WE ARE WITH YOU
symbol of the anchor:
Christians adopted the anchor as a symbol of hope in future existence because the anchor was regarded in ancient times as a symbol of safety. For Christians, Christ is the unfailing hope of all who believe in him.
"WHICH HOPE WE HAVE AS AN ANCHOR OF THE SOUL, BOTH SURE AND STEADFAST." HEBREWS 6:19
again, e home k li l e fe l Texas, ome wil e away. iends in Soon, h r f r u o a lifetim o s T e d k e r li d s n it seem ok in hu ruits even if tball rec o, you to o g a fo s r r a r fo e u y battling ened yo 'll tell Twelve We'll be . You op hts. You s g u li f t o h s d ig n sand Friday n You fou of thou We'll tell itchens. nder the k u d n a rbeque. , a ts b e s s u to lo e c g p tryin homes, bs to tid boil and us to sto s and jo id k r u crawfish o r r u d o fo y n ls A ff o yo scho ll there. for as you to la us are sti ing. But f th o l t a e o e n r m s ve the over. So ld told u help. come ha the wor here to f e o 'r t e s w e r , e u need listen. when th ng as yo us not to lo ld to u ost will d, yo alive. ve the m s lo to rebuil n u io o it y d e d tra of lif r city an The way at. Your Keep ou ght us th u . ta e u m o a .Y es pire carry on es to ins u ms are th r n ti to s n o o c f tw waste o nd care Now, no more urage a ters is a o a c w g ldn't be in u is o r c g e in W t r u le city. Compa most. B , our our who need it ighbors e u o n y r u n o e wh call you our, we energy forever. arkest h proud to d r u y. Texas o il in m fa t is r h and ou know th ing, brig friends, a scorch d n a . s e a c x ea ds in Te found p ur frien o h it w us. hope same in e light of th d n u'll fi hope yo h you, And we e're wit ome W c s e th Our clo e open. r a s r o o on the Our d hot food 's e r e h size. T in every re wellbinets a a c r u o d s share stove, an to alway e is m o r . We p stocked have. what we
letter from the board chair and president
ISAIAH 58:12
“YOU SHALL BE CALLED THE REPAIRER OF THE BREACH, THE RESTORER OF STREETS TO LIVE IN.”
“My husband and I went to bed the night of August 26, worried for our coastal neighbors but relieved we had escaped the worst of the storm. When I woke up and looked out the window the next morning, my neighbor was standing in the driveway, a stricken look on his face, with water up to his knees. Overnight, our safe bucolic neighborhood had become a swarming sea of incomprehensible danger, hurt, and loss.” Dear friends,
On August 25, 2017, when Harvey slammed the Texas coast, the lives of so many people suddenly fell apart, some in an instant, others in a matter of hours and days. All shared a sense of disorientation, helplessness and utter loss. People from Rockport to Victoria to Houston became part of what Margaret Feinberg calls “the fellowship of the afflicted,” a group none of wants to join but all of us need, at one time or another. Whether you lost every belonging and every emblem of your history from the ferocity of wind and rain, or whether you are a 42-year-old mother whose feverish visit to the ER resulted in the unbearable news of stage four cancer, lives take heartbreaking turns, futures suddenly careen into uncharted, terrifying waters. And you want to know, we all want to know, “Where is God in all of this?” The universal question asked by most every person overcome by adversity, struggling to stay afloat and scanning the horizon for an anchor of hope.
The people of New Orleans – most assuredly members of that fellowship – sent an answer to their afflicted Texas neighbors: “We are with you.” Having experienced profound loss and sorrow – and life-giving love and compassion – their empathetic response was one of open-armed solidarity.
That is TMF’s message to Harvey survivors and to our constituents throughout Texas and New Mexico – individuals, families, churches and other nonprofits – who responded with creative and courageous acts of grace: We are with you, investing our resources in rebuilding and healing lives and helping and empowering you to be the presence of God, the hands and feet of Christ, to those in need. Like many others, in the immediate aftermath of the storm, TMF sent a donation to the Rio Texas and Texas conferences and galvanized others to donate. We implemented a disaster relief assistance program to existing loans in those areas to ease the burden of debt repayment. TMF’s grants ministry awarded grants to organizations on the front lines of Harvey relief and recovery and continues to engage with churches and others to sustain the flow of aid as support tapers over time while needs remain acute and ongoing.
Churches and other non-profits throughout the affected areas and the state mobilized immediately, wading through murky storm waters to rescue lives and possessions, donning masks to muck out homes, finding food and housing for the tens of thousands who were displaced, and donating money and other resources to provide for dire, immediate needs. In the wake of disaster, they were a lifeline of hope and now, months since the dramatic rescues and as public concern and support wane,
the church is still there, steadfastly envisioning and working toward a future truly different from the present.
