BAUC Spring Meetings: New Lithuanian Mission Officers Elected
BAUC Secretary Andrejs Arinsh informed participants that the total membership in the Baltic Union now is 6595 church members in 88 churches (as of March 31, 2006).
Executive Committee reviewed BAUC budget 2005 and voted for the BAUC budget statement prepared by the BAUC Treasurer Zigurds Laudurgs.
Z. Laudurgs informed about the results of the audit which was done in the BAUC by the Auditing Service of the General Conference in March. No essential errors were found. Executive Committee accepted proposed recommendations and voted for the answers.
Members of the Executive Committee also stressed the need to co-ordinate work across the LIFEdevelopment (LD), Natural Church Development (NCD), and Church Planting Ministries (CPM). LIFEdevelopment concept provides materials to reach secular people, Natural Church Development helps to revitalize existing churches and Church Planting Movement helps to understand the process of organizing new churches. Committee voted to that Guntis Bukalders will co-ordinate LD and NCD and CP ministries at the Union level.
To improve co-ordination across the different departments, Executive Committee also voted to create BAUC Strategic Planning committee, which will consist of BAUC president Valdis Zilgalvis, Global Mission secretary Andrejs Arinsh, LD, NCD and CPM co-ordinator Guntis Bukalders, BAUC officers and Conference/Mission presidents.
BAUC Executive Committee also elected new Lithuanian Mission officers. President of the Lithuanian Mission for the second term is Bertold Vinston Hibner, secretary and treasurer is Deividas Vanagas. The rest of the Lithuanian Mission workers will be elected in the Lithuanian Mission Constituency meeting, which will be held in Kaunas, Lithuania, May 4–6.
“God has blessed the Baltic Union in a wonderful way. The growth in membership, tithe and activities are clearly reflected in the reports presented at our meeting. I am confident that God’s blessings will continue to flow in the Baltic region for His love will be manifested to all people”, at the closing of the meeting said Raafat Kamal, ADRA & Ingathering Director who was representative from the Trans–European Division of our church.
Guntis Bukalders,
Baltic Union Conference Communication Director