Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known. Our Saviour s Lutheran Church Annual Report

Transcription

1 AUTHENTIC Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known CARING Our Saviour s Lutheran Church Annual Report Published June, 2016 COMMUNITY

2 Notes From Pastor John Gerike, Senior Pastor "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~Romans 8:38-39 I've been at Our Saviour's long enough now that many of you know this is my favorite Bible verse. It is a great comfort to me to know that nothing can separate us from God's love. In the midst of joys and sorrows, happiness and struggle, God is with us. As a faith community, it is true for us as well. God is leading us into a wonderful future, while also with us in the midst of the pain and challenges of daily life. God's love gives us strength for all we do. A year ago, as I wrote my part of the annual report, I highlighted three priorities. They continue to be a significant part of my focus and our journey together. The first priority is to clarify our vision for living as one church with two campuses. Our primary achievement with this priority was to confirm that we wanted to have a pastor to be an ongoing presence for worship at Celebration. Once that determination was made, we were able to begin our call process for a new pastor. There will continue to be ongoing challenges and opportunities as one church with two campuses. I believe the opportunities are many, and the challenges are manageable. The second priority is to develop a staffing plan for vision. A staffing plan has been developed, and a call process is well underway. However, we have had to pare back our plans, seeking one additional pastor instead of two at this time. Other staffing has also been reduced. This is in response to the financial reality at the current time. I believe the members of Our Saviour's give generously and will continue to do so. We are working hard to use those gifts wisely. As funds become available, we are still very interested in calling an additional pastor to help us move forward in our vision. The third priority is to foster a sense of collaborative partnership with staff and congregational leaders. This cultural enhancement is well underway, but still has room for further progress. I am excited to see God using the gifts of so many people to make a difference in the world in so many amazing ways. Thanks for being part of this process. We also are looking ahead. As we continue this time of transition, we are also shaping a new vision as God leads us forward. Although we are still working on much of the language and detail of the vision, the three primary areas are: Caring Community through deeper relational involvement Enhanced congregational vitality (leading to growing worship attendance) Strengthened emphasis on ministry with children, youth, and their families. I look forward to this next year of ministry together, knowing that God is leading us and will always be with us. Thanks for your partnership in ministry. In Christ, Pastor John Gerike

3 Notes From Pastor Brian Wise How many are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom You made them all ~Psalm 104:24 I want to begin my annual report by saying thanks to the members of Our Saviour s who have welcomed Mandy and me into the Our Saviour s family with love and support. It s hard to believe that I have almost completed a full year of ministry here. I am in awe when I see all of the work, volunteering, sharing, and caring that goes on around Our Saviour s. I began with Psalm 104 because it s hard to summarize one year of ministry with so many amazing things happening inside and outside of our church doors. As any sane person would do, I have tried to look at all of the areas that I am overseeing, and I have spent the last year putting together teams and procedures to help us be partners in ministry together. As Pastor of Outreach, one of the first places that this happens is through Missions. I am very thankful for the Mission s Leadership Team which saw some transitions in leadership over this last year. I am thankful that those who transitioned off the team were helpful in finding wonderful replacements. Together, we have committed to continue to meet with all of our Mission Leaders quarterly and also have committed to sharing our stories together. I have also worked with staff and some key leaders to help reenergize New Membership at Our Saviour s. Over this next year, we will introduce simple ways for people to become a member at Our Saviour s. We plan to do this by taking the focus off of classes and paperwork and instead put the focus on relationships between our newest families and our current members. If you have an interest in being a sponsor family, which means that you would introduce a newer family to Our Saviour s, please let me know! We have also seen some changes at Celebration which allows us to begin conversation about the future vision and mission for our Celebration site. I have formed a team of nine, which consists of people from both campuses, and together we have begun discussion on the day-to-day use of our building. Our goal is to bring energy and life to our second campus, but also to make sure that whatever is in our space falls within our vision and mission. To be an Authentic Caring Community which lives out the love of Christ in all that we say and do, it is important for us to see this space as a place where people can Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known. We will continue to be transparent with the congregation as decisions are made, and we look forward to inviting you to participate as we try out some ideas in the year ahead. It s a good day to be the church! I want to end by thanking you for your commitment to our faith community and for all of the ways that you continue to support the ministries of Our Saviour s. I am so thankful for this church family, and I feel your energy, love, support, and momentum as we look toward the future together. Now is the perfect time to connect if you aren t currently connected to a small group, mission, or ministry. Now is the perfect time to share your talents and gifts in whatever area you feel called to serve. We are a church that has wonderful leaders and gifts, and now is the perfect time to celebrate all of the awesome things God is doing in our midst. Thank you again for an awesome first year of ministry together, and I look forward to many more! God s Peace, Pastor Brian W. Wise

4 Council Members Notes from Jennifer Schuler, Council Chair person I am happy to report that the call committee for a new Faith Formation pastor is meeting and working hard. Council approved the job description for this position and our Ministry Site Profile. These documents mean the Call Committee has begun the interviewing process. Please keep all of them in your prayers. Your input is always appreciated, council members are your representatives. All council members can be contacted via at councilmembers@oursaviours.com, and we welcome conversation. Council meets the third Saturday of the month at 8:00 am in the Bonhoeffer Conference Room at Our Saviour s Campus, all are welcome. Special thanks to all of the council members for their partnership in ministry.. Vice-Chair person Greg Nasman Ruth Nelson Secretary John Updegraff Steve Spayer Treasurer Neil Springer Graham Brenna Christine Robinson Susan Miller

