ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
Pastor Lon Larson
January 18, 1998
Dear Friends,
We live in times when the Church is both ignored and revered. We meet people who have no background in the Church; and yet among the same crowds, there are people for whom God is right at the center of their lives. There's no way to generalize about the place of the Spirit in today's world.
For this reason, the work of the Church is all the more demanding. Outreach involves welcoming people who have no religious background, and who need gentle nurture in the basics of the faith. But it also has to do with opening doors to people who have much knowledge of the Bible, and have very high expectations with regard to the Spiritual disciplines.
That being the case, it's all the more reason why our focus at Family of Christ needs to be on God alone. It is Jesus Christ, and He alone, who is able to encounter people with such vastly different needs. Programs are probably the least likely to fill this need. Personal relationships are much more powerful than programs, but still fall short. The work and mission of the Church makes sense only when Christ is at the center. This has been, and will continue to be, the prime focus of our ministry together in this place.
Just a word about the 'spirit' of Family of Christ. It is nothing short of a miracle to see the kind of faithfulness, commitment and joy that is so apparent among the members. After what might be described as a 'near-death experience' earlier in the year, it is heartening , even amazing to see the kind of quiet confidence and light-hearted optimism that prevails. Difficult situations have been addressed. Dreams and goals have been amended. Personal hurt and disagreement has been dealt with in firm and fair ways. Much hard work was done. Much good work continues in the direction of rebirth and renewal. No promises need to be made about the future. That's in God's hands. Our job is simply to move forward, devoting our lives to prayer, fellowship and service..... one day at a time.
God says, "Keep it simple!". With this in mind, we approach the future. With the help of God, we shall continue to be a light for Christ in the darkness of this world. Flowery language? Maybe. But true, none the less. Bolstering membership roles and meeting financial budgets make sense only in light of our larger calling to be the voice and arms and hands and heart of Jesus Christ in this community.
It is not an accident that we are here. With congregations, both small and large, on all sides of us, we might be inclined to think of ourselves as just one more Lutheran 'option'. Not true. We are here for a purpose. We are called to bring the message of God's love AS ONLY FAMILY OF CHRIST CAN DO! This is not grounds for boasting. Rather, it is the calling that pulls us forward. This group has been given vitality and life... for a reason. God has called us from 'nothing' for a specific ministry in this place and time. This divine mystery is the backdrop for all that we do.
Charting the course for our future demands faithfully listening to God. But it also demands tolerance, respect, love and honesty among us. If we can't be honest with one another, our ministry is going nowhere. If we are not loving and caring of each other, our so-called 'honesty' only adds to the problem. Justice without mercy leaves us all bleeding and disabled. Mercy without justice renders us immobile and detached. With God's help, we shall aim to retain a firm grip on both truth and love. It happends in strong marriages; it can be found at work between caring parents and responsive kids; so it shall be for us at Family of Christ. 'Keeping our eye on Jesus' means telling 'telling the truth in love'.
This is not only a 'new start' for Family of Christ. But so it is for my family and me. We are deeply grateful for your love, acceptance and caring. In so many ways, this time of transition has been a true and lovely 'gift' for Margaret, Anna, Abby and myself. We are so thankful that God has called us here, to share with you in the work He has blessed. May this New Year be guided by His light, and lived out together in His love.
Sincerely,
Lon Larson, pastor
FAMILY OF CHRIST ANNUAL CONGREGATION MEETING
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Table of Contents
Letter from Bishop Mark Hanson ................................. page 1
Letter from Pastor Lon Larson ................................. page 2
Preside nt's Annual Report - Terry Lind ........................ page 4
Statement of Revenues and Expenses - Brad Nylund ............ page 7
Membership Statistics .......................................... page 8
Financial Committee Report - Bill Hope ........................ page 9
Stewardship Committee Report - Bill Hope ................... page 9
Worship Committee Report - Doris Peterson ................... page 10
Youth Committee Report - Ken Davidson ........................ page 11
Education Committee Report - Anne Hipple ...................... page 12
Outreach Committee Report - Pam Berger ...................... page 13
Social Concerns Committee Report - Sherry Goodman ......... page 14
Parish Fellowship Report - Glenda Lind ........................ page 15
Operations Committee Report - Bill Goodman .................. page 16
PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL REPORT
Submitted by Terry Lind
When I think about the passing year, 1997, a famous Charles Dicken's quote that begins the novel A Tale of Two Cities comes to mind: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". This year was truly a year of greatness - a year of great challenges and also a year of great successes. In this president's report I would like to give you a summary of all the events, changes, challenges and successes that unfolded during 1997.
