Table of Contents. Agenda 4. Call to Congregational Corporation Meeting 5

Transcription

1 1

2 2

3 3 Table of Contents Agenda 4 Call to Congregational Corporation Meeting 5 Ministry Reports Interim Senior Pastor 6 Assistant Pastor 7 Director of Children s Ministries 8 Youth Ministry 10 Director of Worship Ministries 12 Elder Board 14 Christian Education Board 15 Diaconate Board 17 Mission Board 19 Trustee Board 20 Men s Ministry 21 Women s Ministry 22 Media Team 24 Praise Gang 25 Instrumental Ministry 26 Dorcas Society 26 Flannelgraph Ministry 28 East Glenville Preschool Report 29 Church Statistics 31 Personnel Ministry Team Recommendations for Financial Manager Report & Proposed 2019 Budget Congregational Meeting Minutes 46 New Business

4 4 EGCC Annual Congregational Corporation Meeting Agenda January 25, 2019 I. Worship A. Song B. Convening prayer C. Devotional II. Business A. Verify quorum is present and convene meeting B. Privilege of the floor to non-members and guests C. Vote to approve New Members D. Approval of Minutes from prior 2018 business meeting(s) E. Review and receive pastoral, ministry, committee and officer reports from EGCC 2018 Annual Report 1) Elder board update 2) Financial Review F. Approval of 2019 Budget G. Constitution and Bylaw Amendment Vote H. Old business I. New business 1) Vote of Confidence, revised staffing proposal 2) Removals from membership 3) Other as necessary J. Elections 1) Nominations from committee 2) Nominations from the floor (must have qualified nominee and his/her permission) 3) Vote III. Resolution(s) of thanks IV. Worship A. Hymn B. Closing prayer C. Adjourn

5 5 East Glenville Community Church Call to Congregational Corporation Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting for East Glenville Community Church, Inc. will be held Friday, January 25, 2019 at 7:00 pm to conduct the following business: To hear and act upon Annual Reports To consider and act upon the proposed budget for 2019 To consider and act upon any other business that may rightfully come before the meeting Respectfully submitted, Mary Anne Austin Church Clerk First Call: January 6th, 2019 Second Call: January 13th, 2019 Third Call: January 20th, 2019

6 6 Interim Senior Pastor Report For Christ s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view We are therefore Christ s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5) The Vision: Loving God. Loving People. Helping them know and follow Jesus. As your Interim Pastor by the grace of God I have given myself to the proclamation of His word, teaching, encouraging the people of EGCC with discipling as many as possible into the love and grace of triune God. In addition, I am providing counsel and comfort to those in need of care within the church body of EGCC. I am participating with the Elder board as we construct strategies and methods to advance the kingdom of Christ. It has been an awesome grace to work alongside many of the ministry leaders and people of EGCC and a great blessing to my walk with Christ. The people of EGCC have loved my family and me so well and we know the love of Christ in our lives in a very significant way because of the body here at EGCC. I am confident of the Lord s power and mercy to be with this part of His Body in Upstate New York for the future! I am praying along with all here for the search committee as well as the man who the Lord is now preparing to come and minister long term to this church! Senior Pastor Goals From the pulpit, I will continue on to the completion of the The Marks of a Christ Follower series a study of the Epistle to the Philippians. Lord willing and time allowing my hope is to follow with a series of messages regarding Knowing the Gospel. My intention, working with the Elder Board, is to establish a pathway for new members to facilitate a more assimilated experience into the church body with an ever-growing depth of understanding the gospel of Christ. We will continue working to establish a strategic outreach ministry currently called Front Line Ministry to facilitate visitor connection and assimilation within the church. We will continue the work of updating church campus and website as welcoming places for visitors and congregation alike to assist in fellowship and communication. I will continue to assist the ministry teams to develop strategies and studies to reach and develop our people into the spiritual leaders of their homes, communities and the church body here at EGCC. I will apply myself to assisting wherever I am able for the overall health and growth of EGCC With Love and Grace, Pastor Brad, Interim Sr. Pastor

7 7 Assistant Pastor Praise the Lord for another year of serving the Lord here at East Glenville!! We continued the visitation ministry with the help of several individuals; Ken Heckeler, Ann Van Wie, Miriam Holt, Henrietta Baziluk, Nancy Jane Batten, Don Sweet, and myself and Pastor Brad. All our shut-ins were served communion on a regular basis as well as times of encouragement and prayer. Many were visited in hospitals when they had to be there. Many received phone calls on a regular basis to give encouragement and to pray with them. Overseeing the Diaconate has been a real blessing to me. The Diaconate is involved with many of the activities that go on here at East Glenville Church, as you will notice from the Diaconate board report. The Diaconate serves all of us in one way or another. Praise the Lord! COMMUNITY BENEVOLENCE We continued with the Baby Bottle fund raiser for Alpha Pregnancy Center with 46 bottles filled with change. At the Burnt Hills - Ballston Lake Flag Day Parade we handed out candy all along the parade route. Several adults and teens gathered together to assemble the float and walked and handed out the candy and interacted with folks they knew in the community. We continued with the collection of back packs and school supplies for the City Mission's project in August. We once again participated in the Samaritan's Purse Christmas shoebox program. We were able to send around 83 boxes, Praise the Lord!! We received the food drive in November with a carload that was taken to the Northeast Reginal Food Bank for the weekend backpack meals program that helps families with meals on weekends. We had several opportunities to use our benevolence fund to assist those with emergency needs and be a source of encouragement to them. Many thanks to all of you who give of your time and treasure to help in these projects. If you have a heart for service, the Diaconate and Outreach teams are great places to get plugged in to a ministry that will inspire you and help develop your gift of serving. Pastor Phil Sears

