United Methodist Missionary Association

UMMA Update, November 2002

Howard Heiner Hands Off UMMA Chair to Norma Kehrberg
Brief Report of UMMA and GBGM Stamford Meetings
UMMA News Release on Mission Downsizing
Proposed Action to GBGM Financial Crisis

1. Howard Heiner Hands Off UMMA Chair to Norma Kehrberg

by Howard Heiner, Past Chair of the United Methodist Missionary Association

Dear Colleagues:
I feel the strategy of having the UMMA Gathering in conjunction with the Fall Board Meeting was a huge success. At the first session when Bishop Martinez introduced Norma and me, I had arranged with the Bishop to have all the UMMA members stand at once.We rose as a solid block and there was a audible gasp from the area where the Cabinet was seated.

We have much to report. Norma and I will be sending a brief report today. However, as you known for several months I have desired to step down as UMMA Chair.That action was taken and Norma was approved by the members of the Gathering to become Chair until the election of new Steering Committee members next year. At that time the new Steering Committee will elect its officers.

I am thrilled that Norma has accepted the position. She is very capable and dedicated to carrying on with the vision we have forged together over the past six years.

It has a privilege and honor for me to be your Chair as we worked together to form the goals and objectives that missionaries hold dear to their hearts. Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement.

I will remain on the Steering Committee as one of the retiree representatives until next years election. A "New Day" was initiated this week at the Board meeting which will provide many opportunities for the missionary community to become part of the team effort need in the months and years ahead.

Please continue to pray that directors, staff, mission personnel and partner organization will allow the Holy Spirit to work through us for peace and justice.

Shalom,
Howard

2. Brief Report of UMMA and GBGM Stamford Meetings

October 26, 2002

Dear Friends:
The Fall Board meeting is over! It is with mixed feelings that Norma and I are sending you this brief update before the full report is ready. There are some positive signs for the future relationships of mission personnel and the board. UMMA was able to actually access the agenda of the Mission Personnel Program Unit with its requests; UMMA was visible in the plenary sessions and all members were actively plying the halls chatting with Directors and presenting the issues; however, grave financial conditions exist. The Cabinet's position that was presented to the Directors resulted in mission personnel being asked to take the largest cut in financial downsizing resulting in termination of many missionaries in the coming year. This position appeared to be a surprise to most directors when staff cited "according to policy".

A few items:

Randy Day was confirmed by the GBGM Directors to serve as General Secretary. On Thursday, October 24, Randy Day, Bishop Martinez and Sally Dyck (chair of GBGM Personnel) went to the meeting of GCOM where it is expected that Randy Day will be formally elected to serve as General Secretary. UMMA members had a chance to talk informally with Randy Day during the course of the meetings. Even though he had just been elected as the nominee for the position of General Secretary by the directors and undoubtedly had a host of things to attend to, Randy Day came to the UMMA meeting at our hotel and spent 40 minutes in discussion. It was a positive interaction and a wholesome, wonderful shift from what we had been accustomed to in the past.
The first formal item of business was the approval of a package for Randy Nugent to serve as a mission education proponent, particularly among the seminaries of UMC, within the US and internationally for the next two years. Although we were not allowed to see a proposal, it is our understanding that the amount approved was $400,000 and it was stated in the plenary that these funds were from designated funds of GBGM for "mission education." There were a few attempts to open the discussion a bit on the plenary floor, but basically, it appeared to be a "done deal" before it came to the floor. A written ballot was not taken.

Please continue to pray that directors, staff, mission personnel and partner organization will allow the Holy Spirit to work through us for peace and justice.

Shalom,
Howard

3. UMMA News Release on Mission Downsizing

One-quarter of United Methodism's commissioned missionaries will be terminated next year.

Members of the United Methodist Missionary Association (UMMA), at their annual meeting at Stamford, Connecticut, were shocked to learn that the Mission Personnel Unit of the General Board of Global Ministries has been told to absorb three-quarters of a projected $10 million reduction in GBGM programs next year.

Deputy General Secretary Edith Gleaves announced the reductions in her report to the directors of the Mission Personnel Unit at the October meeting of GBGM directors in Stamford. To make this reduction, Gleaves stated that 25 percent of the GBGM's commissioned mission personnel will be terminated when their current term ends in 2003.

Gleaves explained that of the 293 mission personnel due for extension of their term of service in the year 2003, 244 will not have their contracts renewed. Of the 293, 144 are standard support missionaries serving in dozens of countries around the world who would have expected to have their services continued as commissioned missionaries of The United Methodist Church.

When several directors appeared surprised and raised questions about the drastic cuts, Gleaves and other staff replied that they were simply following policy. Yet no one could explain when the policy was made or who made it.

UMMA has also been shocked by the reduction of support for missionaries currently in the middle of multi-year contracts. In recent weeks, several missionaries have been told by staff in New York that their rent allowances and children's educations allowances are being cut dramatically. Since UM missionaries are not allowed to raise money directly for their costs, many find themselves in a financially unsustainable position. In addition, in recent months some missionaries have been forced by the GBGM to retire before the age of 65.

The GBGM's General Treasurer Stephen Feerrar presented the financial status of the GBGM to directors. He stated that with the downturn in the stock market, GBGM's expenses are far beyond the regular income from the church. He also stated that the GBGM did not plan to sell any investments because they would have to be sold for a loss. While waiting for the stock market to turn around, this decision has resulted in the termination of mission personnel in every category with the vast majority of the financial cutbacks in the Mission Personnel Unit.

