United Methodist Missionary Association

UMMA Update, November 8, 2001

GBGM Fall Board Meeting Report-October 22-25, 2001 by Howard Heiner
Massive Staff Cuts at 475 on October 8
Who's In Charge Now? Important Contacts at Board Offices
Search/Application for New General Secretary In Process
Local UMMA Liaisons (LUL) Appointed for Missionary Communities
Excerpts and Actions of the 2001 Gathering, July 1-2 at Atlanta

1. GBGM Fall Board Meeting Report
October 22-25, 2001

by Howard Heiner, UMMA Chair

Introduction

I want to thank you again for providing me the opportunity to attend another GBGM Board Meeting. It was a pleasure to work with the new MIR. She is Beverly Reddick a deaconess that was working on a peace project in Iowa. Her UMC in Ames, Iowa is providing her with an office for the MIR project since she will only be at 475 for approximately one week each month. She will stay at the Alma Matthews House during the time in NY.

She is aware that only being in NY for 5 to 10 days a month may be a problem. I am sure she will do well and it may be better for her emotional health to limit the time at 475 to a few days each month. Both MIR couples before were under a great deal of tension and stress having to work there.

We as people of faith should reflect in our lives the fruits of the Spirit to which Christ calls us--love, joy peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5.). This places on each one of us an awesome responsibility as we attempt to help in the shaping of Mission in a new millennium. To be faithful we need to appreciate that the Holy Spirit is working through directors, staff, missionaries and the general church. None of us have a corner on the truth or ultimate wisdom. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

I sensed a new spirit of dedication and unity among many of the directors at this meeting. A very sober reality that we all live in new times in which old divisions and structures need to be reviewed. They reflected a concern for the immense difficulties which now confront us as a nation within the global context. These are difficult times. Adding to their dismay are the administrative and financial problems of the GBGM. It is not easy to be a GBGM director at this moment in history.

During the four days I spoke to many directors and found them interested in the missionary perspective. I had prepared a packet with The Challenge of Mission Leadership in the New Millennium and the Support Document. It was distributed to approximately 25 directors. From these contacts I was asked by two directors to prepare a report of the planning, implementation and evaluation of the Mission Forum that took place in June, 2001. I sent the Report to them on November 2nd.

The main focus of the Fall Board Meeting was the decision on the extension of one year for Dr Nugent to serve as General Secretary. This was done in executive session. This request was taken to the GCOM meeting in Miami on October 26th by Bishop Joel Martinez, Rev. Sally Dyck and Dr Randolph Nugent. The GCOM directors granted an extension until October 2002. As I reported to you in my October 27th email, GCOM did approve the extension but with stipulations. The posting for a new General Secretary will close on March 31st and a candidate elected at the GBGM Fall Board Meeting. (see below.)

Dr. Nugent was given nearly two hours on Tuesday to present his speech of twenty-sevenÊ pages. The introduction centered on the changes brought by the tragedy of September 11th and continued with a very confusing explanation of the budget problems and ended talking about Star Trek and the Enterprise. He challenged us to "go boldly where no one has gone before...into the strange new world".

He took around an hour to deliver his talk and then opened the floor to questions and answers. The new mood of the directors was revealed during this period as various directors asked for more financial information to explain the budget crisis, challenge the process of staff reduction, and stated that the directors should be consulted before the second tier of personnel reduction is going to take place. The tension in the room was rather high and certainly an uncomfortable atmosphere for the General Secretary.

A postscript to the director's question concerning due process on the October 8th dismissal of staff is noted in the Committee on Policy and Bylaws Report to the Board the following day. It authorized staff to research the issues and confer with legal council to develop appropriate language to respond to this referral (from Personnel Committee).

