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Senior Pastor's Report “A new command I give you, that you should love one another. As I have loved you, you should love one another.” - Jesus (John 13:34-35) “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jesus (John 13:36) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength… And love your neighbor as yourself.” - Jesus (Mark 12:30-31) Steve Turnbull Senior Pastor 651.429.5349 ext. 215
[email protected]
Do you sense a theme here? Would I be going too far to imagine that Jesus means to lead his people in a movement of unprecedented love? And if that were true, where do you think that love would come from? If you answered that our love for others is a reflection of the loving heart of our heavenly Father for us, I think you’d be on the right track.
As you read the pages of this annual report, I hope you’ll see the evidence of God’s love being formed in us. You’ll have a chance to look back on First Lutheran’s worship life; where we grew in the love of God each week. You’ll get to read about many of our group ministries; where Christians of all generations grew in love together. You can read about our service ministries; where love pours out beyond ourselves in so many different ways. You’ll even get to read about our finances and operations, all of which are funded by your gifts, as our treasure follows the love of our hearts. But as one year turns to another, let’s look not only at the road behind us. We can see 2015 in the rearview mirror, but it’s 2016 that lies in front of us. Let’s live together in 2016 in such a way that we will increase in Jesus’ love and that it will be said of us as it was said of Christians in ancient times, “See how they love one another.”
Steve Turnbull, Senior Pastor
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President's Report Fellow members of First Lutheran Church, “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.” 2 John 1:3 I am thankful for each of you—for the time, gifts, prayers, and love you pour out to make First Lutheran a vibrant, growing, and loving community of believers. I am very happy to report that we met our 2015 budget with another strong finish in December. God is so good! We began the year with our annual Church Council and Staff Retreat; where we spent time planning, worshiping and praying. I was honored to serve alongside our very talented Council members and staff. We are blessed to have Pastor Steve, Pastor Angie, and Jeff Montgomery leading the way.
Jodi Bendt Council President 651.633.4742
[email protected]
In March, we formed a team of our past five council presidents to consider the possibility of expanding our invitation by expanding our facilities. We continue to meet to discern God’s will and plan next steps for this exciting opportunity. Throughout the year we continued to work on our “Love Pours Out” value by supporting orphans and students at Mission of Hope in Haiti; inviting our neighbors to our annual Easter Egg Hunt, Garage Sale, and Hallelujah Festival; collecting and donating over 40,000 Diapers to four local agencies; and opening our house in December to host Ramsey County families (about 20 people) who are homeless. We expanded our outreach through technology as well. We started live streaming our worship services to the far reaches of the internet (well beyond the White Bear Lake Cable TV area). We created heartofthestory.org—an online resource where many people shared their stories straight from their hearts. We celebrated baptisms (including some in White Bear Lake), the confirmation of our tenth grade students, and many weddings throughout the year. We also celebrated the lives of many saints who have now gone on to Glory— most notably our former Senior Pastor, Rev. Norman I. Magnuson, in October. Several staff departures and transitions marked the latter part of the year. While we will miss the talents and gifts of Pastor Corey Paxton, Hannah Summers, and Chris Barrett, we know God’s plan for them and for us is good. We were blessed by their work here at First. We welcomed Rachel Thoren as our new Children’s Ministry Director and expanded the roles of Melinda Kern as Student Ministries Director and our intern, Danny Housholder, within Youth Ministries. They are stepping up and are focusing on teaching our next generation. I am looking forward to another great year and, especially, to see what God has in store for us with the Restored sermon series that is just getting underway. God is good all the time! Jodi Bendt, Council President
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Worship Life “
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness;” Psalm 100:2
Worship: 2015 Expenses $315,483; 2016 Budget $326,914 Our worship gatherings are not only the most visible gathering of our church community, but also worship grounds our whole lives in relationship with God. We worship together in a way that honors our values. Jesus has made us a family, and we seek deep roots for fruitful lives as we share in prayer, worship, and Biblical learning. We come to worship to receive God’s love poured out for us and to be empowered to pour out God’s love for others. We are invited to take our first and next steps with Jesus and to integrate all 168 hours of our week in relationship to God. To worship together like this (as a large church family) requires a lot of planning and resources. Worship funds are spent on items such as music and instrumentation, technology, and salaries for pastors and worship leaders.
