Diocese of Keewatin 2006 YEAR END REPORT

Diocese of Keewatin
915 Ottawa St.
Box 567
Keewatin, ON P0X 1C0
Ph: 807-547-3353
Fax: 807-547-3356
Email:
dioceseofkeewatin@gokenora.com
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www.dioceseofkeewatin.ca
Diocese of Keewatin
Ministry Project Highlights
Dr. William Winter School of Ministry:The school continues to function well and
is run by the board of directors. The students met for 2 sessions in February and July
of 2007 and some are moving quickly towards graduation. If you are interested in
seeing pictures of the summer of 2007 session please check out the website for the
Kingfisher Lake First Nation at www.kingfisherlake.ca and take a look at the photo
gallery.
Cross-Cultural Canoe Trip: The Tataskweyak Cree Nation in Split Lake, MB hosted the annual canoe trip last July and August. Young people from communities in
northern Ontario and northern Manitoba. About 30 young people enjoyed a week of
canoeing and theological experience together.
Healing and Reconciliation Work: As a diocese we continue to struggle with helping residential school survivors and the survivors of other abuse situations. This
continues to take up much of our time with legal issues and working directly with the
victims of abuse.
July 2006
2006 YEAR END REPORT
Financial Status of the Diocese
2006 after a rough first six months turned out to
be a good year financially for the Diocese of Keewatin. At the Diocesan Council meeting in June of
2006 the council decided that it was necessary to cut
back on the staff for the rest of the year: meaning
the bishop’s assistant would be part time rather than
full time. This reduced the percentage spent on staff
wages from 20% in 2005 to 17% in 2006. It also decided that there would not be another meeting of the
council for that year and continue to wait to hold a
diocesan synod. This had the effect of reducing the
amount spent on governance from 22% in 2005 to
17% in 2006. These changes reduced the expenditures for the year.
The other factor for the better financial year is that there was a significant increase in donations and bequests from the previous year. In 2005 donations and bequests made up 8% of the operating revenue in 2006 they made up 21% of the revenue.
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to send us a gift and to those families that remembered the diocese in their
wills. Please take the time to explore that possibility with your financial advisors and families.
Students and instructors gathered in the Mission House at Kingfisher Lake for the Winter
Session in February 2007.
Yes, I want to be a partner on the journey of the Diocese of Keewatin
Name:________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Email:________________________________
Yes, I would like to receive the KeeWee Amount:
$500
$250
$100
an e-newlstrrer from the diocese.
$75
$50
$25
The overall effect of these changes is that the diocese ended up with a small surplus at the end of the year and therefore
was able to reduce its overall deficit from the previous years. This has left the diocese in a better financial situation than in
previous years.
The Operating Revenue for 2006 broke down in the following way (please see chart above): 1. Donations & Bequests - 21%;
2. Administration Income - 8%; 3. Parish Gift - 22%; 4. General Synod Grant - 35%; and 5. Diocesan Programs - 14%. The
Operating Expenses broke down in the following way (please see chart below): 1. Bishop - 21%; 2. Synod Office - 26%;
3. Stipends & Travel - 19%; 4. Staff Wages - 17%; and 5. Governance - 17%.
The bishop, Rt, Rev. David Ashdown, would like to thank the
outgoing diocesan Treasurer, Mr. Vic Gustafson, for his hard
work and constant vigilance on the accounts of the diocese. He
would also like to thank the diocesan Bookkeeper, Mrs. Bev Ollenberger for her fine work in maintaining the books of the diocese and bringing items of concern to him, the diocesan treasurer and the finance committee of the diocese.
Revenue for Ministry Projects
Diocese Begins Consultation Process
Each year the Diocese of Keewatin works to develop suitable projects that our funders are willing to donate money for and
support the mission of the diocese. We would first of all like to thank the many donors that make our ministry projects possible and encourage others to think about how they might sustain these ministries.
In June 2006 the Diocesan Council met for its regular meeting. This meeting put into place several actions. The first action
was a consultation process for each of the three regions of the diocese. These consultations are about discerning where God
is calling the three regions in terms of ministry and self-determination.
In 2006 the diocese received about $105,000 for ministry projects. All the monies were designated to specific projects. The
funds split up in the following way (see graph to the left): 1. Dr. William Winter School
of Ministry 19%; 2. Council of the North Promotions Work 23%; 3. Cross-Cultural
Canoe Trip 26%; 4. The Keewatin, the diocesan newspaper 6%; 4. Healing and Reconciliation Work 16%; and 6. the Northern Manitoba Episcopal District Study 10%.
