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Dear Rocky Mountain American Baptist Family,
Last weekend I was privileged to participate in celebration services at Black Forest Camp and Conference Center commemorating 55 years of exceptional ministries. It was moving to hear how so many people’s lives were touched. There was not a dry eye in the service when John Roberts, pastor of FBC/Sterling, CO and keynote speaker, recalled how a young man received his call to mission at Black Forest. He lifted up a book written by the man’s wife, now a widow, because he was killed in Iraq seeking to spread the gospel among the lost.
Earlier this week I joined with our senior adults in their conference as they remembered the "old, old stories." I was inspired by the living testimonies of those who labored for God and made the ministry of Black Forest a possibility. I was humbled by the grace demonstrated by those who had great difficulty accepting the need to sell the property in preparation for the new challenges of tomorrow. On both occasions the participants expressed the desire to look forward and make a major commitment to our youth.
The sale of Black Forest Camp and Conference Center was finalized on August 4, 2005, marking the end of a magnificent ere of history for our Region. The Black Forest property was sold to a Colorado Springs-based company, Classic Homes, for $14 million. This company will develop the property into a community called Sanctuary Point, consisting of approximately 400 homes. This sale represents the highest per square acre price ever paid for undeveloped land in El Paso County, notwithstanding the high demands we made for the sale. These demands included the leasing of the property for $1 per month until December 31, 2005, five acres set aside for a church, assistance with a memorial for Black Forest, a vision for the property that would maintain our witness to the neighbors, a substantial non-refundable payment of earnest money, and a short closing without the possibility of extension. I want to pay tribute to Richard Salcedo, our Director of Business Administration, who supervised this transaction. The Region saved approximately $500,000 in commission because of his efforts. For this we say "Thank You."
We honor the 12 visionary lay leaders who 55 five years ago had the foresight to purchase this property when many doubted. We honor the countless volunteers who poured their blood and tears into the soil and souls of so many people. We honor the staff and board members. We remember with gratitude and amazement the monumental work of God in the lives of those who accepted Christ for the first time and numerous others who received their call to ministry. We have been enriched by many couples who met at the camp and moved on to establish wholesome families.
While we celebrate the ministry for five decades, we also mourn the loss of what was. For many the scars of the loss will remain. I want to express appreciation for the grace of those who were so deeply affected to accept the democratic decision of the overwhelming majority to make this very painful and difficult decision. It is my hope that time will enable us to heal.
It is imperative that we dispel two prevailing misconceptions. First, Black Forest was not sold for financial reasons only. The camp was sold for a number of reasons. Financial stewardship was indeed one of them. Black Forest was not exclusively responsible for the Region’s overall financial condition. A rudimentary reading of the Region’s financial statements reveals an unhealthy pattern of major deficit spending over the past seven years that exhausted huge amounts of money that should have been protected to ensure ongoing health and liquidity. In addition to this, a very risky land acquisition drained the Region’s cash flow. We are delighted that this has been resolved with a slight profit after the deductions of interest payments have been made.
We have a twofold challenge because of our recent history. We must ensure that the new Black Forest chapter not only honors the rich past but also builds a comprehensive ministry for youth that continues into the future. Camping will always be central to this program. In fact, the one exception written into our Investment Policy for invading the principal is the possibility of purchasing another camp. We must reach youth who are connected with technology. Our overscheduled youth with numerous demands on their time experience competition for their energy and loyalty as well. Our commitment is to take up this challenge to reach this generation of young people for Christ.
We have tried to put into place a watertight mechanism to ensure responsible and accountable financial stewardship of the principal. I am grateful for the sacrificial service of our competent and respected Investment Committee: Anne Mills (Calvary Baptist – Chair), Jim Odell (Crossroads), and Charlie Angell (FBC / Colorado Springs). In the two meetings I have attended, I have been impressed with their passion for ministry. We are blessed to be the beneficiary of such valuable expertise that will take responsibility for investing this money. A moderate percentage of the interest will be used for ministry.
In interacting with the churches in our Region during this difficult time of decision, I discerned that people were prepared to make the tough decision to sell Black Forest if we could demonstrate that we would not just spend the money on meaningless or well- justified bureaucracy. I sensed in our people a longing for profound and meaningful ministry and mission that would make a difference in the lives of our churches. This will help us to focus on our core purpose and mission. Our focus for mission must be the well-being of our member churches as well as our lay and clergy leadership. We must find new ways of giving expression to communal ministry. We must find ways of taking advantage of new opportunities such as reaching the growing Hispanic population. We must build a strong, vibrant, connected youth network. The youth must be nurtured. We have to find ways of developing more meaningful ministry for seniors in our churches and society. A huge challenge we must face is taking off the invisible sign in front of many of our churches that says, "Those under 50 need not enter."
In September we have started the exciting and challenging implementation of our move from Areas to Clusters. This intentional transition embraces three core shifts:
- From Business that meant discussions about Roberts Rules of Order to Ministry. I want to see the day when our main item of business will be the well- being of our congregations. We will have to capacitate our churches to proactively prepare and engage the ever-changing environment. We must find better ways of dealing with differences. We must respond to the challenges of structuring worship in a multigenerational community. We must discover our passion for Jesus that would compel us to reach out beyond the comforts of ecclesiastical safe spaces.
- From episodic change to ongoing change. Change is not a periodic event that occurs in planning sessions scheduled for specific time frames. Change is constant, guaranteed, and ever present. We cannot be intimidated by change, but rather take advantage of the opportunities that change brings.
- From serving a structure to developing a structure to ensure the achieving of our mission. Many of our structures are antiquated and represent outdated paradigms and philosophies.
The implementation of the six Ministry and Mission Clusters (M& MCs) is a structured communal conversation that will fan our passion to better serve our Lord in our individual churches. This conversation, we hope, will lead to joined and collaborative ministry. I hope that many will come to the Discovery and Discernment sessions planned for the coming weeks.
Our 2005 ABCRM Gathering, planned for Colorado Springs on October 21-22 will launch our umbrella theme, "Discovering God Together." We will lay the foundation for the rich opportunities that will follow. We will raise an awareness of what it can mean if we reinvigorate our spiritual curiosity in our surprising discovery of a God that is mystical, mysterious, and majestic. We will do so together, because we all have a story to tell.
Following the Gathering, there will be an opportunity for those who want to participate in a closing celebration at Black Forest. I want to thank the Celebration Committee: Chris Buckles, chair, Charley Whisenhunt, Julie Osborne, Tom Wheeler, Jack and Lorraine Stephenson, Nita Castillo, and Betty Shoaf.
I have indicated that we are doing our ministry amidst the turmoil of dialogue within the ABCUSA family. Let’s be in prayer for each other as we face the challenges of living out our faith in community. How do we live together given our strong convictions and conscience?
I continue to value your prayers for the ministry of the staff. Thank you for the prayers for my family. I continue to feel the stirring of the spirit in my soul. God is doing something new. I sense the pains of childbirth knowing that something new and life-giving is coming. I know that something is dying, but something is also being born. I continue to look forward to the journey of discovering God in each other’s stories. I look forward to our moving from being helpless victims to a people empowered to take charge of the opportunities that God has given us. Let’s close the one chapter with dignity and open the next with anticipation.
Your partner in the Gospel,
Desmond Hoffmeister
Transition Executive Minister |
