Due to an increasingly tight budget, Higher Education and Leadership Ministries regretfully has laid off a long-time employee.

Kathy Carson, Director of Program Services, has been with HELM since 1989. She has overseen programs such as the Student Ecumenical Partnership and the Seminarians Conference, and she served as the liaison with several ecumenical student ministry groups. Carson's departure will be effective at the end of the year.

"This is a very, very painful decision, but I could see no other choice," said HELM President Dennis Landon. "Kathy has poured heart and mind and soul into this ministry and has given exemplary leadership to the Student Ecumenical Partnership Team, our ecumenical student ministry relationships, and the Disciples Seminarians' Conference, among other programs. All of these programs will continue to be led by HELM staff. We are absolutely committed to our ministry to and with students and to our ecumenical ties as part of our overall mission to nurture transforming leaders for the church.

"Sad as this moment is, we are determined to continue and extend our ministry despite the funding challenges faced by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."

Naturally, Carson regrets the move but is looking ahead to other ways she will continue her ministry.

"While helping HELM through this transition time, I will continue working with CREDO, the campus ministry organization that serves the colleges and universities in the St. Louis area," Carson said. "There are always opportunities to minister through my home congregation, Webster Groves Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."

Like nearly every other general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), HELM has experienced a long-term decline in funding from the Disciples Mission Fund, which is funded by congregational offerings.

"As giving to the church declined and income from our investments reflected a depressed market over the past few years, HELM has significantly increased our income from individual donors and has relied in part upon reserve funds to support basic operations - programming staff, facilities, and so on," Landon said. "To continue in this manner would not display wise stewardship. We have succeeded in developing new sources of funding, but not yet enough to avoid making this difficult choice."

HELM will now have four full-time employees in its St. Louis office.

HELM is the general ministry of the church that nurtures leadership by helping students discover how they will change the world. HELM works in partnership with Disciples congregations, higher education institutions, and campus ministry programs, including cooperative efforts with local congregations.