5 Membership and Staff Updates Membership Updates Baptized membership of Our Saviour s Lutheran Church is currently Average Weekly Attendance : 750 Pastoral Acts July 1, June 30, 2016 Baptisms: 21 Confirmations: 32 Weddings: 9 Funerals: 8 Staff Updates We would like to thank the following people for their years of service at Our Saviour s and for all they have done to Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known. We wish them well on their new journeys, and may God continue to bless each of them. Linda DeVore Ella Druek New Staff Members: Pastor Brian Wise Chrissy Ball (Children and Family Ministries) Sarah Swindall (Youth Ministries) Kyle Hamilton (Custodian) Roger Rollo (Custodian) New Member Update We are excited to welcome 46 new members at Our Saviour s from the calendar year July 1, 2015-June 30, This includes both adults and children. We offer new member classes three times a year followed by a new member recognition. In order to grow disciples who make an impact with their generous hearts, we ask that our new members commit to worship, serve, connect, and give. Submitted by Jean Jepson, Director of Communications and Administration

6 The Children s Center Preschool Opened the 2015/2016 school year with 240 children and 26 staff members in our eleventh year of operation. A self-supported ministry of Our Saviour's, The Children's Center provided a $100,000 Benevolence to Our Saviour's Operating Fund, and paid an additional $50,000 to the Debt Free Campaign. Eleven preschool classes, and five Parents Day Out (PDO) classes were carried out in our six beautifully furnished classrooms. This was our first year of offering a Friday PDO class for our youngest two year old friends. We had three sessions of six-week Preschool Enrichment classes, offering nine different classes attended by over 160 children. A preschool parent committee organized monthly Spirit Days, collecting various supplies for local missions and ministries. In October, we collected new socks for the Celebration Clinic. In January, we collected new hats and mittens for children at The Hesed House. Pastor Brian led our monthly Chapel times, and we showed an increase in parent attendance. Each month we had nearly 40% of all of our parents joining us!

7 In October, we had our first Dad s Night event. Nearly 100 dads and 105 children came to school to rotate between classrooms set up with harvest activities. In December, our preschool families generously donated 20 grocery bags of baby food and disposable diapers to Loaves and Fishes, collected at our Annual Christmas Program. We had 32 Grandparents visiting classrooms between January and May, sharing the love of literature with our preschool children, as part of our Grandparent Reading Program. Lutheran Schools Week in March found the preschoolers making Thinking of You cards for the shut-in and their caregivers. We also collected 195 boxes of cereal for Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry. This beat our Cereal Challenge of 150 boxes! Generous preschool families donated nearly 400 gently loved baby items to Baby Care Ministry during the month of April, supporting Lutheran World Relief. Our Love Canvas Raffle in May, raised $522 for Loaves and Fishes Packs4Kids program, feeding underresourced Naperville children throughout summer months. The preschoolers sang at the Celebration church service in November and in March. A big thank you to our Children s Center Advisory Board members for a great year: Pastor Brian Wise, Lynne Sherman (teacher rep.), Mary Beth Satvedi (parent rep.), Jennifer Schuler (Church Council liaison), Stuart Vance (Naperville District 204 Teacher), Kelly Gilligan (Director)

8 Children and Family Ministries CHURCH SCHOOL Church school was offered at the 9:00 am and 10:30 am worship hours at Our Saviour s and at 10:00 am at the Celebration campus Seven different Bible stories or themes were explored during the program year: Joshua, Ruth, Advent - Some Son! God s Christmas Gift, Paul, Easter - Resurrection Revealed, Lost & Found Parables, and Noah. Bible stories are taught in a variety of ways to meet the different learning styles of the children. Games, cooking, and Biblical reenactment were among the favorite lessons. Every Sunday morning began with the teachers and shepherds in Huddle and Prayer before the hour. We prayed for all the children and families, and we prayed for each other. Special Sundays in church school gave children an opportunity to learn about Advent or Lent and make something their family could use throughout the church season to focus on its true meaning. For Lent the children heard the story of the Three Trees and made a story-mobile so they could share the story of Jesus as the Son of God. Special classes were offered to families with upper elementary children to talk about Addictive Disease Awareness and Human Sexuality in the context of our Christian values. Bibles were given to Kindergarten and 3rd grade children. Church school does not happen without the people who volunteer to share their faith journey with the children. Thank you to all the shepherds and teachers who served faithfully throughout the year. Laura Springer, one of our church school teachers at Celebration, shared her experience teaching by posting on social media: Today in church school Lydia and I traveled to Jerusalem as archeologists to see what we could find. We found palm fronds, coat/wool material, coins, communion cup, nails, stone, etc. We wondered with the other archeologists what these items might symbolize during Holy Week. Today I had the privilege of teaching the grade school children about why a lamb is a symbol that relates to Holy Week and to help them to understand why Jesus is called the Lamb of God. What does the lamb symbolize? In the Old Testament a lamb was sacrificed for sins, but in the New Testament Jesus took the place of the lamb. We are surrounded by many symbols that remind us of God's gift and that we are surrounded by His love. In the midst of the noise and chaos, look for these symbols and know that God is never far away. God bless!! AMEN!!

