Collaborative Ministries

Program and Budget

This section of the budget addresses ministries that cannot be funded by a single parish, but are instead funded by pooling our resources as a diocese through collaboration. These ministries include: Christian Formation For All, Leadership Development, Cedar Hills Camp & Conference Center, Sacred Path Books & Art, and several smaller yet important diocesan ministries.

The following items are funded at the same level as 2008:

• Administration of the Episcopal Relief and Development program, $500;
• Chaplaincy at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, $65,000, which is funded through income from the Holy Cross Fund and administered through the Lutheran Chaplaincy Service;
• Support for the Ohio Council of Churches, $15,000;
• Campus Ministry grants, $25,750;
• Ministry with Young People - $15,000, with $13,000 coming from the operating budget and the remaining $2,000 coming from Youth Scholarships (special funds);
• Kenyon Summer Conference, $5,000; and
• Commission to End Racism, $5,000.

Changes in the 2009 budget for existing programs include:

• Funding for the Millennium Development Goals, $22,000, equals the .7% of the 2009 budget. This line item decreased $3,000 from 2008.
• Contributions toward the operating expenses of Cedar Hills Camp & Conference Center, $152,000. This amount represents an 8% reduction from the 2008 level.
• Leadership Development-Ministry for All Ages decreased $1,200 to $4,800.
• Community Development – Linked Deposit, $2,000 in 2009. The Diocesan Council previously authorized up to $100,000 of endowment funds for investment in Linked Deposits in banks which make below-market-rate loans for selected community development projects. The long-term earning potential of the invested funds remains intact by reimbursing the endowment fund for the amount of appreciation forfeited by making the community development investment. The actual amount depends both on the appreciation experienced by the Joint Investment Fund and portion of the $100,000 which is actually invested during the year. Currently, $25,000 of the $100,000 authorization is invested.
• The $5,000 budget for the Ohio Campus Ministries was eliminated.

New items in the 2009 budget are as follows:

• An initial budget allocation of $15,000 for Domestic and International Mission & Service projects. This budget line results from the Diocesan Council authorizing the Mission Strategy Task Force resolution #9.
• Budget allocations of $1,000 each were made to fund the work of the following diocesan activities: Hunger and Homelessness Task Force, Commission on Global and Domestic Mission, Social Concerns/Advocacy, and Episcopal Community Services.
  
  

Christian Formation For All

The diocesan office for Christian Formation For All provides opportunities and resources in the area of Life Long Learning and Christian Formation for all ages. As the diocesan mission strategy continues to shape this program piece, the Christian Formation Commission and the Christian Formation office serves parishes and the diocesan family with faith-forming resources and experiences. Over the summer the Christian Formation office was able to create a survey to collect data about Christian Formation in our parishes and diocese. Responses from that survey will help the Christian Formation Commission discern and respond to the needs of our diocese.

The Christian Formation office continues to enhance parish ministry through diocesan events, peer ministry, parish consultations, and local, provincial and national educational/training events for those who minister with children and youth and adults. The Christian Formation office continues our involvement with the Province V Education Program Unit, the Province V Youth Network and the National Association of Episcopal Christian Educators (NAECED). Children, Youth and Adult formation resources, as well as intergenerational and family ministry resources, are available from the Christian Formation office.

The Online Resource Center, housed on the diocesan website continues to grow in offerings and use. Web-based resources and curriculum, curriculum review and resource sharing are available to all parishes and individuals via the diocesan website. This site encourages the good stewardship of resource sharing and networking in our diocese and between parishes.

Grow

Children from 0–12 years of age are welcomed to Diocesan Convention, Winter Convocation and the Ohio Episcopal Celebration at Kenyon ( with the Diocese of Southern Ohio). Quality program and care is offered for babies and toddlers at these events. A Children’s Program, for 4–12 year olds, is offered at these events and is built on active learning and Christian fellowship. Childcare for 0–12 year olds is also provided at all regional gatherings and meetings in the Diocese of Ohio.

Safeguarding God’s Children, an educational program for preventing child sexual abuse, is a priority of our ministry with young people in the Diocese of Ohio. Over 500 ordained and lay leaders have attended a Safeguarding God’s Children training since its introduction in our diocese in February 2005. Over 20 individuals have been trained as Safeguarding God’s Children facilitators, as we strive to have facilitators available in each deanery. Train-the-Trainer for facilitators and Safeguarding God’s Children trainings continue to be offered and an online training option, offered via the Church Pension Group, is being investigated.

Events nurturing spiritual growth for teenagers include Happening, Winter Convocation, the Spring Youth Gathering, and the Ohio Episcopal Celebration at Kenyon. Leadership training for youth is offered through a weeklong Peer Ministry Leadership Training and The Commissioned Youth Ending Racism (CYER) Phasing Project Training and Happening Leadership Weekends. Young people also participate in the annual Bishop’s Bike Ride.

Winter Convocation, the Ohio Episcopal Celebration at Kenyon, and the annual Bishop’s Bike Ride continue to provide diocesan formation opportunities for adults. Education for Ministry (EFM), a formation opportunity for adults, is growing in the Diocese of Ohio under the coordination of Robert Bennett and Joy Maughan. A mentor training was again completed in July of 2008, and momentum for the program continues to build.

Give

The Office of Christian Formation For All continues its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals. Diocesan formation experiences continue to educate people of all ages about the goals. The “Don’t Spend Another Penny” initiative that began at Diocesan Youth Event 2006 continues to support ministries to end hunger and the diocesan 2 Cents a Meal program. People of all ages are encouraged to stop spending pennies and start saving them to support hunger relief and education programs. “Don’t Spend Another Penny” resource kits (available at www.dohio.org) give ideas for saving pennies, penny prayers and where your pennies can go to make a difference to end hunger. People are encouraged to enlist the help of their families, friends, youth groups, parishes and communities.

