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SPRING MEETING MARCH 15, 2015
Revised
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CONTENTS AGENDA ___________________________________________________________________________________ 5 MEMBERSHIP COVENANT________________________________________________________________ 6 BI-ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES NOV 9, 2014 ____________________________ 7 MINISTRY UPDATES Elders’ Report Scott Hammond ___________________________________________________ 11 Senior Pastor Report Pastor Todd Wilson ________________________________________ 12 Adult Ministries Pastor Gerald Hiestand ___________________________________________13 Missions Pastor Jonathan Cummings ______________________________________________15 Mercy Pastor Jonathan Cummings_________________________________________________ 17 Community Engagement Pastor Nate Friedrichsen _______________________________ 18 Communications Pastor Nate Friedrichsen _______________________________________ 19 Worship Pastor Daniel Svendsen _________________________________________________ 20 931 High School Pastor Daniel Svendsen __________________________________________ 21 Middle School Travis Jamieson __________________________________________________ 22 Calvary Kids Carolyn Lundgren & Heidi Amsler___________________________________ 24 Church Administration Eric Rubio ______________________________________________ 26 Finances Kim Jahns ______________________________________________________________ 28 2015 Organization Chart ___________________________________________________________ 29 2014 Final Financial Report ________________________________________________________ 30 In Memoriam ______________________________________________________________________ 35
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AGENDA
Call to Order and Prayer
Scott Hammond Chair, Board of Elders
Quorum Establishment
Scott Hammond
Review and Acceptance of Minutes of the November 2014 Business Meeting
Scott Hammond
Financial Report
Pastor Gerald Hiestand Senior Associate Pastor
Calvary Unplugged
Scott Hammond & Ministry Staff
Senior Pastor’s Report
Pastor Todd Wilson Senior Pastor
Closing Prayer
Pastor Gerald Hiestand Senior Associate Pastor
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MEMBERSHIP COVENANT Having been brought by divine grace to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ and to give ourselves wholly to Him, we do now solemnly and joyfully covenant with each other to walk together in Him with brotherly love to His glory as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in His strength promise: That we will commit to private and family worship and conscientiously train our children and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; That we will be careful to encourage each other in the faith and service of our Lord Jesus Christ; That as we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth, we will seek God's help to enable us to deny ungodliness and every worldly lust and to walk circumspectly in the world that we may win the souls of many; That we will cheerfully contribute of our means, as God has prospered us, for the support of a faithful and evangelical ministry among us, for the benefit of the poor, and for the spread of the gospel over all the earth; That we will in all conditions, even unto death, strive to live to the glory of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. HEBREWS 13:20-21
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FALL BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES NOV 9, 2014 CALL TO ORDER AND PRAYER Scott Hammond, Chairman of Elder Board, called the meeting to order and opened with prayer. The congregation then read through the Membership Covenant together. QUORUM ESTABLISHMENT Scott Hammond confirmed that a quorum was established. A time of corporate worship was led by Pastor Dan Svendsen. REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES FROM MARCH 11, 2014 BUSINESS MEETING Skip Olson made a motion to approve the minutes from the March 11 Business Meeting. Reggie Winston seconded the motion. There was no discussion. Scott called for the vote: motion carried. REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES FROM JUNE 1, 2014 SPECIAL BUSINESS MEETING Debbie Birkey made a motion to approve the minutes from the June 1 Business Meeting. Brian Jirsa seconded the motion. DISCUSSION Matt Friedrich commented that the minutes should include comment by John Campbell indicating that loan forgiveness is possible under the new policy and would be made known to the congregation. Scott called for the vote. The motion carried with the change. ELECTION OF ELDERS AND 2015 NOMINATING COMMITTEE Ron Kinzie said he considered it a privilege that he and Brent Rieger could serve on the Nominating Committee this year. He then recognized the other members of the committee: Mark Dodgson, Soo Ai Kudo, Jay Miller, and Dan Spisiak. Brent Rieger read the names of the Elder Candidates: David Medrano, Kevin Lee, Bruce Rowell, Nnamdi Agwuncha, Steve Newberg, and Victor Van Santen. Pat Italia made a motion to approve the slate of Elder Candidates for election. Dwight Nelson seconded the motion. DISCUSSION Chris Jahns clarified that this election is for Calvary members only. Matt Friedrich asked if the Elder Board was getting larger and if so why? Brent explained that the Board is not expanding. It’s number has been down a person for two years. We were at 12 Elders three years ago. Due to a lack of candidates two years ago it went down to 11. The goal is to get back to 12. Todd Wilson clarified that we will be voting for 6 Elders. Brent called for vote on the motion and the motion carried. Members filled out the ballots. Ballots were collected and taken to be counted. Ron Kinzie read the names of the Nominating Committee Candidates: Andy Brandt, April Drost, Keith Ertner, Bill Ipema, Julie Marcionetti, Mike McGuin, and Heather Voss. Jay Miller made a motion to approve the slate of Nominating Committee Candidates for election. Deneen Taylor seconded the motion. There was no discussion. Ron called for a vote on the motion: motion carried. Members filled out the ballots. Ballots were collected and taken to be counted. ELDER SERVICE REFLECTION: “A PEEK AND A PRAYER” - DR. KIRK BAKER Kirk shared thoughts and reflections on his time serving as an Elder of Calvary. 7