January-February: Our sermon series, Glad You Asked, was structured around commonly asked questions of the Christian Faith and what the Bible has to say about those questions. We also hosted and celebrated the Lutheran Church in Mission for Christ Ordination Service for our former intern, Christian Huntley, who accepted the Pastoral call to serve as Associate Pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (LCMC) in Afton, Minnesota. March-April: Sunday Lenten Series: Imagine This: The Book of Colossians. In these months we learned through the lens of this letter to the Colossians what it truly looks like to be a community living into Jesus’ call to be Kingdom people. On Wednesdays during Lent at 6:30 p.m., a Contemporary Refuge Service was held in the Fellowship Hall, and a Traditional Lenten Service was held in the Sanctuary using the Holden Evening Prayer Liturgy. The Lenten Wednesday series linked Old Testament Stories of faith to Jesus’ fulfillment of God’s promise of Salvation through the theme Stronger; reminding us how our Savior’s victory is stronger than those things that would keep us from him. Holy Week was March 29-April 5. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Services were celebrated as we walked through the story of Jesus’ great love, sacrifice, and victory for us! April-May: Walking with God. Following Easter, our sermon series centered around discipleship practices. How do we learn to walk out our faith daily? Through this series we talked about the daily use of Scripture and prayer, the role of the community of faith in helping expand our discipleship, and offered a challenge to ‘prayer walk’ our neighborhoods and pray for our neighbors—reaching out to make connections where faith might one day be shared. In May we celebrated Pentecost with the arrival of Teen Challenge; who came to share their stories of how God brings new life through his Holy Spirit every day. Also in May, Kari Charboneau (Connections Coordinator at First Lutheran) graduated with an Master of Divinity (MDiv) Degree from The Master’s Institute (the seminary housed in our building).
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Worship Life (continued) June-August: In the summer, our series, Beloved, was on the Gospel of John. In July we said goodbye to our Sanctuary Choir Director, Andy Bruhn, as he took a new position at a Christian School in Illinois. In August, we held our annual service for Baptisms in the Lake. We celebrated baptisms and affirmations of baptism. We also welcomed Peter Tuff to our staff as our new Sanctuary Choir Director. September-October. Beginning with Kickoff Sunday in September we began a series called Best Kept Secret; learning how Jesus has changed the world and continues to change the world! This series used (along with the Bible, of course) the resources of two books: Who is This Man by John Ortberg and Seven Revolutions: How Christianity changed the world, and can change it again by Mike Aquilina and James L. Papandrea. October-November. Our sermon series was called Heart of the Story—where we learned the value of the story of faith each one of us has to share. Each of our stories connect and testify to the power of the bigger story we live in, of God’s saving love for us in Jesus Christ. The website heartofthestory.org was created for First Lutheran members to share their stories, and to watch the stories of others. In November we said goodbye to Chris Barrett as he took a new Contemporary Worship Leader Position at Penasquitos Lutheran Church (LCMC) in San Diego, California. We also said goodbye to Pastor Corey Paxton as he took a new pastoral call working with youth at a community church connected with a new YMCA in North Carolina. Thanksgiving Eve worship was again a wonderful event combining grateful worship given to God. This year we hosted a community diaper drive that culminated at this service of celebration. During worship, we each placed post -it notes of thanks to a community board for all to see and celebrate together. November-December: I’ll Be Home for Christmas was our Advent Series (remembering, as we prepare for Christmas, that our ‘forever’ home is in the one who came to make a home for us - Jesus!). We offered Advent Meditation Services on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m.; where our Organist Doug Nelson and several musicians from First Lutheran and our community came and helped us focus our hearts on Jesus through Advent Hymns. A Concert of Worship: On Sunday morning, December 20, First Lutheran experienced our Christmas concert of worship (combining First Lutheran’s musical groups of all ages in one concert of praise!). Over 1,050 people were in attendance. Christmas weekend services: This year we added a Contemporary Service at 12 p.m. to Christmas Eve. Attendance on Christmas Eve and Day totaled 1,511. Thank you! Worship is at the center of whom we are. Hundreds of voices and hands of all ages are needed to pull our Sunday morning experiences together each week. Thank you for the giving of your gifts in such faithful service to Christ! In His Grip, Pastor Angie
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Groups and Adult Ministries And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
Groups & Adult Ministries: 2015 Expenses: $150,949; 2016 Budget $157,906 It not only takes a village to raise a child; but also it takes a village to raise the child of God in all of us. Our community groups and other adult and senior adult ministries are planned to strengthen our Christian community and strengthen all of us as disciples of Jesus. Alpha meals and materials, Bible study resources, classes, retreats, and Keenagers events for seniors are among the many resources that help us continue to grow in Christ, even when our physical growth is done.
