YIB (Your Intrepid Blogger) is on the road again–this time to Seal Beach, California, for Fellowship Council meetings this weekend, followed by the southwest Focus Retreat at Rancho Capistrano, California, next Monday through Wednesday.
Many of the natorg staff members are also traveling to California to give updates and reports to the Fellowship Council, so it was no surprise that TK (Tim Kurtaneck) from CE National and I were on the same plane from Indianapolis. He was on his way to LAX and I was going to John Wayne in Orange County.
We landed in Las Vegas to get connecting flights, only to discover that his plane was delayed by several hours.
Suddenly, there standing beside me, was Pastor Doug Black from Liberty Grace Brethren Church in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, who was also on his way to the meetings as one of the Fellowship Council members from the West Penn District.
He and TK were both on the flight to LAX. The delay was no problem for TK–he was on his way to see his parents in SoCal, and wasn’t planning to be at Council until tomorrow.
But Doug was pushing a deadline for the 6 p.m. opening dinner of the Council this evening. He wasn’t going to make it.
So he and I teamed up. He changed his flight to join me, and we flew to Orange County together, rented a car, and arrived at Seal Beach a half-hour before the dinner. Only problem–Doug will have to go back to LAX tonight to get his luggage.
Fellowship Council meetings are coordinated by Tom Avey and Sandy Barrett in the FGBC Coordinator’s office.
The Fellowship Council is comprised of 12 members elected from geographical regions; four from the East, four from the Central, and four from the West. Additionally, the 2nd moderator elect, moderator elect, moderator and past moderator serve on the council. This year’s moderator is Jim Brown from Goshen, Indiana, and the moderator-elect is John McIntosh from Simi Valley, California.
All members serve 1-4 year terms and may not repeat a term. This highly representative, fast rotating board of directors of the FGBC provides valuable leadership from pastors and ministry leaders in our churches.
In meetings this week the Council will:
-Consider plans (including location) of Equip09
-Review plans for Celebrate08 – Igo08
-Consider applications from new churches for membership in the FGBC.
-Consider applications for National Ministry Recognition.
-Consider applications for Cooperating Ministry Recognition.
-Review feedback to proposed changes to the FGBC Constitution and Manual of Procedure.
Members of the Council are scheduled to speak in churches throughout the southern California area this week. I’ll have the pleasure of being up in Alta Loma with Pastor Roy Halberg and his good people.
Our thanks to Pastor Don Shoemaker and his Seal Beach congregation for hosting the meetings again this year.
White and Black made it safely–with just enough uncertainty to make the day colorful.