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I apologize because I haven't had time to code the Spring Scattered Chatter, but here it is for those who would like to view it online. You can view the attachment below and, as always, feel free to download, email and pass it around. I'll try to get this post updated with the content of the Spring Scattered Chatter as soon as possible. Andrew
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103rd New Wilmington Mission ConferenceJuly 19-26, 2008
Summer Service Team Announced: CONGRATULATIONS to the 2008 SUMMER SERVICE TEAM!!! Destination: MALAWI See the website for their pictures and more information. Pray for the 2008 Team as they prepare to go.
- Meredith Myers - Concord, NC
- Jon Oegema - Lawton, MI
- Stephanie Smith - Pittsburgh, PA
- Hannah Teitt - Marysville, OH
- Naod Tekeste - Silver Spring, MD
- Christine Wright - Tullahoma, TN
- Beth Arnold - Pittsburgh, PA (Team Leader)
Chosen Generation Mission Conference: The first ever Malawi Mission Conference will be held from July 3-7, 2008 on the campus of the Natural Resources College in Lilongwe, Malawi. NWMC has made a commitment to partner with our brother Fletcher Matandika in this effort. Over 50 volunteers are working with Fletcher in Malawi to organize the conference; all have pledged to raise at least MK 20,000 ($143) for support of the conference. Committees in the areas of prayer, fundraising, publicity, organization, food and accommodation are already hard at work. 700 delegates are expected to come to the conference! The NWMC Summer Service Team will help with onsite organization and work for the conference..(More on web)
NWMC High School Delegates take Mission into their own hands: This past summer you may have noticed something different about the afternoons around campus. Did it look a little less crowded? Were there fewer students in line at Mugsies? That’s because each day groups of high school delegates were engaged in mission and service opportunities in and around New Wilmington. All of our 200+ delegates were asked to take one afternoon of their free time and dedicate it to serving God by serving others. Options included: spend time with residents at The Overlook, work with other conference volunteers assembling Aids kits, travel to New Castle for repair and remodeling work on area homes with His Hands Ministries, or travel to Youngstown to work with the Mahoning Valley Rescue Mission. Groups were led by counselors and other staff. While the type of work varied, everything from playing Bingo with the elderly to home repair, the common denominator was the great attitudes demonstrated by the students and their leaders, a witness to the grace and love of God and the excitement that comes from participating in His work. Almost 50% of the delegates voluntarily participated a second or third time. We are excited about this new component to the High School program that gives delegates a chance to actively engage in God’s mission in the world!
THANKSGIVING - a good time to review the past year and reflect on God’s goodness. If you have been blessed by NWMC, consider making a financial gift to Conference so that others might be blessed too. For more ways to give to Conference, check out the NWMC website.
2007 Summer Service Team back from Guatemala
Great weather and a good week! 977 registered delegates and staff came to the 102nd New Wilmington Mission Conference! Many more came as commuters during the week. Registrations in the youth delegate age groups were up by 21%!
FUNDS AND FUN At the 2007 NWMC all those who participated in the "Walk Around the Lake" and Golf Tournament had a great time and helped to raise $3,100 for the Development Funds. We also had the joy of seeing many new bricks laid in the "Memorial Brick Garden." Please continue to partner with us through these projects. For more information on ordering a brick, contact the NWMC office at 724-946-7195 OR Joan Dawson at 724-946-8828. PLEASE NOTE: the deadline for ordering a Memorial Brick is April 1, 2008. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS!! If you want your brick placed in the Garden for the 2008 Conference, place your order now!
A BIG THANK YOU to all who helped with the 2007 SERVICE PROJECT!! Delegates assembled 320 World Vision AIDS Caregiver Kits, 180 health care kits and 52 new baby kits for Covenant Hospital in Haiti, 78 nursing home kits, and several hundred foam craft gifts for missionaries to give in outreach. Children from Grade 2 through Senior High delegates were involved in the projects. The 2008 service project will be Operation Christmas Child.
2007 HIV AIDS Kits being sent to World Vision
VOICES FROM THE PAST - Have you ever wished you could once again hear that speaker from NWMC that impacted your life twenty years ago? Now you can! NWMC has a Lending Library of audio cassette tapes for most Institute Hour, Evening and Adult Bible and Mission Hours from 1971-1992. Remember names like Ray Nott, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Ed Fairman, Michael Wenning, Don Patchel, Thomas Tewell, Keith Brown?? Contact the NWMC office if you would like to borrow any of the tapes. Many thanks to the Bob Skinner family for donating the tapes!
