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Superintendent Report - Mike Shields
2024 EFCA Central Superintendent’s Report
“The LORD is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
Welcome to the EFCA Central Leadership Conference. We are thrilled to serve the Lord Jesus alongside you!
You may have noticed that we talk a lot about the gospel. It is my commitment that the stronger we consider the clarity, boldness, compassion, and humility of the gospel, the more life-giving each of our churches will become. There is no replacement for the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Our communities are desperate for hope, and a life-giving church is life-altering, for the community.
We will continue to have as our mission “A Life-Giving Church Withing Driving Distance of Every Person in our EFCA Central.” As we wait upon the return of our Lord, we continue to boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel to a needy world.
In 2023, our Leadership Conference theme was Gospel Clarity. If we don’t get the gospel right, not much else really matters. In 2024, our Leadership Conference theme was Gospel Boldness. We are called to be bold witnesses of Jesus Christ to a needy world. This year our theme is Gospel Compassion. The outflow of a gospel focused church is manifested in gospel compassion. Without compassion we speak truth, without grace. The churches in EFCA Central who are committed to these four indicators of a life-giving church are seeing exciting things take place as the Holy Spirit works in and through the people who attend. Where there is a lack of outflow of the gospel to the community through evangelism and compassion, often an inward and less fruitful church is the result.
We are praying the Lord of the harvest will send forth more laborers to work in his church. There are many communities throughout the four states we serve, who need a strong gospel witness nearby. Our priorities are helping to build life-giving, gospel focused, churches through both church revitalization and church planting.
Some Happenings in 2024
- Larry Austin has fully moved into retirement in 2025: He has been an amazing part of our team for many years and loved by our pastors and leaders. We are so thankful for the time and leadership he gave to so many with wisdom and grace. I’m so thankful for the humility and skill that Larry led with in so many strategic areas throughout EFCA Central.
- Mike Coffman has joined our EFCA Central team: In November of 2024 Mike joined our team as Director of Ministry Advancement. He has hit the ground running and although his expertise in helping churches is being utilized in many varied ways, his most significant contribution will be to help us build the infrastructure for a fruitful church planting ministry, managing the church planting initiative, and building the structure for pastoral residencies throughout the district.
- Carl Johnson and our Church Planting Initiative: Carl was an incredible blessing in the year he was able to jump start our exciting church planting initiative. In 2024 we were able to give our first grant of $15,000 to a church plant with the hope of many more to come in 2025 and beyond. Travel across our vast district took a toll on this dear servant and he decided that he could no longer continue in the role. We are thankful for this dear servant and the lives he touched as he ministered with us.
- Hidden Acres: The ministry of Steve Pinkley and his team at Hidden Acres for gospel influence and coming alongside our churches to provide a great place for you to encounter Jesus, has been such a joy to see. Every year there are many new commitments to Christ, dedications, and life decisions made by those who attend the camp. Hidden Acres continues to be the most exciting camping and family ministry assisting the local church, that I have ever witnessed in my time of pastoral and other leadership ministry. We encourage you to give generously to and help at Hidden Acres as you are able. They are a tremendous partner to our local churches.
- Writing Project: Several churches in EFCA Central have been asking for more information on Life-Giving Churches. Considering those requests, our Board of Directors asked me to take time this winter to write on the topic. The time of writing is concluded with edits to come. I’m looking forward to sharing some of the details from this dedicated time of prayer and writing that I believe can be helpful for any of our church leaders who long to have a more gospel focused, life-giving ministry.
Please let us know how we can come alongside you and your church to help in any way you need. We spend much time with pastoral transitions, elder training, church conflict and healing, church mission and vision discussions, and a myriad of other leadership related topics. We believe that our pastors and lay leaders are some of the best Christian leaders we have ever met and are positioned by God in each of our local churches to serve his purpose. Let us know how we can come alongside you and help in any way you need.