Peek inside the Elder Board: Elder hearts are full with prayer and care for the congregation. Much of our time is spent studying and praying through the Word. It orients and drives what we do. As the hearts get full, the affection for the congregation grows. To the new Elders coming on the Board, get to know those sitting around the table. Guard your marriage and your family. You will encounter intensified spiritual battle. To the congregation, pray for the Elders. Trust them, respect them, get to know them, have them over for dinner, spend time getting to know them as people. To the men in the congregation, don’t think you need to be on the Elder Board to have influence. Qualifications for Elder are the aim of every man. Prayer for Calvary: Ephesians 4:11-16 That “we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Punch line is “we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” What does that look like? We can do a whole lot into fooling ourselves, and each other, by talking rightly, thinking rightly, and doing rightly. The piece that holds these things in balance is our heart; the thing that drives the ship. A vision of what this looks like: 1. Sturdy, holistic identity in Christ amid the storms of life; 2. Integrating our doctrinal and theological knowledge into the details and specifics of daily life; 3. Addresses the heart and affections rather than focusing just on right thinking and right behavior. “Tend the heart” Proverbs 4:23. SENIOR PASTOR’S REPORT: DNA AND STAFFING STRATEGY Had previously communicated in a letter to the congregation the “What” about the staffing moves. Tonight, Pastor Todd wants to get into the “Why” behind the strategy. 1. The “Why” of what we do as a church is more important than the “What.” The rationale, the values, the mission commitment that drive the “What.” 2. Ask the congregation to embrace the short-term sacrifice that’s required to make the staffing decisions we’ve made. 3. Begin to imagine the ministry possibilities that are going to flow from these changes. The new Staffing Strategy is about fulfilling our mission statement: “To make Jesus Christ known in Oak Park and around the world.” The new Staffing Strategy also fulfills our 5 DNA values: “Gospel Rooted, God Centered, Discipleship Focused, Community Engaged, & Mission Minded.” Why is it so important to staff to our 5 DNA? We can, as a church, talk all day long about our values and our priorities, and yet still allow them not to impact our day-to-day decisions in how we prioritize ministry and what we get after. It’s easy to display values, but it’s hard to be driven by your values. Consistency, faithfulness and sacrifice are required. That’s the kind of church we want to be. What does this look like? One pastoral staff member that owns one strand of the DNA. Gospel Rooted - Pastor Todd. We have to get the Gospel right if we’re going to get anything right. God Centered - Pastor Dan. To provide design and leadership to our weekly worship services. A catalyst, or springboard, for a life of worship. Discipleship Focused - Pastor Gerald. Teach and equip us to observe all that Jesus has commanded. Community Engaged - Pastor Nate. Taking our Gospel Rootedness, God Centeredness, and Discipleship Focus and connecting that with other people in our community so they can connect with Jesus and the church. Mission Minded - Pastor Jonathan. To help us build on the fantastic foundation of nearly 100 years of resourcing and sending out missionaries. And to resource and equip us into areas of local mercy ministry. 8
Two areas where we will need to scale back a little bit for the short term to help us get after the other DNA strands: Students & Worship. Pastor Jonathan’s move into Missions & Mercy Ministries will mean that the high school student ministry will now be a part-time position filled by Pastor Dan, in addition to his duties as Worship Pastor. One more exciting staffing announcement: Eric & Pam Redmond. As Gerald has taken on a lot of administrative tasks that were formerly filled by Stann and Keith, we cannot let our Discipleship Ministries flounder. Eric will be a part-time Pastor of Discipleship Ministries. Eric has 20 years of pastoral ministry experience and will also be teaching New Testament at Moody Bible Institute starting in January. PRESENTATION OF THE 2015 BUDGET Tim Hesterman presented a slide showing the financial position of the church, relative to the 2014 budget, followed by a slide showing the proposed 2015 budget as compared to the 2014 budget. There is a 2.5% reduction in the overall budget from 2014. Actual expenses are being reduced by 4.5%, with the difference being applied to a contingency line item. Matt Friedrich made a motion to approve the 2015 budget. Molly Hamilton seconded the motion. DISCUSSION Matt Friedrich asked regarding account 5480-Ordinances, why is there a drop in that number; Does it reflect a drop in attendance and the number of people taking communion? Gerald said he believes that attendance is less of a factor than the fact that it doesn’t cost quite as much as was budgeted for. Matt Friedrich said he appreciated Kirk’s comments, echoed in the Membership Covenant, with respect to family and finances. The Adult and Family Ministries budget has no monies for Men and Women’s ministries, Care and Connection, Engagement Counseling, and Parenting. He said he understands the financial restraints but wants to know where these sit as a priority. Gerald explained that we will still do these ministries but while they were free in the past, we now will charge for some of these services, like Engagement Counseling and various conferences. Men & Women’s Ministries has shifted into our Small Group Ministry. Robert Schuler said he was deeply impacted by Mark Brucato and the Bologna Ministry. He wanted to know if the Bologna Ministry is part of the increase in account 5610 under Missions or will it be funded separately? Gerald clarified that the Foreign Missions increase reflects the addition of the Pritchard's for a full year. The same thing happened in Domestic Missions with the addition of the Jorden’s for a full year. The Bologna project is not part of the Missions Budget. There will be a separate capital campaign. An unidentified speaker asked about the Contingency line item and Special Projects and how they are spent. Gerald explained that the goal is to build up a reserve in Contingency to handle unforeseen items and to eventually have two payrolls worth (approximately $70,000) in Contingency. Joy Womack asked about the line items that are several hundred percent over budget. Members voted and ballots were collected and taken to be counted. BALLOT RESULTS Elders Elected: David Medrano, Kevin Lee, Bruce Rowell, Nnamdi Agwuncha, Steve Newberg, and Victor Van Santen. 2015 Nominating Committee: Heather Voss, Bill Ipema, April Drost, and Andy Brandt. 2015 Budget: Approved QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 9
Questions were raised regarding the Student Ministries. There were specific concerns over the change from a full-time to a part-time pastoral position, and the concept of eliminating Sunday morning 931 in an effort to have the students attend a worship service. CLOSING PRAYER Respectfully Submitted, Tim Hesterman 2014 Secretary of Elder Board
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MINISTRY UPDATES ELDERS’ REPORT SCOTT HAMMOND As outlined in the constitution, at the first meeting of the calendar year officers were elected. Scott Hammond was elected as Chairman with the gifts of Faith, Leadership and Evangelism; Derek Taylor as Vice Chairman with the gifts of Prophecy, Teaching, and Knowledge; and Tim Hesterman elected to the position of Secretary with the gifts of Discernment, Wisdom and Teaching. Later in the same month of January the board of elders went on a retreat. This was a rich time of prayer, planning and sharing of our own individual stories of faith and grace. Some highlights and key items of focus included: •
Vision And DNA: Restructured and aligned our staff around being Gospel Rooted, God Centered, Discipleship Focused, Community Engaged and Mission Minded to further our commitment to “making Jesus Christ known in Oak Park & around the world”.