1. In late December '96 and early January '97, in order to better reflect and respond to the needs of Family of Christ, the council was restructured, reducing the membership from 17 to 9, and the service term length from 3 to 2 years. The constitution was also changed, to make the pastor a non-voting member of the council and to reform the Staff Support Committee into a more viable Personnel Committee. These changes were approved at a congregational meeting in early January.
2. In early Spring, the congregation participated in a brainstorming meeting to formulate and develop immediate goals for the year, and to elicit membership to these goal committees. The goals were:
* Successfully complete the process of calling a new pastor.
* Expand opportunities for our youth.
* Develop and administer a needs assessment of what was important to the congregation.
* Deal with the financial challenges of the chruch.
* Expand our efforts in the Outreach area.
3. The Outreach Committee, under the leadership of Pam Berger and Julie Berg, initiated a new visitor's program, which included visitor packets, a formal process developed for follow-up contacts with new families, and new member classes. As a result, membership at Family of Christ has steadily increased since late summer.
4. A Family of Christ Church Profile and Needs Assessment was developed and completed by the congregation to determine our wants, needs and desires. The resulting data was used to build a profile of who we were as a congregation and also as an aid to help the Call Committee in the call process.
5. In April, with the assistance of Bill Hope, a very successful stewardship pledge drive was conducted which culminated on Consecration Sunday with a 43% increase in pledging.
6. Regarding the mortgage challenges, the council worked closely with Bishop Mark Hanson and with Philip Roe of the ELCA Mission Investment Fund to successfully restructure the mortgage payments to a more manageable level.
7. In an effort to reduce costs in other areas, the council regretfully, but necessarily eliminated the paid position of church secretary in July. It was hoped that this action would be only short-term.
8. In May, Lyle Eidelbes and Richard Mork, ELCA Mission Support Director, successfully applied for and received a financial support commitment from the
ELCA, for a three year period starting February 1998.
9. Chaired by Brian Knoch, the Call Committee met many times over the summer and early fall. As a result of the committee's hard work, Pastor Lon Larson joined us in early October as our permanent pastor.
10. In late August, under the leadership of Assistant to the Bishop, Ralph Baumgartner, an effort was initiated to develop a mission partnership with other churches. Under the leadership of Terry Love, with volunteers from the congregation, a number of churches were contacted. Specific results of these efforts will not be totally known until February, 1998, but some churches have already indicated a strong interest.
As I look over the year at all the things that were accomplished, I can not help but be in awe of how far we have come as a congregation, of how many serious challenges we have successfully met, and of the number of friends and supporters we have in other congregations and at the synod level. This is not to say that we met all of our challenges. We still face many over the next few years, but I am confident that we will be successful.
In conclusion, our success is not the result of the efforts of any one individual, or of any one pastor, or of the church council. We have been successful because of the efforts of each and every one of you. Your dedication and commitment to Family of Christ Lutheran Church and what it stands for, was, and is, the crucial ingredient to our success. With that continued support, and with guidance from God, I look forward with optimism, anticipation, and commitment to what the new year will bring.
FINANCIAL COMMITTEE REPORT
Submitted by Bill Hope
The main jobs of the finance committee are to collect and deposit all gifts to the congregation and to keep records of the gifts received from each family and donor. 1997 was a year of recovery that ended with a strong sense of optimism for the future.
January '97 brought a solid total of $9,600. The months of February through August, however, brought in a combined total of only $35,400 for the seven months, which forced many difficult decisions onto the church council. With September and the reopening of school, the recovery began. Gifts received in September were $8,800.
With the arrival of Pastor Lon, $9,800 was received in October, with $11,500 in November and $16,100 in December. The December total fell just $6.00 short of being our highest one month total in the history of our congregation. With the return to our mission support form the ELCA and our growing membership, we are looking forward to a financially healthy 1998.
STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT
Submitted by Bill Hope
The 1997 Stewardship campaign was held in the spring, with the timing to be repeated in 1998. Nearly every family (98%) increased their level of giving over 1996 and not a single family reduced theirs. The average increase in giving for all families was 32%, a level of increase that I've never heard of in any congregation before.
For the first time, we used a program known as Consecration Sunday, developed and written by Herb Miller, Executive Director of the Net Results Resource Center in Lubbock, Texas. This approach to financing the operational ministries of our congregation teaches stewardship from a spiritual perspective, rather than a fund raising perspective. Consecration Sunday is based on a biblical/spiritual theology of the "need of the giver to give" rather than the "need of the church to receive". It is focused on raising the level of stewardship rather than raising the church budget. We plan to use Consecration Sunday again, in 1998.
WORSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT
Submitted by Doris Petersen
Committee Members:
Chairperson and Council Rep Doris Petersen
Altar Guild Sylvia Holthusen
Acolyte Coordinator Doris / Lee McClanahan
Usher Coordinator Terry & Carol Love
Wedding Coordinator Carol Love & Dayna Hultgran
Music Coordinator Liz Schuur
In 1997, the Worship and Music committees were combined into one committee. Members coordinate all facets of our worship service and their efforts help the pastor conduct meaningful services each Sunday and on special occasions.
Thanks to the efforts of Sylvia Holthusen and other members of the Altar Guild, we were able to enjoy beautiful banners and special flowers during the year. We have three special occasions during the church year when members have the opportunity to give flowers - for Easter, Pentecost and Christmas. The Altar Guild is also responsible for setting up for Communion twice each month, and changing the Paraments on the altar for each season of the church year.
Music is a big part of our service each Sunday, and Liz Schuur does a fantastic job of selecting and playing music appropriate to our service. She has also spend much time in building up our adult choir. The choir members deserve a huge "thank you" for their uplifting contribution to our services!
The Worship Committee works closely with Pastor Lon in planning our services and soliciting the ideas from church members. We are now offering Communion on the first and last Sundays of each month; hopefully giving more members the opportunity to participate. As our membership continues to grow, we see many new faces - both old and young - attending. The children enjoy a special message, then enjoy their own "treat" bag while the older members listen to the adult message. What a great idea!
Because of the generosity of Terry and Carol Love, we now have offering plates to use rather than baskets. Thanks, Terry and Carol! Thanks also to Kathy Murray and her father, for donating our Christmas tree that decorated the Sanctuary. What a beautiful blue spruce!
There are several goals the Worship Committee will be addressing in 1998:
* Arrange for a Nursery Coordinator
* Arrange for an Acolyte Coordinator
* Arrange for a Lector Coordinator
* Make a flower calendar available year round
* Get new members involved in the services
* Conduct a current worship survey to poll member's desires
Worship Committee Continued
The worship committee is responsible for a wide range of responsibilities but because of the efforts of many, we are able to appreciate and get a deeper understanding of each Sunday service. Thanks to all who have volunteered and been a part of the Sunday service. We encourage more to become involved in 1998!
YOUTH COMMITTEE REPORTS
Submitted by Ken Davidson
For the school year 1997-98, we're off to a good start with the Youth program. We've had fun and we've learned a little in the process:
In September:
The 7-12 graders met at Grand Slam for games and pizza and to talk about what the kids themselves would like to do as a group.
The 4-6th graders met at church for pizza and softball, and to discuss their plans for the year.
In October:
All the kids, together, went to the Farmington Senior Care Center to play bingo and share lots of snacks. Afterwards, we all felt like big winners - it was a lot of fun and we're grateful to the adults who helped organize the day.
Kids 7-12 grade and family members, went on a bike trip from Welch to Red Wing, and back again, on the Canon Valley Bike Trail, with a stop at God-Father's Pizza for lunch (and a little shopping....).
In November:
A combined youth group and their families went rollerblading at the
Metrodome. A fun time was had by all, and there were no major injuries!
For the future:
January: Lock in / games April: Camp Snoopy
Ski trip May: Pool Party February: Sledding other: Mary's Place Shelter
March: Concerts Christian Athletes' Assoc.
Indoor climbing
One of our 1998 goals it to provide a more meaningful devotional time that the youth will relate to.
