At its fall meeting the Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry
Board took a number of significant actions, including approval of up to
$1.5 million in funding for a greatly expanded response to the crisis
affecting Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren
in Nigeria); authorizing marketing of the Brethren Service Center
property in New Windsor, Md.; and approval of a budget for
denominational ministries in 2015.
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Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
A green card is raised at the Mission and Ministry Board, signifying
agreement with a proposal, in the consensus mode of decision making.
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The board also continued board development and training in good
governance, led by consultant Rick Stiffney; continued review of the
organization’s strategic plan and related budgeting considerations;
discussed congregational giving; received a recommendation from the
Mission Advisory Committee and began a wider conversation on mission
philosophy that is to continue at the next meeting; named a new chair
elect; received reports; wrapped up a scheduled performance review for
general secretary Stan Noffsinger; celebrated a 15-year service award
for Noffsinger’s work for the denomination; and participated in the
dedication of the donation of the personal papers of Warren Groff and
Dale Brown to the Brethren Historical Library and Archives.
Chair Becky Ball-Miller led the meeting, which took place Oct. 17-20
at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Guests
included a class from Bethany Seminary, who led the board’s Sunday
morning worship service.
Brethren Service Center property
The Mission and Ministry Board authorized officers to market the
Brethren Service Center property in New Windsor, Md. A real estate
marketing effort and sale of property are expected to take time, perhaps
years to accomplish.
The decision does not reflect on the future of Brethren Disaster
Ministries, which currently is based in New Windsor. Board leaders and officers have stated that the decision is solely about property, and not about program.
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Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayfod
Board chair Becky Ball-Miller (at center) joins in small group "table talk" at the fall meeting
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The decision at this meeting came after the board read through and
discussed feedback from “table talk” at Annual Conference about the
Brethren Service Center. The table talk was intended both to help church
members better understand the difficult financial situation at the
center, where some facilities remain unfilled after the New Windsor
Conference Center closed, and maintenance costs are mounting, and to
solicit feedback about what Brethren understand as the center’s core
purposes and how those may be continued through other means at other
locations.
In June 2013 the board made a decision authorizing officers to pursue
all options for the property, up to and including receiving letters of
intent from potential buyers. In 2011 the board had decided to cease
operation of the New Windsor Conference Center, after it was badly
affected by the economic downturn of 2008 and had accumulated a negative
asset balance exceeding $660,000. Previous consideration of the
center’s viability dates to 2007 and prior years.
A communication about the decision was sent by the General Secretary
to staff and partner organizations at the Brethren Service Center after
the close of the meeting on Monday afternoon. Noffsinger will be
traveling to New Windsor next week to be with staff there and to meet in
person with the executive leadership of partner organizations on
campus: IMA World Health, SERRV, Mid-Atlantic District. Also, On Earth
Peace maintains an office at the center.
Expanded crisis response in Nigeria
In response to a staff presentation of planning for expanded crisis
response in Nigeria, the board committed up to $1.5 million to begin
funding the effort. An allocation of $500,000 from the Emergency
Disaster Fund (EDF) was approved. The board also decided to commit
$500,000 from reserves, and to commit another amount of up to $500,000
from reserves as a matching challenge to donors.
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Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Jay Wittmeyer of Global Mission and Service and Roy Winter of
Brethren Disaster Ministries make a presentation for expanded crisis
response in Nigeria
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The staff presentation by Global Mission and Service executive
director Jay Wittmeyer and associate executive Roy Winter, who heads up
Brethren Disaster Ministries, gave background and an update on the
Nigeria crisis of insurgent violence by the extremist group Boko Haram,
and the fact that EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, is the
Christian denomination most affected in the northeast of Nigeria. EYN
has been devastated by the violence, and has very few other
international or ecumenical partners to extend aid.
The presentation gave current figures provided by EYN president
Samuel Dali, that the Nigerian denomination has lost 18 of its 50
districts, because they are in areas either totally under control of the
insurgents or under attack or suffering extreme violence, and a total
of 37 districts are heavily impacted. The leadership of the church has
been greatly disrupted, with the evacuation of the EYN headquarters, the
closing of Kulp Bible College, and the loss of so many districts
leaving some 280 pastors and evangelists displaced.
This level of damage will have a significant impact on the future of
EYN as a denomination, the staff reported. Wittmeyer, showing a picture
of the 2014 Majalisa or Annual Conference of EYN which he and Noffsinger
attended, said bluntly, “There will not be a Majalisa like this again
anytime soon.”
The board also heard reporting of expenditures for the Nigeria crisis
to date from the EYN Compassion Fund and the EDF, which since 2013 have
provided grants totaling more than $140,000 and $120,000 respectively.
There remains about $100,000 in the EYN Compassion Fund at this time,
the board learned.
The denomination will continue to honor the intentions of the gifts
received to the EYN Compassion Fund, but donors are encouraged to
support the next phase of the relief effort by directing their gifts to a
new Nigeria Crisis Fund within the Emergency Disaster Fund.