First continued to see healthy group life in 2015. About 30 various small groups met most every week to study and pray together, while also planning for times of serving and outings together. Many groups gathered in homes, and a few assembled in the church building; studying the Bible together using the sermon-based guides written by the pastors or curriculum they've chosen based on a different topic. Thank you to our small group leaders who invested time and care into their groups. We gathered for a mid-year huddle in January over food and fellowship and discussed specific ways to learn and grow as leaders in our groups through study and prayer. This past fall included an all-leader training to encourage leaders to think about growth steps (personally and in their groups), including ways to equip each person in their group to take a next step in connection and growth. The community group core team is also considering overall group strategy and ways to start new groups that are accessible and engaging in 2016.
Senior Adults “Seniors” are obviously a very diverse group! Several different groups have been created specifically for Senior Adults to help facilitate spiritual growth, serving opportunities, social connections, and support. “Keenagers” becomes “S.A.M.P.L.E.” “Keenagers” has traditionally been the name of a monthly event where seniors get together to worship, eat, and learn about a topic. However, for adults who have recently retired and could attend the programs provided, the name of the event seemed to become a barrier, as it has become associated with one particular generation. People who would like learn about the topic, or engage the speaker, have chosen not to attend because they do not consider themselves a “Keenager.” In an attempt to communicate welcome, a new name has been given to these monthly events. S.A.M.P.L.E stands for “Senior Adult Ministry: Pray, Learn, Eat.” Each month, we “sample” a different topic, learn more about different ministries, grow spiritually together, and connect over good food! The hope is that this name change will also connote that a person doesn’t have to “join” this group permanently in order to “sample” the topic of this particular month. S.A.M.P.L.E. events in 2015 included: a question and answer session with Rev. Destaye Crawford, who leads the Ethiopian church that meets in our building; the hosting of Silver Harmony Singers from our community; a work and
First Lutheran Church—Annual Report 2015
Groups and Adult Ministries (cont.) play event where we worked on a service project packing items to be used at Project Home and then played some MN trivia; our annual celebration of our Veterans event in November; and a Christmas party (complete with Magnuson Christian School serenade) in December. Senior Events: These groups gathered on a one-time basis to explore topics, opportunities together, and forge new relationships. In 2015 trips were taken to see Forever Plaid at a dinner theater, Macy’s Spring Flower Show, a river lunch cruise, and a tour of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Building. In addition to these trips we also added an event in our own building called The Arts in August where we showcased the artistic talent of our congregation and celebrated the gifts God has given us. The 4 p.m. Wednesday Senior Bible Study remained strong through 2015 with about 20 people weekly discussing the study guide found in the worship bulletin. Old Guys’ Bible Study: This study, open to all men, has also stayed strong through 2015 as it weekly gathers to study the word of God on Mondays at 9 a.m. in the Conference Room. Our Men’s and Women’s groups that focus in on social connection, R.O.M.E.O. (Retired Old Men Eating Out) and J.U.L.I.E.T. (Just Us Ladies Informally Eating Together) both continued to be strong this year; gathering monthly over meals and conversation. Women’s Fellowships: First Lutheran’s Women’s Fellowship Groups transitioned to a new study in September with a Women’s Ministry prayer breakfast and program centered around the Scriptures and message conveyed in the Music of Handel’s Messiah. A wonderful breakfast and a beautifully crafted musical presentation were enjoyed by all. The Women’s fellowships continued to use this study for their monthly gatherings throughout the year.
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Children and Student Ministries “Let the children come to me… for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14
Children & Student Ministries: 2015 Expenses: $247,180; 2016 Budget $208,985 Money spent in children and student ministries helps our youngest generations grow as disciples of Jesus in a world where faith in Christ is less and less common. Sunday School and youth ministries help our children and teens become disciples of Jesus and form a solid foundation for learning the Bible. Staff people mentor and teach our children, train volunteers, and equip families to grow in faith together. All throughout the year both regular programs and special events work together to raise up the next generation in Christ. Your tithes and offerings help us all pass the Gospel from generation to generation as you see described in this section. We support the practice of community through community groups in all generations in different ways.
