Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
During this past year, I have been blessed to meet with many leaders from our churches in the Mountain Sky Conference and with my colleagues in United Methodist Foundations, members of the Council of Bishops, and leaders of several United Methodist agencies. All have expressed worries about financial security in the aftermath of decisions made February 26 at the called General Conference of the United Methodist Church in St. Louis. Realizing that many of you may share these concerns, I want to send this letter to help answer some of the questions I have heard and to provide some assurances about your deposits at the Mountain Sky United Methodist Foundation, Inc.
Our mission remains to serve churches, people and ministries related to The United Methodist Church. In the coming weeks, our Board of Directors will meet to further define what “related to” entails, and create definition or expansion, if necessary, of this missional footprint to be more broadly inclusive of all God’s people.
Your investments are secure. We will continue to administer your investments as you have instructed us to do so under our master trust agreements (contracts). Our contracts are between the investors (churches, ministries, or people) and the Mountain Sky United Methodist Foundation, Inc. Only those specified as authorized signers may make withdrawals or transfers.
The Mountain Sky United Methodist Foundation, Inc. is independent of the General Conference, the Annual Conference, the Council of Bishops, the GCFA, Wespath, and any other United Methodist denominational entity. We are separately registered as a Colorado Nonprofit Corporation and we hold an independent IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt ruling. Our Board of Directors is self-managed. Although we were established by a vote of the annual conferences in 1986 and 1996 to serve churches and ministries in the geographic region, we were also given authority to self-govern.
We are sustaining investments for future generations. We will continue to be focused on the future, assuring that the investments we manage are sustainable for generations of God’s people who dedicate their service to the Church.
We will continue to care for those we serve, including you and your church family as we have for the past 32 years. I have confidence in the wisdom and leadership of the Foundation’s Board of Directors to ensure that we will remain a financial foundation for future generations.
We have faith that, “The Church is of God and will be preserved until the end of time” (Baptismal Covenant). Please join with me in prayer for the leaders of our churches and denomination.
In God’s service,
Kristi Kinnison
Executive Director