9 STEPPING STONE CLASSES These classes serve to keep the promises made at a child s baptism by the parents, sponsors, and the church. The classes are taught by lay people who have a passion for the faith practice and a desire to share their faith journey. Children and parents attend the classes together and then integrate the faith practice with worship and the life of the faith community. Prayer Stepping Stone - 1st grade Devotion Stepping Stone - 2nd grade Bible Stepping Stone - 3rd grade Service Stepping Stone - 4th grade Communion Stepping Stone - 5th grade VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Two weeks of Everest VBS were offered for kids of all ages. As we learned that God has the power to love and care for us, we rocked this place with songs of praise and shouts of Hold on! A mission is always part of the week. This year VBS kids contributed over $1200 to Loaves and Fishes Packs4Kids program. SPECIAL EVENTS FOR FAMILIES

10 Youth Ministries The purpose of Youth Ministries is: to grow young Christian leaders who passionately live out their faith, lovingly share the Good-News, and selflessly make a significant difference in the lives of others. With each year the energy in and around the youth program continues to grow. As is the trend in Naperville, the number of students in the program is decreasing; however, we are excited to report that our average attendance is up nearly 15% in the junior high, and the retention rate from eighth grade into high school is also up to about 30% of the class. With the change of program year, we said good-bye to Matt Burns, and hello to Sarah Swindall. Sarah has been a wonderful addition to the Youth team, bringing so much excitement to the program that she grew up in! This year we worked closely with other ministry leaders and started some new outlets for our junior high students to be involved in: Surging into the Arts provides students an opportunity to see what s involved in Choir, Drama, Percussion, Puppets, and Tech Arts. Junior High Ministry (Surge) Surge Mentors: 14 adults, 18 high school students, and four substitutes Registered Students: 95 Average Attendance: 75 (79%) The Junior High Ministry at Our Saviour s is focused on educating our youth on learning what it means to belong to a community of faith. This journey of spiritual growth brings the students to their Confirmation at the end of their eighth grade year. The curriculum is on a three-year rotation. This year, the focus of the Confirmation curriculum was the New Testament and the Lord s Prayer. Currently, all curriculum is being further developed into a more in-depth look on weekly topics. Surge Night Out are nights throughout the year for junior high students to come for some fun and fellowship. It provides a safe place to get to know other students in the program. Surge Showcase gives our students the chance to share their musical and vocal talents with the church community. In addition to these events, the 6th and 7th grade retreat in the fall and the Confirmation Retreat in the winter provide our students more opportunities to grow in community and in faith. This year we planed A Very Un-Scrooged Christmas for our high school students. It was a night that brought them together for some fun and relaxation during finals, but also gave them a chance to take the bah humbug out of Christmas by making tie blankets and hats for the homeless and cards for the elderly. Confirmation Confirmands: 32 Eighth Graders The Confirmation Retreat not only gives the students a chance to build relationships within their community, but it also gives them a chance to begin articulating their faith. Students begin working on their Faith Statements, an expression of the journey that they ve taken to get to where their faith is today. During the Confirmation Ceremony, students shared their Faith Statements during the service, and two talented students performed music during the offering and communion. It was especially nice to have the confirmands serve communion with their parents. The mentors of the Eighth grade participated in the blessing and as ushers. The ceremony was such a beautiful service. The growth and excitement around the Youth Ministry is so inspiring! You can see the students passionately living out their faith in the various activities they participate in around church and in the community.

11 my Starving Children, Toys for Tots, and Sleep Out Saturday. The students also collected hats, scarves, and gloves in the winter months as well as toilet paper for Loaves and Fishes. During the holidays we caroled at Tabor Hills, made tie-blankets and hats for the homeless, and Christmas cards for the elderly. High School Ministry (Ignition) Ignition Mentors: 16 adults Registered Students: 59 Average Attendance: 34 (58%) The High School Ministry ignites our students faith into action. Each week we sought to provide a balance of fun activities, enriching faith-based discussions on topics that our teens are currently facing, as well as service opportunities that would meet each person where he/she is at in their faith journey. Curriculum topics were decided by the Leadership Team, a group of 8-12 committed high school students that met once a week. Throughout the year, the team took on more leadership roles outside of weekly meetings and began planning not only the weekly topics and events but also the discussion questions that went with the topics. International Mission Trip (Haiti) This spring, five students and three adults traveled to Haiti for the sixth year. Throughout the week, not only did the team continue to build relationships with the Haitians as we worked on the church of Mariani, but God continued to work on our hearts, deepening our faith and love for the mission work in Haiti. This year, for the first time in six years, we were able to share in Holy Communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Mariani. It was a powerful and beautiful experience to share together. We were also presented with a plaque honoring and recognizing our six years of partnership together. Both the Haitians and the students at Our Saviour s look forward to our seventh year in Haiti. Commitment to Service The youth of Our Saviour s have a deep desire to serve the people in the community and around the world. This year, we participated in Crop Walk, Feed Youth Auction - Rockin at the Drive-in This year s 28th Annual Youth Auction was a rockin evening full of delicious food, fabulous entertainment, and great fellowship. The Youth Auction is the largest fundraiser put on by the youth, raising over $27,000 this year. Our student leaders gather and decide how to disperse the money raised. This year the funds will be dispersed as follows: 55% to Ministry Tour, 15% to Haiti, 15% to Workcamp, 10% to tithe to Vida Humana and the Slovakia Ministry, and 5% for Youth Scholarships. National Youth Gathering During the summer, we took 17 students (including three Slovaks and two friends) to Detroit, Michigan, for the National Youth Gathering where we met up with 33,000 other Lutheran Youth from around the world! It was an amazing week full of fellowship, learning, service, and worship. The amount of impact that the students had on not only the community but also the world was phenomenal. We will be looking forward to the next Gathering in Houston in 2018! The faith of our students is growing every day and I am blessed to have a part in that journey. Submitted by: Bobbi Jo Cyr, Director of Youth Ministries