Children
Staff: The Children’s Ministry year began with Hannah Summers as Children’s Ministry Director and Victoria Mathisen as Children’s Ministry Associate. As we transitioned to October we said goodbye to Hannah, who felt God’s calling to a position with a local counseling service. Rachel Thoren was hired shortly after as the new Director. Victoria continues her associate role as a vital member of the team.
Sunday School has 224 registered children, ages preschool through sixth grade, who are studying what it means to follow Christ each week. Our preschool is currently using PromiseLand’s In the Beginning: Jumping Into God’s Story curriculum to learn more about our amazing God. Our elementary students are learning about God’s character and his plan for them—following The Big God Story from the Tru Curriculum. We are blessed to have 55 invaluable volunteers and leaders who make Sunday School a possibility!
Kids First was our Wednesday Night children’s program that ended in May 2015. Family Nights is our new Wednesday Night program that takes place once a month. Family nights are a time for children and families to grow in their faith together. Families begin the night worshipping together. Next, they split off into two groups: parents and children. We have invited both pastors and guests to speak to parents on topics such as marriage, encountering God, and faith-based parenting.
Special Events: We continue to see growth for our outreach events such as Vacation Bible School, the Hallelujah Festival, and the Easter Egg Hunt. A huge contributing factor for this growth is people taking ownership by inviting their friends, family, and neighbors to join. These events not only provide a fun, safe place for families to spend quality time together, but also at the heart of these events is the message of Christ’s love for us. To give some numbers to these events, VBS had over 200 children registered with many more registrations on the first day; the Easter Egg Hunt handed out over 462 treat bags (which indicates a total of around 800 people in attendance); and the Hallelujah Festival welcomed around 700 families (and some of those participants were families being helped by the Ramsey County Family Service and our Operation HOM ministry).
Retreats and Camps: Children were able to participate in camps and retreats this year that provided them with opportunities to practice fellowship, service, and discipleship. New this spring, our fourth, fifth, and sixth
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Children and Student Ministries (cont.) grade students went to an Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp weekend. The theme was Not Ashamed where they dug into the meaning of Romans 1:16. This was not only a weekend of strengthening faith, but it was also a weekend away to experience what summer camp was like without having to be gone for very long.
Students
Refuge and groups for students: We have been seeing the students take ownership of Refuge in a number of ways over this past year. Our worship band has transformed into a more student-led group with most band members being eighth through twelfth grade students. It has been a blessing to see students use their talents and gifts to help others encounter Jesus during our worship time. We have also had a tremendous number of students embracing the power of invitation and have seen many new friends from outside of First Lutheran Church joining Refuge, small groups, service activities, and fellowship outings on Wednesday nights. Towards the end of the fall, we said goodbye to some key people in Student Ministries—Chris Barrett and Corey Paxton. Transition can sometimes be difficult for students and can slow down momentum, but we are thankful we have not experienced a large change in participation of the students. Our students have continued to be active and involved, and there have been some great leaders who have stepped up to fill in and help out to make this time of change easier. We have been blessed to see Refuge become a place of belonging and a place where students have gained a firm foundation for their faith and how to use their faith in everyday life.
Confirmation: Our Confirmation Ministry has continued to provide students with the tools to grow deeper in faith by incorporating our five values into all areas of this ministry. We currently have over 80 students involved in confirmation (along with a great group of leaders who are passionate about helping students in their faith journey). This past November, 19 students confessed their faith in the Next Generation Worship Service. This was a powerful event where our children and students helped to lead music, give testimonies, and create an inspirational drama to share their faith in Christ. A large number of these students continue to be involved in Refuge and high school ministries on a regular basis.
Retreats, Camp, and Mission Trips: It is important for students to get out of their everyday circumstances and distractions, to let down walls, experience God in new ways, and invite Jesus into their hearts. That is why we provide a variety of opportunities for students to participate in extended times away like retreats, camp, and the mission trip. This past year at the Ninth Grade Confirmation Retreat, many students encountered the Holy Spirit for the first time and bonded with their small group in new ways. We have seen the fruit of that retreat continue to grow. We also joined with another local church and took students to Camp Victory in Zumbro Falls, Minnesota. On this retreat we saw students encourage one another and step out of their comfort zones to meet other believers. We saw growth in numbers and faith during our EPIC day camp as well as our trip to Camp Okoboji in June. There were 36 students and nine leaders who participated in the Mission Trip to Durango, Colorado in July. Those participants served the poor by working for Habitat for Humanity and groundskeeping for an organization called Crossbar X Youth Camp; which serves urban teens in the area. Mission Trip participants also worshipped with hundreds of other students from all over the country and, through relevant Bible teaching, learned about finding their significance in Jesus.
