2018 Annual Report. for. W o l l a s t o n. Church of the Nazarene

Transcription

1 2018 Annual Report for W o l l a s t o n Church of the Nazarene

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. From Pastor Stretch... 3 II. Staff A. Wollaston s Current Leadership... 4 B. Pastoral Care Pastor... 5 C. Children's Pastor... 6 D. Worship Coordinator... 9 E. Youth Pastor III. Church Business IV. Missions A. Church Board Secretary B. Church Treasurer C. Stewardship/Personnel D. Facilities Committee E. SDMI Report A. Nazarene Mission International President B. Wollaston World Changers Report V. Appendices A. Church Election Results 2018 B. Church Directory (without pictures) Please review your information. IF your information is incorrect or missing PLEASE fill out the form that follows this directory in this booklet. Feel free to hand the form to an usher, pastor or slide under the door of the church office. C. Church Directory Information Form 2

3 Dear Wollaston Church Family, It is such a pleasure to present this Annual Report as a reminder of how the Lord has cared for and helped us over this past year! You are about to hear from a dedicated Group of Leaders, who deeply love the Lord and have responded to His Call on their life, to serve, to give, to lead and to love others and the Church. As you read through these reports, I hope you are praying throughout, giving thanks to God for all He has done and the great Kingdom Workers He has sent us. After Jesus looked around and saw the desperate needs all around, in Matthew 9:36, He simply said to his Disciples, The Harvest is plentiful so pray to the Lord of the Harvest and ask Him to send more workers into the Field. In Luke 19:10, Jesus declares His Mission Statement I HAVE COME TO SEEK & SAVE THE LOST! So now We ve been given our Marching Orders! Let s Pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers to join us in this a-ma-zing Redemptive Work of Jesus Christ! As we celebrate all that has been accomplished this past year, let s keep in mind that we ve only just begun! The Lost & the Lonely are thirsty for an answer. AND WE HAVE THAT ANSWER! (He s been our Rescue, our Healer, our Deliverer our ANSWER!) As a result, we pray that we ll continue to be faithful to His purpose as we carry out His mission across the street and around the world! I m so glad I go to your Church! Pastor Stretch 3

4 WOLLASTON S CURRENT LEADERSHIP Pastoral Staff Rev. Stretch Dean, Lead Pastor Rev. Bev Keuther, Children s Ministries Rev. Andrea Sawtelle, Youth Ministries Rev. Don Reed, Pastoral Care Mrs. Megan Johnston, Worship Coordinator Dr. Vern Wesley, Office Manager (stretch@wconaz.org) (bev.keuther@wconaz.org) (andrea@wconaz.org) (donrd2005@yahoo.com) (mmcsnjohnston@gmail.com) (office@wconaz.org) Church Board Kipp Caldwell Dave Cawthorne Don Christensen Bill Esselstyn Matt Jayne Bob Keuther Sarah Kirksey Merritt Mann Linda Masterson Matt Salah Harriet Simons (kipp.caldwell@comcast.net) (dctech15@yahoo.com) (don_g_christensen@yahoo.com) (esselstyn@colonialfed.com) (mrjayne10@gmail.com) (makeuth8@hotmail.com) (sarahkirksey@hotmail.com) (mhmann@aol.com) (mastersonlin@comcast.net) (msalah@meditech.com) (Harsi226@aol.com) Ex-Officio Members of the Board Lynne Bollinger, NMI President Robin Dean, NYI President Derek Schmitt, Spiritual Formation Coordinator (lynne.bollinger@enc.edu) (robinanndean@gmail.com) (derek.schmitt@enc.edu) Spiritual Formation Team Jill Dean Ralph Eckardt Matt Holt Britney Jayne Kelly Sautter (Jillm.dean@yahoo.com) (ralph.eckardt@3lp.com) (jvbradford@comcast.net) (britleach13@gmail.com) (kellysautter@comcast.net) Nazarene Missions International Officers Geoff Churchill, Treasurer Merritt Mann, Vice-President Harriet Simons, Secretary More Leaders Pam Jayne, L.I.F.T. Joan Lyons, Prime Time Patsy Malas, Women s Ministries Chelsie Maynard, Hospitality Rob Purpura, Head Usher Marylou Shea, Liturgical Leader (2gbc@comcast.net) (mhmann@aol.com) (Harsi226@aol.com) (pdmaj04@gmail.com) (joanclyons@verizon.net) (pmalas85@gmail.com) (chelsie.m.maynard@gmail.com) (rpurpura228@gmail.com) (drmarylou.shea@gmail.com) 4

