RMM Finances: Looking Back at 2011 and Forward to 2012
RMM ended 2011 with an operational deficit of $157,000 for the fiscal year.
Trends:
Continue reading "RMM Finances: Looking Back at 2011 and Forward to 2012" »
|
|
||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|||
RMM ended 2011 with an operational deficit of $157,000 for the fiscal year.
Trends:
Continue reading "RMM Finances: Looking Back at 2011 and Forward to 2012" »
Through December 31, 2011, RMM received $1,650,888 toward the campaign. That brings us to 39% of the $4.2 million goal.
We were blessed by some significant contributions to the campaign at the end of the year! In November and December, we received a total of $118,000 designated for the campaign. (From January to October of 2011, we had received a total of $131,400.)
By Andrew Sharp, Staff writer
Repeated projections throughout the year of a looming financial crisis have become concrete reality at RMM, where upcoming spending cuts will include the elimination of several staff positions in the face of a projected shortfall that could have exceeded $300,000 in 2012.
The board and administrative staff made decisions on the cuts in November. RMM workers were sobered by the news of the elimination of three positions by the end of the year—Director of Church Relations (Tom Beachy), Donor Relations and Development Coordinator (Shawn Eicher), and RIC Maintenance Staff (Randy Nisly). Additional budget cuts came through a reduction in salaries and retirement benefits for all employees in the office and in the field, along with other miscellaneous reductions in spending.
Continue reading "Missing Faces: RMM Makes Major Budget Cuts" »
By Carmal Hendren
Assistant Director of SEND Ministries
REACH Discipleship Training School (DTS) ended November 18, 2011 with a commissioning service for the 21 REACHers. The service was held at Mechanicsburg Christian Fellowship in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. The theme of the service was taken from the passage in John 21 where Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter says, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you,” and Jesus replies, “Feed my sheep.”
RMM invites you to give, but challenges you to do more than that.
Dear Friend of Rosedale Mennonite Missions,
Greetings from us here at RMM. This is the season when many of us think of giving to others in response to the blessings we have been given.
On behalf of RMM, I’d like to ask you to consider including us in your giving this year. But I don’t want you to give out of a wrong heart, with a sense of duty or even reluctance. I don’t want to simply ask you for money, but challenge you to be the generous person God wants you to be. I hope that’s true of you whether you choose to give to RMM or the many other worthy causes out there.
How we got to the current total (categories rounded to nearest $1,000)
Leadership gifts: $480,000
Sale of old training properties: $334,000
Gifts in kind/savings: $300,000
Church gifts: $66,000
Missions Day Offering: $33,000
Individual, estate and misc: $122,000
Total: $1,529,110
Percent of Goal: 36.41%
Continue reading "Breaking down the Branching Out Campaign" »
By the end of next summer, the faces on RMM’s board are going to be mostly different. This amount of transition is unprecedented, President Joe Showalter said, but is not a result of some kind of intra-board conflict or RMM-related controversy. There are a variety of unrelated reasons for all the change.
Continue reading "What’s Happening to RMM’s Board of Directors?" »
By Andrew Sharp
Continue reading "Finishing the Job: RMM Promotes Missions in Latin America" »
By Andrew Sharp
Every year Rosedale Mennonite Missions holds a lively event called the “Regional Director’s Summit,” during which the regional directors meet with RMM administrators to discuss the budget, programs, plans, and more. In August, instead of meeting at the Rosedale office or in Columbus like usual, administrators went to Goshen, Indiana, so that RMM personnel could connect with local Conservative Mennonite Conference pastors, mission leaders and elders. The idea was that RMM leadership could talk with these leaders about ways RMM can be more relevant to the CMC churches and serve them and their missions efforts better, RMM president Joe Showalter said.
Excerpts from the journal of Marcus Freed
Friday, July 22, 2011
Ride for Missions has begun. On Friday evening, it was like a hive of bees as the Rosedale International Center hummed with activity. Bikes were brought in to the designated storage areas. Rooms were assigned, waivers collected, and name badges were passed out. But most of all, the love of Christ was shared as old friends reconnected and new friends were made. By 7:30 p.m., all the Support and Gear staff were here along with about 45 of the 59 riders.
Continue reading "Over the Mountains: Ride for Missions 2011" »
Note: Because of continuing gifts, pledges, and other factors, numbers are approximate, and are rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Thank you to everyone who gave!
Main Sources
Touchstone Donors: $108,000
Ride for Missions: $90,000
Offering at Conference: $36,000
Total offering: $242,000
We accept contributions to the Missions Day Offering until the end of the year.