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Prayer: In addition to praying through the requests received each week on the welcome register, the board made a concerted effort to increase our time in prayer during board meetings. Additionally we met and prayed with congregants, Community Leaders and Small Group Leaders.
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Ministry Leadership Initiative: 2014 saw the formal launch of what we refer to as “MLI” on the board. The MLI vision was given to Derek Taylor as a fruit of his prophetic gift. The essence of MLI is to align Elders, Pastors and other lay leaders in teams around the various ministries of Calvary. The goal is to pray, plan and to share for effectiveness of each ministry area. The teams were formed and launched early in the year. Then in September we gathered to hear reports for the 2014/2015 ministry year. While all elders and pastors play a role in MLI, David Medrano has taken on leadership of MLI as Derek finished his term.
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Policy: We updated a 1993 Policy for Pastoral Housing. This led to helping Sr Associate Pastor Gerald Hiestand to move his family into the community.
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Open: We created space in board meetings on the agenda for ‘Open’. This allowed the elders to initiate discussions and share as the Holy Spirit leads in each of our hearts about our church and her needs.
In our 99 years since our humble beginnings in 1915, the Lord has shown his grace and mercy to His th church here in Oak Park. We look forward with great expectation to celebrating our 100 anniversary in 2015. A long time from a human perspective, but only a small part in our great God’s kingdom! On behalf of the board of elders and in report of the calendar year of 2014, it is a privilege to shepherd, oversee, and lead here at Calvary Memorial Church. May we continue to walk in His statutes, and observe His commands (Leviticus 26:3-4). Humbly submitted, Scott Hammond Chairman, Board of Elders
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SENIOR PASTOR REPORT PASTOR TODD WILSON MINISTRY OVERVIEW I give thanks to my God always for you. That’s how Paul began his letter to the Corinthians, his heart brimming with gospel-rooted gratitude for God’s grace to them. I feel the same about you, Calvary. God continues to do wonderful things in this church, and I feel privileged to be a part of it. As Senior Pastor, I partner with the Elders and Staff to provide direction for the church and to preach God’s word for the building up of the body. It’s a joy to work side-by-side with godly men and women and see God’s word come to life within the life of our congregation. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS The word of God is living and active. We’ve seen WE CONTINUE TO SEE POSITIVE this as we’ve delved into Scripture and grown in our love for Christ. We began the year studying SIGNS OF LIFE: NOT ONLY NEW the life of Jesus in Mark’s gospel with our series FACES, BUT CHANGED LIVES. The Gospel of Jesus Christ: Son of God, Son of Man. We then explored one of my favorite themes in GOD IS ON THE MOVE! Scripture in our series, Praise from God, where we looked at the prospect of receiving God’s “Well done!” on the Last Day. Over the summer, the ministry staff led us in a study of Leviticus and many delighted to find rich truths about God in what can be an intimidating book! Then in the Fall we turned attention to God’s mission in the world in our Missional God series and discovered that God’s mission is to display the riches of his mercy through Jesus Christ; this series ran through the Advent season and focused our thoughts on the birth of Christ as the culmination of God’s mission of mercy. Our church has identified five core values, our church’s DNA, that guide our ministry and mission. It’s been our desire, for a number of years, to align our staffing resources with those DNA strands, to ensure that we really are getting after our biblical commitments. This year we took a big step in this direction by moving Pastors Jonathan Cummings and Nate Friedrichsen into new positions: Jonathan became Pastor of Mercy and Missions to help us be more mission-minded, and Nate became Pastor of Community Engagement to help us be more community-engaged. This year we also benefited from Dan Svendsen’s strong leadership as interim worship pastor. It has been a prayer of mine that we would “stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). And I want to give God thanks because I see clear and growing evidence of this in our body. We also continue to see positive signs of life: not only new faces, but changed lives. God is on the move! MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS Pray is an indispensable part of our life together. To that end, I want to share with you a few passages of Scripture that can guide your prayer for the church. • • •
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Pray that the word of Christ might dwell in us richly, as we teach and admonish one another in all wisdom (Colossians 3:16); Pray that we as a church would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10); Pray that our love would abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that we may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11); Pray that we may all be one, just as the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father, so to that we as a church may be one in the Father and the Son, so that the world may believe that the Father has sent his Son into the world (John 17:20-21).
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ADULT MINISTRIES PASTOR GERALD HIESTAND MINISTRY OVERVIEW Adult Ministries at Calvary has three primary components: Small Groups, Christian Education, and church wide Fellowship events. Our Small Group ministry serves as our primary means of relational discipleship and pastoral care, and is the focal point of Adult Ministries. Small Group leaders serve as extensions of the Elder’s shepherding care, and are tasked with shepherding and caring for the folks in their small groups. Our Adult Christian Education effort focuses primarily on our Foundations Classes. Each Foundation class typically runs for four weeks, and the classes take place on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. The classes provide instruction on Christian doctrine and ethics and are generally taught by pastoral staff, elders, or outside teachers. Beyond our Foundations classes, a number of other adult groups meet on Sunday mornings which also involve regular teaching. And finally, Adult Ministries takes the lead on hosting church wide fellowship events, such as after our church BBQ’s, the Women’s Tea, the Thanksgiving morning Service, etc. Our marquis event is our annual Link Retreat. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS THE LINK RETREAT The Link Retreat was a great time of fellowship, and was skillfully organized and executed. Many thanks to Victor VanSanten and the Link planning team! We are in the planning stages for Link 2015, and anticipate it being another great year.