It is a joy serving Jesus with you,Michael ShieldsEFCA Central, Superintendent
EFCA Central Board Chairman - Brian D. Jones
I am pleased to have joined the EFCA Central Board of Directors in September following Mike Coffman’s resigned as Chairman after accepting a position with the EFCA Central staff. I have truly enjoyed serving the Lord with the men and women of EFCA Central in the past and look forward to continued service.
As we look forward to the coming year, endeavor with me to pray, contribute financially, and contribute your time and talents to the Ministry of EFCA Central. As we work together, we can strengthen our churches to truly be Life Giving Churches.
We are better together!
Sincerely,
Brian D. JonesDistrict Board Chairman
Director of Ministry Advancement - Mike Coffman
Here are the main initiatives I’ve been spending time on:
Church ResidenciesOne of the first-year goals for my role is to assist with the foundation and steps to help churches set up pastoral residencies in their churches, so as to train leaders for pastoral ministry and church planting. I’ve met with many of our pastors and have been asking them three questions. “What helped prepare you for your role?”; “What are the critical theological things a pastor needs to learn to be a good pastor?” and “How/where can they gain this knowledge.” The answers to their questions, in conjunction with additional research, are helping to shape this process.
Church Planting InitiativeAnother one of my goals is to help spread the word about how the district can come alongside our churches and encourage them to work together on planting more Life-Giving churches. Some churches will pray, some will send people, and some will give financially. Thanks to Carl Johnson’s initial work with connecting with 60 churches, the Lord has provided 28 pledges and over $130,000 towards our $250,000 goal.
Reach Global Crisis ResponseDave Clarke, from Hope Church in Dubuque, has answered the Lord’s call to serve as our EFCA Central Crisis Response Champion! Dave is in the process of recruiting team members and volunteers so “When a crisis creates a mission field, we’re there to share the love of Christ with those in need.” Ankeny Free graciously hosted a Crisis Response training with around 12 churches and 50 people in attendance!
Some additional priorities-Working closely with Mary Lou McDowell (Women in Leadership) & Brent Thomas (Reach Students)-Coming alongside our churches to help them with vision, staffing, structure, and safety teams -Helping with the flow of our events
In Christ,Mike Coffman
Associate Superintendent/ Northern Director of Church Planting - Mark Farran
Church MultiplicationThis year we were blessed with having three new church plants come into existence. Harvest Fellowship in Albia, IA, Risen Hope Church in Anamosa, IA, and Living Hope Church in Sioux Falls, SD all began worship services and meeting together as a congregation this year. I was blessed to be able to walk alongside these new churches as they came into existence.
In addition to these plants, I had many planning conversations with churches who are moving in the direction of church multiplication in the future. It is extremely exciting to see a congregation intentionally make plans to plant a church. We are blessed to have several congregations moving in this direction.
Serving ChurchesOver four months of this year I served at Grace Church in Mason City, IA as a part-time interim pastor. This commitment entailed preaching twice a month, encouraging and working with the staff team, and offering assistance to the elder board. These 4.5 months were a joy and blessing for me to be allowed to serve the wonderful congregation and staff team.
I also was blessed to be able to lead several vision workshops with elder teams, consult with churches on bylaw revisions, and assist many churches in making their transition plans for retiring pastors. Serving churches and church leaders in these ways is one of my favorite things in my role.
Assist the DBOMS TeamThis year I was blessed to officiate seven ordination services. It was a joy to celebrate with these pastors and honor their dedication and discipline to continue growing in their understanding of God’s Word. I also had the opportunity to be a part of several ordination and ministry license councils learning the roles of moderator and scribe. I was blessed to serve alongside the DBOMS team in these ways.
Pastoral CareOne aspect of my role I always enjoy is getting to just sit down for lunch or coffee with our pastors. I know the role can be isolating and lonely. It can be difficult to not have people to process ministry and life’s hardships with. I am blessed that God allows me to be able to come alongside and care for pastors in the EFCA Central. Always feel free to reach out!
Thank you all so much for the privilege of serving in my role. It is a joy to serve in EFCA Central with you all!