5 PASTORAL CARE REPORT Jesus left the disciples the assignment to continue His ministry. Thus, they prayed, encouraged, financed, visited those in prison, fed the hungry and clothed others. They remembered the words of Jesus, In as much as you have done it unto these, you have done it unto me. The love of Jesus today goes through human hands; some of it through our hands, our hearts. Many people in the Wollaston Church of the Nazarene have reached out. Our pastor, Stephen Dean, has encouraged the other pastors to reach out, especially in their areas of service. Hospital visits have been made to many. Cards, letters, and Christmas baskets have been sent. These organizations in our church have extended special areas of outreach: David Wooster and Quincy Crisis Center o Many helpers, such as Ruth and Richard Jarvis and Paul Farquhar Nicki Caldwell and Campus Kinder Haus Beverly Keuther and Children s Ministry on Tuesday afternoons Andrea Sawtelle: Youth Group Joan Lyons: Senior Group (Prime Time) Betty Wagner: Prayer Group Elaine Tuttle: Constant visits Don Reed: o Visits to many o Flowers to elderly at Easter o Over 100 books, jars of jam, apples o Some visits to Chinese homes o Some clothing distribution o E.S.L.: three mornings each week, September April What a joy to Reach out for Jesus. Thank you for the opportunity. Sincerely, Don Reed 5

6 CHILDREN S MINISTRY REPORT It is an amazing thing to walk through the year in the life of the church, our community, and journey alongside our kids and families and each one of you! I am often struck by the awesomeness of this privilege that I am blessed with! Thank you for sharing in the journey with me, and for allowing me to serve and partner in ministry together. These are extraordinary days. Life is fast paced; our days are filled with lists of things to do, work responsibilities, places to be, appointments to be kept, lessons, practices, games, tutoring, homework, doctor visits truly it can be completely overwhelming to manage it all and meet the expectations placed upon our families. I find this to be a common theme in virtually all my conversations with parents, regardless of the age of their children. I also find this to be a common theme around our staff meeting table each week! We are in dangerous territory as we march along to the beat of over-packed schedules and next to impossible routines. I have found this to be true in my own life. I have been a poor model of being more mindful of what is realistic, reasonable, life-giving, and being the steward of my time and energy as I am called to be. God has checked me on this and helped me this past year to make some adjustments, find new rhythms, and is calling me to continue doing so. One thing that has been life-giving to me, although it added a significant amount of time, was the starting of KidSpace, a Tuesday after school program. #whatablast #whydidntidothissooner We had 35 children participate between the two sessions with an average of 21 each week. There are five regular staff and five others have helped at least once. On March 20 th we wrapped up an eight-week winter session by hosting a Dinner Theater with pizza and salad and an American Girl Doll Play. We had 65 people come out for this event! In May we will host one more four-week session. This summer I ll make plans for the fall as I believe this is something we need to continue and see what God is up to! Thank you, thank you Beatriz Arguedas, Jennie Doane, Britney Jayne, and Ashley Prax for catching the vision for this time with community kids and building relationships with them! Sundays are bustling with activity in the KidSpot. Our nurseries are active and fun places to be and we have a great staff of adults and teens working together to care for the children. It is great having the kids start off in service and be with their families. It s super fun to gather together once dismissed from service to go downstairs. Since the fall, because of staffing, I have had four-year olds through fourth graders together for kids church time. In the past we had separated four-year olds to Kindergarten and then first through fourth grade. In the short time we have together we squeeze in a snack (important for this age at this time of day), some fellowship and conversation, a story and prayer time together. This has built some nice community among this group of boys and girls. Our Sunday school/small groups for kids are blessed with amazing, talented teachers who really love sharing Jesus with your boys and girls. There is something highly valuable about teachers who can see your child each week, speak into their lives, pray over them and love on your entire family. Our teachers love this opportunity and privilege. My shameless plug is: if you are not taking advantage of our small group time for your entire family, you should give it a try! 6

7 Thank you: Tracy Kiser, Ashley Prax, Lucas Keuther, Amie and Ed Gardner, Sophia Eckardt, Lily Donovan, Yvonne Christensen, Kelly Sautter, Nicki Caldwell, Todd Shobert, and Don Sautter. Once a month on Sunday nights our Early Youth group gathers. We ve seen as many as 24 at these events which are filled with fun games, lots of very loud noise, always snacks, and then a few quiet moments thinking through some scripture and how it impacts our life at home and school. Who wouldn t want to get together with some awesome, fun-loving year olds who are considering how their faith intersects with life outside of the church walls?! Wednesday night Kids Club is another bustling time in the KidSpot. We have about 20 children that join us each week. We play games, do a lot of play-doh and four-square, we have a lesson, sometimes a craft, and the 5ht and 6 th graders have a break-out time with Nate Sawtelle. Thanks to Nate, and Danielle Farmer and Ashley Prax for staffing this time each week. Last August three of our children attended Kids Camp at Windsor Hills with Ashley Prax and me. This is an amazing experience for all, whether child or adult. I am praying we can take a large group of students to camp this summer: August 5-11 th. It s totally worth it! Vacation Bible School continues to thrive. We are headed into the third year of shifting to the evening. Last year we saw our volunteer numbers dip a bit from our first year. Our attendance is consistent, families love being a part of VBS, and we are once again partnering with another south shore church in decorating. Thank you, Megan Johnston for leading this amazing team of workers! For the first time in a very long time we did not hold church basketball for kids and teens. Out of a mixture issues and concerns, mostly surrounding leadership and numbers of students, we decided not to put teams into the basketball league. We are praying how to move forward knowing athletics is a draw for families with children. Conversations are taking place with our staff, Upward, a Christian sports organization, and athletic staff at Eastern Nazarene College. Join in prayer for direction and leading from God in this area. Our big events: Easter EGGStravaganza, Trunk or Treat, Christmas Celebration are awesome. They are well attended, loved by our community, have created a name for us in Quincy, and people know we are a good place filled with good people who are kind and generous. What do we do with this? How do we build on all these positives and make sure that we are building relationships and doing our best to share the gospel of Christ? I am asking these questions, praying about these things and dreaming about the possibilities. I also want us to be excellent stewards of our time and resources. Join me in praying, brainstorm with me, and offer up your insights. I am confident great things are ahead! Our main leaders of these events are: Nicki Caldwell, Kipp Caldwell, Megan Johnston, Andrea Sawtelle, and Kayla Kish! An abundance of thanks and gratitude for your endless efforts for our church, community and children! Another big project this year was reviewing our safety procedures and policies and volunteer process. Many hours were put into this project by a safety and security team, board committee, and Megan Johnston. This is important stuff and I am grateful for the time and expertise shared with us. 7

