Maryknoll Lay Missioners--ALT + Area Representatives Meeting

12-17 October 2003

ALT + 5 Meeting (Week 2)

Sam Stanton and Sean McLaughlin
Sunday night
Sam Stanton, a grandfather and one of the elders of the Association, prepares for the week ahead by a one-on-one with our youngest member, Sean McLaughlin. Eileen Charleton observed.

4 of the +5 waiting for a meeting
Monday, 13 October
Today was a really busy day. We started with a short creative prayer led by Alicia Butkiewicz, and then moved right away into a discussion of on the overall financial situation of the Association. Alicia led that also, asking us first to reflect in a small group on Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Challenges of two goals, three guiding principles, and two priorities that have been set by the ALT. Then we did a second round of discussion on three concrete actions proposed by the ALT. That took us up to lunch time and was time well spent. The +5 were quite pleased with the leadership the ALT is showing in the paper Directions from Leadership we worked with this morning.
In the afternoon we got right into the nitty-gritty of the actual budget review, starting with the ALT's budget and then going through the budgets of each of the four departments. Three of the four directors and Peter Fitzpatrick, the Human Resources manager, joined us for that. It was slow going but moving through the budgets almost line by line gives an accurate picture of what the Association is about.
The candidates have a potluck supper on Monday nights so the ALT + 5 joined them although we were 45 minutes late getting to supper from our meetings. The candidates from other mission groups who are here for a Collaborative Gathering were also at the supper and it was good to meet them. Then after supper it was back to the +5 workroom to check the last of the budgets till almost midnight.
heidi Cerneka and Sam Stanton and the budgets About the first photo: if you have any doubts about the ALT having time to spare, disavow yourself of that notion. Before we ever get started in the morning, and at lunch and every break, the ALT are gathered in meetings other than the ALT + 5 meetings. The photo above shows four of the +5 waiting outside the third-floor solarium while a lunch meeting of the ALT with Bethany staff goes way beyond schedule.
The second photo shows Heidi and Sam in the workroom, surrounded by budgets, as the clock nears midnight.

Tuesday, 14 October
Morning prayer today was led by Sam Stanton. Then we jumped immediately into reviewing the area and region budgets for the Association world, starting with Africa. This year the area representatives were asked much more about each of the budgets than in the past because of the very difficult financial times requiring very difficult decisions about what will be approved and what won't.
ALT + 5 discussing budgets We as an Association are in a much different space from where we were just two years ago. The ALT has been emphasizing against and again the need to make greater and greater cuts. This series of budget meetings is the most difficult the ALT + 5 have faced.
In the afternoon we discussed the apostolic budgets and again hard choices presented themselves. There is no question of the projects being worthwhile and valuable. It is just a matter of the Association's not having the money available that we had in the past.
Kevin Mestrich and Abigail The new ALT has a different style of operating from the previous one. One difference is that we schedule more time to "debrief" or look at our process at the end of each section of agenda we complete. We really are in a different space now as an Association and as the ALT + 5, and there are valuable learnings and insights to be acquired.
Today is Kevin Mestrich's 35th birthday so this evening all the ALT + 5 and spouses enjoyed dinner together at the home of Alicia and Bernie Butkiewicz. (They live in the Potter house, across from the main gate of the seminary, where the Rowans used to live.) Here Kevin reflects for a moment while holding daughter Abigail.