12 Adult Ministries Many, many thanks go out to all the leaders of these ministries that would not be possible without their commitment and dedication. Empowered by the Spirit, they share their gifts, and inspire all of us to integrate the Christian faith into our everyday lives. Here are snapshots of some of the Adult Faith ministries from the past year: Exploring Our Faith - Exploring Our Faith Each Sunday morning from September through April, we held adult education classes at 9:00 and 10:15 am in the Fellowship Hall at the Our Saviour s Campus and at 11:15 am at the Celebration Campus. The main theme for the year was Re-Imagining the Church with programs featuring Ray Pickett and Jim Nieman from the Lutheran Seminary at Chicago and videos of author Diana Butler Bass, Bishop Wayne Miller, Dan Beirne and Michael Heil. We also studied the early Christian church and learned how it grew to become the dominant religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. In April, Aadil Farid, former President of the Islamic Center of Naperville, spoke on two Sundays about the Basic Beliefs of Islam and ISIS before crowds that filled the Fellowship Center. Men s Ministry Men s Ministry celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, and continues its mission to provide opportunities for the men of Our Saviour s to grow in faith, fellowship, and service. The monthly Men s Breakfast (second Saturday of each month from September to May) continues to grow in attendance, and featured such dynamic speakers as Bishop Wayne Miller on his vision for the new church, Professor Ralph Klein of the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, Pastor Hicham Chehab on Christian/Muslim relations, and Dr. Joseph Giordano on men s health issues. Our first combined men s and women s breakfast in January was a great success with over 150 in attendance. The Fall Men s Retreat, led by Pastor Brian, was held the weekend of October 3 and 4 at the Glenhagan Farm Retreat House in Princeton, and focused on Reimagining the Church using Pastrix by Nadia Bolz Weber as a guide for discussion. The March 12 Spring All Men s Gathering at Celebration featured pastor-led discussions of the current topics of terrorism, racism, and isolationism, and was led by John Hildner and Steve Spayer. Men s Ministry also performed several work projects for congregation members and Our Saviour s, hosted a Lenten mid-week soup dinner, served the Baccalaureate Brunch for the high school seniors, and helped with the Mega Garage Sale.

13 Men s Bible Study - This year the Monday Night Men's Ministry Bible Study began its seventh year. We have completed studies of two O.T. books and 19 N.T. books and Luther's Small Catechism. The number of participants varies between 4 10, an ideal small group size. This year teaching leadership passed from John Riddell to David Kruse due to John's stroke. Thanks to Dave for his supportive leadership this year! Women s Ministry - The focus of Women s Ministries is to provide opportunities to all women to gather in fellowship, service and learning. We encourage women to participate in church-wide activities. We also organize specific events such as monthly Friday Nights Out from September to May. This past year we hosted a Kick-off Party, a Cooking Demonstration with professional chefs, a Nutrition Discussion focusing on God s way of finding a balance, two field trips to local high school concerts, (Waubansie Holiday Concert and Naperville Central Drum Show), a Book Discussion ( The Trial of God by Elie Wiesel), and a hands-on session to make personal Vision Boards. In April, fifty women came together to experience God s love and fellowship with other women at The Lavender Springs Spa retreat. Although rainy weather prevented our annual Habitat Build Day from happening this spring, we hope to reschedule for the summer or fall. By sponsoring and promoting these varied opportunities, we hope to bring women together to experience being part of the body of Christ and grow on their faith journey. Small Groups - We currently have about 14 small groups that meet regularly. There are about a half of them using weekly sermon based questions to reflect upon their faith and pray for one another, and about a half of them using all sorts of resources like books, short videos, and adding fellowship events throughout a year, and a couple of small groups that would dive in any book/letter in the Bible for a period of time and then move onto the next book chosen by their small group. Unlike all the small groups in a classroom setting from Church School, Surge, or Ignition, all these small groups coordinate on their own; some of them are either led by one leader or co-led by two leaders; and some of them are led by each member who takes turn to share the ownership. Small Groups are a great way to create and foster the Caring Community that Jesus started many years ago. Take 2! The Take 2! Ministry has completed its 6th year. We offered one spring 7-week session this year. People who attended were in their 50s and older and ready to discover ways to add meaning and a greater sense of purpose to their lives. The process for doing this involves identifying and assessing talents, spiritual gifts, relationships, values and passions. Perhaps most importantly, it provides an opportunity to reflect on what is most important in a person's life. Feedback from participants continues to be very positive and we look forward to continuing and possibly expanding the program in the future. Ongoing fellowship events are held several times each year to help our Alumni maintain contact with each other and reinforce the concepts learned in the class.