2008 STAFF CHALLENGE
- Who: All 2007 NWMC staff
- What: meet with at least two groups or write two articles for a journal or newsletter
- When: between now and April
- Where: community, church, college . . .
- Why: to recruit delegates for NWMC 2008
- How: download the Power Point, contact us with date, address and number of brochures needed
Let’s fill the campus in 2008 "so that all may know".
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me . . ."
2008 Theme Verse Luke 4:18
SCHOLARSHIPS: In addition to scholarships, there are dining hall worker positions and a new lifeguard opportunity to help with Conference fees. NWMC also has several scholarship funds to assist in special types of mission work and seminary aid. Contact the NWMC office for details.
11 A.M. SPEAKER
Roger Nishioka
Edith Humphrey, Adult Bible Hour
Hunter Farrell, Director, PC(USA)
World Mission Program
Check the web site for updates to list.
Missionary Recognition Night
The NWMC Board of Managers had its Fall meeting October 12 and 13, 2007. The Chair of the Board is Ronee Christy. Members are: Alison Rhea, Ann McCord, Bill Crooks, Brian Stack, Brian Stahl, Caitlin Rohrer, Carl Templin, Carol Miller, Chip Stapleton, Cody Watson, Don Dawson, Ed Marquette, Frank Trotta, Ginny Teitt, Jan McClelland, Jim Mohr, Kelli Maravalli, Mark Juengel, Matt Boyle, Pam Pope Courtney, Sue Anne Fairman. See the website for contact information for each Board member.
The Nominating Committee of NWMC is charged with the responsibility of securing talented and representative members for the Board of Managers. Four members-atlarge are selected each year and delegates are encouraged to submit names at Conference. Since Board members serve a 3 year term, but are eligible for one reelection, there are often fewer than four slots available each year. This year a total of 18 delegates were suggested by NWMC attendees. Obviously, most of them cannot be nominated since there are, at most, only four openings. We ask for your patience and understanding as we seek new leaders for Conference. Keep submitting those names and we will do our best to follow the Lord’s leading in these matters.
New fax machine and copier needed for for your church! NWMC office. If you wish to assist with the cost, please send donations to the office.
Recent NWMC Board Meeting Highlights:
- Matt Boyle officially took over the position of Treasurer for NWMC. Welcome aboard, Matt! And THANK YOU to Tom Pratt for his years of service to Conference in that role.
- The Adult program of NWMC will have a "new look" in 2008. Instead of dividing adults by age groups into Careers and Adults, there will be two adult tracks or options for all adults, ages 25 and over. More details to come!
- Mission scholarship for Sarah Haddad
- After many years, the fees for NWMC were increased by $10.00 for all. The Family Cap remains the same.
Berlin Village, the newly constructed student apartments on Westminster’s campus near Anderson Auditorium, will be available to NWMC delegates in 2008. Each apartment has 4 single bedrooms and is airconditioned. Occupancy will be limited ONLY to part-time and full-time ADULT delegates (no children). There will be a $40 per night per person surcharge ($280) added to regular NWMC fees for these apartment spaces. Places will be granted on a first come, first serve basis.
The 2008 NWMC Brochure, Poster and Registration form will be sent to churches in November (ask your church to display the poster) and to delegates in early January. Check out the SUPER SAVER YOUTH GROUP DISCOUNT! Call the NWMC office at (724-946-7195) or send an email to office@NWMCmission.org if you need more brochures for your church!
Future NWMC Dates: July 18-25, 2009 and July 24-31, 2010
Please feel free to download the 2007 Fall Scattered Chatter PDF file below and pass it around.
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I've attached The Chatter from Friday, July 27, 2007 as a PDF file . If you wish to print it,
please note the file is for legal sized paper.
Use the Friday.pdf link below to save or view the PDF file.
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I've attached The Chatter from Thursday, July 26, 2007 as a PDF file . If you wish to print it, please note the file is for legal sized paper.
Use the Thursday.pdf link below to save or view the PDF file.
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I've attached The Chatter from Tuesday, July 24, 2007 as a PDF file . If you wish to print it, please note the file is for legal sized paper.
Use the Tuesday.pdf link below to save or view the PDF file.
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I've attached The Chatter from Wednesday, July 25, 2007 as a PDF file . If you wish to print it, please note the file is for legal sized paper.
