weLink
Vol.
4, No. 6: March 25, 2009
- Conference prayers
- Staff transitions
- Transition Team update
- Launching the new structure -- missional
transformation and culture change
- Finances
- No conference office hours on Fridays -- a
three-month experiment
- Annual Sessions 2009: “Once upon a time …
signs and wonderings”
- Connecting congregations
- At Bethany Christian Schools
- In the wider church
If
possible, please include blurbs from weLink (as applicable) in your church
bulletins and/or newsletters. Thank you!
Conference prayers
We invite your prayers for everyone who is affected by the transformation/transition work that is going on in our conference. Throughout this issue of weLink, you’ll see the names of many people who are (and have been) involved in this work. They need your prayers for God’s leading, as do others who may not be mentioned here but who play an integral role in the life of IN-MI Conference -- including our congregations, Bethany Christian Schools and Amigo Centre. May God’s will be done in our conference on earth as it is in heaven.
The search committee for the next executive director
of Mennonite Church USA also requests your prayers for God’s wisdom and
the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. The committee is inviting the entire church to assist with the discernment
process through prayer, feedback and suggestions for persons who could provide
dynamic and Spirit-filled leadership for the denomination. A form has been
developed to guide individuals or groups to provide feedback to the committee.
See this form and the job description online: www.mennoniteusa.org/Home/ExecutiveLeadership/ExecutiveDirectorSearch/tabid/895/Default.aspx.
Or,
contact search committee member Richard Thomas, 2176 Lincoln Highway East,
Lancaster, PA 17602; thomasjr@lancastermennonite.org; or
717 299-0823 (fax).
Staff transitions
Next Tuesday, March 31, is a significant day in the life of IN-MI Conference. Last June, this date was identified by the former IN-MI Executive Committee as the ending date for the old conference “structure” and the ministry positions associated with it. Conference regional ministers Nancy Kauffmann and Tim Lichti will end their terms after more than eight years of service each.
Farewell dinners for Nancy and
Tim will be held April 17 (for Nancy)
and May 8 (for Tim) at Amigo Centre,
Sturgis, Mich., to give people an opportunity to express their appreciation for
their ministry among us. For both events, dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.
EDT, followed by a program. Cost is $12 per person. RSVP to Anita Yoder Kehr (anita@berkeyavenue.org
or 574
534-2398) specifying which event (or both) that you plan to attend. (weLink
recipients will receive a separate invitation in the near future, but you are
welcome to RSVP already today.)
Also ending will be the Youth and Young Adults Coordinating Team -- an interim team of three youth ministers who have served for nine months (beginning in July 2008): Loanne Harms of Waterford Mennonite, Goshen, Ind.; Jane Stoltzfus Buller of Walnut Hill Mennonite, Goshen; and Merle Hostetler of East Goshen Mennonite.
Watch for farewell coverage in the next issue of Gospel Evangel, our conference newsletter.
Transition Team update
Advisory Council
and Gifts Development Team nominees affirmed. Thank you to all delegates
who responded to the affirmation ballots in February/March for the new Advisory
Council (AC) and Gifts Development Team nominees! The IN-MI Transition Team is
pleased to announce that the 14 Advisory Council members representing our geographical
clusters and the four Gifts Development Team members were affirmed by 86
percent or higher. (The AC also has eight members who were appointed by
the IN-MI Transition Team, Bethany Christian Schools or Amigo Centre.) Please
keep the new leadership groups in your prayers as they begin their work on your
behalf. -- Gene Hartman for the Transition Team
Plans for interim ministry coverage. Given how quickly March 31 is coming -- when Nancy Kauffmann’s and Tim Lichti’s tenures with our conference will end -- the Transition Team has put in place an interim arrangement for conference minister coverage that will take us to the end of June. We also encourage utilizing area council gatherings for support.