Personnel

1. Mission Personnel Statistics

The Mission Personnel Unit provided the distribution of persons in the various mission categories as of October, 2001
		October	April	October
		2001	2001	1999
Commissioned Mission Personnel
GBGM Missionaries		686	582	413
CCW, Deaconesses, Others		635	450	351
	Total	1327	1032	764
Non-Commissioned
	Total	928	884	774
Partner Church Mission Personnel
	Total	376	365	274

Combined Total of UM/GBGM Supported Mission Personnel		2631	2281	1812

Apparently an additional 295 persons Commissioned Missionaries were employed between April and October 2001 despite the financial crises.

However, the Mission Personnel budget continues to increase:
2000 Budget    $21.4 million
2001 Budget    $23.5 million (Original)
2002 Budget    $27.5 million (Proposed)

2. Mission Volunteers

In the 2001 budget the Mission Volunteer program received $1.4 million and it was proposed to greatly reduce to $ .4 million for 2002. However, a special budget appeal was made to the directors and it was raised to $1.1 million. The appeal stated: "Mission volunteers are the growing edge in mission. Mission volunteers provide in excess of $20 million a year in contributions and in kind services.... Beyond the economic advantage of mission volunteers, more than 250,000 people going out to serve each year touch that many lives and more with the love of Christ, and in turn find that their lives are changed."

3. Handbook

The Mission Personnel Unit submitted a new Global Mission Personnel Handbook to replace the 1996 former World Division Missionary Handbook for Standard Support missionaries. Separate hand books have been prepared for the Church and Community Workers and for the Deaconess Program. A revised handbook is in process for the Missioner of Hope program.

During the past several years UMMA has stressed to the staff the need for an updated handbook to provide missionaries equal treatment under standard administrative guidelines. Therefore, we should thank the staff, particularly Deborah Bass and Wilma Roberts, for completing this arduous task.

During the initial phase of the handbook project UMMA representatives were allowed to participate. However, during 2001, no UMMA representative has been allowed to review the document so we cannot point out any major changes in policies. I am aware that it does not contain any grievance process. We plan to bring that to the attention of the staff.

Program

The Global Gathering is scheduled for April 2003 in Birmingham, Alabama. A recommendation was passed to place in the 2003 budget an additional $1 million dollar to finance the Global Gathering. This will bring the total budget for the Gathering to over $2 million.

Should not the question be raised in the new reality in which this nation and the world is experiencing after September 11th whether this North America exhibition should be continued? In what manner does the Global Gathering directly help the poor and persecuted of the world?

The Mission Development Committee recommended approval of the following amount for the four GBGM mission goals and program areas
Goal 1: Witness to the gospel for Initial Decision to Follow Jesus Christ	$428,642
Goal 2: Strengthen, Develop and Renew Christian Congregations and Communities	$2,870,952
Goal 3: Alleviate Human Suffering	$5,787,291
Goal 4: Seek Justice, Freedom and Peace	$279,706
Board Cabinet	$379,184
National and International Persons in Mission	$585,226
Grand Total Fall 2001 Mission Opportunities	$10,351,001

Finances: Budget Information
	2000	2001	2002
Actual Original Proposed (Million)
GBGM	$103.1	$105.1	$ 96.6
Woman Div. UMCOR, Other (%)	73.0	67.5	67.6
Total Budget	$176.1	$172.6	$164.2

Finally, I thank you for your prayers for the GBGM Fall meeting. In these critical times I would ask that we all continue to hold the directors and staff in our prayers that GBGM might provide leadership both nationally and internationally. As our government takes this nation down a path of violence in the name of national security, we need the leading of the Holy Spirit. Middle class people easily turn to fascism when their way of life is threatened. During our missionary career we saw it happen all over Latin America. The signs are now appearing here in the United States.

2. Massive Staff Cuts at 475 on October 8, 2001
Mission Board Reacts to Ailing Economy, from Newscope

New York City--In a move aimed at buttressing the mission of the church against the negative influences of a declining stock market, the General Board of Ministries today announced measures to reduce expenditures during these difficult economic times.

Those measures, including reductions in spending for office operations, materials and services; curtailment of staff travel; cutbacks in program expenses; and a 20 percent reduction in executive, professional and support staff, were announced by General Secretary Randolph Nugent.

