NO. 0928
Adopted
(OPERATIONAL BUSINESS ITEM)
CHANGE IN REGIONAL BOUNDARIES
WHEREAS, Farmington, New Mexico relates to the Southeast corner of Colorado in terms of culture, commerce, education, recreation and is part of the “Four Corners” marketing and tourism area; and
WHEREAS, Farmington, New Mexico is located fourteen hours from the Regional Office of the Christian Church in the Southwest, and 7.5 hours from the Tres Rios Area office, it is 8 hours from the Regional Office of the Central Rocky Mountain(CRMR); and
WHEREAS, the camp used by CRMR in Colorado Springs is closer than the Tres Rios camp in Carlsbad, and relationships between the youth, women and leaders of Bethany Christian Church of Farmington, New Mexico, have grown over the past two years with CRMR where they had not in the past made the drive to be as active in Tres Rios area activities; and
WHEREAS, The Design states:
22. Regions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) perform within their established boundaries the function of the church related to their two-fold purpose of mission and nurture:
27. Identifiable geographic, cultural, sociological, and political factors provide boundaries, which the church may use to establish its own regional structures
(1) by which the church carries out regionally its ministry of mission and nurture;
(2) in which congregations and ministers find their primary relationships of mutual support and encouragement;
(3) which provide opportunities for regional fellowship, worship, and assembly for the consideration of matters of mutual concern;
(4) which help to relate the three expressions of the church - congregational, regional, and general - to one another in the functioning of the whole church; and
WHEREAS, the official board of the Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) voted to affiliate with the Central Rocky Mountain Region on December 3, 2008 and the congregational vote was unanimous on December 7, 2008; and
WHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the Regional Council of the Christian Church in the Southwest voted unanimously to honor this request in its meeting on December 23, 2008; and
WHEREAS, the board of the Central Rocky Mountain region voted unanimously to honor this request and change its regional boundaries accordingly in its meeting in April of 2009; and
WHEREAS, affirmation of regional and area life and ministry in the Christian Church in the Southwest illustrated that the desire to affiliate with the Central Rocky Mountain Region comes from the congregations desire to enhance its primary relationships of mutual support, encouragement, and relationship with all expressions of the church; and
WHEREAS, The Design also states:
29. In the development of any new regional boundaries, existing regional organizations shall remain intact, subject to modification by mutual consent of the regions involved, in the light of the corporate judgment of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as expressed through the General Assembly. The process of reshaping regional boundaries (even if only one congregation is affected) includes the participation and approval of the parties involved, the Administrative Committee, the General Board, and the General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, this request was presented to and affirmed by the Standing Committee on Renewal and Structural Reform at its meeting February 27-28, 2009 in Dallas, Texas;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the regional boundaries of the Christian Church in the Southwest and the Central Rocky Mountain Region shift such that San Juan County, New Mexico be included in the Central Rocky Mountain Region; and
FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED that the Administrative Committee and the General Board include in its operational business items for the General Assembly this change in regional boundaries.
General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The General Board recommends that the General Assembly
ADOPT Business Item No. 0928. (Debate time: 12 minutes)