8 8 Director of Children s Ministry It's a privilege to serve as Children s Ministry Director and to partner with parents to provide programming that encourages children to grow in their spiritual lives. I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve with Pastor Brad. His support and encouragement of Children's Ministry are a blessing. In March, the Children s Ministry Director staff position was expanded. It has allowed me to spend consistent time in church office developing and planning how to better reach and serve the children and families of EGCC and of the surrounding community. It has also been helfpul in promoting more effective communication and teamwork for me with EGCC staff and ministries. Family/Children's Events In 2018 many events were planned to include both elementary students and families with young children. The families of East Glenville Preschool were also invited to these events. SPARK Grades K-5, Buchanan Hall Thanks goes to Heather Sweet, Linda Wachtel, Susan Williams and Chantelle Moon for helping with SPARK activities in Our wonderful teen helpers have included Joylyn Sweet, Kayla Doerr, Olivia Wood, Angelica Ferguson, Danielle Baas, Jaime Baas and Melissa Williams. Friday January 19 - VBS Day 3, Maker Fun Factory Friday February 9 - VBS Day 4, Maker Fun Factory, Valentine cards for elderly Friday April 20 VBS Day 5, Maker Fun Factory Friday May 4 - VBS Shipwrecked Preview *day and time changed to Saturdays 6-8pm with meal provided Saturday September 22 - VBS Day 1, Shipwrecked Saturday October 20 VBS Day 2 Shipwrecked Saturday November 17 VBS Day 3 Shipwrecked, Giving God thanks Fresh Start Banquet Friday Feb 16th arranged and provided child care and meal for children during church-wide dinner, child care providers were Carol Bradley, Emma Squires, Sue Brown, Bizzy Miner and Stephanie Brown Rollerskating Sunday March privately reserved Rollarama for EGCC families, friends and youth group kids, over 65 people attended Easter Egg Hunt Sunday April 1st prepared Easter egg hunt on church property for children prior to 10:30am worship service, about 1400 eggs were stuffed and hidden Kick Off Sunday September 9 arranged bounce house for children Ellms Farm Family and Friends Event Friday September 28 privately reserved outdoor venue for 2 hours, open to EGCC family and friends for family friendly activities Fall Festival and Concert -Saturday October 13- teamed with Brenda Mills to set up carnival games for children. Other activities included petting zoo, hayride, popcorn/cotton candy machines and face painting. Event also showcased Praise Music concert and BBQ pork sandwiches. Event was advertised, and public was invited. Please pray that the Lord uses the

9 9 Fall Festival and Concert outreach to generate visibility for EGCC and to draw people to Him by further contact with our church. Vacation Bible School During the last week of June 2018 EGCC hosted Shipwrecked, a place where kids discover how Jesus rescues us through life s storms! VBS ran 5 days with a Thursday evening family program and picnic. Attendance was about 150 kids from preschool to 6th grade. Because so many community children attend our VBS, we re blessed to consider this a large outreach effort. All the kids participate in activities designed to teach the gospel message in a fun and exciting environment. Each day s Bible lesson was presented in a creative story-telling format. Children were drawn into the action and impact of Bible adventures in a powerful way. Adults who enjoy drama or storytelling can really be used by the Lord in this setting. The VBS missions project collected funds to help support the Topaza Orphanage in Madagascar. Special THANK YOU to ALL VOLUNTEERS who served at VBS! There are so many that to list all the names would include up to 80 people! Additional thanks to Gina Vendetti (administrative support), Donna Dowling (co-directing), Sandy Horneck (expertise with computer graphics), the team who put together the float for Burnt Hills Flag Day parade and the creative set design and production, and those who supported the Thursday night family picnic. All of you play an important role in impacting the life of a child for Jesus Christ! It s amazing to see how God uses the body of Christ at EGCC in such a powerful way. Children s Ministry Development VBS Workshop-Saturday March 3-Attended 3 hr workshop held in Ballston Spa by the publisher, GROUP. It presented upcoming VBS material in depth about themes and tips/experiences helpful to directing the VBS Shipwrecked program. Heather Sweet also attended the workshop as a VBS leader. Orange Tour-Friday October 25, Pittsburgh, PA-attended one day conference on tour across the country for Children s Ministry staff and volunteers presented by The rethink Group, rethinkgroup.org, a publisher of Christian children s and teen s curriculum, including the xp3 material. Parenting Christian Kids newsletter-subscribed to and distributed monthly newsletter to EGCC families. It s personalized with relevant EGCC information for families along with current parenting topics presented by GROUP, a Christian publisher He [Jesus] called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." Matthew 18:2-5 Respectfully submitted, Susan Perregaux

