CMI

CMI

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Press Release- CMI gets a new operating name

March 2012

Continental Mission Inc. has been ministering in northern Manitoba for nearly 70 years. It has enjoyed a rich history in evangelism, Bible camp ministry, church planting, radio and literature ministry. This history also includes a couple of significant changes of focus and of name. CMI has recently gone through a re-visioning process that has led the organization to change its focus to meet the current needs of northern Manitoba.
The work of God is much larger than any one organization, so each group must choose what to focus on. Leadership Development has been identified as greatly desired by many Christians in the area. The organization has chosen to focus on “Growing Christian Leaders in the North”, and has chosen a new operating name that reflects that change of emphasis.
Mid-Way Christian Leadership will walk alongside followers of ‘The Way’ who have not yet arrived but find themselves, like us, Mid Way in Leadership growth within their Christian life and community.
Mid-Way Christian Leadership will partner with people, churches and communities to achieve its purpose of “Growing Christian Leaders in the North.”

Exciting March

March 2012
Friends,
What a great March! The weather has been very kind to us, though the snow falling right now is a welcome break from the freezing rain we have experienced in Thompson throughout the last week. Winter roads are closing early, but that promises that spring is on the way!
It is more than weather that we celebrate this month! Our Staff Retreat last week at Hilbre was a wonderful time of team building and team bonding. Plans are already underway for a follow-up retreat next fall where the staff team will do more listening to one another and encouraging each other. Several Staff members commented on how much they needed this intentional time of retreat.
The annual meeting on March 17 was attended by 36 people who learned more about what God is doing in our organization. The leadership team was very encouraged by the strong support for the motion to endorse the leadership. This encourages the further development of our Ministry Plan and the use of our new operating name, Mid-Way Christian Leadership. You can expect to hear more about this in the coming weeks.
Our new Office Manager, Marguerite, is starting to get used to her role. She brings fresh ideas and life to our head office. Feel free to call the office and welcome her to this new role.
Cohle Bergen was announced last weekend as our New Director of Children and Youth Ministry. He and his wife Rebecca moved to Thompson last fall and are looking into the possibility of buying a home here. He begins this new role in May and will be busy getting ready to direct Bible Camp.
Your gifts and prayers mean so much to us and the work that God has called us to as we engage together in “Growing Christian Leaders in the North.” God has been faithfully supplying through his children and we appreciate each one of you.
Ferlin Abrahamson
Interim General Manager

P.S. We are excited about the Commissioning Service for our General Director Morgan Serger planned for April 22 at 2pm at Thompson Bible Chapel 159 Cree Road Thompson. Join us if you can!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Press Release General Director

Continental Mission Appoints a General Director
February 21, 2012
Continental Mission, a Thompson based ministry organization with almost 70 years of history in
“Growing Christian Leaders in the North”, has promoted Morgan Serger to be its new General Director.
Morgan will succeed Ferlin Abrahamson who has been serving in this capacity as interim General
Manager since 2010.
Morgan and his wife Krista initially joined the Continental Mission team in 2007 when they began
serving as volunteer leaders in Midway Bible Camp as well as the HIDEOUT in Christ (a youth drop-in
centre in Thompson). By 2009, they had transitioned from a volunteer role into fulltime leadership role
within Continental Mission as they accepted the role of Director of Children and Youth Ministries.
Morgan is a trained educator with a Bachelor of Arts in History, Geography and Anthropology as well as
a Bachelor of Education which he earned while living in his “Southern home” of Steinbach, Manitoba
attending the Steinbach Mennonite Brethren Church and living in Winnipeg, Manitoba attending the
Christian Fellowship Chapel. Prior to joining the Mission as a fulltime employee, Morgan was a school
teacher in Thompson, Manitoba, the Northern community in which the Serger’s have established their
home and currently attend the Thompson Bible Chapel.
Morgan & Krista bring a contagious enthusiasm to their role as well as a driving sense of purpose which
will serve the organization well as they continue to build on the rich history of Continental Mission.
Together with the board of directors, Morgan & Krista are excited to continue the process of
“unpacking” the organizational mission statement of “Growing Christian Leaders in the North”.
Fred Evans, a veteran member of the Continental Mission team and a Cree radio broadcaster on NCI
provided a personal endorsement of Morgan’s leadership in Fred’s traditionally understated way when
he said, “Morgan has lived in the North long enough that his hair doesn’t stand on end when he sees a
native”.
Bruce Penner, the Board Chair for Continental Mission added, “The Board of Directors has been looking
for someone who can lead our organizational development in a way that values and respects our history
and traditions while understanding and embracing our vision for future. Morgan’s experience as a
former volunteer and leader within the organization as well as his training and experience as an
educator give him a great set of tools to champion our organizational growth.”
When asked about his plans for the organization, Morgan replied, “My first priority is to replace myself
as the leader of the Youth Ministry so that I can broaden my personal focus to grow the Mission’s
mandate of leadership development across the North. I believe that there is a pent up supply of people
and resources which are looking for opportunities to effect change in the North. Our role will be to
provide mechanisms for change which are credible and sustainable.”