Northern Manitoba
Along with the Diocese of Brandon, the Diocese of Keewatin passed a motion to begin a consultation process of all the
parishes in the northern Manitoba in the two dioceses. This consultation would be organized by the Ven. Larry Beardy and
would ask each of the parishes where they saw the future of the region going. In particular the parishes would be asked
if they would be willing to support a suffragan (assistant) bishop who would report to the
metropolitan (archbishop of the region) and still have connections to both the dioceses of
Brandon and Keewatin. This process went on for most of 2006. The parishes have agreed
that this is something that they want to explore and are working towards this goal together.
Dr. William Winter School of Ministry had two successful sessions in 2006 and the
first group of students are working their way towards graduation. The promotions
work for the Council of the North continued throughout the year, with our coordinator doing several visits to dioceses and producing many new materials for use. The
diocesan newspaper continues to provide news and analysis to the readers across the
diocese and outside of it. The healing and reconciliation work of the diocese continues to function on a number of levels
- primarily though as support to survivors of the residential schools and other abuses. To learn more about the Northern
Manitoba study see the story on the following page.
New Approaches To Ministry Event
How is the church saying to the community it lives in that we are your loving friend? Do you believe that the people in the
pew on Sunday are on a mission from Monday to Saturday?
With these words, the Rev. Wayne Schwab set the people gathered at St/ Luke’s, Dryden. in September 2006, thinking with
both their hearts and minds about what is that we as an Anglican church are all about. As a church we need to be “Member
Missions” out in the world. The church in us is out there in the world. If Jesus is there then we are there - we are the hearts,
the hands, the feet, the lives that Jesus uses.
Then we were all challenged when our other guest speaker, Mrs. Liz Hall (Wayne’s daughter), told us how using this method
made her life joyful and meaningful. She told us, “Where God calls us we will be given the spiritual gifts that we need.” Two
of the key learnings that Liz has had by making this real in her life is the keeping of a prayer journal and being part of a
small group. The prayer journal lets us pray about the missions that occur during our everyday lives and the small groups
give us the support that we need to take on those missions.
Both Wayne and Liz emphasized that implementing these ideas can be done whatever the size of your parish. The main idea
they wanted to share is that the “Mission has a Church not the Church has a Mission”. God will use all kinds of people to get
the work done. The baptismal covenant is all about living the mission.
They both reminded those gathered that Christians are not called to be
lone rangers but to work with a partner/be part of a team. We are all
called to go out into the world but not alone.
The theme for the weekend of Sharing the Good News rang true as we
were all reminded that God’s Mission has a Church not God’s Church
has a Mission. It is in remembering that in order to share the good news
of Jesus’ gospel that we need to be out in the world where God is acting
already and not just gathering together on Sundays for worship.
Liz and Wayne did remind the group gathered in Dryden that this is a long
term project and not a quick fix for any congregation or parish - that it will
be close to three years before the leadership will begin to see the changes
that have been hoped for, worked for and prayed for. The next step is for Liz Hall, Bishop David and Wayne Schwabb in convereach of the participants to take what they have learned and work with sation together during coffee break at the regional training
others in their home communities on implementing Member Mission. event.
Northern Ontario
This region which encompasses most of Treaty Nine and is made up of communities that
are Oji-Cree and Ojibwe is looking towards becoming a diocese of their own. They have put
together a Northern Ontario Working Group which is working with the Acting Archdeacon,
the Rev. Lydia Mamakwa, to discern where their future is as Anglicans living in the north.
They are continuing the consultations amongst the various parishes. The main difficulty at
the moment is the difficulty of bringing people together who represent their communities
as travel is so expensive.
Southern Region
The Southern Region has been up to this point fairly self-sufficient and able to cover
the cost for its clergy and most of the costs for the bishop and the synod office. In a recent meeting of the lay delegates and clergy of the southern region it was decided that if the other two regions of the diocese do go ahead
with their plans that the region would continue to function on its own and make its own way as a participating
member of the Anglican Church of Canada.
Please keep the diocese in your prayers as we continue to explore our future with God’s help.
Diocesan Council Sets in Place
a New Budgeting Formula
As a result of the consultation process, described above, the diocesan council decided that a different way of budgeting
for 2007 had to be put in place. The budget for 2007 would take into account the different revenue streams and where the
expenses were. As a result the budget is now broken down into 3 areas: Council of the North; regional monies; and common areas.
The Council of the North block grant covers the stipend and travel for the diocesan archdeacon (Archdeacon of Keewatin) position, the diocesan gift to the Anglican Church of Canada and a portion of the travel for the bishop. The regional
monies cover the program ministries for those regions, travel for the bishop within those regions, and the common areas
covers the bishop’s stipend, housing, and travel and the costs of maintaining a synod office. Each parish is responsible to
cover the costs of their own insurance and the costs of clergy.
This process has allowed the three regions to set their own priorities for ministry and program work within their areas. It
has worked because the diocese takes seriously its priority of self-determination and walking together for strength. At this
point in 2007 the budget is still balancing and it seems to be working well.