Executive Team Meeting
- • Reviewed details of the delegation event.
- Adjusted the agenda and added details accordingly.
- Covered logistics.
o Eric to intro our work including google forms for reporting,
o Regionalization (Dee) – will need someone to run PPT ▪ Will include the new legislation that’s been submitted.
o Dinner at hotel then meet about topic 2 – removal prohibitive language (Molly Vetter)
o Sat am – devotions – Curtis/Eric will tape Pam Hammond McDavid’s devotions
o Sat – Other topics at GC – mine, budget, other GC issues
o Topic 3 – Future of UMC, Review Covenant Beloved Community
o Topic 4 – (Lonnie/Paul) How we move the UMC in that direction?
o Data from Lonnie – 80% US delegates, 108 delegates changed,
o 2024 per diem – only half of hotel room (not meals they will be provided)
o Financial update – approve budget in March
o Archives & History – need to get the jurisdictional committees to submit reports to journal (get details from Curtis)
o Exec Committee mtg with College in Jan (21-24) – what do we want?
o Delegate Gathering – updates & assignments
o NCJ Conf 2024 update – possible programming if in person
o Spring meeting 3.7.24 4-6pm CT
Full Mission Council Meeting
In attendance.
Conference Elected:
Beata Ferris – Dakotas; Laura Witkowski – Michigan (on Zoom); Kelly Brown – East Ohio; Eric Swanson – Illinois Great Rivers; In Suk Peeples – Indiana; Nitza Dovenspike – Iowa; Walker Brault – Minnesota; Chris Winkler – Northern Illinois; Barry Burns – West Ohio; Kady Herr Yang – Wisconsin
At-Large:
Gifty Smith – Illinois Great Rivers; Ryan Russell – Iowa; Dominic Mejia – West Ohio (on Zoom); Nathan Lundy – Indiana (on Zoom); Brian Hanner – East Ohio; Rita L. Smith – Northern Illinois; Paige Boyer – East Ohio; Andrea Hult – Dakotas; Gordon Grigg – Michigan
Directors of Connectional Ministries: Named by NCJ DCMS Curtis Brown, Cindy Gregorson
College of Bishops Representative: Named by NCJ College of Bishops Bishop Julius Trimble (on Renewal Leave); NCJ Coordinator of Communications: Jim Searls; NCJ Treasurer: Lonnie Chafin; NCJ Secretary: Diane Brown
1. Welcome, Introductions and Devotions
2. Approval of Minutes from May 18-19, 2023 https://www.ncjumc.org/ncj-mission-council-meeting/ Eric moves approval of minutes. Rita seconded the motion. Motion approved unanimously.
3. Financial Update Lonnie reviewed the balance sheet and P&L report that was emailed earlier in the day. Overall, finances are as expected. Amount remaining for granting is about $20,000. Lonnie will be stepping down as NCJ Treasurer in July following NCJ Conference. He has taken a job with the New York AC.
4. Strategic Vision Conversation (check-in where we are on this) Reports/actions from committee work
• Rules – Nitza, Diane, Nathan, Ryan, In Suk, Kelly o Update: will meet soon to review and discuss changes.
• Communications – Paige, Beata, Gordon, Jim, Ryan, Andrea
• Joy – Rita, Dom
• Delegate Gathering – Ryan, Cindy, Rita o Update: Done
• Connecting DEI/AR leaders/Data Collecting – Curtis, Nitza o
Update: deadline for the return of the audit has passed and all but 3 conferences have returned their audits. Those 3 are finishing up this month. Preliminary reporting will be out around January. We’re getting a bench mark in which to hold ourselves accountable.
• Roles and Responsibilities of Jurisdiction (be able to speak to the value and benefits of a jurisdiction) – Eric
• Granting Process – Jim, Beata, Eric, Andrea
o Update is below.
• Worship at NCJ Priorities included – Beata
• Budget – committee as the whole and Exec committee
5. NCJ Archive and History discussion and request. A request was received that the NCJ agency is interested in moving the NCJ archives from DePauw University. Do they need permission to do that? The archives are about 2 legal size boxes and copies of NCJ journals. Curtis reviewed the Discipline, NCJ Rules and Archives and History bylaws. It appears that they have the authority to move them, but should submit a report in the NCJ Journal.
–Motion: Chris moves to affirm NCJ Commission on Archives and History has the authority to move them based on their best judgement and submit a report to the NCJC through the NCJ Journal. Second by Paige. Motion approved, 18 yes, 1 abstained.
Discussion was had about reconnecting the various jurisdictional agencies who are meeting and working. Currently there is no report being made to the jurisdiction. Examples include, communicators, camping, CORR, VIM, Archives & History, BOM, etc. Should MC have a meeting once a quadrennium so that a connections can be made? Consider celebrating these agencies at 2024 NCJC or through videos.
The council will review a list from the NCJ secretary of names of those agencies and start with that and determine next steps.
6. 2024 Grant application review and discussion
The grant committee met and discussed new ways to get the grant apps out there in the jurisdiction. Seevvn applications were submitted. Many were localized and not jurisdictional in scope. Two were asked to supply more information and we didn’t hear back.
