PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN PCEA TUMUTUMU HOSPITAL
AND SOLANA BEACH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
UPDATED 2004
“Partnership is modeling the Kingdom of God by uniting with people different from ourselves. We do this by building relationships and collectively discerning how God would have us serve the world together.” Solana Beach Presbyterian Church Mission Committee
Because the PCEA Tumutumu Hospital and Solana Beach Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) believe that God has called us into a partnering relationship, our two communities have set down these principles and guidelines for our relationship.
Relationships:
The primary purpose of our partnership is to build relationships between Christians in Kenya and the United States. We believe that God has one worldwide family and that we are living out the call to be “one body.”
1. Each institution will maintain a Partnership Committee with a designated Chairman (or other appropriate title). These committees will be the formal paths of communication.
2. The Partnership Committees will work to foster a relationship between the two communities. This will include the exchange of e-mails, prayer requests, newsletters, reports, photographs, videos, committee minutes (where appropriate), etc. This will also include the exchange of visitors. While it will be more common for visitors from SBCP to go to Tumutumu, it is hoped that some visitors will continue to come from Kenya to the US.
3. Both Partnership Committees are “ambassadors” for the Hospital where they live. With God’s guidance, SBPC will work to draw other churches into relationship with Tumutumu Hospital and PCEA Tumutumu Hospital will work to further involve Kenyan congregations in their region in the work of the hospital. Both committees are committed to working to nurture relationships between congregations and the hospital.
4. We will encourage informal communication between our two communities. This communication will most likely come from friendships that are developed during visits.
5. Though informal relationships are to be encouraged, all decisions about plans and funding for the partnership will come through the committee structure. The Hospital Management Committee is responsible for setting the goals and priorities of the hospital and then will communicate them to SBPC.
6. We hope that there will not be any conflicts between our communities, but if such conflicts arise we agree to seek God’s direction. The Chairmen of the Tumutumu and the SBPC Partnership Committees will discuss any conflicts. If further guidance is needed, assistance in reaching a shared resolution will be sought from the Partnership Committees or from a designated mediator. The suggested mediators are the Very Rev. Bernard Muindi (PCEA) and Rev. Daniel Force (PCUSA).
Short Term Visits:
The primary aim of visits is to build relationships and enable individuals to experience and enjoy membership in the worldwide church.
Visitors from SBPC to Tumutumu:
1. Informal visitors from SBPC who are in Kenya and can stop by for a day will always be welcome at Tumutumu.
2. Short-term visitors will be welcome at the hospital. The goal of these visits is to build relationships; however, the hospital needs specific types of professional advice and assistance and will keep the SBPC Partnership Committee appraised of these needs. Some visitors will be able to provide the needed professional assistance while other visitors will help with the clerical and manual labor needs of the hospital.
3. All official team visits will be coordinated by the two partnership committees and will be welcomed by the Hospital Administrative Team.
4. Visitors to Kenya will be expected to follow the customs of Kenyan Christians. This includes modest dress, no consumption of alcohol and no smoking.
5. Visitors to Kenya will be expected to be sensitive to cultural issues. In particular, they should ask for guidance from the Hospital Administrative Team before taking photographs in the hospital and before giving gifts.
6. It is the intent of SBPC Partnership Committee that all official teams of visitors from SBPC to Tumutumu will go through a SBPC training process. This training will help them to learn the customs of Kenyan Christians and to be aware of important cultural differences between our two countries.
7. The SBPC Partnership Committee will attempt to speak to any informal visitor from SBPC that is stopping at Tumutumu while in Kenya. It is our desire that these informal visitors be given a briefing about the differences between our two cultures before they depart for Kenya. Some informal visitors may not contact the SBPC Partnership Committee before their visit. The SBPC Partnership Committee will give a letter of introduction to informal visitors from SBPC that have contacted the Partnership Committee and been briefed before going to Kenya.
8. SBPC does not want to overwhelm the Hospital with visits. SBPC teams will be limited to six people at one time. SBPC requests that the Hospital Administrative Team or Tumutumu Partnership Committee inform the SBPC Partnership Committee if the hospital is receiving too many visitors or if the visits need to be spread out.
Visitors from Tumutumu to SBPC:
1. SBPC will always welcome visitors from Tumutumu Hospital or from the PCEA. The goal of these visits is to build relationships, however, it is hoped that visitors from the hospital will speak to groups in our church and community.
2. All official team visits will be coordinated by the two Partnership Committees and will be welcomed by the SBPC Partnership Committee as well as the Missions Committee.
3. Visitors to America will be expected to follow the customs of American Christians. There are significant differences between our two cultures and visitors are requested to seek guidance from the SBPC Partnership Committee when necessary.
4. SBPC requests that any visitors from the hospital speak to a Kenyan who has been in the US so that our Kenyan guests are aware of the differences.
Joint Ministry Projects:
1. After a time of prayer, discussion and discernment, our two communities feel called to work jointly on the following needs of the hospital as funds become available:
a. Building up the Nursing School: This will include continuing the scholarships for nursing students as well as other activities in support of the new nursing curriculum.
b. Further development of the Hospital Library: Assistance in helping the hospital acquire the needed resources to strengthen the ministry of the library to the students, staff, patients and community.
c. Supporting specific needed staff training as identified and prioritized by the hospital leadership.
2. Twice each year, the SBPC Partnership Committee will communicate with the hospital about the available funds and any limitations placed by the donors on those funds. The Tumutumu Partnership Committee and the Hospital Management Committee will respond with a prioritized list of items that fit within the limitations of the available funds. The full cost of any project or purchase needs to be calculated before the project or purchase begins.
3. The SBPC Partnership Committee will be responsible for transferring money through the Medical Benevolence Foundation (MBF) and PCUSA in a timely manner so that the Hospital can meet it’s the financial commitments arising from jointly agreed upon projects.
4. The Tumutumu Partnership Committee will follow the MBF/PCUSA guidelines for reporting the money received and the money spent.
5. SBPC would like any projects to have a positive economic impact on the region around the hospital and requests that local labor be used and materials purchased from local vendors whenever appropriate.
The Future:
1. Once every three years the two Partnership Committees will spend time discussing and discerning what the Lord has next for our two communities and our partnership relationship.
2. Any future plans and projects will arise from the goals of the Hospital Management Committee.
3. Any current or future gifts to the hospital should be for projects that the Hospital Management Committee deems necessary and sustainable.
4. The Hospital acknowledges that SBPC is bound by American law that states that any gift given to SBPC for use at the hospital must be used for the purpose that the donor has stated. The SBPC Partnership Committee will work to inform donors of the needs of the hospital so that there is not a conflict between the designation of the donor and the usefulness of the gift to the hospital.