The Newsletter

The moderator is calling a Fall Business Meeting for Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary. Items to be discussed include reports from the Board of Deacons, Board of Management, and the ad hoc Constitution Committee. 

The ad hoc Constitution Committee proposes the following changes to the BSBC Constitution: 

As per Constitution+2026.pdf (click the link below for the full document), proposals to amend the church constitution were submitted to the BoM and BoD.  An ad hoc Constitution Committee considered said amendments, and brought proposals to the BoM and the BoD.  The proposed ADDITIONS of 2.4 and 2.5, and REPLACEMENT of 8.5.1, have been approved by both boards.

Church Polity

It is recommended to add the following clauses to the Church Polity (Form of Governance) section of the Constitution. These clauses affect not only business meetings of the Church, but also board, committee, and team meetings, as the groups deem appropriate. The language reflects current practice and does not suggest any changes to what is being done. It is a recognition of what we have already started to do during the pandemic at church business meetings, and other meetings. The intention is to explicitly allow people who cannot (or who choose not to) attend in person due to illness, infirmity, travel, or other reasons, to be able to attend virtually and be recognized as participating in the meeting. Their attendance is counted for quorum.

PROPOSED ADDITION

2.4 A meeting may be held by electronic means and/or a person who is otherwise eligible to attend a meeting in person may attend by electronic means, i.e. by using a supported method of electronic or telephonic communication that enables all persons attending the meeting to communicate with each other, including, without limitation, teleconferencing and computer network-based or internet-based communication platforms. The electronic means that are supported for a given meeting, if any, shall be communicated in advance. 

2.5 If the organizers of a meeting have decided to allow virtual voting for the meeting, a person attending a meeting by electronic means who is entitled to vote at that meeting may vote by any electronic, telephonic, or other method that the meeting organizers have made available for that purpose.

Missions Committee

There is a desire to improve the continuity for the membership of the Missions Committee. It is recommended to achieve that by increasing the length of terms of the members from the Church and recommend that the terms of the members overlap but do not coincide. 

Historically, there have been multiple missionary societies that participated in the Church with representation on the Missions Committee. There is currently only one missionary society that participates in the Missions Committee. The wording should reflect that to avoid confusion about the size of the Committee. 

CURRENT

8.5.1 The Missions Committee shall consist of one (1) Church member representative appointed by each Missionary Society from its members, two (2) members of the Church elected each year for a term of two (2) years and one (1) representative appointed by the Board of Deacons from its members.

PROPOSED CHANGES

8.5.1 The Missions Committee shall consist of one (1) Church member representative appointed annually by the Women's Missionary Society from its members, one (1) representative appointed annually by the Board of Deacons from its members, and two (2) additional members of the Church. The additional members of the Church shall be elected by the Church for a term of three (3) years. Generally, the terms of the two additional members should not start the same year to allow for overlap and sharing of experience during transitions.