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 Last year when I addressed you I told the story of my son referring to a bicycle ride over Independence Pass as just a bump in the road. We had just been through some comparable bumps in the road in this Region, but, while noting there would continue to be smaller bumps, I was optimistic for our future.
This Region has come through some difficult times. There has been anger, there has been abuse of position, there has been miscommunication, and, most of all, we have often forgotten why we are here. Yet today I am more convinced than ever that over the last two years we have turned the corner. There’s a long road ahead of us, but good things are happening.
Last year in my report to you I said that one lesson we learned from those difficult times is that the Board could no longer be a Board in name only. For that reason, I won’t pretend to take credit for what is happening. There were too many Board and Executive Committee meetings where good decisions were made when I didn’t have a clue about what we should do. You have excellent, prayerful people serving you and they have sacrificed time and, often, personal expense to do it.
I also want to recognize my pastor, Kim Skattum, who, when I felt like I was being buried by difficult and heart rending decisions, carved out time from an incredibly busy schedule on short notice to counsel and bring clarity to my thinking. I applaud and pray for our many pastors across the Region who do the same for their people. Thank you for being the pastors God has called you to be.
I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the dedicated staff who serve you faithfully and regularly go above and beyond their call. They are incredible people who love God and love what they are doing. To tell the story about the incredible job they do would take the rest of the day. Please take advantage of any opportunity you have to thank our Executive Minister, Steve Van Ostran, our Region Administrator, Karen Van, our Coaches, Mike Oldham and Mary Tellis, our Communications Specialist, Jessica Fischer, and our Region Secretary/Bookkeeper, Alyce Keys. Also, take time to let Rev. Larry VanSpriell know how much he was appreciated for stepping into the Interim Executive Minister position at a very difficult time and doing a wonderful job.
During these last few months we have been able to begin to look at the ministry that the Region can and should be doing. The Board has framed that ministry with a clear vision statement and a series of seven core values that will guide what we do. While this will be a living document that will continue to be fleshed out as we address the needs of our Region. I urge you to take time to read about these core values which are included in this book. For me the critical change in focus in all of the discussion leading up to the formulating the vision and core values was that the Region is here to serve an facilitate ministry in the local churches.
After years of turmoil and neglect of critical issues we still face set backs. But with the leadership in place we are turning those discouraging events into a promising future with new ministries.
Last year I promised you that I would take to the Board a plan to create a legacy for those churches which have had to close their doors. The goal was to break the habit of the past of using the sale of churches to fund our operational budget. Rather, this money was to be set aside for specific plans to strengthen our churches and our Region. At our winter meeting the Board approved a plan to create a team to lead churches in struggling situations through a transformation process that will help them regain health and vitality. A second team will target areas in our Region—and there are many—where new churches should be planted. Both teams have been appointed and will begin initial training in the next few weeks.
Unfortunately, we aren’t past the setbacks. We have other churches that are teetering on the edge of survival. The difference is that there is now a plan in place to stem that downward spiral and the resources to begin a concerted effort to help churches. Should these churches actually close their doors the proceeds from the sale of those buildings will continue to contribute to the legacy of transformation and church planting.
On a smaller scale, this year there will a nominal amount of money in the budget for churches which have a plan for community outreach, but need start up funds to make that possible. The expectation is that these start up funds will allow the church to initiate a program that they will continue on their own for the future.
As all of these programs are put into place they will be fully publicized in our Region newsletter. If you are not currently receiving that newsletter, call Jessica at the office and get your name on the mailing list. We prefer to send you the letter by email, but if you don’t have access to email, a hard copy will be generated for you.
The most notable setback this year was the decision by the board of Curtis Park that it could no longer maintain a viable ministry. With urban renewal near the top of the city’s agenda, the demographics around Curtis Park have changed. Funding for the traditional programs either dried up or went to agencies that were changing with the new needs of the community. Despite the great support of our ABW groups providing many supplies through the White Cross program, it simply wasn’t enough to keep the doors open.
