Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2022
Looking Back at the Last Fiscal Year
If the year could be summed up in a single sentence, it was a year of transition and
rebuilding.
In 2021, many of our Friendship groups met on Zoom because of the pandemic. In 2022 everyone wrestled with restarting in person meetings, and even today a few of our friends with disabilities and volunteers are still reluctant to return.
Residential staffing has always been a challenge. However, with national workforce shortages, staffing turnover and shortages have worsened. Our friends with disabilities who live in residentially supported homes have been unable to get to church activities. We have worked hard to reconnect these homes with their Friendship groups.
Yet in the midst of these challenges, we continue to see God’s blessings. All 14 of our Network Friendship groups are again meeting in person, and many have new families who have become part of their community. These churches are now ministering with more than 330 friends with disabilities through their Friendship groups and Summer Friendship Gatherings.
Jackie Shaefer, who was our Ministry Consultant for 16 years, also left in FY 2021 to move to Kansas with family. We were sad to see her go, but God was in the middle of this transition as well. Jackie now works for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Kansas District.
We are grateful to God who led Pam Crowder to Connection Ministries in February 2022. She has been a volunteer in the Friendship group at College Park Church since they started more the 11 years ago. Her career was working as a recreational therapist with memory care patients.
Connection Ministries completed its video training series, “Indispensable,” that has 22 episodes for training our program volunteers in congregations. We also added new episodes to our video Bible series, “To Whom Shall We Go,” that now has 50 episodes. Both the training and Bible series are available online.
Expanding into New Churches
We were unable to expand Friendship groups to new churches during the pandemic and it was further delayed after Jackie left. But now with Pam on the team, we are scheduled to start a new Friendship group at Castleton Community Church in the fall of 2023.
The Next Chapter
Connection Ministries’ Board of Directors is starting a two-year journey to identify and prepare a new leader for the ministry to replace Don Boden as the Executive Director when he retires.
The first step in this transition has started as we begin telling our constituents. It is our hope that you keep this need in your prayers. You may also know someone who has the heart and giftedness to lead this ministry. You can read more about a description of a candidate who would succeed leading this ministry on our website.
We ask you to pray with us for God’s wisdom and help us spread the word.
Over the first three quarters of 2023, we will conduct a search for potential candidates with the hope that someone could be hired during the 4th quarter. Don would remain the Executive Director working part-time with his effort focused on preparing the Connection Ministries’ team to lead the ministry.
Don will retire in the 4th quarter of 2024 at age 70 as long as the new Executive Director is hired and ready. After retirement Don will continue to volunteer with the Friendship group in his home church along with other ways that serve the ministry.
Financial Report
In the past fiscal year, Connection Ministries was blessed with the support from 262 churches, organizations, families, and individuals. They supported our work with $144,758. This was down from the previous year, only because we received $20,300 in the previous year from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Donated funds actually increased during this past year by $6,501, which is almost a 5% increase. We are grateful to God and all of you.
We are also thankful for our more than 210 program volunteers. This does not include the many support volunteers who assisted with our Summer Friendship Gatherings. Their efforts have a value that is immeasurable.
We pray for God’s grace that you will be able to continue with all you do, and even extend your generosity as we proceed with our search for a new Executive Director.
If you would like to make a gift today, click the “Give Today” button below.