Those are the stories you will read about in this annual report. An Amarillo couple reaching into their savings to extend a life preserver to those they will never meet whose lives have been obliterated by a calamitous storm. A mentor befriending an incarcerated youth caught in a vortex of poverty, crime, and hopelessness, and showing up, week after week, month after month, restoring imagination for a different life. Courageous partners in ministry who have gone with their neighbors into the messiness and brokenness of life and provided life-giving anchors of hope, love, and faith that point the way forward.
missions,” we glimpse the sacred. We are enormously grateful for every donor, investor, congregation, clergy and lay leader whose relationships mold and shape and empower us to live and work as God’s people in the world, not apart from the world. Where is God? The truth that we teach and believe in the church is that God is present whenever love is on display. Where there is goodness, God is there.
We are with you. How can we help you be an anchor of hope and steadfast love?
Isaiah says that God’s people will be called “repairers of the breach and restorers of streets to live in.” As we have partnered together with followers of Christ to respond to Harvey and to discern and live out God’s purposes, we have seen both descriptions in action. We repair what is broken. We restore community. Isn’t that a mission of the church we can all embrace? Whenever TMF helps “empower the Church in the achievement of her God-appointed
KAY YEAGER
Board Chair
TOM LOCKE
President
in her novel Gilead captures the essence of our call: “THEOLOGIANS TALK ABOUT A PREVENIENT GRACE THAT PRECEDES GRACE ITSELF AND ALLOWS US TO ACCEPT IT. I THINK THERE MUST ALSO BE A PREVENIENT COURAGE THAT ALLOWS US TO BE BRAVE – THAT IS, TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS MORE BEAUTY THAN OUR EYES CAN BEAR, THAT PRECIOUS THINGS HAVE BEEN PUT INTO OUR HANDS AND TO DO NOTHING TO HONOR THEM IS TO DO GREAT HARM. AND THEREFORE, THIS COURAGE ALLOWS US, AS THE OLD MEN SAID, TO MAKE OURSELVES USEFUL.”
2017 key accomplishments
Marilynne Robinson
Committed to Stewarding Resources toward Life-giving Community “We are with you.” Here are some of the ways life-giving change was enacted during 2017.
The church’s response to Harvey is representative of the church at its best: leading the way as an agent of healing and hope, repairing the world, restoring community. We expect the church to act swiftly and decisively to tragic events, but the truth is, critical needs surround us at all times. TMF’s mission is to empower the church to answer those needs in life-giving ways, both immediate and lasting.
When discussing TMF’s response to this disaster with staff on Monday morning after the storm made landfall, President Tom Locke said, “I want us to be bold in responding to these needs.” We thank all of our partners in ministry who have made it possible for us to respond boldly to this crisis, and we encourage others to be bold in responding to the ongoing needs of Harvey survivors and in reaching out to others who need an anchor of hope and steadfast love. n
During 2017 TMF contributed more than $1 million in support to the conferences, churches, and not-for-profits in the coastal bend of Texas. o
As an initial response toward addressing the acute needs resulting from the storm, TMF donated $200,000 to disaster relief efforts - $100,000 each to the Rio Texas Conference and the Texas Conference.
o
TMF’s Grants Ministry awarded $302,000 in grants to 16 churches and not-for-profits to assist with immediate relief needs and ongoing recovery.
o
TMF also facilitated $21,000 in online donations from 55 constituents to be used to help those affected by the hurricane in the Rio Texas and Texas conferences.
o
To aid in the recovery effort, TMF implemented a disaster relief assistance program that provided a reduction in interest rate and options to defer payment for up to four months to all borrowers in the affected areas. TMF encouraged churches unharmed by the storm to use their savings from the reduced interest rate to help neighboring churches and communities heal and rebuild after this disaster. In a sense, this was a way for TMF to provide financial aid, through them, to those most in need. This restructuring resulted in an estimated $570,000 that remained in the communities served by these churches.
Other key accomplishments that have led or will lead to outcomes of answering real human needs, healing lives, and making communities whole include: n
Beginning January 1, 2017, TMF successfully implemented our role as managing agent for the United Methodist Development Fund (UMDF), a national lender to United Methodist churches with $120 million in assets. In addition, during 2017 the boards of UMDF and TMF voted for TMF to transition from managing agent to controlling agent of UMDF, effective January 1, 2019. This collaboration has positively impacted General Board of Global Ministries’ ability to fulfill its purpose to connect the Church in mission around the world.
n
The boards of TMF and Heartspring Methodist Foundation voted unanimously to join forces. Heartspring, with current assets of approximately $85 million, has served the Texas Conference since 1978. While the joining will not be finalized until after the 2018 Texas Annual Conference, TMF is looking forward to bringing Heartspring into the TMF organization. Consolidating the tangible resources, strong leadership and common mission of both organizations will enhance the ability of our United Methodist community to fulfill God’s purposes.
n
TMF received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Thriving in Ministry Initiative to help establish TMF’s Courageous Leadership Imperative (CLI). The CLI is a leadership platform for notable leaders at the “center” and the “edge” of the UMC who are in positions to leverage change. Designed and implemented by TMF’s Leadership Ministry, the CLI will build leaders’ capacity for sustained impact by networking them with other leaders and emboldening them through peer learning and support. Building on a partnership that began in 2003, Lilly Endowment has awarded four major grant awards to TMF totaling $5 million. These grants have enabled TMF to increase its investment in UMC leaders and create new opportunities for adaptive learning and change.
