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Service To Servants

Meeting Notes

June 5, 2006

 

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

GE = Gayla Edwards, RE = Rodney Edwards

 

RM, DB & RE in attendance

 

(This portion of  the meeting notes was from an earlier email between the participants.)

RE – Started the incorporation process for Service to Servants using The Foundation Group, Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee.  Initial costs and times as follows:

 

Incorporation as a Tennessee not-for-profit (3 weeks)                 $       250

State of Tennessee incorporation fee                                            $       100

IRS 501(c)3 approval process       (2 – 8 months)                        $       950

IRS filing fee                                                                                $       750

                  Total estimated cost                                                    $    2,050

 

IRS 501(c)3 status is retroactive to the incorporation date upon approval.

 

 

Expected major funds needs for 2006:

 

Incorporation Process                                                                   $    2,050

Liberia Crown Financial Ministries Event                                    $  20,000

Purchase used refrigerated shipping container                             $  10,000

Shipping costs and import duties                                                 $    8,000

Less shared costs from participants                                             ($    4,000)

                                                                                                      $  36,050

 

RE – Pastor Rob Patterson of FBC-Galt, CA provided pictures and information on Greater Love Ministries in the Monrovia area.  They have a church, orphanage, school and medical clinic that they operate.  We are picking up a ultrasound machine and 2 electric microscopes in Memphis and shipping them to Monrovia on our next container.  I have updated the website to provide the expanded information and pictures.

 

(Today’s meeting starts here)

 RE – Opened the meeting with prayer.

 

RE – Emailed a partial version of the Case Statement to all members.  I used David’s outline entitled Case Statement – Winning Elements as a checklist of things to include.  This preliminary copy is not in a particular order or format but is designed to get all the proper elements in writing for review and proper arrangement.

 

DB – Norwood Davis (CFO of Crossroads Community Church, Lawrenceville, GA) is leaving next week for Liberia and Sri Lanka to promote microfinance in conjunction with World Hope.  He will help us any way possible while there.

 

RM – What is his date of departure?

 

DB – Mid next week, perhaps the 13th.  Norwood could help us by “suggesting” that all the business people attending the microfinance meetings attend the Crown Financial Ministries event as well.  Anything we can get together for him prior to his departure would be great.

 

RE – If we push hard we can get a good enough Case Statement ready for him to take.  Also, we can send any Crown materials we have.

 

RE – (to DB) What is the difference between a Case Statement and a Strategic Document?

 

DB – The Case Statement is your “marketing piece”.  It’s the document that tells potential participants why they should “buy in” to STS.  The Strategic Document is the “how” of STS.

 

RE – I emailed our core beliefs document from Liberian Ministries to use as a guide for STS.  We need to distill it to the essential beliefs that (as David says) “we’re willing to die for”.  We can then serve across all denominational lines as the primary areas of separation between most true Christian denominations involve other than the core beliefs.

 

RM – Has started the process and will complete and email recommended changes.  Some areas are not contentious, just not required for the mission God has given us.

 

DB – When finished with our review and draft we should have our spouses look at it for a good, independent, sanity check.  The thing to remember is that we always send people back to their pastors for other than the core beliefs that all Christians share.

 

RE – Review of the timeline.  The first step was to create the timeline (done).  The second was a preliminary budget for the Crown event (done).

 

DB – Some comments.  We need to make sure we have budgeted shipping costs for the materials that we will have printed as this can be significant.  Also, we need to break out the venue, setup/teardown, equipment, etc. type costs for the event.  In addition, it’s common to have volunteers in a week early and they will need to be fed.

 

RE – (Added these areas to the budget and will repost to the website.)  Matt will be very valuable in helping us determine the reasonableness of the individual budget items given his participation and inside knowledge at Crown.  Plus he can bring others in to provide additional information.

 

RM – We need to pray more and to recruit more people who will pray for STS and specifically the Crown event.  This is a spiritual battle that we are in.

 

DB – Pray for the person who will “own” the prayer team for STS & the Crown event.  This person joins the calls with us so that s/he always knows what to pray for.  This person has praying for STS as a priority and actively recruits others to pray.  This is important and we should put this on the timeline to keep it in front of us.  (added by RE)

 

RM – Will have a preliminary Case Statement for the Crown event by tomorrow.  Please review and respond.

 

DB – One thing that Satan would like to do above all others is to divide us.  Pray that God will keep us unified.

 

DB – Closed in prayer.

 

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