GBGM directors were told that 98 staff positions were eliminated, all of them administrative positions in the U.S. About half of the 98 were people actually let go, and the rest were positions left unfilled, according to GBGM spokesperson Lesley Crosson. Rev. Randolf Nugent, GBGM's chief executive, said that cuts were not made arbitrarily. "In order to pay all the bills in 2001 and recommend a balanced budget for 2002, there needed to be a reduction in the amount of $11 million," he said in his address to directors.

Three long term factors were identified as causing the financial problems. First, Nugent said that GBGM had a loss of investments income over a two-year period. When asked how much the investment income dropped, Crosson told Newscope, "Because there are unrealized gains and we're talking about 'to date' figures, we can't possibly have an accurate number." The second factor cited was a decrease in general church funds that the board receives. The third factor noted as the higher-than-anticipated expenses for the agency's '10-10-10' mission program, due to substantial insurance costs and less financial support from annual conferences, and the cost of missionary support in the former World Division (!!! he couldn't avoid a dig could he). GBGM directors approved a total budget of $96.6 million for 2002, down from the original $105.1 million for the previous year (??).

Howard Heiner comments

Monday, October 8th, Dr Nugent's announcement of the sweeping financial problems that now confront the GBGM should not come as a surprise to the Steering Committee and other UMMA members. In the past ten months UMMA correspondence and reports have called into question the administrative and financial management of the Cabinet. There seems to be a serious contradiction when the message and outreach of the Good News has to be curtailed by the bad news of the stock market."

Here is a staff person's perception of yesterday's meeting

"The meeting with cabinet today was a bombshell. They announced that by the end of the day, 20 executives would be receiving the call from the Deputy General Secretary telling them they were fired and not to come back tomorrow. Tomorrow, 30 support staff will be getting their calls of termination. The entire AV department and electronic media is gone. Everyone is still shell shocked and trying to figure out who was on the hit list and who was not. Please keep us all in your prayers."

Ed. Note: The actual people we saw listed were 14 executives and 18 support staff. Added to those are positions never filled or currently empty.

In other business, GBGM: 1) One Great Hour of Sharing was up 5.2%; 2) offerings for the September 11 assistance are potentially the largest ever received for a UMCOR project; 3) continuing plans for the 2003 Global Gathering at Birmingham, AL; 4) set aside $150,000 for work associated with the Russian initiative; 5) gave $190.000 grant for the UM Russia Annual Conference work in Ukraine, Moldova and Kazakhstan; 6) grants of $25,000 and $47,000 to the Russian UM Theological Seminary and its advisory committee; 7) commissioned 21 missionaries and deaconesses.

3. Who's in Charge Now?Important Contacts at Board Offices
Area Executive Secretaries and Others

Wilma Roberts, Africa, Sub-Sahara: Wroberts@gbgm-umc.org
George Holcombe, Asia/Pacific Islands: Gholcomb@gbgm-umc.org
Walter Schenck, Europe/Mid-East/Med. Africa/India: Wschenck@gbgm-umc.org
Katie Wilkes-Ball, N. America-East/Caribbean./Guyana/Cent. America: Kwilkes@gbgm-umc.org
Janie Stevenson, N.America-West/Mexico: Jstevens@gbgm-umc.org
Jeanette Zaragoza, South America: Jzaragoz@gbgm-umc.org

Susie Canafax is the one to contact for Wellness Program and for medical records from Emory Clinic in Atlanta. wellness@gbgm-umc.org

Audrey McCoy is working with Stirling and Stirling to smooth up getting reimbursements. Amccoy@gbgm-umc.org

Beverly Reddick is the new MIR who will operate out of an Iowa UMC office and will be at 475 for about a week each month: MIR@gbgm-umc.org

Missionary Coordination has no reported replacement for MaeOla Herring. Ask Steve Goldstein: Sgoldste@gbgm-umc.org

Reliable sources say the Board may have to ask missionaries to hold off coming in for home assignment in February as they may not have the money to send out new missionaries to their assignments.