From April 1 through June 30, the following people will serve as assistant conference regional ministers for congregations in these areas:
- Northern Michigan Cluster: Virgil Hershberger, Fairview (Mich.) Mennonite: 989 848-2417 or virmar@juno.com
- Southern Michigan Cluster, Northeastern Indiana Cluster: Jim Carpenter, Locust Grove Mennonite, Burr Oak, Mich.: 269 625-1938 (cell) or barniejc@charter.net
- North Central Indiana (Elkhart) Cluster: Jonathan Brown, Church Without Walls, Elkhart, Ind.: 574 361-3797 (cell) or revjonbrown@msn.com
- Swa-Nee Lake Area Council, Southeast Goshen Area Council: Doug Kaufman, Benton Mennonite, Goshen, Ind.: 574 533-7625 (home) or doug@bentonchurch.org
- Central/Southern Indiana; Kentucky; Tennessee Cluster and Kouts Area Council: Randy Detweiler, Howard-Miami Mennonite, Kokomo, Ind.: 765 395-7509 (wk), 765 628-2865 (hm) or pastorrandy@hoosierbroadband.com
- Goshen Area Council: in process
During this three-month interim time, there will be further thought given to the cluster pastor idea, with the hope of having a new staffing configuration in place for July 1, 2009.
The Transition Team also is identifying a half-time contract position to cover pastoral search and credentialing processes for the entire conference. This person’s task will be to facilitate good connections so that local groups can function well and with healthy outcomes. We hope to be able to announce that position shortly.
We are grateful for those who
are willing to serve in this way. During this interim time, we invite your
prayers for these individuals and the congregations of IN-MI Conference. -- IN-MI Transition Team
Launching the new structure -- missional transformation and culture change
New conference structure launched! On March 13–14, people serving on the conference’s new Missional Leadership Team, Advisory Council and Gifts Development Team met with Transition Team (TT) members, Executive Committee (EC) members, conference staff, and consultant Alan Roxburgh at Amigo Centre, Sturgis, Mich.
On Friday, Moderator Brent Eash led the Executive Committee’s “handing over” of responsibility for governing the conference to the new Missional Leadership Team and responsibility for discernment to the new Advisory Council. Those present offered prayers of thanksgiving for the former EC members’ and the TT members’ service to the conference.
The rest of the weekend consisted of each team brainstorming ways to approach their work in the next 12 to 18 months and communication processes to support this work. The 47 participants also gave thanks together for God’s goodness and faithfulness to IN-MI Conference and shared communion together.
Next steps include meetings of
the lead conference minister (Dan Miller), Missional Leadership Team chair
(Brent Eash, moderator), Advisory Council chair (Wes Bontreger,
moderator-elect), Gifts Development Team chair (Bob Yoder), and the staff’s
Communication Team (Heidi King, Diana Hershberger, Charlotte Long, Annette
Brill Bergstresser) to further flesh out the tasks of the different teams and
coordinate work to be done jointly.
-- Annette Brill Bergstresser
Finances
Revenues for the month of February were $28,439, less expenses of $45,818 for a balance of ($17,378). Year-to-date expenses in excess of revenues subtotal ($24,669). The Feb. 28 year-to-date figures:
2008–09 2007–08 2008–09 2007–08
Estimated income* $423,053 $429,845 Estimated expenses** $432,504 $459,280
Actual income 334,951 369,351 Actual expenses 365,624 396,727
*calculated according to
historical giving patterns **eight-twelfths
of total spending plan
The IN-MI Stewardship & Finance Commission continues to keep an eye on the conference’s financial position. We understand that many congregations are struggling financially and that many of their members have been affected by the economic recession that has hit our country and especially Elkhart County.
The S & F Commission and staff continue to discuss ways to cut expenses while still carrying out the work. The year-to-date expenses (not including the $9,341 loss on sale of investments) are actually $76,000 less than the spending plan. Some of the reductions reflect changes in the timing of the transition from the interim executive conference minister to the lead conference minister; the use of part-time ministers to cover the workload of one regional conference minister; and a decrease in health insurance costs due to changes in staffing. For the remainder of the fiscal year (April–June), the conference plans to use part-time ministers to cover both conference regional ministers’ work (see Transition Team section above). We continue to be frugal with operating expenses, doing more “in house” and deferring some projects.
Considerable discussion was held recently on possible ideas for saving costs, including potentially reducing staff benefits or staff salaries for the remainder of the year. We decided that the fourth quarter is probably the worst quarter to cut salaries due to the tremendous amount of work needed to prepare for Annual Sessions.
Other ideas shared included scaling back the Annual Sessions booklet and putting more content online; closing the conference office one day a week for the remainder of the year; subleasing several of the vacant offices; looking at other office space possibilities for the future; reducing the number of Gospel Evangel issues; and changing the funding formula for the conference’s Firstfruits giving to the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board. These cost-saving ideas were not recommendations, but options for the Missional Leadership Team and staff to consider.
We invite individuals who still are able to give above their
tithes to consider giving to IN-MI Conference through the Missional Seeds
Giving Club (at im.mennonite.net under “Donate” at bottom of screen). We
deeply appreciate both congregational and individual support!
