| UMMA Update, October 2003 |
- Preliminary Report of UMMA Gathering and Board Meeting by Norma Kehrberg, Chair
- Global Ministries Executive Announces Sustainable Mission from UMNS
- Appreciation and Possible Mission Plan by Charles Germany
- Response to Charles Germany's Mission Plan by Jim Gulley
- Request for Language Interpreters for General Conference by Don Reasoner
- A Spiritual Nurture Note by Carolyn Cowen
- Missionary Reunions "Mark Your 2004 Calendar and Make Reservations Early"
| 1. Preliminary Report of UMMA Gathering and Board Meeting by Norma Kehrberg, Chair |
Excerpts from UMMA Chair Norma Kerberg's email on her homeward flight from UMMA's Gathering and GBGM's meeting attended from October 20 to 23, 2003.
- GBGM's General Treasurer Steven Freerar resigned about 10 days before the board meeting. Roland Fernandes, UMCOR Treasurer has been appointed Interim Treasurer.
- Edith Gleaves did not attend the board meeting due to mother's illness in ICU. Steve Goldstein acted as staff for Mission Personnel Unit.
- UMW Chief Joyce Sohl retires July 2004 - after leading thatorganization's potential difficulties through General Conference.
- GBGM plans to send out 10 to 12 US2s as mission workers next year. Some deaconesses may also be trained. Apparently future missionary training will be in the NY area.
- A luncheon meeting with Curtis Henderson, Chair MPU and Steve Goldstein, included Paul Dirdak's giving a financial report that indicated by 2005 the opportunity to send other missionaries is feasible. As the chair of UMMA, this information was not warmly received because our organization feels that longer term, cross cultural missionaries are urgently needed now.
- Mission Personnel Unit's ad hoc committee report was acted on and forwarded to Mission Development Committee with 4 points
- Restore the Global Mission Personnel Conference - with consultation - by 2005;
- Assigning of 2-3 directors to each association's meetings;
- Utilize Internet to link missionaries, staff and directors; and
- the General Secretary to have dedicated time in various travels for dialogue with interested parties.
Please feel free to respond to any of these items listed above, even before the UMMA Gathering Minutes or a full report of GBGM is made available. Ric and Caring Schwenk were there and he will soon have more information out in the UMMA UpDate newsletter.
Yours in service, Norma Kehrberg
| 2. Global Ministries Executive Announces Sustainable Mission from UMNS |
In his semi-annual report to directors of the General Board of Global Ministries, General Secretary R. Randy Day said that he expected new young-adult missionaries and new deaconesses to be commissioned in 2004. He indicated that the board will achieve a sustainable level of mission personnel by 2005, though he noted that the overall numbers will drop. Part of this decline in mission numbers will be the phasing out of10-10-10annual conference-based missionaries, Missioners of Hope inAfrica, and Korean Mission Pastors in theUnited States. The young-adult US-2 and Mission Intern programs will resume after a one-year hiatus. In other personnel matters, Day announced that employees of the UM Committee on Relief NGO will no longer be counted as "mission personnel." Also, members of the Rural Chaplains Association, a board-related organization that once received support grants, will no longer be listed in personnel figures.
The 2004 budget is $4 million less than originally projected in the spring, Day noted. The revised 2004 budget is $59.2 million, excluding the separate budgets of the Women's Division and UMCOR. Because of the decrease, all grants have been cut, and no new missionaries are to be added at this time.
In 2002, the entire board had operating revenues of $128.2 million and total expenses of $157.3 million, resulting in a $29 million deficit. Some improvement occurred during the first eight months of 2003, despite a 5% drop in World Service income, according to Roland Fernandes, interim board treasurer. The board itself had a 7% increase in revenue, due to a boost in income from the Women's Division and the agency's Collins Forest Fund. Total operating revenues through August were $36.5 million, and total operating expenses were $45.7 million. "The operating deficit of $9.2 million for the first eight months of this year is $3 million less than at the same time in 2002," he said. He noted that "significant portions" of the board's income usually do not arrive until the end of the year.
Undesignated income for UMCOR-money from gifts and the One Great Hour of Sharing offering used to pay for staff and other administrative expenses-dropped by 12% during the first eight months of 2003. Although a 2004 budget of $7.9 million has been approved for the relief agency, a further decline in income could mean staff reductions, said Paul Dirdak, UMCOR's chief executive.
With contributions from Linda Bloom (UMNS) and Elliot Wright (GBGM).
| 3. Appreciation and Possible Mission Plan by Charles Germany (edited for brevity) |
Dear Friends, You are a great vanguard, and Julie and I want to express again our deep appreciation for what you have done over the past years to make UMMA a reality and an increasingly effective force. We cherish the day spent with you yesterday [at the UMMA Gathering in Stamford, Conn.].
We were greatly encouraged by the time with Randy Day and Rene Yokum, and Steve Goldstein. Randy seemed genuinely open. Norma, you were fantastic in carrying along the dialogue with Randy. Obviously, the thing needed now, as we all recognized, is the seminal ideas that would give legs and dynamic to a call for missionary support.