8 I am excited that Ashley Prax, who received her Local Minister s License in March, will be doing an internship this summer in children s ministry. Ashley has been a great leader and support in ministry. She is soaking up ministry opportunities and open to learning and developing herself as a leader and minister. Congratulations Ashley! Lastly, I am hoping to revitalize and broaden the children s ministry staff. Although we have many people investing in ministry, there are still many areas that could use a boost in staffing. There are areas that are not being cared for that need staff, and there are many people serving that have been serving in roles for a long time and, although most of them aren t going anywhere yet, we need to share the load, train people, and break down extremely large tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks that people are able to take on. There are areas to serve for almost every age and things to be done that don t involve children or require any special training or gift set! So, if you re not a kid person, that s a-ok, we still have a way you can serve. I am praying for a big ol nudge in the back for our church! If you get that, follow the nudge, you won t be disappointed! Having the opportunity to lead and be a part of ministry at Wollaston is pretty great! Walking and journeying with you through life and faith is a great honor. I am so thankful to be a part of Wolly life. Thanks for blessing me in this way and allowing me to serve with you! You are deeply loved! Bev 8

9 WORSHIP MINISTRIES REPORT Make me a servant, humble and meek. Lord let me lift up those who are weak, and may the prayer of my heart always be Make Me a Servant Today!!! As I sit and think about this sweet little chorus, I learned as a child, I am grateful to serve the Lord and thus serve you. Here are the Highlights of worship at Wolly this past year. Serve Sunday: We pulled off our first Serve Sunday. It was a beautiful day to go to our neighborhoods. The teens even got in the paper. Special thanks to Bob Johnston and Jay Gavoni for spearheading this. Summer: Seems almost a life-time ago. We enjoyed simplifying our worship with less instrumentation. This was impart out of necessity but also strategic, to allow for different types of worship and a season of rest. We enjoyed a Hymn Sing Sunday and hearing from many different missionaries. Hearing from Pastor Semir (Pastor of a Kosova Church) was a great source of encouragement and challenging. God really can move through anything and is my love for God so strong that I would be able to worship openly in a place where Isis is more than a news broadcast??? Woa!! Lord, Protect this pastor, his sweet family, and congregation. Fall: We enjoyed welcoming our ENC students back. Our Regular attenders/members were back in the full swing of the school year meaning we all get to worship as a full Wollaston Church Family. We enjoyed hearing from the Honduras team. What a blessed time witnessing the next generation rising up to take their place with selfless faith!! New Leadership: We have welcomed Cameron Smith and Mike Maynard onto our worship leadership rotation. Their talents and gifts are a blessing to us as a team. We continue to have Samuel Mohnkern, Jim Hammer, and Jessica Johnston on the rotation. We sadly said good- bye to Rose Percey and Sam & Kayla Kish. Advent We enjoyed our traditional Wolly services and had Praise Prayer and Pie as our church family christmas party. Our children did an amazing job presenting the Christmas story in a fun, engaging, and yet challenging way. Christmas Eve was a full day with 3 services. I think we accomplished many of our goals for that day. First being that the 3 services were not the same in content & worship expression. The morning Services stayed true to our usual styles and expression while the evening had more creative elements such as Choirs, Contemporary specials, scripture readings, traditionally sung Christmas Hymns and reflected our intergenerational church. I think at the end of the day people will filled with the Joy of the Lord and felt they had truly Celebrated the coming of Christ. Faith Promise: What originally was to thought to be 1 week. Turned into almost Faith Promise month. It was GREAT. I think the Missions Council under Lynne s Leadership chose wisely and 9