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Service Teams & Outreach “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself.” Galatians 5:13-15 MSG
Service Teams & Outreach: 2015 Expenses: $170,130; 2016 Budget $172,628 Alongside clear Biblical faith and teaching, selfless service is a hallmark of First Lutheran Church. We serve one another inside the church, and we also are committed to serving our local and global neighbors. From our partnership with Mission of Hope, Haiti, to our care for homeless families in Ramsey County, to our involvement directly in our own neighborhood; it is our ambition to love our neighbors as ourselves. In 2015, your tithes and offerings supported activities and events like the ones on the following pages. In 2016, we plan to maintain these church-wide commitments while growing in our practice of selfless service everywhere we go.
Mission of Hope, Haiti Mission of Hope Haiti is our international ministering partner in Haiti. First Lutheran’s partnership with Mission of Hope (MOH) and the village of Source Matelas continued to grow and deepen in 2015. In choosing to work specifically with the village Source Matelas, our church was able to develop relationships with the local leaders in Source Matelas, learn more about their specific needs, and work together to help support and encourage our Haitian brothers and sisters. Here are some highlights of this past year:
A service team of 18 people went to support and encourage the ministry in Source Matelas. This group walked the streets with the village champions and prayed and ministered. A couple of days were also spent painting homes and assisting our village champions in distributing water filters. In addition, the team was able to meet with more than 61 of the children that people from our church sponsor. It was a highlight of our trip to spend time getting to know them and deliver packages on behalf of their sponsors.
Our church hosted MOH’s president, Brad Johnson (and his family), for MOH Celebration weekend. During this weekend we were able to hear about the impact MOH is having in Haiti and celebrate our partnership. On MOH Sunday, First Lutheran added 25 new child sponsorships and now supports more than 115 children. Most of these children are from our village of Source Matelas. Also, $1,200 of merchandise was sold to support the Three Cords ministry.
Through the season of Lent, almost $16,000 was raised for water filters and latrines in Source Matelas! The gathering of a 20-person service team to serve in February 2016 will help the building of those projects.
Operation HOM Operation HOM is our partnership with three interrelated organizations (The Family Place, Project Home, and the Family Service Center) serving homeless families in our area. Project Home continued to be a huge service to homeless families in Ramsey County. More than 1,500 hours were served by First Lutheran volunteers and that
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Service (continued) helped provide safe shelter and meals for 10 families throughout December. The quilters once again helped provide quilts for each child who stayed with us and many small groups and families helped serve together. This fall was our first ever Diaper Drive to help resource our three partnerships through Operation HOM (and three other local ministries). For five days, over 100 volunteers from First Lutheran Church, Magnuson Christian School, and our community helped collect diapers outside on the Highway 61-side of our church. During these days, 40,000 diapers ($10,000 worth) were collected, and we celebrated all the generosity at the Thanksgiving Eve service. Afterwards, the truck was unloaded and donations were delivered to the six ministries we collected for. Throughout the year many opportunities to serve at The Family Place and The Family Service Center had been available. Monthly, people went to read bedtime stories and bring several hundred dollars worth of diapers to The Family Service Center. Every other month, a team of volunteers cooked and served a meal at The Family Place. We were also able to have families from The Family Service Center join us for kids’ events (Easter Egg Hunt and The Hallelujah Festival). Overall it was a great year!
Operation Neighbor(HOOD) Operation Neighbor(hood) is our commitment to love and serve First Lutheran’s immediate neighborhood. First Lutheran continued to grow roots into our neighborhood through a variety of events and ministries. The Fill Up Hunger Food Drive in the Spring of 2015 had a great response in helping restock the shelves of the White Bear Lake Area Emergency Food Shelf and gave $5,356.00 in cash donations. In 2015, our neighborhood outreach event, the Community Garage Sale, was the biggest it has ever been. Sunny skies provided a beautiful day for more than 100 sellers in 150+ spots to sell items in our parking lot. We again partnered with the United Methodist Church to provide a lunch meal for 2,000 people while DJ Matt and the Barefoot DJs kept us all grooving to the music. This event had overwhelming volunteer support to help make it a hug success. In July, First Lutheran reconnected with Habitat for Humanity to help build a home in White Bear Lake. We were able to have two teams of 12-20 people each that were able to help landscape and work on a variety of other projects. Service Days for our neighborhood helped continue to bless seniors in our congregation and nonmembers in the surrounding area. For our Fall Clean Up Service Day, eight different homes were given assistance as we helped gather leaves all morning long. Once again, Fare for All and the fall School Tools Drive met real needs within our neighborhood, and we will look to continue these for years to come.