What these metrics do not reveal are the breadth and depth of relationships with Harvey survivors and with all of our constituents throughout Texas and New Mexico and, increasingly, across the nation, that remind us that it truly is about all of us, together. Life-giving community is the way forward.
building kinship and connections before and after harvey
GREGG TAYLOR
“WE HOPE IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS. HOPE CONNECTS ME TO YOU, YOU TO ME, AND ALL OF US TO EACH OTHER.”
Charles Rotramel, CEO, and Gregg Taylor, pastor and community architect, with reVision Houston youth
By Rev. Gregg Taylor, reVision Houston, a TMF grant recipient
Our work at reVision Houston is to break the cycle of disconnection among our most isolated youth. Most of these kids are experiencing isolation, with no adults to speak of in their lives. Many of them are involved in the juvenile justice system. We connect one kid at a time to a caring adult and positive peers, and then to an overall program and resources to help them imagine more hopeful pathways. We want to empower them to imagine. It’s not us saying you need to do this or that. Rather, the presence of a caring adult, someone who will just show up, pay attention and listen, has a profound effect on a kid’s life. It takes a lot of different partners to make this work. We help create communities of kinship where people connect in relationships that would not otherwise happen. When all is said and done, kids experience transformation as do the adult volunteers, communities and churches. Barriers break down, biases are challenged, and even shifted enough to create a relational connection that we think God imagines for all of us. We are actually connected together in this life. ReVision began as a partnership with St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Gethsemane campus in Southwest Houston, St. Martin’s Episcopal
Church, and the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. The idea was that you have two big steeple churches that haven’t done anything together and a government agency, and together everyone envisions how we break this cycle of youth disconnection and violence. Presently, we have a number of church partners in different stages of development including Strawbridge United Methodist Church, Bear Creek United Methodist Church, and First United Methodist Church Pasadena. And I continue to build those church partners all across Harris County, and beyond. Kids ages 10-17 are referred to us through the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. Most of their families are hanging by a thread, and they come from very destabilized home environments. When Hurricane Harvey hit, those threads snapped. There were kids who rode out the storm locked up in juvenile detention facilities and didn’t have any communication with their families or know where their families were. We were the only organization in Houston that was asked to come in and work with these kids, especially those most severely affected by the storm. And we received many more referrals than we’re used to in a month’s time.
We were able to work with our church partners, TMF and others to come together to create a supportive structure of relationships and resources for these families and kids who were on probation, and to help them meet some basic needs for their families. We’ve helped secure beds, food, clothing and school supplies. But more important than all of that was the chance to enter into relationships with disconnected youth and then connect them to someone who cares and with an organization that would not give up on them.
We don’t yet know how long recovery from Hurricane Harvey will take. Some families can’t go back to where they were staying. Wage earners who rely on daily work to put food on the table may have to relocate to find work and some kind of stability. Because of this, we anticipate seeing and serving more disconnected youth and more children in the child welfare system. The ripple effect of Hurricane Harvey could affect a lifetime for a lot of these kids and families, reinforcing the cycle of incarceration, poverty, violence and disconnection. This is the cycle we are on a mission to break. We are grateful to partner with TMF because their support over the years has helped us do things we could not do alone. We need partners that are aligned with the mission and what it means to be the church. The partnership and believing in us, that’s what keeps us going.
amarillo couple extends generosity to texas coast neighbors
CHARLES KING
“BEING WILLING TO RECEIVE IS A KEY FIRST STEP. GOD IS THE GIVER. WE ARE ALL RECEIVERS.”
When asked why he and his wife Jan made a gift to TMF’s Grants Ministry in support of Harvey relief and recovery, Charles King described a rough illustration: “Draw a vertical popsicle stick with God at the top and me at the bottom and a heart in the middle,” he instructed. “That’s where the relationship begins – as a willing receiver of God’s grace, acceptance, and love. Being willing to receive is a key first step.” “Then draw a horizontal stick with an intersecting heart in the middle,” he continued. “That’s what God wants us to do – take God’s love and grace, with outstretched arms, and extend it out into the community and the world. That’s the meaning of the cross.” Simply put, as you have received, so are you able to give. God has given God’s own life to enrich and transform the lives of others. We should do the same.
Inspired by Grants Ministry Director Jacki Lammert’s description of how lives are being changed through the work of TMF grant recipients, Charles contacted Jacki after Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas coast and dropped historic rainfall, displacing thousands of families in the affected areas. “I knew the needs were acute and overwhelming and wanted to help but also wanted our gift to be put to the best, highest use,” he explained.