10 10 Youth Ministry On behalf of the Youth Group Ministry team, I am grateful for the Holy Spirit s guidance and blessing to our team and our youth during the past twelve months. Here's the year in review: In January, we re-commenced our weekly Sunday evening Youth Group events and enjoyed sleigh riding on our infamous hill along with Sunday school lessons that linked up with the Sunday evening messages all geared to figuring out how to Make Faith Our Own. In February, we enjoyed the Super Bowl at the Kraines' home. Who doesn't love good food, fellowship and football? March was filled with tie-dyes and an ice cream social. We also enjoyed roller skating with our church family followed by the Scavenger Hunt at Target, much to the dismay of Target management. We may have to rethink that one for April was very busy for the Youth group - some of the highlights were leading the Sonrise Service and having our own prayer meeting on one Sunday evening. The Senior High Sunday school focused on studying baptism and what scripture calls us to do in obedience. These classes included personal testimony from some of the adults in our church family which was very impactful and appreciated. In May we led our annual youth Sunday which is always a great time to have youth run the service and teach us something new from God's Word. In June we had to say good-bye to our dear Youth Pastor Jared Bender and his wife Hannah and we sent them off with a yummy BBQ. Jared served us well and both the youth and youth leadership team miss him greatly. We also had the celebration of Mitchell Fischer s graduation - our only high school graduate for June-August, we filled the summer months with slip-n-slide at the church, annual pool party at Linda and Ken Wachtel s home; thank you Linda and Ken for all the great food and welcoming environment for our kids, movie night and cook-out in August. The Youth team also grew from the base team; Emma and Andrei Squires, Kate Wood, Julie and Manny Seiz to include Kyle Armstrong who has been a great addition to our team. September was our church-wide and youth kick-off. We enjoyed games and fellowship following the service. Similar to the previous years we created various game stations with teams that challenged both physical and mental abilities (Squares was the theme). Skipped the Pie'ing the pastor in the face since the Search Committee was faithfully still looking to fill the Youth Director position. We also did out first Service Project of the Year which was to make 6 different care packages for some of our College freshmen that we know and love. We also prepared some meals for some key folks in our church who we felt could enjoy a yummy meal.

11 11 October was filled with our annual Woods Games which allows students to dress up in camouflage and play crazy, wild games in the woods! What's Woods Games without the annual pond-jump on Sunday night? Nothing like a cold-dip in the water to give you a good night s rest! In November, our planned raking leaves service project got snowed out but we were able to find some housekeeping items to do all around the inside of our church, celebrated with a Pizza party and then welcomed Mike Saccocio from Schenectady City Mission who spoke to us about Serving Others and the Blessings that come from serving. We also had the first of two Worship/Prayer Services led by Jess Munn who did an amazing job and many members of our church family joined us for that event. December was our annual Christmas party (white elephant gift exchange) at the Belanger s new Barn, which is full of warmth, joy and the smell of wonderful pine. There was lots of great food, fun games and laughter all around. We are excited for the new year with more Service Projects ahead, serving the City Mission, sleep-ins, senior high retreat, Worship-Prayer service, Youth service and the expectation that soon the Youth Director position will be filled and our young adults will be blessed by this new leadership. In closing, please keep our Youth in your prayers; specifically pray that the leadership team is filled with God s direction and wisdom to equip these young adults with what they need to assure their walk with Jesus is something they seek with passion, grow spiritually and leave us with a faith that is clearly their own. Pray for a future that leads each one of them on an incredible life journey embracing and serving Our Lord Jesus. In Christ, Julie Seiz Youth Group Team Member

12 12 Director of Worship Ministries Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:15-16 The worship ministries continued to grow and flourish in the life of our church in I met with Pastor Brad weekly to plan our services and continued the practice of visitation and mentoring started a few years ago. Churches visited this year include Starpoint Church in Clifton Park, and Christ Covenant Church in Charlotte. The gifted leaders with whom I serve are a tremendous blessing to me and to our church. Donna Dowling's leadership of our Instrumental Ministry and Melisa Olson's leadership of Praise Gang are both exemplary. Chantelle Moon is also a tremendous gift to our church as she serves in her role as Accompanist, and beyond. The Worship Team was blessed with the many gifted musicians who served last year. They include Robb Daly, Peggy Traester and Sophie Olson on drums and Guy DeLeonardo and Donna Dowling on bass. We had three guitar players in Kyle Armstong, Guy DeLeonardo and Len Douglas who played both acoustic and electric, as well as Tom Bird on acoustic. Keyboard players included Josh Olson, June Schuldt, and Chantelle Moon, and our flutist was Julie Harrison. Our vocal team was Rachel Harrison, Rachel Feurer, Jackie Singer, Joan Abrahamson, Melisa Olson, Chantelle Moon, and Tom Bird. We are so blessed by these talented musicians who serve so faithfully through the year! Last fall the team resumed our monthly team study which had been dropped the previous year for scheduling reasons. We are meeting the third Sunday of the month during Sunday School doing Bob's Kauflin's 'Worship Matters' Video Intensive. It has been a fruitful study. Our Worship Choir also continued strong over the course of the year. This fall we reached 30 members! The choir continues to be a vital part of our corporate worship as they help lead each Sunday, and sing Offertories 2-3x's/month accompanied by the Worship Band. The times of prayer and fellowship are an integral part of choir life as we support and encourage one another. We continued the 'Wednesday Worship' model of both choir and Worship Team rehearsals on Wednesday nights which gives us time to rehearse together. Peggy Traester stepped down from her leadership position with the Sound and Media Teams at the end of the summer. She was most helpful to me in the time she served. Kristin Armstrong is the new leader of the Media Team and has done a wonderful job. Since Eric Dulmes departure last January I've worked together with the members of our Sound Team, Bill Harrison, Jason King, and Garry Locker, to manage the audio needs of our church. We are desperately in need of additional people willing to be trained and serve in this vital area of worship ministry and are praying that the Lord will provide in this new year. Special thanks are due to both Bill and Jason who have given very generously of their time to meet the many audio needs this past year. Beyond Sunday worship our ministries put on several special events last year. On March 9, we hosted a Holy Grounds Cafe in Buchanan Hall. Melisa Olson headed up this event which drew more than 120 people for a wonderful evening of music and poetry from almost 20

