January 2010
Meeting IAMS Executive Committee
By teleconference
15 January 2010, 12 GMT
Present:
Jonathan Bonk, Cathy Ross, David Singh, Mika Vahakangas, Paul Kollman, Gerard Goldman, Rose Uchem, Mariel Deluca Voth and Ken Miyamoto
Apologies : Lalsankima, Pachuau
Database
Cathy explained the new reminder system for the IAMS membership fee payments and the fact that members can now see their financial status with IAMS in their personal profile on the IAMS website. This is protected information, only visible to each member after log in.
Some confusion has arisen after the sending out of the first reminder for 2010. People need to know that their payment will be for the whole year in which they are paying, regardless of when they are paying. So a payment in October 2009 is seen as a payment for the whole of the year 2009, which means that Brill will send the back copies of Mission Studies over that year. We are sending the reminders for 2010 and also for the following years out at the beginning of the year in order to facilitate an easier administration process and the sending out of Mission Studies.
Action Jon and Cathy:
After this meeting a letter will have to go out to the members explaining this process.
Action Cathy:
In the following reminders this process will also need to be explained and the fact that people can see their IAMS financial status in the personal profile on the website.
Before we will clean the database, taking all the inactive members of the active database - they will be registered separately in the inactive member file - all members of the executive committee will check the members in their area and see if their details are correct and contact them if necessary. After this is done, the database can be cleaned.
Action ALL:
Send out instructions on how to access the member database, where to find the current financial status of the members (subscriptions list), so that all executive committee members can help in the checking and cleaning of the database.
Membership requests
Accepted:
Edson, Ben
Ezeudu, Samuel
Flanders, Christopher
Kinsey, Andrew from Grace Methodist ChurchItuma: accept
Mwankenja, Gwamaka Ephraim
Engkeh Purevdori, Enkh-Amgalan
Rakoczy, Susan
Rusama, Jaakko
Steer Simon
United Evangelical Mission
More requested:
Igbo, Janet - ask her to contact Rose (Cathy)
Koeshall, Anita - accept but explain what bibliography means (Cathy)
Park, Sung-Kon - ask for sponsors (Cathy)
Lawmsanga, Ralte - ask for sponsors (Kima)
Boilu, C. - ask for sponsors (Jon)
Thaxter, Paul - ask for sponsors but already tentative approval (Cathy)
Financial report
The figures show an encouraging income.
The spending is less than budgeted over the last year.
Gifts have come in, following the appeal.
Many more membership fees have come in, following the appeal and the simplification of the payment process on website.
Secretarial costs have gone down considerably, despite the cost of restructuring and new management.
Payment to Brill was now related to income from membership fees, making a more just budget.
Can we budget $ 8000 for donations for 2010, following the success of last year?
We will begin to receive funds for the coming conference in Canada. Approved!
Expense budget also needs approval.
We will continue with the virtual meetings. But some travelling will need to be done for the connection with Toronto.
OMSC is carrying the cost for the virtual meetings as contribution as well as Jon’s travel for the preparation of the conference in Toronto, as sponsorship for IAMS.
CMS and OCMS are supporting significantly through their direct support of the administration and finance.
Also the expenses made by Paul Kollman for the Bookreview should be seen as a contribution of Notre Dame University to IAMS.
These need to be clearly acknowledged in the report.
Action David:
David will add a separate paragraph about this before mentioned support.
This will make it easier to ask for donations from other organizations.
Payments to Brill depend on nr. of members. Budget for $ 5.000 in 2010.
Study groups, especially DABOH $ 4.000
Action Mika:
Mika promised to try to find funds for this program!
Jon will go to Rome. Michael Poon and Andrew Walls will also go - they will meet there to prepare Toronto. OMCS will cover Jon’s travel. For Michael some will be included in the DABOH budget. $ 1.000 - but this may not be used.
Action David:
David will recalculate according to these decisions and we will see a lower deficit after that.
The Committee is pleased with the actual financial situation, which looks much better than it did when this committee took over. We have two years to go to the conference and will have the possibility to fundraise.
Balaton Conference
We will have to be careful in providing subsidies for the conference, both for travel and registration fees.
We will need a more disciplined process for accepting participants, this will need to be done locally by the committee, not by the executive committee, but following a strict guideline.
Jon will try to recover information for the ICCO en Kerk in Aktie report that is needed following their gift to IAMS of EUR 20.000, according to the contract they had with IAMS.
Action Jon:
Contact Anne Marie Kool for more specific information about Balaton accounts and sponsoring institutions.
Cathy and Jon will sign the Balaton accounts.
Report and budget are unanimously approved.
Mission Studies
Kima is not present and he did not send a report.
The second Mission Studies for 2009 has not yet been send out, because it was stuck in the Brill warehouse.
Mission Studies contract is signed now for the year 2012.
Kima has agreed to continue as editor of Mission Studies and we thank Kima for this willingness!
Toronto Conference
Jon had good meeting in Toronto, people are enthusiast.
Things seem moving well. Laurie Ransol has joined the group, seconded by the Canadian government to join the group.
Action Jon and all:
Jon will add his ideas and discussion points on the google group for the conference.
Others can do this too.
We need estimated costs from the local committee before we can move further. Now we need to think about the description of the conference, for PR purposes and putting it on the calendar for people.
Action Jon and Cathy:
Jon andCathy will make a draft of the conference description for our next meeting, while they are in Edinburgh. They will send it to all members of the Executive Committee for further discussion
AOB
Minutes are now put up on website.
Rose suggested to encourage members to be more active within their regional groups as well as in the different study groups. Would it be possible to make active participation as an incentive to financial support for the attendance of the quadrennial conference?
Cathy will send gentle reminders for the google group, at which all members of the executive committee can post ideas, questions, suggestions etc. regarding the Toronto conference
When gifts come in an automatic acknowledgement is send out.
When this gift is registered and has come in from World Pay, Cathy sends another thank you when the payments list of Briony comes in.
David will check if the World Pay acknowledgement can include the explanation that it takes some time before the money comes to IAMS and that they will receive a message.
Next meeting: Monday 21 June, teleconference 12noon GMT