As I mentioned last week, due to the current circumstances, voting members are being asked to vote by post. This week you will receive a letter with the following information. Enclosed with the letter, you will find a Voters’ List and Voting Paper as well as a stamped addressed envelope.
At the beginning of this process we asked Ballymena Presbytery for permission to elect up to five new ruling elders. With that in mind, please write the names of a maximum of five people and their addresses on your voting paper. Please also verify your voting paper by signing it. Once completed, simply put it in the stamped address envelope provided and return it to Mr. John Robinson, Clerk of Session.
In light of the current restrictions we would ask that you do not return voting papers in person. Ballot boxes will not be available in our church buildings.
The closing date for returning voting papers is Monday 9th November 2020. Any voting papers received after this date will not be valid. If it comes in the post on Tuesday 10th November, it is not valid and will not be counted. The same rule would apply if we were voting in the traditional way.
Please also note that two or more communicants in one household have individual votes. If, for example, you and your wife are both communicant members, you should receive two copies of the Voter’s List and two Voting Papers. The individual voting papers should be returned in the one stamped addressed envelope provided.
If you find that there are any issues with the material you receive, please contact John Robinson, our Clerk of Session, as soon as possible.
As we move to this important stage of our eldership election, let me encourage you to prayerfully consider who you select. You may want to read over Bible passages which speak directly about this issue. You will find 1 Timothy 2:1-3:7, Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-5 particularly helpful in this regard.
You will also find a short pamphlet produced by PCI called Choosing New Elders enclosed along with the other documents I have mentioned. Please take some time to read through it as it simply and clearly explains what the Bible calls us to consider regarding the election of elders.
Yours in Christ,
Stephen