13 13 individuals from our church. Our young people served and a delightful evening was enjoyed by all! We held our first 'Hymn Sing' on Sunday evening July 8. Special guest, Organist Ron Becker, (Melisa's father), delighted us with several special numbers on the organ. Music was led by Manny Seiz, along with Chantelle and Sandie. With over 100 in attendance, it was an evening that was a blessing to all through the singing, song stories shared, and special music. The Worship Team worked during their Fall Kick-Off on September 15, and over the next month, preparing for the Fall Concert held during the Fall Festival on October 13 from 1-4 pm. It was a tremendous amount of work with two different teams preparing lots of new music with extra weekly rehearsals. We rented both sound equipment and a tent which were placed in front of the church. The music was well received and enjoyed by all. We learned a great deal which will help the next time we do an outdoor concert. Our team loved doing it! Work for the Christmas Concert began immediately after the Fall Festival. Held on Sunday evening, December 9, at 6:30 pm, the concert included music from all our music ministries as well as some carol singing, scripture reading and a short message from Pastor Brad. Praise Gang, our instrumentalists, and the choir each presented several selections of beautiful Christmas music. The church was full with many visitors and the concert was very well received. The reception that followed in Buchanan Hall was enjoyed by all. Our Candlelight Christmas Eve service was a wonderful way to close out the year of special worship events. The scriptures of Christmas interspersed with vocal and instrumental selections, a Christmas meditation by Pastor Brad, and closing with our candlelight carol sing blessed the hearts of all who were there. The other special services of the year included our Maundy Thursday Communion service on March 29, Easter Celebration on April 1, and our Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday November 20. The choir sang for each of these special services. The Thanksgiving Service was followed with a time of fellowship and delicious pies. I also led worship for the Women's Retreat held on April 28 and was supported with a wonderful women's band from our team. Last fall presented a couple of major equipment challenges with the Projector and Organ. The projector issue thankfully turned out to be a false alarm. The organ situation is more serious and is still being evaluated for possible repair. Special thanks to Mike King for helping rearrange platform furniture each time it's needed. It is a joy to serve alongside Pastor Brad week by week. I also appreciate the Elders and their support. Special thanks to my husband Bob for his support and encouragement. It's a wonderful privilege to serve the Lord here at EGCC I look forward to all he has in store for us in the new year! Soli deo gloria! Respectfully submitted, Sandie Wanamaker

14 14 Elder Board As I review 2018 at EGCC I am once again amazed how we are blessed by those who continually stand up and demonstrate their Love to Jesus by the ways they continue to get involved and serve. Our Pastors, staff, boards, and many other volunteers, some who have been continually involved over many years and some who are brand new faces amongst us. All of this happens while continuously covered with prayers by many. This year we welcomed Gary Williams and Will Gideon to the elder board. We first met early in February for a Saturday retreat where we brought them up to speed with the vision and direction previously laid out. We came together at Vision 2018 banquet in February where we could review and present again to the congregation the vision for EGCC. --Our guiding principle: TO LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE AND HELP THEM TO KNOW AND FOLLOW JESUS. --Our mission: TO BE AN OUTREACHING MISSIONAL CHURCH BY: KNOWING THE GOSPEL IN OUR HEARTS AND MINDS PREPARING TO SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH OTHERS TAKING THE GOSPEL OUT INTO OUR COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD (OUR MOTTO = "KNOW, SHARE, TAKE ) --Application: LIVING OUT OUR MISSION THROUGH CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, LIFE GROUPS, OUTREACH EVENTS, COMMUNITY SERVICE AND WITNESS, SHORT TERM MISSION TRIPS, ETC. We worked through the spring to develop a staffing proposal and timeline for a senior pastor search. We presented this to the congregation and answered questions and received comments over the summer. We are thankful for the time Jared Bender served amongst us and ministered to our youth. He set up a transition and completed his ministry with us in July. We developed a position description, sought the congregation s approval, selected a search committee and they began the process. We have been praying for the new Youth Director that God has for us and whom we do not know yet. We held a special meeting in the fall to listen and hear from those that had questions and concerns over the staffing proposal. We met recently and revised a proposal which is being presented for a congregational vote at the business meeting. We guided the budget stakeholders in the budget process throughout the last months and are thankful to Jim Fisher for putting it all together.

