team will be to find agreement on issues with
consensus. 6.03 Authority of the Drive Team a) The Drive Team has
final say in any and all matters concerning the overall direction
of the organization. The Drive Team has the authority to override
any decision made by the Trustees, Personnel team, Lead Pastor, or
any other leadership body within the church. Unless otherwise
specified in the bylaws, anything voted on by the Drive Team
requires a two thirds majority of all those in attendance. A quorum
of at least two-thirds of the members must be present (in person or
virtually) and voting at the time any vote is taken. Members not
available to attend in person may attend and vote via telephone
conference call, video teleconferencing or any similar technology.
b) There are three decisions that Drive Team may not make without
membership approval at a Membership Business Meeting. 1. The Drive
Team may not appoint a new Lead Pastor. 2. The Drive Team cannot
change or establish the denominational affiliation. 3. The Drive
Team may not change the Articles of Incorporation or the Bylaws.
6.04 The Dismissal of a Drive Team member If it becomes apparent
that a team member should not serve, that member may resign, or by
three-fourths vote of the Drive Team, excluding the team member
under consideration, be immediately retired from the Drive Team.
All Drive Team members must attend the meeting and cast a vote. If
any member is unable to attend the meeting to vote in person,
arrangements shall be made to have that member attend via telephone
conference call, video teleconferencing or any similar technology
that may be available. The position will remain vacant until the
next regularly scheduled year. 6.05 The Selection of The Drive Team
Members 4 At a time as set by the Drive Team, but no less
frequently than annually, the Nominating team nominates potential
future members necessary to meet at least the minimum number of
team members. The current Drive Team affirms the nominees and the
Annual Membership Meeting elects the affirmed members. 6.06 Terms
of the Drive Team Members a) Drive Team members, other than the
Lead Pastor and Associate Pastor (if one exists), serve one
three-year term. Initially, three shall serve for three (3) years,
three shall serve for two (2) years and three shall serve for one
(1) year. Drive Team members are required to rotate off for one
year before becoming eligible for another term. b) During the first
meeting following elections, the Drive Team shall elect from among
its members persons to fill the positions of Chairperson,
Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary. 6.07 The Qualifications of a Drive
Team Member A Drive Team candidate must be a member of Friendship
Church for at least three years, actively involved in ministry at
Friendship Church for at least two years and fully subscribe to the
organization’s mission and values, and be at least 22 years of
age. New team members should first serve at least one year as part
of the Trustee or Personnel Team. Furthermore, those on the Drive
Team are required to meet the qualifications as outlined in 1
Timothy 3:1-11 and Titus 1:5-9. Article 7 - TRUSTEES 7.01 The
Purpose and Authority The Trustees purpose is to steward the
resources of Friendship Church and to fulfill all responsibilities
of legal, financial, and facility matters, including the
development of an annual capital budget. The Lead Pastor can attend
Trustees meetings, but does not have voting privileges. The
Trustees are ultimately accountable to the Drive Team. The Drive
Team has the authority to override any decision made by the
Trustees. However, if such an occasion should arise, it will be
necessary for the Drive Team to meet with the Trustees and fully
discuss the matter. 7.02 Number, Nomination, Election and term a)
The Trustees shall consist of five (5) to nine (9) members selected
by the Nominating Committee. The nominees need to be affirmed by
the Drive Team and elected at the Membership Meeting Annually. b)
Trustees members are required to be members of Friendship Church
and have the skills necessary to perform their assigned tasks.
Initially, three shall serve for three (3) years, three shall serve
for two (2) years and three shall serve for one (1) year.