14 Worship and Arts Ministries The Worship and Arts Ministry Teams work in partnership with the Pastors to create worship experiences that glorify God and Make Jesus Known. The Worship and Arts Ministry serves the congregation by providing music leadership, worship support, technological and visual enhancement to help create inspiration, authentic and meaningful worship. We are blessed to have many fine musicians of all ages who serve in choirs and ensembles of vocalists and instrumentalists and many volunteers who serve in support roles such as altar care, ushers, communion servers, visual arts, assisting ministers, lectors, prayer ministers and technical support. By offering five worship services at our two locations (One church, two campuses) we offer opportunities for people to experience worship at the time or style that fits their schedule or preference. The Worship and Arts ministry team includes: Lynn Panosh: Director of Worship and the Arts, Eagle s Wings (High School), Women s Chorale, Sanctuary Choir, Bach Ringers, Brass and Orchestra, Worship and Arts Board Chris Brown: Director of Worship Celebration; Director of Tech Arts Holly McKinney: Worship and Arts Communications specialist and support.(weddings, Funerals, Baptisms, bulletins, usher and server staff liaison) Sue Bergren: Primary organist and accompanist for Sanctuary Choir, Eagle s Wings and Women s Chorale. John Beed: Associate Organist, Men s Chorale and accompanist for Seraphim Choir and Praise Express. Terry Thompson: Worship and Arts Ministry Assistant, Seraphim Choir (Grades 3-5), Praise Express Grades 6-8) Fine Arts Camp, Music Theater Camps (with Ed Perry) Stephanie Duesing: Cherubim Choir (K-2) Shelley May Hutchison: Praise Percussion-Bells (Jr. and Sr. High) Kathy Pierson: Hearts in Puppetry (Jr. and Sr. High) (w/ Maria Fischer) Marty Rench: Saxophone Ensemble (with Ken Abeling) Jill Ryan: Bach Bells Worship and Arts Board: Altar Care: Deb Collander (Roz Swanstrom, Joyce Zimmerman) Visual Arts: (incl. the Art Gallery) Jan Dusek, Diane Greenawalt; Barb Hiner Ushers: Ken Votava and Craig Schuler Communion Servers: Ken Miller Hospitality: Diane Greenawalt, Laura Springer Celebration campus: Kathie Howe Assisting Ministers: John Ott Prayer Ministers: Judy Healy Adult Choirs: Men Sing: Men came together in August and January for concerts that not only brought male singers of all ages and churches together, but raised money for missions. The Annual Christmas Cantata: Presented by musicians from all choirs, hand bells and orchestra. This intergenerational group consisted of 29 instrumentalists, 12 bell ringers and 71 singers, and was held in December. Good Friday: Tenebrae worship with choir, orchestra, scripture and congregational sing. CARE worship took place once a month at Tabor Hills Supportive Living, Tabor Hills Nursing Facility, The Devonshire and the Community Rehab Center. Children s Choirs: Cherubim Choir (K-2) The Cherubim Choir sang with lots of love and talent as they shared in worship every month at both campuses. Seraphim Choir (gr. 3-5) Seraphim Choir sang at both campuses, serving every month as well as festivals. The choir welcomed 3 new children who had never been involved in our music ministry. The Cherubim and Seraphim choirs collaborated on the musical, It s Cool in the Furnace which was preformed in April. The 40 children began working on the musical in January.

15 Summer Camps A Taste of the Fine Arts was held in July for children gr. 1-8, and was a huge hit! Reflect your faith was the theme, with 54 campers in attendance. Students learned to sing, dance, play percussion, cook, act, craft, make jewelry, learn digital photography, draw, sculpt, and learned puppeteering. Music Theater Summer Camp was also held in July and had 11 teens involved in dancing, singing and acting as they prepared You re a Good Man Charlie Brown in 4 days! Because of the enthusiasm of the students, a new Music Theater Winter Camp was offered in The nine campers learned A Charlie Brown Christmas and performed in December. Eagle s Wings: Eagle s Wings and Hearts in Puppetry raised monies through their 28th annual Youth Auction, Live at the Drive In (with choreography by Brett Baleskie) in March and Flower Sale in May for their Ministry Tour. This year, 44 students and 7 adults traveled to Slovakia this June. This is our fifth trip in partnership with the Center for Christian Education in Martin, Slovakia and Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Nitra, Slovakia. The focus of the time in Slovakia was to build relationships with the High School Students at LHS by collaborative concerts and worship and free time with the students. The group participated in the Lutheran Academy Children s Day Celebration for 600 people at the CCE, presented concerts in schools in towns near Martin, toured Krakow and the concentration camp at Auschwitz in Poland, met with and sang for the congregation of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Nitra and toured Bratislava and Vienna, Austria. Eagle s Wings also expanded their worship leadership by leading a more blended style of worship once a month at the 10:30 am service. The choir and soloists led the congregation in a more contemporary style of worship. Sounds Like Love Festival: Eagle s Wings attend a weekend of song in MN. 24 members of Eagles Wings participated in this weekend in November. Worship Tech: The tech teams continue to grow both in numbers and in knowledge. Susan Gere assists Chris Brown in so many areas of tech support, and the weekly tech teams are stable and growing, including many young people. We have made some big upgrades that should carry us through for a good number of years. (We have upgraded both sound boards and the computers in both sound booths at the two campuses.) This has also been very helpful in being able to be consistent with the technology at both locations for our volunteers and make things easier over all. We were also able to make our sanctuary even more beautiful with the addition of new up lights that we are able use around the holidays and for other special events. This year we are looking into replacing our Hearing Assist Devices to help better serve our seniors and our community with disabilities. Celebration worship: We have had some tremendous additions to our praise band at Celebration. We have added singers and musicians who are both new members and old members and are constantly looking for ways to involve our youth. Cole Nasman, who has turned into one incredible percussionist, will be leaving us this year for the University of Wisconsin. With the addition of Pastor Brian Wise, as a stable pastoral presence Celebration, I feel this community is getting stronger and growing as we are seeing more new faces coming through our door! Under the leadership of Chris Brown and Pastor Brian Wise, and in keeping with our focus on collaborative partnership, there have been a few new teams started to look at present and future worship at Celebration, including the use of Celebration. We strive to keep God as the central focus of all of our events in keeping with our mission statement. We are blessed to have a tradition of excellence in the arts and volunteers who take joy in serving and supporting worship. People involved in the Worship and Arts Ministries, including Worship Support teams, live out discipleship as they actively seek spiritual growth through participation in worship and growing deeper in the word, by giving of their time and talent out of gratitude to God and sharing their faith through music and the relationships that form through time spent together. We look forward to new opportunities to grow, to identify and nurture new leaders and incorporate more talented artists of all ages into serving to the glory of God and Making Jesus Known.

