Annual Church Meeting
2018/19 Annual ReportImportant Dates
14 April — Revision of Electoral Roll
Submission of Motions for the ACM opens
28 April — Deadline for updating Electoral Roll information
8 May, 7:00pm — Nomination of Trustees and Council members closes
Close of submission of Motions for the ACM
12 May — Electoral Roll Enrolment closes
19 May — Display of Trustees and Council nominees profiles. 2018 Financial Statement available for collection from St Andrew’s.
21 May — 2018/19 Annual Report, 2018 Financial Statement and Key Financial Information emailed to electoral roll members.
26 May — Annual Church Meeting
Q&A
What is the Annual Church Meeting?
It is the time when the members of St Andrew’s review the past year, elect the Church Council & Trustees for 2019-20, set a budget, and consider any other issues on the agenda.
Who attends the Annual Church Meeting?
Everybody can and should attend the meeting. However, to vote on resolutions you need to be on the electoral roll, as a formal voting member of St Andrew’s Church.
What is the Electoral Roll?
It is the roll of members of St Andrew’s who are legally qualified to vote, and fill certain roles of leadership in the church. To be on the Electoral Roll, a person needs to be 18 years old or above, baptised, regularly attending St Andrew’s for over 3 months and therefore an active member of the Church, and not be a member of nor on the electoral roll of any other church in Hong Kong. To be included on the Electoral Roll, you must complete and sign the enrolment card which is available in the Information Racks in the church lobbies. Enrolment is now open until Sunday 12 May. A copy of the 2018 Electoral Roll is published in the lobbies of the Life Centre and the main door (north) of the Old Church.
What is the Church Council?
It is the annually elected body of members who, together with the Vicar, oversee the life of the church, including finance, property, staffing, Church Services, mission and ministry. The Council plays an essential role in the life of St Andrew’s and it is important that the Council members are chosen prayerfully and carefully by you to reflect your views and wishes concerning the direction of St Andrew’s.
Who are the Trustees?
The Church of England Trust is the historical body that is legally responsible for the running of the three main English speaking churches: St John’s Cathedral, St Andrew’s Kowloon, and Christ Church Kowloon Tong. The Trust is governed by the Board of Trustees which includes two Trustees from these above three Churches, the three Senior Ministers and the Anglican Archbishop. One of the roles of the Board is to appoint the Senior Ministers of these three churches, when needed. Trustees are on Church Council and are annually elected at the Annual Church Meeting.
Whom should I consider nominating and/or voting for?
Trustees and Council Members are leaders of St Andrew’s and along with the Clergy and Ministry Staff ought to model the Christian life. Thus, the biblical qualifications of Deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13) should apply. This includes; worthy of respect, sincere, not drinking too much alcohol, not greedy, spiritually mature, having already shown trustworthy leadership, servant hearted, gracious with words and not gossips, manage their family well, good standing in the church and wider community. In summary, people who are personal examples of godliness and who pursue personal spiritual growth.
What abilities should I look for when nominating and/or voting for Council and Trustee?
Council and Trustees must be Electoral Roll Members of St Andrew’s Church (and thus baptised Christians). It is expected that they are active in a Growth Group and/or a Church ministry group. It would be helpful to have some understanding of St Andrew’s Church (and its history). There are expectations of attendance at Council meetings of at least 9 of the 11 monthly meetings plus an annual Retreat. Council members should consider serving at least three years on the Council (if elected).
For Trustees, it would be ideal if they had been Electoral Roll Members for at least 7 years, and been on Church Council at least 3-5 years. Trustees must be a confirmed Anglican or Received into Membership of the Anglican Church. Because Trustees have an important functional and relational role in the Anglican Church of Hong Kong and Macau, it would be helpful if Trustees would be willing to serve, if possible, at least five years on the Board of Trustees (if elected). The Trustees are ‘senior lay leaders’ of the church and are people to whom the Vicar of St Andrew’s consults with and is accountable to, in the first instance.
If I can’t sign the Electoral Roll enrolment card, can I still be a member of St Andrew’s Church?
Absolutely! If you love the Lord Jesus, and are committed to serving Him, then you can continue to attend St Andrew’s as a non-Electoral Roll member of the church.
The Annual Church Meeting is your chance to play an important role in being a member of St Andrew’s Church.
Next Steps
- Be on the electoral roll.
- Attend the Annual Church Meeting – it’s more than a business meeting!
- Give careful and prayerful consideration as to who should serve on Council/Trustee including yourself and then nominate. At the ACM,
prayerfully consider who to vote for. - Any other business not on the regular agenda must be submitted to the Chairman by 8 May 2019 (alex@standrews.org.hk)
- Ask others if they are on the electoral roll and if not, encourage them to sign up.
- Pray for the meeting, and the future of St Andrew’s.
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