Perhaps it is not too late to shape the intermediating ministry with Islam into an operational plan. What about UMMA's doing some poking around in the sensitive area of a ministry to the United States of America at this critical time? Sensitive in the sense that America doesn't really like to be "ministered unto."...
Julie and I opened the NY Times this morning to read the attached report on a speech given by General Tommy Franks. "In the next 3, 4, 5, years," he says, "we are going to be crafting the next 200 years of American history." And, what does he see as our central mode and theme: "SUPERPOWER ON STEROIDS."
Sparked by UMMA, is there a ministry to America that can be crafted by GBGM? I don't know, but I am really frightened by the direction of our national life. Perhaps the agency that has had the longest, richest history of mediating relationships with the world outside our borders does have a legitimate role to play. ...the board may be willing to reaffirm the...plan developed in cooperative relation with the GBCS....
In his later years, after leaving the WCC, my friend and mentor Lesslie Newbigin's turn to his own Great Britain as his paramount "field of mission," evoked in me a sense of abandonment, but now I think I understand.
Well, what started as a word of appreciation to each of you has grown into a burden. Charles
| 4. Response to Charles Germany's Mission Plan by Jim Gulley |
Dear Ric and Caring,
Thanks the cc of Charles Germany's email. I believe he is absolutely on target. Who, apart from the UMC, should be standing up and speaking to this President? Until he moves his membership, he is one of our own. We must follow-up the Council of Bishops' actions with our own. We certainly have an interpretive mission to the US as well as a prophetic mission to this administration. UMMA can help to spearhead this process in its next discussions with GBGM leadership. Perhaps an e-Task Force can begin to outline ideas. It was great to be with colleagues in mission atStamford. Let us maintain the spirit and momentum generated by this meeting.
Grace and peace,
Jim and Nancy Gulley (jngulley@earthlink.net)
| 5. Request for Language Interpreters for General Conference by Don Reasoner |
Volunteers are needed to assist with language interpretation for the delegates to the General Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, USA from April 27 to May 7, 2004. Interested persons need to have proficient command of English, plus one or more of the following languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swahili, and Sign Language. Different levels of proficiency are needed for tasks such as: simultaneous interpretation during legislative committee meetings, conversational interpretation for accompanying delegates as they negotiate airline reservations, hotel accommodations, lost luggage, etc. Volunteers will have travel expenses, and room and board covered. If interested, please contact Don Reasoner at the GBGM: (tel) +212.870.3713 or DReasone@gbgm-umc.org.
| 6. A Spiritual Nurture Note by Carolyn Cowen |
"...It's hard to live consistently, but it is essential if we are to make our world a less violent place. Protesting against this or that is one thing, but living in a way that actually counters the very thing we are against is another. In fact, it's useless to protest war if our lives and lifestyles betray our rhetoric. If we're honest, most of us aren't very willing to give up the good life we enjoy. Consequently, we keep on fueling the very fires of war we wish to extinguish. We want to own what we have, enjoy our creature comforts, maintain our autonomy and modes of mobility, and make sure our bottom line is secure, even when the rest of the world suffers because of it." From Charles Moore's "Waging Peace: Battling War at its Roots". Used by permission of the author and Sam Hine, editor. (www.bruderhof.com)
For Roxanne and Paul Webster: Please keep this family in your prayers - for Roxanne's prognosis of 8 to 12 weeks' physical life remaining as she has struggled through many bouts of cancer. And, prayers of gratitude for her holding a new and precious grandbaby in her arms. And, for Paul and his gifts of God's love that he shares with his family and the worldwide church. Contact: pwebster@wisconsinumc.org, 711 W. Roesler Avenue, Ladysmith, Wisconsin 54848.
| 7. Missionary Reunions "Mark Your 2004 Calendar and Make Reservations" |
Congo Reunion 2004
July 9 (Friday dinner) to July 11 (Sunday lunch) at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Contact: ltryder1@earthlink.net, 404.303.0467, Liz and Tom Ryder, P.O. Box 1256, Kings Beach, CA 96143
Philippine Missionary Reunion 2004
August 6 (Friday evening) to August 9 (Monday a.m.) at Alton L. Collins Retreat Center outside Portland, Oregon. Elderhostel offered August 1 to 6 for those who register in November. Contact: Pat Williams, plwilliams62@hotmail.com, 503.295.7879, Pat Williams, 1000 SW Vista Avenue, Apt. 724, Portland, OR 97205-1137
A Reunion of UMC missionaries and nationals of Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia took place last June 2003 with 96 attending. Of these, about 46 are UMMA members or wish to become members according to Lionel Muthiah, chief organizer of the event. Many others were nationals, non-missionary spouses or missionary kids. We hope other missionary reunions will promote UMMA membership and report those present.
For those and other GBGM mission workers (active and retired), a few complimentary copies of UMMA UpDate are being sent to those interested in UMMA membership. To join us in solidarity and become a full member, please make your check payable to "UMMA" and send to Gilbert Bascom, 6229-B, N. Park Way, Tacoma, WA 98407. ($50 for couples and $25 for a single person per year). Please do it now and note: "Dues for 2004 calendar year." Some are even paying for two years in advance. Please send your updated email and postal address and give the country where you served longest.
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