Our mission: To lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus

Transcription

1 Shepherd s Voice Congregational Report May 20, Wurzbach Road San Antonio, Texas ShepherdLutheran.com Prayer Requests: prayer@shepherdlutheran.com Texting Ministry: Text Rom.10:17 to church@shepherdlutheran.com Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: facebook.com/shlutheran twitter.com/shlutheran To subscribe to an electronic copy of this newsletter: A Focused Ministry Our mission: To lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Rev. Christopher M. Kennedy, Senior Pastor, pastorchris@shepherdlutheran.com Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Proverbs 29:18 is often quoted in the King James Version as a leadership maxim: Where there is no vision, the people perish. All of us are guided by a vision - a vision for what we want for our personal lives, our career ambitions, family goals, and financial goals. The same is true for the church. Vision guides us. All Christian churches receive marching orders from the Great Commission. Jesus tells us our purpose is to go and make disciples. Moreover, every congregation has its own specific expression of the Great Commission. Our mission statement at Shepherd of the Hills captures who God has called us to be: a congregation leading people into a lifechanging relationship with Jesus. In this article, I ll present four pillars of vision for Shepherd - four broad categories we can keep in mind as areas of focus. Think of it as four legs holding up a chair. Two are ongoing functions of any church. Two are our 50 emphases. Focus area #1: Worship. Over the past four months as our Director of Music Ministry, Micah Raebel is doing a great job with Sunday morning services - designing meaningful orders of worship each week, playing organ and piano, and organizing and leading choir, hand bells, and additional musicians. Doug Urban continues his strong leadership of our band. Pastor Doug Bielefeldt is transitioning Saturday night music leadership to Micah, and the transition is going well. With our three weekend services strong and stable, the next step for us in worship is to expand our lineup by offering a Sunday morning contemporary service. In recent years, our Saturday night contemporary service has doubled in attendance. Evening Lenten services, which included a mix of traditional and contemporary elements, were extremely well received. Building on the momentum and interest we ve seen, we ll be offering a 9:30 contemporary service in the Worship Center. It ll begin in September as a once-a-month service. We re planning to use portable instruments that are quick to set up and tear down between the ending of 8:00 worship and the beginning of 10:45. Once we build up a solid core of musicians and volunteers, God willing, the service will become weekly. If you play an instrument or know someone who does, please contact Micah. We re especially trying to recruit more guitarists.

2 Focus area #2: Discipleship. This is a broad category. It includes everything we do to help people grow in their faith from cradle to grave. Over the next year, I d like to develop two areas of discipleship in particular. One is service. Shepherd Cares, as we re calling it, is an effort to involve as many people as possible in serving our immediate community. The plan is to have 12 months of emphasis on community service. Beginning in September, we ll highlight one serving ministry each month and encourage members and friends of Shepherd to get involved. Margaret Pedraza is heading this effort. The other is congregational care. We have a very loving congregation. As a whole, our members are great about looking out for each other and ministering to each other in times of need. As pastors and parishioners, we work together to care for the flock. To multiply the amount of spiritual care in our church, I m researching models for a congregational care ministry team. This team would consist of leaders overseeing different areas of care: bereavement, healing and recovery, intercessory prayer, encouragement, homebound, and other areas as we identify them. Please let me know if you have training in or passion for any of these areas. Focus area #3: Church planting. Pastor Aaron Tilt once articulated the concept of Shepherd being a 21st-century Ephesus. The apostle Paul started a church in Ephesus, and from that church sprang forth many other churches. With God s blessing, we re seeing a great start to Alamo Hills Church in the Alamo Ranch community. We want to resource Pastor Roy Farias and the Alamo Hills team in every way we can so that it is a healthy congregation. We also want to look ahead to another church plant at some point in the future. The population of San Antonio continues to grow rapidly. The harvest is plentiful! (Luke 10:2) The Lord has instilled in our church a DNA of mission-mindedness and compassion for the lost, and He has positioned us in direct proximity to some of the fastest growing segments of our city. Focus area #4: School ministry. Our school has a strong track record of training young people in the faith and ministering to their families. If you want stories of lives transformed through the Gospel, ask any of our school staff. (If it s some of our longer-term staff, be prepared to listen for a while because the stories are abundant.) As the school excels in its mission, the entire Shepherd ministry benefits. We want to continue to view our school as a wonderful mission outpost right on our campus. Improving school facilities is a major step toward strengthening school ministry. We ve always had great teachers and staff, solid curriculum, and a clear mission. What we re lacking, compared to many other private schools, is attractive, updated facilities. With the proposed new building, we have an opportunity to address our most glaring weakness and turn it into a strength. A new building by itself, however, doesn t make for a great school. All of God s gifts together in the school make for a vibrant, Christ-centered ministry. In summary, I believe God has laid these four things before us as areas of focus for now and the future: worship, discipleship, church planting, and school ministry. By highlighting these broad categories, I don t mean to exclude anything else. All that God has given to us is important. But I believe that determining areas of special focus is the most strategic way forward. God bless our efforts to serve Him! Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58) Serving Jesus with you, Pastor Chris