In Christ,Mark Farran
Associate Superintendent (South), Multiplication Team Leader - Todd Brooks
Todd Brooks
As I conclude my fifth year on the EFCA Central team, I am filled with encouragement and gratitude for being a part of such a remarkable team. Watching our Lord at work across our churches fills me with awe and inspiration.
Looking Back
-Serving our congregations
I continue leading our EFCA credentialing systems with Jamie Farran and the other members of DBOMS. We continue to see a flood of interest among pastors and other ministry leaders in taking steps to obtain an EFCA credential. Processing the high volume would not have been possible without Jamie deploying her talents and energy in the skillful management of our credentialing systems.
In the realm of assisting congregations with their pastor search process, we are thrilled to celebrate three outstanding hires in the southern region of EFCA Central, as churches have successfully concluded lead pastor calls. Currently, we have three active lead pastor searches underway, with another one set to commence within the next twelve months. I have thoroughly enjoyed acquiring the skills and experience necessary to serve our churches with greater effectiveness in this area.
I derive immense satisfaction from providing care and pulpit supply, whether in emergencies or assisting churches in taking proactive steps toward health and cultivating a “live giving” identity. It is an honor to serve elder and staff teams, empowering them to embrace the truth that Jesus loves His church, and we have every reason to anticipate progress in our impact, even amidst formidable obstacles.Establishing New Congregations
I want to highlight some plants that have taken significant steps in the past year and encourage prayer as they journey toward future membership in EFCA Central:
Ken Sidey of Risen Hope Church, Anamosa, IA, Brad Wos of Ambassador City Church, St. Louis, MO, and Dan Montgomery of Living Hope EFC, Sioux Falls, SD, completed Multiply Training together, where we worked on developing key competencies needed to launch a fruitful church, pursuing growth through their local harvest field.
I am honored to work with Columbia Mission Church, Columbia, MO, a Burmese congregation led by Pastor George Tluanga. The church has a warm and inviting spirit and is especially effective at reaching the next generation, beginning with the children of Myanmar immigrants. I have been coaching Pastor George as he progresses in preparing the plant to become an EFCA Central member church.
Mark Farran and I represent EFCA Central as part of ReachNetwork, the church planting ministry of the EFCA. We collaborate with leaders from various districts across the EFCA to encourage and empower church planting across America. A specific aspect of my responsibilities involves leading the ReachNetwork grant process, which awards matching grants to EFCA church plants. In 2024, one of our EFCA Central plants successfully received a grant through this process. ReachNetwork is undergoing restructuring to enhance its impact across the nation and EFCA Central. This restructuring is expected to be completed by the EFCA One conference in June 2025.
Looking Ahead
-Celebrating a New Church Plant
Hope Alive Hot Springs Village, located in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, is set to launch this spring. Led by Levan Hubbard, a current staff member at Village Bible Church (the sending church) in Hot Springs Village. The leadership of VBC encouraged Levan to take this step of faith and establish a new daughter church with a fresh emphasis on outreach and discipleship. As of February, a core group of more than thirty has come together to be part of this new endeavor.
New Affiliated Churches on the HorizonThree churches in Missouri are at different stages of discerning the Lord’s will for their membership in EFCA Central. Because the leadership of these churches needs to be able to control how communication with the congregations is executed, I will not list these opportunities while inviting prayer for discernment for these leaders and congregations as they chart a course for their future. Each would be a significant Life-Giving church should the Lord lead that way.Trusting God for a Culture that Multiplies of Life-Giving ChurchesIt’s often said that “culture eats strategy every time.” I’ve come across a helpful definition of culture: “People like us do things like this.” As EFCA Central staff, we trust God for a culture where people like us build and multiply Life-Giving congregations because that’s what people like us do. When a culture is established, whether for good or ill, it functions like a flywheel, carrying momentum forward. We want to focus on adding energy to this cultural flywheel. I believe a few high-impact initiatives that will contribute to this momentum are: 1) establishing pastoral and planter development residences, 2) assisting congregations in enhancing their disciple-making impact, and 3) sharpening the leadership skills and mindset of our pastors and lay leaders. Let’s pray together as we trust God for significant progress in each of these areas.