16 Missions Our Saviour s Missions are a powerful gateway that leads to spiritual growth and transforms lives, both locally and globally missions. Each of our mission teams is led by a team of volunteers. Baby Care is a global mission serving the youngest in need by collecting and distributing diapers, gently used clothing and other infant-care essentials. Gross and Net Revenue generated was $15,000 from the entire Chicagoland area. DuPage PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) is the largest provider of permanent supportive housing in DuPage County. Our Saviour s provides overnight housing and meals during July and August at our Celebration campus. 300 volunteers, 2050 hours throughout the year. 150 individuals were served over the year 540 People helped throughout the year, and donated 1,000 plus hours. Kits assembled and distributed globally and 150 locally (Total 811) Revenue generated $5,468 revenue, and $2,675 in-kind contributions raised/given. Expenses were $5, Bridge Communities helps families at risk of becoming homeless. Our Saviour s sponsors two or more families each year by providing mentors to help guide people to becoming self-sufficient and financially stable. Five people who helped throughout the year, 20 volunteers who participated. One family of three was served. Gross and Net Revenue generated - 5 gift cards were collected during Holiday Sharing worth a total of $200, plus additional gifts for mother and children. Feed My Starving Children Feed the Need! sponsors an annual weekend Community Pack that brings together thousands of volunteers from local churches and other organizations to pack hundreds of thousands of meals for those in need around the world. 5,051 volunteers from 25 area churches participated; 459 from Our Saviour s. Total number of meals that were packed = 1,053,216. Our Saviour s contributed $25,000 to contribute 113,600 meals of the overall community event. Bright Stars of Bethlehem partners with those living in Palestine to grow hope by connecting people in the US by helping raise awareness and funds to ministry efforts in the Holy Land. 20 Chicago area volunteers participated, and donated more than 750 hours. Loaves & Fishes is a local food pantry with which Our Saviour s partners to help provide food and other essentials to Naperville and DuPage County residents rolls of toilet paper were collected during our Holidays Sharing toilet paper. 500 elementary, high school, and college students along with countless senior citizens throughout the West Bank were served

17 Packs4Kids is a collaborative effort with Loaves & Fishes to provide children with healthy meal options through the summer months, when school lunches are not available to them. In total, 3,229 families (9,300 children) received an additional 16,460 pounds of food through the Summer Packs4Kids Nutrition Program. MEGA Garage Sale annually raises funds that support our local missions, while also providing clothing, household items, furniture, books, electronics, toys and other items at a low cost for those in need in our local communities. 236 volunteers served 3,110 hours. Net revenue of $34,000 was distributed as follows Suicide Prevention - $1,000 Ecumenical Adult Care of Naperville - $3,000 Packs 4 Kids - $4,000 Our Saviour s Trailer Reimbursement - $1,000 Celebration Clinic - $1,000 Our Saviour s Good Samaritan Fund - $1,000 Feed My Starving Children - $4,000 Bridge Communities Transitional Living - $1,000 Refugee Fund - $2,000 Debt Free Campaign - $8,000 General Mission Fund - $7,000 Parish Nurse Discretionary Fund - $1,000 Refugee Mission serves refugees who have arrived to the US and are permanently resettled here. People who helped throughout the year individuals were served over the year with donations of furniture, household items, and gift cards. Slovakia Mission supports The Center for Christian Education in Slovakia, where people of all ages can learn and experience the love of Christ. They spread the Gospel in this post-communist region of the world to reintroduce a church relevant in today's society. People who helped throughout the year people attended the annual fund-raising dinner individuals are served through the partnerships with this mission. Urban Acacia is a young adult urban mission based in the city of Chicago. It s mission is to Create authentic spaces to encounter God and one another. Dan Beirne and five leaders led Urban Acacia Overall participation = 72 Our Saviour s gave $20,000 to support this mission. Vida Humana is based in Chimoio, Mozambique. Through an annual dinner gala and contributions from church members, Our Saviour s helps provide funds to allow volunteers to provide care and support to those living with HIV/AIDS. 43 People who donated 100+ hours throughout the year Over 500 individuals in Mozambique were served. Net revenue provided are as follows: Spring Dinner: $18,000 Daddy-Daughter Dance: $1,500 World Hunger is an organization that targets the root causes of hunger and poverty around the world. It supports sustainable solutions for those in need, from health clinics to micro-loans, water wells to animal husbandry, community meals to advocacy. This year Our Saviour s donated just over $17,000 to ELCA World Hunger through our Lenten campaign and other donations.

