missional wisdom 2013 quarterly report

7/27/2019 Missional Wisdom 2013 Quarterly Report

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Missional Wisdom Foundation Quarterly Repor

snapshot.All across the MWF

landscape, the Holy Spirit

is moving in new and

exciting ways.

Fall, 2013

missional.monastic. mainline.The Missional Wisdom Foundation is experiencing a time

of unprecedented growth, transition and surprises. Our

unofficial motto is you really ought to talk to Elaine

Heath because that phrase comes up so often on the way

to new friends discovering us. And now, that conversation

is happening in unexpected places, resulting in new

opportunities in the U.S. and beyond.

Our new initiatives are all infused with the foundations

philosophy encouraging clergy and laity to consider

their calling with fresh eyes and open hearts, yet firmlyrooted in the Wesleyan tradition.

Each of the houses in The Epworth Project hosts a weekly Community

Dinner for the residents, their neighbors, nearby church congregants

friends and family. Its a time to enjoy gracious hospitality and to

deepen connections to each other and the neighborhood we serve

Major Initiatives

AMW

TX/OK

AMW

Cal-Pac

Epworth

ABIDE

First Academy Cohort

Graduated, Summer 2013

One-Year Institute

Launched by AcademyGrad

First Abbot

commissioned

Major grant received for

creating comprehensive

curriculum in monastic

living

Get to know us better . . . over dinner.


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Do Justice. Love Mercy.

In my new role as The Epworth Abbot, Ihave been actively engaged as highlightedhere:

Epworth Houses: Spiritual Awareness;Missional Guidance and Accountabilityw Reorienting each House Family aroundthe Rule of Life within the Housew Reimagining Missional Presence of eachHouse within their neighborhoodsw Transitioning residents between Houses

for best fit for gifts and missionw Teaching Issue Processing using theCovenant Questions within the Rulew Attending New Day Worship at theIndigo Apartmentsw Creating the Adrian New Day Model forsuburban neighborhood around Adrian

Missional Wisdom is discovered at the intersection of deep

contemplation, radical hospitality and service to others.w Collaborating with Wesley FoundationDirectors at UT Arlington and SMUcampuses regarding cooperative learningpractices and student awareness forEpworth Residential Applications

Epworth Houses: Stewardship ofPropertiesw Perform House maintenance as neededw Cooperate with engineers andinspectors in the assessing new property

w Creating House ledgers forimprovements, repairs and maintenancew Encouraged establishing the online ofBill-Pay system under the MWF oversight

Academy for Missional Wisdom:

w Participated in Immersion Retreatsin Denver and Seattlew Met with multiple individuals andgroups interested in learning about theEpworth Houses as immersionlearning centers for those interested inthe intentional faith communitydevelopment and missionaldiscernment. Many of these groups areinterested in the Academy for

equipping Lead Teams in the DFWarea.w Becoming equipped to use theCanvas platform for online classes nextSpring

Conferences, Workshops & Retreats

w Serving as Spiritual Director for fivestudents and young professionalsw Created the first Epworth Retreat forhouse residents for the purpose ofSpiritual Formation and Practice of theRule of Life as a means for maturity andcommunity formation toward MissionalDiscernmentw Serving as Spiritual Director forPerkins Interns living in intentionalcommunity

The Missional Wisdom Band

w Writing five chapters for The ABIDECurriculum, focusing on understandingand living into the Rule of Life, as well asvideo interview regarding Service in anIntentional Communityw Participating in Band activitiesincluding bi-monthly prayer, monthlybusiness meetings and board meetings

Rev. Jerry Moore

Guidance. Stewardship. Formation.

Please consider a one-

time or monthly gift to the

work of the Foundation.

Thank you! Donate Here


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These are the activities in which Iengaged from June throughSeptember, 2013, to share the workof the Missional WisdomFoundation and to invite personsacross the nation and the world topartner with us in our ministry:

Served as Bible Teacher for theWestern North CarolinaAnnual Conference in June2013. I drew from Luke 5 topresent three sessions onmissional wisdom. Out of thisexperience we generated twonew cohorts for the AMW,

including our first ever YouthAcademy. I also was invited tobe the teacher for theAlabama/West FloridaConference in 2014 becausethe Bishop of that Conferenceheard me teach in the WNCAC.

Served as Retreat Leader forBishop Ken Carter and cabinetof Florida Conference for twodays in June 2013, sharing with

them the mission and visionand the work of the MWF.Bishop Carter invited theCabinet at the end of theretreat to consider who in theirdistricts would be goodcandidates for a Florida AMW

In August, I attended theOxford Institute of MethodistTheological Studies. Ipresented a paper that was acase study of our work with

New Day at the IndigoApartments in Dallas. Throughthis week I cast vision,networked with globalcolleagues interested in thework of the MWF, especiallythe UM Russian seminary inMoscow, which resulted inpreliminary plans for thetranslation of my books intoRussian and an invitation tobring the AMW to Russia

under the auspices of theseminary. I also connectedsubstantially with Methodist

leaders of Fresh Expressions inthe UK, and have been invited toparticipate in a gathering withsome of them next year in theUK.