Subsequently, members serve one three-year term. Former members are
eligible to serve again after being inactive for one year. 5 c)
During the first meeting following elections, the Trustees shall
elect from among its members persons to fill the positions of
Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary. d) At meetings where
official business of the Trustees is being voted on, the presence
of a majority of committee members shall constitute a quorum for
the conduct of business. Members not available to attend in person
may attend and vote via telephone conference call, video
teleconferencing or any similar technology. e) Any member of the
Trustees may be removed from office, for any reason, by a
two-thirds vote of the Trustees at a regular or special meeting of
the Trustees. Two unexcused absences from meetings within a
one-year period may be grounds for the removal. 7.03 Authority of
the Trustees a) To purchase, hold, lease, or otherwise acquire real
or personal property on behalf of the church, and take personal
property by will, gift, or bequest on behalf of the church. b) To
buy and sell, convey, alienate, transfer, lease, assign, exchange,
or otherwise dispose of, and to mortgage, pledge, or otherwise
encumber the real and personal property church, to borrow money and
incur indebtedness for the purpose and the use of the church; to
cause to be executed, issued, delivered for the indebtedness, in
the name of the church, promissory notes, bonds, debentures, or
other evidence of indebtedness; and to secure repayment by deeds of
trust, mortgages, pledges. c) To conduct and participate in any
kind of lawful business of any nature or kind, including the right
to sign partnership agreements, commence, continue, reorganize,
merge, consolidate, recapitalize, close, liquidate, sell and the
carrying out of any buy sell agreement; to receive and endorse
checks and other negotiable paper, deposit and withdraw funds (by
check or withdrawal slips) on deposit or to which may be entitled
in the future from any bank, savings and loan, or other
institution. d) To prepare, sign, and file separate or joint
income, gift, and other tax returns and other governmental reports
and documents as required by the IRS; to consent to any gift; to
file any claim for tax refund. e) To act as agent or proxy for any
stocks, bonds, shares, or other investments, rights, or interests
now or hereafter held. f) To engage in any administrative or legal
proceedings or lawsuits in connection with any matter herein
including but not limited to proceedings to enforce this document.
g) Transfer in Trust. To transfer any interest that the church may
have in property, whether real or personal, tangible or intangible,
to the trustee of any trust created for church benefit. h) Develop
the proposed annual Capital and Facility Budget. i) The Trustees
may not approve debt for the organization in excess of one twelfth
of the previous year’s annual operating budget. j) The Trustees
may not hire or dismiss a paid staff member. This is the
responsibility of the Lead Pastor in conjunction with The Personnel
team. 6 Article 8 - PERSONNEL TEAM (PT) 8.01 Purpose and Authority To fulfill legal, ethical,
practical responsibilities, and determine compensation related to
staff. The Personnel team shall report to the Drive Team. The
personnel team evaluates staff performance, addresses complaints,
and in conjunction and agreement with the Lead Pastor can dismiss
staff as needed. The Lead Pastor may only be removed by the Drive
Team. 8.02 Number, Nomination, Election and Term of Office a) The
Personnel Team shall consist of no less than five (5) non-employee
members and no more than nine (9) members. In addition to these
voting members, the Lead Pastor will have a voice but no vote. The
members of the Personnel Team shall be nominated by the Nominating
Committee and submitted for approval to the Drive Team annually and
confirmed at the Annual Membership Meeting. PT members shall not be
of familial relation to current paid staff. b) Personnel Team
members are required to be members of Friendship Church and have
the maturity, discernment and judgment to perform their assigned
tasks. Initially, three shall serve for three (3) years, three
shall serve for two (2) years and three shall serve for one (1)
year. Subsequently, members serve one three-year term. Former
members are eligible to serve again after being inactive for one
year. c) During the first meeting following elections, the
Personnel Team shall elect from among its members persons to fill
the positions of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary. d)
Any member of the Personnel Team may be removed from office, for
any reason, by a two-thirds vote of the Committee at a regular or
special meeting of the PT. Two unexcused absences from meetings
within a one-year period may be grounds for the removal. e) At
meetings where official business of the Personnel Team is being
voted on, the presence of a majority of voting members shall
constitute a quorum for the conduct of business. Members not
available to attend in person may attend and vote via telephone
conference call, video teleconferencing or any similar technology.
