To: Churches of the Southern Conference

From: Reverend Dale Kennedy, President

Re: Meeting of the Boards on June 11-12, 2010

Date: July 13, 2010

Friends of the Southern Conference:

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!  I hope you are having a safe and restful and blessed summer.

There is GOOD NEWS in the Southern Conference!  There is an abundance of wisdom and ability and hope and energy in the Southern Conference, and these were powerfully present in a meeting of all the boards on June 11 and 12, 2010 at Elon University.  During these two days, board members of the Southern Conference, the Eastern Virginia Association, the Eastern N.C. Association and the Western N.C. Association gathered at Elon University to discuss, pray over and deliberate about our life together and how we can best go forward in life and ministry.  It was good to be together in the same room, and “at the same table” seeking God’s guidance for the days ahead.  There was an honest, and loving and sensitive spirit in the room as we came together from our diverse places yet joined by our common love for God and for the Southern Conference.  Dr. Riess Potterveld, President of Lancaster Theological Seminary, served as facilitator for our meeting, and I believe we made good progress in discerning how best to face our opportunities and challenges.

I could say a lot about what happened at this meeting, but I know that everyone is interested in decisions made at the meeting.  The Southern Conference Board of Directors listened very closely to all that was said, and met on Saturday afternoon following the group discussions.  The following is a summary of the actions taken by the Southern Conference Board:

1. We voted to suspend the search for and hiring of an Interim Conference Minister, and instead voted to focus on retaining the service of one or more consultants who can provide assistance in needed areas as we seek to discern the best staffing and structure for our ministry.  Our work in this area would result in the preparation of a recommendation to be presented at the June 2011 Southern Conference Annual Meeting.  We voted to spend no more than $40,000.00 on the retaining of any consultants.
2. We voted to retain Associate Conference Ministers for Eastern Virginia and Western N.C. Association at ¾ time, who would work from July 1, 2010 until the June 2011 Conference Annual Meeting.  We voted to accept the Rev. Tom Hamilton for Western N.C. and the Rev. Drew Morris for Eastern Virginia, who were the recommendations from their respective association boards.
3. Since the Rev. Vertie Powers would be completing her role in our present structure as Associate Conference Minister for Eastern N.C. Association on September 30, 2010, we voted to retain her as Associate Conference Minister for Eastern N.C. at ¾ time from October 1, 2010 until the June 2011 Southern Conference Annual Meeting.  This vote also included retaining her an additional ¼ time as Resource Person to the Southern Conference from October 1, 2010 until the June 2011 Annual Meeting.  The Rev. Emmett Floyd will be completing his time with us as Transitional Conference Minister on September 30, 2010.
4. We also voted to keep the Conference and Association secretarial support staff in place at their present compensation until at least the June 2011 Annual Meeting, and to keep the offices open at their current schedule.
5. We voted to hold the 2010 Southern Conference Annual Meeting on Friday and Saturday, September 17 and 18.  The location will be determined and announced as soon as it is secured.

This letter was ready to send out on June 15, but circumstances developed which necessitated delaying the sending out of the letter until these circumstances fully developed.  Conversations in the Western N.C. Association resulted in the Reverend Larry Walser being recommended by the WNCA Board of Directors to be the Interim ACM for WNCA, and the Conference Executive Committee on June 29 accepted this recommendation on behalf of the full Southern Conference Board of Directors.  I believe having Drew Morris, Larry Walser and Vertie Powers carry forward in the interim positions will give us needed continuity, stability and wisdom as we transition to the future.

Also, we have negotiated with Franklinton Center to be the location for our September 17 and 18, 2010 Southern Conference Annual Meeting.  More information will be sent out in the near future regarding this meeting.

My commitment and the commitment of all the boards of directors is to provide for the best ministry we can for the benefit and vitality of our churches and people.  I am grateful for the prayers and patience of the people of the Southern Conference during these challenging times.  Let us continue to work and pray together as we follow God’s guidance.  And let us continue to give thanks for God’s abiding presence and grace and blessing for the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ.

