The board of directors of Water's Edge Partnership held their annual meeting to discuss partnership, define their mission and purpose, and evaluate their progress over the past year. They accomplished defining their organization, participating in outreach, and strengthening partnerships with other churches and leaders. However, the meeting also revealed challenges around conflict resolution, communication, and setting clear goals and expectations. The board recognizes the need to improve in these areas as they continue to learn and grow together in their urban ministry.

1. Water’s Edge
Partnership
Notes on our
Annual Meeting
August 3 – 4, 2012

2. “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants
waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet …
SERVANTS.

3. … so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the
door for him.” - Luke 12:35-36
SERVANTS.

4. Friday night:
The Board of Directors serving and
acting out partnership.

5. We spent time
describing partnership
by “real life”
examples.
We focus on the mission of
Jesus together, sharing our
unique spiritual gifts and
strengths . . . For the sake of
Jesus.

6. What does partnership
look like?
Our homeless feed is an operation
to assist one University of Maryland
Student (Ben).
His vision is to provide more than food.
The homeless come to “hang out” and
be a community. “
Partnership” means “being servants of
Christ together,” helping each other.

7. Moments of Partnership
Board of Director’s Annual Meeting
August 2012
Rev. Craig Moore, Rev. William Chaney,
Mt. Vernon Place District Superintendent
UMC Baltimore Washington Conference, UMC
Board Member,
WEP Office space
Pender UMC, Fairfax, VA Rev. Dr. Rod Miller &
Providing tax exemption Towson UMC
& online giving resources Partnering financially &
as WEP’s BW
Pastor Ellis Prince, Conference connection
Lead Pastor for appointment
Gallery Church Baltimore
Ben Sternke, new!
3DM coach for WEP
We are in
ministry
TOGETHER.

8. Moments of Partnership
Baltimore Washington (UMC)
Conference cares about bringing
sheep home.
• As Rev. Chaney shared with us, Baltimore Washington
is committed to joining us in our search for new ways
of helping people discover Jesus and become
“church.” They have funded about 30% of our budget
Rev. William Chaney for the 2012-2013 appointment year.
Baltimore District Superintendent

9. Moments of Partnership
• Rev. Chaney shared with us his passion for people and
how he once found himself homeless. We want to
change people’s lives in Baltimore – together.
• He shared how ‘vital’ congregations are not afraid to
impact people’s lives, and have an essence about
themselves which is self-sacrificing, mission minded,
and Christ oriented.
• He shared his hope for helping us lead and multiply
this movement, and leadership, beyond the first small
group of people.

10. Moments of Partnership
Although our internet connection
Ellis Prince, Lead Pastor was horrible
Gallery Church Baltimore
1.) We have a strong encourager in
Pastor Ellis and Gallery Church
Baltimore, who are approaching
ministry in similar ways to Water’s
Edge.
• People at Gallery move into
targeted neighborhoods to display
Jesus and win the right to tell the
story.
• We welcome Sandy Ruiz to our
Board of Directors on behalf of
that Partnership and way of
ministry.

11. Moments of Partnership
Ellis Prince, Lead Pastor 2.) Like us, Ellis and others are being
Gallery Church Baltimore called to Baltimore for Missional
community planting. God is moving
among MANY leaders.
• Most of these leaders are learning
the culture of living missionally and
“urban.”
• WEP needs to see ourselves in the
larger context of what God is doing
Baltimore-wide and Chesapeake Bay
wide.
• It requires these leaders and
ourselves to spend time together
discussing more than “business.”

12. It was late, and I have no idea what Grant is doing here.
Carol
We have said before that the Board of Directors is first and foremost a group of friends
who are serving together.
But, what does that really mean? How is it different from any other church board you
may have been a part of?

13. Officers elected:
• Gary Ramsburg, Chairperson
• Vice Chairperson remains open
• Grant Thorpe, Finance Officer
• Diane Collins, Secretary
• Prayer Warrior remains open
We welcome Sandy Ruiz to our Board of Directors.
She will be assisting Grant Thorpe in the area of connecting stewardship partners.