It is a blessing to serve in this role, and I look forward to seeing how God blesses our churches in the year ahead as we trust him for Life-Giving Churches within driving distance of every person in EFCA Central.
Grace & Peace,Todd Brooks
Women in Ministry Leadership - Mary Lou McDowell
My role officially began on March 1, 2023. During the first two years, my team and I have seen God at the heart of this ministry as we’ve focused on our mission – “to equip women in ministry leadership or those preparing to serve in ministry leadership to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ: reproducing disciples, growing as leaders, and developing their spiritual gifts.”
I am grateful for a team of dedicated leaders who serve not only in their own churches, but also actively on the equipping team— planning, leading, teaching, and speaking. We are a very diverse team of women in several seasons of life, marital status, family make-up, and ministry vocations. The current team is: Kayla Biegler, Faith Block, Judie Colyer, Samantha Frykholm, Coco Janzen, Laura Rife, and Laura Santiamagro. We appreciated the participation of Debi Lydic as a founding member of the team and who retired last summer.
Over the past two years, our annual event cycle has become more formalized although we would like to add more specialized workshops in the future.
2024 schedule included
- The District Conference – we hosted the women’s luncheon and Gloria Grell, the Director of EFCA Prepared. She spoke at the luncheon and the afternoon intensive on The Theology of Women in the Church. The Equipping Team spoke at the Tuesday morning intensive on Discipling Women thru Deconstruction.
- Periodic Zoom calls where all of our contacts were invited. Our topics included: “Dealing with Challenging People in Ministry” and “New Life for Women’s Ministry – Rekindling the Fire.”
- Spring Equipping Workshop in Springfield, MO at the Springs Church for women in Missouri and Arkansas. This workshop focused on disciple making and learning to study the Bible.
- Fall Equipping workshop on evangelism at Hidden Acres. More than 50 women attended this workshop held before the annual women’s retreat.
- In addition, the Equipping Team as well as other women in EFCA Central are involved in several different EFCA courses as well as credentialing preparation. This includes Gateway, Pathways, and Prepared. Several women are coaching students in the Prepared program in EFCA Central as well as other parts of the country.
Goals for 2025
- Expand our social media to include Instagram.
- Begin connection with women in other EFCA district leadership positions, possibly through 2025 EFCA One.
- Spring workshop in Springfield, MO at the Springs Church. The theme is “Go Bold” and uses the Cojourners material from CRU for our study material.
- Periodic Zoom calls with discussion topics. The first one of the year is on cliques, small groups, and connecting women within the church.
- Fall Equipping workshop at Hidden Acres focused on discipling new believers.
I am very grateful for the support of the EFCA Central staff. It appears there are only four other districts with women in similar positions to mine and my team knows how appreciative the women of the EFCA Central churches are for the resources that have been made available to them. The team is enjoying watching how God is working in women’s hearts and minds for future ministry. We’re thankful to the EFCA National Office as well as EFCA Central for their support and encouragement and look forward to expansion of EFCA Central Women in Ministry Leadership in the future.
Mary Lou McDowellDirector of Women in Ministry Leadership
Regional Health Coach - Larry Austin
2024 was a year of good relational fruit. I continued offering Zoom based equipping cohorts to pastors. Living & Leading Well was designed to help pastors develop habits to live and lead in a more God directed and powered way. I have found that book discussion groups are a catalyst to engage pastors in honest, heart level conversations. I used The Unwavering Pastor by Jonathan Dodson with four separate groups over the past two years. The book was a gateway for candid sharing, peer care, and prayer for one another. This fall I gathered pastors from the August Soul Care Retreat for conversations around the book The Art of Stability by Rusty McKie. This book and the related exercises helped pastors find stability in chaotic times through their union with Christ. Without question, these cohorts were the best investments I have made in 2024.