10 strategically for the Faith Promise speaker. I think the services really challenged us to keep missions in the forefront of our minds. Faith promise really reminded us that our call to spread the gospel is just as simple as authentically understanding & loving your neighbor. Saturday Practice: Beginning in February we started having Saturday practice instead of our Wednesday evening practice. This has been an attempt to streamline set up and prep during the Sunday morning 9am hour. So far this has helped for several reasons. 1. The songs and sequences are fresh in our minds. 2. We are able to keep most things set up and plugged in. Festival Of Life: With this came a huge Space Transformation. I worked with the ENC FOL leadership team and the Trevecca crew to prepare the sanctuary for the very exciting elaborate display for FOL. It was an exciting time to see so many teenagers coming to our church and campus ready to worship and use their talents for the Lord. We as a congregation then welcomed many of those students to worship with us on Sunday Morning at 9:30. What a wonderful time to worship with our extended Nazarene Church Family. Many thanks to David Cawthorne, Rich Robins, and Mike Johnston(Like he had a choice) for helping with the clean up. Palm Sunday/Renewal: We welcomed Dr. Boone who led us through some of the Psalms. We learned about How Psalm 29 was originally a Psalm for Baal and the Israelites changed it and made it a Psalm for God, interesting. Dr. Boone continued to share with us the about the Laments, The Pits, Love for our enemies If you missed any of these I would encourage you to watch them online. You will not be sorry. Maundy Thursday: This year we did things a little differently. Communion was around the family table. We used the New Living Translation for the reading of the scripture and we went without a homily as we wanted the scriptures really speak for themselves. I think it was a time to take a moment to reflect on the painful sacrifice of our Lord and not jump right to the celebration. I have am confident that the Holy Spirit came alongside us. Again I would encourage you to watch it online. Easter: What a Party we had!! Christ Overcame Death!!! This is the Superbowl Sunday for believers. We New Englanders certainly know what that kind of celebration should look like. We watched the next generation make commitments to follow Jesus for the rest of their lives. What a blessing!! What an encouragement! I am looking forward to the year ahead. I pray that as a family of God we will continue to find ways to introduce the world around us to the Love of our Heavenly Father, the sacrifice of Jesus, and the amazing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. May our worship and time together be a light to a hurting world. May we continue to worship in spirit and in truth. In His Service and Yours, Megan Johnston Worship Coordinator 10

11 Wollaston Youth Ministry Annual Report Last February, I was sitting in a service in Honduras, when these words were spoken by the Pastor, Whatever you ask of God, he will do. Trust Him. The Pastor had just finished preaching on the Dry Bones passage in Ezekiel and I felt as though God was challenging me by asking, What do you believe I can do in the context you find yourself in. Throughout the next few months, I would hear that passage spoken several times, hear lyrics of songs that engulfed that same message, and would begin to pray that God would move in the Wolly Naz Youth Ministry. When I look across the Cultural Landscape that God has placed us in, one that is considered Post- Christian, one in which our teenagers struggle to find Christ followers in their school, and one in which seems to be a melting pot of many ethnicities, worldviews, and walks of life, I have felt God saying, I am needed here. Dig in. This past year, I have been praying that he would help me to see things from his perspective, awakening both our teenagers and myself to the places he is already at work in schools, our community and even our personal life. He has begun to answer our prayers in both big and small ways and it is awesome to see. Here are a few things we are celebrating from this past year. Serve the City Partnerships: Our teens have been serving in our community in various ways over the past year. Every second Tuesday they plug into the Quincy Crisis Center, helping to deliver food to needy families, as well as sorting, packing, and cleaning at the Center. We have also worked in partnership with The Forgotten Initiative, a non-profit that helps come alongside of foster families. We have had the opportunity to pack backpacks, sort through clothes, and create car kits for those who are receiving foster kids. Youth Room Renovation: This past August we launched a newly renovated youth space on the third floor and it is awesome! We painted, put in new furniture, created spaces where teens can connect with each other, and have some incredible pictures of our ministry on the walls. It s become a great space for both Sunday morning small groups as well as Sunday night youth group. Special thanks to all the amazing youth workers that played a role in helping get the space up and running. Honduras Missions Trip: Over the summer, we had the opportunity to take 19 teens and 7 adults to Comayagua, Honduras for a Mission Trip. It was an AMAZING opportunity in which our teens not only served, but had some significant spiritual growth moments. We worked in orphanages, built a house for a family, and ran Vacation Bible Schools for around hundreds of children. We also spent a lot of time getting to know leaders, Honduran teens, and Pastors, as we partnered alongside of each other on projects as well as held a one day retreat together. God moved in some incredible ways. Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA): After returning from our Mission Trip, several of our teens felt a call to begin something in their school to help better reach their friends for Christ. Under the student leadership of Ashley Caldwell (North Quincy) and Will Zarges (Quincy), we now how launched to FCA Huddles, one at North Quincy High School and one at Quincy High School. Ashley and Will, along with several other teens from our youth group continue to invite friends to explore how faith and sports can connect. New Teens in the Youth Ministry: All year long we have talked about creating a culture of welcome among our youth group. It s been awesome to see so many different teens come through the doors of our 11