90 NEW SMALL GROUP REQUESTS THIS FALL
PASTOR KEITH’S MINISTRY While not a typical “highlight,” I am grateful for Pastor Keith’s ministry. Though it was hard to release the Steiner family, I was excited for his new role and opportunity in Milwaukee. It is with the same excitement that I look forward to welcoming Eric and Pam Redmond, who will step into Keith’s shoes. We anticipate them beginning on staff as early as March 1, or as soon as the housing transition makes it possible. SMALL GROUP MINISTRY Our Small Group Ministry continues to grow. During the Small Group Ministry launch this past Fall, we had nearly 90 new requests for small groups. Not all were placed, but many folks were added to our existing groups, and a few new groups were formed. In particular, our Tuesday morning women’s groups are bursting at the seams. I am very grateful for the good work of our Small Group leaders and Community Group leaders. Their co-shepherding efforts are so vital for the Lord’s work here at Calvary. FOUNDATIONS CLASSES With the coming of 2015, our Foundations Classes have taken on a new energy. We began with a class taught by our own Dr. Kevin Hector on faith and the coming of Christ. Pastor Nate taught a class on conversion and regeneration. I taught a class on sexuality and gender. We look forward to classes on American Church History, the Difficult Doctrine of Hell, Suffering and the Silence of God, and more.
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MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS Please be in prayer for: •
Pastor Eric and Pam Redmond as they transition to Chicago, and into their new role of leading Adult Ministries.
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New Small Group leaders, especially for a few women who would be willing to lead a Wednesday evening group.
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For the Link Retreat (July 31-Aug 2) that it is well attended and a meaningful time of connection for our church family.
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That our Small Group leaders would continue to grow in their capacity to shepherd and care for Calvary’s body.
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That our Foundation classes would effectively communicate the life changing truths of the gospel, and help our congregation to live Christianly in the culture.
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MISSIONS PASTOR JONATHAN CUMMINGS MINISTRY OVERVIEW My primary role as the Pastor of Missions is to [OUR MISSIONARIES] ARE HUMBLE provide vision and leadership to the Missions AND BOLD. THEY HAVE A DEEP Leadership Team and to recruit and support our missionaries. The Missions Leadership LOVE FOR CHRIST AND PASSION Team meets on a monthly basis to evaluate the current needs and present situations of our FOR THE GOSPEL. missionaries, discuss current issues in missions, evaluate requests for missionary support, and help the members of Calvary to understand the call to be co-workers in missions. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS/UPDATES The 2014 highlights in missions are primarily due the Missions Leadership Team and Pastor Gerald. I took leadership of missions in mid-October. MISSION NUOVA VITA AND NORTH AFRICA At the 2014 Missions Conference we launched a 4-year commitment to partner with missionaries in Bologna, Italy and North Africa. This 4-year commitment will involve us traveling to both locations, helping them raise funds for certain projects, and pray for them. This will be a unique opportunity for us as a church to build and deepen our unity as we work together for a common cause. CALVARY STUDENTS AROUND THE WORLD Rebecca Friederich went through our Children’s and Student Ministries at Calvary. For the last year and half she has been serving with YWAM in Costa Rica and El Salvador. It is a huge blessing and joy to see our Calvary students walking in truth! We also had 14 students partner with our missionaries in Guatemala, Doug and Sara Johnson. They spent a week in Guatemala helping build a home for teenage mothers to raise their children. MISSIONS CONFERENCE Dan and Beth Spisiak did an amazing job organizing and giving leadership for the 2014 Missions Conference. Also, Megan Barclay did an outstanding job organizing a dinner for the missionaries, pastors, and elders. I had the opportunity to spend a good amount of time with Ryan and Heidi Hannah during the Missions Conference. They were formerly serving in Mozambique and 3 years ago transitioned to Thailand. I was very impressed with how well they have transferred to Thailand. They are incredibly skilled in their ability to learn and understand another culture. MISSIONS LEADERSHIP TEAM I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with the Missions Leadership Team. Dan and Beth Spisiak have been such a blessing to me during my transition to working in missions. We added two new members to the leadership team, Peter Hanson and Brandon Griswold. Brandon has expertise in design and communication. He will be a huge help for us in better communicating our vision for missions to the church at-large. Peter Hanson is an employee at The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM). TEAM is a one of the major evangelical mission agencies. Peter brings us a unique expertise within the conversations surrounding missions. INTERACTIONS WITH MISSIONARIES One of the best parts of my new role with missions is the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with our missionaries. I have already been so blessed to get to know many of them. They are humble and bold. They have a deep love for Christ and passion for the gospel. I look up to them and cherish my developing relationships with them.
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MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS •
Missionaries: Please consider selecting a missionary to support and prayer for. You would be enriched to get their regular updates and to get to know them as people. This year we will be developing a Small Group Missionary Prayer Guide. Be on the lookout for it.
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Unity: One of my deepest desires is to see Calvary deepen its unity through a common mission. I believe our support of our missionaries and Missions Nuova Vita and North Africa are unique opportunities to grow in our unity in Christ.
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Missions Leadership Team: The Missions Leadership Team has so many important decisions to make throughout the year. Pray we will have wisdom and unity!
