Ministry Audit Form 2015

Transcription

1 Ministry Audit Form 2015 Today's Date: September 18, 2015 First Name Last Name Ed Parker Full name of ministry: Oklahoma United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries Position: Executive Director Type the name of the group relating to [Ministry Team (DMT, MSMT, LDMT, etc.)]: DMT Please provide the following information for use by the ministry audit team in case further clarification is needed. Ministry Director's Cell Number: Ministry Board Chair's Cell Number: Herschel Beard: SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS for the following ministries Prevent/ Recover Ministry, Camps & Retreats Ministries, Criminal Justice & Mercy Ministries, Hispanic/Latino Ministries, Project Transformation, Skyline Urban Ministries, Board of Higher Education & Campus Ministries, and Saint Paul School of Theology: Your ministry received a letter from the 2014 Ministry Audit team making suggestions for the upcoming year. Please respond to how the ministry has given consideration to these issues since last year. The Ministry Audit Letter of November 19, 2014 listed the following concerns: 1. Inclusiveness. See following content to understand what we have designed for future implemenation. Essentially, we have designed new programs (subect to funding) that will specifically target the following populations within the state: a. African American b. Hispanic c. Native American d. Asian Additionally, the camps that we conduct, or conduct in partnership (Such as New Day and Camp Cavett) serve minority children. Additionally the MDA camp specifically serves children with disabilities. Canyon Camp just installed a sidewalk this past year, linking one end of camp with the other- a significant accessibility upgrade. Our programs serve young and old, nuclear and non-traditional family units. 2. Fund Development. This past year has seen improvements in the following areas of fund/donor development a. Analysis of donor tracking system b. Implemented donor acknowledgement/thank you process c. Implemented interim donor tracking database while we analyze a more permanent system d. Implemented In Honor/Memoriam option for giving e. Upgraded the donor acquisition features of our website, linking prospective donors to information and contact information at the United Methodist Foundation f. Meeting regularly with Foundation President, Bill Junk g. Began conversations with UM Foundation regarding a long-term donor development strategy which includes planned giving options h. Launched "Send a Kid to Kamp" Scholarship program at Annual Conference i. Designed "Give the Gift of Camp for Christmas" promotion. This will offer a gift box under the tree for a child which includes a gift certificate for 2016 Camp

2 j. Secured major gifts in the 5- and 6-figure ranges for new or existing projects k. Conducted video interviews with campers to be used for promotional and donor development purposes I. Completed cabin construction at Cross Point and Canyon, and begun other project including Health Center at Egan, sidewalk at Canyon and tabernacle expansion at Cross Point- all without increasing debt. 3. Improved billing methods and publicity. We have reformatted our budget to improve ease of understanding at the Conference, Site and Board levels. Past budgets and financial reports did not facilitate ease of understanding, nor clarity. We have also: Reformatted our Camp Book into 2 separate books- one for children's camps, the other for teen camps. We believe this is less confusing and more helpful to local church staff and volunteers. Re-designed and launched a new website Re-designed camp registration forms to promote ease-of-understanding, also make these and our health forms Ameri can Camp Association compliant. Re-designed our splash-page to faciliate ease of registration for camps Implemented improved social media and communication strategies Utilized Methodist press/communication channels to promote our camps Managed through multiple channels the flood crisis Begun to analyze our billing processes in light of LEAN processes to ensure maximum efficiency. It should be noted that the finance department at the Conference office does an EXCEPTIONAL job of paying bills in a timely manner. We have also found them to be very accommodating in expediting special requests and are thankful for this resource. A challenge in this area has been the current financial system that tracks and reports our revenue and expenses. We, in conjunction with the accounting team, have designed and implemented a "work-around" to provide the above-mentioned financial reports. This is not ideal; however, we are pleased with the current work-around that provides us with standardized Revenue and Expense reports on a timely basis, as well as fund balances. We are working toward a goal of fully-funding depreciation at our sites, but this will take many years to reach its goal. We have attempted to address the concerns as outlined in the November 19, 2014 letter. Our responses that follow should also reflect improvements. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. for the transformation of the world. Local churches are the most significant arena where disciple-making occurs. (Book of Discipline, 120) Ministries of the Conference will exhibit the following characteristics in support of the three strategic areas within the Oklahoma Annual Conference Strategic Plan: I. Growing Fruitful Congregations/Ministries: a. The mission and vision of the ministry are aligned with the Conference mission statement. b. The ministry can demonstrate effectiveness and fruitfulness c. The ministry demonstrates sound fiscal stewardship II. Recruiting, Assessing, Equipping & Sending Spiritual Leaders a. The ministry is intentional concerning race, age, and gender inclusiveness. b. The ministry is actively engaged in training/preparing new laity & clergy members for assuming more active leadership roles in the ministry.(new) III. Promoting Ministry Partnerships a. The ministry is strongly connected to the local church. b. The ministry has Conference-wide impact or represents the Conference ministry priority. Each ministry or program that receives funds from the Annual Conference will be assessed annually. The board of that ministry will be invited to complete a ministry audit on their own behalf. The Annual Conference Council will review each ministry and will fill out an assessment based on the above questions. Respond to the following questions: Section I: Growing Fruitful Congregations/Ministries Section I a