Use the Wednesday.pdf link below to save or view the PDF file.
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I've attached The Chatter from Monday, July 23, 2007 as a PDF file . If you wish to print it, please note the file is for legal sized paper.
Use the Monday.pdf link below to save or view the PDF file.
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I've attached The Chatter from Sunday, July 22, 2007 as a PDF file . If you wish to print it, please note the file is for legal sized paper.
Use the Saturday.pdf link below to save or view the PDF file.
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I've attached The Chatter from Saturday, July 21, 2007 as a PDF file . If you wish to print it, please note the file is for legal sized paper.
Use the Saturday.pdf link below to save or view the PDF file.
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Kelly,
I want to respond and update you. I shared your ideas with the Publicity and Promotion committee and the Board. They like a number of your ideas and want to try to move ahead with them. I am sending a copy to Ron Johnson to get his thoughts. Ron is much more integral to this that Rising Sun.
We are considering how we can centralize communications during the week. There are some other factors to consider, but the idea of one place to give information is appealing to everyone. Doing that electronically and getting the information back out to all the venues is more difficult.
There is enthusiasm about the back page of the chatter being specific to different groups. We
will talk to the different program coordinators to get their ideas. We can't afford to enlarge the staff by more than one person, and the extra staff time needed to make this work may be more than that. Maybe we will move forward with a back page for one or two groups, or on a couple of days.
It looks like your idea of a conference program is going to be implemented. The office will try to work ahead on this.
Finally, regarding whether you are going to be the Chatter Coordinator... As I have sought discernment on this I decided to ask a person who recently express some interest in this area to me to pray about the position. I shared your e-mail with him and asked him to consider.
I will contact him the week after Easter. I decided that if there is someone to take the Chatter forward, then I should allow you to return to
young adults.
Keep praying yourself. I will be in touch after Easter.
Don
Obviously I came back. Here's the next e-mail from Don.
Kelly,
I am going to need your help as Chatter coordinator. The person who had some interest in doing the Chatter has considered and doesn't feel he is the one to implement your vision. You are the one who can best develop the idea of a different
back page for different groups. So, I hope that you will return to the Chatter for another year.
Thanks.
Don
Next letter is from me. I couldn't remember the name of my fabulous friend, Phyllis. More on her next week. You'll see me go for it at the end with a big request. I figured it never hurt to ask...
Don,
Sorry for the tardy response My access to this email account has been
spotty. Of course I will be glad to return to run the chatter. I know
that the secret to success will be in what I get accomplished before I
ever arrive in New Wilmington. My hope is to pull this off with minimal
staff. I was thrilled with the help I got last year from Emily. She
brought a friend that simply volunteered her time. I have a suspicion
that we can get the whole job done without creating more staff
positions. I believe that every area of conference will have a staff
member that can be given the duty of chatter liason. This doesn't even
have to be a staff member, it could be a delegate. Emily's friend
brought all of the information regarding the choir, for example.
The key will be providing a
space for people to drop in, gather their
thoughts, and submit ideas, articles, or interviews. I don't think I
can ask a volunteer to keep regular office hours. I do think that I can
split them with one other person, however, and have a more enjoyable,
relaxed conference experience.
Lastly, let me say that I respond to this call with great joy.
Running with Grace,
Kelly
PS Do you think I could live with the YAs again? More importantly, I
need to live on the floor with the summer service group. I have had
this privilege for the past three years and I'm not ready to let go.
Next week I'll show you how Phyllis wrote her great piece for Friday's chatter on inviting adults to conference.
Want to make changes of your own? Submit suggestions on this web site!
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2006 saw many changes across NWMC. It seems that turning 101 made a lot of people speak out boldly about whatever was on their mind. I thought you might be interested in the process behind changes at the chatter. I'll post a series of e-mails between myself and Don Dawson. The first don asking me to take the assignment. The second is my reply to his invitation to return as the chatter editor. I did the job for the first time in 2005. Before that I was on the Young Adult staff, which was great. I think it's obvious from my e-mail that I didn't exactly want this job.
Kelly,
I got your forward. I didn't think you had disappeared from the face of the earth. I am waiting patiently for your discernment about returning to the Chatter position. However, I really would like to know by next Thursday. The board meets Friday and I would like to have all the coordinator positions settled.
You did a fine job last year, especially coming into it late in the game. I would be glad to have you back in the position. Is there another position you would prefer? Would you rather be a delegate?