“Jacki’s description of the Grants Ministry’s commitment to carefully allocating resources to outcomes and systemic change just confirmed my experience with TMF as an organization that optimizes resources. Even in this environment of disaster relief, Jan and I were confident our gift would be used to make lasting change in people’s lives,” Charles observed.
“I can’t say enough how much we value the generosity of donors like Charles and Jan,” said Jacki. “As a Houston resident, I was in the midst of unimaginable loss, everywhere I looked. Receiving a call from Amarillo offering a gift to help make families and communities up and down the coast whole again, was a lifeline.”
Gifts like those from the Kings, along with TMF funds, enabled the Grants Ministry to award $302,000 to 16 churches and not-for-profits to assist with relief and recovery needs. “And, make no mistake, this effort is going to require years,” Jacki continued. “We are there for the long haul
Jan and Charles King celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with their family and will continue to work closely with these organizations and others on the front lines as they help lives heal and renew.”
As an estate attorney, Charles knows the value of leveraging donations to create deeper impact. “I have always encouraged clients to focus on giving as a part of the greater good,” he explained. “Combining gifts with others and partnering with organizations like TMF insures your giving will have maximum effect. Jan and I alone could not have focused our contribution except through the collective and knowledgeable management of the staff at TMF. Through their hard work, our small gift became a part of the greater good.”
Charles and Jan chose an IRA as the vehicle for their gift. “Having reached the magic age of 70-½ years when one must begin drawing from an IRA, Jan and I decided to reach into our savings and contribute (with others) to the grants program for the recovery of the Gulf Coast disaster,” Charles said. Donors can direct charitable gifts from an IRA directly to a qualified charitable organization, such as TMF. The contribution can total up to
$100,000 per calendar year and must be directed from the administrator of the IRA to the charity. A double benefit for the IRA holder is that the contribution amount is excluded from the donor’s taxable income and counts as a part of the annual required minimum distribution from the IRA.
Charles’ long-time experience with TMF, as a former board, executive committee, and president’s advisory committee member, shaped his perception of TMF as an organization that “boldly goes where others have not gone, and in its travels lives by the principles that we should do no harm, do as much good as we can, and stay in love with our Lord,” Charles said. “TMF is a trusted, self-funded, politically neutral organization with a board and staff of deep and diverse religious, financial, and business acumen. TMF can bring all of those disciplines, knowledge and wisdom to fulfilling the purpose of the church ‘to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Like the central heart of the intersecting popsicle sticks, “If God is in our hearts, and by being one of many, the arms of His community can spread wide and be fruitful.”
houston couple enacts grace they received
HENRY NOUWEN
“JOY DOES NOT SIMPLY HAPPEN TO US. WE HAVE TO CHOOSE JOY AND KEEP CHOOSING IT EVERYDAY.”
“I have felt God’s presence throughout all of this,” said Rev. Mopsy Andrews, as she reflected back on the events of the last seven months since the home she shared with her husband Gary for 21 years was demolished in the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey. “Every day I saw the presence of God, the hands and feet of Christ, giving us physical and spiritual ‘shelter from the storm.’”
“There’s a part of me, of course, that wishes we never had to experience that horrific disaster, but, having endured it, I do think, like most tragedies, it breaks you open to discover God in new, unexpected places and ways,” she continued. “There’s brokenness, but the brokenness enables growth and change.” Residents of the Lakes on Eldridge, an idyllic master-planned community with waterfalls and jogging trails, the Andrews felt safe and secure in their neighborhood. Until Harvey hit. Located inside the Addicks reservoir, the Andrews’ home was one of over 5,000 inundated by water that spilled over the Addicks dam.
“My husband and I went to bed the night of August 26, worried for our coastal bend neighbors but relieved we had escaped the worst of the storm. When I woke up and looked out the window the next morning, my neighbor was standing in the driveway, a stricken look on his face, with water up to his knees. Overnight, our safe bucolic neighborhood had become a swarming sea of incomprehensible danger, hurt, and loss.”
LEFT: Chapelwood UMC reliet team members
Mopsy with her twin granddaughters That began a saga of harrowing rescue and arduous recovery. “We grabbed some clothes, medicine, and important papers, stashed them in garbage bags and waded out, scaled an 8-foot fence, canoed down a drainage ditch to a big county truck, maybe a garbage truck, and made our way, 6 adults and 3 dogs, to higher ground,” she described. It also began an endless stream of acts of hospitality and goodwill. “Friends immediately offered their homes, food, clothing, people appeared to ferry us to our home to retrieve what we could and oh, the flood teams from Chapelwood UMC who painstakingly packed the things we could salvage,” Mopsy described.
Jacki Lammert, TMF director of grants and also a Houston resident, was aware of a TMFmanaged endowment fund that designated that distributions be used to assist retired United Methodist pastors for maintenance and repair of their residences. “We were thrilled to be able to offer this assistance to Mopsy and Gary,” commented Lammert. “We were so grateful for the help from the TMF endowment,” Mopsy said. “When your life careens off course like ours did, it’s a surreal experience. We didn’t even know what to ask for. We didn’t know what we needed. Jacki and so many others held us in their loving, protective hands and gave us direction.”
