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MAF Considering Move to IDAHO
By YSABEL BILBAO / KTVB Newschannel 7
NAMPA -- Mission Aviation Fellowship, a non-profit aviation organization, will decide whether to move its operation from California to either the Nampa or Caldwell airport in the next six months, organization representatives said earlier this week.
Mission Aviation Fellowship plans to move to Nampa or Caldwell within the next six months.
"They were very interested in having a community that is receptive to what they do," said Tim Cowles, president of the local chapter, Idaho friends for Mission Aviation Fellowship.
The group, which roughs it in the Congo, flies all around Africa and helps those in need wherever they can, announced earlier this week that they had picked Idaho over a number of other possible relocation sites. The group has been using the back country of Idaho for training for more than 20 years.
Seventy-five of the groups' employees are expected to move with the headquarters, Cowles said. The move will cost the non-profit, non-denominational group $5 million, but with rising workman's compensation and health care costs in California, it is expected to save the missionaries money over time.
Along with costs, Idaho's steep mountains and back country provide good terrain to practice flying.
"They fly all throughout the back country," Cowles said. "The shorter the better. The steeper the better."
The group will pay thousands of dollars in airport fees on top of monthly rent to the airport that they chose.
"[The decision of whether to move to Nampa or Caldwell] will be made in the next six months," Cowles said. "They've been really well received in both places."
According to the organization, there is a possibility that jobs will be made available with the move, but they will looking for community volunteers first to help get their missions off the ground.
Mission Aviation Fellowship Announces Relocation to Idaho
REDLANDS - USA
October 13 , 2004
For all of its 60-year history, the headquarters of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) called Southern California “home.” However, the rising cost of living and of conducting business in So Cal recently led the international ministry to conduct an extensive relocation study.
After carefully reviewing and evaluating the months-long study conducted by the MAF relocation task force, the MAF Board of Directors announced today its unanimous decision to relocate the organization’s headquarters to the Boise, Idaho area. The move is targeted to take place in the July-August 2005 timeframe.
The confirmation of the relocation decision was announced to the Redlands staff earlier today during the ministry’s weekly chapel and via email to the staff overseas. MAF President, Kevin Swanson, affirmed the Lord’s hand in this process, “The ministry of MAF stands to be significantly enhanced by positioning our headquarters and home staff in a more economical location. This move will reduce headquarters overhead significantly and will provide added opportunities to expand the ministry in the places that God has called us to serve.”
It is significant that this decision was announced in a chapel service dedicated to a group of new missionaries to be commissioned next week for service overseas. The majority of the staff at the MAF headquarters has indicated that they will relocate with the organization. A relocation director and committee will be appointed soon to facilitate the move. Some major benefactors to the ministry have expressed an interest in providing financial assistance. A capital campaign will be initiated within the next two weeks.
Mission Aviation Fellowship multiplies the effectiveness of the Church worldwide by using aviation and other strategic technologies to overcome barriers in reaching the world for Christ. Serving the needs of the poor and the isolated in some of the world’s most remote and inaccessible regions, MAF operates a fleet of 62 aircraft throughout 16 countries of Africa, Asia, Eurasia, and Latin America. Each year, MAF flies some 3.2 million miles in remote regions of the world in support of nearly 600 missions, Christian organizations, and NGOs. In addition to flight services, MAF provides communications services to isolated areas worldwide including e-mail, HF/VHF radios, internet access, and networking solutions as well as distance education.
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