12 church, many whom do not have families connected here. Some of those teens have not only plugged into our youth group on Sunday nights, but have chosen to participate in events we ve had, service projects, Festival of Life, and even our Mission Trip to Honduras. God is working on our teens hearts to reach out to their friends in their middle and high schools and they are beginning to filter into our church. Teen Leadership Team: This year 9 teens have chosen to be a part of our Teen Leadership Team and have begun to find ways to lead within the youth ministry. Some have chosen to be a part of the welcome crew, some have led games, some have helped with technology and all will be part of a teen led youth group in the coming weeks. God is challenging them to think about putting others needs before their own and to create a space where every teen can feel safe to be themselves. District Events: We have participated this past year in several District Events, including Teen Camp, Fall Retreat, District Festival of Life, and Regional Festival of Life. It has been so great to watch our teens grown spiritually through those events, as well as make connections with other teens throughout the District. Every event we ve been a part of, Wolly Naz has brought a pretty large group to. We ve been impressed with the way our teens opened their hearts to the things that God is asking of them, as well as have been willing to use their gifts and talents in the settings in which they have found themselves in. Twilight Egg Hunt: We hosted our second Twilight Egg Hunt, for teenagers this past April. We saw around 60 teens show up, about 1/3 of which were new friends that had been brought for the first time. While we had a blast searching the church for eggs in the dark it was even more fun getting to know some of the teens in the area that our youth group teens are hanging with. We hope it will be the start to building a bridge with teens in the community. Estoy Contigo Week: Our teens spent a week last May raising awareness for those without a voice in a week that we have named Estoy Contigo (I am with you). Part of the week included many of our teens wearing the Shoes That Grow, in hopes to raise both money and awareness for those who go without shoes in countries around the world. In August, we were able to bring several hundred pair of shoes to needy families in Honduras, where our teens got to fit and place the shoes on the feet of strangers. It was pretty powerful. We also spent the Estoy Contigo week raising awareness on issues like human trafficking, hunger, and clean water. The weekend concluded with a 24 hour fast/overnight, in which we prayed, played and served in the local community together. Eastern Nazarene College Teaching: This past year I was able to teach my second class at ENC, Issues in Youth Ministry, and it was an incredible experience once again. Along with teaching, I have had the opportunity to coach Caleb Lynch, a student who has served as my intern for the past 2 years. Caleb will be graduating this May and we are incredibly proud of the way he has grown in these years. Fuller Young Adult Cohort: In the beginning of the year, we were invited as a church to participate in a young adult cohort through Fuller University. Our cohort team has included Pastor Stretch, Robin Dean, Will Campbell and myself. Throughout the past 6-9 months, we have done online training, had coaching calls, and participated in a 3 day summit at Fuller (in Pasadena California), and it has been life changing. We will be launching some new experiments in the Fall 2018, so make sure to stay tuned! Wesleyan Holiness Women s Clergy Conference: Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend this awesome conference with 3 other clergy women from ENC (Lynne Bollinger, Keri Lewis, and Emily Ludgwig) as well as 4 female students (Tapi, McKenna, Tori, Becky) from ENC that are feeling a call to ministry. It was powerful to worship alongside of hundreds of women clergy, as well as enter into conversations with these young women about what it means to serve as a women in full time ministry. We were encouraged and challenged throughout this weekend and I am so grateful for the opportunity. 12

13 Bringing Home Madhavi: A celebrating of the year wouldn t be complete without the mention of our Adoption Journey. It s crazy to think that last year at this time we were just being matched with a little girl, and then little did we know, God was going to move mountains to bring her home so much earlier than expected. We are overjoyed with having Madi in our home and are MORE THAN GRATEFUL to the church for the 8 week adoption leave that was given, as well as the generous financial gifts and support and encouragement that was poured out. That time we were away was HUGE for our family and I am not sure we could have made it without it. We are also incredibly grateful for the youth staff that stepped up in major ways so that our family could spend that time together and not have to worry about work. So thank you church family for investing in all of us in this incredible way! There are so many things that I could celebrate and many more pages I could write like my amazing youth staff who continues to dig in week after week, or the many opportunities I have been given to preach and teach both at the church and along this Eastern field, or the adventures that God continues to let me be part of. I AM SO GRATEFUL! I am especially grateful for a husband that comes along side of me in all of this thank you Nate Sawtelle, a family who isn t afraid to be around the church all the time thanks Biruk and Madi, and a church that continues to invest and believe in me you are an encouragement Wolly Naz. God is so good! And you know what he is just getting started! Thanks Be To God, Pastor Andrea 13

14 Report of the Church Board Secretary The Church Board was comprised of the following members organized into the following committees. The year elected is displayed in parens. Stewardship/ Personnel Merritt Mann (chair) (2017) Don Christensen (2017) Robin Dean (NYI President) (2017) Bill Esselstyn (2017) Harriet Simons (2017) Buildings/Equipment/Technology Kipp Caldwell (chair) (2017) Sherrie Burt (2016) Dave Cawthorne (2016) Matt Jayne (2017) Church Program/Ministries Matt Salah (chair) (2016) Bob Keuther (2016) Linda Masterson (2016) Lynn Bollinger (WMI President) (2017) SDMI Pam Jayne (SDMI Superintendent) (2017) Board Actions The Church Board took the following actions at its eight regular meetings. Elected Don Christensen as Board Secretary. (April) Elected Bill Esselstyn as Board Treasurer. (April) Approved the added expense of $10,000 for electrical wiring to be added to the $30,000 previously approved for adding air conditioning to the church annex. (April) Approved church support in principle for the Home with Friends program, with a clearer proposal to be presented at the next board meeting. (April) Voted to approve and support Pastor Stretch's acceptance of the proposal by ENC to be "campus pastor", in addition to his normal responsibilities as senior pastor of Wollaston Church. This invitation is for a period of one year, likely starting July 1, (April) Approved adding Kayla Kish to the debit card account. (May) Approved the support of the Home with Friends program by directing $3,000 to be spent the first year and $2,000 the second year for the program, with the funds coming out of the Internal New Ministry fund. (May) Approved holding Baccalaureate service in Wollaston Church as part of the morning worship service on May 6, (May) Approved switching to a Church Board Meeting schedule in which board committee meetings would be held on alternate months to board general meetings so that committee meetings and general board meetings would not be held on the same night. (June) 14

