2026 Business Meeting
Town Hall #1
Sunday, April 26
5:00PM
Town Hall #2
Wednesday, April 29
7:00PM
Business Meeting
Sunday, May 17
11:45AM
Downloadable Files
Elder Nominees
My wife Debra, and I have been a member of the Church of God for 45 years. We have four children, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. I am a retired educator, and a graduate of Michigan State University. Currently, we live on my parent’s original farm near Fowler, Michigan.
While attending the Church of God, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as a Board Member, Board Chairman and Steward of Missional Outreach. In addition, I’ve served on worship teams, taught adult Sunday School classes and led Small Group church programs.
I give all praise, thanksgiving, and glory to God in all things daily. I constantly seek His direction to humbly serve Him. It is my goal to serve God well and make Him well known. To that end, I believe in constant communication with Christ through prayer and the reading of Scripture. If I had to choose one overwhelming concern for the Christian Church today it would be the decline of male attendance and leadership.
Gerard Reaume
Betsy Rowe
I am a life long member of Pennway Church of God. Even when living out of state to attend Anderson University and while living and teaching in Florida, I always kept up with Pennway and looked forward to being able to visit when I came home.
My wonderful husband, Ryan, and I were married at Pennway 18 years ago. Since then we have been blessed with our two beautiful daughters, Madison and Emma. We were very excited to plan their baby dedications here at Pennway because we knew how the congregation values God’s blessings of children and they are faithful to help train children to follow Jesus.
Many of God’s faithful servants at Pennway have modeled for me throughout the years how we should work together to serve one another and to share God’s love. Over the years, I have been in countless Living Nativity performances, served as a Kids Ministry volunteer, Sunday School teacher, VBS co-director, and search committee member. I look forward to continuing to serve God at Pennway where so many before me have served so that God’s message of love was shared with me again and again so that I have faith in our Everlasting Father.
Over the last twelve months, the Elders have reviewed our Bylaws. The goal was to ensure that our Bylaws continue to be biblical, legal, and clear. Some of the changes are simply to fix capitalization for consistency, correct typographical errors, and add minor language to make an article/section more clear. The Elders also recommend changing the needed fractions of the eligible voters to percentages.
Whenever there are changes to the Bylaws, there will be questions. Please read through these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to see if your question is answered. If you have further questions, please contact the Church Office (info@pennway.org or 517-882-0223) or plan to attend one of the Town Hall meetings that are scheduled for Sunday, April 26 and Wednesday, April 29. Copies of the Bylaws with the proposed changes will be emailed along with the Annual Business Meeting notice and also available online and in the Church Office.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The proposed updated Bylaws will be voted on at our Annual Business Meeting following Worship on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Our current Bylaws require a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the eligible voters (Article 3.1) for the updated Bylaws to go into effect.
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If the proposed updated Bylaws received three-fourths (3/4) vote, they will go into effect on June 1, 2026. This means our Annual Business meeting on Sunday, May 17, 2026 will proceed under the current Bylaws.
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Article 4.1 — Lead Pastor Required Credentials
Language was added to this article to open up the candidate pool further when a search for a Lead Pastor is underway. Twenty years ago, it was common for churches to receive 30 to 50 resumés. Today, it is common to receive only 3 to 5. The intent behind this change is to provide flexibility while retaining the commitment to ordination within Church of God Ministries.
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Article 5.2.3 — Elders, Members of the Elders
Language was added to clarify that the Lead Pastor will only vote as a tie-breaking vote and will not participate in the business of section 5.8.4 (annual review and setting wage, salary, benefits and other compensation of Lead Pastor).
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Article 5.6.4 — Elders, Removal and Resignation
The Bylaws are unclear as to how to fill a vacancy on the Elders if the removal/resignation of an Elder occurs with less than six months before the next Annual Business Meeting. Language was added to clarify the process.
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Article 5.7.5 — Elders, Spiritual Responsibilities
When the Elders were conducting the search for our current Lead Pastor, it was a challenge for the Elders to concentrate only on the issues concerning the business of the church, but then also hold separate meetings that were purely concerning the search of a Lead Pastor. Language was added to permit the Elders to appoint a Search Committee when searching for a Lead Pastor.
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Article 6 — Officers
When the Elders were searching for, but still without, a Lead Pastor, the Elders’ Chair performed the duties of the Lead Pastor. However, the Bylaws do not indicate who would take over those duties if the Chair became unable to serve. The proposed position of Vice Chair alleviates that concern.
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Article 8.2.1 — Nominating Committee
The Bylaws do not indicate who would serve on the Nominating Committee if there is no Lead Pastor. Language was added to indicate who should serve in the absence of a Lead Pastor.
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Article 9.2.1 — Endowment Committee
Language was added so that the Committee members’ terms will be staggered.
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Article 9.2.3(d) — Endowment Committee Funding
The Pennway Church of God Endowment Fund Policies were not approved by the Elders until December 2023. Language was added to indicate that all gifts to the Pennway Endowment shall comply with those policies.