The Idaho Episcopal Foundation Holds the First Annual Bishop’s Banquet

The Idaho Episcopal Foundation held the second Annual Bishop’s Banquet at the Doubletree Riverside in Boise on April 2, 2011.  Cher Stone from St. Luke’s, Idaho Falls was the honoree and recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Mission Award.  The Rt. Rev. Brian Thom spoke on the meaning of excellence in mission; not only recognizing the call to mission, but also the willingness to accept the risk . . . the risk of blessed transformation.  Buddy Hall described Cher’s journey of personal transformation in Kenya and several Group Work Camps in this country.  The Rev. Susan Speir presented the award recognizing Cher for her vision and leadership with Community Outreach Center in Idaho Falls.

The Idaho Episcopal Foundation Holds Annual Meeting

The Idaho Episcopal Foundation (IEF) held their Annual Meeting at St. Luke’s, Idaho Falls on May 7, 2011.  The Rt. Rev. Brian Thom opened his remarks with Prayer No. 12 (Book of Common Prayer) for a Church Convention or Meeting; an appropriate prayer for IEF and the renewal and mission of our church.  He stressed the importance of what IEF does and encouraged planned giving, recognizing that there are multiple levels of giving, and giving needs to be encouraged at all levels.
Linda Martin, a Certified Economic Developer and CEO of Grow Idaho Falls, Inc. was the first invited speaker.  She shared what economic development organizations and IEF have in common.  They both must always know their mission, and the mission statement must reflect what each is trying to accomplish and their respective goals.  Both organizations must grow their knowledge base by understanding who might be interested in the ministry and why.  Both must gain recognition by understanding why they attract members, share in the recognition, and continue to assess the needs that must be fulfilled.  Targets must be identified in terms of needs and opportunities to serve.  Both organizations must manage their investment by managing priorities for continuous improvement.
Cher Stone, Recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Mission Award and owner of Cherz in Idaho Falls, was the second invited speaker.  She described the successes and challenges of new ministry development.  Don’t promote redundancy, but know the charities that are already in place, and use them.  Ministry must serve a need.  Listen and be alert to what the community needs.  Ask what needs exist, visit the market, and find out where the gaps are.  A successful ministry will be based on a good idea that you can sell, but you need a core group of people and some with advertizing experience.  Ministry sustainability can be a problem.  Operating funds are needed, and it is best to be endowed.  Operating funds are actually capital investments.