To give online, please click here. You can also mail a check, made payable to RMM and designated “MDO 2011,” to 9920 Rosedale Milford Center Road, Irwin, Ohio, 43029.
The nine-month REACH teams to Thailand and South Asia returned to the States on August 3 and 4 and began their re-entry at the Rosedale International Center. They were joined in re-entry by the Summer Alumni team, which served during the summer at various locations around the U.S. During re-entry, individuals and teams meet with SEND staff and are coached on adjusting back to life in North America.
REACH 2011-12 begins August 21, with training for team leaders at the RIC, and discipleship training for team members beginning August 28. This year’s teams are going to Chile, South Asia, Malawi, North Africa, and the Himalayas.
A photo slide show featuring
RMM activities at CMC’s Annual
Conference July 27-31.
Todd Miller, who has directed RMM’s SEND Ministries Department since August 2006, is stepping down at the end of July. The new SEND director will be Kevin Mayer. He will begin transitioning into the role July 18 and take on full responsibilities August 1. Kevin has worked for RMM for almost 11 years in various roles, most recently as a missionary in Spain along with his wife Wendy and children Evan and Ellie. His experience includes work with youth as a camp counselor, director, and pastor; as a junior youth leader; and with college students at Rosedale Bible College. The Mayers live in Rosedale, Ohio, and attend Shiloh Mennonite Church.
Continue reading "Passing the Torch: A New Director for the SEND Ministries Department" »
By Shawn Eicher, Donor Relations and Development Coordinator
In my yard are two majestic white oaks at least 80 feet in height. Every fall, along with the shower of leaves comes a shower of hundreds of acorns. What a feast for the squirrels on West Eighth Street! I dream of a similar shower of fruit from our training facility, the Rosedale International Center, that many would hear the good news Jesus brought—a feast for the nations.
Continue reading "1000 Branches: A New Focus for the Branching Out Campaign" »
If you are attending CMC’s Annual Conference in Frostburg, Maryland, this year, support Rosedale Mennonite Missions by having a meal at the nearby Casselman Inn in Grantsville! From July 28-30, when conference attendees dine at the inn’s restaurant and mention RMM, The Casselman will donate 15% of the check to RMM.
$4.2M : Total goal of campaign
$1.5M : Mark reached in April 2011
$2.7M : Remaining in campaign
$104K : Received from Jan 1, 2011 through June 30, 2011
215 : People have participated in some fashion
21 : CMC and non-CMC churches have contributed
460 : Youth participated in City Challenge 2010-11
32 : Young adults trained and served through REACH 2010
9 : CALIBRATE participants
1 : CALIBRATE graduate (several more in the coming months)
? : Number of youth and adults God will impact through the RIC
By Andrew Sharp, staff writer
Orange County, California, is known for its sun, surf, Disneyland, and—in some circles—the Supertones. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, by comparison, is known for its Shoofly pie, Amish-made cheeses, and intriguing country odors. The two regions rarely spring to mind at the same time, at least until recently. Lancaster County native Jeff McLain and his wife Katie are currently working to plant a Mennonite church—a Conservative Mennonite Conference church—on the shores of the Pacific, in Huntington Beach, California. RMM president Joe Showalter is helping provide guidance and advice for the McLains.
By Andrew Sharp, staff writer
When making important decisions, it's wise to consult with others. That’s why Rosedale Mennonite Missions has held a missions consultation at the beginning of every decade since 1980, seeking to evaluate the vision of the agency for the upcoming decade. “Missions Beyond 2000” has helped shape RMM in the past decade, and this April the coming nine years were the subject of “2020 Vision: an RMM Missions Consultation.”
The following is an excerpt from a newsletter from one of our workers in Thailand, CM*
Hello everyone!
I am just bursting with good news! I want to tell you a really encouraging story of how God answered a prayer request that I shared with you in November.
My friend, Pon, was the first baptized believer in our church. He has since moved back to Laos to study English in a university. I continue to disciple him and offer encouragement through frequent phone conversations.
The Ministry of Education in Spain is offering grants to college graduates from the USA and Canada to work as teaching assistants in K-12 public schools in Spain. The Spanish government wants to enhance its English language instruction in the public schools and at the same time foster greater understanding between North America and Spain. The Spanish government calls these teaching assistants “Cultural Ambassadors.”
Continue reading "Opportunity in Spain: Grants for Teaching Assistants " »
Grace Linden,* the first graduate from CALIBRATE, RMM’s missions training program, left today for North Africa. She graduated in January after a year of training and strategy development. Then she went through a two-week program in language-acquisition techniques to help prepare her to learn the several new languages she will need in her location.