3 Board of Directors Report Jim Moritz, President of the Congregation, Greetings from your Board of Directors, It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your congregation president. I have decided it would be best to not serve a second term. The congregation members presented for your consideration for the Board of Directors are well qualified to lead this church and I have confidence they will do a fine job. Tex McWright continues work on updating the church s constitution. Other boards have reviewed and the Board of Directors will review this month. A review of the By-Laws will follow. The Emergency Action Plan is being refined. There are some possible opportunities for first responders to tour our campus to get familiar with it and to provide more suggestions. The Board also agreed to the formation of 2 new Ministry Teams: The Shepherd Cares Campaign Ministry Team and Children s Community Impact Team Ministry Team. These are both good outreach programs. In Christ, Jim Moritz President

4 Serving God by Serving You Michael Hinojosa, Head Elder, Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, One of the objectives of the BoED is to lead the congregation in the exercise of Christian stewardship of presence, prayers, gifts and service. The dictionary defines the word tithe as a tenth part of something paid as a voluntary contribution or as a tax especially for the support of a religious establishment. It was a common practice in the Old Testament and required of members of the nation of Israel. The matter of your giving is between you and God, and He always takes into account our circumstances. He knows when they are beyond our power to direct and control. The important thing is that we see giving as a privilege and not a burden. It should not be out of a sense of duty, but rather out of love for the Lord and a desire to see His kingdom advanced. Tithing allows a congregation to pay the bills, spread the gospel, and do many other wonderful things to grow the Kingdom. The Reverend Billy Graham was once asked Why do churches keep asking for money all the time? His reply was The Bible says we should give because we want to, and not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). At the same time, churches and other ministries need money to operate; to be blunt, if they don t have any, they ll go out of existence. Members of Shepherd of the Hills currently support many great initiatives such as Shepherd of the Hill Lutheran School, the Haiti Mission, International Ministry, 50, and the Church Plant -Alamo Hills. Please know your support makes a huge difference. Thank you for always cheerfully giving to the ministries of Shepherd of the Hills. There are many opportunities at Shepherd of the Hills for our members to serve our congregation. Service Teams are great ways to assist others in their walk with Christ. One such Team is the Children s Community Impact Team (CIT). The Children s CIT is led by Director of Children s Ministry Cindy Miller. Her team is comprised of members who work tirelessly to bring children to know and love our Lord and Savior through different initiatives. One such initiative is Vacation Bible School (VBS). This year s theme is Shipwrecked Rescued by Jesus! VBS will run June 19 through June 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Please contact Cindy Miller at (210) if you would like to assist. If you see any of our Children s CIT members, please thank them for their service to the children of the community and our congregation. Since the last congregational meeting held on March 25, 2018, three (3) families have departed Shepherd of the Hills due to military transfer, residential moves, and/or unknown reasons, and five (5) new members have joined the congregation. Two (2) congregation members have gone to be with our Lord and Savior. I am happy to report five (5) children have been baptized since our last congregational meeting. Please let me know if I or any member of the BoED can be of any assistance to you. God is Amazing, Mike Hinojosa Head Elder

5 School Ministry Susan Gary, Principal to the School, Mission Statement: Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School and Child Care is a community of parents, students and staff working together to foster Christ-like qualities in all we pursue: spiritual growth, academic excellence, social, emotional and physical development. A HUGE THANKS for the contributions to the BIG GIVE: RAM ROAD TO SUCCESS online donation drive on Thursday, March 22. What a wonderful day for fun, family fellowship, and funding for the children of Shepherd. Our goal was to raise $25,000. We raised $27,110 for the Shepherd children! You sponsored learning materials for the classrooms by "sponsoring stars" on the teacher wish list boards. This was a fantastic day! Street Sign Winners: Stinson Family and Foster Family. Scholarship $500 Winner: Beck Family. RAISING MONEY FOR THOSE IN NEED: Shepherd hosted our annual Kick out cancer kickball tournament Friday, April 20, on our campus ball field. 100% of optional admission and concession funds went to cancer research for kids at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The Kick Out Cancer Kickball Tournament raised $1,300! As we get closer to wrapping up the school year, we invite you to join us for the following: Ram Band & Choir Spring Concert: May 21, 7 p.m. in the Worship Center Kindergarten Graduation: May 29, 6:30 p.m. in the Worship Center Eighth Grade Graduation: May 31, 7 p.m. in the Worship Center SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS LUTHERAN SCHOOL & CHILD CARE ENERGY BUS TEAM MEMBER PLEDGE I AM CHRIST-LIKE. I AM POSITIVE. I AM PRODUCTIVE. I AM RESPONSIBLE. I AM RESPECTFUL. TOGETHER WE ARE POSITIVE PASSENGERS ON THE SHEPHERD ENERGY BUS Celebrating Christ with His Kids Everyday! Sue Gary Principal