A “big rock” goal for 2024 was partnering with Pastor Serve—a ministry with a twenty-five-year track record of caring for pastors—on a Soul Care Retreat. This event came together after the EFCA Central budget was already approved. That meant raising the needed funds to secure the facilitators from Pastor Serve and provide discounted accommodations and meals for participants. God provided the needed resources through a collection of small gifts and the support of four anchor donors including Hidden Acres. The August 19-21 retreat at the camp was all we prayed it would be! The seasoned leadership of the team from Pastor Serve combined with the open hearts of the men called to the retreat made these days an experience of soul care. Thanks be to God!
A second goal for 2024 was the development of a learning management platform where I could steward decades of equipping resources in disciple making, spiritual formation, and leadership development for the benefit of local churches. It was a big undertaking, but I found the right partner—a professional LMS developer and marketer who is gifting her services to this project. Live2LeadWell.com will be a platform where leaders can find resources for self-paced learning as well as cohorts with coaching for personal and leadership growth. My vision is that Live2LeadWell will be a place to give EFCA Central pastors a platform for equipping and coaching in areas where Jesus is bearing fruit in their ministries.
What lies ahead? People have asked what I will be doing after retirement. I will continue to serve Jesus in the context of the local church. I have opportunities to write. I will continue to develop and curate content at Live2LeadWell. I intend to enjoy the friendships built in my years of service both through EFCA Central and the local church. Of course, my family will benefit from my time as an intentional husband, father, and grandfather.
The most effective disciple makers are “alongsiders.” Thank you for the opportunity to walk alongside you in the work of the gospel the last sixteen plus years. I am grateful for your trust. I give thanks to God for the many that prayed, encouraged, and financially supported the ministry of church and pastoral health. Glory to God!
Central District ReachStudent Director - Brent Thomas
In 2025, despite a last-minute health cancellation by the scheduled speaker, we were immensely challenged by our very own Mark Farran, who stepped in and delivered an impactful series of messages. Deep gratitude goes to JD Abell and his team for flawlessly executing all elements of the conference, and to Jamie Farran and her boys for efficiently handling registration tasks.
Among others, special thanks are due to Nick Burgus, Ryan Smith, Travis Holton (Apex Missions), Isaac Reine, Matthew Peterson, Jonathan Anderson, Rob Sanders, Chris Akers, and the Ames EFC band for their significant contributions. Notably, this conference saw a growth of 5% in participation, with a total of 790 attendees in 2025.
Winterblast Middle School Retreats (3 weekends in February)The Winterblast Middle School Retreats take place over three weekends in February at Hidden Acres Christian Center.
In 2024 the theme was ‘The One-Anothers’ and the speakers were Bill Allison and Heather Flies. We were privileged to have Brandon Early and Greg Speck as our speakers in 2025 (theme: Follow). Their messages were both inspiring and transformative for all who attended.
We extend our sincere appreciation to Joe Budish, Jeremy Nelson, and Collin Frederich and his band, Dane Fontana from Valley Church, the Indianola Community Church band, the Hope Church of Dubuque band, and the Stonebridge Church band. Thanks are also due to the numerous weekend event coordinators and the support of Valley Church, along with the exceptional staff at Hidden Acres Christian Center.
Training and Networking LeadersIn our ongoing efforts to support and empower youth leaders, we have heavily invested in creating more regional monthly youth leader networks. Special thanks to Pete Younker, who leads approximately 10 youth pastors in the NW region of Iowa. The North Central Iowa network enjoys close-knit relationships, as does the East regional network. These networks are pillars of support, fostering prayer and the implementation of Jesus' priorities in their ministries.
They are diligently working through the Roadmap training from the EFCA. Additionally, Rob Sanders has been instrumental in leading the state-wide gatherings in Ames, where trainers are brought in to focus on specific disciple-making and youth ministry topics.
Once again, it is rewarding to partner with Rob Sanders as our RSCD Chairman. He keeps us grounded!
