wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Lundeen resigns as head of Mission Initiative

[Deeanna Alford <dalford@CTR.PCUSA.ORG>]

 03279
July 10, 2003

 Lundeen resigns as head of Mission Initiative campaign

Top fundraiser accepts position at Hartford Seminary

By Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - Having already raised $6 million in just five months, Ron
Lundeen resigned July 8 as director of the Mission Initiative: Joining
Hearts and Hands - a five-year, $40 million effort to raise funds for
overseas mission personnel and new church developments for the Presbyterian
Church (USA).

 On September 15, Lundeen will leave the post he has held since February
of this year to teach and become vice president for advancement at Hartford
(CT) Seminary.

In an announcement to church leaders and staff, General Assembly Council
Executive Director John Detterick expressed "regret" at Lundeen's departure
but praised him for "giving us a tremendous start in this exciting campaign
and laying the foundation for its success."

The campaign was authorized by the 2002 General Assembly.

 Lundeen helped recruit the 18-member steering committee that is
overseeing the campaign, recruited a first-rate staff and secured almost 15
percent of the campaign goal.

At a steering committee meeting in May, Lundeen expressed disappointment
with the dearth of identified major donor prospects that greeted his
arrival on the job. However, enthusiastic responses to the campaign by
several presbyteries that expressed interest in tying it to their own
capital campaigns opened a new avenue of fundraising for the campaign.

 In June, steering committee co-chair Bill Saul of Long Beach, CA,
announced that Los Ranchos Presbytery had approved a $4.5 million campaign
in conjunction with the Mission Initiative.

Detterick said Mission Initiative officials are "in discussions about
options for the campaign leadership after Sept. 15." He said Lundeen has
agreed to continue to support the campaign as a volunteer after his move to
Hartford.

Lundeen could not be reached for comment.

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