14. Changing our Corporate Bylaws
Changing our Statement of Faith
Reflecting simpler, religious • Embracing missional community language
organization tax exempt status and identity
• Simplifying generally, but most • Staying Christ-centric
importantly our “member • Including the Nicene Creed
classes” to 2 – focusing on • Removing specifically United Methodist
leadership alone rather than statements and allowing us to include Board
members of other denominations
general membership
• Expecting each community to embrace
• Giving Nonprofit power of statements of their own denomination which
determination largely to Board are not in direct contradiction to Water’s
of Directors Edge’s general missional statement of faith
• For example, Water’s Edge ‘Baltimore’ is
• Allowing us to grow with an specifically United Methodist, whereas
ecumenical invitation but others we nurture may be a different
United Methodist first plant in denomination
Fells Point • This will allow us to be a future network of
like-minded communities – with prisons,
other churches, United Methodist, etc.

15. Yeah, corporate bylaw changes
took time for discussion,
but the process was incredibly
important.
Good job!
We are ready for the future much more
than we were previously. God has been
transforming and molding us.

16. Discipleship in a “dangerous” environment is
But this is the reason we exist.
• We had FOR THE FIRST TIME
EVER - several community
members join us for our
Annual Celebration with the
Board of Directors.
Amy & Nathan, Tom & Nora, Rita & Randy, Kathi, Carol, Larry & Katherine

17. Influence is growing as marked by blue
and red on map below.
Green = 2010 | Blue = 2011 | Red = 2012

18. Transitions are happening now . . .
WE SAID GOODBYE TO 3 ORIGINAL
BOARD MEMBERS.

19. summarizing our Annual Meeting . . .
• We accomplished a lot “of biggies” for God’s
kingdom.
– More Defining of our organization & purpose
– Participating in God’s mission on the streets
– Describing Partnership with others
– Meeting people, breaking bread together, praying
– Celebrating fruit you have worked hard for!
• We are blessed with each other working for Jesus
in a movement that is bigger than any one of us.

20. We hit some conflict in our meeting.
LEARNING FROM OUR MEETING

21. Here are a few things I heard . . .
• More progress to be made; Be more goal oriented
• Rushed at the end
• Board members who left early
• “I wasn’t listened to and my thoughts were dismissed”
• “I felt frustrated”
• Information which you didn’t have, but may have needed
beforehand
• Lacks in leadership
• Traveling and eating took too long – logistical issues
• Bad timing month in scheme of ministry
LEARNING FROM OUR MEETING

22. Conflict (internal or external) is better thought through so we can openly
engage and have honest relationships. “Iron sharpens iron” means
sometimes there are sparks but it’s the way iron is shaped (i.e. not a bad
thing, but a tool God uses in us and through us).
LEARNING FROM OUR MEETING

23. PULL OUT
SOMETHING TO
WRITE
NOTES ON.

24. Write down at least two
critical issues or challenges or
unmet expectations you
personally felt at our Annual
Meeting?
QUESTIONS

25. Please send that to Gary and
Sandy today, so we can lead a
discussion as needed in our
October meeting.
QUESTIONS

26. Helping us think about some
of our experiences.
LEARNING
FROM OUR
MEETING

27. Urban Ministry
is not
the same as
a Suburban
ministry
experience.

28. Frustrations of Urban Ministry
These are “normal”
frustrations for us who lead in
Baltimore. You probably felt it.
• Parking !@N&#*!!!
• Eating out is lengthy –
eating is a relationship,
rather than a quick bite –
i.e. restaurants here are
built for relationships and
experiences, not fast food.
• Driving between places
• Not owning a house but
renting – at mercy of
landlord

29. Frustrations of Urban Ministry
Continued . . .
• Small vs. Large spaces &
the fight to find
affordable space
• Odd sense of Wealth and
Poor in same space –
surrounded by need
constantly
• Issues of security and
safety
• Lots of multi-cultural
sensitivities (ethnic,
values, beliefs, goals,
neighborhoods)

30. “Church”
Planting or
“Missionary”
Planting …
is different than
an established
church
experience.