15 15 We have interviewed new member candidates after they have completed the new member class and will be receiving them during annual meeting. Looking ahead in 2019 some action items will be: 1. Review and document our church identity. Who we are, and how we operate as a congregation? 2. Support and encourage our short-term missions. 3. Review and update our Sr. Pastor search criteria and launch a search team. 4. Encourage and guide the church to minister to the community through outreach events. 5. Work to pray together as Elders and minister to our flock here at EGCC. We continually seek Gods wisdom through scripture and prayer as we walk together this year. Ted Feurer for the Elders Christian Education Board 2018 Board Members: Tom Bischoff, Sherri Benner, Katie Fisher, Katie Jahn, Catherine Gideon, and Brian Stuart (until October), with Susan Perregaux attending as staff representative 2018 has been a year of transition and growth. We are grateful to Brian Stuart who served as board chairperson from January to October, when a new job led him to move out of town. Brian generously shared his administrative gifts and his vision for a thorough and effective Sunday School program. Celebration Sunday marked the transition of students who have progressed from one age group into another; memorized scripture was recited, songs sung, and small Bible-themed gifts distributed. It was decided not to distribute Bibles at this event, as it would be more meaningful and effective to do so on Kick Off Sunday in September. Kick Off Sunday was successful in that teachers were introduced, parents received information on the program and registration paperwork was distributed. Teachers were given new, age-appropriate Bibles to distribute to their students. All students received new Bibles and were encouraged to have the elders sign them. The Birthday Party for Jesus was received well. This was a pre-school through grade 12 event in December which included singing, story, crafts and refreshments. Christmas Caroling at the Hannaford in Glenville was another success. Youth Sunday school continues to sponsor Yunelfi with regular collections The Adult Sunday School consolidated its plans and offered the following courses: Authentic Journey (Pastor Brad) Kingdom Living (Geoff Switts) Bible (Tom Bischoff and others) Doctrine (Pastor Phil and others)

16 16 The Youth Sunday School continues to follow the Gospel Project Curriculum. Heather Sweet leads the combined group time in singing and prayer. It is a wonderful time of community, lesson review and sharing of prayer requests The individual classes not only have their lessons but scripture memorization, coordinated by Katie Fisher, to be utilized in the weekly lesson, recited at Celebration Sunday, to prepare the child with a core of memorized scripture for the upcoming challenges to be faced in the years to come. This program is overseen by the individual teachers and some teachers reward their students with prizes for memorized verses. Katie Jahn coordinates with the teachers and is working with them to ensure they all have resources that they need to be effective teachers. Due to attendance, the following changes to youth Sunday school were made: because of high numbers in Catherine Gideon s grades 1-3 class and low numbers in Heidi Epting s grades 4-5 class, third graders are now going to Heidi Epting s class. This has been a successful change thus far. Also, there were no consistent students in the 2-3 year old class, so Henrietta Baziluk and Carol Czach are stepping down this year. We have been blessed by their many years of service educating our youngest children! A plan is in place to address visitors who come during the Sunday School hour with children aged 2-3 years. Senior high Sunday school is taught by Manny and Julie Seiz. The board is very appreciative of this extra year of service Manny and Julie have agreed to provide. Their faithfulness and commitment to our high school students is a great blessing. The CE board has asked Tom and Sarah Dreisbach, and they have agreed, to take over the teaching of this class beginning in September The Nursery and Toddler rooms are coordinated by Emma Squires with some support from Heather Sweet to make schedules. Emma has been working on updating the manual and leading training meetings for the volunteers. Junior Church is coordinated by Felipe Moon. Currently, due to similar attendance issues as Sunday school, Junior Church has been restructured and is divided into a preschool-2nd grade class and a grades 3-4 class. This is a more even division of the students and is working great thus far. We are thankful for the Lord's many blessings in administrating and supporting Christian Education at EGCC!

17 17 Diaconate Board This past year our board consisted of Brenda Mills, Don Sweet, Holly Britton, Robin Daly, Leaa Mulone, and Pastor Phil Sears. Some of the functions under the Diaconate Board include: preparing & coordinating communion, coordinating ushers, pew supply, coordinating greeters, the Hospitality Committee, providing meals for those in need, visitation of the sick and shut-ins, transportation, the 4thSunday church service at Schenectady City Mission, the 5th Sunday church service at Baptist Retirement Center, Prayer Chain, Flower ministry, Card Ministry, Coffee Ministry, benevolent assistance to those in need, and the list goes on. Each Diaconate Team member oversees several of the ministries with help from over 70 servants from our church family. In 2018, in addition to our normal activities, EGCC participated in the Alpha Pregnancy Center s baby bottle fundraiser, collected and donated backpack and school supplies to the City Mission, Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection, Thanksgiving food collection for the Regional Food Bank for local school backpack program. Last winter we started Soup for Saints, and kept soup and meatloaf in the freezer for family members in need. This year, the Board worked on writing benevolence policies, procedures and forms for greater organization and consistency. In 2018, the Diaconate granted scholarships to our only 2018 high school graduate who was heading off to college, through the Terry O Donnell Memorial Scholarship Fund. Due to lower projections in the number of upcoming graduates, there was no need to do a fund raiser this year. The Junior Diaconate struggles to find children willing to help with the job of tidying up the pews after service and keeping them supplied with pens, communication cards and offering envelopes, as well as collecting cups and helping with communion clean-up. We continue with a few service projects during the year. This Christmas, we were able to bless 16 widows and seniors with Christmas gift bags. Melissa Williams and her parents, Mike & Susan Williams have taken on a leadership role. Don Sweet will be coming off of the Diaconate Board in January 2019, however, after numerous people were asked to replace him, no replacement was found. The Board will continue on with the current remaining members. The Church continues to help those in our church family with physical and monetary needs, but increasingly is being asked by those outside of the church for the same sort of help. Being wise stewards of the Lord s resources is our priority while at the same time trying to balance the outpouring of God s love by meeting physical needs. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Mills, Diaconate Chairwoman