Wednesday, 15 October
The ALT + 5 began their day with a short prayer service in the third-floor solarium led by Charlie Dittmeier. Then they got down to business with an Update on Changes in MSD. Peter Fitzpatrick spoke of developments in the Human Resources office, and that was quite encouraging. Eileen Charleton then spoke about the two orientation classes to begin in 2005 and about the Family and Children Questionnaire recently sent out. We then talked about encouraging collaboration in the regions and units; about mission accounts; and about the 2004 budget process.
Watching baseball after the meeting After lunch we got into heavier matters, focusing on the predicted budget deficit for 2004 and budgeting strategies in light of the decrease in annual revenue. We started later than usual in the afternoon in order to give Gerry Lee time to return from Washington, D.C. where he had been this morning with the National Association of Lay Missioners as they completed a year-long project he had been associated with. Also in the afternoon we discussed the $18 million grant from the Society; the expenses of the various projects undertaken in collaboration with the Society and Congregation; and then developed a plan for review in more detail all the budgets now before the ALT + 5. Fred Goddard and the Collaborative Gathering The meeting finally ended at 7:00 PM, just in time for Tom Bamat, Liz Mach, and Heidi Cerneka to catch the end of the Cubs-Yankees game. They were pulling mightily for Chicago to win.
All this week Bethany is full because the Collaborative Gathering is meeting here. The candidates from several mission-sending groups are here to study together while the directors of those groups discuss and plan ways to collaborate better in the future, both to do mission better and to share resources and cut down on expenses. In this photo Fred Goddard is addressing the group.

Thursday, 16 October
Sam Stanton and Alicia Butkiewicz speaking about Bolivia Today was a grueling day for the ALT + 5. We met from 8:30 AM to 8:45 PM with 45 minutes for lunch and 45 minutes for supper. And even lunch was busy because all the Association staff was invited to the Bethany dining room to learn about Bolivia and Africa while they ate. First, Sam Stanton, Heidi Cerneka, and Alicia Butkiewicz talked about the current unrest in Bolivia. Sam and Heidi related that they have been in telephone contact with the Association members there and that they are safe although unable to move far from their homes, and Alicia helped us to understand the political and social context for the demonstrations that have led to more than 80 deaths in Bolivia.
Liz Mach speaking about Africa The ALT + 5 had a straightforward but difficult task for the day: find the numbers that will enable the Association to get through the very difficult financial situation we now find ourselves in because of the cuts in our grant from the Society. We worked in small groups and a large group and worked out a plan of budget cuts that will affect everyone in the Association, both members and staff. It was difficult to limit the amount of money that will be available in 2004 but it was necessary if we are going to get beyond the present year and be able to grow into the future.
Many of you know Renato Abella who handles the accounts from Africa and Asia. Today he announced that he is going to be a first-time father! Congratulations, Renato!

Friday, 17 October
Today was the final day of the ALT + 5 meetings, and another busy day. Tom Bamat led the prayer this morning,and then we were joined by staff from Admissions and Orientation and Human Resources to discuss the priority placements in each of the different areas. These are the places which will be first considered for the class of 2004. Then we ran through a series of items for the rest of the day:

The ALT + 5 meeting schedule for 2004.
The ALT travel plans for the next 18 months.
Invitations we have received for lay missioners from Bangladesh, Burma, the Marshall Islands, and the Philippines.
A "to do" list for the members of the ALT + 5, to follow up on all the discussions of the past two weeks and make sure that nothing gets lost or overlooked.
Mission Accounts: their purpose and the ways they should be used.
Preliminary plans for next year's 10th anniversary celebration of the Association.
The process for the selection of Area Representatives.
Inventories of the propterty, furniture, and materials owned by the regions.
The transfer policy for moving from one region to another, especially in regards to budgeting. We also discussed two pending transfers.
The Association's financial reporting to members and the amount of information we disclose.
A proposed revision and simplication of the budget forms.
The moderator for the Area Representative and Regional Coordinators mailing lists.
A follow up discussion on budgeting for apostolic projects.
Follow up on the One-in, One-out experiment.
The CSR program and how it's working.
The evaluation of the mission site in East Timor

We then ended with an evaluation of the two weeks of meetings. One common assessment was that it was a really grueling time with a lot of late nights. The ALT + 5 then had supper together and the next morning started wending their way back to their mission sites.
Candidates' computer room One photo: this is the new computer room for the candidates and guests at Bethany. It's near the end of the first floor corridor by the chapel, the one where now Ellen Cowhey, Gerry Lee, and Mary Edgar have their offices. In its new configuration, with three desktop computers hooked up to the house network and with an additional hookup for laptops, the computer room allows four people to work at the same time.

