Annual Meeting Annual Meeting

Sunday, February 12

12:30 pm

Bedford Alliance Church

Our Annual Meeting (also called Congregational Meeting) is held once a year where members vote on things for the upcoming year. This year, members will vote on the nominations for 2023 leadership positions, bylaw changes, and the 2023 budget.

Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting, but only members can vote. The meeting this year will take place after our 11:00 am service in the sanctuary. We ask that you pick up your kids before the meeting begins. Childcare is not provided, but your kids are welcome to sit with you in the sanctuary.

To keep the meeting brief, we ask members to review the information to be voted on ahead of the meeting. We will not be accepting questions the day of the meeting since time was given in the weeks leading up to the meeting for questions to be submitted.

What are the different leadership positions responsible for?

Elder Board

Our Elder Board is responsible for two main areas: the employment of the lead pastor(s) and the accountability of the lead pastor(s). The Elders set boundaries and hold the lead pastor(s) accountable for staying within those boundaries.

Governing Board

The Governing Board includes the elders plus the additional positions of treasurer, secretary, and members-at-large. The responsibility of the Governing Board is to protect the church in three areas: finances, liability, and building/property.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee meets to discuss potential individuals for leadership positions. They meet with individuals to see if they would be a good fit and bring their official recommendations before the members for a vote.

Nominees:

Ken Breitner

Governing Board Member-At-Large

Ken has served as Governing Board member-at-large for the past six years. He is married to Regina and together they raise beef cattle and manage their rental properties.

Josh Dyer

Elder

Josh has served as an elder for the last 16 years. Josh works for Monroe Intermediate Schools as the Assistant Superintendent. He graduated from Liberty University with his master’s in business administration. Josh and his wife, Emily, have three sons: Evan, Eli, and Brandt.

Seth Huff

Governing Board Secretary

Seth and his wife, Heather, have been attending Bedford Alliance for four years. They have a son, Liam (8), and a daughter, Charlie (6). Seth has been serving on the worship for a little over three years. He is originally from Monroe, and after graduating from Monroe High School, Seth attended Lee University in Cleveland, TN where he earned a degree in chemistry with Bible and music minors. Seth spent several years as a member of the Christian band Sanctus Real, and now works as the Director for the Americas at Larodan, a specialty/research chemicals company based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Steve Loudenslager

Elder

Steve has been attending Bedford Alliance for four years and serves on our Productions Team. He works at Newell Brands as a System Analyst, supporting Newell Distribution Centers around the globe. Steve and his wife Emily have been married for nine years and have two sons, Miles and Maddox. This will be his second term as an Elder.

Charles McDowell

Governing Board Treasurer

Charles (Chuck) McDowell has been attending Bedford Alliance Church for eight years. He and his wife, Linda, have been married for almost 47 years. They are both retired and enjoy leisurely time together traveling in the U.S. Prior to retiring, Chuck served as the President of Wessels Company in Detroit, which later became McDowell Tanks, Inc. Chuck also serves on our Safety and Security Team and helps in our Recovery Ministry.

Ron Mundy

Elder

Ron and his wife Mary have been attending Bedford Alliance for over 7 years, and Ron has been an Elder for two years. Ron also serves on the worship team. Ron and Mary have three children, Mike (our worship pastor), Nicole, and Nathan, who also serve on the Worship and Production Teams. Ron works for M&R Ready Mix as a truck driver. They love spending time with family and enjoy camping in the summer.

Nathan Nusbaum

Governing Board Member-At-Large

Nathan and his wife, Stephanie, have attended Bedford Alliance for 11 years. Nathan has served on the Governing Board for the past six years. Nathan and Stephanie have three daughters: Corianna (10), Arilyn (6), and Everleigh (4).

Bill Orth

Elder & Nominating Committee

Bill has served as an elder for the past 13 years, with several years serving as the Head Elder. He is retired from Jeep. He and his wife Sue enjoy spending time with their grandkids.

Jay Philbeck

Elder

Jay, his wife Brooke, and daughters Jayda and Jasmine began attending Bedford Alliance in 2015 after moving back to Michigan. Brooke serves as a greeter on our First Impressions Team and Jay plays guitar on the Worship Team. Jay works with his brothers running several small businesses, focusing on the construction industry. This will be his second term as an Elder.

Joe Scazzero

Elder & Nominating Committee

Dr. Scazzero is a professor at Eastern Michigan University. He has a PhD in Applied Statistics. Joe and his wife Michelle have been attending Bedford Alliance for several years. They have two daughters, Sara and Ann Marie. Joe also has a brother who is an Alliance pastor in New York City. This will be Joe's fifth term serving on the board.

Kristin Schmitt

Governing Board Member-At-Large

Kristin has been attending Bedford Alliance for the past four years and serving on our worship team for three years. She and her husband Chad have three kids, Alex, Jameson, and Annie. In 2020, Kristin completed her degree in Leadership and Ministry. This will be her first term on the Governing Board.

Bylaw Changes:

The C&MA National Office informed us of a change to one of our policies, which created the need to update our bylaws. As a result, members will be voting on four changes to the Bedford Alliance Church bylaws. Our Governing Board has voted to bring these changes to the members. Here are the proposed changes:

Change #1: Preamble

We are making changes to the preamble section of our bylaws. There are two primary reasons for this change. The first is the removal of our old mission statement. As you may have heard, we have a new mission statement as a church. Because mission statements can periodically change or be re-worded, the decision was made to not include our new statement in our bylaws.