15 Granted Dr. Mary Lou Shea a Local Minister s license and recommended that the District start Mary Lou on the path toward a District Minister s license.(june) Approved putting the following budget items on hold for future evaluation (June): Future Staff 6521 Worship Leaders 6620 Facilities Manager 6635 Security Manager 6690 Christmas Gifts 7104 Accounting Software and Audit 7209 Landscape Service ) 8102 Audio and Video Supplies 8109 Sanctuary Lighting 8206 Upward Outreach 8612 Youth Space Maintenance and approved moving the following items out of operating expense categories in this year s budget, paying for them out of the following contingency funds: HVAC Repair and Maintenance - to be paid out of Building Fund monies Architectural Fees - to be paid out of Building Fund monies General Assembly Expenses - to be paid out of Employee Contingency Fund monies. Approved the Church building use policy that was distributed, pending final review and editing. (August) Approved the forgiving of two of ENC s yearly pledges for maintenance of the church, totaling $25,000, leaving a remaining balance of $62,500. (October) Approved giving ENC a gift of $12,500 to fulfill the request to double our budget for the college year. The Stewardship Committee will decide which fund will be used for the gift. (October) Approved the Records Management Policy document as distributed. (October) Approved the removal of Kayla Kish from the Church Debit Card account, since she has left the staff of Wollaston Church to take a position at South Weymouth Church. (December) Gave approval to the the policy committee to write, manage and organize policies to maintain a safe and secure church. (December) Approved the new FY 2019 proposed budget as presented. (February) Approved renewing District Minister s Licenses for Lynne Bollinger, Jennie Doane, Chelsie Maynard and Mary Lou Shea. (February) Approved renewing the Local Minister s License for Ashley Prax. (February) Approved the church policy documents as distributed in the earlier . (February) Approved the plan to reorganize church board meetings to include an early component combining board members and staff during which no motions would be voted upon and a later component comprised only of voting board members, at which further discussion and the voting on motions would be held. (March) Approved the Annual Elections Nominations ballot as distributed. (March) Don Christensen Church Board Secretary 15

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19 STEWARDSHIP/PERSONNEL (Church Board Committee) It is my privilege to provide a brief report for the Stewardship Team for this past fiscal year. Our team members included: Harriet Simons, Don Christensen, Robin Dean and our church treasurer, and Bill Esselstyn. They have provided diligent service throughout this past year as they have attempted to provide a proper balance of creative leadership and fiscal responsibility in all of our financial activities. I am pleased to report that again, all of our local and general obligations have been paid in full. During the past year, we received $546,058 in tithes and offerings. We also received another $339 in Sunday School, plus $44,110 in Faith Promise. When interest and dividend income is also included, total operating monies received this past was $591,996 an approximate $41,000 decrease over the previous year. We thank God for the continued faithfulness of the WCN family during this past challenging year. It is significant to note that $13,299 in additional offerings were sent directly to Kansas City for 10% Specials and that $15,500 of the Ward Estate Funds and $44,110 of Faith Promise funds were invested in missional projects and scholarships. I wanted to take this opportunity to express the appreciation of the entire Church Board to Bill Esselstyn for his exemplary work as church treasurer. Also, we want to say a big thanks to our Financial Secretary Tom Hall and the five teams who count the offering each Sunday on a rotating basis. For this next year, we will need to be especially vigilant in our stewardship as we need to increase our operational funds, so that working together with our leadership team we can fulfill our shared vision for our community and our world. You will note that the budget for our new fiscal year is $618,253, which is certainly attainable as God s people respond with their support. Working together we can make it happen!!! Respectfully submitted, Merritt Mann, Chair 19

20 FACILITIES COMMITTEE REPORT This year, the facilities committee continued to focus on some needed upgrades as well as general maintenance of the properties. Work completed included various painting, plumbing, electrical, masonry, carpentry, heating, and flooring upgrades. One major project was the installation of permanent AC/Heating units for the annex. The facilities team joined forces with the teens to do creative fundraising. Teens and adults painted the MGR and classrooms to raise money for Honduras. Teens were able to work to fund some of their trip to Honduras while saving the church over $1000 in costs that would have been paid to an outside contractor. We look to continue this partnership in the future. The outside of the church also received some attention. Through the generosity of a local contractor working at ENC, we were able to obtain a lift for a weekend to address some of the painting on the upper parts of the church. Charlie Caldwell and Matt Jayne joined me for a few days as we painted the upper front and part of the upper side of the church. We hope to continue this painting and finish the upper parts of the entire church this summer. Thank you to Doug and Kenny Sorenson for pruning the Elm Avenue tree with the lift as well. As part of the partnership between the church and the college, ENC has agreed to take over our lawn care and snow removal. We successfully completed Dumpster Day 2 in January. We were able to completely fill another large container. The third floor annex kitchen was gutted as we prepare to re-purpose that space. The main kitchen received a much needed cleansing as well. The facilities team continues to address immediate needs as well as plan for future capital improvements. We would like to thank the church for supporting our efforts. I would like to personally thank Dave Cawthorne and Jim Masterson for the many hours that they have volunteered to complete numerous tasks. In His Service, The Facilities Team Kipp Caldwell, Dave Cawthorne, Sherrie Burt, and Matt Jayne 20

