by Joanna Bouck
“GOOD MORNING (or afternoon), Northern Canada Evangelical Mission.” That’s what you will hear when you call our Headquarters Office. Maybe you are wondering what we here at the Office will hear on the other end of the phone line?
Often people call in with their donation (by credit card) for NCEM’s General Fund, “Minute-Man” projects, Tribal Trails TV, Bible camps, or for a specific missionary’s support.
Sometimes our onsite departments (Tribal Trails, Printshop, Bookstore) are not able to take a call. Rather than leaving a message, people will prefer to chat with us in the main Office.
Some of the phone calls we receive give opportunity to listen to happenings in people’s lives, and to pray with them. For example, a call requesting an address change may have a personal story with it. The caller may have lost a loved one, and we sympathize.
Through phone calls, emails and letters, we get to know the donors of our missionaries and our NCEM ministries. When we see a cheque that has come in and needs extra attention (wrong date, unsigned, designation missing, etc.) we phone the donor, and that often includes a chat.
DETAILS, DETAILS …
… that we care about! We understand our need to be careful and consistent. For us, every month requires the same process: receipting donations and bookkeeping. Accuracy is key. We need to serve well our donors and our missionaries receiving their support.
Working in the Office shows us how human we are. We all make mistakes and sometimes fixing them is complicated. For example, sometimes receipts need to be changed when we receive information at a later date. In the Office we want to be accurate and consistent (and leave the “creative” work to our Tribal Trails or Printshop media missionaries!).
A very big present challenge for us in our Finance Department is that, as of December 1st, 2022, we are using a new bookkeeping system. Bob Laird, our Chief Financial Officer, is leading this massive change. All of our NCEM Bible camps and departments are now in the same system (which has great benefits), but there are a lot more accounts to use, and lots to learn! Also, there has been quite a bit of change in Office missionaries, and that requires training and learning.
Our purpose in the Office is to serve our missionaries well, getting things right for monthly payroll — the right deductions and ministry reimbursements, and a multitude of other tasks.
VISITS, VISITS …
Many NCEM friends and supporters have enjoyed visits to our Headquarters over the years. Tours usually start in our main Office, where there is a wall with photos of all of our missionaries, and a map showing where they serve. In our Printshop, visitors can see our printing equipment and, in our Bookstore, samples of materials we have produced. In our Tribal Trails building, usually a walk through the studio is the highlight.
Our ministries here at Headquarters may not seem to change much from month to month, and we may not always have our own exciting stories to tell in our prayer letters (which can be an extra challenge for our Headquarters missionaries raising their financial support).
However, we don’t focus on ourselves here. We seek to keep our field missionaries encouraged and equipped. It is a privilege to see our work being manifested in the lives of our fellow missionaries, and together we are watching God build His Church among the First Peoples of Canada.
David & Joanna Bouck served among the Inuit and Cree people of Arctic Quebec before joining HQ staff in 2016. Dave serves with Tribal Trails TV and facilities maintenance.
(from Northern Lights issue #562)