"The Southern Conference Board of Directors took the following actions during a May 17, 2010 meeting:

1. Acting upon a recommendation from the Eastern N.C. Association Board of Directors, the Southern Conference Board of Directors voted to postpone the June 11 and 12, 2010 Annual Meeting of delegates and churches to a time in Sept./Oct. 2010. A joint meeting of the Boards of Directors of the Southern Conference, Eastern Virginia Association, Eastern N.C. Association and the Western N.C. Association will be convened for June 11 and 12, 2010 at Elon University. This joint meeting will discuss where we are as a Conference and the April 19, 2010 action of the Southern Conference Board on restructuring of ministry and staff. This joint meeting will also work to discern a way forward using the broader wisdom of the elected leadership of our Conference. A consensus plan of going forward will be developed which will be presented for discussion across the Conference and for action at a Fall 2010 Annual Meeting of the Southern Conference. Any one who has sent in registration for the June Annual Meeting will be refunded their registration fee.

2. The Board voted to retain a consultant who will facilitate the joint meeting of the Boards on June 11 and 12, 2010.

3. The Board voted to keep the Association offices open at their current level of operation and their secretarial staff in place at their current level of compensation until at least December 31, 2010.

4. The Board voted to suspend the search for an Intentional Interim Conference Minister.

Dale Kennedy, President
Southern Conference Board of Directors

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE UCC NEWSLETTER - 4/29/10

Dear Friends:
 
 
       By now, everyone should have received the news that our Board of Directors of the Southern Conference has acted to deal with the hard realities of our financial situation.  This means that our dedicated ACM's will be leaving their positions this summer.  Since Rev. Larry Walser, Associate Conference Minister in Western North Carolina, has already announced his intention to retire June 30th, Rev. Vertie Powers and Rev. Drew Morris will also be leaving as their  positions are being terminated. The conference will have the opportunity to express its gratitude and prayerful best wishes to each of them at the Annual Gathering at Elon University on June 11-12, 2010.  The social hour after the Friday evening worship service will be in their honor. 
 
        Now, all of us will have to step up to accomplish the mission of our associations and conference. Part-time ministers will be available to assist the Associations (especially the Church and Ministry Commissions and the Search and Call Process). The soon-to-be called Interim Conference Minister will also be a resource person as needed.  However, the new structure will require that all ministers and churches will be called upon to do their part to insure our continued faithful service to the wider Kingdom. 
 
      The approaching Pentecost season reminds us that the church was born through the faithful witness of Christian believers, who before buildings and ecclesiastical structures, shared the gospel and changed the world.  May the members of the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ go forward with that sme hope and dedication led by the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. God bless you.
 
Emmett

Letter to churches - April 2010 (Dale Kennedy)

Dear Friends,

As I begin this letter, I want to thank you for your faithful support of the Southern Conference over the years. The Southern Conference is what it is as a faithful witness for Christ because of your love and prayers and support. It is in the spirit of covenant partnership that I share with you a decision that your Board of Directors has come to.

For the past several years, we have been dealing with engaging in Christian ministry with fewer financial resources. O.C.W.M. giving and other income sources have not been what they have been in past years. For some years, the Board of Directors has been struggling with balancing our ministry needs and actions with our financial support. Two years ago at the Annual Gathering in Virginia, a resolution was passed that charged the Board of Directors with finding a way to reduce the deficit and work to bring our spending in line with our income. In December of 2008, a plan went into effect that reduced the salaries of our staff and sought savings in other ways. At the 2009 Annual Meeting/Gathering in Salisbury, we were again charged to keep working and bring our budget into line. With the sale of the church formerly known as Christian Temple in Virginia in the spring of 2009, we gained some income, but only to help shore us up for a little while.

We began 2010 with hopes that this would be a better year, but that has not been the case. As of March 31, 2010, we have received $78,906.98 in O.C.W.M. contributions, putting us cumulatively $39,346.86 behind this time last year in O.C.W.M. giving. This is also $41,093.02 behind where we need to be to meet the O.C.W.M. goals for our 2010 budget. Giving is down, and the number of contributing churches is down. The continuing economic conditions and other factors are contributing to this situation. Early this year, I engaged the officers of the Conference and the Board of Directors to find some way to address our situation. We have been in touch with national church staff, seeking their wisdom and help. We have looked at what other Conferences have done and are doing as they find themselves in a similar situation. The officers, Executive Committee and the full Board have met throughout the early part of this year working to discern a way forward. This has not been easy work.

