NATIONAL COUNCIL UPDATE  

RELEVANCE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, FUTURE

 July 2016

Greetings, Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Your National Council has been working hard for you since its inception 4 years ago.   

Here is a summary of its Relevance, Accomplishments and Future Endeavors:

RELEVANCE

The National Council serves as a representative body between the general membership and the National Headquarters Team (HQ) for the purpose of improving communication and ongoing development in our National Movement. The National Council strives to serve the higher purpose of Cheon Il Guk and be a positive liaison between the field and National HQ.

In 2013, The National Council, along with the District Council and Local Council, emerged as a representative body after our True Father’s ascension, as an initiative of the then president (Hyung Jin Moon).  One of the main purposes was to begin creating a process for a system of checks and balances. The National Council has since remained as a representative voice from the Local and District levels to our National HQ.  

A seat on the National Council is a volunteer, two-year position. At present, there is one representative elected by the District Council from each of the current 12 Districts.  At this writing, True Mother has since added two more Districts, Las Vegas and Hawaii, which are expected to be included and represented on the Council in the coming year.  The National President has informed the Council that further changes in the current District Structure are also being contemplated.

The National Council is organized into five committees in addition to an Executive Committee made up of the NC President, Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary.  These were established to respond to the voice of the membership and make recommendations on their behalf to the National HQ.  This organization has helped both the membership and HQ engage in a more meaningful level of give and take that will result in the local communities being better served.   

1. The Charter Committee

The Charter Committee is responsible to develop and amend the National Charter as needed.  The Charter Committee created the National Charter to guide the National Council, District Councils, and Local Councils to have a standardized method of organization and governance for their local areas.  The District and Local Church

Communities are encouraged by the National Charter to make decisions that are best for their communities, yet the final decision will always remain with True Parents, represented by our National President.

Last year, a series of webinars were created to help local councils share best practices in implementing the charter, as well as allowing council members to listen to and make recommendations as to possible charter amendments.  The National Charter can be found at: https://2021.familyfed.org/nationalcouncil/national–charter/.

2. The Grants Committee

The Grants Committee was established to identify and provide financial support to local communities, working with a pre-determined budget from HQ.  Grants would be awarded to support planned initiatives or ongoing projects that showed the greatest promise in supporting church growth and steps toward meeting the goals of Vision 2020.  In 2014, five communities were awarded grants for their inspiring proposals.  Currently, the Grant program is being reviewed and the Grants Committee is working to provide recommendations to HQ, based on best practices, for the future direction of the program.

3. The Finance Committee 

The Finance Committee reviews the annual financial statements of the HSA-UWC operations in America, in order to improve accountability to the membership, while also playing an advisory role in evaluating sources and uses of public funds.  Working with HQ, the committee seeks transparency with respect to the finances of the National Movement and to offer recommendations in areas of interest to the membership.

4. The Judicial Committee 

The Judicial Committee seeks to help resolve membership/leadership issues that cannot be resolved on the local or district level.  The Committee works with HQ to intervene and address all sides, to come to a common resolution.  Working with HQ, the Committee created the Whistleblower Policy in 2013, in order that members could safely bring grievances to the fore without fear of judgement or reprisal. The Whistleblower Policy can be found at https://2021.familyfed.org/nationalcouncil/whistleblower–policy/.

5. The Recommendations Committee 

The Recommendations Committee was established to receive suggestions from the field, in all areas of church growth and development, and help to organize them into formal recommendations for HQ to consider.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS & INITIATIVES OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL

• Adopted and amended the church’s National Charter.
• Solicited and awarded the first Grants Program.
• Conducted the Strategic Summit Meeting at East Garden with key representatives from across the country.
• Initiated recommendations for additional training for pastors including the weekly Pastors’ Support call.
• Initiated best practice recommendations for outreach and for the further development of the national evangelism department.
• Conducted Best Practices Webinars for district and local councils.
• Provided important feedback and recommendations to church leadership on all levels.
• Adjudicated whistleblower complaints from church members.
• Standardized the establishment of district and local councils nationwide for better communication and cooperation within local church communities, within districts, and between district and local councils and National HQ.
• NC Financial Committee working toward developing greater communication with National HQ on financial matters.

FUTURE

• The National Council meets in its entirety bi-monthly (every two months) and frequently as committees to discuss feedback and input from the field. The notes from the biannual meetings are posted on the National Council tab of the Familyfed.org website.
• In an effort toward better communication between National HQ and our general membership, the National Council will soon distribute a brief survey to the field, to provide valuable insight and feedback to our National HQ. Honest and candid responses will be encouraged.  Please stay tuned!
• The Charter Committee is working to develop and create a Best Practices Manual to help pastors and local councils better interpret the National Charter and its application in local governance and communications.
• The Grants Committee is seeking to develop an improved, more effective Grant Program, worthy of additional funding from HQ and approved by the HSA Board. The Committee is now developing ideas and a plan that can be presented to the council as a whole, and to our National HQ for approval. 
• All the committees of the National Council are working together with our membership and National HQ for the overall growth and joyful development of our church going forward. We gladly welcome new recommendations, ideas, and inspiring local reports that can benefit the whole purpose.

 Check out our National Council Website:

https://2021.familyfed.org/nationalcouncil

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE

We look forward to hearing from you and keeping you updated.

FFWPU National Council