Howard Heiner writes

Let us take hope that the church in all its weakness is still that community where nationality, race, sex, or class does not determine membership. It is a network, a remnant that calls us together in the name of Jesus. It is a privilege we missionaries have in sharing the Lord's Table with a world of diversity."

4. Search/Application for New General Secretary in Process

Howard Heiner, UMMA Chair reported

In the evening GCOM plenary session (10/26/01) Randolph Nugent was elected for the calendar 2002 with the provision that the application deadline for a new GBGM General Secretary will be revised to March 31, 2002. A nominee must be proposed for election at the GCOM meeting on October 02, 2002. However, Nugent's retirement will be celebrated at the GCOM April 02 meeting so that the new General Secretary can be installed in the fall. I feel this time table is satisfactory.

Norma Kehrberg, Chair of Transition Task Force reports

New GBGM General Secretary Opening

It is still too early to have all the facts regarding the selection/search committee for a new General Secretary. However, it appears that there will be a process set up by the Personnel Committee of the Directors of GBGM. In an action taken by the General Council on Ministries (GCOM), which is the General Agency that actually elects the General Secretaries of the Boards and Agencies, they indicated that March 31, 2002 should be the cut off date to receive applications from interested parties for the position of the General Secretary of GBGM. Formerly, GBGM Directors had set it for May 31, 2002. GCOM also stipulated that the GBGM directors would select a candidate for the General Secretary at their fall 2002 Board Meeting.

Currently, March 1, 2002 has been set as the time for the Selection/Search Committee to get input from those connected to the United Methodist Church Agencies and March 2, 2002 to get input from others such as from UMMA.

It is essential that word go out among those who have the skills, gifts and graces to prayerfully consider whether they would be interested in the position of General Secretary. It has been felt that the time frame is very short and it will be very difficult to identify those who could be the ones that would give the United Methodist Church the leadership it needs at this time in accordance with the issues identified in the document, "The Challenge of Church Leadership in the New Millennium". Read the full report of the Transitional Task Force here.

Please keep in touch with UMMA to keep current with the deadlines for applications and keep in prayer the identification, selection and appointment process that will occur for the selection of the next General Secretary of GBGM.

It is expected that UMMA will have an opportunity to share some of its concerns at the March 3, 2002 meeting. Please share your insight and thoughts with UMMA leadership, e.g. What additional qualifications do you think the General Secretary should have? Who would you like to nominate as the next General Secretary Please send to Howard Heiner, Chair (heiner@jeffnet.org) and Norma Kehrberg, Transition Task Force Chair (DYKW@aol.com).

General Secretaries Elected; Nugent Receives One More Year--UMNS

At the General Council on Ministries (GCOM) meeting October 26-30 in Miami, FL, eight general secretaries were elected for 2002. GCOM does not report vote counts for these annual elections, unlike the process when bishops or General Conference delegates are elected. No election was as controversial as the election of the Rev. Randolph Nugent as general secretary for the Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). Under the UMC's Book of Discipline, general secretaries may hold office for no longer than 12 years. Nugent has been general secretary of GBGM since 1981, but only time served since 1989 counts toward the 12 years. General secretaries are nominated by the boards of their respective agencies and elected annually by GCOM.

Some GCOM members argued against Nugent's continuation. "My impression is that since 1980, the General Conference has sought to enforce the 12-year rule," the Rev. Andy Langford, Matthews, NC, and GCOM member, told Newscope. "General Conference has asked GCOM to be the church's voice on that. This is the second time we've granted an extension to Rev. Nugent. He's a fine person; this is not personal. But do we have the nerve to stand up and say that 12 years means 12 years?" Langford said the fact that GBGM assured GCOM they would have a new nominee in place by October 2002 helped sway some votes. "I'm disappointed, not surprised nor devastated," he said.

Mary Silva, San Marcos, TX, affirmed the extension. She told United Methodist News Service that "the church has spoken about tenure, but it also allows us to be flexible by providing a procedure whereby with a two-thirds vote a general secretary can be re-elected." - UMNS report.