On August 19, I met withrepresentatives of Path One ontheir road tour of all the newchurch starts in the UMC since2008. We met regarding New Daat the The Indigo apartments,where they took pictures andinterviewed several of us so thatPath One can promote the workof the MWF and our New Daycommunities.

In September, I completed themanuscript onMissional. MonasticMainline., co-authored with LarryDuggins. This book is a theoryand practice of forming missionaand new monastic communities mainline traditions and willsubstantially help to cast thevision for the work of the MWF

On Sept 19, I served as theplenary speaker for the EpiscopaHouse of Bishops, withEpiscopalian bishops from arounthe US and the world. I taughtabout Missional Wisdom theologand practice. Out of this teachingI received invitations to speak infive dioceses around the nation,and to invite some Episcopalianschools to participate in theimmersion programs of the MW

I also connected with BishopGregory Palmer, the UM Bishopwho was present there as anecumenical representative. BishoPalmer expressed a desire topursue further connectionbetween the MWF and West OhConference.

Rev. Dr. Elaine Heath

Founders Report

Elaine Heath

Co-FounderDr. Elaine Heath is a

visionary leader and

theologian, a mystic, an

instigator and a passionate

believer in the power of the

Holy Spirit. Author of seven

books, she holds a B.A. inEnglish, a Masters of Divinity

and a Ph.D. in Theology. Dr.

Heath is an Ordained Elder of

the United Methodist Church.

Larry Duggins

Co-Founder

Rev. Dr. Larry Duggins is a

proven entrepreneur and

committed believer in the

power of change. He founded

and managed a successfulcommercial real estate

investment management firm

for many years prior to

answering his call to ministry.

Duggins holds a B.A. in

History, an M.B.A. and M.S. in

Finance. He also holds a

Masters of Divinity and

Doctorate of Ministry and is an

Ordained Elder in the United

Methodist Church.


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The third quarter of 2013 has been avibrant and exciting season for TheAcademy for Missional Wisdom.Significant events impacted a broad rangeof aspects, spanning from our very first

cohort completion, the expansion of ourcoaching process, the first ever alumni-ledprocess and a vision for restructuring theorientation phase.

BeginningsDuring the first week of July we completedand launched theExplore the Academyvirtualintroduction, utilizing our open-sourceonline education platform: Canvas byInstructure. WithExplore, we are able toprovide widespread and instantaneousaccess to vision casting, informationgathering, discernment resources, and a

central application portal. The Explorepack is now accessible from the MissionalWisdom website, or by direct link at:https://mwf.instructure.com/courses/205

Were committed to continually improvingcommunication and preparation forpotential Academy participants. Starting in2014, there will now be a self-directedorientation course followed by a four-weekfacilitated overview of Academycurriculum, theological foundations, andpractical expectations. Both of these mini-courses will be completed prior to ouropening retreat. Our objective is to ensureparticipants have every opportunity tounderstand what it is they are committingto before their larger cohort participationbegins.

The four-week facilitated course willprovide an excellent opportunity for ashared experience with family members,potential co-laborers, as well as localcongregational and district/conferenceleadership. Gaining perspective together incommunity, and helping cultivate a support

network around each participant not onlyhelps ensure their success; it also modelsseveral core principles of the MWF.Therefore, participants friends and familywill be invited to join this course at noadditional cost.

All AMW participants are paired with acoach during their second year ofparticipation. Until now the coachingresponsibilities have been shared amongthe MWF directors. However, this summer

we invited seven new coaches to workwith participants. These leaders are allexperienced in launching missionalcommunities and are engaged in anintensive, nine-month coach training

program I designed just for them and wilfacilitate.

Of course, we cant talk about beginningswithout mentioning new cohorts! InSeptember we launched the Cal-PacInstitute for Missional Wisdom. This oneyear version of The Academy wasdeveloped in partnership with AMW gradNicole Reilley, who is currently serving asInterim Director of New Ministries forthe Cal-Pac Conference of the UMC.Nicole has taken her experiences with theAMW and with launching multiple

missional communities and is workingclosely with a dozen participants in herarea. We couldnt be more proud!

Speaking of how proud we are of ourgraduates . . . the Academy now hasgraduates! Our first two cohorts, whichboth began in September 2011, havecompleted their program. Theseparticipants have been instrumental in thecontinued development of the AMWprogram, and their stories oftransformation are truly inspiring.