UMMA was also shocked to learn that these drastic cutbacks were recommended without consulting the annual conferences which support the mission programs of the church, including missionaries serving under the 10-10-10 program in their own conference. No effort has been made to alert the church of this severe financial crisis, nor has the GBGM leadership appealed for increased support that would allow the mission programs of the church to continue unabated.

UMMA encouraged GBGM staff and directors to seek other options before massively laying off scores of mission personnel. UMMA continues to offer to work with the GBGM to encourage churches in their mission giving, a pledge given by UMMA to GBGM leaders over 18 months ago, yet not responded to.

It is clear that men and women of The United Methodist Church will continue to answer God's call to mission. It is increasingly doubtful, however, that they will be able to do that through the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church.

October 28, 2002

For more information:
Howard Heiner, 541.488.9346, email: heiner@jeffnet.org
Norma Kehrberg, 808.394.0459, email: DYKW@aol.com

4. Proposed Action to GBGM Financial Crisis

Dear Friends:
This proposed action is an attempt to quickly get information into the hands of Directors and church leaders of the UMC.

First: By having some action plan it should also help our community understand that some efforts are underway as a response to the news of cuts.

Second: Share this action plan as possible with the Council of Bishops.

Third: Follow up with all directors of MPU and with those that UMMA has been working in the past.

Fourth: UMMA and mission personnel components are to share widely.

Please review and comment: It is not perfect but almost. My thanks go to Howard who drafted this immediately, in view of the possible avenues of communication. We look forward to hearing from you.

Norma

Proposed Action to GBGM Financial Crisis

Presented by the United Methodist Missionary Association

November 2, 2002*

A. Introduction

Active and retired missionaries of the United Methodist Church are deeply concerned about the severe cutbacks envisioned for mission programs and commissioned mission personnel in 2003. Missionaries as well as others who are interested in the mission program are expressing their disappointment with the proposed reductions. They are not pleading for their own personal case but the loss to mission programs of the church and the effects on partner churches and organizations.

United Methodist Missionary Association Gathering (UMMA) members heard about this first hand in a report to the Mission Personnel Committee at the Fall Board Meeting. The magnitude of the reduction and damage it will cause to the GBGM mission outreach is alarming. The following suggestions are presented with the hope that they will in a positive way help to ameliorate the staggering effects of the proposed reduction of program and mission personnel funding.

B. Communication

We urge the President of the GBGM to challenge conferences, supporting churches, host organizations, directors, staff and mission personnel to join in a cooperative and coordinated response to the financial crisis now confronting the GBGM, the UM Church's mission agency.
The communication could address the problem of massive downsizing in the following ways:
1. Comprehend the detrimental impact to the vision of Christ's mission of the UMC;
2. Reveal the damage of program reduction to the mission effort of autonomous Methodist Churches, United Methodist Churches, other partner churches and partnership organizations;
3. Realize the immeasurable spiritual/connectional damage to local churches who have supported mission programs and personnel through the Advance and Covenant Relationship Programs; and
4. Have compassion for the emotional turmoil to mission personnel who have responded to a Calling, been commissioned by UMC's GBGM and are effective in their work throughout the world.

We urge the GBGM President establish an emergency advisory group composed of directors, staff and mission personnel to develop and implement a plan of action. This group would address the financial crisis causing the reduction of mission outreach. To initiate in the discussion a suggested framework of action to be presented as an emergency response for these difficult times.

D. Action Addressing Mission Personnel and Host Organizations

We urge the Cabinet to furnish a country by country report reflecting guidelines they have used for the reduction of program and mission personnel so that the advisory group can study the effects of the proposed cutbacks. This examination of the planned reduction in each country and the overall summary by regions would provide two valuable planning figures:
1. The GBGM budget by program and personnel in each region of the world; and
2. the breakdown of funds used in each region among the four mission goals of the GBGM. Using this data, the Advisor Committee could analyze the options available to meet the financial constraints of present estimated revenue.
With the information provided to them from the advisory group, each Regional Executive Secretary would initiate a country by country review of the cost of each project and the assigned mission personnel. This review would be done in coordination with the host organization and the mission personnel to allow them to prioritize the projects for their need and ways to implement cost reductions. Also, the mission personnel Place of Assignment Budget would be provided to determine the potential reduction of personnel by retirement, reassignment, or termination and the potential for the reduction of educational, housing, and medical cost.

Guidelines should be provided to each country of the needed reduction of program and mission personnel for their country that would ultimately lead to a balanced GBGM budget when all the countries budgets are totaled. Differences between the budgeting request of the partner organization and the limits established determined by the advisor group would be resolved by the Mission Context and Relationships Unit.

Using the data furnished from each country by the autonomous Church or partner organization, an emergency amended budget would be developed that can be utilized in the second phase of the program of generating more funds throughout the UMC in worldwide supporting churches or other funding agencies.

E. Increase Mission Support in the United States

Request Bishop Martinez to make a special appeal to the Council of Bishops for increased funding.
Request the Cabinet to provide information on the annual support of mission personnel and programs to the GBGM Jurisdictional Representatives. The Representatives with the GBGM Conference Secretaries would coordinate an urgent campaign to find resources for mission outreach.

They would be assisted in this work by:
1. A Special Appeal to their Bishop and Pastors;
2. Letters from mission personnel assigned to their Conference;
3. Itineration by mission personnel on home assignment; and
4. Volunteer services by retired UMMA members within each Conference.

Norma Kehrberg, Chair United Methodist Missionary Association, DYKW@aol.com

Howard Heiner, Past Chair United Methodist Missionary Association, heiner@jeffnet.org

We welcome your comments:
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