-- Karl Cender, interim chair, IN-MI
Stewardship & Finance Commission
No conference office hours on Fridays -- a three-month experiment
Beginning April 1, the conference office
will be closed on Fridays for a three-month trial period. While we
believe that more -- rather than fewer -- services would be ideal during this
challenging time of transition in the conference, we know that, like everyone else, we need to respond to realities that seem to
be changing daily.
This idea arose out of discussions
about cutting staff hours in response to financial challenges. (In the
meantime, it’s been decided that staff hours will not be cut during this fiscal
year.) Some benefits to the experimental schedule are that it will increase
opportunities for communication among staff team members because their
schedules will overlap more from Mondays to Thursdays, and that it will reduce
utility expenses and other operating costs.
We
gave serious consideration to which day of the week we should close -- recognizing
that any option would have its ups and downs -- thus the emphasis on this being
a trial period. We welcome your input along the way and continue to consider it
a privilege to serve the congregations of IN-MI Conference.
-- Heidi King, administrative coordinator
Annual Sessions 2009: “Once upon a time … signs and wonderings”
June 18–20
at Clinton Frame Mennonite, Goshen, Ind.
What’s it like to learn to ride a bike? We can’t know without first trying to get on one. And most of us will fall down at least a few times as we learn. What about learning to focus on God’s activity in ourselves and in the people around us? Just because we want to live into new ways of being and doing doesn’t mean we’ll “ride the bike” effortlessly the first time. Come add your voice as we listen to stories of learning in IN-MI Mennonite Conference!
We invite your prayers for members of the Conference Program Planning Committee: Pamela Yoder (chair) of First Mennonite of Middlebury (Ind.); Virginia Leichty of Burr Oak Mennonite, Rensselaer, Ind.; Deron Brill Bergstresser of Faith Mennonite, Goshen, Ind.; Aaron Lehman of Waterford Mennonite, Goshen; Anita Yoder of Clinton Frame Mennonite, Goshen; Dan Miller, staff; and Heidi King, staff.
Connecting congregations
Ramona King
of Locust Grove Mennonite, Sturgis, Mich.,
writes: On my trip to Moldova in October with Cross Links, one of the
highlights was visiting in people’s homes and bringing them food. Vasalisa will always be an outstanding memory to me. She
dedicated her life to taking care of others -- first her parents, then a sick
sister, and now, when she is barely able to take care of herself, she lives
with a nephew who is ill. She lives in a lean-to shack, no bigger than the
inside of a van. All the clothes she owns were on her body, and in early
October, it wasn’t even cold yet. Read more online: im.mennonite.net/news/news.php
At Bethany Christian Schools
Benefit auction, carnival
and food court on Friday, March 27
starting at 5 p.m. at Bethany Christian Schools in Goshen, Ind. Silent and
live auctions include over 500 items. Read more about Fun Fest online: bethanycs.net
In the wider church
Nominees sought
for Youth Peace Drum award. For the first time, the Peace and Justice Support Network
(PJSN) of Mennonite Church USA will be awarding the Youth Peace Drum at this
year’s assembly in Columbus. This award is intended to encourage young people
(grades 9–12) to begin the work of a lifelong commitment to peace. Nomination
deadline is April 15. Download a
flyer: im.mennonite.net/news/news.php
The deadline for
congregations to submit the names of their delegates to the Mennonite Church USA
Convention in Columbus, Ohio, this summer, is April 1. Go to www.mennodata.org/mennonitedirectory/login.asp
to report the names of delegates. If you have forgotten or misplaced your
congregational number or password, contact the conference office: 800 288-8486
or imoffice@im.mennonite.net
weLink serves to connect IN-MI Conference congregations to
each other, to Amigo Centre and Bethany Christian Schools, and to the wider
church. It is published on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. weLink issues are archived
on the conference web site at: im.mennonite.net/news/welink/welink.php
To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the weLink mailing list, contact the conference office: imoffice@im.mennonite.net
Editor: Annette Brill Bergstresser, annette@im.mennonite.net (Send
material for the April 8 weLink
by noon on April 6.)
Indiana-Michigan
Mennonite Conference
Mailing address: 212 S. Main St., Goshen, IN 46526-3723
Phone: 574 534-4006; 800 288-8486
E-mail: imoffice@im.mennonite.net
Web site: www.im.mennonite.net