f) Compensation shall be approved on an annual basis by a majority
vote of the non-employee, independent members of the PT. In so
doing, the non-employee, independent members of the Compensation
Team shall consider duties, performance evaluations, compensation
comparability data, and other relevant information. The Staff
Compensation Budget will be presented to the Drive Team in
sufficient time for consideration and approval before the Annual
Membership Meeting. Individual staff salaries are not published or
discussed in membership business meetings. Article 9 - NOMINATING TEAM 9.01
Team Composition 7 The nominating team will consist of three (3) to
five (5) persons selected by the Drive Team to serve on an Ad Hoc
team which will prayerfully seek individuals and shall conduct
interviews with each nominee to fulfill the terms of the Drive
Team, Personnel, and Trustees as needed. Nominating team members
should not be a current employee or member of Drive Team, Trustees,
or Personnel Team. 9.02 Purpose They will present the names of
qualified, spiritually mature candidates that are representative of
membership of the congregation to the Drive Team at least one month
before the Annual Membership meeting. 9.03 Self Appraisal Men or
women whose names are submitted shall be so informed, and they
shall be urged to engage in self-appraisal and personal evaluation
in light of the scriptural qualifications. Any person may withdraw
his or her name at that point, if they do not aspire to the
position (I Tim 3:1) or if he/she does not believe he/she
adequately meets the qualifications. 9.04 Conflict of Interest
Nominations The Nominating team may not nominate themselves or a
family member for leadership positions. If a family member or
current nominating team member is nominated, the proposed team
members should exit the room during discussion. Article 10 - LEAD PASTOR 10.01
Lead Pastor Role The Lead Pastor is a person called by God,
qualified by the gifts given by the Holy Spirit to fulfill their
calling, be ordained and licensed (or will become so) and elected
by the church to be responsible for the duties of teacher,
preacher, and spiritual leader. The Lead Pastor will have a life of
integrity and proven temperament as described in 1 Timothy 3:1-11
and Titus 1:5-9. The Lead Pastor will be responsible to lead the
church in fulfilling the Mission, Vision, and Ministry and fulfill
such other roles and responsibilities as are stated in the
Friendship Church bylaws and policies of the church. 10.02
Responsibilities The Pastor shall have authority for ordering all
worship services of the church, determining when other worship
services will be held, hiring compensated and uncompensated church
staff, subject to the approval of the Personnel Team. 10.03
Pastoral Covenant/Contract The Personnel Team shall develop a
contract/covenant between the Pastor and the church. The
contract/covenant shall include a job description and address such
matters as compensation that is consistent with equitable local
standards, benefits, allowances, and leave. All provisions of the
covenant shall be subordinate to the bylaws of Friendship Church.
10.04 Membership The Lead Pastor shall be a member of this church,
with full voting rights. 8 10.05 Lead Pastor Removal The Drive Team
has the authority to recommend the dismal of the Lead Pastor to the
Membership by a three-fourths vote of all team members, excluding
the Lead Pastor. The Lead Pastor must be present for any discussion
of removal and have the opportunity to address the team members
prior to vote. However, the Lead Pastor shall be excluded from the
meeting during a vote. All Drive Team members must attend the
meeting and cast a vote. If any member is unable to attend the
meeting to vote in person, arrangements shall be made to have that
member attend via telephone conference call, video teleconferencing
or any similar technology that may be available. If the vote is to
remove the Lead Pastor, the referral will be sent to a specially
called membership meeting called at the soonest possible date, with
a simple majority vote. The Lead Pastor will be placed on paid
leave, effective immediately after Drive Team voting to dismiss,
until the membership meeting. If the membership affirms the
recommendation, the lead pastor will be dismissed effective
immediately and shall be immediately removed as an officer of the
corporation. In addition, any complaints or concerns regarding the
Lead Pastor should be directed to and handled by the Drive Team
exclusively. 10.06 Vacancy At a time of pastoral vacancy, an
interim pastor may be appointed by the Drive Team. 10.07 Electing A
New Lead Pastor When the position of Lead Pastor is vacated, the
Drive Team will take appropriate action to secure a qualified
candidate to serve as Lead Pastor. The Drive Team will recommend
the candidate to The Personnel Team and after agreement to the
membership. Approval by the membership requires a two-thirds
affirmative vote of the members present at a duly called Membership
Meeting for this purpose. Article 11 - CHURCH STAFF 11.01
Staff All staff personnel employed by the Church shall act in
accordance with the current approved Friendship Church Employee
Handbook, as it may be revised, amended or restated from time to
time by the Personnel Team. Friendship Church will reserve
employment for men and women who believe and confess essential
biblical convictions and act in accordance with such. Additionally,
Friendship Church reserves the right to terminate the employment of
any existing employee who fails to meet this general standard of
faith and practice. 11.02 Program/Planning Team The Lead Pastor
selects the Program/Planning Team, which can be both paid staff and
volunteer. The purpose of this group is to determine programming,
give vision to the various ministries of the organization, and
oversee the day-to-day operations. The Program/Planning Team is
accountable to the Lead Pastor. All Program/Planning Team members
are required to meet the character qualifications as outlined in 1
Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. 11.03 Ministry Budget The Staff and
Program/Planning Team will develop the proposed operational
Ministry budget annually. Article 12 - MEMBERSHIP BUSINESS
MEETINGS 12.01 Purpose and meeting appointment 9 Membership
Business Meetings will be scheduled annually or as determined
necessary by the Drive Team. This will provide a forum for handling
the business of Friendship Church, not otherwise reserved for the
Leadership. Meetings will be called at least 14 days in advance by
notifying members. 12.02 Voting Every member of the church is
entitled to vote at a duly called Membership Business Meeting. A
quorum consists of those who attend the business meeting, provided
it is a regular meeting or one that has been properly called. No
proxy or written voting is permitted. All issues voted on in an
official membership meeting require a two-thirds affirmative vote
to pass. 12.03 Moderator The Drive Team will appoint a moderator
for all Membership Business Meetings. Matters properly before and
passed at business meetings shall be binding on the organization.
