I joined the Executive Board of the Canadian Conference of MB churches (CCMBC) in the fall of 2020 as the representative from the Alberta provincial MB board.   Although a steep learning curve was involved, I immediately appreciated the level of commitment and engagement of the members at our meetings.  In 2023, my involvement on the Alberta board ended and I became a member at large with CCMBC serving on the Finance and Audit Committee (FAC) and then in November 2023 I was asked to be Interim Moderator.  I have found that involvement in the provincial and now national board has greatly increased my appreciation of our MB family.  This larger connection has enhanced my experience and engagement at the local church and brings a deeper understanding of our mission together as churches.  It is a privilege to work with this group of strong leaders who are passionately seeking God in the service of our conference of churches.

National Assembly in October of 2023 was an excellent opportunity for us to come together in person after a long time apart to share, listen and pray together. You heard from Cam Stuart, our then Interim Moderator that in 2023 we continued to work on developing the Collaborative Unified Strategic Plan (CUSP).  Our mission statement under the CUSP is to “cultivate a community and culture of healthy disciple-making churches and ministries.”   We pursue this mission through four key areas: Spiritual Health and Theology, Leadership Development, Mission, and Organizational health.  In our collaborative model, our provinces have also defined these areas of key focus in their ministry.  It is through our National Ministry Team (NMT) which is the executive directors of our provincial conferences, partner agencies and national conference that strategies are developed and brought forward to be considered for national engagement.  Like many things, it is through involvement that we recognize and grasp the value of being part of something that is bigger than ourselves.  The success of CUSP relies on all participants to lean in and we are grateful for what has been accomplished and looking forward to the opportunities that are coming.

We greatly appreciated the work of the National Faith and Life Team (NFLT) organizing and running the “Why Church” Equip conference in October 2023.  Thank you for using so many gifted leaders and speakers from within our conference.    You will recall that during our National Assembly it was announced that we would have our next Equip & National Assembly in Fall of 2024.  After discussion with the NFLT, NMT and our partner agencies, it was decided that having an annual Equip was a difficult task and a large use of resources, both financially and administratively.  As a result, we plan to have our Equip conference on a biannual basis so our next Equip will be in Fall of 2025.  This then left the question of how to conduct our National Assembly together.  Of course, meeting in person is very important and always the better option, but the cost of meeting for a one-day event from across Canada is prohibitive for our churches.  As a board, we will continue to explore options for how to do this practically, but for this year, we are combining our online AGM and National Assembly into the same online meeting on June 13, 2024. 

This Fall we plan to reengage the National Council which will be an online meeting of all provincial, partner agency and national board members for an opportunity to discuss our initiatives together.  We urge all board members to participate.

Finances

As mentioned at National Assembly, we anticipated that the budgeted shortfall in 2023 would turn out to be a small surplus.  We are grateful that due to an estate gift realized in 2023, this was the case.  As you are aware, the National Assembly approved a deficit budget for 2024.  As a board, we are committed to bringing a balanced budget for 2025.  This means the FAC will be working hard with the NMT to prioritize our spending and may mean cuts to what is already a lean budget.  As we develop the four areas of the CUSP, there are national initiative opportunities that are being identified by the NMT that will require financial resources.  Although we hope for some financial support from Legacy in the future, most of the resources for our operations and initiatives will come from the investment of our churches.   It is through this operationalization of the CUSP that we will see the reward of our churches and provinces working together for a collective outcome towards our mission.

Acknowledgments

We are thankful for the leadership of Elton DaSilva who finished his role as Executive Director on Oct. 31, 2023.  He provided much background work to framing and developing the CUSP that is now our collaborative governance model.  Thank also to the rest of our staff Ken, Jason, Jim, Carson, Jon, Liam, Holly, Leanne and Connie who serve so well in their various roles.  We also want to give a special thanks to Jason who also served as our Interim National Director along with Carson, Ken, Rebeccah, and the Legacy staff who took on more responsibilities to help fill the gaps.

Thanks to our board members who have served diligently.  Blessings to those who are stepping off:

Jeff Dyck (MAL), Matt Ewert (BC rep), Dave Enns (MB rep), Reg Toews (Secretary), and Michael Dick (Treasurer/FAC chair).  We greatly appreciate your contribution and wish you well as you continue to serve in other areas.    

We welcome Sandi Reutlinger (BC rep) and Johnny Dodsworth (MB rep) as well as the nominees brought forward for election at this AGM/National Assembly.  We look forward to serving together with you.  Thank you to the Nomination Committee for bringing forward people to serve.

Finally, I want to mention our excitement in having Cam Stuart as our National Director.  We are thankful to the Search Committee for their discernment process.   Cam has served on the National board for several years and brings a wealth of experience and vision to the role of Director.  Cam began on April 2, 2024, and has been heavily engaged in this new role, bringing the team together. 

We are thankful to God for His provision and that He is at work among us.  Praise God!

On behalf of the Executive Board,

Tim Doerksen

Interim Moderator.