“The first five weeks, I will be staying with a host family and studying French,” she said. “I will then be joining the rest of my team in another city and continuing French study while beginning to learn the local language. This is a key time of transition to a new culture, entering as a learner and guest of the culture.”
Continue reading "CALIBRATE Graduate Leaves for North Africa" »
By Andrew Sharp
Art and Paula Shore,* workers in the Middle East, recently made two major changes: a move to another city and a change of focus in their work. They lived in their former city for ten years. There, they focused on building up a local congregation, while doing follow-up with seekers in the region who had taken a Bible correspondence course. With their move two hours east to a new city, they want to make their approach more mobile.
We have been working to set up a foundation in Thailand to help us make relationships through business initiatives, and to give our workers a path to visas and work permits (see the note Paul Kurtz wrote on our Facebook page for more details).
We are happy to announce that the Tan Bun Kun Foundation (pronounced “tan boon coon”) was the first foundation approved by the Thai government in the new year! This was much sooner than expected and we are grateful for God’s provision. We are now exploring project possibilities for the new foundation, which include exporting Thai coffee and teaching English. We’ll keep you updated with more details as this project unfolds.
Bring on the heat, the miles of walking, the language barriers, and the intimidating foods. The 2010 REACH teams were commissioned in a service November 19 at Mechanicsburg Christian Fellowship in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, and after a week at home will leave the United States behind for the next six to nine months.
Their three-month discipleship training phase now over, the six teams will go to Spain, the Middle East, Thailand, South Asia, the Himalayas, and Kenya. Each team will try to make Jesus known through service and relationships, though that will look different in each country. Some plan to work with refugees, others to trek to remote villages, and others to teach English or assist long-term missionaries.
Update from Caleb Zimmerman on Brotherhood Beacon article "Blood Revenge"
At about 1:00 PM on Friday, October 8, several days after my article on blood revenge was released in the Brotherhood Beacon, Tani Prroj was shot and killed instantly in the entrance to a cafe after a brief chase in an area on the east side of Shkoder. According to part of a statement by the Evangelical Brotherhood of Albania, quoted by a major Albanian news source: "They demanded blood of a man who hadn't done anything to anyone except preach the Word of the Lord and, between services, plant love in all people." The gunman was Mark Njembza, a close relative of Sokol Njembza, the man killed by Tani's uncle in January, 2005. Another pedestrian was also injured in the shooting. The next day, nearly 200 of the 500 people who attended Tani's burial marched to the grave as a protest against gjakëmarrje. In a country where tradition often turns funerals into hasty, lifeless, and secular affairs, I was encouraged to hear that there was an extended time of reflection at the graveside over Tani's life, faith, and place in heaven. The shock has left many devastated; pray especially for Tani's wife Elona, and his young children Gabriel and Sarah, who may only now be learning that their dad has died (young children are not usually told about a relative's death until several days afterward). Tani's church is now without a pastor - pray for that transition. Blood revenge, also, must end. Pray that the government cracks down on killings like Sokol Njembza's so that situations like this don't need to happen, and that Tani's death can bring about more change than his life ever could.
—Caleb Zimmerman
by Andrew Sharp
The move from the old SEND house to the Rosedale International Center meant saying goodbye to one community and plugging into a new one. As part of the effort to make connections in the Shepard community, SEND staff and interns spent some time helping out at the Shepard Community Association’s annual Family Day on August 21, an event that featured a drumline, a petting zoo, face painting, and more.
SEND staff helped set up and serve a cookout-style meal to people from the neighborhood. RIC Center Coordinator Bob Stauffer said that while they weren’t doing anything extraordinary, it was a way to make connections in the community—to “rub shoulders and show that we care.”
“A few of us got to [join in with] the community steppers and it was just a good time of getting to know people out in the community,” SEND staffer Austin Beachy said.
Bob said it was refreshing to see all the families at the event and the strong sense of community that was evident.
THANK YOU to those of you who chose to give support to the 2010 Missions Day Offering.
2010 goal for the Missions Day Offering: $440,000
Pledges and gifts as of August 5, 2010: $262,000
The Offering in recent years has been about $240,000, so while we are still trying to reach our goal, we are very grateful for all the support so far. In particular, the offering at the Missions Day program at CMC’s Annual Conference was higher than usual: about $77,000.
The annual Ride for Missions set a new high mark this year with $52,000 raised (about $45,000 after expenses)!
Contributions toward the Missions Day Offering continue throughout the year, so any gifts we receive by December 31 earmarked for the Missions Day Offering will bring us even closer to the goal.
Click here, if you would like to give to to Missions Day Offering.
Help Launch the next century of missions at RMM!