12.04 Special Business Meetings The Drive Team, the Lead Pastor,
and Members have the authority to call special business meetings.
The Membership may do so by presenting a petition to The Drive
Team, which includes the signatures of a majority (51%) of
Membership. The Drive Team will schedule the meeting and publish
the agenda at least ten days in advance, communicating to the
Membership through email and worship announcement. 12.05 Amending
the Bylaws Bylaw amendments require a three-fourths majority vote
by the Drive Team before they can be presented to the Membership.
Additionally, amending the Bylaws requires a minimum participation
of 25 percent of the total membership. This will constitute a
quorum for purposes of amending the bylaws. Changes to the
Friendship Church Bylaws require a two-thirds membership
affirmative vote to pass. Article 13 - FINANCIAL 13.01
Treasurer The Drive Team will appoint or hire a Treasurer who
has the professional skills necessary to perform their assigned
tasks, operating by the Financial Policy and Procedures, as it may
be revised, amended or restated from time to time by the Trustees.
13.02 Financial Volunteer Team The Treasurer of the Church shall
recruit and train a volunteer team to oversee and facilitate the
financial processes outlined in the Financial Policy and
Procedures. 13.03 Budget The annual budget will be made up of three
individual budgets: 10 a) The annual Operational Ministry Budget
will be developed by the Staff and Program/Planning Team. b) The
annual Capital and Facility Budget will be developed by the
Trustees. c) The annual Staff Compensation Budget will be developed
by the Personnel Team. These three budgets will be presented to and
approved by the Drive Team. The Drive Team will approve the unified
budget and Membership will give final approval of the Budget at the
Annual Business Meeting. 13.04 Deposits All funds of the Church
shall be deposited to the credit of the Church in banks, trust
companies, or other depositories that the Treasurer selects, as
authorized by the Trustees. 13.05 Gifts The Treasurer, as
authorized by The Trustees, may accept on behalf of the Church any
contribution, gift, bequest, or device for the general purposes or
for any special purpose of the Church. The Treasurer, as authorized
by the Trustees, may make gifts and give charitable contributions
that are not prohibited by these bylaws, the Articles of
Incorporation, state law, and any requirements for maintaining the
Church's federal and state tax status. 13.06 Books and Records The
Church shall keep correct and complete books and records of
account. 13.07 Fiscal Year The fiscal year of the Church shall
begin on the first day of January and end on the last day in
December in each year. The fiscal year of the Church may be changed
by resolution of the Drive Team. 13.08 Financial Statements
Friendship Church shall produce and provide an annual financial
statement. The annual Church financial statement will be reviewed
and/or audited, which will be initiated by the Trustees. The annual
financial statements shall be provided to any member upon written
request. Article 14 - INDEMNIFICATION 14.01 Insurance Friendship Church will purchase and maintain
liability insurance on behalf of any and all persons who are or
were a director, officer, leader, employee, committee member or
volunteer of the church (while serving in their capacity as such).
