ASSOCIATION
OF PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
GENERAL
BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES
November
3, 2002
Opening–centering
prayer
Anne Wimberly presiding
Attendance
72 members
Adoption of the agenda
It was moved by Barbara
Anne Keely and seconded by Alan Smith that the agenda as printed be accepted.
Carried.
Minutes
of the November 4, 2001 business meeting
It was moved by Bill
Lord and seconded by Lorna Bowman that the minutes of the Annual meeting held
on November 4, 2001 be approved as circulated via the website. Carried.
APRRE/REA
Proposal
The President invited
the other members of the Proposal Team to come forward and join her for the
presentation and discussion. Members in attendance were Lorna Bowman, Jack
Seymour, Barbara Anne Keely , Ted Brelsford and Randy Litchfield.
Presentation
Lorna Bowman gave a
brief report from the meeting of REA on the proposal. The REA is asking that another
draft proposal be sent out in March seeking feedback and comments by e-mail and
that these be incorporated before a revised copy is issued. The REA Board is
suggesting this one additional step beyond the original proposal before seeking
the vote.
Barbara Anne Keely
addressed the financial issues facing REA. The REA Journal is secure now. In
September 2001, when the 2nd administrator quit, the REA board
realized that the funds would not allow for a staff person. Hence Ronald Cram
as President assumed responsibility for the organizational details and Barbara
Anne Keely, as Treasurer, took responsibility for the fiscal work. The REA
still has more members than APRRE but it cannot fund staff. It really is a
matter of good stewardship that we are seeking in the merger.
Jack Seymour–We forget
at times, that memories of the past are not known by everyone in the
organization. In the 80's we were deeply concerned about the future of the REA
Journal. We asked what would REA look like without a journal. That is no longer
the case with the journal. APRRE is a scholarly guild with a focus on papers
and research. We must not sacrifice the future careers of junior scholars by
not providing a guild meeting. In the new organization we need to claim our
heritage of both advocacy and rich scholarship.
Discussion
Susanne Johnson--My
concern is more philosophical in nature. I kept asking if there is a sub-agenda
underneath the proposal. With this presentation I have gained a fuller picture
and the reasoning behind the proposal.
Norma Everist--The
shape of questions in the field has shifted. Pastors, judicatory staff members,
seminary students have a passion for interreligious dialogue and that needs to
be linked to scholarship. This proposal calls for new forms of meeting and new
forms of leadership.
Bruce Roberts-- We are
combining two powerful interests and we can’t anticipate everything in advance.
We need to build in an evaluative process with clear criteria and methods for
feedback. Accordingly we can learn as we go through the transition and make
changes to the proposal.
Susanne Johnson--We
should accept a provisional design for the new organization, live with this for
3-6 years and have a process for evaluation. There will be unintended
consequences. We should not be embarrassed because all the details didn’t work
perfectly at first.
Mary Elizabeth Moore--
I am in support of the proposal. I would like to say a word about REA. In its
history it has restructured 4 times in 20 years. In the past some of its
Executive Secretaries have given their own money to keep REA going. The current
President and Treasurer have carried up to 20 hours per week. However, REA is
not hopeless. Over the years it has been carried by passion and purpose and for
that reason it makes us want to find a new way to keep it alive. The proposal
may need to be provisional, but the commitment is not provisional. I like the
plan calling for revisions in March and the vote in May. We need to put
provisional over the design.
Linda Vogel–I too would
like to see one more draft and a vote in May. We must make a commitment and
build in ways to change. Don’t make it too provisional. REA–has always had a definite
interfaith emphasis which we must not lose. We will need to provide processes
in the by-laws for us to change the structure.
Jim Lee–I am on the REA
Board and a Member of both REA and APRRE. I believe that REA and APRRE do two
different things. REA has been about Religion and Education, especially about
public policy. In the past the REA office has been contacted and asked for the
stand of the organization on a public issue.
APRRE is concerned with religious education and scholarship. Each needs the
other.
Margaret
Krych--How do we protect the interests of APRRE?
Mary Elizabeth
Moore–The new proposal allows space for different kinds of conversations. Some
will want to be involved in several conversations and some in only one.
Action: It was agreed
that APRRE endorse the continuation of conversations with REA towards a merger
and that the two organizations follow the plan outlined by representatives of
the REA. This plan includes a revised
draft taking into account responses made before and during this meeting and
sent to the membership in March for feedback. A final draft will be mailed
along with a ballot for the vote in May 2003. Carried
with applause.
Special
thanks was extended to all those who worked so hard on the proposal committee.
Applause.
Executive
Secretary’s Report--Randy Litchfield
Thanks for
your feedback on the annual meeting survey.
I am able to contact 403
individuals by e-mail (429 on list) only 26 need hard copy. The database is in
excellent shape; however, the list server is not the best.
Mary
Hess will convene a group to envision a digital archive and space for exchange
of ideas. The working group will report to the 2003 executive.
Position
Announcement Policy
Currently APRRE’s policy of charging
$50 for the announcements of a position is working well. The Board decided that
the standard fee will be raised to $100.00 effective July 1, 2003
Policy
on the Proceedings
The
Board has agreed that in 2003 APRRE will offer the proceedings on a CD. Anyone
can make a request for a printed copy at the time of registration. We agreed to
evaluate this after one year. All papers from previous years will be archived. Question from Lee-- Do you see the extinction of the hard copy? Randy--No,
but it will be by request at the time of registration only for 2003.