3 The mission and vision of the ministry are aligned with the Conference mission statement. 1) Please include your mission statement (or vision statement) in this field. Camp and Retreat Ministries provide experiences that shape and expand the Christian commitment of persons of all ages, empowering them to live the truth of the gospel in their daily lives. These ministries create environments that are conducive to listening and responding to God. The unique characteristics of these environments include: Intentional times and places set apart from daily life, under the guidance of servant leaders Experiential models of learning in which the whole person encounters the word of God A community of faith that challenges, nurtures, and celebrates new understandings of God's action in their lives Out of these experiences, people return with the heightened awareness of God's redeeming grace in Jesus Christ, and are able to be more responsible disciples in God's world. They enter into local church communities inspired, renewed and dedicated to faithful service. Our vision into the future is that we would be even MORE of a resource to the local church. Additionally we want to consolidate the successful and effective parts of our ministry, while designing and implementing more relevant programs and ministries. Our camp numbers have seen a downward trend over the last decade- we want to reverse that trend, and believe that one of the keys to that reversal is improved programming. Our Executive Director, Ed Parker spend his entire summer attending and evaluating 28 camps to begin to develop an understanding and baseline for what we are doing and comparing it to other peer ministries. We also believe that our response to the 2015 flooding that closed Cross Point and significantly affected our other 2 sites is an example of the kind of thinking and approach that we look forward to as we develop future ministry. How well does this ministry make disciples of Jesus Christ? This includes an external component (making new disciples) and an internal component (helping those who work with the ministry to grow in discipleship). Section I a 2) What are the external components? The camping program touches the lives of nearly 20,000 individuals on an annual basis. We estimate that at least 20% are unchurched or have not made a personal faith commitment to Jesus Christ. Our events and camps share the Word and love of God with campers and guests so that they can grow in their Christian lives, making substantial and lasting decisions. Our camping programs focus on small group experiences in which campers are given regular opportunities to explore and discuss their faith and make life-transforming decisions. They build community, and also come to a greater appreciation of the larger community that exists in Christ. These are led by adults who facilitate these discussions and conversations, guided by a curriculum developed by conference leaders. Each camp features at least one or more opportunities to make faith-decisions and to share that decision either publicly, privately with an adult leader, or through a symbolic act. Based upon how we believe we relate to the local church, camp ministry challenges campers and participants to make spiritual decisions, but we feel our job is not to replace the local church. Therefore, there are certain acts we do not believe are appropriate through our ministry, such as baptisms. Our desire is that those responsibilities and joys are best located and performed within the local faith community. Quite candidly, it does not appear that this ministry has done an adequate job of tracking those decisions on a historical basis. It is our intention to provide a space on future camper evaluations to indicate spiritual decisions and/or growth. We are addressing this deficiency in the following manner this year: 1. Identifying appropriate outcomes. The board and staff are working on defining what outcomes we want our ministry to