As a result of our discussions and deliberations, we came to a decision at our Board meeting on April 19, 2010. A plan for moving forward was adopted that will be phased in starting July 1, 2010 and be fully in place as of October 1, 2010. Here is the plan that was adopted by the Board of Directors.

Professional Staffing

We will seek and hire an Intentional Interim Conference Minister who will help guide us and facilitate a transitional period for the next 18-24 months. This person will be especially charged with addressing our ministry and organizational needs in light of current financial resources, as well as leading us in strategic planning for the future. The job description for this position is on our Conference website. Annual compensation package for this position is $90,000.00, the same as for our previous Conference Minister.

As of July 1, 2010, Conference level funding for the position of Associate Conference Minister will be suspended. Three part time assistant Conference Ministers, one for each Association, will be secured who will give 20 hours per week to church relationships, church and ministry, and search and call matters. These persons will receive a stipend of $1,500 per month. To help with the transition to this new model, the current ACMs will be asked if they will remain on board at current pay and benefits until the new Intentional Conference Minister is in place. Reverend Larry Walser has announced his retirement from WNCA as of June 30. Reverend Drew Morris has submitted his resignation from EVA as of June 30. Conference leadership will be working with Association Boards of Directors to provide appropriate leadership for the associations. (Note: The current structure and boundaries of our associations are not being changed!)

Administrative Staffing

In this new model, the following staff will be funded at the Conference level:

Executive Assistant to the Conference Minister/Office Administrator, full time. Linda Carter will be asked to remain in this position. ($35,900.00/year)
Administrative Assistant to the Conference and Associations, part time (20 hours/week). Janelle Bunn will be asked to remain in this position. ($11,200.00/year)
Financial bookkeeper, full time. Elaine McAdams will be asked to remain in this position. ($30,400.00/year)
Conference level funding for the Association administrative support staff positions will be suspended. Associations may make their own arrangements for additional support staff.
Conference Offices

The Conference Office in Burlington will operate four days a week, Tuesday-Friday.
Conference level funding for the association satellite offices in Salisbury and Virginia will be suspended.
This model of ministry is seen as a temporary way to serve us as we transition from what we have been to what the future is calling us to be. As we move through the time of the Interim Conference Minister, we will work to discern the best way to move forward over the long haul as a faith community. The plan outlined in this letter will not get us fully to a balanced financial picture immediately, but will move us significantly to a place of greater stability.

Some will say that this is the beginning of the end, and signals the death of our beloved Southern Conference. A more appropriate image is that of a birthing of a new Southern Conference. The Scriptures often use the image of labor and childbirth to speak of God’s new doings. Pregnancy, labor and childbirth are often painful as new life comes to be among us. What we once knew as the Southern Conference is becoming something new as church life, cultural dynamics, ministry opportunities, and financial resources change. However, our call and our commitment remain the same. Our love for God and our love for one another remain strong. We remain a people who follow a still-speaking God, and we remain determined to courageously follow our God as the way opens up before us.

I know that this change may be greeted with much concern and debate. As long as we are talking with one another, even if in intense conversation, that means we are still in the same room and at the same table. And, as long as we are talking with one another, we are open to what God may wish to say to us through one another. We must talk about this. We must talk to each other, and we must listen to each other. There will be significant time at the upcoming Annual Meeting for discussion and feedback on this. And I am sure that we will continue to talk about this as we make our way forward in the coming months. The Board of Directors is open to this conversation, and is working on ways that will make this time as productive as it can be.

The strength of the Southern Conference has always been our love for one another, and our determination to work together and make our way forward, even when the challenges have been great and the future seemed uncertain. Since our birth as a Conference in 1965, this has been who we are, and for thirty-two years as a minister serving in this Conference, I have witnessed firsthand how we have come through these hard times, and we are still together and we are still faithful. I have no doubt that we will make our way through this current time and move forward as we continue to love one another and work together. May our faith remain strong, and may our prayers remain steadfast. And may God’s blessing be with all of us in the Southern Conference.