ABOVE: Debris from grandchildren’s home, including their mother’s childhood piano There have been many twists and turns in this journey. What they thought would be six weeks of displacement dragged into six months. By Thanksgiving, after weeks of calls to their contractor went unanswered, they texted him: “You are part of our team.” He responded with his own story of financial loss and personal heartache. “Everyone is suing me,” he responded. “You are my only customer.” “Others threatened to sue Ramon; we took a different path,” explained Mopsy. “When you lose everything, I think you double down on what’s truly important. We saw God in so many acts of grace and words of comfort. I think that makes you more aware of God’s presence tucked away in the lives of those around you. When we show mercy, we share God’s presence.”
After serving for over 30 years as associate pastor at Chapelwood UMC, Mopsy retired in 2010, the year her daughter Laura gave birth to twins. The Andrews’ life took another heartbreaking turn in 2013 when Laura was diagnosed with cancer. She died in 2015; her twin girls were 4 years old and her son was 7. “Laura gathered gifts and wrote letters to celebrate the children’s birthdays each year
until they are 18,” Mopsy explained. “Eduardo, a friend of my son-in-law Steven, built a special closet in their home to keep them. Steven and the kids’ home flooded, as well, with water up to the ceiling. The gifts were lost, but Steven was able to save the letters. Now Eduardo is helping us with repairs on our house. This is the grace that holds the world together when all is falling apart.” Where is God? In neighbors helping neighbors, in a friend from a city miles away who buys a used bass boat and brings it to Houston to help with the rescue, in a mother’s waterlogged letters that her children will be able to read, every year, and know that in the midst of pain there is beauty and truth and love that defines our life together. Incarnate love.
2107 year in review Photo by United Methodist News Service
TMF ended 2017 with a deeper understanding of what it means to be called to be a “repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.” The
significance of the following developments, activities, and financial reporting is in how they reflect the many congregations, leaders, families, individuals, and organizations we are privileged to work with who are about the work of repairing the world. FINANCIAL n
As of December 31, 2017, total assets under management by TMF were approximately $569 million, an increase of $44.1 million from 2016.
n
Our Methodist Loan Fund ended the year at $330 million. Methodist Loan Fund investments support TMF’s loan program which currently funds 442 loans to United Methodist churches and agencies. Our loan balance ended 2017 at $341.5 million.
n
Our Undesignated Endowment grew during the year by approximately $3 million, ending the year at $38.1 million. The relationship between our loan portfolio and our endowment has never been healthier and, in fact, exceeds guidelines established by our board. Additionally, this endowment growth diversifies and enhances our operating income stream by generating additional revenue for operations.
n
Not included in the amount above, endowment dedicated to our Leadership Ministry now totals an additional $8.1 million, up from $7.1 million.
n
Highlighting a significant year of financial support for TMF was a gift of $1 million from the Lilly Endowment to fund TMF’s Courageous Leadership Imperative (CLI). Building on a partnership that began in 2003, Lilly’s gift allows TMF to sustain its investment in UMC leaders and create new opportunities for learning amongst leaders from both the “center” and the “edge” of the church. Gifts to Leadership Ministry and unrestricted support to TMF totaled $1.4 million, including more than $110,000 in new gifts to the Dr. Gil Rendle Learning & Leadership Endowment.
n
During 2017, through a combination of permanent funds, outright gifts and contributions from TMF, the Grants Ministry awarded more than $1 million in support of 34 churches and not-
for-profits. Of that total, an estimated $491,000 came from restricted endowments and $540,000 from TMF operations. The Grants Ministry received individual and on-line gifts of $31,517, which added to the funds available to support churches and not-for-profit ministries across Texas and New Mexico. The Grants Committee of the TMF Board of Directors determines distribution decisions for these discretionary funds. Shortly after Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast, the Grants Ministry awarded $302,000 to 16 churches and not-forprofits to assist with immediate relief needs. This storm, which caused catastrophic flooding, will continue to impact the ministries and residents of the Texas and Rio Texas conferences for years to come. In 2017, grants funds were distributed as follows: o
30% to outreach ministries and evangelism targeting systemic change
o
33% to ministries which systemically benefit families living in poverty
o
8% for scholarships
o
29% for Hurricane Harvey relief
n
TMF’s history and future are linked to our partnerships with individuals and families and a commitment to help implement their philanthropic goals. In 2017, TMF worked with families to fund gifts totaling more than $3.3 million in the form of donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities and permanent endowments. Distributions from these funds will support a range of ministries from a new Youth and Community Center in Moody, Texas, to assisting with Wesleyan Home’s mission to be the premier provider of supportive care and services to senior adults in Central Texas.
n
TMF distributed approximately $1 million from permanent endowments, predominantly to United Methodist causes in Texas.
n
Operations staff made significant progress in moving TMF’s software systems and processes forward. They digitized records; organized and shared standardized information between software systems; and are currently in the process of automation, working to eliminate manual processes and improve accountability.
