Hub-Spokes Committee Operating Rules Adopted 10-18-97; Amended 2001; Amended 2010 PURPOSE To fulfill the action of the 55th General Assembly which endorsed a “call to arms” plan presented by the Committee on Foreign Missions (CFM) of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
To renew the energies of our churches in presenting the gospel in foreign cultures by joining sister churches in our presbytery through local support of specific families.
To provide support to missionaries and mission work in matters of furlough, finances, prayer and by other means.
This will be accomplished by the formation and operation of the Great Lakes Hub-Spokes Committee.
MEMBERSHIP The session of each church or chapel shall appoint two representatives from its fellowship to be on the committee. One of these will be a permanent point of contact for his/her congregation.
Permanent representatives must be members of participating congregations of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church or of the Presbytery of Michigan and Ontario, or of the Presbytery of the Midwest.
OFFICERS The officers of this committee will be a chairman, a vice-chairman, and a secretary. The chairman and vice-chairman will be ordained officers of the church.
The terms of service will be as follows: chairman, three years; vice-chairman, three years; secretary, three years.
In the event of an officer resigning before the completion of his or her term, the committee will elect a successor to complete the term of the office vacated.
The duties of the chairman will include calling and conducting the meetings. Each meeting will be opened with devotions and prayer. The meeting will be closed with prayer. The chairman will send a written report annually to the Committee on Foreign Missions of the OPC in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. This report will summarize the past work of the committee and its future plans.
The vice-chairman will assume the duties of the chairman in the latter’s absence.
The duties of the secretary will include recording minutes of each committee meeting and seeing that copies are sent to the Sessions or steering committees of all the churches and chapels in the Presbytery of Michigan and Ontario, and any other participating churches. The secretary will also see that copies are sent to all participating members of the committee, and to the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Missions of the Presbytery of Michigan and Ontario. The secretary will also keep a list of the officers, dates of their terms and other OPC members participating in the work of this committee.
FINANCES The treasurer of each church or chapel is to send funds received for Hub-Spokes missionary support to the Committee on Foreign Missions, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. The checks should bear the name of the Hub-Spokes’ missionary on the memo line, using the words “(Missionary Name) Support: Great Lakes Hub-Spokes.”
Each church or chapel will inform the Hub-Spokes chairman of their financial commitment for the new year or an estimate of offering totals they anticipate receiving during the new year.
Each participating spoke church is asked to send annually ten dollars to the secretary of the committee to cover miscellaneous expenses.
Each local church or chapel is asked to pay travel expenses related to Hub-Spokes work.
MEETINGS There will be at least one regular meeting annually. This will be held on a Saturday during the fall months. Special meetings may also be called by the chairman at other times during the year.
AMENDMENTS These standing rules may be amended at a regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the committee members, provided that a written copy of the proposed amendment has been passed out at the previous regular meeting.