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22 The SDMI board has wrestled with the need for other age-based groups, such as young adults (post- college), to meet their very specific needs for Christian fellowship and sharing of life experiences in the culture in which they find themselves. Someone was needed to get the ball rolling to discuss what this might look like along with events designed to get to know one another - the call was answered by Ralph & Melody Eckardt who have opened up their home and provided the space for these discussions to begin. We are excited to see young adults who will become the backbone of the church as they move into ministry and leadership positions as well as guide our global vision of reaching others for Christ! Shortly after the start of this year, we witnessed the rebirth of Women s Ministries, under the prayerful and competent leadership of Patsy Malas. This was a ministry that positively influenced many women in years past, but needed revitalization and a vision for purpose. A council has been prayerfully assembled in which a variety of age groups, perspectives, and talents are being used to plan for future events and enrichment for Wolly women. Their springboard mission statement embodies what has been the statement by the General Church of the Nazarene GROWTH: G-gathering women, R- resourcing opportunities, O-offering acceptance, W-winning women to Christ, T-teaching biblical truths, and H-honoring the Spirit-filled life. Events have been planned that touch on all of these objectives in one way or another (meals together, lunch & a musical, Easter Egg stuffing night, walking club, district women s retreat at Windsor Hills Camp, Christmas caroling in the neighborhood, craft & quilting weekend, game night, LIFT Wednesday nights (bible study & prayer group) and future activities you won t want to miss. Betty Wagner has kicked off the Breakfast Club again, meeting the first Saturday morning each month, with a series of topics lined up for the rest of the year. The response to women s ministry, both in terms of numbers and in personal testimony, has confirmed that this is needed in a church our size where one can easily remain unseen. We have made many new friends that we knew by face only but now have had opportunities to hear some of their individual stories. This year, Kayla Kish was charged with promoting a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all who came through our doors no small task. Our Welcome and Coffee Crew Ministry was born! It is viewed as one more significant way to reach those who need to experience the love and grace of God thanks to Kayla, Jill Dean (for organizing when Kayla left), and all those too numerous to mention here who have assisted in these specific efforts. If you have considered how you can participate in Kingdom work, here is yet another great way to get involved to shake a hand, give a smile, share a cup of coffee with someone new. What do all of the above ministries and groups have in common? I see the theme of CONNECTION running through every group and event a coming together to hear each 22

23 other s stories, support each other in the challenges and discouraging moments of daily living, and then link arms to serve others!! Finally, each Sunday we remember that when Jesus called His own small group of disciples together, He didn t send them out immediately without solid instruction and His example of what true ministry looked like. He taught, healed, preached, performed miracles, and walked among humanity with compassion so that we would understand not only what the mission is (to present the gospel in tangible ways so that others would accept Christ as Savior) but what we needed to do to be able to carry out the mission (training and encouragement through our small groups). We find that in our Adult Small Groups Ministry we catch a vision of what we can do daily on a practical level to be the church wherever we find ourselves. A heartfelt thank you is extended to all group leaders this year who have lovingly and expertly led us please take time to personally thank them if you have participated in a small group! Since the start of Sunday and mid-week small groups, we have witnessed these positive aspects: spiritual growth, exploring the application of the sermons, unpacking what it means to be a Nazarene as well as member of the church, the wrestling of ideas reflective of the tensions today in which we live, practical advice for our families, connections to folks we didn t really know before, encouragement and shared testimony to continue our faith journey as life presents challenging situations, biblical instruction to spur us on in our personal study in the Word, questions of eternal value asked in an accepting environment, and, most importantly, prayer that uplifted us and moved the mountains of circumstance. I am excited for the next chapter this year and I hope that, if you have not yet been involved in a small group (or other ministry), this will be the year you choose to do so it is well worth the investment! Have you noticed another common denominator in all of the various aspects of Sunday School & Discipleship Ministries? TOGETHER the God of our universe has invited us into His story of grace and we truly need a faith community in which to worship and serve Him TOGETHER effectively. How else do we deal with the competing voices today that bombard our souls? I trust you will join me in a small group as we read God s Word, share our lives with each other in a warm and accepting environment, and challenge each other to be prepared for any assault by the evil one, so that we can TOGETHER impact a hurting world. Finally, I thank the council members with whom I had the privilege to work: Bev Keuther (representing Children s Ministries), Ralph Eckardt, Kelly Sautter, Jenae Bartrom, Jill Dean, and Kayla Kish (first half of the year). Your unfailing support of your not so fearless leader was appreciated more than you can know! I personally thank my family who put up with me dashing out the door for yet another meeting or disappearing for hours on end as I prepared for meetings and small groups. I owe my husband, Dwight, a 23

