- 4/25/2007 10:30:00 PMMeeting With The Governing BoardDue to the overwhelming response we have received from other people - both from within the congregation and outside of it, it was not long before we began to realize that this was about far more than adopting a child from Russia. It was about the core beliefs of the gospel of Jesus Christ - namely loving God and loving others.
We began to inquire of the church about the possibility of creating a new fund for people to contribute their financial gifts and claim them as a tax exemption. Because the church is a non-profit organization with its own goals, we had to abide by not only the church's by-laws but also those of the State of Wisconsin.
I prepared a PowerPoint presentation and we met with the Governing Board of our church after Wednesday evening activities. We covered some key verses and also an overview of our mission statement. I think it was well received and thought provoking. Members of the board expressed concern about setting a precedent for future congregational requests. In then end, all requests of this nature must be reviewed by the Governing Board and decided upon. This is what we did and we would have to proceed based on their decision.
The key here is that by creating a Widows and Orphans Fund, we have no control over it or rights to it. This is a ministry of the church and people can choose to give to it or not. All money issued from the fund is decided upon by the board. Ultimately - they (the Governing Board) control the fund. We knew this and we are reminded every day that this is turning out to be much bigger than we thought.
The meeting lasted until way past 9:00 PM. By the time it was done, we had received more than we asked for.