Positions Available

General Secretary, General Board of Global Ministries.

Contact: Bishop Joel Martinez, P.O. Box 781688, San Antonio, TX, 78278-1688. Deadline for applications is March 31, 2002.

Exempt Job Description

Job Title: General Secretary
Date Prepared: August 1996
Unit:
Reports to: Board President and Board of Directors
Level: E
Executive/Professional Staff Positions Supervised: 230+/-

Purpose: The primary responsibility of the person in this position shall be to serve as chief administrative and staff officer working with the Directors of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), encouraging development of responsible policy, and carrying out such policies within the mandate of General Conference, the Board's charter and bylaws (pdf document).

Essential Functions

Know the structure of the General Board of Global Ministries, its work, its placement within the structure of The United Methodist Church, and its mission.
Administer the board's program within goals and policies set by the Board, and present major policy issues to the Directors of GBGM.
Serve as primary spokesperson for the board to The United Methodist Church, ecumenical bodies, and the world, including maintaining liaison with the World Methodist Council, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, and the World Council of Churches.
Communicate the theology of mission, as developed by the Board, to the entire Church.
Develop, present and interpret to the Board, the General /council on Ministries, and the General Council on Finance and Administration, and in cooperation with the General Treasurer and related staff, a recommended program budget, which is cognizant of and makes maximum use of available resources.
Consult with the appropriate units and committees of the Board on the allocation of fund balances, and make recommendations to the Board.
Assign administrative responsibilities to the Deputy General Secretaries of the Board.
Be responsible for the employment of personnel and the administration of personnel practices, the evaluation of the performance of directly-supervised staff, and the general supervision of the entire Board staff in conformity with the policies of the Board.
Be responsible for the assignment of persons to assume administrative responsibility in situations which involve incapacitation of staff resulting from physical or emotional disability, personal emergencies, or leaves.
Initiate redeployment of staff resources in emerging and emergency situations.
Assist persons and groups in achieving full potential through opportunities for training, personal and group development, conflict resolution, and team building.
Review and study the operation of the Board, and facilitate its long-range planning process.
Initiate new programs and coordinate exiting programs of the Board.
Implement the Board's Affirmative Action Plan.
Chair the Board Cabinet.
Assume responsibility for meeting Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) objectives and implementing affirmative action goals within the context of the General Board of Global Ministries' EEO and Affirmative Action Policies.

General Qualifications

Education: PhD. Or equivalent (Master's degree with years of experience to equal PhD. Level), preferably in the fields of international affairs, theology, and/or human relations. Study or experience in the area of church development essential. Must be able to speak English and at least two other languages.

Experience: Minimum of 10 years experience with a mission institution or organization, working with local, state, city or regional church or development agencies; must have inter-cultural experience as a supervisor or administrator.

Membership in The United Methodist Church required.

Skill, Knowledge, Abilities

Must be committed and loyal to the General Board of global Ministries and to The United Methodist Church.
Must understand the missionary movement and the history of mission in Protestantism in general and The United Methodist Church in particular.
Must possess a high degree of tact, sensitivity and integrity to handle the level of internal and external contacts.
Must have effective analytical skills,
Must have a clear understanding of financial administration and the development of a budget.
Must possess supervisorial skills with effective experience in this area; including staff development.
Must possess excellent oral and written presentation ability.
Must be able to work in a diverse environment.
Must be able to prioritize and work well and with flexibility under deadline pressure.
Must be able to work in a collegial style throughout the GBGM structure.

5. Local UMMA Liaisons (LUL) Appointed for Retired Missionary Communities

Objectives of LULs

To assist the Steering Committee in keeping two-way communication flowing with inactive and retired GBGM missionaries in localities near where they reside. They would encourage participation in UMMA activities and suggest ways to improve UMMA communications.

On a practical level this would include helping see that our UMMA UpDate email newsletter is printed out and available for reading by those who may not yet have email. The LULs would also facilitate feeding information and suggestions back to the UMMA Steering Committee. Encouraging fellowship, membership and solidarity with UMMA is also highly desirable.