However, even here the prospects are bright. With the leadership of Mary Tellis, the Curtis Park Board began conversations with Hope Communities. Those conversations have transferred to ABCRM since we jointly own the property with National Ministries. With the Board’s authorization we are close to an agreement that will turn the property over to Hope Communities. Hope is a much larger organization primarily in the business of providing affordable housing for those in need in the Denver community. However, they understand that simply putting people into affordable housing without counseling and support to change lives much of that effort is doomed to failure. Consequently, they work with a network of agencies that provide support services similar to what was done at Curtis Park, but adjusted to meet the needs of the current community. Best of all, in working with the leadership of Hope Communities, we found a deeply committed evangelical partner that will continue the proclamation of the love of God to people in need. Hope Communities has a table in our exhibit area. Please take time to visit them and learn about their vision for Curtis Park.
Finally, many of you know that God has presented us with a new opportunity. Currently Denver has become home to many Karen refugees. The Karen tribal people of Myanmar—you may know that as Burma—were among the first to be converted to Christianity clear back with our first missionary, Adoniram Judson. Many of these refugees are not only Christians, but identify as American Baptists because of the work of our missionaries over the last 100+ years. As these refugees come they need help. They come with little more than the clothes on their back. Many have lived in refugee camps for more than 10 years. They have suffered severe persecution by a government committed to wiping out the name of Jesus in their country. As a result of news about this new opportunity, many of you have brought supplies that will serve as welcome kits for newly arrived families. Crossroads has already become deeply involved with their first sponsored family arriving on September 30th. We urge the churches near Denver to take on similar sponsorships and for those of you further away we welcome your continued contributions of needed supplies to help these families get on their feet. Again you will see news items about this in your Region newsletter.
Folks, the time has come when ABCRM can have a bright future. Not because it is ABCRM, but because we are an association of churches committed to working together for the Glory of God. Much is happening, and more can happen, but we need to partner together to complete that work. Often the best support a church can have is the support of a neighboring church. We will be calling on you to extend that hand. Just as your pastor is limited in what he can do unless the congregation picks up much of the load, your staff, as good as it is, is limited unless we can draw upon the expertise of the people in your congregations.
To that end I have to add one more thing. God calls on us to give our all—time, talent, and money. I’m not one who likes to talk about money, but I’ve struggled with the budget for the last four years and I know the limitations. It was a step of faith for the Board to set aside money from the sale of churches for transformation and church planting instead of funneling it into the budget. I pray that the next Board will be equally visionary when it addresses the use of the funds that will come from the sale of Curtis Park.
It’s easy to look at the legacy of Black Forest and say the Region has plenty of money, but this body took a visionary action when it tied that money to some strict rules of use. While the formula is more complicated than that we are limited to 5% of the principal for use in our budget in any one year. The process that was spelled out to change that rule is a very difficult one, but the fact is, if we take more, then the total will be less and the 5% for the next year will be less. That would mean that to maintain the program we would have to take more from the principal. Once that downward spiral starts the future will be bleak indeed unless you as churches are willing to increase your support significantly. If you look at the budget adopted by the Board in your Gathering Book you will see that the funds from Black Forest constitute just over 72% of the budget. Last year it was 69%.
Increasing the giving of your church to United Missions can begin to ease the budget as tight as it is and allow us to enlarge on our commitment as a Region to make the local church the priority when allocating staff and financial resources. If we were to take the alternative of simply drawing from the Black Forest funds, in a short time we would need to see a 300% increase in the giving from our churches just to maintain and I believe that would put the Region back in the maintenance mode that serves no one, particularly the God we are called to serve. The process of funding is more complicated than I can take time here to explain, but I welcome the opportunity to speak to any of you individually or in small groups to paint this picture more clearly.
We have the potential of a great future with thriving churches. I’m asking you to be a part of that by reaching back to our roots as an association of churches committed to proclaiming the Gospel of Christ as an association far more effectively than any of us can be as individual
This past two years as your president was not anything like what I thought it would be. In fact, had I know in advance the struggles we would face, I would not be standing here today. Yet, I have to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I’m proud of where we have come and I am excited about our future together.
Richard Schweissing
Region Board President
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