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MERCY PASTOR JONATHAN CUMMINGS MINISTRY OVERVIEW God has called the church, through the example of Jesus, to prioritize its care for the poor. Psalms and Proverbs reveal God’s own solidarity with the poor. Our Mercy Ministries seeks embody those values and priorities. My primary role as the Pastor of Mercy Ministries is to provide vision and leadership to The Closet Leadership Team, the 931 Basketball Leadership Team, and oversee distribution of our benevolence funds. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS Calvary has not formally had a Mercy Ministry before. Though many ministries existed throughout the years that reflect the values of Mercy Ministries, this is the first time it has been a formally organized category of ministry for Calvary. It has been exciting to begin giving shape to Mercy Ministries. Our Mercy Ministries has its focus in 3 particular areas: 931 BASKETBALL TEAM The 931 Basketball Team has existed within the high school ministry over the last few years. With the formal development of Mercy Ministries, we moved the 931 Basketball Team to Mercy Ministries. The ministry continues to take large strides every year. We have grown in the amount of basketball players and volunteers. Two areas of significant expansion in 2014 are the development of the Academic Advocacy Program and the Development Team. Both have taken considerable strategic planning and implementation. I am so thankful for the amazing volunteers that have stepped up to help us pull this off. Meaningful gospel relationships continue to be developed in profound ways! THE EMERGENCY CLOTHES CLOSET The Emergency Clothes Closet provides warm clothes during the cold winter months of November through February for those going through financial hardships. This past year we were able to serve 555 clients, 275 of those clients were new this season. Over the last 6 years we have served 3,380 clients. We gave away almost 5,000 items of clothing this season. Also, The Closet Leadership Team added 2 new members: Joe Cesarini and Molly Hamilton. Both were crucial to the success of the weekly operations. Our leadership team is also indebted to the many, many volunteers that showed up each week. Jeb Ellenwood, Paul and Carol Ungaretti, Jane O’Donnell, and Debbie Birkey are a gift to ECC. They have given their time and support to this ministry for many years! BENEVOLENCE FUND I am humbled to see the extent of the generosity of people at Calvary Memorial Church. Due to the monthly contributions given to the Benevolence Fund, we were able to distribute over $48,000.00. These funds went to people who are members or regular attenders at Calvary. Most of the money went toward housing and living expenses (over $30,000.00). The rest of the funds went toward legal assistance, food and groceries, medical bills, counseling, etc. I am looking to build a team of people that would help meet with people in need of assistance and help manage this large amount of money. MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS •
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931 Basketball: Please pray for continued wisdom as the 931 Basketball Team continues to grow and expand. Pray for Coach Matt Jones as he always has to deal with challenging situations and circumstances. The Emergency Clothes Closet: Please pray that the Holy Spirit will give The Closet Leadership Team wisdom about some potential adjustments to how we run ECC. Pray that we will also be able to raise funds to cover next year’s ministry before the summer of 2015 is over. Benevolence: Pray that God will encourage those who are in need of Benevolence assistance.
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PASTOR NATE FRIEDRICHSEN MINISTRY OVERVIEW Community Engagement is a value and a ministry. As a value, it represents the fourth strand of our church DNA. As a ministry, Community Engagement leads local outreach efforts to ensure that the church is and remains truly community-engaged. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS I took on the role of Pastor of Community Engagement in October 2014, when we realigned our pastoral staff around our DNA. I focused my initial efforts on hospitality and assimilation. As one would want to clean their house before having company over for a visit, we too needed to grow in our ability to welcome and follow up with new visitors. Taking steps in the right direction, we nearly doubled our hospitality team of greeters and welcome desk workers and made our follow-up process more attentive and 1 personal. Consequently, I personally followed up with 163 people who visited the church in the fall of 2014.
163 VISITORS CONTACTED IN JUST 3 MONTHS
MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS •
While we are only able to follow up with visitors that give us contact information on the Welcome Register, there are countless others, who visit our church unnoticed. Pray these people will meet a friendly face down the pew, get connected with the life of the church and ultimately come to know more of Christ.
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Pray as we recast our evangelism strategy in 2015. Pray this strategy will have a unifying effect upon the church and will give many in our congregation the conviction and confidence they need to promote Christ in their day-to-day actions, words and lives.
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Pray our church develops more of a culture of conversion, wherein all are welcome, no one claims to have it all together and people’s lives are being changed by the living God.
1 From 17 to 30 volunteers.
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COMMUNICATIONS PASTOR NATE FRIEDRICHSEN MINISTRY OVERVIEW The communications department exists to promote clear, consistent and compelling messages about what God is doing through Calvary to make Jesus Christ known in Oak Park and around the world. We develop strategies to connect with insiders and outsiders via engaging web, print, social media and worship service components. It is a joy to tell stories of what God is doing in our midst and collaborate with other ministry leaders in order the help them be more effective in the promotion and execution of their ministry responsibilities. In many ways, the medium is the message, and we are privileged to proclaim the greatest message of all–God’s victory in Christ–through creative mediums. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS 2
Compared to 2013, our website traffic has increased 19%. Compared to 2012, we’re up 63%. For the first time, over half of our visitors are first time visitors, which means 24,585 people visited our website for the very first time in 2014 – equivalent to roughly half of the population of Oak Park. 3
Our Facebook likes increased 21% over 2013. While traffic and likes are not the end goals, they indicate more people are hearing about Jesus, connecting with the church, and engaging with our online content than ever before. There are many like the young man, who filled out our website contact form with “I am looking to learn about the Christian faith.” I was able to meet with him, discuss the greatness of Christ, and develop an ongoing friendship. MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS •
Easter is the height of the Christian year, and a lot of creative elements contribute toward a powerful celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Please pray these elements enhance the services and proclaim the resurrection, not distract us from it.
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Our 100 Years celebration also has many layers of communication. Pray these efforts would help our church body celebrate God’s faithfulness over the last 100 years and look to God’s faithfulness for the next 100 years.
WHILE TRAFFIC AND LIKES ARE NOT THE END GOALS, THEY INDICATE MORE PEOPLE ARE HEARING ABOUT JESUS
24,585
21%
NEW WEBSITE VISITORS
INCREASE IN FACEBOOK LIKES
19% INCREASE IN WEBSITE TRAFFIC
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47,511 visits in 2014 compared to 39,946 in 2013 and 29,109 in 2012. 818 Facebook Likes at the end of 2014 compared to 677 at the end of 2013 and 508 at the end of 2012.
