Association of Brethren Caregivers re-envisions ministries.

The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) board approved a re-envisioning of ministries at Sept. 24-26 meetings in Elgin, Ill. The board agreed with staff recommendations to change ABC's focus, from nine distinct ministries to five ministry imperatives: Whole-Person Health Ministry, Disabilities Ministry, Older Adult Ministry, Mental Health/Illness Ministry, and Uncompensated Care.

"We're changing the paradigm around the way ABC has provided ministry to the denomination," said Kathy Reid, executive director. "Under this structure of imperatives, ABC can focus its attention on five specific areas, allowing more flexibility to respond to new concerns and inviting opportunities for collaboration." By focusing on five ministries, staff hope to engage in fact finding, create measurable outcomes, and evaluate programs after a two- or three-year period, reported communication director Mary Dulabaum. Outcomes could include creating workshops for congregational meetings, providing sessions at district and denominational conferences, offering resources through the Internet, and advocating on special issues.

Reid explained implications the re-envisioning has for ABC's services: resources for the Denominational Deacon Ministry will be provided by each new imperative, providing crossover between the imperatives and people providing caregiving in congregations; each imperative has a component devoted to family life concerns; the Voice Ministry will continue with several ministry components but will devote attention to the Mental Health/Illness Ministry; the Whole-Person Health Ministry, a re-naming of the Lafiya program, will shift from a congregational approach to a focus on individual awareness of health and wholeness. Ongoing programs such as National Older Adult Conference and the Caring Ministries Assembly will continue and be opportunities for education and advocacy for new imperatives.

One new imperative is the issue of Uncompensated Care. Emerging from the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, this imperative will raise awareness of problems Brethren homes experience by providing $14 million of uncompensated care annually to residents no longer able to pay for care. The Brethren Chaplains Network has been realigned to the General Board's Ministry Office to better serve the denomination's chaplains. ABC will continue to provide training events for chaplains at denominational conferences.

In other work, the board created a study committee to evaluate how ABC and its ministries fit into the structure of the denomination. This committee will report its findings at the Fall 2005 board meeting. ABC will then be prepared to share its viewpoint with the Annual Conference Review and Evaluation Committee, to evaluate Brethren structure and programs in 2006.

In other business, the board approved a break-even budget for 2005 after struggling with how to balance the budget in a year when conference income comes from the Caring Ministries Assembly, which does not generate significant revenue. Bylaw changes were made to allow the chair of the Fellowship of Brethren Homes, a ministry of ABC, to serve as an ex officio board member with voting ability. The board recognized the contributions and services of Connie Burk Davis, whose term expires Jan. 1; elected Allegra Hess of West Chicago, Ill., and John Katonah of Evanston, Ill., to second terms on the board; and elected Daniel McRoberts of Caledonia, Mich., to a first term.

Source: 10/29/2004 Newsline
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