Gil Bascom, UMMA Coordinator adds: "Expenses incurred on UMMA's behalf like copying would be refunded."

Would you be willing to serve as LULs in your missionary community? In the last few weeks, the following persons are serving as LULs: Stan E. and Beryl Moore at Pilgrims Place; Delaine DeHainaut for the Tampa Bay area.

Our membership is now presently up to 396 as people continue to respond every day to the UpDate Quarterly that Gil Bascom edits and sends out to UMMA members by air mail. Many are retirees who choose the Affiliate membership. Join UMMA in fellowship and solidarity!

6. Excerpts and Actions of the 2001 Gathering, July 1-2 at Atlanta

Gilbert Bascom, acting for the UMMA treasurer who could not attend, presented the financial report for 2000 and the budget for 2001. The budget was analyzed and discussed. Howard mentioned that more travel funds would be needed in order to represent UMMA at more gatherings/consultations, etc. Safiyah Fosua (MIR) mentioned another concern: whether the MIR office would be permitted to include UMMA's mailings in future mailings sent out to all missionaries and retirees at the Board's expense as in the past.

The members present expressed great appreciation to Safiyah for her advocacy of UMMA in her role as MIR at 475.

All agreed that it is important that we communicate to the active and retired GBGM missionaries information about UMMA's activities on a regular basis. The new email edition is a direct result of this concern. The treasurer's report was approved (see below).

Gilbert Bascom, Coordinator, presented amendments to Section 2 of the By-laws in order to bring the present By-laws into conformity with the reality of our present voting procedures. The discussion which followed made several suggested changes in Section 2, but no consensus was reached and the matter was tabled for further study.

A new Section 4 defining Task Forces was proposed, debated and approved. See Attachments, below.

Two New Task Forces Created by the Steering Committee

1. The new TRANSITION TASK FORCE, Norma Kehrberg, Chair

The purpose of this Task Force is to compile missionary opinions and prepare material to be submitted appropriately to staff and directors concerning qualifications for the post of General Secretary of the GBGM and to suggest ways in which the various categories of people dedicated to mission outreach through the GBGM, missionaries, staff and directors, might develop a more collegiate and effective way of serving.

2. The New COMMUNICATIONS TASK FORCE, Richard Schwenk, Chair

Letters to the editors are welcome: Richard Schwenk, 1130 Rexford Ave., Pasadena, CA 91107-1711 for the email edition and Gilbert Bascom, 6229-B N. Park Way, Tacoma, WA 98407 for the Quarterly edition by regular mail.

The third area of discussion concerned the policy of "membership" and how to promote greater participation of missionaries and retirees. Some questions were raised about the cost of membership fees. Following a discussion, it was moved and passed to amend the present Section 4.a. (see new Section 5.a.)

Gil then read the results of the election of area representatives to the UMMA steering committee. The report was accepted as read. See Steering Committee list here.

Attachments: Bylaws Changes for UMMA, July 2, 2001

Section 4. Task Forces [all new section]

a. A Task Force may be created to perform a specific task that will help UMMA fulfill its purpose.
b. A Task Force shall be established by a majority vote of the Steering Committee upon the recommendation of the Administrative Council.
c. A chairperson for the Task Force shall be designated from among the membership of UMMA by the Administrative Council. The Task Force chairperson shall be a member of the Steering Committee without vote while serving, and receive all communications of the Administrative Council.
d. Membership of the Task Force shall be determined by the Task Force Chairperson in consultation with the Administrative Council Chair and approved by the Administrative Council. A majority of the members of the Task Force must be full or affiliated members of UMMA.

(All subsequent sections of the Bylaws are renumbered: 5. Dues, 6. Finances, 7.Amendments)

NEW Section 5. DUES

a. The current dues schedule until changed by the GATHERING is: MEMBERS = $25 and AFFILIATES (non-voting) = $15. This amendment was approved by the GATHERING. Membership Application Form available here.

We welcome your comments:
gbascom1467@earthlink.net