6 School Ministry Pastor Doug Bielefeldt, Pastor to the School, On May 31, twenty five 8 th grade students will graduate from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School and Child Care. Of that group, 13 have been in our care since their preschool days (age 4 or younger). Eight joined SHLS as elementary students (K-5 th grade) and 4 came to our school as Jr. High students (grades 6-8). Almost all of these students have literally grown up in our care. The class of 2018 will continue their education in a variety of different high schools. Six will attend Lutheran High School, 15 will attend public high school and 1 student will call TMI home for the next 4 years (on a full scholarship). The graduation picture for this class will take its place with the 28 other graduation class pictures mounted on the wall in the School Office hallway. From time to time, I walk down that hallway and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for all the lives God has allowed us to touch with the Gospel throughout the years. We have been given great responsibility to share Christ not only with our students, but their families as well. Though the years, we ve been up to the challenge because we have a God who is up to the challenge. Over and over again, God makes good on His promise: My word that goes out from my mouth, It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11-12). God empowers us by the Holy Spirit to share His word, for through His word, He delivers His salvation. As this school year comes to a close, I invite you to spend a moment in prayer for the class of Their names are listed below as well as their graduation picture. We join together in thanking God for the time we had these children in our care, and for their future growth in Christ! Camryn DeLa Cruz Madison Dominguez Gaia Esparza Madison Glenn Madison Gonzales Rebecca Hawkins James Jewell Isaiah Kent Logan Kiolbassa Shepherd of the Hills Class of 2018 Aynsley Larsen William Latham Maranda Maldonado Thomas Marquardt Kallie Morrison Lane Nolan Sofia Pacheco Analisa Pennix Amber Penton Korbyn Raesch Alexandra Sanchez Kevin Schillerstrom Matthew Schofield Jordyn Wells Talea Wiseman Anaya Zachery

7 Music Ministry Micah Raebel, Director of Music Ministry, Cell Phone Office Phone ext. 512 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, By the time you are reading this letter, I will be a married man and on my honeymoon! I just got married yesterday in Newport Beach, CA and I m looking forward to the future with my wonderful bride, Karissa. I am also looking forward to the future with Shepherd. It has been crazy these past four months with many new transitions. I am looking forward to getting my feet planted in July. Our choir and bell groups are entering summer break until late August. We are in great need of men for the choir (always could use women too!). Please pray and see if the Lord is calling you to sing! Our bell choir remains strong, but if you have the ability to read music and could substitute, please let me know. With Kelsy Decker moving to St. Louis, I will now be scheduling lectors and A/V assistants using our new Planning Center software. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the software. If you would like to be added to the lector or A/V volunteer list, please let me know as well! During the month of June, Karissa and I will both be finishing the last classes of our Masters of Church Music program at Concordia University Wisconsin. The final courses I will be taking will be Issues in Church Music and Choral Conducting Rehearsal Techniques. I will also be working on my graduate organ recital repertoire while in Mequon, WI. I will be gone June 17 th, 24 th, and July 8 th. I pray that I will come back to Shepherd an improved organist, conductor, and musician. On July 14 th, I will be taking over full time for Saturday night worship services. Pastor Doug will continue to have an integral role in the formation of the contemporary service at Shepherd. I m looking forward to the partnership we have in ministry. Circle September 9 th, 2018 on your calendar for our first preview of a Sunday morning contemporary worship service. With the launch of a new service comes the need for a new volunteer base. Keep your eyes open for ways you can help in future bulletin announcements. May the Lord continue to bless us together. Serving together with you for Christ, Micah Raebel 7