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Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Bethany Seminary students lead Sunday morning worship for the board
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The plan for the expanded response in Nigeria is expected to encompass, over its first year:
- the building of 300 family shelters, at a total cost of $1,200,000
- providing emergency food rations for 10,000 families, $900,000
- funding the salaries of 15 Nigerian staff, $63,000
- supporting the EYN Peace Building program, $120,000
- hiring of additional staff in the United States, $75,000
- sending 3 American Brethren volunteers to work in Nigeria, $14,400
- transportation expenses, $37,500
- other miscellaneous expenses, $150,000
The total cost for the expanded program over its first year is expected to come to $2,559,900.
A video in which the Global Mission and Brethren Disaster Ministries
executives explain the new program along with their PowerPoint
presentation is online at
http://youtu.be/VdnWx6-fsqg?list=UU5_HKLUHa1UDQo4nnETlRPA.
Budget for 2015
A 2015 budget with a grant total of $8,622,730 income, $8,639,520
expense, was approved for all Church of the Brethren ministries,
representing an expected net expense of $16,790. This budget includes
the denomination’s Core Ministries budget along with budgets for the
self funded ministries Brethren Press, Messenger, Brethren Disaster
Ministries, Global Food Crisis, Material Resources, and the Conference
Office.
A balanced budget of $4,893,000 was approved for Core Ministries,
which include foundational ministries of the Church of the Brethren such
as the General Secretary’s Office, Congregational Life and age-related
programs like National Youth Conference and NOAC, Global Mission and
Service, Brethren Volunteer Service, the Ministry Office, the Brethren
Historical Library and Archives, the Finance Office, communications, and
more.
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photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Hymn singing and prayer and moments of worship are part of the board meeting, along with business
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The task of meeting the budget parameter for 2015 was “not a walk in
the park,” said treasurer LeAnn Harnist, who reported it required
cutting planned expenditures from some ministry areas in light of an
expected budget shortfall for 2014.
The financial concerns she shared with the board included a
continuing decrease in congregational giving, lower levels of individual
giving to the denomination as compared to last year at this time, and a
looming net loss for Core Ministries if giving trends do not improve by
year’s end. However, giving is up to endowments such as the Brethren
Medical Endowment and the Global Food Crisis Fund.
The 2015 budget also includes a 1.5 percent cost of living increase
for employees, an estimated 12 percent increase in the expense of
medical insurance premiums, and continuation of employer contributions
to Health Savings Accounts that are part of the high deductible health
insurance plan offered to employees. Some premium reserves left over
from a previous health insurance plan are being used to help offset
these additional costs.
The board discussed congregational giving and the self allocation
process currently in use in the denomination, as well as the quarterly
offerings, and other fundraising work. That conversation is slated to
continue at a future meeting.
In other business
- The Mission Advisory Committee proposal, presented by board member
Becky Rhodes who serves as liaison to the committee, is that “a
conversation be initiated by the office of Global Mission and Service
with the endorsement of the Mission and Ministry Board and Annual
Conference with recognized Church of the Brethren bodies from around the
world i.e. Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, India, Nigeria,
Spain, and the United States.” That proposal dove-tailed with changes
the board approved in the organization’s strategic plan, calling for
recognition of the Church of the Brethren as a world communion, and
calling for staff to work to establish a global Church of the Brethren
council with representation from all the national Church of the Brethren
bodies.
- As part of continued review of the strategic plan, a proposal for
special budgeting consideration was brought and approval was given to
request staff to bring creative proposals for use of up to $250,000 per
year for five years to expand ministry in the areas of congregational
vitality and church planting. The proposals are to come to the board’s
March 2015 meeting. The extra-budgetary funding will not be allocated
until a proposal is approved by the board.
- Connie Burk Davis was named chair elect, starting after the
meeting of the board in advance of the 2015 Annual Conference. At that
time the term of chair Becky Ball-Miller will end and chair elect Don
Fitzkee will become chair. In addition, the board extended the term of
Patrick Starkey by one year, in order to balance numbers of board
members to facilitate a process in which three new board members are
named each year.
- As part of its work on good governance, the board charged the
Executive Committee with planning a process to determine leadership
needs in the office of General Secretary for the next season in the life
of the denomination. The current contract is in place through July
2016, and General Secretary and board are in a mutual process of
discernment.
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Photo by
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Warren Groff
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- The board participated in a dedication of the personal papers that
Warren F. Groff and Dale Brown are donating to the Brethren Historical
Library and Archives. Groff, accompanied by his son David Groff, was
present for the event. He served on the faculties of Bridgewater (Va.)
College and Bethany Theological Seminary, where he was dean from 1962-75
and president from 1975-89, and also is a former Annual Conference
moderator serving in 1979. Brown was represented by his daughter Deanna
Brown. He served on the faculties of McPherson (Kan.) College and
Bethany Seminary, and was Annual Conference moderator in 1972, as well
as a denominational leader in the areas of peacemaking and social
concern. Both men are important authors in the area of Brethren beliefs
and theology.
The Mission and Ministry Board’s next meeting will be hosted by Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren on March 14-16, 2015.
Source: 10/22/2014 Newsline
