Lewis receives inaugural award

The Virginia Theological Seminary awarded the inaugural Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership in Church and Society Feb. 15 to Octavia “Tay” Woods of New York (lay honoree) and Rev. Canon Harold T. Lewis, rector of Calvary Episcopal Church (clergy honoree. The Dean’s Cross was awarded by Rev. Ian Markham, dean and president of Virginia Seminary, and by Rev. Peter James Lee, bishop of Virginia, during a special evensong service in the Seminary Chapel.

REV. HAROLD T. LEWIS

Established in November 2008, the Dean’s Cross award recognizes outstanding leaders who embody their baptismal vows to “strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” Selected annually by the Seminary Dean in consultation with the chair of the board, the honorees receive a handmade silver cross, modeled after the Seminary Chapel cross, and a certificate.

“Our work here at Virginia Seminary is formation,” said Markham, “and this award celebrates the well-formed life, which involves living out the values of the baptismal covenant and making a difference in society.”

Lewis was honored for his gospel values and powerful witness to the genius of Anglicanism with its respect for learning, tolerance and openness. Author of “A Church for the Future: South Africa as the Crucible for Anglicanism in a New Century,” Lewis tells the story of the South African Church from its role in the first Lambeth conference to the present day.

During his dinner remarks, Lewis said, “I often talk about having a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem as the very purpose of our existence, and with this award am reminded by that great hymn by Dr. Bowie: ‘Give us, oh God, the strength to build the city that hath stood too long a dream, whose laws are love, whose crown is servanthood, and where the sun that shinneth is God’s grace for human good.’”

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Names New Head

The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) has tapped a new president to lead the national Christian oversight and accreditation agency.

After serving as acting president for the past 11 months, Dan Busby was officially named ECFA’s president on Mar. 1, culminating a national search that began following the sudden resignation of former ECFA president Kenneth A. Behr in late April 2008.

Michael Batts, chairman of ECFA’s board, said Busby was “clearly the right person for the job.”

"Dan not only has a stellar track record of leadership and innovation in the arena of financial accountability and integrity, but he is a nationally recognized authority on the subject,” Batts said. “He is the primary 'go to' person in America on matters related to financial integrity for Christian ministries and churches."

Before stepping in last year as acting president, Busby had served as vice president and senior vice president of ECFA since 1998. He was also named by Your Church magazine as one of the three CPAs in the United States who ministers would prefer to prepare their tax return. His two tax and finances books for ministers and churches have been annually revised and published by Zondervan since 1990.

"Dan Busby has the proven experience, support of the staff, confidence of the membership, quality of character and leadership skills to effectively lead ECFA into the challenging years ahead," commented ECFA board vice chair Wes Willmer in the agency’s announcement Tuesday.

"The board of ECFA realizes what a tremendous servant leader we have in Dan, and we are thrilled to have him as president," added board member Lauren Libby.

During the period that Busby served as ECFA acting president, the agency reportedly experienced one of the largest single-year membership increases in its history and was named one of the "Best Christian Workplaces in America" by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute. Other ministries in the list include MOP International, InterVarsity Press, Tyndale House Publishers, and the DeMoss Group.

Regarding his new position and the responsibilities that come with it, Busby said that he is “extremely humbled and honored.”

"Accountability, transparency and integrity have never been more important for churches and Christian ministries and the donors who support them," he stated.

Founded in 1979, ECFA provides accreditation to evangelical Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, fund-raising and board governance. Members include Christian ministries, denominations, churches, educational institutions and other tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations. Collectively, these organizations represent more than $18 billion in annual revenue.

Infusion hopes to raise funds for local groups, trip to Kentucky

In order to change the world, you have to ask hard questions.

So says “Urban Spirit,” a Kentucky-based poverty immersion program that offers an up-close picture of the poor. A group of Columbus-area teens in a three-year-old group called Infusion will travel to Louisville, Ky., this summer to live among and learn about the working poor — those who have jobs but struggle to make ends meet.

But first, they’re serving up soup on Friday for a fundraiser to raise money for the trip and their group. The fundraiser will also serve a third purpose: To collect canned soup for two local charities, the Lazarus Society in Phenix City and Columbus’ Uptown Food Pantry.

Infusion resembles a melting pot.

“They come from various faiths, schools and cultures; and we’re assisting them with struggling with issues in our community,” said Lisa Shaw, one of the volunteer adult leaders of Infusion and the youth director at St. Thomas Episcopal Church.