Additional Service Members of First Lutheran also serve in a variety of other ways including feeding the hungry with CURE ministries; assembling HIV, newborn, health, fabric, and school kits for Global Health Ministries; and serving students at Magnuson Christian School as Study Buddies. The Monday morning quilters continued to assemble and give away quilts this year and they appreciate all the fabric donations. This year, many school kits were collected for Lutheran World Relief and many women’s items were collected for Martha’s Closet. As a congregation, we also supported CURE ministries, Global Health Ministries, Lutheran Braille, Loaves and Fishes, Lyngblomsten, Deb & Joe Fry with ACT World Wide, Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp, Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp, and Teen Challenge with contributions from our missions offerings.
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Facilities, Grounds, and Reserve “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” Acts 2:46
Facilities, Grounds, & Reserve: 2015 Expenses: $323,880; 2016 Budget $331,959 If these walls could talk… If our walls could talk they’d tell you that children learn the Bible in the rooms they form, that homeless families sleep under the roof they support, and that the praises of God are sung within them. They would tell you that although some of them are older and some of them are younger, they all need care so that they can continue to support the work to which God has called us. Money spent on facilities and grounds makes sure that our physical structures are well maintained, ready to welcome guests hospitably, and prepared to go on serving our mission for years to come. We maintained and improved our facilities in 2015, and in 2016 we plan to further improve our first impressions and invest in behind the scenes priorities like our furnaces and our parking lot that support our important disciple-making ministries.
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Administration and Leadership “Let all things be done well and in good order.” 1 Corinthians 14:40
Administration & Leadership: 2015 Expense: $265,101; 2016 Budget $275,608 A father of young children once said, “I can’t believe it took Moses only 40 years to lead the children of Israel across the desert.” As a whole Christian community, we depend on effective leadership and efficient administration to keep our life and ministry operating well and moving forward. Money spent on communication materials, training events, and administrative staff isn’t always glamorous, but it is an essential part of a healthy Christian community. Your financial gifts are an act of loving your neighbor even as they provide a responsive and responsible organization to enable the more visible parts of our mission to be and make disciples of Jesus.
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Breakouts
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First Lutheran Church—Annual Report 2015
2015/2016 Comparisons
Notes:
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21st Century Heritage and Endowment Fund 2015 was another great year for our Endowment Fund. The fund lived into its mission of distributing dollars to be reinvested into the capital repair and maintenance needs of our facility. After distributing over $28,000 in 2015, the Fund ended the year with an investment balance of $865,082. During 2015, distributions from the Endowment Fund were used for the following capital repairs and maintenance:
Repair work on our commercial kitchen equipment Carpet tiles for three classrooms and other flooring maintenance Multiple repairs to our flat roof Electrical work Furnace work Plumbing work Parking lot repair Enhancements to our sprinkler system Many other smaller repair and maintenance items
As funds were available from Endowment Fund distributions, these costs did not need to come out of First Lutheran’s General Operating budget. Since beginning distributions in 2000, the Endowment Fund has distributed nearly $330,000 to First Lutheran for the repair and maintenance of our facilities! At our Annual Meeting held in January 2012, the congregation approved a proposal to expand the scope of the Endowment Fund to allow gifts to be designated for Missions or Education, in addition to our current Capital Repairs and Maintenance, but no designated gifts have been received, and no distributions have been made in those areas. I am thankful for the team I have served alongside through this past year. Chris Greene, Jon Hanson, Steve Nelson, and Laura Engen have done a wonderful job, along with Bill Strand of Paradigm who serves the committee and this congregation very well with great insight and sound financial leading. Also serving on the committee, by virtue of their positions, are Pastor Steve Turnbull and Council President Jodi Bendt. Joyce Lindholm serves as our recording secretary and blesses our efforts richly with her professional skill set. I am very grateful for the contributions of all during this past year! The Committee’s goal remains to further the vision of the Endowment Fund and be good stewards of the gifts of those who have gone before us. In His service, Tom Mason, Endowment Fund Committee Chair
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Audit Committee Report We have audited the financial process used by First Evangelical Lutheran Church and found it to be in good order. This audit included the processes used in:
Counting the contributions and depositing them in the bank Posting the contributions to the computer Requesting/dispersing funds Reporting this information to the church council and our members It was not intended to be a detailed financial audit of the kind that would be performed by an outside auditor. However, we have confidence that the process is sound. In 2016 this committee, under the direction of our church council, will begin the work of researching, interviewing, and acquiring an outside accounting firm that may be used for a formal review and audit process. This is not being done out of concern, but rather a proactive approach to audited financials that banks may require with the possibility of future expansion on our property. We are thankful to Bob Dahl for assisting us in the audit. We are also thankful to the volunteers that assisted in the collection, counting, and managing of the funds. Sincerely, Mike Kaufman, Bob Manke, and Janeen Coyan