18 Care Ministry Our Saviour s includes Care Ministries that tend to mind, body and spirit, supporting the healing mission of the church. Our mission is to touch lives of the people in our church and community through prayer, service, support and activities as we strive to know Jesus and make Jesus presence felt in people s lives. Care Ministry Staff: Pastoral Care: Pastor Al Creighton - The purpose of pastoral visitation is to tend to the spiritual needs of those unable to be in church regularly. Advocate Parish Nurse: Dawn DeBoer -The purpose of the parish nurse ministry is to nurture the human spirit through health education, spiritual support and linking the needs of the whole person to resources within the congregation, community and the health care system. (Parish Nurse Ministry: Faith Community Nursing, Advocate Health Care, 4/11) Professional Counselor: Jane Kahle - The purpose is to tend to the mental well-being and spiritual needs through individual and family counseling. The counselor on staff offers Professional Clinical Counsel to members and to those who are referred. The counseling includes individual, marriage and family issues, grief and loss, and adolescents. Mental health concerns include depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self injury. Insurance is accepted and reduced fees are available. Care Ministry Programs - The following programs involve many congregational members. We especially thank each and all of those people who have served in these programs to care for others in our church and community. Stephen Ministers Prayer Ministers Worship Service of Remembrance Health related Educated Programs Eucharistic Ministers Prayer Shawls Prayer Line Meals to Heal Long Term Care Center Worship Services Senior Luncheons Other health and wellness activities coordinated by Advocate Parish Nurse Blood Drives Congregational Wellness Screening CPR and AED Class Coordination for Staff Faith Education related to Substance Abuse (3 rd and 4 th graders) and Human Sexuality (5 th graders) Flu Immunizations Loaning of Medical Equipment Submitted by Pastor Al Creighton, Director of Congregation Care Network

19 Information Technology Facilities Our Information Technology Ministry touches our church staff, members and guests and travels well beyond our walls to foreign lands that support our many missions. Information Technology expenditures are projected to arrive under budget for our fiscal year. Multiple factors and acts of faith have made this possible: The current Facilities team consists of the manager, Mike Mahon, and custodians, John Rumishek, Paul Litwicki, Don Hinze, Mike Freeburg, Kyle Hamilton and Roger Rollo. The team has the responsibility of making sure that the buildings are clean, safe and in good working condition for the members and visitors who come to worship here. Many Information Technology tasks were performed by volunteers within our congregation. Introduction of automated computer self-healing processes which sense problems in our computer network and quickly apply correction to address the issue without human intervention. We entered into agreement with a not-for-profit organization that provides special not-for-profit Information Technology pricing to churches and libraries which is considerably below market wholesale. For the first time in many years we were able to replace about one-third of our aged computers which will bring forward the benefits of reduced repair costs, increased productivity and less down time; valuable time which we need to carry out our purpose and mission. Looking forward to the next fiscal year, we ll be focusing on: Information Security The confidentiality, integrity and availability of computers, data and the computer networks. Communication systems - Telephone service (dial-tone), telephone equipment (PBX), phones, and the Internet. On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone whom have made this possible with the sharing of their resources, gifts and talents. You know who are; always giving selflessly from your heart. I can hear my grandmother saying, You are family and that s what family is about. Thanks for being part of our family in Christ. Respectfully submitted by: Charlie Schneider, Director of Information Technology The Facilities team spends the majority of our time setting up rooms for different church related events. Both Celebration and the Church have hosted dinners, receptions, weddings, baptisms and funerals to name a few. Over the past year the staff has been assisting our ministries in preparations for events such as Mega Garage Sale, Celebration Clinic, Flower Sale and Cantata. We will continue to host outside events such as meetings for local organizations, music and dance classes as well as sports teams. We try to maintain an on-site presence during these events and complete the process with the usual clean-up We are always looking for ways to reduce our expenses and lower our overhead costs. We continue to utilize our partnership with DuPage County Community Service program. Through this program, individuals are assigned to the church to complete several hours of volunteer service. We train these individuals to perform custodial tasks which results in a great cost savings to the church. We have also been graced with several congregation members that have volunteered to assist with special projects. Some of the maintenance projects that have been completed or in progress are: New roof on northeast office wing Newly painted northeast office hallway Carpets are being cleaned Parking lots were seal coated Bell tower restoration and tuck pointing in progress We greatly appreciate all the time and effort that many volunteers have given with these projects. If you are interested in being a part of a special project team, please call Mike at or at mikemahon@oursaviours.com. As always, Service is our Ministry. The Facilities Team works diligently to provide excellent service to our ministry partners and building users. We always welcome comments or suggestions for improvements. Submitted by Mike Mahon