18 18

19 19 Mission Board The Mission Board had a good year as we seek to improve awareness of missions within EGCC. The Souper Bowl Sunday soup collection went well and we look forward to the next one this coming February. We also provided two Mission weekends one in May and the other in October to hear about updates from the mission field. With help from Pastor Brad we established a good working relationship with East West Missions to help with our planned Short Term Mission Trip to Cuba which is being led by the new Mission Board Chair, Steve Laskoski. He is taking over as the chair because my term is up and I must step down. Also leaving the board is Perline Cooper and Nancyjane Batten. This will leave the board very short of people. I would like to thank both Perline and Nancyjane for all their hard work and support they have provided to the board over the years. Some other highlights for the past year include helping VBS send $900.00, which they collected during VBS week, to an orphanage in Madagascar and the two mission trips, one taken by Laura Benner, and the other by our own Steve Laskoski. Below is an addition to this report provided by Steve as the incoming board chair: For 2019, in addition to a new "Adopt a Missionary" plan, our biggest focus will be on the Cuba Mission trip, scheduled for July We look forward to sharing with the congregation what we will experience as we obey His call to witness. We'll continue last year's efforts to supply a local food pantry with our Souper Bowl soup collection, and look forward to surpassing last year's 452 cans donated. Finally, we'll be expanding the Board to get more of the congregation involved in local outreach to directly and personally share Christ with our community. Lastly, I would like to say it has been a pleasure to serve on the Mission Board for the last 6 years and I look forward to what the board will continue to do in the future. I would also like to extend a special thanks to Adrian Perregaux our Elder Board Overseer and Laurence Olson our Treasury Liaison, for all their hard work on behalf of the Mission Board. And also to Gina our church Secretary who never failed to make all my announcements and reports look great when made public. In His service, Bruce Cooper Mission Board Chair

20 20 Trustee Board First of All, It has been a pleasure serving with these humble servants this past year. Your Trustee board consists of Will Gideon (Our Elder Overseer), Lisa Nally, John Ferguson, Brian Sweet, Andre Squires, Dave Connors and yours truly Dan Meguin. I want to thank each of them for their care and concern for our facility. It amazed me to observe each of them stepping up to the plate to see that the job was getting accomplished. Our Congregation and Staff shared their ideas and input and each time I saw one of the Trustees rise up. Some of the highlights of this year s accomplishments: The Chapel renovation was meticulously completed by Lisa Nally. The Chapel lighting was completed by Andre Squires. Our new Shed was purchased and put in with a collaboration of all the board. New TV s have been purchased for Sunday School classrooms to be installed in the near future. Additional tables will be coming soon for Buchanan Hall through Brian Sweet s efforts. Numerous tasks were completed through John Ferguson s efforts as he was flexible to work when no one was around. Dave Connors in my opinion has been exhibiting great leadership skills throughout the year on the board. I have asked and he has accepted the responsibility to chair the board in the upcoming year. It will be my job to support him in any way possible in making a successful transition. We are working with a future Eagle Scout to make some needed improvements to the outside area of our Preschool. New Chapel windows will be ordered and installed this Spring by our very own brothers and sisters here at EGCC. This past year we had three successful work days. We are grateful for all the support we received and moving forward we are looking to schedule monthly work days. It is our desire to ask for your ideas and help as we want to do an even better job taking care of our church facility in the next year. Serving Him, Dan Meguin