The second reason we are changing the preamble is to remove the Bedford Alliance Church Faith Community Mission Policy. The C&MA National Office released a new version of this policy and instructed us that the new policy NOT be included in our bylaws, but instead serve as a stand-alone document that is voted on by the Governing Board.

Current Preamble:
Bedford Alliance Church exists to lead people into a deeper relationship with Christ. This is accomplished by creating environments where people can find purpose, hope, and belonging through serving, worship, and groups. Our vision is to be a church the next generation loves to attend; we want to faithfully pass the baton to the next generation.

The exercise of faith and the mission of Bedford Alliance Church is defined in greater detail in the Bedford Alliance Church Faith Community Mission Policy.

Proposed New Preamble:
This document constitutes the Bylaws for The Bedford Alliance Church of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. These Bylaws shall govern the nonprofit corporation through which The Bedford Alliance Church operates legally.

Change #2: Grammatical Change

A grammatical change is needed in the section of our bylaws that defines the role of Elders. We will be changing CM&A to C&MA.

Current:
C. Elder Board
1. Role: The Elder Board shall oversee the ministries of the church in accordance with C&MA policies by managing the following areas:
a. Employment and Accountability of the Senior Pastor in conjunction with the District Superintendent as per Article VIII of the CM&A Constitution.

Proposed change:
C. Elder Board
1. Role: The Elder Board shall oversee the ministries of the church in accordance with C&MA policies by managing the following areas:
a. Employment and Accountability of the Senior Pastor in conjunction with the District Superintendent as per Article VIII of the C&MA Constitution.

Change #3: Grammatical Change

A grammatical change is needed in the section on Elections, Appointments, and Filling Vacancies. We will be adding the word "be".

Current:
VI. Elections, Appointments, and Filling Vacancies
A. Elections
1. Nomination of Persons for Election
a. Nominations by the Nominating Committee
i. The committee shall put names forward for all elected positions.
ii. Members of BAC may suggest nominees for the committee's consideration.
iii. There is no limit to the number of qualified persons, as defined by these bylaws, that can nominated for any given position, but at least the minimum number required to serve must be nominated (including enough Elders to maintain a majority of the seats on the Governing Board).

Proposed change:
VI. Elections, Appointments, and Filling Vacancies
A. Elections
1. Nomination of Persons for Election
a. Nominations by the Nominating Committee
i. The committee shall put names forward for all elected positions.
ii. Members of BAC may suggest nominees for the committee's consideration.
iii. There is no limit to the number of qualified persons, as defined by these bylaws, that can be nominated for any given position, but at least the minimum number required to serve must be nominated (including enough Elders to maintain a majority of the seats on the Governing Board).

Change #4: Addition to the Section on Bylaw Amendments

Our C&MA district office recommended an addition to our bylaws that allows the Governing Board to make minor changes to the bylaws as needed. This year is a good example of the benefits of this bylaw addition. We had two minor grammatical changes, which could have been easily resolved through a vote by our Governing Board. The language in the proposed addition below is the same language used in our district’s bylaws.

Current:
VIII. Bylaw Amendments
A. Amendments may be proposed in two ways:
1. A Governing Board member may propose an amendment during a Governing Board Meeting, or
2. A Member of BAC may submit a proposed amendment, in writing, to the Governing Board.
3. If and when an amendment has been approved by the Governing Board, it will be submitted to the Members for a vote at the next Annual or special Meeting.

Proposed Addition:
VIII. Bylaw Amendments
A. Amendments may be proposed in two ways:
1. A Governing Board member may propose an amendment during a Governing Board Meeting, or
2. A Member of BAC may submit a proposed amendment, in writing, to the Governing Board.
3. If and when an amendment has been approved by the Governing Board, it will be submitted to the Members for a vote at the next Annual or special Meeting.
4. The Governing Board is authorized to edit these Bylaws as needed so long as said editing does not alter intent, policy, or principle of any bylaw so edited.

Financial Information:

2023 Proposed Budget

General Fund
Staff-Related Expenses $1,132,513
Facilities $136,285
Business / Administrative $187,494
Church Ministries $125,297
Transfers to Other Funds $36,800
2023 GENERAL FUND BUDGET $1,618,389
4.4% increase over 2022
2022 GENERAL FUND BUDGET $1,549,865
$51,149 more than 2022 General Fund giving
2022 GENERAL FUND GIVING $1,567,240

Balance Sheet

(As of 12/31/2022)
Checking $353,786
Savings $125,387
Total Cash $479,173

2022 Income and Expense Report

INCOME
Total Contributions $1,907,619
Total Other Income $193
Total Designated Income $39,236
Total Income $1,947,048
EXPENSES
Total Operating Expenses $1,723,084
Total Designated Expenses $191,861
Total Expenses $1,914,945
Net Income / (Loss) 32,103

Budget to Actual Analysis

2022 Budget 2022 Actual Difference
General Fund
Income $1,549,865 $1,583,643 $33,778
Expense $1,549,865 $1,525,943 ($23,922)
TOTAL - $57,700 $57,700

In addition to setting a General Fund Operating Budget each year, we also set a giving goal for Missions and for Building Fund. Here is a look at our 2022 Goals compared to Actual for each of these funds:

2022 Budget 2022 Actual Difference
Missions Fund $118,000 $148,912 $30,912
Building Fund $100,000 $161,780 $61,780

Submit a Question

For more information about what we did in 2022, take a look at our Annual Report.

Annual Report