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

General Director hiring

CMI has a General Director!
In Nehemiah 12 we read the happy account of the Israelites celebrating the return to Jerusalem and the rejuvenation of hope and vitality that they felt as they were once again inside the walls of their beloved city. It was indeed a happy day in their history. We read in verse 43 the following description.
“And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given
them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in
Jerusalem could be heard far away.”

There was unstoppable enthusiasm in their midst, and it needed to find ways to be expressed. Hope had been in short supply, and optimism had been depleted during years of adversity, discouragement and captivity, but that was behind them now as they celebrated not just the return of people to a city, but the return of hope to a people.

Continental Mission has faced some serious difficulties over the past several years. There have been times when hope seemed to be almost gone, when optimism was faded and cynicism was easier to find than enthusiasm. The contemplation of closure for the organization was the symbolic low-point that helped all of us to realize the gravity of the situation.

In the last several months there have been a number of celebratory moments of enthusiasm, but none more significant than the recent hiring of our new General Director Morgan Serger. We are so excited to welcome Morgan (and Krista) to this new role within CMI. It is a bright new day in our richly storied history and we invite you to rejoice with us.

Morgan comes to this role after several years serving within the organization as the Director of Children and Youth Ministry. He has a proven commitment to Northern Manitoba and a demonstrated leadership ability working with persons of all age groups. He has a youthful enthusiasm and zest for life that is infectious and there is every reason to believe that where Morgan is, that enthusiasm will spread to others.

Morgan and Krista have a proven commitment to CMI. That commitment was tested severely last fall after Morgan and Krista Serger camp when they were left all alone at the Thompson office

holding the organization together while trying to recuperate from a “crazy busy” summer of camp. It was a difficult time that helped them to wrestle with whether this really was the place that God had called them to. The answer to that question is what allows us to call you to this celebration today.
Morgan and Krista are very approachable people who have developed many friendships in Northern Manitoba and throughout the CMI constituency. Please feel free to contact them with your congratulations on their appointment to this new role. They look forward to hearing from you.

The CMI Board of Directors has been working hard at enacting the re-visioning that was started over one year ago. This announcement is obviously a significant step in that process. The board looks forward to the completion of the Ministry Plan which was put on hold awaiting the hiring of our General Director.

The Board is also contemplating the possibility of a name change to our organization that reflects the re-visioning and the renewed passion that comes with our new Ministry Plan and Leadership Development Emphasis. These are exciting days, as CMI looks back on a rich history and seeks God’s will for building upon that foundation to find ways to be the effective and God-honoring in the place and time we now find ourselves.

The Children of Israel likely had moments when they wished that “things could just go back like they were,” and maybe we will sometimes wish for that too. But at Jerusalem the renewal of hope and the visions for the future overwhelmed those nostalgic thoughts and they celebrated together. I hope you can also celebrate with us. This is a happy day at CMI.

Ferlin Abrahamson
Interim General Manager

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Director announcement coming soon

The CMI board is negotiating with a director applicant. An announcement of the outcome is expected sometime next week.

