Session
J. Dennis Boatright
At the beginning of two thousand and seventeen, the session was composed of twelve ruling elders and
three teaching elders. The session customarily conducted its business through monthly regular scheduled
meetings (except for June and July) that were held on the next-to-last Monday of the month and during
special called meetings as required. Joint meetings with the diaconate were held monthly. Mr. Michael
Hazeltine, Mr. Stephen Jackson and Mr. Roy Thompson were elected at the November congregational
meeting to the class of 2023. They will begin their duties on January 1, 2018.
The session continued to conduct its business through committees which were made up of Elders,
Deacons and church members:
Christian Education
Congregational Growth & Care
Youth, College & Career
Finance & Administration
Missions
Personnel
The activities of these committees are summarized later in the annual report. The session is grateful to
the church officers and members of these committees who volunteered their time and talents to further the
work of the church.
As we review 2017, I’m so thankful for God’s wonderful blessings toward the ministry of Independent
Presbyterian Church as part of Christ’s church. My prayer for us at I.P.C. is that we would continue to
persevere through faithfulness to our great God and to continue to use the Word of God, the sacraments
and prayer as our weapons and instruments to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and to fight the
spiritual battles that God calls us to fight as members of his church. On behalf of the session, I extend a
special thank you to Elder Daniell and Elder Garnett for their six years of service on the Session and to
the full-time and part-time staff members whose dedicated work give direction and meaning to the
ministry of Independent Presbyterian Church. We are also blest with our newest addition to our
ministerial staff, Mr. Tim Shaw, along with his wife, Abby, and their two children, Annie (nicknamed
Hollywood) and Levi. Rev. Shaw spent two years as the Assistant to the Sr. Minister and was called by
the Session to join the staff as Assistant Minister after passing his examination and being ordained into
the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
The Ad Hoc Security Committee completed its work in 2017 which resulted in a new system for the
overall safety and security of the congregation and facilities at Independent Presbyterian Church.
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