31. Established churches have a (often times)
helpful infrastructure which church plants do
not have.
Leaders
Staff
Congregation
Programs
Building

32. Established churches have infrastructure: Leaders.
• Our mission planting assumption might be
that people will come together and provide
leadership. This isn’t reality.
– Church planters work in a “leadership void.”
People have to first know Christ strongly enough
to be consistent and lead.
– We are learning a process of training people to be
disciples first from 3DM.

33. Established churches have many resources:
– buildings,
– kitchens,
– pots and pans,
– musicians,
– money,
– relationships in the community,
– office staff,
– weekly worship venues for communication & common vision,
– people who care about Christ
– History together
– organizational values (for youth, or reading scripture, not
drinking alcohol at a church supper, pastor is paid, etc.)
– Established groups which get the work done (the kitchen
mysteriously gets cleaned up!)
• . . . Rather than none of the above in a start-up mission.
Note: Yes, established churches can lose the priority of mission in each of these resources.

34. But … WEP has unique,
God provided strengths.
• You!
• The Water’s Edge Board of Directors
• our Partners, including established churches
• A dependency upon Christ above all else
• More freedom to innovate (after taking in
information and being in the process over
time)

35. We are people &
missionary based. Huddle
Group -
Leaders
Board &
Partners
Mission Missional
Community
Larger
Community
Huddle Leader
(pastor or lay)

36. As we build, how does
God provide & ask us
Huddle
to steward these gifts Group -
Leaders
of His?
Board &
Partners
Mission Missional
Community
Larger
Community
Huddle Leader
(pastor or lay)

37. While we build other
infrastructure appropriate
to our mission,
God is teaching me/us
to use and rely
upon our strengths.

38. For example:
It would not work in our current
community to ask our people to
care for our Board by providing
meals like we might of a woman’s
group in your local church.
We are getting closer to that point as a few more people embrace our sense of
mission. But serving follows a sense of mission from God.

39. Using these gifts at our Annual Meeting:
An appropriate stewardship of these gifts was for me and you to join
together in casting a common vision with the community who came to
our annual celebration (wine and cheese time at the Gallery Church
office space).
LEARNING FROM OUR MEETING

40. Using these gifts:
In that limited time, did I cast enough vision? Or should we have spent
less time chit chatting and more time talking about what we hope to
accomplish next?
LEARNING FROM OUR MEETING

41. Using these gifts:
Can I do a better job at helping you share our vision in two different ways
– for our potential community and for people in your church? Do you feel
trained and aware of what words and tones offend our community?
LEARNING FROM OUR MEETING

42. What does the Board need to do next?
As we process over this past year, and specifically our Annual Meeting,
I’ve identified some challenges. I’m open to hearing how you hear God
speaking as well!
LEARNING FROM OUR MEETING

43. Board Challenges ahead?
• Setting appropriate
expectations together
• Casting vision with
others
• Creating goals for the
Executive Director and
evaluation methods

44. Board Challenges, continued
• Succession planning for the
Executive Director position
• Finding and Multiplying
Board members
• Identifying Board needs &
ways to use our partner
base to meet our Board’s
needs

45. Board Challenges, Continued . . .
• Becoming more intentional
about Prayer for our
fruitfulness
• Leveraging what we’ve learned
into Board calendars of work
and better workflow
• Identifying a Vice Chairperson
and Prayer Warrior

46. When the way is challenging …
God is probably up to something.

47. And we’ll probably be surprised –
again.

48. Thank you for who you are and how
you serve.
Lord, there are days I try as I might to make
sense of what You want. Make me take time to
listen. Make me care more. Make me more
wise in my dealings with people. Give me
greater grace along with the ability to challenge
only as You call. Make me a better friend and
partner. Create in me a clean heart and a right
spirit to serve You.
Lord, make us, collectively, into Your image.
Amen.