Looking ahead, we aspire to establish more area networks. Our ultimate goal is to Make Jesus Known and Talked About on Every Campus in our District through these regional networks. Our collective efforts as EFCA Central Churches continue to yield fruitful outcomes as we endeavor to expand and deepen our ministry reach to the next generation. We thank everyone for their unwavering dedication and support throughout 2024 and into 2025.
Brent ThomasRSCD Director
Hidden Acres Camp Director - Steve Pinkley
I have a sign hanging in the Welcome Center that says “Overwhelm with Excellence.” As I train our full-time staff, I have really focused in on excellence. I truly believe that if our staff strives for excellence in their daily tasks and interactions, then our guests will have a good experience and will be able to quiet down the noise of life. It’s then that we can accomplish our mission, having provided “a place set apart to encounter Jesus!”
I hope your recent experiences with Hidden Acres have left a good impression on you. Three areas where we are striving to overwhelm with excellence this year are in our Summer Camp program, in our Education Programs, and in two renovation projects. I hope you enjoy this short update from Hidden Acres! Summer Camp ReviewSummer Camp 2024 – WORTHY – was a blast! We hired 180 summer staff to serve and lead in different capacities, from kitchen and horse barn staff to cabin counselors. These high school and college students served 3,728 campers (295 of which were part of our traveling Day Camp program). Each day our staff and campers encountered Jesus through chapel services, personal testimonies, cabin devotions, Bible studies, and discipleship. By the end of the summer, we had 248 campers share that they put their trust in Jesus for the first time. Another 173 campers decided to rededicate their life to Jesus. Praise God!
We are busy gearing up for the next summer camp season. This year’s theme is Wilderness, and we’ll lead campers through daily studies centered on the Israelites and their wilderness journey in Exodus. We want each boy and girl to know that if you place your faith in Jesus, He will free you from slavery to sin, guide you through life’s struggles, and lead you to eternal life. We want them to know that God promises to be with us at every stage of our journey and that “God is with you in the Wilderness.” Please join us in praying for a transformational summer and pray that both our campers and staff can grow and be encouraged.
Education ProgramsHidden Acres also seeks to equip and build into the lives of young adults through two educational programs. Project Path (formerly The Ministry School) is a nine-month program for college-age students. We’ve retooled the program for the 2025-2026 school year so that each program member chooses one of two tracts. Choosing an Educational tract will set a student up with online classes through Emmaus College, and they will serve in various departments when they are not completing schoolwork. Choosing the new Vocational tract will give young men and women the opportunity to gain full-time workplace experience at Hidden Acres. Both groups of students will live together and enjoy Bible studies and life-skills class with our Gap Year leaders, Jesse & Nichole Evans. You can learn more about this program here.
The Residency is our one-year graduate degree program. It’s designed for college graduates and allows them to receive a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership (from Southwest Baptist University) or Christian Leadership (from Anchor Christian University). Since starting The Residency three years ago, we have had seven Residency students. Five of those students have landed in full-time ministry (four of them are now serving in EFCA churches)! Learn more about the Residency here.
We are currently accepting applications for both programs and have already accepted a few students for this fall. Please pray that the young men and women who attend these two programs are strengthened in their walk with Christ and find direction for the future while they are with us.
Development Campaign Projects
Airnasium UpdateIn last year’s report, we introduced EFCA Central to 2024’s development project: The Airnasium. Our staff had dreamed of a large, indoor-outdoor worship space that functioned any time of year. That’s a lot of boxes to check! Through many generous individual and church donations and two successful fundraising events, we met our $850,000 goal. The majority of construction was finished in May 2024 and the building was dedicated as the Chris Clark Airnasium in September 2024. Since opening the Airnasium, we’ve held chapel services for a group of 1,200 college students and catered the sound system to work whether the large garage doors were open or closed. We have used the building’s A/C on hot 90°F days during Summer Camp and turned on the furnace for 20°F January days at our recent Men’s Retreat. All of the boxes were checked, and we’re excited to see how we can use this space to glorify God in the coming years.