Site
for 2004
Randy indicated that the Board had
suggested that he check into possibilities in the Denver or Boulder area. Action: It was moved by Gloria
Durka and seconded by Dayle Scott that we hold the 2004 meeting in either Denver or Boulder. Carried. It
was agreed to explore a proposal for a
5 year rotation of annual meeting sites. The following cities will be in
the cycle: Chicago, Toronto, Denver, Boston and Atlanta.
Underemployed
Graduates
Some individuals who have finished
their doctorate but have not obtained a teaching position have inquired about
some relief in fees. By consensus at the Board meeting it was agreed that APRRE
have one membership category for students and post-doctoral candidates who have
not obtained a teaching position.
Financial
report for 2001-02 fiscal year
Randy
circulated a copy of the accounts for review. Action: It was moved by Sue Davis
and seconded by Paul Bellingham that the Financial statement for 2001-02 be
approved. Carried. Randy announced that APRRE had
received a report from Wolf, Rogers, Dickey and Company, Certified Public
Accountants, indicating that a review of the accounts for the fiscal years
ending June 30, 2000 and 2001 was completed and everything was found in good
order.
Budget
The Board has proposed
one adjustment. That a line item of $1500. be added to cover any costs relating
to the reorganization. This would include travel costs for our representatives
to attend a meeting and extra mailings. Randy noted that the budget was based
on 129 attendees at the annual meeting and 307 paid-up members. In fact we have
had 174 in attendance at this meeting and the membership last year was up to
311. So we will come very close to a balanced budget, even with the increase. Action:
It was moved by Alan Smith and seconded by Karen Tye that we accept the amended
budget. Carried.
2003
annual meeting
Lorna Bowman reported
that we will be holding a joint meeting with REA at the time of its 100th
anniversary. The theme will be “Embracing the Past, Envisioning the Future:
Religious Education in an Age of Transition.” The site will be the Holiday Inn
Chicago Mart Plaza, Nov. 7-9. I hope that we use our imaginations with the
theme as we seek to capture the history of the field. We also need to increase
our literacy about other religious traditions as well. The report was welcomed and affirmed with
applause.
Celebration
Jim Lee, Barney Kathan,
Wenh-In Ng were invited by the President to come forward for a brief ceremony
of presidential transition. Wenh-In lit a candle and offered a blessing in
Cantonese. The President invited us to be mindful of world, saints past,
present and future. She offered a brief prayer remembering the past and asking
that the new organization might thrive.
Nomination,
election and presentation of new officers
Wenh-In
Ng, on behalf of the nominating committee, presented the following slate for
elections:
Bob
O’Gorman, Loyola University, Institute of Pastoral Studies as vice-president.
Executive Committee Class
of 2005
Diane
Hymans, Trinity Lutheran Seminary
Jose´
Irizarry, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago
Kieran
Scott, Fordham University
Call
for papers Committee (same as in 2002)
Sharon
Warner, Steve Kang and Maureen O’Brien
Action
It was moved by Wenh-In
Ng and seconded by Karen Tye that the report of the nominating committee be
affirmed. Carried with applause.
Recognitions
and gratitude
The President thanked
all those who took part in the drama, reception, sent videos, the presenters of
papers, moderators, retiring officers and members of the Board. She especially
expressed the deep appreciation of all the members to Randy and Terri
Litchfield. Applause.
.
Thanks was expressed to
Anne Wimberly for her presence in our midst, for all her work and for all the
resources that she gathered to make this meeting the success that it was. Standing ovation and applause.
Adjournment
Memorials
At the opening session of APRRE,
President Anne Wimberly read the names of the following leaders in religious
education who had died in the past year.
Warren S. Benson Jonathan Jackson
John W. Cook James E. Loder
Findley B. Edge Randolph C. Miller
Paul Irwin Richard T.
Murray
She invited individuals to come forward and offer memories and tributes. Alan Smith reflected on the life and work of John Cook. Ronnie Prevost paid tribute to Findley Edge. Barney Kathan and Chuck Melchert spoke about the contributions of Randolph Miller.
Retirements
Linda J. Vogel, Garrett
Evangelical Seminary. Patty Meyers, Chair, Dept. of Christian Education and
Youth Ministry at Pfeiffer University offered the
following tribute. It is an honor to tell you
about my friend and mentor, Linda Vogel. I have known her since 1974. Here is a
list of organizations of which she is a member: APRRE – Association of
Professors and Researchers in Religious Education; UMASCE – United Methodist
Association of Christian Education; CEF
– Christian Educators Fellowship, The United Methodist Church; REA – Religious
Education Association; North American Academy of Liturgy. She has made a very
significant contribution to our field through her many publications including
several book and articles in journals. She and her husband, Dr. Dwight Vogel,
contributed significantly to my decision to join The United Methodist Church.
They immediately got me involved in the life of Calvary United Methodist Church
in Le Mars, Iowa as a Sunday School teacher and choir member. Four years later,
I left Le Mars to attend Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary to start my
journey toward ministry in Christian higher education. We have been friends
ever since. We extend to her the best wishes of all her
colleagues in APRRE as she begins her retirement in the spring of 2003.
Respectfully submitted
Bill Lord
Recording
Secretary