21 21 Men s Ministry 2018 was an interesting year for the Men s Ministry. For the first half of the year, we had monthly Saturday morning breakfasts. On one of those Saturday mornings, Mike Saccocio spoke with us. I was personally affected by the analogy Mike provided about life. He likened life to the breath we take. In order to exhale, we need to take in a breath. Life is literally breathing in and breathing out. Mike talked about Jesus and prior to him pouring out His grace and power, He would always withdraw from others to be with His Father. It was in these quiet moments that Jesus would breathe in the fullness of the Father so that he could breathe out life into people. The practical application is that we are not going to live abundantly and a Godly life without spending time seeking Him, knowing Him, loving Him so that we could then be vessels for all good works. In 2018, we continued Wednesday night Bible Study until the summer time. We studied books in the Bible and rotated facilitators on a weekly basis. In the beginning of summer, the participation dropped off to a point where we discontinued the program, with the idea of starting up in the fall. With participation dropping off in both Saturday morning breakfasts and Wednesday Night Bible study, it was necessary to assess what functions, studies or retreats were filling the need of the men in the church. Lack of participation would indicate that the needs of the men were not being fully reached by these traditional approaches. As I personally stopped assessing the Men s Ministry and earnestly started my own selfreflection, I arrived at a different revelation as it relates to the Men s Ministry. Everything starts with what can God do with me if I am willing. I am willing so this is what God has put on my heart. The Men s Ministry should be a place for men to be connected. Isolation is the weapon of Satan and we need to come together to edify and fight on behalf of the spiritual and physical needs of the men in the church. The initiation of prayer partners was initiated to serve this need. We have 50 men from the church who have agreed to participate in some level of this initiative (25 prayer partner teams). The short term goal is to make sure that no man should be alone in his faith walk. 1. Starting 1/9/2019, Will Gideon will be leading Wednesday Night Bible study. We will start in 1 John. The study of 1 John will run approximately 11 weeks. Upon completion, we will consider the study of another book in the Bible and do it on a different week night should the men of the choir desire to attend or any other man that has a conflict on Wednesday night. I will be promoting that study in person and through . I would feel blessed if other men would spread the word about the study and if at all possible, make it a priority in their schedule to attend. 2. We are also planning more social gatherings in order to have greater exposure to men outside of the church facility. Our bowling event in November had 21 men attend. We had 18 men bowl and 3 came just for the fellowship

22 22 3. In 2019, the Men s Ministry wants to host a purpose driven Saturday Morning Breakfast. Ideas include: prayer service as the focal point and the breakfast as the secondary attraction; and, as an alternative option to Saturday morning breakfast, we would like to coordinate some service projects. 4. While we did not have a Men s retreat this year, we are planning for our 2019 Men s Retreat at a different location. The new venue will afford all men in our church the opportunity to worship and connect with God without the responsibility of preaching, teaching or leading worship. Sign-up begins in May, so we will need to be proactive in signing up for the retreat. The Men s Retreat will be in September Man-to-Man Functions. The intent is to empower men to go and do. The hope is that the Holy Spirit will inspire grass roots service projects and teaming with other prayer groups for study, prayer, outreach and social events. Our world is in a precarious place. Although this world is not our home, we are to love those living in the world is when we put the spiritual battle armor on and become acceptable vessels for God s Holy Work. In the service of Jesus the Christ, Ken Sloan Women s Ministry In May 2018, the Women s Ministry was formed and began to meet, and with Pastor Brad s encouragement, developed a vision and mission statement for the women of EGCC. This statement was presented to the women of the church at our kick-off event in September. Vision- To encourage women to deepen their relationship with God and each other based on His word. Mission- Our Mission is to: DISCIPLE by building a solid foundation on God s word CONNECT with Christ and each other REACH women with the gospel of grace. The Women s Ministry Team has been meeting on the third Tuesday of every month where time is spent discussing how best to grow and strengthen the ministry. Our first agenda as a team was to survey the women of the church to determine interests, individual s gifts and talents, and desires for the ministry. This survey has now become a valuable resource for us as we use it to plan our events to meet the needs and requests of the women in our church. We have successfully held seven events from May through December and have several more planned for Our focus this year has also been on communicating with the women of the

23 23 church. We currently communicate with the women of the church through the weekly bulletin, the monthly church newsletter and a customized Facebook page. In 2018, we had the following opportunities to connect: June- Scotia Yard Sale with lunch at the Dairy Circus. July- Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY for fellowship and a delicious lunch August- A number of women (and one husband!!) attended the Kathy Troccoli Comfort by Candlelight Concert at Bethel Full Gospel Church in Rotterdam, NY. September- A well attended kick-off breakfast where the vision and mission statement was presented. Carol Potochney, our speaker at the event also shared her heart with us about building connections and relationships with one another by using a technique called Heart Listening and had us practice with one another. October- Beth Moore Conference in Albany at the Times Union Center. (Thank you to Vina Kacmarczyk for organizing the trip). November- Fun and fellowship traveling to the outlets in Lake George for shopping and lunch trip. December- We took time out of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season with a relaxing morning of crafts using essential oils. (Much appreciation to Julie Harrison for preparing and facilitating the crafts.) Launching in January will be our Mentoring Program; it is a study based on Titus 2 and will be a wonderful opportunity for women to grow deeper in their walk with the Lord, based on God s Word. We also eagerly anticipate our upcoming retreat at Camp of the Woods the weekend of May 3-5th. The location and speaker have been secured and we are looking forward to a spirit-led weekend of prayer and renewal. We have been guided and blessed by His word, prayers, and the women of this church to deepen our relationship with Him and each other. We look forward to this next year and continuing to build the Women s Ministry. Respectfully submitted-in His Service, Kristin Armstrong, Kristen Capeci, Peg O Donnell, Jackie Singer, Michele Sloan and Kim Switts

