OUTREACH INTERNATIONAL NAMES NEW PRESIDENT

 Naylor has been serving Outreach International as Director of Development since early 2002, when he joined the organization as part of its Board of Director’s strategic move to develop its executive leadership team. Prior to that time, he was president of the Australia region of Community of Christ. In that role he brought leadership to all ministerial and welfare activities of the church. Dr. Naylor has also served on boards and as chairman of various national charities in Australia.

Naylor has served the church as a full-time minister for more than eighteen years, and has broad experience in church leadership. In addition to his previous role as president of the Australia region, Matt’s responsibilities have included pastor, district president of the church in Chicago, Illinois, and founder of a family ministry center in Western Australia. He has served on various World Church committees, led seminars and workshops in many areas of the church and contributed to articles and chapters of various publications.

"It is an honor to serve as the new president of Outreach International in this important time in history," said Naylor. "The world situation is more fragile these days, making the work of Outreach International even more critical."

"I helped to establish Outreach International in the 1970s," said Dr. Higdon. "I did so because I believed that people should not have to face the ravages of poverty day in and day out. It’s been good to serve in recent years as president and see the progress that has been made." Higdon added that he was pleased with the selection of Matt Naylor as the next president of the organization. "I am confident in the leadership that Matt will bring," said Higdon, "and believe Outreach International will continue to grow with continuing support of donors and other partners around the world."

Outreach International has been effectively working among the poor since 1979. "I am excited about the future of Outreach International," said Naylor. "The organization has twenty-five years of deep experience in developing sustainable solutions to poverty. My commitment will be to find ways in which we can share the experience of responsible development work with other organizations and grow so we can offer our expertise to more communities around the world." Naylor is scheduled to assume the role of Outreach International President July 1, 2003.

Matt is married with three children, and presently resides in Blue Springs, Missouri. His wife, Tere, works as Assistant to the Dean at the Community of Christ Seminary in Independence. He holds a masters degree from the University of Sydney and a PhD from Curtin University, Western Australia.

About Outreach International

Outreach International is a human development organization with world headquarters in Independence, Missouri. For twenty-five years, the main focus of the organization’s mission has been to help the poor help themselves. Its purpose is to help people overcome the effects of poverty and develop the capacity to create a new future for themselves and for their community.

To accomplish this goal, the organization utilizes an approach called the Participatory Human Development Process™ . This methodology is designed to create sustainable solutions for aiding the poor. PHDP empowers those affected to participate in their own development. It promotes self-reliance and responsibility among the local population and gives them the tools needed to continue to solve their own problems into the future. The program is facilitated in the field by trained individuals indigenous to the countries in which they work.