LEADERSHIP n
TMF’s Leadership Ministry seeks to enable courage, learning, and innovation among leaders. The primary method by which we do this work is through facilitating transformational conversations; some take the form of on-going peer groups and others as stand-alone conversations around an adaptive issue. During 2017, Leadership Ministry hosted 40 Learning Communities and Learning Projects convening more than 525 clergy and lay leaders from across the country. TMF hosted 16 peer-learning groups, involving over 250 clergy and lay leaders from across Texas and New Mexico, as well as drawing from the other conferences of
2107 year in review (continued) the South Central Jurisdiction (SCJ). In addition to ongoing groups, such as the SCJ Bishops Conclave, New and Continuing District Superintendents, Executive Pastors, Musicians, and the Ministry with the Poor group, TMF facilitated several large group conversations for the sake of helping leaders wrestle with important challenges as they seek to lead in this rapidly changing environment. These groups included: a gathering of denominational leaders from eleven different faith traditions around the challenges of upholding the norms and values of our tradition while seeking innovation and new ways to create faith communities; a gathering of large church leaders seeking to stay focused on mission in an uncertain and changing landscape; a learning laboratory which gathered teams from fifteen annual conferences to engage the work of setting outcomes and aligning resources; and a gathering of all the SCJ bishops, along with other leaders from each conference, for an immersion experience in the Rio Grande Valley in an attempt to deepen and change the conversation around how to be in ministry with the diversity of Hispanic and Latino persons who live in our communities. As TMF continues to work tirelessly to help strengthen the church we know today, we also see great value in helping the church live into a future, which undoubtedly requires deep change and a new kind of leadership.
n
congregations in Dallas, Denison, San Angelo, Bellville and Bay City through the Holy Conversations spiritual discernment process. Two new elements in Holy Conversations were a bi-lingual team at Elmwood/El Buen Samaritano UMC in Dallas, and a process at First UMC Round Rock that combined the discernment work of Holy Conversations with the branding/marketing muscle of Austin’s MGroup. The team also inspired courage for the many churches that started endowment funds, sharpened their governance systems, or tackled leadership issues.
served as senior pastor of First UMC Grapevine. n
We said goodbye to John Rivas who helped shepherd the joining of the New Mexico Conference Methodist Foundation and TMF and continued to empower vibrant ministry in churches throughout New Mexico. John also worked with individuals and families to help them steward their resources to align with their faith values through legacy giving. TMF recently announced that Scott Sharp will begin serving as Senior Area Representative for the New Mexico Conference. An ordained elder in the UMC, Scott has served in churches in New Mexico and Oklahoma for the past 30 years.
n
TMF also welcomed the addition of two new staff members in operations – Nathan Van Allen, who moved from temporary to full-time status, and Laura Castillo who replaced Lashundra Buford – and two new staff members in the loan department – Tyler Sprigg and Kristin Todd.
n
Recently joining Foundation Relations, is Leia Williams as director of communications.
STAFFING n
n
During 2017, TMF staff wished Godspeed to Eric McKinney, Senior Area Representative for the Central Texas Conference since 2009, as he retired from his long, faithful service to the mission of the United Methodist Church. Eric’s multi-faceted experience in the UMC was enormously valuable in implementing TMF’s Holy Conversations process of helping clergy and lay leaders discern their purpose and create new or enhance existing ministries to align with that purpose. TMF welcomed John Mollet as he stepped into the position of Senior Area Representative for the Central Texas Conference vacated by Eric McKinney upon his retirement. John most recently
TMF’s team of Area Representatives conducted more than 500 in-person meetings and hosted 30 churches in learning sessions involving more than 500 individuals, helping them discern a deeper sense of what it means to be a purposeful and generous congregation. In 2017, the Area Representatives more fully embraced their role as encouragers, realizing that our churches want to make a difference in their communities, but struggle with how to do that. The team empowered courage in the form of a comprehensive Year-Round Stewardship program for six leading churches in the Dallas area, in addition to three in El Paso and three in Las Cruces. The team enabled courage by leading Photo by United Methodist News Service