Missions offerings started small in CMC. In 1915, five years after the conference was founded, the fledgling conference was still exploring ways to go about missions. Although outreach was emphasized from the beginning, a formal missions agency was years away. So that year the offering was designated for “charitable purposes,” and came to a grand total of $44.
A few years later, there was an offering of $440 toward paying for a children’s home and establishing a new missions fund. Many years later, in 2010, our goal for Missions Day Offering is a little higher yet—$440,000.
If this figure seems high, it’s because it is nearly double the usual offering. In 2008, the Missions Day Offering came to $267,000, and in 2009 it was $237,500. But as we approach the next century of CMC missions, we are expanding, and that growth comes with a price tag.
Part of that price tag is paying for new programs and initiatives at the Rosedale International Center (RIC), our new training facility. We are excited about expanding REACH, bringing in more groups for City Challenge, and offering more training for missions workers.
Our goal for this year’s Missions Day Offering is to celebrate CMC’s 100th anniversary with a one-time landmark offering of $440,000 that will serve as a springboard for the next century. About half of the goal ($240,000) would go toward RMM’s general fund as usual. And anything we receive over that amount would go toward the new training and programs at the RIC.
Things have changed a lot since 1910. CMC has commissioned RMM as an agency with a clear vision for international church planting. That vision has been backed by a generous increase in support from the conference. That offering of $44 in 1915 would be about $950 in today’s value. The $440 donated in 1919 would be worth about $5,500. Today, we are blessed every year with offerings in the hundreds of thousands. We are grateful.
From an RMM Worker
I am sure most of you have been seeing and hearing disquieting news about Thailand the last few days. I wanted to write and let you know that I have been far from any demonstrations or danger, and am perfectly safe. My mission team is located in a province just south of Bangkok. Therefore, we have been spared most of the problems, although we are also under a state of emergency and a curfew for the next few days. The curfew was put in place as a measure to keep people safe and to try to prevent further looting and arson attempts. I have not heard anything new today from Bangkok, so it appears that most of the Red Shirt demonstrators that were behind this destruction have finally been caught or given up. I know most of you probably have questions about the political views that have sparked all these problems. I will not attempt to go into that because it is a very complicated issue. The main point is that there are very deep political divisions and incredible dissatisfaction among Thai people. Some of the main points of contention are corruption in the government, inequality between social/economic classes, and desires for democracy vs. allegiance to the monarchy. The current Prime Minister and Parliament have a plan to try to bring stability back to Thailand and then have new elections later this year. None of us are certain if they will be allowed to follow this plan or if more protests and unrest will be coming in the near future. My prayer is that God will use this situation to call Thai people to himself. That their eyes will be opened to their need for God in the midst of their distress and confusion. I pray also for wisdom to know how to respond and bring hope. Most of my friends and neighbors are embarrassed that Thai people have become so hateful and violent. They are searching for answers, and I pray that God will give me words of life and assurance for them.
by Andrew Sharp
The first official event in the Rosedale International Center was RMM’s fifth biennial prayer conference. Richard andJewel Showalter led a weekend of worship and prayer focusing on God’s glory. The theme: the earth is saturated with God’s glory, but not everyone recognizes it. In a sinful world, the clearest revelation of God’s glory is accompanied by suffering love. From their experiences around the world, Richard and Jewel shared many stories of people opening their eyes to the glory of God. The weekend culminated with a prayer service asking God to reveal his glory to the world’s nations who don’t yet see it.
Between sessions there were a variety of workshops and opportunities for prayer. Topics included teaching on various ways to pray—listening prayer, prayer journeys, prayers of confession and repentance, and more. Groups also went out into Columbus to pray in different sites and areas. These included a mosque, a city market, the downtown business community, a gay community, and many others.
by Andrew Sharp
The much-anticipated open house and dedication ceremony for the Rosedale International Center took place March 14. After Interim Center Coordinator Bob Stauffer cut the ribbon, there were tours, good food, and fellowship. A dedication ceremony wrapped up the afternoon. RMM president Joe Showalter, SEND Ministries director Todd Miller, and several others spent some time reflecting on the renovation project and what the new center will mean for RMM.
“If it is a building where people are first of all finding their own hunger met in Jesus, and then taking that knowledge, that relationship…and carrying that to the world, wherever that part of the world is, then this place is a powerful, world-transforming place,” Showalter said.