Progress reports were made available to review from current grant recipients.
Conversation was had about the Wisconsin BOM Licensing School grant and Sunnycrest Oasis Church.
Motion by Lonnie was made to approve Sunnycrest at the full amount of $6,989 as long as they share their plan to communicate what they have to the jurisdiction and other conferences. Motion seconded by In Suk. Motion approved, 17 yes, 1 no. Motion by Rita was made to not fund Wisconsin BOM Licensing School grant as written. Motion seconded by Lonnie. Motion not to fund passed. 8 yes, 7 no, 1 abstain.
Discussion about letting them know how to strengthen application and referring to new jurisdictional board of ordained ministry and ask for a jurisdictional plan for licensing schools, and they could request grant funding.
In Suk moved that MC chair reach out to the Jurisdictional BOM and to the COB re this application as well as asking for a jurisdictional plan for licensing schools. Walter seconded. Chris amended “and to the COB,” Walter seconded. Unanimous passed. Final amended motion passed unanimous.
7. Exec Committee Mtg with College in Late Jan. 2024 What would be beneficial for us to bring to them?
- -NCJ Licensing school plan (see above)
- -How are we doing on the Beloved Community Covenant? COB meeting with BiPOC delegates. How can we support this?
- -Racial justice piece was cut short at NCJ so do we need to revisit that?
8. Other items for discussion
• Updates on Delegate gathering
o Tasks: Power Point person – In Suk; Check in and security – Diane with Wespath staff
o 88 GC delegates – 74 will be participating, 88 JC – 56 will participate along with 20 alternates and 8 Mission Council members
o Survey of topics – 124 people responded so topics will be regionalization, removal of harmful language from BOD, future of church, worship/communion, breakouts for legislative committees
• NCJ Conference 2024
o Per-diem approval – half of hotel rate (Lonnie moved, Walter second) but no money for meals (they would be provided at the convention center). Passed unanimous.
o In person vs virtual – If no episcopal election, then consider virtual. This would be a decision of the COB and episcopacy committee, but we could recommend
o Programming –
- • consider celebrating the work of the JC committees/agencies/teams
- • how does the jurisdiction look, what are conferences boundaries
- • Beloved Communities next steps Per Diem – Half Hotel covered, meals onsite. (Essentially no per diem)
9. Spring Meeting Date March 7, 2024, 4-6pm central on ZOOM – finalize budget for July 2024, affirm rules changes
10. Other items • Communications Committee – didn’t have a chance to meet so the full council will take some time to discuss. Ideas for a communication plan for the jurisdiction:
o Website needs to be updated; to be mobile friendly; updated frequently
o Communication around the grants, availability, criteria
o For conferences, as end users, the most important thing is to get the information to the conferences communicators because they are curating the information for their conference websites
o Another communication need is to get the information related to episcopacy to the conferences.
o Who is the communicator accountable to? How is that person selected? This has been informal in the past. In the standing rules, the NCJ communicator is selected by the Mission Council Executive Committee.
o How we can leverage the network of conference communicators.
o Next steps: communications team to come up with the tasks and expectations of the role; a job description. Beata will convene the group and provide the information by the end of 2023 to the Mission Council Executive Committee. Then the MC Executive Committee to discuss how to implement the recommendations.
• Korean Mission Grant
o We received additional information regarding the budget and financials. The council reviewed the document provided and discussed.
o Motion made by Nathan to fund the grant our remaining about of $13,000. Kelly seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
o In Suk will be the connector for this grant. The MC did request that they report on the number of participants by Annual Conference in their progress report.
- Rita will be the connector for the Native American Course of Study grant.
- Ryan is the connector for VIM grants and Grace Pictures
- Beata and Andrea will be the connectors for the Sunnycrest Oasis Grant.
- Rules Committee Work – · Diane will send out three possible Thursday evenings to meet. She will send the current rules for us to identify potential changes. Send recommendation on changes to Diane and she will compile an agenda for our meeting. Some questions about some of the committees (for example, the nominations committee) We need a process to submit legislation. Participants: Diane, Ryan, In Suk, Kelly, Nathan, Nitza
• Joy Committee
o How can we cultivate joy?
▪ Within worship at NCJC
▪ Celebrations during NCJC
▪ Scheduled intentional Joy breaks during NCJC with videos
▪ Theme meal on Joy
▪ Purpose: how to build a sense of joy in our jurisdiction during our gatherings ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Ideas: ask grant recipients to prepare 3-minute presentation
Ideas: ask conference communicators to prepare videos Dominic offered up some ideas and keys about joy: sense of gratitude; joy is relational; joy and grief are not mutually exclusive We need to provide these ideas to the NCJ Conference planning committee Need to contact the groups / grant recipients Tie the stories in the videos to the theme of living out the beloved community Cindy will draft a letter for an ask to participants for a video. The Exec Committee will finalize and send the request out
Other ideas: how to incorporate joyful celebrations during meal times; during the meetings
The Mission Council Adjourned and prepared for the delegation gathering after lunch. Next full MC meeting: March 7, 2024, 4-6pm central on ZOOM
Respectfully submitted by Laura Witkowski, NCJ MC Secretary