4 achieve. These may involve both program and process outcomes. For instance, our program outcomes most likely will include: a. Professions of Faith b. Desire to be baptized c. Sense of call to ministry (either vocational or clergy) d. Decision to "go deeper" in one's faith journey, including what that decision is A process outcome might look like: e. Connecting campers' decisions back to the local church f. Connecting campers to local United Methodist colleges and universities if a desire exists 2. Identifying effective measures of our defined outcomes (above) a. Constructing measures (evaluations, response mechanisms) to enable us to track and share information. Additionally, under "External" as well as pertaining to the "internal" section, we would share the following as it relates to how and who we impact. It seems to us that our ministry has been deficient in our intentionality of impacting certain "under served" populations. Therefore we are actively pursuing conversations and exploring partnerships to provide programming for, impact and involve the following focus populations in the next 3-5 years: 1. African American 2. Hispanic 3. Native American 4. Asian We believe these congregations, groups, individuals and families would benefit from culturally appropriate programming and camps. Additionally, we as a ministry and we as a conference would benefit from the participation, perspectives, and the leadership potential that would be unleashed by these groups and individuals having a home within Camping and Retreat Ministry. We are in the process of identifying leaders and stakeholders to begin or continue conversations about future ministry. We are also pursuing funding to make this a reality. Section I a 3) What are the internal components? See above response as it relates to professions of faith and outcome measures. Also: Our mission is to provide experiences which produce life transformation, and to link those decisions back to the local church for further follow-up and development. We see ourselves as partners in ministry with the local church. Additionally, our Confirmation Camps directly facilitate the kinds of decisions we expect and desire from teenagers throughout our conference. These are clergy-directed and lay-facilitated/led and are conducted at both Canyon and Egan Camps. Our staff(s) (both centrally and at each of our sites) are who we minister through, but also to. Regular staff meetings feature devotions, prayer, discussion of our mission and calling and how we might be more effective as a ministry and as individuals. We conduct annual Dean Training to ensure that our deans are provided not only with the nuts and bolts of managing a camp, but also conducting programming which is transformational. We are moving toward leadership development programs and discipleship programs for college aged staff that we anticipate bringing on as part of our summer staff. We also look forward to a similar camping program for High School students, featuring 2-week sessions. These features and programs will increase the scope and effectiveness of our ministry in this area. Section I b1) Specifically, how are the members in the local churches impacted in their discipleship by this ministry? Campers are impacted through their participation in camps and retreats, and the life-change that happens through those experiences. They are challenged in their faith and led to make life-changing decisions during their time at camp. Adult leaders and Deans are impacted in their discipleship because they are developed as leaders in meaningful ways as

5 they lead and are led. College students are impacted through their involvement as leaders and as participants in our programs. Church leaders are impacted through their time spent at our facilities, the time they spend participating in our programs, and how we involve them in ministry such as curriculum development. The development teams have to wrestle with very complex passages to put into concrete terms of understanding and practice. This process benefits both them and the thousands of campers we serve each year. ALL types of churches and their members are impacted across our conference-from conservative to liberal, from rural to urban, our ministry spans all types. We are looking to strengthen leadership development in the future through an additional staff position. This person will involve college students in service, while also focusing on discipling them and developing them as leaders. Additionally, it is our desire to broaden this ministry to high school students as well, providing them with a clear path from camper to service, assisting them in understanding God's unique call on their lives. Section I b2) How many members of the board (or leadership of this ministry) are active members of their local United Methodist Church? Over half of our 22 board members are clergy, conference leaders or clergy spouses. Our entire board are active in their local churches. They bring that sense of "active" to our board meetings, challenging our ministry about how it impacts and serves the local church. They are also active within our conference, serving on committees, task forces, etc. We are now actively seeking out members who are NOT clergy to balance our board out and provide us with other skills, talents and perspectives. HOWEVER-among the traits we seek out in those board members are their heart for ministry, active participation in their local church, and a desire to see our ministry impact even more lives for the Kingdom. Additionally, each of our 3 sites has a Site Development Committee of 10 or more persons. The same is true of these individuals as of our board, expanding the reach and influence of our ministry. We are pleased that our board and site development members are so active in not only OUR ministry, but in the wider Kingdome-building work of our Conference. Section I b3) How many United Methodist volunteer(s)/hours are invested annually in this ministry? We conservatively estimate 100,000 hours are given by volunteers on an annual basis. See Section 3b for more detail. Section I c The current financial audit must be on file with the Council on Finance and Administration, (CF&A). The current balance sheet or financial statement must be attached to this report. Before submitting, please see attachment instructions following Section III b. Section I c 1) List the other sources of funding provided to this ministry. Private foundations Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation Private and public companies' gifts of money and in-kind items Limited revenue from camp store Private individuals and families Camper and guest fees using our facilities Section I c 2) In these days of shifting resources, specifically, what is your ministry doing to reduce its reliance on Conference apportionments? We are actively pursuing the development of a strategy that will enable us to be self-sustaining. This includes: Development of a strategy and business model which will accomplish that goal. Increasing user fees, program fees. Donor development, bequest development, and grants.