I have a couple of other prospects for the Chatter. I can pursue them if you would like out. Please let me know by next week. I am praying for you as you seek the Lord on this.
All blessings in Christ,
Don
That was March 23rd. Here's what I wrote back on the 27th.
Don,
Thank you so much for your kind note. I am eager to return to NWMC this summer. I am also glad to know that there are other possibilities out there for the Chatter office. It was truly an amazing experience that I really do treasure. If there is someone else ready to take on the challenge I will gladly assist.
Here is the product of my discernment. I don't know why I keep waiting for God to tell meI'm wrong and drop these ideas but it seems I am supposed to share my vision with you so you can speak to the board. I began to see these things last year during conference. It's not like me to shake things up so I patiently waited for these ideas to fade away. Instead, like a mustard seed, they grew.
The Chatter is not reaching it's full potential at this point. In the last ten years, conference has embraced many technologies to expand our communications between staff and delegates: mass e-mails throughout the year, announcements on the screen in Anderson, videos and dvds of speakers available for purchase, photo pages on the conference web site are only a few examples. The Chatter has not been integrated into the overall communications system.
Several problems were evident to me last year. People are more comfortable with "technology" than "manual." Lots of people at conference had their own laptops. They could type an article and transfer it to me using a floppy disc, CD, or jump drive. Not many had access to the internet but a few were able to e-mail articles, especially before the conference began. Receiving articles as a word document was always preferred because it removed the steps of deciphering hand writing and typing, allowing the editor to move straight to editing the piece into the framework of the Chatter. The chatter could use a space that allowed others to bring in their equipment to type up and submit an article as well as a "spare" computer for in need of that convenience. This computer would only need to have Microsoft Word.
People often wish to submit an announcement to more than one outlet. It should be easier to get an announcement to the Chatter editor, Conference Director for microphone announcements in Anderson, the Tech guys for video screen announcements and anyone else for a staff meeting announcement. I think that The Chatter office should be located with/near Rising Sun. I don't want to incur a greater expense for the Conference by using more campus space but it would be a great benefit to keep all of our paper in a climate-controlled space. Humidity can make printing the Chatter a big headache.
The other big idea I have has to do with expanding the Chatter from a one size fits all publication to a multi page publication. Every day there were articles that couldn't be pursued because there was not enough room in the chatter for articles that appealed to only one age group of delegates. I think that there should be a Junior High issue, a High School edition, a Young Adult edition and a Career/Adult edition every day. The front could be the same for everyone, with general information. The back page would have information specific to each group. For example, there would be room to interview summer service team members for the Young Adult edition, encouraging them to interview early. The career/Adult edition would have room for bios on mission hour speakers, allowing people to choose their day's events more easily. It would also allow a larger print for readers with older eyes. The biggest drawback is that this would need a larger staff. I think these people could be found within existing staff without bringing in any extra people. Each area coordinator could find a member of their staff to head this up. Delegates might even write the actual articles. The chatter needs a feeder program. It is like a flame that needs oxygen to live.
The last piece of my vision has to do with the paperwork that is mailed ahead of conference to delegates and picked up at registration. I believe that most of the material going out before conference is simply set aside by delegates until they arrive. Wouldn't we save on the cost of our mailing if we sent less? The rest of the papers could be combined in a booklet form that delegates could carry with them throughout the week. The front page could be the regular schedule of events that never vary. The centerfold could be the campus map. The back could be a calendar of the week with space to write in appointments, such as a summer service interview, or added events, such as the Junior High car wash.
This brings me to the most troubling portion of my vision. My help may be needed to make this booklet. I am supposed to offer it. I feel that I am supposed to say I could come up a week early to do this but I have no idea how that could be true. I don't know how I could get away for that length of time and get our delegation from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania. If I leave it up to the Lord I know that it will all work out.
In closing I will say that my heart is forever with the Young Adult program. In my wildest dreams I would like to be the person that produced the back page for the Young Adult edition of the chatter as well as whatever other duties came my way. My assistants last year were invaluable and I believe they could serve the Career/Adult delegates well. Their interviews were the lifeblood of the front page.
In short, in all my deliberations with God, he never shows me that I am running the Chatter. Instead He shows me how the Chatter should work. Maybe there is someone out there that shares my vision that is supposed to be the editor. Maybe it is supposed to be me. At any rate, I have given you material for the board meeting. As always my prayers are with you, the conference, the staff and the board.
Running with Grace,
Kelly Couch
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