2025 ProjectsSome projects, like the Airnasium, are going to be fun and exciting to present to the public. Other projects, like infrastructure updates, are harder to market and fund. Going into this year’s fundraising season, we chose to focus our efforts on two important infrastructure projects and are trusting God to provide the necessary funding.
The first project is a renovation of the Family Life Center’s pool area. The pump room needs new equipment, and the deck around the swimming pool needs to be replaced. We chose this project to revitalize one of our most popular program areas. We also realized that our aging equipment and flooring could soon fail an inspection, and we wanted to prevent a state shutdown. The work at the pool has already begun, and the projected cost is $350,000.
The other project is an expansion of the camp’s sewage lagoon. Our current lagoon is too small to support the number of guests Hidden Acres sees on an annual basis. Any mitigation efforts are costly and don’t solve the problem in the long run. We’ve been working with engineering firm Snyder & Associates and the Iowa DNR to design and approve a larger evaporation pond that can serve the camp for many years. Without an active plan and visible progress, the Iowa DNR could choose to shut down the entire camp. We’re thankful that efforts are moving forward and that ground work is scheduled to start as early as this spring. We will need $500,000 to cover this project and, again, we’re trusting in God’s provision.
These two development projects add up to an $850,000 need. We kicked off fundraising with our annual Giving Tuesday Telethon via social media, and through that event we raised $208,000. As I write this report, we are a few weeks away from our second major fundraising event, a Gala & Auction night. Our goal for that event is to raise another $150,000. We are still hopeful that church and individual giving throughout the rest of the year will help bridge the gap.
Thank you again for all your support. Please stop by our booth to get some delicious treats and visit with our staff about the different ministries of Hidden Acres. It’s a pleasure to serve you and EFCA Central.
Westhaven Community Executive Director - Jordan Wineinger
Westhaven Community "A Ministry of the Evangelical Free Church" strives to be a premier Christ-centered facility with an emphasis on each individual's spiritual care. Westhaven Community is dedicated to providing our residents the highest practicable quality care and services that allows each individual to feel loved and comfortable in a clean, homelike environment. We offer a holistic approach in which each resident will be treated with dignity, respect and sensitivity to his/her individual needs as a whole person.
Our story began in 1912 with the construction of a small two story building. The Free Church in Boone donated the site, the local chamber of commerce contributed $5,000 and money was gathered from our churches. Today, over 100 years later we are thriving retirement community with a 100 bed nursing facility, an assisted living, and independent living apartments.
Pastor Bryan Latchaw continues to lead our spiritual mission of supporting our residents. We also continue to support other ministries around the World with the help of resident and family donations. Some of these include supporting 3 orphans in the Congo, the purchase of Bibles, EFCA Central district, ministries in Liberia and Guinea, etc. This past year we also completed an HVAC renovation in our chapel. This will allow us to continue our mission of providing spiritual care to our residents and a service every Sunday for our residents and guests.
Every 12-18 months nursing home facilities receive an inspection/audit from the Department of Inspections and Appeals. This past year Westhaven Community received a deficiency free survey. This marks the second deficiency free survey in the past 3 years. Less than 5% of nursing homes in the nation receive a deficiency free survey. The average nursing home receives approximately 8.3 deficiencies per survey. This is a testament to the great staff and excellent care they provide on a daily basis.
A major project this past year was the completion and upgrade of our new website. A new fresh design that will help us reach and connect with those we intend to serve. Westhaven also has a very active social media presence with our Facebook page.
The nursing home industry faces many challenges such as Medicaid funding shortfalls, staffing shortages, and new mandates from the government and CMS. At Westhaven Community we continue to meet those challenges and succeed at a time where many are struggling. We are blessed to have some of the best and most loyal staff. We also continue to receive an abundance of support from the EFCA Central district, our community, and the families of those we provide care to on a daily basis.
Here at Westhaven Community we take great pride in providing the best quality of care to our residents and their families. We have developed a great reputation for high standards of care, and we look to maintain and improve upon that within our local community. With God guiding us we will continue our mission and vision into the future.