Dale Kennedy, President

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS - 3/22/10

The Southern Conference Board gathered in Durham for a planning session on March 22, meeting at Pilgrim UCC in Durham. The session followed an earlier meeting -- March 17 and 18 -- when the Executive Committee gathered with Emmett Floyd, Linda Carter, and the three Associate Conference Ministers. Steve Sterner (Local Church Ministries) and Susan Towner-Larsen (Minister for Conference Relations) were present from national staff for the March 17-18 meeting.

Paul Davis, SOC treasurer, reports on information shared by national staff, noting: “Steve Sterner and Susan Towner-Larsen told us that most other conferences are wrestling with same issues, and said at the national level they are quite concerned that we have sociological forces working against us as a denomination. On average: our clergy are older than other denominations, our average member is older, 70% of our churches are small and operate on a subsistence level.”

Says treasurer Davis in a report to the Board, “Excluding PLD and Church Development, I anticipate our income will be around $475,000, and I project our spending will be around $575,000. Spending will be this low only if we do not hire a Conference Minister this year. If we continue to spend at this level, by the end of the year we will deplete our unrestricted financial reserves and we will again dip into our restricted funds.”

Paul continues: “Given that rosy picture, we were told that our conference cannot afford to keep on as we have been keeping on (keeping on is not really working very well either), and we need to plan for change. How can we do what we deem important using fewer financial resources? ‘You can either plan for change or be changed, but change is a coming.’” ‘How can the conference support the mission of churches in new and exciting ways?’ was echoed as a dominant question. “With the present expenses,” says Paul Davis, “we will run out of money before the end of the year and be ‘borrowing’ from restricted funds. Like most non-profits, most of our expenses are in personnel. The Executive Committee,” he says. “did not come up with a proposal concerning what to do as much as a plan how to present this same message to the board.”

Among actions at the SOC Board Meeting on March 22, a report was received from the Personnel Committee, led by Lilton Marks, recommending that the Associate Conference Minister in Eastern Virginia Association -- Drew Morris, -- be restored to full time pay, and that part time administrative assistants in each of the three Association offices be brought to uniform hours and pay. Both recommendations were approved. EVA people feel strongly that this is a “fairness” issue. Others voiced concern over extending the projected deficit.

Board Chair Dale Kennedy assigned to the Budget and Finance Committee the task of returning to the next SOC Board Meeting -- April 19 -- with several proposals for moving forward in Conference Ministry. “Here is the pile of money available for programming, staffing, and maintenance,” he said, referencing financial reporting to the Board. “How will it allow us to address our priorities?”

Says Board Member Jill Edens, “We are working hard to bring interim solutions to the next meeting of the Board of Directors. Since our hope is to set the table in a healthy way for a new interim conference minister, these potential solutions are interim as well. My hope is that if the Board will adopt one of the interim solutions, and, that the desired conference-wide discussions would [then] be the task of the new interim conference minister as s/he leads us toward a sustainable and positive life together.”

The Southern Conference: Our Mission and Financial Resources

Strategy Meeting March 17 and 18, 2010

A Review

Early this year, I had conversations with our treasurer, Paul Davis, and our Transitional Conference Interim, Emmett Floyd, about the financial situation of the Southern Conference.  The data indicated that something strategic needed to be done.  I, as President, initiated the following process:

• Review and evaluate the financial data.

• Gather a group to discuss what is happening and to develop a plan of action for moving forward.

• Bring the discussion to the full Board of Directors for discussion and action.  I set the goal for April 19, 2010 as the target date for the Board taking action on a specific plan for moving forward.

• Bring this plan to the June 2010 Southern Conference Annual Meeting/Gathering for discussion and response.

On March 17 and 18, I gathered with the Executive Committee of the Conference, with Emmett Floyd, with Linda Carter, with the three ACMs, and with Steve Sterner of Local Church Ministries and Susan Towner-Larsen, Minister for Conference Relations.  Our discussion centered around our financial situation and with how we best can move forward to take care of our essential and valued ministries.

After reviewing the financial data, we discussed what we perceived to be the essential and valued ministries and functions of the Southern Conference.  We identified these functions falling into the following categories:

1. Leadership.
2. Net working and community building.
3. Mission, vitality and stewardship.

We agreed that any plan or plans for moving forward needed to be faithful to these areas of mission.  Of course, we haveto carry out these ministries using the financial resources available to us.