6 Seeking out development costs to fund new programs and positions which will lead us to new sustainable programs However, it should be noted that due to the scope and effectiveness of our ministry and how it so directly benefits the Annual Conference, we expect our apportionment dollars to remain fairly stable and even increase, IF we are able to demonstrate continued and improved ministry effectiveness that so directly benefits our Conference. We believe it is one of the BEST INVESTMENTS Oklahoma United Methodists can make. Section II: Recruiting, Assessing, Equipping & Sending Spiritual Leaders Section II a The ministry should submit a report indicating how its leadership and outreach is intentional in regard to inclusiveness and diversity. Review the makeup of the leadership and those the ministry serves. 1) Cut and paste a list of the Board members and the church to which they belong in this field or attach a file below before submitting your report. See Board List Section II a2) How will you improve age, gender, and racial inclusiveness in the future? Currently: 23% of our board are female 5% are African American 45% are clergy We believe we have a good mix of young, old, in-between from an age standpoint. Camping ministry tends to attract a "young-at-heart " type of person, regardless of their chronological age. We are seeking to maintain an adequate balance of perspectives from an ethnic, gender and age perspective, even as we seek out new members with specific skill sets and talents. Section II b1) How are you engaging new laity/clergy in preparation for their assuming a more active leadership role in this ministry? Our ministry is continually cultivating new leaders. Deans seek out co-deans that can be developed. Adult leaders are currently being recruited and trained to assume larger roles in the ministry. Campers who are older become adult leaders in our camps in an age-appropriate way. New leaders are being recruited to lead specialized camps such as Trek 1 and Trek 2. Campers who are graduating out of our camping programs will be provided new opportunities for discipleship and leadership development through our new mobile day camps and other staffing strategies, which will improve our programs. Board members receive orientation and training during our Annual 2-day Board Retreat. Additionally, we are reviewing and developing job descriptions for board members, which will be used as an additional training tool as well as an accountability tool.we have also planned to re-write our board bylaws in the coming year to make them more relevant. All board members are now serving on a specific service committee based upon our current needs for the coming year. These include program, fiscal and fundraising, and policy (bylaws) committees. We are engaging new laity and clergy in our annual development of curriculum. There are multiple paths toward leadership in our ministry through the different camps. Our leaders and volunteers range in age from teenagers to a 98 yr old adult leader at one of our camps! We have run focus groups this past year for college students, youth ministers and leaders to inquire about how we can develop and engage even more new people in leadership roles, and increase the effectiveness of our ministry. We have currently proposed a new initiative through New People New Places which will significantly expand our capacity to develop even MORE young leaders and disciple them. When at scale, 27 or more college student staff will be discipled and developed as leaders. Future slots will be filled by graduating campers who show ministry and leadership potential. We believe we are doing an excellent job in this presently... AND we are seeking to be even better. Section III: Promoting Ministry Partnerships

7 Section III aa new ministry may be a pilot project in a limited geographic area, but the model should have the potential for Conference-wide application. Ministries that are geographically specific should represent the Conference s priority. 1) How does this ministry reach across the Conference or represent the Conference priority? This ministry involves churches, districts, individuals, families, and groups such as retirees and Wesley groups. It truly spans the conference, touching thousands of lives each year. Our programs, camps and work touch leaders as well as endusers, churched and unchurched. This ministry seeks to transform the lives of each person it encounters, whether that is through an organized camp or program, a committee of board meeting, or just a one-on-one conversation. Our ministry provides facilities for training events and workshops that are utilized by - Our local churches - Conference agencies - Conference committees - District committees - Clergy and laity of the annual conference - Churches and denominations beyond United Methodists - Outside groups Facilities at all three camp sites reach persons from across the state and many groups from outside Oklahoma. We are privileged to provide facilities and resources to local church, district, conference and groups outside the United Methodist Church to promote Christian ministry. Those we have partnered with and served include: Our local churches Conference agencies Conference committees District committees Clergy and laity of the annual conference Churches and denominations beyond United Methodists Outside groups Within the Conference Outside the Conference UMM Children's Hospital CCJAM Muscular Dystrophy Association Circle of Care Fellowship of Christian Athletes Cabinet Royal Family Kids' Camps UMW Public Schools Emmaus Communities Universities CCYM Boy/Girl Scouts Campus Ministries Energy Coops Pensions Service Organizations This ministry also has a national reach and presence as we interact and impact bodies at the national level. We work with and are a part of the United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministry association. We also actively work with other for- and non-profit camps, benchmarking best practices and sharing our own as we collaborate together for Kingdom work. See also section dealing with our approach to under-served groups. Section III b1) What criteria does the ministry use to judge its own effectiveness? See section 1. However, we would add to that the following questions we are continually asking: Are we impacting lives in a transformational way? Are our facilities clean and in good repair? Is our food tasty, nutritious and plentiful? Are we connecting decisions made at our camps back to the local church?