The first Western North Carolina cohortis currently in their final class, and theRocky Mountain, Pacific Northwest andAlaska 2 cohorts have now started yeartwo of the program.

Were down to the final days before thelaunch of the second Western NorthCarolina cohort and a new Midwestcohort with participants from Kansas andIowa. One of the most exciting thingsabout these two cohorts is that both willhave second year AMW participants in th

area to come alongside as mentors andencouragers.

Without question, The Academy forMissional Wisdom is overflowing withreasons to celebrate.

Rev. Dr. Bret Wells

The Academy

Bret WellsCurriculum & Coaching

Dr. Bret Wells has served in

youth, outreach and

preaching ministries and is

now a church planter. He is a

certified ministry coach and

coach trainer. He holds aB.A. in Psychology &

Christian Ministry, an M.A. in

Christian Ministry and a

Doctor of Ministry in

Missional Church Studies.

Jerry MooreThe Epworth Abbot

Rev. Moore comes to the

Foundation from 30 years of

pastoral ministry, including

eight years as chair of the

Order of Elders. He has also

served as faculty andspiritual director for the

Academy. He holds multiple

undergraduate degrees, a

Masters of Divinity and has

completed extensive post-

graduate studies in

Formative Spirituality &

Awareness. He is an

Ordained Elder in the United

Methodist Church.


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Highlights from this past quarter:

I undertook a detailed recoding ofthe MWF financial informationusing QuickBooks for Non-Profits,

coding every individual entry backto 1/1/12 as to project type anduse. The recoding allows verydetailed financial reporting andprojection on a project-by-projectbasis, and allows us to generateproject specific financial reports.The re-coding allows us to prepareand present the types of detailedreporting that donors and grantorsdesire.

I solicited and raised a generous

General Fund donation from aformer business associate who hasplayed a very important volunteerrole in the Diamond Hill Projectand has now joined the Board ofthe MWF.

Working with Daryn, I prepared afull-color story book for use infund-raising meetings. The bookincludes simple narrativedescriptions and color photos ofthe Foundations activities, and will

be the centerpiece of a marketingfolder. The folder will also includea one-page description of theFoundation, contact information,donation information, summaryfinancial statements and a copy ofthe 501(c)(3) designation.

I have met with Lee Cotton andwith Steve Van to begin theprocess of scheduling HNWIdinners and discussions. Lee is myformer business partner in thenortheast and Steve is a formerbusiness associate in Dallas. Bothare willing to be my middleman,making the initial fundraisingapproach to mutual friends andassociates to allow them togracefully decline. Calls will thenbe pre-screened and targeted,allowing more productive calls.Cotton and Van are likely to bedonors themselves.

I have purchased FoundationDirectory Online for assistance ingrant identification. We willprimarily rely on referrals forhigher productivity, but this toolwill facilitate pre-call research andsmall grantor identification.

In addition to the HNWImarketing in the fourth quarter,MWF plans to investigate andpursue grants from the GBHEMYoung Clergy Initiative and fromthe Waco Foundation.

Rev. Dr. Larry Duggin

Finance & Development

Justin HancockIncarnational Ministry

Rev. Justin Hancock is an

Ordained Deacon and holds

a Masters in Christian

Ministries. His pastoral work

with young adults and

refugees informs his position

as House Steward ofEpworths Cochran House.

He counsels others living in

intentional community

throughout the MWF.

Daryn DeZengotitaCommunications &

Administration

Ms. DeZengotita is a social

media writer, editor and

strategist with a passion for

social justice. She holds a

B.A. in Journalism from Texas

A&M and has a 25-year

background in marketing

communications and non-

profit fundraising. She is

active in Community

Gardening and serves on the

Lead Team of New Day

Adrian House.

New. Now. Next.

From coast to coast, Elaine

Heath is casting the vision o

Missional Wisdom with

diverse groups from young

adults to bishops. New

opportunities to form

Academy cohorts, New Daycommunities and other

expressions are emerging

from those who share that

vision. You are invited to

consider how to partner

with the Foundation in your

congregation or community

Connect with us on

Facebook, Twitter or

Google+ at

missionalwisdom.com.


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185 S. Whites Chapel Blvd.

Southlake, TX 70692

Learn more and register at www.missionalwisdom.com


Join the missional movement.

The work of the Missional Wisdom Foundation

captures my imagination because the initiative to

establish missional communities speaks to this

moment in the life of the church that is so ripe foropportunity, so open to resurrections and so full

of longing. As I hear about exploring monastic

forms for intentional community, about deep

worship and justice practices that emerge from

community, about pilgrimage as a way for

leadership, and about learning for practical

holiness, my heart leaps.

Dr. Amy G. Oden, Saint Paul Theological Seminary

Love God. Love People. Love Creation

Missional Wisdom Foundation

missional wisdom 2013 quarterly report

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