Such insurance will be purchased for the purpose of protecting such
persons from covered loss resulting in liability asserted against
the above individuals in connection with their activities on behalf
of the church. 14.02 Indemnification Requests Should any director,
officer, leader, employee, committee member or volunteer of the
church incur any liability as a result of their affiliation with or
service to the church that is not covered by the church’s
insurance policy, and should such liability result in any
out-of-pocket cost to such individual, then such 11 individual may
request indemnification from the church. The granting of full or
partial indemnification shall be at the discretion of the Trustees
as set forth in Section 14.03 herein. 14.03 Indemnification
Decisions In relation to any indemnification request that is made
pursuant to 14.02 herein, if such request is made by an individual
who is not currently serving on the Leadership Teams of the church,
then the indemnification decision (whether to indemnify the
requesting individual, and the dollar amount of such
indemnification), will be made by the governing Trustees. Such a
decision of the Trustees will be final. If the indemnification
request is being made by a person who is currently serving on the
Trustees, then the indemnification decision (whether to indemnify
the requesting party, and the dollar amount of such
indemnification), will be made by the remaining disinterested
members of the Trustees. A decision on the indemnification request
by a majority of disinterested members of the Trustees will be
final. Article 15 - CONFLICT OF INTEREST 15.01 Purpose The purpose of the Conflict of Interest Policy is
to protect the Church’s interest when it is contemplating
entering into a transaction or arrangement that might benefit the
private interest of an “interested person” or might result in a
possible excess benefit transaction. This policy is intended to
supplement, but not replace, any applicable state and federal laws
governing conflicts of interest applicable to nonprofit
corporations. 15.02 Conflict of Interest Policy It’s the policy
of Friendship Church that all those that are in Leadership, an
Officer, or Employee shall abstain from involvement, whether by
voting or otherwise participating in the decision-making process,
in those situations where they have or may have a conflict of
interest. A conflict of interest exists where: a) The person(s) has
a substantive interest, whether direct or indirect, in the matter
at hand or the other party(ies) involved; b) The person(s) is
either in leadership, officer or employee of the other party(ies)
involved, or c) The person(s)’s spouse, children, parent or
siblings are in substantive relationships with the other party(ies)
involved. In those situations where a conflict of interest does
exist or has the potential to exist, any person in Leadership, an
Officer or Employee aware of such shall notify the Drive Team. If
an affiliation does have the potential to influence decisions, then
the interested individual shall inform the Drive Team of the
potential conflict of interest. The interested party may provide
background information on the conflicted matter but shall refrain
from voting on the conflicted matter. The disinterested members
shall consider alternative options and then evaluate whether the
conflicted transaction is in the best interest of Friendship
Church. It is an important legal (the IRS can revoke tax-exempt
status of the church) and moral requirement to disclose and to
recuse members from deliberating and voting on any
conflict-of-interest matters. 12 Meetings involving conflicts shall
be carefully documented. Minutes shall reflect who was present at
the meeting, a description of the conflict, the fact that the
interested individual(s) left the meeting room prior to
deliberations and vote, the alternatives considered, and the basis
for the final decision. If the conflicted transaction is approved,
the minutes shall list the facts that convinced the decision makers
that it was in the church’s best interest. Article 16 - OWNERSHIP OF
PROPERTY The ownership of all real and personal property,
movable, or immovable, now owned or hereafter by Friendship Church
shall be held by the Church in its corporate name. The term
”ownership” within the Article contemplates both legal and
beneficial interest in the land and does not concede a trust in
favor of any party. The Trustees shall have the supervision,
oversight, and care of all property. No other entity, denomination,
or affiliated party that the Church may later join shall have any
ownership interest in the Church Property. Article 17 - DISSOLUTION 17.01
Membership Meeting For reasons of dissolution, a Membership Meeting
shall be held prior to and for purposes of discussion of
dissolution. 17.02 Vote by Drive Team The corporation shall be
dissolved through the authorization by a vote of two-thirds of the
Drive Team to consider dissolution, or upon an order of judicial
dissolution in accordance with MCL § 450.2801(1)(e), or the
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In the event of any
dissolution of the corporation or the winding up of its affairs, or
other liquidation of its assets, the corporation's property shall
not be conveyed to any organization created or operated for profit
or to any individual for less than the fair market value of such
property, and all assets remaining after the payment of the
corporation's debts shall be conveyed or distributed as the Drive
Team shall determine, only to an organization or organizations
created and operated for nonprofit purposes similar to those of the
corporation, and within the intent of Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provisions of
any future United States Internal Revenue law); provided, that any
such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of
the county in which the principal office of the corporation is
located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organizations as
said Court shall determine are organized and operated exclusively
for such purposes. Article 18 - MISCELLANEOUS 18.01
Inurement No part of the net earnings of the Church shall inure to
the benefit of, or be distributable to it’s leadership or
employees or any person except that the Church shall be authorized
and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered,
and to make payments in the furtherance of 13 Church’s mission.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Articles of
Incorporation or these Bylaws, the Church shall not carry on any
activity not permitted to be carried on (a) by a Church exempt from
the Federal Income Tax, under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (or by the corresponding section
of any future Revenue Code of the United States of America) or (b)
by a Church, contributions of which are deductible under Section
170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the
corresponding section of any future United States Revenue Law).
18.02 Legal Provision The organization and function of the Church
is under the authority of the bylaws as outlined subject to the
laws of the state of Michigan and any applicable federal laws.