24 24 Media Team Annual Report Members: Kristin Armstrong, Steve Laskoski, Josh Olsen, Mark Abrahamson Responsibilities: Members of this team attend the Wednesday night rehearsal that takes place in conjunction with the Worship Team, and also the Sunday morning rehearsal before service. We use a presentation software called Easy Worship that enables us to provide various media support during church on Sunday and for special events/meetings. Every week we do our best to display announcements, provide a countdown, worship song lyrics, scripture, sermon notes and even video clips when needed. Additional responsibilities include making sure the announcements are looping on both TV s, along with recording the sermons that we then upload and post using sermon.net so that they appear on the church website. This Past Year: Updates and edits continued to happen with the Media Team Reference Manual. This document will serve as a valuable resource when training new members that join the team. Further exploration of the Easy Worship Software has shed light onto playing PowerPoint and video directly from within the program which makes displaying such files much smoother during service, along with being able to update our song database directly from the Set-List Schedule which enables us to keep our song files current. Various troubleshooting situations occurred that included needing to take down the main EPSON Projector and having it serviced by Audio Video Corporation. Nothing conclusive was found wrong and upon remounting all connections are now functioning appropriately. Additionally, a cable we replaced that solved the excess background noise that was occurring in the sermon recordings. Looking to the Future: We are optimistic as we look to find additional people who are willing to join the Media Team. To further strengthen the team, brainstorming has begun that includes the possibility of having Media Team Meetings and/or training to stay up on the software and to enhance communication. There has been sporadic internet issues up in the Media Booth which needs to be further examined so that the connection is more reliable. The old projector is still functional and could possibly serve as a back-up in case problems occur again with the purchase of a couple different cables. Cleaning up the wires and cables with labels that are underneath the counter, along with going through and cleaning up the hard drive on the main computer are also things that should be considered. Conversations have also begun to figure out the best way to broadcast the sermon into the nursery. Respectfully submitted, -Kristin Armstrong

25 25 Praise Gang Once again, Praise Gang had the joy of being part of the diverse music ministry here at East Glenville Community Church. Over the course of the year we had the opportunity to sing a total of eight times, including Easter Sunday and Mother s Day. A highlight of our ministry year was being part of the church s Christmas musical program, Songs of Joy. In November, we invited the boys and girls from our Sunday School program to join our regular Praise Gang members in presenting four songs as part of the concert. Two of those songs had the added challenge (and joy!) of combining our voices with the adult choir. This unique opportunity served the dual purpose of increasing the number of children in order to have a stronger choir, as well as give boys and girls who may not otherwise be able to be part of our kid s choir a special opportunity- -to be part of serving in their church by singing the beautiful message of Christmas through song. We used the half hour time between the end of Sunday School and the beginning of the worship service to practice. Between November and December, our choir more than doubled in size! As far as our attendance, at the beginning of 2018, there were about 18 children that were coming to rehearsals. Throughout the remainder of our choir season, we continued to meet each Wednesday evening for an hour and completed our year with our annual Ice Cream Treats party! In September, the number of families able to support Praise Gang was greatly reduced. The average number of children each week was less than 10. We were small but mighty! The basic components of our children s choir ministry have stayed the same throughout the years. We talk about our lives and then pray. We connect the lyrics of our songs to God s Word. We work on good choir etiquette and being disciplined musicians. We sing! We are a little community of people who enjoy being together! I am very thankful for the families who support this ministry with enthusiasm and am especially blessed by Sandie Wanamaker who continues to shepherd, support, and encourage me. Special thanks to the worship band, especially Chantelle Moon, who at times accompanied us. This children s choir ministry is near and dear to my heart, and I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord in such a manner! Respectfully submitted, Melisa Olson

26 26 Instrumental Ministry The EGCC instrumentalists had a wonderful year with many opportunities to glorify God and minister to the church body was blessed by the addition of new members as well as by members who have played for many years. We played as a large ensemble, joining the worship team and choir for a glorious musical sound at Christmas time and also had smaller ensembles throughout the year. It s always a special treat to have our college students come back to play and share their talents. What a blessing and privilege it is to be able to glorify God through the gift of music that He alone gives. Respectfully submitted, Donna Dowling Dorcas Society As Peter continued his ministry in the book of Acts chapter 9 a group of widows sought his spiritual gift of healing for one of their own. Tabitha or Dorcas by name via the Greek translation was known as a good woman, kind and always doing for others to include the poor. The widows showed Peter some of the many robes Dorcas had made when she was well. In like manner the Dorcas ladies of EGCC founded in the 1950's sew quilts, walker bags, maternity tops, knit and crochet booties,baby hats, shawls, children s' hats and scarves, and occasionally create a work which may be specially requested e.g. large full size quilts for the Tamahumara pregnant couples when visiting the clinic spearheaded by the Hills, our supported missionaries. Populations served by the Dorcas Society include: Baptist Health Nursing and Rehab Center, Scotia Glendale Home, Glenville City Mission of Schenectady Alpha Pregnancy Center Birthright Dorcas meets every Tuesday 10:30am to 2:30pm during the months of September through May. A combining with Flannelgraph occurs for lunch where good conversation and prayer concerns are highlighted. Anyone interested in joining Dorcas is MOST welcomed! THE following are members of the group: Carol Versocki, leader Linda Girardi Marianne Bucci Henrietta Baziluk