Go to ALT + 5 Meetings (Week 1)
Go to Advisory Board Meeting
Go to Maryknoll Lay Mission page
Go to Charlie Dittmeier's homepage

	Sunday night Sam Stanton, a grandfather and one of the elders of the Association, prepares for the week ahead by a one-on-one with our youngest member, Sean McLaughlin. Eileen Charleton observed.

Monday, 13 October Today was a really busy day. We started with a short creative prayer led by Alicia Butkiewicz, and then moved right away into a discussion of on the overall financial situation of the Association. Alicia led that also, asking us first to reflect in a small group on Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Challenges of two goals, three guiding principles, and two priorities that have been set by the ALT. Then we did a second round of discussion on three concrete actions proposed by the ALT. That took us up to lunch time and was time well spent. The +5 were quite pleased with the leadership the ALT is showing in the paper Directions from Leadership we worked with this morning. In the afternoon we got right into the nitty-gritty of the actual budget review, starting with the ALT's budget and then going through the budgets of each of the four departments. Three of the four directors and Peter Fitzpatrick, the Human Resources manager, joined us for that. It was slow going but moving through the budgets almost line by line gives an accurate picture of what the Association is about. The candidates have a potluck supper on Monday nights so the ALT + 5 joined them although we were 45 minutes late getting to supper from our meetings. The candidates from other mission groups who are here for a Collaborative Gathering were also at the supper and it was good to meet them. Then after supper it was back to the +5 workroom to check the last of the budgets till almost midnight. About the first photo: if you have any doubts about the ALT having time to spare, disavow yourself of that notion. Before we ever get started in the morning, and at lunch and every break, the ALT are gathered in meetings other than the ALT + 5 meetings. The photo above shows four of the +5 waiting outside the third-floor solarium while a lunch meeting of the ALT with Bethany staff goes way beyond schedule. The second photo shows Heidi and Sam in the workroom, surrounded by budgets, as the clock nears midnight.

Tuesday, 14 October Morning prayer today was led by Sam Stanton. Then we jumped immediately into reviewing the area and region budgets for the Association world, starting with Africa. This year the area representatives were asked much more about each of the budgets than in the past because of the very difficult financial times requiring very difficult decisions about what will be approved and what won't. We as an Association are in a much different space from where we were just two years ago. The ALT has been emphasizing against and again the need to make greater and greater cuts. This series of budget meetings is the most difficult the ALT + 5 have faced. In the afternoon we discussed the apostolic budgets and again hard choices presented themselves. There is no question of the projects being worthwhile and valuable. It is just a matter of the Association's not having the money available that we had in the past. The new ALT has a different style of operating from the previous one. One difference is that we schedule more time to "debrief" or look at our process at the end of each section of agenda we complete. We really are in a different space now as an Association and as the ALT + 5, and there are valuable learnings and insights to be acquired. Today is Kevin Mestrich's 35th birthday so this evening all the ALT + 5 and spouses enjoyed dinner together at the home of Alicia and Bernie Butkiewicz. (They live in the Potter house, across from the main gate of the seminary, where the Rowans used to live.) Here Kevin reflects for a moment while holding daughter Abigail.