Other reactions:
“It’s a wonderful facility…with all the classroom space available, the rooms for the young people to stay in, the kitchen facility…I would like to see our youth come down here. I think it would be a great opportunity for them.” —Susan Grizzle (Hartville, OH)
“I’m really impressed with the way the building finished out, I noticed when I walked in the door, just the overall statement. It’s not opulent, like over the top, but it makes a really nice first impression.” —Mike Simpson (RMM board member)
“After visiting this place, it’s easy to catch a vision for what God can do through this facility. I can envision it full of the next generation of missionaries and leaders of the church. I’m excited about it.”—Dan Ziegler (President of Rosedale Bible College)
by Andrew Sharp
CHICAGO — The Association of Anabaptist-Mennonite Missiologists honored retired missionaries Elmer and Eileen Lehman and Henry and Esther Helmuth at a Jan. 21 event.
The recognition took place during a banquet at Council of International Ministries meetings.
James Krabill, convener for the Association of Anabaptist-Mennonite Missiologists, presented the missionaries with certificates recognizing their work in Costa Rica. Elmer and Eileen Lehman and Esther Helmuth were present to accept their certificates. Henry Helmuth died in 2004.
The Lehmans arrived in Costa Rica in 1961 as RMM’s first independently appointed missionaries. The Helmuths joined them in 1965. They worked together until 1983 planting churches, developing a Mennonite conference in the country and mentoring believers. Convención de Iglesias Mennonitas de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Mennonite Conference) now has more than 1,000 members in about 20 churches. Both couples were involved in additional church-planting efforts after returning to the United States.
Krabill said the Association of Anabaptist-Mennonite Missiologists is a loose organization of people interested in Mennonite and Anabaptist approaches to missions. At an annual banquet during the Council of International Ministries meetings, the group recognizes longtime missions leaders who were pioneers or who in some exceptional way influenced the theory and practice of mission work.
Elmer Lehman said the recognition was humbling, and they were grateful.
“By no means did we do this alone; God brings into the church persons of various giftings,” he said. “God gave us the good gift of local leaders that emerged in the church, and we worked as a team and had a great time doing it.”
by Shawn Eicher
There is much to be thankful for as work moves forward on the Rosedale International Center (RIC). Construction has gone smoothly, and the finishing touches are falling into place. The many hours of work by volunteers have been a tremendous blessing. Generous donors have given hundreds of thousands of dollars towards the Branching Out Capital Campaign. Plans for new and expanded programs are coming together. As the primary renovations near completion, we look forward with excitement to the dedication and open house for the new building on March 14, 2010.
To date, we have reached 25% of our funding goal. While we still need just over $3 million, we continue to be confident that we are following God’s leading with the project and trust that He will provide what we need.
Specific funding opportunities include:
If God is leading you to be a part of this project, you can contact Shawn Eicher at shawn@rmmoffice.org, call the RMM office at 740-857-1366
Young orange-robed boys learning to be Buddhist monks in Thailand. A busy city street in Spain, glowing in the streetlights. Villagers displaying a pile of harvested grain in Zambia. Minarets of mosques towering over a city in the Middle East. These were all scenes from a slideshow during the REACH commissioning service on November 20, showing people and places in the countries the teams will be working in.
The teams are made up of 19 young adults from 10 different states. Their destinations this year are Spain, the Middle East, Thailand, and Zambia. They will be involved in ministries like engaging in friendship evangelism with Muslims, working in a coffee shop, teaching English, and helping out at an orphanage for HIV and AIDS orphans.
Mel Shetler, pastor of Maple City Chapel in Goshen, Indiana, gave the message. He drew lessons from Luke 9, which tells how Jesus sent out the disciples to preach the gospel and heal people. Shetler said Jesus is still calling out and equipping ministry teams and giving them a strategy to effectively minister. The REACH training, he said, had been a chance to grow in relationships and faith, and to learn the principles of the Kingdom of God. “As you go out from here tonight, those principles of the Kingdom are what He wants you to have on your heart, on your lips, at your fingertips, because preaching the Kingdom is what Jesus did.”
After the message, friends and family gathered around the team members and prayed about the challenges they would face. The list of requests included emotional health, harmonious team relationships, effective ministry, and good relationships with the governments of the destination countries. After the group prayer time, RMM president Joe Showalter gave a closing prayer.
We are currently in the 30 days of Ramadan (the holy month of fasting in Islam) which takes place each year during the time the Qur’an was revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Over one billion Muslims around the world are participating in this year’s fast from Aug. 22 through Sept. 20–from dawn until sunset–refraining from eating, drinking, sexual conduct, smoking, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured. It’s a time to offer more prayer than usual, for purification, good deeds, and achieving reward.
Pictured here is a string of Muslim prayer beads. As a Muslim fingers these 99 beads, he or she recites the 99 names of God. Pray that one day many Muslims will know a new name of God, and exalt the name of Jesus!
