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ADM Constituency and Board Meeting Reports
The Board of Directors held its annual constituency and board meetings at the Western Deaf Campmeeting at the Monterey Bay Adventist Academy in LaSelva Beach, California.
The constituency meeting was held on June 22, 2005, in the academy cafeteria. There was a good-sized crowd of interested individuals in attendance to hear a report from Chairperson David Trexler. He outlined activities of ADM over the past year, with the assistance of ADM Executive Director Jim Hovey.
Chairperson Trexler then raised a question to the audience: What would you miss if suddenly ADM no longer existed? Answers included: no more ³The Deaf Messenger² magazine, no more Deaf Bible School, no mission or leadership to the deaf work, no videos, no lay training, no deaf community outreach booths, deaf membership would shrink, and we would all miss out on God¹s blessings that come through ADM¹s work. Do we want to lose those things? NO!
The constituency stressed that they want all the above blessings AND MORE! Chairperson Trexler then stressed the need for increased financial support in order to do more. And then he asked the constituents what they would like to see ADM do.
The following are suggestions received from the constituency: signed sermons by pastors on DVD; send a thank you letter to the Apache Junction SDA church for ADM¹s new office space; make a streaming video of ADM¹s promo video for website; make videos of cooking classes, training, etc.; Maxwell¹s Bible stories in Easy English; money management classes; ³Hidden Truth² (by Amazing Facts) in Easy English; calendar of events; video Bible stories on DVD; and consider having ADM board meetings before or after camp meeting.
Also, in follow-up to last year¹s constituency meeting, there was further discussion about ADM becoming an official part of the church. As of yet, no action has been taken on this matter. A major concern is that if ADM became an official part of the church, all its assets (money, equipment, inventory, etc.) would then be given to the church as the owner. And the (hearing) church would then have full control over who is or is not on the board of directors. Since ADM was established as a deaf-majority controlled ministry after the church closed the deaf work in 1997, giving ownership and control back to those closed the work does not seem to be desired at this time. But we will continue to watch for God¹s leading in this matter.
The next day, the Board of Director had their annual board meeting. Except for brief closed sessions to discuss confidential matters (e.g. staff issues, etc.), ADM board meetings are open to the public.
During the board meeting, it was agreed to have an Open House for the new office possibly this fall or winter. The board also agreed for the need to hold a board retreat, which will focus on long range planning (e.g. ³What do we want ADM to accomplish over the next 5 to 10 years?²).
Three of the board members¹ terms expired this year. One member was willing to run for another term of office and two opted to no run for re-election. After elections, Esther Doss was re-elected and the newly elected board members are Paul Kelly (New York) and Neil Davidson (California).
Re-elected board officers are: David Trexler, Chairperson; George Belser, Vice Chairperson; Belinda Simmons, Treasurer; and Esther Doss, Secretary.