Infusion members are in 10th, 11th and 12th grades. There are 15 in the group now. A partnership with Columbus State University Servant Leadership students provides additional mentors. Each class lasts an academic year.

One of the CSU Infusion mentors is Brandon Hussey. In his third year at CSU, Hussey wants to work for NASA some day. Meanwhile, a helpful tool for him in servant leadership has been the discovery of personality tests that help leaders assess the way people process information. This branch of study is called Emergenetics, with four main groupings of how people think and behave.

“It helps me view the world from a different angle and understand people in it more,” said Hussey, who’s from Woodbury, Ga. “It helps you understand going into a team setting and recognizing the concepts better.” For instance, if you test as a “red” person you are social, and “yellow” means you process things conceptually; green is structural and blue is analytical. For leaders, it helps to know how to organize these four categories of people in a group setting, or in a business.

One of the Infusion high schoolers is Cedric Hill. A junior at Columbus High School, Cedric is in his second year as an Infusion participant. Last year, he and the others traveled to New Orleans to assist in Hurricane Katrina rebuilding.

“It was fun. It got tedious during the day, but it left my mind after awhile and it was fun,” said Cedric, a member of the Impact Center off Victory Drive.

Fundraiser

In monthly Infusion meetings the teens process what they’re learning about people on the margins of society, which includes the financially poor, but also “the hungry, homeless and hopeless,” Shaw said.

The group’s sponsoring organization is Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry, whose missioner, Vicky Partin, works with Infusion’s director Chris Ross.

The Very Rev. Doug Hahn of St. Thomas serves as Infusion’s spiritual adviser.

The canned soup drive on Friday goes toward Ross’ stipend, as Infusion stays afloat solely through donations.

Drama students at Central High School in Phenix City will present “The Many Faces of Hunger” during the event, and the school’s culinary arts students will provide the dinner.

Through Infusion, Cedric said he’s been able to learn about the down-and-out in a more personal way.

“You know they’re there,” he said, “but this brings more awareness.” The group also goes on two retreats annually: one in the spring and one in the fall.

2009 Summit for Servant Leaders

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 marked the second annual Summit For Servant Leaders at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. 26 people assembled to discuss principles of leadership pertaining to collaboration, stewardship, and more. Presenters included Marshall Christensen, Cheryl Broetje, Dan Ballast, and Glenn Cross---all experienced facilitators of servant leadership instruction. Guests joined the Summit from western States including Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, and as far away as Kiev, Ukraine.

'09 Summit for Servant Leaders

On Wednesday, March 4, leaders will meet from 9am to 7pm to renew our vision and fellowship in relation to the efforts to inform and inspire through servant leadership. We have a full schedule and the venue has had to change to accommodate expanded interest---great news! One change this year is asking participants to cover the cost of food for the event. It will only be $25 for a day's worth of meals, beverages, and such. The evening will be a no-host meal as well.

Organizations participating or collaborating include:
* AKT Financial
* Catalyst Project
* Center for Sharing
* Global Health Promise
* Good Shepherd Community Church
* Grant Central
* Innovative Mission Opportunities
* InterLink Resources
* John Haller Institute
* Just a Walk: Kathleen Welch Blog
* Marshall Christensen Foundation
* Mission Oaxaca
* Morningstar Development
* Mt. Scott Church of God
* Northwest Nazarene University
* Warner Pacific College

Workshops include:

* The International Leadership Crisis: How Is Servant Leadership the Answer?
* The Co-Laboring Servant: Partnership, Strategy, and Results
* The Co-Laboring Business: Can Businesses Transform Culture?

Please send 4 to 8 low resolution files for a promotional slide-show located at www.GiveWithConfidence.org that represents your organization. There are four examples on this site to demonstrate that profile.

If you are bringing a colleague, friend, or spouse, please include that person in your RSVP. I will follow up with instructions on how to make payment upon your acceptance of the invitation. You are also welcome to forward this email to those you know who would benefit from this day.

Thanks for your participation and for a quick response to allow our team to plan a successful event that serves you with excellence. It is a privilege to advocate for you who are committed to preparing, informing, educating, and serving those who need to know the Great Leader and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Chris Anderson, Board Chairman
The Marshall Christensen Foundation

Sharing Knowledge, Inspiring Hope, Developing Leaders
Read more at www.TheMCF.org