24 debt of gratitude for supporting my answer to what I felt God was asking of me and providing that listening ear when I needed it. I leave you with these words from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT): All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. I pray for God s clear direction in the coming year under Derek Schmitt s leadership on the Spiritual Formation Team! My hope is that we will have 100% participation in some way to further these ministries however you are led. Maybe God is asking you to start a new ministry! There is room for all to serve please consider what God may be asking of you personally. May we continue to sense God s abiding presence inviting us to be obedient in seeking to become equipped to answer His call! Prayerfully and with all praise to the One Who created and calls us, Pam Jayne 24

25 Nazarene Missions International It was the prayer of Lora Wooster as she shared her report last year, that our engagement in the mission of God would increase over this year, not only in global ministries, but in our local ministries. I believe this is the purpose of Nazarene Missions International that we exist as the sent church both locally and globally. NMI is not simply a group of people who implement mission programs of the Church of the Nazarene, we are people committed to leading by living missionally ourselves and providing opportunities for our local congregation to do the same. Here is a report of some of the ways we have lived faithfully this year: Local Involvement: College Outreach: We are uniquely poised to have a direct impact on the lives of young adults every day. Our building provides a space for prayer, worship, discipleship and more for the students of ENC. I often walk in to our sanctuary to find a student praying. In September 2017, we provided a gift to every new student at ENC, a ministry that we hope communicates our care for them in a tangible way. The need here is still great. If you have an interest in mentoring, praying for, or ministering to the students of ENC, we need you. Albanian Neighbor Ministry: In the fall of 2017, Lora and David Wooster providentially met Mr. Jason Stryd, a brother with the PCA who has begun a ministry to Albanians in the Quincy area. Jason knows our partnership friends Selim and Imir Kolgeci from Kosova. This group regularly meets for prayer and for updates on Jason s strategy to minister to this people group. If you would like to be invited to this prayer group and ministry opportunity, let us know. Domestic Disaster Response: We participated with college students this past fall in assembling and sending Crisis Care Kits to those U.S. areas affected by disaster this past fall. Thank you especially to Dr. Reed, Ruth Jarvis and to student leader McKenna Kern who worked together to make this happen. If you enjoy tangible ways to give to those in urgent need, we commit to keeping you updated for these opportunities through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Faith Promise/Chinese Neighborhood Ministry: In January, we were inspired by our Faith Promise speaker, Dr. Rick Power and our Faith Promise commitments totaled over $52,000. During the weekend we were challenged to have eyes to see our neighbors, especially our Asian neighbors, as an opportunity to live missionally. We have a lot to learn! Pastor Stretch has committed to further this work as he continues to meet with the leaders of our Chinese congregation. If you have an interest in learning how to connect with our Asian neighbors and Chinese congregation, we need you. Global Involvement: Mission Trip to Honduras: Under the leadership of Pastor Andrea, we sent a team of teens and adult sponsors to connect with the work of God and the Church of the Nazarene in Honduras. Our team came back with stories of encountering God throughout the trip. We hope that this will continue to be an opportunity where Youth Ministry and Nazarene Missions intersect. We praise God for this new opportunity to connect with the mission of God in the world. Operation Christmas Child: Hannah Mohnkern led our Operation Christmas Child ministry through the fall so that we could send gifts to be delivered at Christmas time around the world to developing countries. Thanks to all who helped to organize and contributed to this ministry. Prayer for the Persecuted Church: This took place in November during our church services with a prayer led by our brother Selim Kolgeci. 25

26 Kosova Partnership/Mission Trip: WASAP (Wollaston and Suhareka and Prishtina) We are now in the third year of our partnership under the direction of Mena McCabe and Marikae Toye who are, as I write, currently in Kosova with our Wollaston team. Last August, we were blessed to have Selim and Imir Kolgeci and their children visit with us here in Wollaston. Our partnership continues to model what it means to live in a reciprocal relationship with our sister churches in a different world area. Lynne Bollinger NMI President 26

27 World Changers Report The Wollaston World Changers Board of Directors is Yvonne Christensen, Ashley Clark, Chelsie Maynard, Hannah Mohnkern, Matt Salah, Nate Sawtelle, Anke Thorne, Kelvin To, David Wooster, Vern Wesley, Co-Chair, and Pastor Stretch Dean, Co-Chair. Seven applications were submitted for the Board to review and three applicants were chosen to split a grant totaling $5,000. The 2018 recipients are: The Anchor of Hull Ministry ($3,000) funds will be used to provide recovery coach training as they attempt to stay ahead of State regulations regarding Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Rev. Kurt Gerold of North Street Community Church of the Nazarene in Hingham heads this ministry. Gifted Hands Ministry ($1,000) funds will be used entirely for supplies and other resources for current programs in the Midtown East neighborhoods of Manhattan. This ministry is based in Resurrection Church NYC pastored by Rev. Dr. Jeff Barker. A Nazarene church plant on the island of St. Lucia. Funds will ($1,000) be used to provide transportation for those on the interior parts of the island to attend evangelistic services & buy food supplies for community outreach. Rev. Dr. Augustus Sealy will be the evangelist for these services that began April 8th. 27