Meeting Highlights ...

• Devotional from Pastor Jason Meyer
• Membership Report
• Vote to Call Various Leaders
• Treasurer’s Report
• “Fill These Cities: 25 x ’25” Update
• Presentation and Vote on 2018 One Fund Operating Budget
• Deaths of Members in 2017

Devotional

Pastor Jason gave a devotional on personally cultivating a posture of expectation within the church meeting. He reflected on how Martyn Lloyd-Jones has inspired him to not be satisfied with low expectations in church gatherings.

• We gather as a church body to meet with God. What impression do we get when we come to church? What impression do we give? Are we expectant of meeting with God?
• If the church is a place where the Spirit is alive, healing of the soul and deliverance are happening.
• “Preaching addresses us in such a manner that brings us under judgment and it deals with us in such a way that our whole life is involved. … [Without this understanding, we simply are judging performance of the preacher. When the Spirit comes, you are no longer the judge but you are under judgment of the Word.] True preaching is when God acts upon the people through the Spirit.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
• People’s expectations change, they delight in the things of God, and want more of him.
• When we have a true conception of the Christian church and understand the historical life of the church, we see what she was and was intended to be—then we pray.

Membership Report

At the end of the meeting, Bethlehem membership stood at 2,695.

Vote to Call/Reaffirm Various Leaders

The congregation voted to call the following leaders to ministry roles:

• Paul Poteat as Pastor for University Students
• Samm Poteat as Minister for Women’s Ministry, Downtown
• Darin Brink as Non-Staff Elder
• Jon Hendricks, Don Hoffert, and Rod Takata as Non-Staff Elders (reaffirmation)
• Aaron Davitch, Brad Nelson, Jon Nowlin, Bryan Pickering, Mike Tong, Daniel Viezbicke, Jared Wass, and Matthew Westerholm as Staff Elders
• Liz Stein, Sarah Bowe, and Julie Barmore as Deacons

Treasurer’s Report

Adam Sexton delivered the Treasurer’s Report to the assembly.

Q4 2017 Summary

• Giving was $3.31M
• Down $1.91M when compared to Q4 2016, which was the highest giving quarter in Bethlehem history.
• Up $104K when compared to Q4 2015
• Spending was $3.15M
• Up $342K when compared to Q4 2016 spending
• $328K over Q4 2017 budget, which was driven by one-time expenses including several downtown campus repairs
• Giving exceeded spending by $165K

2017 Summary

• Giving was $10.95M
• Down $578K from 2016 when giving was $11.53M
• Does not include $776K of designated gifts towards the South Campus
• Spending was $10.34M
• Up $486K when compared to 2016 spending reflecting increases for the four main priorities in the “25 x’ 25” vision and one-time expenses in Q4
• $264K below 2017 budgeted spending of $10.6M
• Giving exceeded spending by $611K

‘Fill These Cities: 25 x ‘25’ Update

Strengthening the Core

• Pastor Jason praised God for the grace he has given in staff unity, establishing of the office of Deacon and providing members to fill those offices, and in providing momentum toward ethnic harmony.
  
• Pastor Steven Lee gave an update on the North Campus
• Noted progress in the search for a new Pastor for Care & Counseling, North
• Shared recent stories of conversion and praised God for the work.
• Pastor Paul Poteat gave an update on the Downtown Campus
• Asked the church to pray for God to continue to provide more non-staff elders.
• Pastor Chuck Steddom gave an update on the South Campus
• Gave an update on life and ministry of the South Campus, including the South Choir’s 2017 trip to Ireland.

Church Planting

• Pastor Kenny Stokes gave an overview of 2017 efforts and updates.
• Word of Grace Church: On Sunday, December 31, 2017, Paul Przybylowski announced that he would step down as Lead Pastor effective February 28, 2018.
• Tyler Mykkanen will be a church-planting resident at the South Campus.

Unreached & Unengaged People Groups

• Pastor Todd Rasmuson gave an update on Bethlehem’s efforts to reach the unengaged.
• During the 2017 Global Focus, 60 people came forward with the desire to engage in long-term mission work, and 32 people requested prayer for discerning a call to serve among unengaged people groups.

South Campus Building

• Jon Hendricks and Pastor Chuck Steddom gave an update and showed footage of the most recent developments of the South Campus building construction.
• The dry Fall weather enabled construction to remain on schedule with a projected occupancy of September 2018.

Presentation and Vote on 2018 One Fund Operating Budget

The members approved the elder-recommended 2018 One Fund Operating Budget of $11,250,000.

Deaths of Members in 2017

Members who passed away in 2017 include Dorothy Anderson, Ann Benson, Gary Derfus, Verna Erickson, Don Fadell, Cathy Klein, Dave Laurion, and Jeff Schuenke. Ray Hutton had been omitted from this list in error; we have added his name to update our records.

Thanks to Church Clerks Jacob Smith and Ben Holvey for their assistance in preparing this update.