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Announcing A Congregational Meeting
The Council of Elders has called for a special congregational meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 18. The purpose of the meeting is for the Regular Members to vote on two motions from the Council of Elders:
1. To approve Baxter Helm as Senior High School Pastor
2. To amend the College Church Bylaws
The meeting will be held in a Zoom webinar format. There will be two informational meetings so that congregants can get additional background information in a less formal setting. The informational meetings (also by Zoom) are scheduled for Wednesday, April 14, at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 17, at 8:00 a.m.
The absentee ballot will be available online at: www.college-church.org/congregationalmeeting
College Church In Wheaton
April 18, 2021
RESOLUTION TO APPROVE BAXTER HELM AS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL PASTOR
WHEREAS: The Bylaws provide that “The Senior Pastor shall recommend to the Council for its approval those of his choice to serve as members of the Pastoral Staff”; and
WHEREAS: Pastor Josh Moody has recommended Baxter Helm as the Senior High Pastor; and
WHEREAS: The Council of Elders has interviewed Mr. Helm on topics such as his sense of call to this position, his commitment to the Church’s Articles of Faith and Standards of the Christian Life, his personal habits of Christian maturity, and his views on key cultural issues, and the Council has recommended that he be approved as High School Pastor:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That Baxter Helm is hereby approved as the Senior High Pastor for a term beginning on May 2, 2021.
Meet Baxter Helm
My wife, Kelsie, and I are especially excited to be candidating at College Church for the role of Senior High School Pastor. It’s been a privilege to be a part of this process and we have been encouraged by the gospel work currently happening at College Church.
Ironically, this church has played an important role in my life from the very beginning. I was the first boy baptized in the new sanctuary at College Church. My mom, Lisa (Schmid) Helm grew up in this church, daughter of Ted and Florence Schmid, and my dad, David Helm, served on staff for many years. They, along with my Uncle Jon and Aunt Amy (Schmid) Dennis, were sent out as College Church’s first church plant, Holy Trinity Church in Chicago. Presently my sister Joanna is serving in the college ministry along with her husband Ben, who is the College Pastor. I’m incredibly grateful for the faithful legacy of this church and the impact it has had on me and my family for many years.
The Lord put the work of church ministry on my heart at a young age. I was active in my own high school youth group as a student leader while at Holy Trinity. I also served on the student leadership team in the College Ministry at College Church while at Wheaton College, majoring in business/economics and minoring in Bible and theology. Following my undergrad years, I joined a team that was newly developed at PT Asset Management. I worked there for five and a half years as a wholesaler, covering clients across the country, and later as the manager of the internal wholesaling team. I was fortunate to learn and grow in that professional environment for many years.
In 2015 I committed to Holy Trinity’s church plant in the Pilsen neighborhood. Since then I have served as an Elder, a community group leader, on the worship team, and as a member of the preaching team. After a season of prayer, Kelsie and I believed the Lord was calling us into full-time ministry work. I left my job last year and have been in a full-time ministry training program called “The Chicago Course on Preaching” through The Charles Simeon Trust. The program equips pastors and ministry leaders in rightly handling and teaching God’s word. During this time, I’ve grown in my conviction for biblical exposition and have been given the regular opportunity to preach. I hope to use these tools for years to come, that students might cultivate a deeper love for God’s word.
One way I enjoy personally connecting with the Lord is through creating music. I love playing guitar and piano. I find much joy in “singing a new song to the Lord” as Psalm 96:1 says. I hope to find avenues to continue to encourage the hearts of students through writing music alongside them for us to sing corporately.
Kelsie and I met at Holy Trinity Church in Pilsen when she moved to Chicago after graduating from Taylor University. She enrolled in a graduate program and received a degree in clinical counseling and art therapy. She currently works in community mental health in the city of Chicago. We were married in December of 2019, it was a great day! She is my best friend, the one I love to laugh with, and my teammate for life. We enjoy exploring new restaurants, museum exhibits, and any live music events. I am a big Chicago sports fan, namely the Bulls and a certain baseball team on the south-side of Chicago, which I have been advised not to talk about that much during my candidacy. I hope to get to know many of you and labor alongside you in the gospel work at College Church.
You can view the job description for Senior High Pastor by clicking on the link on college-church.org/congregationalmeeting
College Church In Wheaton
April 18, 2021
RESOLUTION TO AMEND THE COLLEGE CHURCH BYLAWS
WHEREAS: The Council of Elders has recommended that the bylaws be amended to eliminate or restructure certain committees and elective positions and to streamline the process of separating individuals from membership:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the bylaws of College Church in Wheaton are hereby amended as follows:
[The words that are crossed out will be deleted, and the words in bold type will be added. There are also numerous instances in which cross-references and sequential numbering will be amended.]