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WORSHIP PASTOR DANIEL SVENDSEN MINISTRY OVERVIEW My responsibilities as they pertain to the worship ministry include planning the worship services around the sermon, designing all the liturgy, choosing songs and Scripture readings, and giving leadership to all of the praise teams. I also work with Janet Buis and Eric Rubio as they give leadership to the sanctuary choir and orchestra respectively. I lead practices and services or oversee others who do the same. Most Sundays I help lead our people in the worship and adoration of our Lord. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS THE WORSHIP SERVICES It has been a blessing to be a part of the worshipping life of our church. As a recent seminary grad and aspiring pastor/elder, it has given me invaluable experience in ministry and countless opportunities to learn from, observe, and be around God’s people and the life of his kingdom. THE PRAISE TEAMS Some of my favorite times outside of the WE OUGHT TO HAVE HEARTS worship service are the times I spend with our THAT EXUDE A LIVING FAITH WITH faithful volunteers on the praise teams. They work selflessly and in a unified fashion to THE WAY THAT WE WORSHIP. ensure Sundays are meaningful gatherings of God’s people that honor him before any human participant. Their love for Christ, the church, and one another has been an example to me and a help for the carrying out of my tasks. DISCUSSION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF WORSHIPPING PRINCIPLES It has been a challenge but a worthy task to biblically think through the idea of corporate worship, the reasons why we do it and what drives our principles and practices. As we have discussed these things as a team, we have landed on at least a few convictions: that worship is to involve both the head and heart, that we ought to have worship gatherings that make much of God, that we ought to have hearts that exude a living faith with the way that we worship, and we ought to strive to worship God with gravity and gladness. These basic principles have given direction to the ways I have planned our services, and sought to give primary importance to God and to his word and also to support the primacy of the preaching of the word in public worship. SUPPORT Since Michelle and I have come to Calvary, we have felt loved and supported by everyone. It’s not always easy having such a quick time of transition, but I came into a church where there were plenty of willing hearts and loving folks who were there with us from the start. The servants in every facet of the worship ministry picked up the slack where I was inadequate and have filled in the gaps to make sure we keep allowing God to work in us and through us. MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for the following things: •
•
Sanctifying Growth as Worshippers: We don’t believe that God is done with any one of us! We think that until we leave this earth, the Spirit is molding and shaping us into true worshippers, and so we want to reflect that ongoing work of God when we gather corporately. Growing Family: By the time our spring meeting happens, we will, Lord willing, have a new Svendsen in our lives. Pray for us as we set out in this new journey.
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931 HIGH SCHOOL PASTOR DANIEL SVENDSEN MINISTRY OVERVIEW My responsibilities as they pertain to the high THE MENTORS WE HAVE ARE school ministry include direct oversight of all BURSTING WITH LOVE AND CARE the happenings in 931, leading our weekly gatherings, giving leadership and working FOR THE STUDENTS. with our SBF teachers, occasionally teaching SBF, leading our team of volunteers, and shepherding our high school students as their primary pastoral advocate. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS THE STUDENTS The biggest blessing from my vantage point is any time I’m able to connect with the students. There is such a great opportunity to minister to them and to have a positive voice in their lives. They are bombarded with a lot of negative stuff in their daily grind, and so I cherish the opportunity to combat those things with the transforming power of the gospel. THE VOLUNTEER LEADERS This ministry simply could not go on without the base of volunteer leaders. Tuesday night 931 is centered around relational discipleship groups that can only be used by God when humbly approached and led by mentors. I can honestly say that the mentors we have are bursting with love and care for the students and week in and week out they give all that they have to show the students how to live as godly men and women in a world that sees Christianity as foolish. THE RETREATS Since I took over the leadership of 931, I have gone on two separate retreats, both of which afforded me a unique chance to get to know the students in meaningful ways. It could be said that in “ministry time” those retreats equal the impact you can have in a few months, and both retreats have left a good impression on me and I trust the same can be said for the students as well. MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for the following things: •
Growing Core of Leaders: As I mentioned earlier, one of the most important components to 931 is a solid base of leaders. We have this, but there is always a need for more, as many of our leaders come and go, being students at Moody or involved in other areas of ministry. Pray for the right leaders to continue to come our way, and that they would fight for the discipleship of the students and strive to show them Christian faith and life through all the challenges that face young people today.
•
Growing Family: By the time our spring meeting happens, we will, Lord willing, have a new Svendsen in our lives. Pray for us as we set out in this new journey.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL TRAVIS JAMIESON MINISTRY OVERVIEW As the Minister of Middle School Discipleship, I seek to provide leadership and discipleship to the middle school students of Calvary. I do this by working together with a team of volunteer leaders, who mentor and disciple the students by leading biblically focused small groups and by building personal TEACHING DISCIPLESHIP relationships with the students. I also provide theological teaching in our SBF. I seek to help the BASKETBALL SPECIAL EVENTS students connect the individual stories in scripture by teaching through Old and New Testament theology as well as the theology of Christ and His Church. Another component of the middle school ministries is our after school basketball program on Fridays. This is an opportunity for the students and their friends to build relationships with each other while working on their basketball skills. I also oversee special middle school events throughout the year. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS LEADERSHIP TRANSITION This past October, I transitioned from being a mentor in the high school ministries to providing leadership to the middle school ministries. Thankfully, this transition has come with ease. The students and leaders have welcomed me into the group and it has been a joy to serve them. BAPTISMS I am excited to see God truly calling students to Himself. We saw His call clearly this year as a couple of our students were baptized. DIVERSITY God calls a diverse people to be unified in Jesus Christ. I am thankful that our middle school ministries is a place where students of different cultures, ethnicities, and race can come together and be encouraged by the gospel of Christ. BASKETBALL PROGRAM In January, we started an after school basketball program. This program provides an outlet for students to have fun with each other and work on their basketball skills. It also gives an excellent opportunity to reach the unchurched students in Oak Park and the surrounding communities VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP TEAM The current volunteers serve the students with joy and faithfulness. I could not be more thankful for such a great team. They not only provide Christ’s love to the students through word and action, but also serve as Christ like examples to each of the students. MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS Pray with me over the following areas of the Middle School Ministries: •
Continual faithfulness: God has been ever so faithful to the middle school students of Calvary. Pray that He would continue to be faithful in bringing His children to faith in Christ. Pray that the students who do not yet know Christ would be humbled and brought to faith.
