Participating members of the congregation will vote on the following referendum a week from Sunday, October 7:

First Christian Church should build a new building as described in the documents presented and discussed at the congregational
meeting on Sunday, September 9.  The cost of the new building is estimated to be $2.8MM.  The funds to pay for the construction of the new building will be withdrawn from our investments as needed.

What percentage of the vote is required for passage?

This referendum will be passed with a 2/3 majority of votes cast.

Who is eligible to vote?

The qualifications are set forth in our constitution, as stated below:

Voting privileges shall be accorded to all participating members who are at least 18 years of age. A participating member is
defined as a member who participates in worship at a frequency of at least twelve times per year.  The intent of this provision is to provide a voice to those who regularly participate in worship and restrict from voting those whose names are on the church
membership roll, but seldom attend services. 

What about absentee voting?
We do not currently have a provision for absentee voting for two reasons:

No Constitutional Provision
The first reason we do not have absentee voting is that our constitution does not provide for it. Such a provision would
require an amendment to the constitution.  That process requires several stages for passage.  Once the amendment is
written, it must be approved by the elders, then by the board, and finally by the congregation. 

No Historical Precedent
In other words, we’ve never done it that way before.  Every congregational decision over the past 178 years has been made by the voting members of the congregation who were present at the meeting on the day of the vote.  Such major decisions as the calling of a pastor, the buying and selling of real property, the decision to withdraw from the Disciples of Christ
denomination, and amendments to the constitution have been made by the required majority of voting members who
participated in the election on the appointed day.  This has always been our protocol.

In the future, we may as a congregation, decide to allow for absentee voting.  Until then, we are obliged to follow the
protocol for voting that is currently provided for us, as stated in our constitution.