8 Can we serve the local church more effectively? If so, how? How can we impact even more lives? Section III b2) Concretely, where can the fruit of this ministry be seen? 29 campers at CYME Camp signified that they felt called to ministry, and were pursuing that call Thousands of campers and guests were served, impacted in signficant ways by programming and curriculum. Hundreds of adult leaders are involved in camping ministry There is a positive spirit among leaders, stakeholders, and participants that we are on the right track ministry-wise and our best days are ahead of us. Active participation and anticipation from board members. Participation in camps and retreats by clergy, churches, leaders and members Hundreds of adult leaders developed as leaders for camping ministry and equipped to return to their churches as more effective leaders. Hundreds of camper evaluations signifying that their lives were touched and they encountered God through our ministry. Section III b 3) Using the scale below, how does the ministry rate itself for the past 12 months' work? Exemplary, Outstanding Explain your answer This ministry has accomplished much in the last 12 months. Major flooding, which closed Cross Point for the entire summer, flooding at Canyon which washed out our main road, and Egan's loss of water threatened our entire ministry. However, we believe we responded in creative ways to those challenges, even as we sought to conduct ministry. Relocating some camps to other sites, and conducting "Island Camp" gained us national exposure and promoted camps to parents, campers and observers as a ministry that was willing to approach challenges in a creative way. We improved our food service in terms of operation and quality. We brought our Food Service directors into OKC and with the help of Scott Schauer at St Luke's, conducted a 2-day workshop on techniques and recipes that began to provide wholesome, delicious food, made from scratch to our campers and guests. We have received nothing but positive feedback from guests, and have seen a corresponding decrease in our food costs. Even as our Executive Director has attempted to observe and evaluate in his first year, we feel that our ministry has already made major strides in improving operations, programming and effectiveness. This ministry is seeking to be intentional, effective and Kingdom-building. We are evaluating current outcomes, outputs and how we measure those. Section III b 4) Productivity? Exemplary, Outstanding Explain your answer We believe that based upon the scope and scale of what has been shared, and in light of this being the first year with a new Executive Director, and given the challenges encounted this past year, our ministry has demonstrated outstanding productivity, resourcefulness, and effectiveness. We continue to pursue purchasing contracts through national and regional sources to save more money on utilities, food, office products and other types of products. These savings will allow us to realocate the saved funds toward further facility upgrades and upkeep. We are blessed with committed, creative staff who work tirelessly to ensure excellence in ministry. The nature of our "business" is many long hours, especially during the summer. We continue to evaluate our staffing model to ensure that our leaders and workers do not burn out. We are thankful for their dedication, and see them-not our buildings, not our land or equipment-- as our greatest asset. Section III b 5) Efficiency? Exceeding Expectations

9 Explain your answer In the last year, we Developed budgets and financial reports that can be used to quickly and efficiently allow us to evaluate this portion of our ministry. Secured food purveyor contracts that saved us thousands of dollars Evaluated programs and camps for future modification Combined under-performing camps (numerically) to maximize facility usage We conservatively estimate 100,000 hours are given by volunteers on an annual basis. This represents at a minimum the work of board and site development committees, deans and adult leaders to plan and conduct summer camps and prepare grounds. It does not begin to capture all the hours spent driving youth to and from camps, all the hours invested in planning and conducting retreats during the year, and by regional groups who plan their events and camps. This volunteer labor represents an in-kind gift to the camp ministry of over $1,000,000 (one million dollars!)-a staggering sum that would by included in our budget if paid staff were utilized. We believe that on a cost-per-person served basis ($12.60), Camps and Retreats represents one of the best and most efficient investments of Apportionment dollars. NOTE: If there are independent assessments of the ministry, such as accreditation's and awards, include with the Ministry Audit. Current balance sheet or financial statement Attach your files here financialsaugust2015.xlsx Board Members List Attach a list of your board members. 2015campsandconferences.xlsx Ministry Audit Materials If your group has additional informative materials (flyers, brochures, etc.) to submit, attach the digital file below or mail your materials to OKUMC, Attn: Rebekah Hasty at 1501 N.W. 24th St., Oklahoma City, OK