•
Basketball Program: I am very excited about what God will do with this after school basketball program. Please pray that He would bring students who would never otherwise come to Calvary. Pray that this would be another opportunity for Calvary to be a faithful presence in Oak Park. 22
•
Volunteer Leaders: We have an excellent leadership team and they put a lot of work into the middle school ministries. Pray that each of our leaders would rest in God’s grace and would be seeking to let Him fill them with strength so that they might better minister to the students.
•
Wisdom and Discernment: Pray that I would have wisdom and discernment as I prepare lessons each week. It is a great joy of mine to teach theology, but at times it is not easy. Pray that I would continually trust in God for His strength as I continue to better understand His Scriptures.
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CALVARY KIDS CAROLYN LUNDGREN & HEIDI AMSLER MINISTRY OVERVIEW Our focus in Calvary Kids is to assist parents in their responsibility of training up their children in the things of God. On Sunday mornings, preschool and elementary children learn about God and His love, purpose, and plan for them through worship, God-centered Bible lessons, and age appropriate games and activities. We currently use The Gospel Project Curriculum, which is a three-year chronological study through the Bible that uniquely connects each Bible lesson to the gospel of Christ. To safely and effectively care for and instruct Calvary’s children, we rely on 50-60 volunteers and leaders each Sunday.
50-60 VOLUNTEERS AND LEADERS PROVIDE WORSHIP, GODCENTERED BIBLE LESSONS, AND AGE APPROPRIATE GAMES AND
A small group – large group model is in place for ACTIVITIES EACH SUNDAY. th students ages 4 – 5 grade. Students come together with their respective large group for Bible lessons and worship and then divide into their small groups. Each age group has one or more small group leaders responsible for discipling students and facilitating discussion and activities. Discipleship of our children continues on Wednesday evenings with our AWANA program. Led by director Jenna Cook and her team, students receive biblical instruction and engage in scripture memory, worship, crafts, and games. MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS BIBLE BASED SPORTS AND ARTS CAMP We were encouraged by the positive response to our 2014 Sports & Arts Camp. In addition to being able to minister to the children of Calvary, we also had the opportunity to get to know a number of nonCalvary families. We are excited to bring back UW Sports Ministry and The Little Bits Workshop for our 2015 Camp (June 22 – 26). FIRST FRIDAYS In November we kicked off “First Fridays,” a monthly social event for our 3rd – 5th grade students. These events are high energy and a time for Calvary students to get to know one another better in addition to serving as an opportunity for them to bring their friends. Six “First Fridays” were scheduled for this teaching year. SERVICE SUNDAY (NOVEMBER 30) Our students had the opportunity to practically display the love of Christ by working on one or more service projects: Hats for babies in need & Oak Park’s Children’s Clothes Closet, Scarves for Calvary’s ECC, and Paracord bracelets for the Military. Our students did an amazing job, producing over 200 items. It is our intention to provide our students with such opportunities throughout the year. COMPUTER BASED CHILD CHECK-IN On March 1, we launched a computer based Check-In system designed to simplify the child drop off process, strengthen security and improve record keeping. KIDS IN SERVICE SUNDAYS The worship service is the center of a church’s worshiping and community life. We believe it is important for our children to experience this time of corporate worship and that their presence in the sanctuary is a blessing to the congregation. Periodically throughout the year our regularly scheduled classes will not meet in order to provide our children with the opportunity to worship alongside the larger Calvary body. 24
MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS •
As we focus on the life and ministry of Jesus in our upcoming Sunday morning lessons, please pray for our children, that they might know that Jesus is their promised Savior. Pray that God’s word would take root in their hearts and produce an enduring faith.
•
We praise God for our faithful leaders. Pray that they will not grow weary, but will continue to lead with enthusiasm and creativity. We also thank God for all of our nursery & classroom volunteers who enable us to keep our classrooms open week after week. Pray for God’s ongoing provision.
•
Pray for all of the details surrounding our Sports and Arts Camp (June 22-26). Pray specifically that this event would reach those in our community that typically would not send their children to a “church” camp.
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ADMINISTRATION ERIC RUBIO INTRODUCTION Calvary has been part of my life for over fifteen years now, and in the last year I have been able to serve my church in ways I would have never imagined when I first came to AWANA in the third grade. Following Caleb Widmer’s departure in April, I provided temporary leadership to the worship and music department, and assisted Pastor Dan during the first several weeks of his ministry here. I am grateful to my fellow members of the worship and music leadership team – part-icularly Dorothy Ayers, Janet Buis, Jodi Rieger, and Tom Womack – and to all the musicians for supEVERY YEAR IS A BUSY YEAR AT CALVARY orting me during that period and FOR CHURCH ADMINISTRATION, 2014 continuing to serve with diligence and passion during leadership INCLUDED. IT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING transitions.
AND ALSO REWARDING WORK.