Monday, January 9, 2012

General Office Manager Position

Continental Mission Incorporated
(“the Organization”)

Position Description for General Office Manager



Job Title:                              General Office Manager


Reports To:                         General Director


Term:                                   Initial term of 2 years


Position Overview:


The Board of Directors has completed phase I of a Re-Visioning Project for The Organization which has defined the Mission statement as “Growing Christian Leaders in the North”.

The General Office Manager will be expected to provide the day to day managerial support for the General Director.

·         Keeping regular office hours

·         Completing day to day paperwork,

·         Ensuring that communication and bookkeeping are up-to-date

·         Other tasks as assigned

The General Office Manager will work as a part of the Organization’s leadership team with a primary focus on efficient administration.

Responsibilities


·         As a senior administrator of the Organization, the General Office Manager is responsible for

o   Assisting in the administration & oversight of all current programs specifically as regards accessing grants, communications and public relations media

o   Finances

§  Managing the annual budget

§  Being sure that all financial affairs are adhering to legal requirements

§  Providing financial reports to the General Director on a monthly basis.

o   Providing the General Director with regular reports on the status of ongoing public relations plans and communications

o   Edit and manage the major public relations campaigns of the organization

·         As an asset manager, the General Office Manager will manage the payment of bills, property maintenance and play the role of landlord for rental groups  using the organization’s assets.

·         As a team member, the General Office Manager will be personally involved in “Growing Christian Leaders in the North”

·         As an ambassador for the Organization, the General Office Manager will be responsible for communicating with other organizations as necessary.

·         As a servant of the General Director, the General Office Manager is expected to respond with flexibility and collaboration to the needs of the Organization (both internally and externally) when directed by the General Director.

Skills & Characteristics


·         Strong personal faith and testimony

o   Ability to achieve a healthy balance between vocation and personal life

·         Demonstrated leadership qualities

o   Planning

o   Organization

o   Bookkeeping

o   Independent  Work Ethic

·         Strong communication skills

o   Excellent verbal communicator

o   Comfortable with multiple media forms

Employment Model


·         The head office of the organization is in Thompson, Manitoba

·         Target compensation for this position will be $3,750 per month

§  Initial month salary would be drawn from General Fund, with active increments negotiated to move toward a split salary with an increasing portion coming from support raised funds to decrease the burden on the General Fund.

§  Travel and home office expenses will be identified to provide legitimate tax-advantageous treatment of total compensation

Happy New Year

It’s a New Year                                                                                  January, 2012

               

What a privilege to experience another new day in another New Year. It is easy to forget what a privilege it is to have life and hope. This New Year will bring some joys and some sorrows, but it is our privilege to be a part of it and we should thank God for that. It is also important to remember with the Apostle Paul that departing to be with the Lord is far better.

Here at CMI we are starting the New Year with some New Life and New Hope. I am thrilled to see a full van load of youth going with Morgan and Krista Serger to a Youth Retreat at Camp Cedarwood this weekend. The teens are so excited. I am pleased to hear of the exuberance at Steinbach Bible College as the students prepare to come north next Tuesday.

The new General Director is almost here! We ask you to pray with us for the board and candidates as the hiring process moves forward. You can expect an announcement of the successful candidate by this time next month.

We have chosen a new date for the CMI Annual Meeting. After quite a few years of having our annual meeting on May Long Weekend, we are going back to an older tradition of having it in March. We are actually blending traditions since we are hosting the meeting at Hilbre rather than in the North as used to be done years ago. I encourage you to mark March 17th on your calendar and plan to join us for an informative meeting and supper at Eagle Bay Camp and Retreat Center.

We are choosing a new financial target. We are so enthused about God’s faithfulness and the generosity of his people that allowed us to meet our target of repaying the $27thousand borrowed from reserved funds as we close the books on 2011. It is such a privilege to be a part of God’s people. As we finalize plans for the 2012 budget, we want to do so planning carefully, trusting God fully and communicating to our supporting constituency graciously.

CMI is looking for new staff. We are looking for a General Office Manager to work closely with the General Director. See the job description under that tab on CMI Home page.  

May God give you wisdom and joy as you embark on this New Year.

Ferlin Abrahamson

Interim General Manager

204-281-2879