Photo by United Methodist News Service
REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE: “ W h e n y o u p a s s t h ro u g h t h e w a t e r s , I will be with you.” ISAIAH 43:2
2017 financials
TOTAL 2017
ASSETS
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
FUNDS OWNED
LIFE INCOME FUND
ENDOWMENT FUND
FUNDS MANAGED FOR INVESTORS
12,008,715
801,335
94,571
525,644
10,587,165
2,470,552
287,483
104,448
661,176
1,417,445
3,000
3,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
356,735,137
23,045,813
2,694,073
15,073,172
315,922,079
3,222,756
2,227
38,161
119,703
3,062,665
184,734,167
22,431,424
13,848,354
73,889,888
74,564,501
4,993,752
17,191
58,969
184,976
4,732,616
LAND AND BUILDINGS
751,817
751,718
1
98
-
OIL AND GAS INTERESTS
524,271
100
519,304
1,867
3,000
ACCRUED INTEREST RECEIVABLE CONSULTING FEES RECEIVABLE PLEDGES RECEIVABLE LOANS BOND FUNDS STOCKS CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT
OTHER INVESTMENTS
54,668
-
-
54,668
-
2,574,288
2,574,288
-
-
-
INTANGIBLE ASSETS
464,348
464,348
-
-
-
PREPAID EXPENSES
587,094
198,383
388,711
-
-
$569,124,565
$50,577,310
$17,746,592
$90,511,192
$410,289,471
1,676,122
846,352
41,992
368,728
419,050
95,450
95,450
-
-
-
1,210,000
1,210,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
23,750,000
1,556,967
185,529
1,045,862
20,961,642
388,908,779
-
-
-
388,908,779
FIXED ASSETS, NET
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS LIABILITIES:
DISTRIBUTIONS, GRANTS AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE DEFERRED REVENUE DEFERRED GRANT REVENUE LINE OF CREDIT NOTE PAYABLE FUNDS MANAGED FOR INVESTORS FUNDS HELD AS AGENT
79,158,290
-
17,383,039
61,775,251
-
TOTAL LIABILITIES
494,798,641
3,708,769
17,610,560
63,189,841
410,289,471
$74,325,924
$46,868,541
$136,032
$27,321,351
-
$569,124,565
$50,577,310
$17,746,592
$90,511,192
$410,289,471
NET ASSETS
TOTAL
T M F S C H E D U L E O F S E L E C T E D F I N A N C I A L D ATA F O R E A C H O F
AT YEAR END: FUNDS MANAGED FOR INVESTORS LOANS
THE SEVEN YEARS IN THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
$301,622,524
$326,374,476
$319,980,087
$393,454,064
$389,012,350
$387,592,620
$388,908,779
310,396,734
325,359,350
327,256,864
332,804,892
324,696,565
359,417,473
356,735,137
OTHER SECURITIES
67,356,467
86,024,802
92,080,540
153,758,360
159,664,643
155,772,482
192,950,676
OPERATING AND MEMORIAL NET ASSETS
20,183,904
23,531,390
27,451,359
29,928,607
31,798,055
35,033,406
38,707,384
4,026,196
4,197,890
4,687,298
5,652,360
5,819,173
7,131,045
8,161,157
TMF LEADERSHIP MINISTRY
PERMANENT GIFTS (FOUNDATION TRUSTEE) 64,635,125 TOTAL ASSETS
$383,922,117
71,918,876
81,824,737
92,574,608
94,420,215
103,877,933
135,965,143
$419,390,976
$425,941,318
$510,478,159
$505,052,287
$524,934,382
$569,124,565
board of directors and pac
TMF BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kathryn Yeager, Board Chair Dr. Clayton Oliphint, Chair-Elect Tom Toevs, Secretary
CENTRAL TEXAS CONFERENCE
Dr. Chris Hayes Dr. Leah Hidde-Gregory Henry Joyner Dr. Dale Knobel Bishop J. Michael Lowry* Wesley Millican Hiram Smith**
NEW MEXICO CONFERENCE
Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe* John Goodwin Rev. Jeff Lust Dr. Eduardo Rivera Sid Strebeck Tom Toevs
NORTH TEXAS CONFERENCE
RIO TEXAS CONFERENCE
James Adams*
James Cox**
Mary Brooke Casad
Dr. Daniel Flores
Patricia Deal
Rev. Thelma Flores*
Robert Dupuy
Rev. Scott Heare
Dr. William Green
James Hornbuckle
Larry Haynes
Teresa Keese
Joseph Holmes
Rev. Laura Merrill
Rev. Katherine Glaze Lyle
Robert Rork**
Bishop Michael McKee
Judge Henry Santana
Dr. Clayton Oliphint
Bishop Robert Schnase*
Dr. Owen Ross
Robert Scott**
Dr. Andrew Stoker
Robert Sunderland**
Kelvin Walker
Amy Shaw Thomas
Julie Yarbrough Kathryn Yeager
TEXAS CONFERENCE
William Bleibdrey NORTHWEST TEXAS CONFERENCE
Gene Graham
Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe*
Dr. Donald House
Dr. Craig Curry Judge Ron Enns Dr. James Hunt Bynum Miers**
Rock Houstoun Thomasine Johnson Bishop Scott Jones* Rev. Morris Matthis Dr. Thomas Pace, III Dr. Matt Russell Dr. Ron Swain James Walzel Rev. Jim Welch *Advisory ** Emeritus
PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY COUNCIL Glenn Andrew
Kerrville
Laura Armstrong
Albuquerque
Robbie Ausley
Austin
Ron Barger
Plano
Jordan Baucum
Houston
Tray Black
Dallas
Jay Brim
Austin
Dan Chaney
Athens
Kathleen Chaney
Athens
Dale Cherry
Rockwall
Sunday Coffman
Sugar Land
Kaycee Crisp
Austin
John Curry
Pampa
Mike Fenton
Waxahachie
Allison Fogle
Fort Worth
Douglas Fogle
Fort Worth
Andy Hernandez
Montgomery
Ellen Key
Athens
Charles King
Amarillo
Dr. Bill Marr
College Station
Linda Marr
College Station
Dr. Tom McHorse
Austin
Gerald Meinecke
Dallas
Neil Moseley
Dallas
Dr. Oscar Page
Sherman
Mary Percifield
Alvarado
Hal Peterson
Austin
Jeff Roper
Colleyville
Kim Simpson
Arlington
Abel Vega Jr.