We have achieved a lot, but still have more that we can do and with God's guidance and the help of parents, we can continue to create a meaningful youth program.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT
Submitted by Anne Hipple
Committee Members:
Chairperson and Council Rep Anne Hipple
Co-chair Barb Nylund
Debbie Knoch
Krista Yuronich
Glenda Linda
Current Sunday School Teachers:
3-4 yr olds Janet and Bruce Cerrick
5 yr old / kindergarten Lisa Cecchini & Krista Yuronich
1st grade Barb Nylund & Danya Hultgren
2nd grade Betty Peterson & Kathy Murray
3rd & 4th grade Debbie Knoch
5th & 6th grade Sherry Goodman
There are 54 children currently enrolled for the 1997-98 Sunday School year, which is a 5% increase from the '96-97 enrollment.
Sunday School Offerings
Presently, a special fund has been established for children in Tanzania.
Vacation Bible School 1997 Theme: Promise Builders
The 1997 VBS was held Monday through Friday, June 16th through the 20th, from 9 am until noon. Once again, VBS was offered for children ages 3 (with one year of Sunday School completed) through 6th grade. This year, the committee asked for a donation of $10.00 per child with a $20.00 family cap, to cover all materials needed for the week. Everyone involved in the program worked hard to make it a successful year and we are very grateful to them for their efforts.
Adult Education
A very dynamic young man, Mike Matzek, a student at Luther Seminary, led us in a study in May of 1997, and another in September. Both were well attended and appreciated.
Fall Festival
This year the festival was held in September, using a carnival theme. Treats, crafts and baked goods were for sale along with items on the Silent Auction. There were games for the kids as well as other activities. Each council member took responsibility for one area of the festival, and each did a super job! The money raised, $2200, was partially matched by AAL and Lutheran Brotherhood, allowing us to give most of the proceeds to the general fund and still hold out $1200 for the Education Fund for the children's Sunday School program.
Education Committee Continued
Music
This year we set aside specific Sundays during which the children are gathered in the Sanctuary during the class time, for a period of singing. Twice each month, the kids have 20-25 minutes of singing time, to learn new songs or review favorites. This is the opportunity for the children to learn songs to sing during the worship services on Sunday mornings. This also provided time for the kids to learn their parts for the Christmas Service in December; using this valuable time allowed us to NOT require special rehearsal times on Saturdays, that can be so cumbersome for busy families.
We appreciate that the Parish Fellowship Committee has taken pains to serve coffee and treats in the Narthex, freeing the Sanctuary space for the children's music period. Keeping the adults out of the area makes the singing time a little more manageable!
General
As my 2 and 1/2 year term as Education Chair comes to its end, I feel strongly that new ideas and new talent are needed in the education area. I wish to thank each teacher, each committee member, each and every helper and assistant we've relied upon these last few years - with a very special Thank you to Barb
Nylund, who has been a faithful and supportive assistant and friend.
OUTREACH COMMITTEE REPORT
Submitted by Pam Berger
Committee Members:
Julie Berg
Holly Mittelstaedt
Pam Berger
The Outreach Committee would like to thank everyone for helping us make this past year a success. For helping us work to achieve our mission - to "seek our, welcome and value people". We welcomed new families into our congregation, and have more ready to join. It is heart warming to see that there are new families visiting our church almost every Sunday.
Goals for 1998:
* Our focus will be to improve the entire outreach process, to produce new outreach materials - brochures and literature that can be included in new member packets.
* Rob Mittelstaedt has joined the Outreach Committee and will be working on ways to get more information regarding FOC out to the public.
* We would like to see 25 new families join our church over the next year.
SOCIAL CONCERNS COMMITTEE REPORT
Submitted by Sherry Goodman
Committee Members:
Chairperson and Council Rep Sherry Goodman
Pat Rasmussen
Betty Peterson
Cindy Doudrick
Deb Weimelt
Marlene West
Our Purpose:
To serve the needs of the congregation and the community. We believe we are called to serve as Jesus did... to feed the hungry, help the elderly, comfort the sick and lonely, clothe the needy and help house the homeless.
During 1997, we continued to collect used clothing for the Southeast Asian Ministry and food for the food shelves in Apple Valley. We also started to collect things needed a Mary's Shelter for the children, like games, toys, videos and outer wear.
