wfn.org | ABCUSA: Schramm to Leave Position as ABCUSA Communication

["SCHRAMM, Richard" <Rich.Schramm@abc-usa.org>]

Director

American Baptist News Service (Valley Forge, Pa. 9/26/05)--Richard W.
Schramm, deputy general secretary for Communication and director of the
Office of Communication of American Baptist Churches USA, will leave
those positions Oct. 31.

Schramm will continue to relate as a consultant in communication as the
Office of the General Secretary begins a reorganization focused on
mission development.  "The restructuring comes as the result of the
recommendations of the consulting firm McConkey-Johnston, which has
produced a new ministry configuration to be called Mission and Resource
Development," said American Baptist Churches USA General Secretary the
Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley. "In the new configuration, World Mission Support
and Communication are being combined into one unit for maximum synergy
and reinforcement of each other's efforts.  This has resulted in a
change of positions to maximize the use of electronic media/web as our
primary communications tool."

The restructuring also will necessitate the departure on Oct. 31 of
David Chandler, associate director of the Office of Communication, and
Christopher Kearns, media assistant.

As deputy general secretary Schramm has overseen all media of the Office
of Communication, which is charged with providing news, reportage and
resources for the 1.5-million-member denomination.  Those media have
included American Baptists In Mission, the news and features
publication; press releases from the American Baptist News Service;
denominational identity materials, directories and calendars; and the
American Baptist Churches USA Web site (www.abc-usa.org), among others.

Schramm has served as the chief news spokesperson and media contact for
American Baptist Churches USA, and has had significant writing, editing
and organizational responsibilities for denominational media and events.
He has functioned as primary program staff and publicist for American
Baptist Churches USA Biennial Meetings.

A staff member of American Baptist Churches USA since 1973 and of the
Office of Communication since 1974, he served initially as director of
print media and implementation.  In 1986 he took on additional
responsibilities as director and chief writer for the American Baptist
News Service, in which position he expanded the scope and dissemination
of denominational news.

Schramm has held his current responsibilities since 1996.  In recent
years he has given particular attention to increasing reliance on
electronic media to communicate the American Baptist mission story
within the denomination, as well as ecumenically and through secular
news channels.

Over the past 15 years he has staffed the General Board Committee on
American Baptist Communication, which provides direction for official
denominational media and communication priorities.  He also has been a
member of the communication and news committees of the Baptist World
Alliance and National Council of Churches of Christ. He served as news
room director for the Baptist World Alliance Centennial Congress held
this July in Birmingham, England.

In 2000 Schramm brought together communication directors of the national
program boards and other American Baptist bodies to form the
Communication Council, which has worked to increase cooperation and
share expertise in projects and planning.  Over the past few years the
Council has initiated an unprecedented campaign which seeks to provide
greater effectiveness in media support of American Baptist identity.

Schramm also was instrumental in the planning and implementation of a
series of communication consultations involving national, regional,
institutional and local church communicators that was held between 1993
and 2000.

Schramm holds a B.A. degree in journalism from Eastern College and an
M.A. degree in English literature from Villanova University.

He is an active member and adult Sunday school teacher at Westgate
Baptist Church in Lancaster Pa.

In announcing that Schramm would be leaving his communication positions,
Medley said: ""Rich has had a long and wonderful ministry with the
denomination for which we are extremely grateful.  Furthermore, he has
exemplified on our staff the highest ideals of Christian discipleship
and service to Christ's church.  It is but one sign of that Christ-like
character that as we strategized the new configuration he advocated for
an alignment that eliminated his own position.	We will miss Rich's
contributions to our common life as a full-time staff, but we will
continue to enjoy his working with us as a consultant on key writing and
other projects."

K/2005ABNS/05ABN100

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (800)ABC-3USA
x2077 / (610)768-2077; fax: (610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org;
richard.schramm@abc-usa.org