San Antonio
Rev. Alison Young
Meadows Place
tmf staff and officers
AREA REPRESENTATIVES
LEADERSHIP MINISTRY
JOHN THORNBURG M E LV I N A M E R S O N RICHARD EDWARDS
BISHOP JANICE RIGGLE HUIE LISA GREENWOOD MARY ESSLINGER J A N E T K LO S T E R B O E R
ELIZABETH HOFFMAN JOHN MOLLET C A R O L M O N TG O M E R Y S C OT T S H A R P TO M STA N TO N L E A H TAY LO R
Vice President of Area Staff Senior Area Representative, Resource Specialist Senior Area Representative, Northwest Texas Conference Administrative Assistant Senior Area Representative, Central Texas Conference Senior Area Represenative, North Texas Conference Senior Area Representative, New Mexico Conference Senior Area Representative, Rio Texas Conference and General Counsel Senior Area Representative, Texas Conference
CHARITABLE SERVICES AND DEVELOPMENT JUSTIN GOULD E M I LY C R O W KARYL SEIBERT CHARLES SMITH
EXECUTIVE TO M LO C K E CURTIS VICK TERI FICHERA LAURA FUQUA
Vice President of Development Administrative Assistant Donor/Development Endowment Administrator Charitable Services Representative President Executive Vice President Director of Event Planning and Executive Support Executive Administrative Assistant and Corporate Secretary
FOUNDATION RELATIONS PAT T I S I M M O N S LEIA DANIELLE WILLIAMS
GRANTS MINISTRY JACKI LAMMERT PAT T I G L A N Z E R
Vice President of Foundation Relations Director of Communications Director of Grants Ministry Grant Associate
Leadership Formation
Vice President of Leadership Ministry Leadership Ministry Assistant Senior Administrative Assistant
METHODIST LOAN FUND SERVICES D AV I D M C C A S K I L L ROBERT HOPPE S A R A B E LT R A N PA U L A S I N I V I R G I N I A A D D I N GTO N RANDI FORREST JENNY KING TYLER SPRIGG K R I S T I N TO D D
OPERATIONS C A N DY G R O S S GERRY SCHOENING PAT S Y W I L S O N L A U R A C A S T I L LO THERESA MCGEE L I N D A PA R N E L L SUSAN PUHAR TERESA RICE SONIA RILEY N AT H A N VA N A L L E N BARBARA WARREN C I N DY W A R R E N
OFFICERS TO M LO C K E CURTIS VICK C A N DY G R O S S D AV I D M C C A S K I L L JUSTIN GOULD
LISA GREENWOOD ROBERT HOPPE PAT T I S I M M O N S TO M S TA N TO N JOHN THORNBURG S A R A B E LT R A N GERRY SCHOENING PA U L A S I N I PAT S Y W I L S O N
Senior Vice President of MLF Services Vice President of Loans and Real Estate Assistant Vice President of Investor Services Assistant Vice President of Loans Loan and Investor Services Assistant Investor Services Assistant Loan Funder/Closer/Analyst Loan Funder/Closer/Analyst Loan /FunderCloser/Analyst Senior Vice President of Operations Assistant Vice President, Controller Assistant Vice President, Human Resources Office Operations Administrative Assistant Office Assistant, New Mexico Office Receptionist Process Analyst Data Analyst Office Manager and Accounting Assistant Records Specialist/Process and Procedure Writer Accounting Support Director of Database and IT President Executive Vice President Senior Vice President Senior Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Assistant Vice President Assistant Vice President Assistant Vice President Assistant Vice President
Before you know what
kindness really is
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must lose things,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
feel the future dissolve in a moment
lies dead by the side of the road.
like salt in a weakened broth.
You must see how this could
What you held in your hand,
how he too was someone
what you counted and carefully saved,
who journeyed through the night with plans
all this must go so you know
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
how desolate the landscape can be
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
between the regions of
kindness.
How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never
stop,
be you,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake
up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
the passengers eating maize and chicken
catches the thread of all sorrows
will stare out the window forever.
and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only
kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
kindness
Naomi Shihab Nye
only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say It is I you have been looking for, and then goes like a shadow
with you everywhere
or a friend.
“Empowering the church in the achievement of her God-appointed missions."