Serve

Diocesan Youth Event continues to provide a service learning opportunity for young people and supporting adults in the fall. DYE ’08 will engage 21 different outreach sites at which participants can lend their time and talent.

The Bishop’s Bike Ride ‘08 raised over $21,000 for Youth Mission Trips in the Diocese of Ohio. In July of 2008 the Bike Ride traveled from Defiance to Alliance with over 50 people participating in the ride, ranging in age from 6–76. Countless volunteers in parishes in Defiance, Maumee, Fremont, Lorain, Akron, and Alliance helped make the five-day trek a success. Money raised by sponsoring riders on the trip helps to fund any youth in our diocese wanting to do a summer mission trip. Any parish collaborating with at least one other parish in summer mission trips is eligible to apply for funding.

Cedar Hills Camp and Conference Center

The allocation in the diocesan budget for Cedar Hills in 2009 is $152,000. These monies represent 40% of the Cedar Hills annual operating budget of $381,991. This allocation reflects an $8,000 decrease from the past 5 years. In the past five years, when considering the needs of Cedar Hills, no consideration has been given to inflation and the necessary maintenance of our aging facilities. This decrease in diocesan support will require significant changes at Cedar Hills. Cedar Hills will have to forego having a full-time property care person and rely on on-call personnel and contractors as needed to assist the Director in property upkeep and security. The Director will take on the direct monitoring of all operating systems to accommodate the demands of regulatory agencies (potable water, septic plant and pool), as well as the hiring and follow-up with multiple service providers in various categories to accomplish property-related tasks that cannot be handled by himself or through a corps of volunteers.

The calendar of events will change at Cedar Hills to accommodate this shift in workload and to take advantage of economies that make sense. Cedar Hills will be open and available through the months of March to November for program and hospitality. During the three hard winter months of December, January and February, Cedar Hills will not entertain guests and will minimize operating costs as the cost of operating exceeds the historic capacity to generate revenues. During the three winter months, the Director and related part-time and seasonal staff will work to “pack the calendar” with guest groups and programs, thus, maximizing our revenue generating potential during our nine operating months.

The advantage to this plan is that we will have the time to prepare marketing materials and design programs that are well thought out, and not done “on the fly.” Our challenge continues to be accommodating the increase in facility and program costs with the limitations inherent in the property and with a minimal staff. As we look to the future of Cedar Hills, it is important to recognize that we have met the challenges in our past, and we will continue to meet the challenges in the future. The diocesan family will be celebrating 49 years of ministry at Cedar Hills Camp and Conference Center in 2009.

The allocation to Cedar Hills is best understood as general support in the following categories:

Personnel—The Executive Director, one part-time hourly Administrative Assistant, several part-time on-call maintenance persons, one part-time hourly Services Assistant, 15 part-time seasonal stipendiary Summer Camp Program Staff

Program—Although there are smaller programs throughout the year, the primary program offered through Cedar Hills continues to be the Camp Cedar Hills. Camp Cedar Hills provides 30,000 contact hours per season, engaging campers and staff alike in exploration of their relationship with God and how they are called to respond to that relationship through action. The incremental cost of camp is approximately $3.00 per contact hour inclusive of all direct costs and in-kind provision for the time frame of camp. In 2008, the camp community was in excess of 300 persons enjoying the best recreational and educational experience we had to offer.

Property—A large portion of the operating cost of Cedar Hills is incurred in maintaining the property of 191-acres with eight program buildings and supporting infrastructure. Each year we make some small progress in addressing deferred maintenance; however, with each year our supporting infrastructure and buildings become another year older and more susceptible to breakdown.

The challenges, limitations, as well as the many blessings experienced at Cedar Hills focus our time to reflect, pray and celebrate our dependence on God, as well as our continued commitment to the ministry shared by many children, youth and adults who utilize our conference center.

Sacred Path Books & Art

Sacred Path Books & Art is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio that exists to offer resources for the spiritual journey, support for evolving relationships with God, and a unique, local shopping experience in downtown Cleveland. Although grounded in the traditions of the Episcopal Church, the ministry embraces people of all faith traditions. The bookstore carries a diverse selection of titles on prayer, spirituality, peace and justice, Christian formation, world religions, art/creativity and young adult/children’s topics, as well as a quality assortment of gifts, jewelry, and art from local artists.

Sacred Path also travels to off-site events: events that serve parishes, and wider communities in a multitude ways. They increase our sales potential and have a powerful promotional and marketing benefit. The staff takes the store “on the road” for conferences and other major programs. The following list offers a sample:

• Clergy Days and Clergy Conferences
• Mission & Ministry Conference
• Episcopal Churchwomen’s Annual Meeting
• United Church of Christ Regional Meeting and Convention
• Cleveland State University’s Imagination Conference
• 12th Annual Fall Conference for Hospice
• Diocesan Youth Events
• Parish Book Fairs

This past year has again been a time of transition. In the fall of 2007, Clara Sayre was hired as the store’s manager. She is the second permanent manager in the two years since Katherine Pinard resigned in 2006. While many changes have been implemented in the last year, Sacred Path still struggles to be financially viable. The economy, decreased purchases by parishes, and lower attendance at diocesan conferences have had a significant impact in store sales. After a request by the Sacred Path Advisory Board, Diocesan Council approved funds for a strategic planning process to consider the store’s structure and marketing. That process has led to the Diocesan Council and Trinity Cathedral beginning a conversation about Sacred Path becoming a collaborative joint venture of the two entities.