Wednesday, 15 October The ALT + 5 began their day with a short prayer service in the third-floor solarium led by Charlie Dittmeier. Then they got down to business with an Update on Changes in MSD. Peter Fitzpatrick spoke of developments in the Human Resources office, and that was quite encouraging. Eileen Charleton then spoke about the two orientation classes to begin in 2005 and about the Family and Children Questionnaire recently sent out. We then talked about encouraging collaboration in the regions and units; about mission accounts; and about the 2004 budget process. After lunch we got into heavier matters, focusing on the predicted budget deficit for 2004 and budgeting strategies in light of the decrease in annual revenue. We started later than usual in the afternoon in order to give Gerry Lee time to return from Washington, D.C. where he had been this morning with the National Association of Lay Missioners as they completed a year-long project he had been associated with. Also in the afternoon we discussed the $18 million grant from the Society; the expenses of the various projects undertaken in collaboration with the Society and Congregation; and then developed a plan for review in more detail all the budgets now before the ALT + 5. The meeting finally ended at 7:00 PM, just in time for Tom Bamat, Liz Mach, and Heidi Cerneka to catch the end of the Cubs-Yankees game. They were pulling mightily for Chicago to win. All this week Bethany is full because the Collaborative Gathering is meeting here. The candidates from several mission-sending groups are here to study together while the directors of those groups discuss and plan ways to collaborate better in the future, both to do mission better and to share resources and cut down on expenses. In this photo Fred Goddard is addressing the group.

Thursday, 16 October Today was a grueling day for the ALT + 5. We met from 8:30 AM to 8:45 PM with 45 minutes for lunch and 45 minutes for supper. And even lunch was busy because all the Association staff was invited to the Bethany dining room to learn about Bolivia and Africa while they ate. First, Sam Stanton, Heidi Cerneka, and Alicia Butkiewicz talked about the current unrest in Bolivia. Sam and Heidi related that they have been in telephone contact with the Association members there and that they are safe although unable to move far from their homes, and Alicia helped us to understand the political and social context for the demonstrations that have led to more than 80 deaths in Bolivia. The ALT + 5 had a straightforward but difficult task for the day: find the numbers that will enable the Association to get through the very difficult financial situation we now find ourselves in because of the cuts in our grant from the Society. We worked in small groups and a large group and worked out a plan of budget cuts that will affect everyone in the Association, both members and staff. It was difficult to limit the amount of money that will be available in 2004 but it was necessary if we are going to get beyond the present year and be able to grow into the future. Many of you know Renato Abella who handles the accounts from Africa and Asia. Today he announced that he is going to be a first-time father! Congratulations, Renato!

Friday, 17 October Today was the final day of the ALT + 5 meetings, and another busy day. Tom Bamat led the prayer this morning,and then we were joined by staff from Admissions and Orientation and Human Resources to discuss the priority placements in each of the different areas. These are the places which will be first considered for the class of 2004. Then we ran through a series of items for the rest of the day: The ALT + 5 meeting schedule for 2004. The ALT travel plans for the next 18 months. Invitations we have received for lay missioners from Bangladesh, Burma, the Marshall Islands, and the Philippines. A "to do" list for the members of the ALT + 5, to follow up on all the discussions of the past two weeks and make sure that nothing gets lost or overlooked. Mission Accounts: their purpose and the ways they should be used. Preliminary plans for next year's 10th anniversary celebration of the Association. The process for the selection of Area Representatives. Inventories of the propterty, furniture, and materials owned by the regions. The transfer policy for moving from one region to another, especially in regards to budgeting. We also discussed two pending transfers. The Association's financial reporting to members and the amount of information we disclose. A proposed revision and simplication of the budget forms. The moderator for the Area Representative and Regional Coordinators mailing lists. A follow up discussion on budgeting for apostolic projects. Follow up on the One-in, One-out experiment. The CSR program and how it's working. The evaluation of the mission site in East Timor We then ended with an evaluation of the two weeks of meetings. One common assessment was that it was a really grueling time with a lot of late nights. The ALT + 5 then had supper together and the next morning started wending their way back to their mission sites. One photo: this is the new computer room for the candidates and guests at Bethany. It's near the end of the first floor corridor by the chapel, the one where now Ellen Cowhey, Gerry Lee, and Mary Edgar have their offices. In its new configuration, with three desktop computers hooked up to the house network and with an additional hookup for laptops, the computer room allows four people to work at the same time.