Several options were discussed, but it became clear that the input of the fuller Board of Directors was needed if we were to fairly discern our way forward.  Therefore, the called meeting of the Board on March 22 will be devoted to continuing our discernment process and bringing us closer to a specific way or ways forward.

Dale Kennedy, SOC President

March 21, 2010

Emmett Floyd Begins Interim Transitional Conference Ministry

 REV. EMMETT OWEN FLOYD

Emmett Owen Floyd, born in Griffin, GA., March 21, 1928

Education:  Mercer University, Macon GA. A. B. 1948

Div. Southern Theological Seminary 1951

 S.T.D. San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1973

 U.S. Navy Chaplain 1952-54 - Korea – Served with Marines 1962-64 -  Recalled to Active Duty –Cuban Missile Crisis 1964-84 -Active in Naval Reserve. Retired as Rear Admiral Deputy Chief of Chaplains for Reserves.

Churches Served – Georgia; Florida; and Congregational U.C.C., Greensboro, N.C. 1967-80.

 Twelve Interims since retirement.                       

Denominational positions:President of Southern Conference U.C.C. 1979-80

Conference Minister – Southeast Conference U.C.C. 1980-88

Interim Association Conference Minister- ENCA, U.C.C. 1996-97

Acting Conference Minister- Southern Conference U.C.C. July 1999-Feb. 2000

 Serve on UCBWM 1969-81, President 77-81

 Executive Council U.C.C. 1983-87

Family Life: Married Katherine Holmes, 1948, five children, ten grandchildren.

Conference President Dale Kennedy Sends Third Letter to Share Updates

December 11, 2009

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Southern Conference,

I bring you greetings from the Board of Directors of the Southern Conference.  Through the Executive Committee and the Interim Search Committee, we are continuing to provide faithful leadership for the Southern Conference during this period of transition, and I thank you for your prayers for us in this time.

Since my last letter to you, the Conference met on Friday, November 13, 2009 at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Durham to say thank you and to bid farewell to our Conference Minister, Stephen Camp.  It was a night to remember.  I am grateful to Pilgrim UCC for hosting this event, and to the many who participated in planning it and in carrying it out.  We are moving forward as we prepare for the leadership of the Reverend Emmett Floyd as our Transitional Conference Interim, who officially begins his work with us on December 16, 2009.

The Interim Search Committee met for the second time on November 23, 2009, and is working on developing a job description for the Interim Conference Minister and a time-table for this search.  The Reverend Susan Towner-Larsen, Minister for Conference Relations, met with us, and is continuing to offer valuable counsel to us.  Our goal is to present for approval a job description to the Board of Directors at its January 30, 2010 meeting.  Once the Board of Directors has approved a job description, we will be ready to officially advertise for this position.  If you know of someone who may be a good candidate for this position, please direct them to contact me, as I am serving as Chair and contact person for the Search Committee.  As I have mentioned before, I am always open to hearing from you with your thoughts and suggestions.  Don’t hesitate to contact me.

As we continue through the Advent season and anticipate the Christmas season, I am reminded of the story found in Luke’s gospel, chapter two.  In this birth narrative of Jesus, there are many characters that cross the stage in this powerful redemption drama.  The same is true in our beloved Southern Conference.  There are many players who are active in the unfolding drama of life and ministry in our Conference.  The cast is many and varied: churches, lay persons, clergy, board members, Conference staff, outdoor ministry sites, colleges, universities, children’s homes and retirement facilities.  Each and every one is a major player.  There are no minor roles in the Southern Conference.  On behalf of myself and the other members of the Board of Directors, I thank you for your partnership in the life and ministry of the Southern Conference.  We are well blessed, and I have every confidence that we have what it takes to embrace God’s future for us.

My prayer for you is that you, your family and your church will experience the fullness of God’s blessings in this holy season.  Our faith reminds us to always have hope and joy as the still-speaking and still-working God is among us.  May God bless you and all of us in the Southern Conference!

Reverend Dale Kennedy, President

Southern Conference Board of Directors

Phone: 336.625.3986

Email: revdale11@juno.com