This morning, Marylee and I concluded an hour long meeting with the Executive Director and Board President of the Fairbanks Rescue Mission. The meeting was called due to some apprehension about the vagueness of the “what we believe” portion of our bylaws.
The initial write up of our stated beliefs were composed in a way to avoid doctrinal language. We did this on purpose. What people do actually defines what people believe. But this is not sufficient enough for the FRM. For reasons connected with their past history, and where they stand in the community today, it is important to them if they are backing us that we be more clear about being a Christian ministry, and more specifically, the statement of faith.
For the Fairbanks Rescue Mission to sign the Letter of Guarantee required by the city–which states that the Fairbanks Rescue Mission will guarantee that FYA operates the emergency shelter for five years–they want our guiding principles and beliefs in our bylaws to be expanded. The current section 3 of our bylaws read as follows
Existing Bylaws:
Article 3: Guiding Principles
3.1 We believe:
- That as community citizens, we bear a local responsibility to help those in need, especially young people who have, for reasons beyond their control, found themselves in troubling circumstances.
- That we must speak up for those who are unable to speak for themselves and advocate for the rights of the less fortunate.
- That we are most effective when we partner with like-minded agencies, without duplication of services; allowing one another to be and do that which we are uniquely tasked to do.
- “Doing” defines our true beliefs. (1 John 3:18)
- All people have the right to be loved & treated with respect and dignity. (1 Corinthians 13, 1 Peter 2:17)
- Do unto others as we would have done unto us. (Matthew 7:12)
- God requires of us to love mercy, act justly and walk humbly. (Micah 6:8)
- To whom much is given, much is expected. (Luke 12:48)
Proposed changes would have them read as follows: (FRM was not involved in the rewrite of these bylaws, however they offered us their statement of faith, which Marylee and I felt imperative to change and express in our own language).
Proposed Bylaws changes:
Article 3: Guiding Principles and Beliefs for Clearwater Ministries Inc.
The motivational roots of Fairbanks Youth Advocates lie in the teaching of Jesus Christ, which are central to who we are and what we do as an organization. How one’s “faith” is lived out in practical ways is the true definition of belief.
3.1 Guiding Principles:
- That as community citizens, we bear a local responsibility to help those in need, especially young people who have, for reasons beyond their control, found themselves in troubling circumstances.
- That we must speak up for those who are unable to speak for themselves and advocate for the rights of the less fortunate.
- That we are most effective when we partner with like-minded agencies, without duplication of services; allowing one another to be and do that which we are uniquely tasked to do.
- All people have the right to be loved & treated with respect and dignity. (1 Corinthians 13, 1 Peter 2:17)
- Do unto others as we would have done unto us. (Matthew 7:12)
- To whom much is given, much is expected. (Luke 12:48)
- Prayer is a means of communication through which one exercises faith and hope.
- God requires us to love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly. (Micah 6:8)
- “Doing” defines our true beliefs. (1 John 3:18)
3.2 Beliefs:
- We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God.
- We believe there is one God, existing in the person of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- We believe that Jesus is fully man and fully God, and is the perfect expression of God’s love for us.
- We believe that salvation is a process, initiated by an experience with Jesus Christ, whereby the Holy Spirit dwells within and empowers the believer to live a life of faith and obedience to God.
- We believe the Holy Spirit unites and empowers all followers of Christ and that together they form one unified body of believers.
After lengthy discussion with Marylee, we both felt that although making the above changes presents a more doctrinally complex statement, it does enables us to move forward in a partnership with the Fairbanks Rescue Mission, thereby linking us with a tremendous resource, dedicated support, and wise council which is the fruit of many years of their labor.
I personally have some philosophical differences with the Fairbanks Rescue Mission’s board governance model, that requires all board members to accept the full details of such a faith statement. However, I also believe that what we and the at-risk youth in our community will gain by linking with the FRM is extensive and invaluable to our growth.
Please take a moment to read through the above changes and make any comments or suggestions as necessary, inclusive with your vote. We need a 51% vote to make these active, and then the MOU can be signed. We hope to proceed quickly enough to meet the Monday City Council meeting deadline.
If for some reason, you feel that these bylaw changes creates a conflict with your participation on the Board, we would like to discuss that with you at our next board meeting.
Please respond as soon as possible here on the website.
Thanks,
Patrick
I approve of the changes. Sarah and others express my paranoia, too-but FRM experience would be helpful to say the least. All of our futures are written in pencil; I am flexible as long as all youths are served equally. I will check my email more often..husband broke his wrist almost two weeks ago-just had surgery, so life is calmer. Praise God. kb
As a follow up to the proposed changes to our bylaws posted above, this is a notification that the resolution to make these changes passed with all board members in favor, except Kathryn Birch, who has yet to express her thoughts. These amendments will be added to our bylaws.
I’d like to thank everyone for their open dialogue and the responsiveness which is critical in addressing timely matters like this one.