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Statistical Comparison In Christian community, numbers can work a bit like vital signs. They can give indications about the underlying health and life of the body, but they are not themselves the health or life that we seek to nurture. On this page you will notice some positive signs. We are experiencing a basic increase in our membership and financial giving over the last five years, although 2015 saw a decrease in our worship attendance. If you read the earlier pages in this report you will see descriptions of many of the real life and life-giving ministries that receive a numerical measure here. Real spiritual vitality is hard to measure. A thriving life together as a community of disciples of Jesus reflecting the heart of the Father doesn't always conform to statistics. It bears fruit in relationship and in unquantifiables like love, joy, and peace. We give thanks to God for another year of life in His Spirit, and we ask God's blessing for a thriving life together in 2016.
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Child Baptisms
34
47
38
32
36
40
Adult Baptisms
3
4
4
8
0
2*
Affirmation Baptisms
0
5
5
8
6
7*
Confirmation
25
17
17
12
33
19
New Members (Adults)
68
54
27
37
52
33
Total Received
130
117
86
97
127
92
Deaths
31
22
28
25
25
20
Transfers Out/Removed
19
163
24
19
8
18
Total Removed
50
185
52
44
33
38
Statistical Adjustment
<854>
Membership, Year End
1715
1647
1681
1734
1849
1903
Adult Worship Average Per Week
602
639
638
642
645
623
Sunday School Average Per Week
Not available
232
236
231
252
240
$1,113,667
$1,211,992
$1,312,583
$1,349,791
$1,406,079
$1,484,962
9%
8%
3%
4%
5%
Annual Income
Annual Percentage increase *Already included in membership.
21
First Lutheran Church—Annual Report 2015
Notes
Page 19
www.flcwb.org
Page 20
Serving First Lutheran Church Pastors Steve Turnbull .................................................................................................................................................................. Senior Pastor Angie Way ...................................................................................................................................................................Associate Pastor Al Valerius .................................................................................................................................................................... Visitation Pastor
Worship Jordan Beckers ..............................................................................................................................Worship Technology Associate Doug Nelson .............................................................................................................................................................................. Organist Amy Turnbull .................................................................................................................................................................. Choir Director Peter Tuff.......................................................................................................................................................................... Choir Director
Groups Linsey Petersen ................................................................................... Ministry Projects & Community Groups Coordinator Kari Charboneau......................................................................................................................................Connections Coordinator Melinda Kern ........................................................................................................................................ Student Ministries Director Danny Housholder ............................................................................................ Intern Pastor and Family Ministry Associate Rachel Thoren ...................................................................................................................................... Children’s Ministry Director Victoria Mathisen ............................................................................................................................. Children’s Ministry Associate
Service and Administration Perry Petersen .............................................................................................................................................. Service Teams Director Jeff Montgomery....................................................................................................................................... Executive Administrator Brian Shoberg......................................................................................................................................... Communications Director Denise Cabak .................................................................................................................................. Communications Coordinator Amy Martell ................................................................................................................................ Receptionist/Executive Assistant Bob Dahl .................................................................................................................................................. Contributions Coordinator Sue Quinn ................................................................................................................................................................. Accounts Payable Paula Helsper ....................................................................................................................................................................Housekeeper Carol Watnemo ................................................................................................................................................................. Parish Nurse