In September, when Stann Leff departed, Pastor Gerald asked me to assume responsibility for a large part of the administrative portfolio he left behind. It has been challenging and also rewarding work, and I am grateful for the support and encouragement I have received from Pastor Todd and the elders. I am also grateful to Pastor Gerald for the confidence he has shown in me in appointing me to two different leadership positions in the past year. MINISTRY OVERVIEW Church Administration includes the various functions that support all the ministries and programs of our church. These functions include accounting, auxiliary enterprises, business services, catering, events and scheduling services, facilities management, human resources, information technology, life safety and security, office operations, project management, and risk management. There is also frequent crossdepartmental collaboration in the areas of audiovisual technology, communications, and hospitality, and at least occasional interaction with every other department. In addition to coordinating of all these functions, I spend time overseeing Sunday morning operations; communicating with the many organizations with whom we do business, including the Village of Oak Park; conducting research for administrative initiatives; and planning and executing many special projects. HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2014 Every year is a busy year at Calvary for church administration, 2014 included. Some of the major efforts last year include: • • • • • •
Implementation of Church Community Builder, our new database software Remote parking lot shuttles during the winter months Major repairs to our building’s roofs Major new equipment and new location for Sanctuary audiovisual control, and upgrades to the Dining Room sound system Procurement and installation of new office equipment and technology Ongoing review of our health insurance and property insurance policies
In addition to hundreds of our own ministry-related events, we have also been able to provide meeting and event space for a number of outside organizations, including the Center for Pastor Theologians, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Classical Conversations, Grace Episcopal Church, InterVarsity, and Moody Bible Institute. Many, many people deserve recognition for their work in these and many more efforts this year. I would like to particularly recognize staff members Jonathan Craveiro (facilities), Ana DeAlva (catering), Cheryl Shoemaker (accounting), John Sredl (facilities), Nate Steinman (facilities), and Cindy Todd (office), and 26
key volunteers Don Hane (vehicle operations) and Gary Rhebergen (IT and facilities), as well as our shuttle drivers and the many people who served as consultants for various administrative initiatives and projects. MINISTRY PRAYER REQUESTS I would humbly ask for your prayer in three areas: •
Continued wisdom in providing a quality working environment for our employees, dedicated men and women who serve under ever increasing workloads with ever decreasing resources
•
Special insight and discernment in review of our insurance policies and other aspects of stewarding our capital assets
•
Strength and joy over the next three months in preparing for Calvary’s Centennial Celebration in June
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FINANCES KIM JAHNS MINISTRY OVERVIEW Our General Fund giving for 2014 (including revenue from rental income) totaled $1,708,395.72 which was 99.90% of the 2014 budget. By controlling our expenses ($1,687,752.80 – 98.70% of 2014 budget), we ended the year with a surplus of $20,642.92 This surplus will allow us to begin to build some cash reserves to help with cash flow needs in the coming year. We thank God for His provision through each of you who have given consistently, prayerfully and sacrificially toward the Lord’s work in and through Calvary Memorial Church. May He bless you richly as you faithfully give of your first fruits. There have been many changes in the finance area in 2014: •
In October, we said goodbye to Stann Leff, who gave leadership to this area over the last 5+ years. He is greatly missed. At that time, Pastor Gerald stepped in to create the budget for 2015 and I began to serve the Finance Committee as chairman. Much for us to learn in a short and most critical time.
WE THANK GOD FOR HIS PROVISION THROUGH EACH OF YOU WHO HAVE GIVEN CONSISTENTLY, PRAYERFULLY AND SACRIFICIALLY TOWARD THE LORD’S WORK.
•
We also said goodbye to Gayle Smith and Mike Bosco (part-time church accountants) who have worked faithfully in the accounting area for many years. Thank you Gayle and Mike for your efforts to keep the books in good shape. Cheryl Shoemaker began work as the new church accountant in October, working with Pastor Gerald and me to learn our accounting system and practices and to prepare for the future.
•
We switched to Community Bank this year in order to increase the level of services available to us as a church, including assistance on the Hiestand loan.
An internal audit was conducted in February 2015 for the year 2014. Results of the findings will be submitted to the Elders for review. I want to thank Molly Hamilton and the small group of offering counters who volunteer their time each week. They cheerfully assist behind the scenes to make sure our records are accurately reported and every dollar is accounted for. Finally, I am very thankful for the members of the Finance Committee who serve with me: Jay Miller, Dave Kudo, Dick Jahns and Tim Hesterman (Elder rep.). They have given thoughtful, godly leadership in a financially challenging year and in the midst of an unusual amount of transition and change.
Respectfully submitted, Kim Jahns Chairman, Finance Committee
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ORGANIZATION CHART FOR 2015
Senior Pastor Todd Wilson
Adm. Assistant Soo Ai Kudo
Senior Associate Pastor Gerald Hiestand
Adm. Assistant Soo Ai Kudo
Pastor of Adult Discipleship Eric Redmond
Minister to Adults Pam Redmond
Adm. Assistant Janet Buis
Pastor of High School - 931 Dan Svendsen
Minister of Middle School Discipleship Travis Jamieson
Pastor of Missions & Mercy Jonathan Cummings
Adm. Assistant Janet Buis
Minister of Children's Discipleship Carolyn Lundgren
Assistant Minister to Children Heidi Amsler
Adm. Assistant Dea Reynolds
Church Administrator Eric Rubio
Office Coordinator Cindy Todd
Kitchen Coordinator Ana DeAlva
Wedding Coordinator Soo Ai Kudo
Interim Pastor of Worship Dan Svendsen
Sound Engineer Tom Womack
Pastor of Community Engagement Nate Friederichsen
Adm. Assist.ant Janet Buis
Church Accountant Cheryl Shoemaker
Dir. of Buildings & Grounds John Sredl
Accountant Mike Bosco
Assoc. Dir. of Bldgs & Grounds Nate Steinman
Facilities Care Carl Craveiro* Jonathan Craveiro* Jason Craveiro* Tevin Russell* Bernie Filmore*
2014 FINAL FINANCIAL REPORT BALANCE SHEET - DECEMBER 2013
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IN MEMORIAM
SEAN SREDL
In 2014, we lost Sean Sredl, who served faithfully in the Buildings and Grounds Department for over ten years, up until just months before his passing into glory. We as a staff still feel his absence every day.
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NOTES
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