5 December 2019 | Bečići, Montenegro [Victor Hulbert]
How do you provide sound financial leadership across a myriad of small conferences, missions and unions including a variety of languages and accounting systems? The solution, for Nenad Jepuranović, treasurer for the Trans-European Division (TED), was to support all the unions and conferences through an intensive 3-day Treasury Advisory, 25 – 27 November, immediately following TED Year-End Meetings in Bečići, Montenegro.
Leadership development is a serious part of the TED strategic plan.
“It is encouraging to see young people taking leadership positions in many unions within our territory, however we still have a challenge in this area especially within Treasury departments,” Jepuranović said. The advisory arose out of this need and resulted in 70 treasurers and treasury staff meeting to worship, learn and network together. Jepuranović states, “the TED is committed in supporting our unions in this journey of developing treasury personnel, by tailoring education and training based on needs and local circumstances.
The theme of the advisory came from Ephesians 6:7: “Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord.” That meant each day started with an applicable message from the Bible, presented by Dr Daniel Duda, followed by a number of presentations on relevant competencies and practical applications.
BUC Treasurer Earl Ramharacksingh attended along with 19 colleagues from offices around the British Union Conference. “The whole programme was ably knitted together by Mack Tennyson, TED associate treasurer and allowed time to meet with the many experts who provided support and guidance when called upon,” he said.*
A ‘stellar array’ of financial World Church leaders presented topics such as technical accounting, fraud, stewardship, conflicts of interest, making financial reporting real and meaningful to all stakeholders, crisis management and IT security in the modern world.
This included Dr Juan Prestol-Puesán, the General Conference treasurer, who highlighted the importance of commitment and continuous learning; Karnik Doukmetzian, GC General Council, who, among a number of topics presented on How Church Structure Affects Ministry; and Mack Tennyson, TED associate treasurer, who presented latest policy and accounting updates along with financial analysis subjects in coordination with GC auditors Sandra Grice and Alan Redfern.
It wasn’t just finance – Gerardo Sangronis, the GC SunPlus IT manager, shared latest trends and treats in IT, while Wederly Aguiar, TED associate treasurer, showed the benefits of improving Power Point skills.
In the midst of all that learning was one other important factor, often overlooked by finance people who can, as experts in this particular area, lead somewhat isolated lives in the midst of financial ministry. Ramharacksingh summed that aspect up well. “The treasury teams really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with their counterparts from the far-flung regions of the TED territory. We thank the TED Treasurer for providing an insightful and engaging programme.”
*Quotes from Earl Ramharacksingh come from an article first published in BUCnews, electronic newsletter of the British Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Deana Stojković, associate editor
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