ELECTORAL ROLL 2019
The Chaplaincy Electoral Roll must be completely renewed for 2019, which means everyone who wants to be a voting member of Holy Trinity Chaplaincy must be recorded. This allows you to vote at the Annual Church Meeting, offer yourself for election to Council or various formal committees or as an officer, such as Churchwarden.
It is also important for the Chaplaincy that we have accurate information. The number of members on the Electoral Roll influences how big our Council is, how many representatives we have on Archdeaconry Synod or other bodies and how much our formal financial contribution to the Diocese is.
This year there are some significant events that will give this exercise more importance and require it to be accurate in its information.
You may recollect that last year we asked you indicate informally, of which church you consider yourself to be a member, within our Chaplaincy. This has allowed for some detailed forward planning on how we will operate, following the creation of the new All Saints Amersfoort Chaplaincy happening at the Bishop’s visit on Sunday 12 May next year.
There will be a new Electoral Roll Enrolment Form, enabling you to go onto the 2019 Roll, which is being produced and managed by the Electoral Roll Officer, Sheila Kooijman. The timetable is tight for issuing and returning this form so that the Roll may be constituted. The form will be issued to you at the beginning of January with a return requested by mid-February so that the Electoral Roll can be finalised before the various local meetings. These will take place late February/early March to choose representatives to serve on Local Leadership Teams and to be recommended for service on Church Council at the Annual General Meeting, which will take place on Sunday 24 March.
The new Enrolment Form will ask you for detailed information, so that we can ensure our database is current and allows contact. However, because of the new Data Protection requirements, you will be asked specifically if we may keep this information and told how we will use it.
Your name must be displayed on the Electoral Roll but any other contact information, such as address, phone number and e-mail address, will be kept only for direct use by our Chaplaincy. It will not be shared with any other party without your explicit permission. You may alter or withdraw the information we hold at any time.
ANNUAL CHURCH MEETING
The Electoral Roll is not a document produced for its own sake, as it is an important tool for many things that flow in our church life, not least the Annual Meeting.
The Chaplaincy Annual General Meeting, which will take place on Sunday 24 March in Utrecht, approves the past year’s accounts and appoints Council and some officers. It will also endorse the renewed Electoral Roll. However the 2019 meeting will be slightly different as it prepares for the new All Saints Chaplaincy.
Whilst complying with our requirements under Church rules, it will also shape its procedures to allow for a smooth separation, when All Saints is formed. The Electoral Roll, with its information of who is planning to worship where, can be handed over.
The Chaplaincy Council for 2019 will be appointed at the Annual Meeting in March, as usual but with foresight of the creation of the new Chaplaincy. The Leadership team for Amersfoort would form the basis for their new Council, when constituted but its composition will be a matter for them. Any members on the Utrecht Chaplaincy Council from Amersfoort, appointed at the meeting, would cease to be members at the time of independence.
The Utrecht Chaplaincy Council will continue with members from the three churches in Zwolle, Groningen and Utrecht. Leadership teams will have considered this when they make their recommendations to Council, prior to the Annual Meeting.
The appointment of Wardens and Officers will also take account of the imminent changes, to minimise any duplication or disruption.
A lot of work and planning has happened and will continue, to make the next year a success for all our churches. The creation of All Saints is a great witness to our growth and the enabling of Anglican worship, for which we give thanks and praise.
We hope that you will be able to assist in that smooth transition and success by helping to keep to the timetable. If there is anything in the process that you are not sure of and would like to ask, please contact one of us.
Sheila Kooijman, Electoral Roll Officer electoralroll@holytrinityutrecht.nl
Simon Urquhart, Council Secretary secretary@holytrinityutrecht.nl