Social Concerns Committee Continued
As in previous years, March was Minnesota Food Share month. We collected food all month, and built a 'castle' in the Narthex. This year we collected over 250 pounds of food!
We continued as caretakers of the Lakeville CATCH house. Many volunteers at Family of Christ helped with the cleaning, repairing, maintaining and restocking of this 3 bedroom transitional home. We had a major yard clean-up day, and removed trees, trimmed shrubs and limbs, and got rid of weeds, etc. This was a huge project done on a windy, chilly day and many thanks go to Mark and Deb Weimelt and Bill Goodman for spending so much time and effort completing this "face lift" on the
yeard!
We learned in November that our job as caretakers will soon be over, as the house will be going back to HUD when the lease is up in March, 1998. The house need too many repairs to maintain it as a transitional home.
Our focus on PEACE this year was to begin a peace quilt that will eventually hang in our education hallway. This project will continue into 1998.
We sponsored the 3rd annual Gift Garland. Presents were purchased and wrapped for the residents of the South Suburban Care Center by members of the congregation, and then brought to them during a Christmas party in December.
Goals for 1998:
* World Hunger Appeal during Lent
* Complete the Peace Quilt
* Find a new focus within the CATCH program
* Learn about the Stephen Ministries, or an equivalent
* Inspire new enthusiasm for this committee!
PARISH FELLOWSHIP REPORT
Submitted by Glenda Lind
Committee Members:
Jeanie Bergquist Terri Braun
Lori Hall Linda O'Brien
Krista Yuronich Cheryl Wills
Glenda Lind
Accomplished in 1997:
We organized several pot lucks, a picnic, progressive dinner, special event Sunday refreshments, and Soup Suppers along with the regular Sunday refreshments.
We held a successful Craft and Bake Sale, in November, raising money for kitchn necessities.
In December, we held our Second Annual Ladies' Holiday Luncheon and Ornament Exchange, which was very well attended and very fun!
The Stamping Angels were organized, and now meet monthly.
A Secret Sister group was begun; a supportive and prayerful way of expressing our faith, love and friendship with one another., woman to woman.
Several donations for the kitchen were gratefully received.
Goals for 1998:
* Complete the carpentry in the kitchen: install shelves, put on the trim above the lower cupboards, install trim or make adjustments to the sink and install the trim along the lower edge of the cupboards
* Acquire soup bowls, silverware, stock pots and pans and other identified needs.
* Hold at least one fund raiser, preferably a Pancake Breakfast
* Identify one them, to institute as an annual event - St John's has a Norwegian Dinner, for instance.
* Have the Sunday refreshments be totally self-supporting in terms of food, beverages and supplies. We are very near to this goal.
We will continue to be of service to Family of Christ through fellowship and activities such as pot luck dinners, wedding or funeral receptions, serving families in need, or supporting baptisms, Confirmation Sunday, Stewardship Sunday and any other special occasion.
Our goal has always been to serve the congregation in any way possible, when the need arises. That's what parish fellowship is all about, getting people together to enjoy and support our "family".
Membership Statistics
Activity Logged for 1997
4 Baptisms
1 Wedding
0 Funerals
19 Adults transferred out (plus children)
20 Adults transferred in (plus children)
Attendance in 1997
Average attendance Jan/Feb '97: 91
Average attendance Nov/Dec '97 142
Preparing for 1998:
76 boxes of giving envelopes were distributed
The foCus newsletter is currently distributed to:
137 households listed as members
plus 26 households listed as friends of the parish or pastor
plus 17 churches and synod offices
Looking forward into 1998:
The process of creating a computerized membership file has begun. Initial membership surveys have been distributed to begin gathering the most basic information. It is imperative that surveys be returned from all families who consider themselves to be members of Family of Christ. Once a basic file has been created on all members, more pertinent data will be gathered and entered.
From this file, then, we will create mailing labels for the foCus newsletter as well as other mailings, and we will be able to generate a more comprehensive membership list for distribution. We will also be able to assist the Youth program with contacting the appropriate young people, and will be able to more fully cooperate with Synod requests for membership numbers and demographic information. As we are listed as a mission congregation, we should be able to accurately pinpoint the number of members.
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