A year ago this week I announced that I had accepted the position of Director of Social Enterprise at the Wesley Mission Center.
Over the last twelve months, I’ve been blessed to serve the people living within the bounds of Mansfield Independent School District – a geographic area that includes the city of Mansfield as well as parts of Arlington, Grand Prairie, Rendon and other areas.
Founded as an outreach ministry of First Methodist Mansfield, the organization grew and became its own 501(c)3 in 2013. More recently it transitioned from a benevolence model to a working family success model. The Mission Center is committed to empowering people on their journey to self-sufficiency and wholeness.
As I reflect on the last year I realize just how much we have accomplished. I will begin with the work I’ve directly overseen through the social enterprises of a Thrift Store and Retail Plaza before considering the organization as a whole.
Thrift Store
- implementing KPIs and performance dashboards
- developing the business plan for and overseeing the construction of an expanded Thrift Store
- opening the new store featuring an expanded boutique in a retail plaza owned by the Mission Center on March 1, 2018
- increasing sales by more than 45%
- improving key experiences (customer experience, donor experience, volunteer experience, and staff experience)
- being selected as an Adese Fellow
Retail Plaza
- renting a restaurant space that had been vacant for quite some time
- exceeding rental revenue goals and attaining occupancy rates of 90-100%
- implementing a multi-year plan that addresses deferred maintenance while also enabling significant modernization
Organizational Growth
- rebranding from the Wesley Mission Center to the Mansfield Mission Center
- completing the transition from a benevolence model to the working family success model
- scaling volunteerism, community partnerships, fundraising, program offerings, and much more
Transition
Every ministry opportunity lasts for a season.
In recent years my season for each full-time ministry position I’ve held, has been about a year:
- Mansfield Mission Center (formerly Wesley Mission Center)
- Interim Pastor at Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ
- Interim Senior Pastor at United Church of Marco Island
So What?
The work of creating a more economically just community and world is ongoing. In addition to this systemic work, the Mansfield Mission Center will continue journeying alongside people living within Mansfield ISD especially as they move from a time of challenge to a period of relative stability and into a future of sustainability and economic self-sufficiency.
While I’m stepping down from my full-time position of Director of Social Enterprise, I’ll continue on in a very part-time role as a social enterprise consultant. And, I’ll continue to learn and serve in this field as an Adese Fellow. My employment shift with the Mission Center will enable me to devote most of my work time to a new educational leadership role in healthcare.