We will continue with the necessary procedures to get the letter of guarantee signed by the FRM and will update you on the status of the April 9, city council meeting.
I vote to approve the bylaw amendments as submitted by Patrick & Marylee
I vote in favor of this change. Note: The doctrinal statements in paragraph 3.2 have been points of contention amoung christians for almost 2 millennia and will continue to be so.
I also have some concerns about the amount of control that the FRM may try to exert on FYA since, in essence, they hold our pink slip.
Another concern is the impact, if any, this change may have on our employment policy and hence availability funding. At Love In the Name of Christ we are an equal opportunity CHRISTIAN employer and that has limited our access to grant funds. To be honest, I have not looked into our employment policy so it may be a moot point.
Brad and others, who share some concern over the future “potential control or exertion” of FRM upon our policies and operations…
That was my single greatest concern when FRM first expressed interest in assisting us.
From all of the discussion with the ED at FRM, he expresses no interest in micro managing our affairs, or meddling in our policies. They are however, connected to us in the public eye, and financially, so the success of our organization, what we do, will reflect back on them. Because their ED believes strongly, based on his experience, about the board matrix and Christian faith connection, he feels that delineation is imperative for their support. I don’t feel the same way, but at this point, I can bend on it. Accepting a philosophy of board matrix governance different than my own does effect me, particularly in the role of president. I’m not completely sure at this moment what that will mean in my long-term relationship with FYA.
I do think that it is important to view the relationship that lies ahead of us with FRM with both a very shrewd and comprehensive eye, but one of cooperation and heartfelt shared intent to maximize our end goal, which is helping young people. By linking ourselves with FRM, we undoubtedly will lose some degree of autonomy, perhaps this point in discussion being the biggest one. On the other hand, we are young, inexperienced, and on the pinnacle of receiving a huge grant that hinges on a sponsor. FRM has come to the table, they have a lot of experience in operations, staffing, human resources, fundraising, etc., and in general, a good reputation in this town. (If I sound like I’m trying to persuade myself, I sort of am. I’ve mulled this decision over and over and over).
Right now, I believe we should go forward with the bylaw changes.
While the table is open for discussion, please share your thoughts…
I do think we need to move quickly, but not in haste.
I vote in favor of this change as well, though I have a hard time swallowing that language. I would love to discuss this at some point, but for now, I will vote yes for all of the same reasons that have already been mentioned by others.
One more thing:
As I’ve been thinking about this, one large hesitation has risen for me that I would like to share as food for thought for everyone- If the FRM can get us to change our belief statement to better suit their needs, will they later require us to change the way we interact with our clients or the things we require of our clients in order to receive services? I would never EVER agree to asking a client to attend a prayer service in order to get a meal, yet that is a policy of FRM. Would they be able to tell us to do that in order to continue receiving their support? This is my “slippery-slope” concern about this change in our bylaws. I’ll still vote for the change because I believe that we need their support to be a successful agency in this town, but I just wanted to voice that hesitation, as it has been weighing on my conscience since my “yes” vote.
Sarah,
It is my strong belief that the help we seek to offer youth in crisis has no basis in their performance. I would fight that one to death. I do not perceive a slippery slope in our future with the FRM in terms of our organizational operations. It was true that in essence, the ultimatum was that further clarification of section 3 of the bylaws were needed for FRM to sign off. For me, it came down to the fact that I thought it would be the best way, under the current situation, to offer the most amount of help to young people, and for our organization to grow. Upon further thought, I think it would be worthwhile that we make it extra clear (perhaps in our bylaws) that we do not restrict nor with hold services or assistance based on any religious parameters, nor do we require anyone to hold any particular beliefs to receive our services.
Hi Sarah – I am glad you brought the chapel piece up. I thought I would update you on changes that have happened in the past few months at the FRM regarding this issue. They now hold chapel AFTER dinner and it is optional and no longer required.
Also – I am fairly certain that we could not mandate religious activities – even if we were set on it – at least where the Fed. Gov. grants & youth are concerned.
Rodney and I have already discussed that barriers to enter our program must be low. For example – if a young person comes intoxicated. . . we can take him, but we need to then have policies that allow us to monitor him, etc. So I feel fairly confident at this time – that he understands that housing teens is different than housing adults. (Just example – at this time – no policies are in place)
Thanks again for addressing the hard questions.
I should have said – that we should have policies that match the low barrier – in order to protect ourselves, other youth present and the long term reputation of our agency.
Thanks for your quick response Danny.
I vote in favor of the by-laws changes.
I vote in favor of these changes. I agree that FRM is a valuable resource and if this makes them feel more comfortable in our relationship, I have no problem with the changes. Thanks so much for all of your and Marylee’s hard work on this. I’m leaving for Chicago in the morning, but will be checking email. Please let me know if you need anything.
Danny Bramer