20 Communications We serve the ministries of Our Saviour s by developing communications, providing administrative and worship support, and coordinating a welcoming hospitality presence. Highlights Website - In March of 2016, we launched a new website which was developed by a team of people from the congregation. Special thanks to Cindi Nealon for leading this team and the website development. By working on this internally, we saved approximately $20,000. New Formats - The goal of the Communications team is to keep our publications fresh, while continuing to create clear and concise communications. This year we transitioned from Monthly Connections to Quarterly Connections to develop a publication that is has more useful articles and information. By making this change we saved additional money on development and printing costs. The Communication Ministry Team This team continues to work together on various communication projects. This team helps to write articles and take pictures for Quarterly Connections, as well as helps evaluate the different communication venues that we utilize. Special thanks to Allison Tupek for helping lead and mentor this group of individuals. Communication Leader for Missions - The Mission Committee partnered with Juli Schatz as their communication leader. Juli has been working closely with Jean Jepson, the Director of Communications and Administration, helping build awareness of our mission partners and by providing communication support for the mission activities, events and opportunities. Social Media This team expanded Our Saviour s social media presence. The audience that follows Our Saviour s on the public page went from 749 people to over 1157 people. There is also an internal Facebook group page which went from 642 members to 703 members. Special thanks to Pastor Brian for his Lenten social media initiative and fg2u. Proofing and Editing Team - A proofing and editing team was put into place to help with proofing various publications. Special thanks to Edward Thomas for taking a lead role with this team. Hospitality Teams Expanded - Second Saturday of the Month hospitality team continued to grow to help create a place where people can share in fellowship on Saturday after worship. Special thanks to Sue Hollingshead for leading this team. The Sunday morning hospitality teams became an integral part of the Sunday morning fellowship time. Special thanks to our new leaders for the Sunday morning hospitality team Gretchen Hayes and Kris Conroy. Special thanks to the entire Communications Team for supporting the ministry and mission teams at Our Saviour s. The Communication Team Members are: Michelle Hamilton Peggy McKinley Debbie Montrose Jean Jepson Submitted by Jean Jepson, Director of Communications and Administration

21 Connect - Disabilities Ministries All people with disabilities are created in God s image and share the gift of freedom for relationship and its dignity, regardless of their particular disabilities or range of personal capacities to respond to God and others. ~From the statement on persons with Disabilities ELCA Connect-Disabilities Ministry As a community the Connect Disabilities Ministry touches everyone, not only people with disabilities. We Connect to one another one to one as well as entire community outreach. Highlights during the past year As we reach out to the community A growing relationship with community groups like Ray Graham Associates, providing speaker series during the fall. These events provide needed information for families and care givers to people with disabilities DuPage Family Disability Network and Our Saviours Connect Disabilities Ministry continued through the spring with invaluable information from an attorney and financial expert, again reaching out to the community and opening our doors to all. Nearly three dozen agencies that provide employment services for people with disabilities participated in the first annual Employment Expo at our Fellowship Center last October. Despite a very dreary day members of the public were welcome to learn what is available to help them secure employment People with disabilities face incredible obstacles in the job market. We continue to support children and young adults with disabilities as they form their relationship with Jesus and the community We help create community as well as develop strategies so all children can be part of the regular Church school experience. In our future we are planning a respite program on site for families who care for loved ones with disabilities over the age of 18. Respite is desperately needed and with state funding cut for that service, Our Saviour s sees this is a need we can fill. Submitted by Cindi Swanson, Connect - Disabilities Coordinator

22 Financials Stewardship Time, Talent and Treasure Through the centuries, prophets, priests, pastors and church leaders have encouraged their followers in the effective utilization of Time, Talent and Treasure. The reality is, giving of these resources can only be effective when one has a strong relationship with God. Also an understanding and acceptance that we own NOTHING, everything we have is a gift and we are not the owners, but stewards. That is an extremely difficult concept to fully embrace especially in an affluent society. There are only three things we can take to heaven, faith, love and hope. Our Saviour s Lutheran Church is committed to equipping its followers Debt Free The Debt Free campaign has finished its third year of fulfillment and has made significant strides in reducing our debt. Today our debt is $3.6 million, a reduction of nearly $3 million of debt. That is a tremendous accomplishment by all the members of Our Saviour s. And when you look back from $6.5 million to today $3.6 million, Debt Free doesn t seem that daunting of a task. Together we will continue on this journey and achieve a goal that seemed nearly impossible three years ago. A reminder all member contributions for debt repayment will go to debt reduction. Interest is being funded by special gifts and a lower interest expense. Operating Fund We were successful this year in effectively managing this activity, we paid every obligation on time, and with no financial assistance. We are making significant improvement in realigning our expenses to more reflect the ministries of Our Saviour s. This will be discussed in more detail at the annual meeting. Missions All Mission money was transferred to a dedicated account so that the funds are available to the Mission Committee when given. During the church contributed $26,000 from operations to the Mission Committee in line with our budget. The Mission Chair will be addressing the Annual Meeting on the progress Memorials The Memorial Committee will actively be evaluating gifts, prioritized first designated requests and then nondesignated. The Memorial Committee will communicate with the congregation on the results of their activities. Submitted by Neil Springer, Church Treasurer For details on the church budget, see inserts for complete details.

23 Special thanks to all of you for your partnership in ministry. Together we continue to Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known both within our faith community and throughout the world.

24 Our Saviour s Campus 815 S. Washington Street Naperville, IL Celebration! Campus 919 S. Washington Street Naperville, IL