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Service To Servants

Meeting Notes

May 1, 2006

RM = Richard Morris, DB = David Bearchell, ME = Matt Elsberry,

GE = Gayla Edwards, RE = Rodney Edwards

RM – Lead the group in prayer.

RE – Are we in agreement that we want to take Crown’s teaching event to Liberia this year?

ALL – Yes

RE – What is the time frame for the initial event?

ME – Three to six months (min/max). Suggests starting when the funding is in place.

RE – What is the cost for the primary event?

ME – First point is to decide what the entry fee would be for the one day event.

RM - $1.00 US would likely be the amount that a pastor could afford, business leaders perhaps $2.

ME – Also need to consider feeding lunch each day.

RE – Perhaps $1 per person but not sure.

ME – The committees made up of Liberian pastors and businessmen will be the best ones to find this out and handle it.

RE – Venue could be donated.

ME – A prominent church might have the space and be willing to donate its usage. Also need to think about other costs like sound equipment, etc.

ME – Preregistration is good but might be difficult to do since the mail is not reliable and pastors would have to find transportation.

RM – Maybe 10 – 20% would preregister but most will simply come.

ME – Typical timing is to promote beginning at 8:30am and have the first hour be worship with the actual training starting at 10am.

ME – Need to budget $5 – 10,000 for marketing. Local committees have a prominent say in how this is best accomplished. The two committees that are needed are a pastor’s committee and a business leader committee. Have one member of each serve on the other.

We can count on South Africa supplying two speakers and, if timing works out, Dick Wynn would like to come. They would likely provide their own travel expenses but we’ll need to house and feed them.

RE – It starts getting hot around February and November, December are in the dry period. After discussion it looks like November would be the best time.

ME – Top amount needed to accomplish this would be $20,000. Printing is about $7,500 less what is charged (maybe $2,000 total recovery). Marketing of $5 - $10k, meal at $2,000 or so plus other expenses. Hopefully it will be less.

RE – When can we start bring key Liberians on board?

ME – After funding is secured. Then bring together key Liberians (maybe 20 – 30) to gain their buy in and promise of significant time investment.

RE – God has brought some people into our lives that fit into this group (Albert Stewart is Superintendent of Pentecostal churches there and Bishop Innis heads up the Methodist work there).

RM – He has a good friend that is the direct assistant to Bishop Innis and also a friend that has strong connections with the new president and administration. So the possibility to reach into the governmental ranks for attendance look promising.

DB – SIM, Baliles and Salvation Army contacts belong to me. Also Norwood Davis of CCC is going over in June to pursue some microeconomics efforts and is willing to promote the Crown training to the business people he meets with.

RE & ME – Initial work to be done could be 1) Create a summary document of the project to promote both at home and with the key leaders in Liberia, 2) secure funding, 3) make initial contact and promotion to 30 key Liberian leaders obtaining their “buy in”, 4) form two committees from this group, 4) begin the process of printing/shipping printed materials approximately 90 days out..

RM – How can we bring the pastors, business leaders and governmental leaders together given the significant differences? Will the materials be different?

ME – Go after the governmental leaders since the opportunity is so great. We could, if necessary, have a third day event just for governmental leaders. The local people will know if this is necessary or if the governmental folks will mix with the other two groups. The pastors and business leaders are already separate.

RE – How should we bring new people into this weekly conference call? People such as the two folks that Richard has are in question. What does everyone think?

DB – In favor but how do we manage the phone conference as more people become involved?

RE – Will require more structure and an itinerary distributed ahead of time that is followed pretty close.

ME – In favor of Richard inviting Donald as suggested.

RE – Richard is to get Donald up to speed and invite him to the next meeting on Monday.

RE – What sources to use to create the summary document that was discussed?

ME – CD that we received at training along with the Power Points included. Megan at Crown can help as well.

RE – Closed in prayer.

Added by Richard upon review:

Just a few additional, supplemental notes:

1. We did emphasize the need to involve SIM radio and personnel in the marketing aspect. The point was made, also, that most Liberians have radio as their main source of information, and Radio ELWA could be strategically critical in getting the word out.

2. We also discussed the need to use a top-down approach, since it is most effective the African (in this case, Liberian) culture(s). "When the big man or chief speaks, everyone listens."

3. We also discussed the possibilities of assistant pastors representing their pastors, because the pastors might be busy, or pastors bringing some assistant pastors along.

4. Also that for pastors, because of dire economic problems, $1.50 could be the ceiling, and it could be doubled or tripled for business leaders.

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