Board of Directors Report | March 2024

Greetings NH Conference! Your Board of Directors met recently on Zoom. Here are a few of the highlights from our meeting:

· We discussed, moved and passed a new Anti-Bias Training Policy brought to us by the Conference Justice and Witness Ministry. This policy requires all persons elected to serve New Hampshire Conference positions (Officers, Board of Director Members, Nominating Committee and General Synod Delegates), all persons appointed by the Board of Directors to serve on Conference Ministry Teams, and all year-around Conference staff to attend Conference-approved Anti-Bias Training at least every three years.

· With year end numbers for 2024 coming into focus, we applauded the financial turnaround at The Horton Center, which ended 2024 with over 300 campers and financially in the black! The Conference as a whole ended the year with an essentially balanced budget as well. Good news all around.

· As we shepherd the movement from seven distinct associations to one new Granite State Association, there is much work to do. We adopted a slate of candidates for various positions in the new Association as proposed by the Granite State Association Nominating Committee, decided on the Associations portion of the 2025 Fellowship Dues, and pledged staff or Board presence at the Associations sunset celebrations. The Board applauded the efforts of the good people helping to make this transition possible.

· Your Board is preparing to do some significant Visioning work; revisiting our Mission Statement, becoming clearer on the differences between our Mission and Vision, and updating them to meet the needs of our Association and churches in the years to come.

Lent is a time of preparation and reflection and metanoia. Your Conference is poised to do these things as well. While our missions and ministries with local settings is not transactional, we do strive for our churches to see the efforts of the Conference to be “value-added” to the life of local congregations.

Nominating season will be upon us soon. I hope that you find a place to follow your passion in the life if your local church and the wider church as well.

Peace,

Rev. Jim Thomas

Conference President