As we approach the end of the year, this is the time when we would normally have our Annual Business Meeting, where we would discuss and vote on items for the upcoming year, including any new Elder Candidates, as well as the Annual Budget. But as you know, this year presents us with some new challenges.
As stated in our Church By-Laws, the usual procedure would be to host this Annual Business Meeting sometime before the end of the year, which would require a quorum of 25% of our current membership to be in attendance to discuss and vote on any pertinent matters. However, given the concerns over Covid-19 this year, we do not feel that our regular procedure is the proper way to proceed. While we would still very likely have the needed quorum in attendance to have the meeting, we do not want to exclude those who would normally desire to attend, but cannot do so this year, due to concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Elder Board has proposed that, in addition to the regular in-person Annual Business Meeting (which is currently scheduled to immediately follow the Sunday Service on Sunday, December 13th, 2020) that we also allow members to attend this meeting virtually, using an online platform like Zoom or Webex. This will allow those who are not comfortable or willing to attend an in-person gathering at this time, to still participate in the meeting and to cast their vote on the matters of Eaglebrook Church as we look towards 2021. However, this will also mean that rather than using our regular process of using private ballots to vote, we will likely need to use some form of public vote, to equally accommodate both those who are present and those who are participating online.
Given these strange circumstances, our desire is to keep things as simple as possible. We know that this is not ideal, and that this does not follow our normal procedure, but given the present circumstances, we hope that everyone will understand. Please be assured that this is simply an accommodation for the current year, given the pandemic, and that we intend to revert back to our normal procedure as soon as the circumstances allow us to do so.
There will be more details to follow, regarding which online platform we will be using, and how members will be able to access the meeting online. We may also want to do a "trial run" a week or so before the Annual Meeting, so that we can troubleshoot any problems that arise ahead of time. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ray Blackburn, our Church Chairman (raymond.w.blackburn@gmail.com / 715-388-0016)
Thank you,
Eaglebrook Elder Board
