Home
Cromwell Home Expected to Come Under CMB Umbrella
CROMWELL, CT (May, 2000) - Children's Home of Cromwell, Connecticut, is expected to come under the umbrella of Covenant Ministries of Benevolence (CMB), following approval of a transfer process that was presented during the annual meeting of the East Coast Conference, which has provided oversight in the past.
The impending transfer of Children's Home to the CMB coincides with a similar process occurring with Covenant Children's Home (CCH) in Princeton, Illinois, which is part of the Central Conference. It comes at a significant time for the home - it is celebrating its 100th anniversary. A homecoming for former residents and staff is set for August 12-13 and other events have been scheduled to celebrate the centennial year.
"CMB is the national body that does ministries of human social services, and they're far better equipped in organization and ministry expertise to function as a member of the corporation," said East Coast Supt. Robert C. Dvorak. "Furthermore, they give a national and international constituency to the operations of Children's Home. A lot of work went into this through the leadership of the Children's Home and CMB and thorough discussion at the conference level and at the annual meeting," he added.
In explaining how CMB's involvement will benefit the mission of Children's Home, CEO David Carlson said CMB's expertise in business and administration will be especially important. He believes CMB can further bolster an entity that was already on solid ground, both financially and programmatically.
"The Children's Home operation has grown so much and our residential treatment facility has become so much more complicated," Carlson said. "With that in mind, business operations have a lot of associated responsibilities. It's much different than the former orphanage philosophy," he continued. "This will be an excellent marriage with CMB."
Paul Sparrman, who retired from full-time ministry in February 1999, was honored by the conference for his long-time service. He was most recently full-time pastor of Salem Covenant Church in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is now serving as interim pastor at Zion Covenant Church in Jamestown, New York.
A total of 199 delegates from 44 of 59 East Coast Conference churches attended the meeting. Dvorak said the conference increased overall attendance by more than seven percent in 1999. Since 1985, attendance has increased 47 percent at the conference level.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