18.03 Severability Each provision of these Bylaws is intended to be
severable. If any term or provision hereof is determined by a Court
of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or illegal for any reason
whatsoever, such invalid or illegal term or provision shall not
affect the validity or legality of the remainder of the other
sections and or provisions of these Bylaws. 18.04 Ordination,
Licensing and Commissioning As an independent church, Friendship
Church reserves the right to ordain, license, or commission
individuals as ministers of the gospel to perform the ordinances
and ceremonies of the church including, but not limited to,
marriage, baptism, communion, and funerals. Article 19 - ADOPTION These
Bylaws are adopted in conformance to the laws of the state of
Michigan by the Membership. Including any rights, remedies or
obligations provided for hereunder, these Bylaws shall be construed
and enforced in accordance with the laws of the state of Michigan
without regard to principles of conflicts of law that would result
in the application of the laws of another state. Adopted and
approved on July 24, 2022. 1
EVERYTHING SHOULD GO GOOD IF
THE MONEY IS NOT A PROBLEM.
this link to podcast https://wesleyancovenant.org/holy-conversations-the-wca-podcast/
CLICK ON THE PODCAST BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION
SCROLL DOWN TO THE JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE
****************************************
WEBSTER
RACE
Race
is defined as “a
category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical
traits.”
The term ethnicities is more broadly defined as “large groups of
people classed according to common racial, national, tribal,
religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background.”Feb
22, 2019
Definitions
for Racial and Ethnic Categories
American
Indian or Alaska Native. ...
Asian.
..
Black
or African American. ...
Hispanic
or Latino.
Native
Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
White.
What are 3 types of human races?
Abstract. Using gene frequency data for 62 protein loci
and 23 blood group loci, we studied the genetic relationship of the
three major races of man, Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid.
Genetic distance data indicate that Caucasoid and Mongoloid are
somewhat closer to each other than to Negroid.
ARE JEWS A RACE , NO
Since Jews have mostly
“married in” for several thousand years, yes, there are certain
features that are distinctly common among Jews—as there are among
Inuits, Icelanders, Amish, the Basque people and others. On the other
hand, since there is room for conversion, those features are not
ubiquitous within the group.
One
feature that stands out in the Jewish cluster: The
average verbal IQ score among Jews is 120. Translate that into
percentiles and we discover that the average Jew is a “one out of
ten”—brighter than 91% of the population. That may explain why
Jews, at only 1.4% of the American population, make up 22% of Ivy
League students, 20% of America’s chief executives and have earned
25% of the Nobel Prizes awarded to American scientists (not including
Jews born outside the US, such as Albert Einstein) since 1950—32%
worldwide in the 21st century—and 52%(!) of Pulitzer Prizes for
nonfiction (the key is verbal IQ).1
A Brief History of Israel and the Jewish People
Written by: Israel Hanukoglu, Ph.D.
Note: An earlier version of this article is available in PDF format:
"A Brief History of Israel and the Jewish People" published in the Knowledge Quest magazine.
Quote from Charles Krauthammer - The Weekly Standard, May 11, 1998"Israel is the very embodiment of Jewish continuity: It is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago. You dig the soil and you find pottery from Davidic times, coins from Bar Kokhba, and 2,000-year-old scrolls written in a script remarkably like the one that today advertises ice cream at the corner candy store."The people of Israel (also called the "Jewish People") trace their origin to Abraham, who established the belief that there is only one God, the creator of the universe (see Torah). Abraham, his son Yitshak (Isaac), and grandson Jacob (Israel) are referred to as the patriarchs of the Israelites. All three patriarchs lived in the Land of Canaan, which later became known as the Land of Israel. They and their wives are buried in the Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs, in Hebron (Genesis Chapter 23).The name Israel derives from the name given to Jacob (Genesis 32:29). His 12 sons were the kernels of 12 tribes that later developed into the Jewish nation. The name Jew derives from Yehuda (Judah), one of the 12 sons of Jacob (Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Yisachar, Zevulun, Yosef, Binyamin)(Exodus 1:1). So, the names Israel, Israeli or Jewish refer to people of the same origin.The descendants of Abraham crystallized into a nation at about 1300 BCE after their Exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses (Moshe in Hebrew). Soon after the Exodus, Moses transmitted to the people of this newly emerging nation the Torah and the Ten Commandments (Exodus Chapter 20). After 40 years in the Sinai desert, Moses led them to the Land of Israel, which is cited in The Bible as the land promised by G-d to the descendants of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 17:8).The people of modern-day Israel share the same language and culture shaped by the Jewish heritage and religion passed through generations starting with the founding father Abraham (ca. 1800 BCE). Thus, Jews have had a continuous presence in the land of Israel for the past 3,300 years.
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