8 Student Ministry Nick Arnold, Director of Children s Ministry, nick@shepherdlutheran.com Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ This spring has provided plenty of opportunities for our young people to connect with one another and their faith, including two special rites of passage: First Communion and Confirmation. These two celebrations are excellent opportunities for us, as the body of Christ, to welcome our young people into the fellowship of believers as adults. Research shows that young adults who have multiple faith mentors are more likely to stay involved in church after they leave for college. High School Backpacking. Several of our high schoolers dared to step out in faith at our backpacking trip over spring break. We hiked for miles together, carrying all of our bedding, shelter, water, and food for a few days. We had to learn to trust one another, work as a team, and support one another during this challenging time. Confirmation. We celebrated fifteen 8 th graders confirm their faith in Christ! They finished two years of studying the Bible and the Catechism, spending time together at a retreat at Camp Eagle, and writing their faith stories of how God has been active in their lives. Thank you so much for your partnership in the Gospel. I can t think of a better way to spend my time than by investing in the faith lives of young people. Your continued support of this ministry allows this is happen on a weekly basis. Your feedback, comments, questions, concerns are always welcome. Feel free to me at nick@shepherdlutheran.com or call the church office, Middle School Events High School Events Jun 7-10 Summer Serve Jun Camp Eagle (Glorieta, NM) Jul 29-Aug 2 Camp Eagle (Rocksprings, TX) July SA Mission Week [ Register for events by visiting shepherdlutheran.com/students ] 8

9 Children s Ministry Cindy Miller, Director of Children s Ministry, cindy@shepherdlutheran.com Children s Ministry A life-changing journey with Jesus. Shipwrecked VBS Rescued by Jesus PROP WORKDAY 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Saturday June 2 Ahoy, castaways! We re in need of a few good skippers, mates, and sailors (that s everyone) to help create the props for VBS. You will be amazed at how many things we can create out of empty carpet rolls palm trees, a raft, even a cross! We will provide the snacks, water, lunch and craft supplies. I promise this will be a fun morning invite a friend! Shipwrecked VBS Giving (Palm) Tree Would you like to share in the fun of VBS? Here is a list of some of the supplies that we need. If you d like to donate an item on the list, bring it to the church lobby and place it in the treasure chest by the VBS sign. Gold fish crackers-colors Black Sharpie markers-thin point Sandwich size Ziploc bags Clear packing tape Rice (plain uncooked) White Plastic tablecloths (disposable Solo Cups 3 oz. size Share this VBS registration form with someone. Who could you bring to VBS? JESUS Would you pray for Shipwrecked VBS? for the youth and adults who will serve as helpers and friends to the children at VBS. for the children and their families who attend VBS, that their faith would be strengthened as they learn that Jesus rescues them in life s storms. for the prop workday, that many happy helpers will come to create props so that our VBS is an AMAZING ADVENTURE! 9

10 Alamo Hills Church Pastor Roy Farias, First Preview News: Alamo Hills Church had a great time at our first ever public preview service! Our faithful volunteers served over four hours to ensure our worship hour went smoothly and that everyone who visited experienced the love of Christ. God far exceeded any expectations we had, from the ease of set up at the theatre, to the worship flowing smoothly and passionately. Christ's name was glorified from the parking lot to the theatre seats! The excitement of a new church in Alamo Ranch was seen in how our theatre experienced standing room during worship. In all we had over 30 volunteers from Alamo Hills Church and 95 folks gathered for worship! We praise God for his love and commitment as Alamo Hills Church lives out our passion, to lead all people into a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. To those who served, thank you for the extravagant hospitality you showed our guests, and for spreading Christ's love to everyone who walked in the theatre doors. As you re reading this report, our May 20 th service is underway! 10

11 Ministry Matters Alice Klement, Director of Equipping Ministry, ext. 511 At home At work At school At 6914 Wurzbach Road, San Antonio, Texas A few Sundays ago Pastor Roy encouraged us to begin praying for and then getting to know our neighbors. Ultimately we will be able to show care and concern and the love of Jesus. In applying this principal to the area around the church, we find ourselves surrounded by military, students, immigrants and refugees. In other words we have lots of transplants who would no doubt welcome friends. The following story is from one of those transplants in another large US city: Hello. My name is Suzy and I d like to share my story. You can basically say I m a persecuted Christian, unable to openly express my faith in Christ because of my Muslim husband and neighbors. I was Muslim too until I was drawn to Jesus by His people. Their practical love and how humbly they served me and other Muslims. They loved me just the way I was. It was a new experience. In my home country, in the Middle East, you just don t see volunteers you can t find people like this pouring their time and energy into others without being paid for it. How did they show me love? Diapers, food, help to buy a new pair of glasses (old ones got broken) driving me to see an attorney, warm clothing for children, more diapers. People babysat my kids when I had to take a test and had no one to watch them. They gave food when we needed it. There were Christmas presents. The night I went into labor with our third child, I called my English teacher. She spent the night with me at the hospital. All of these kindnesses added up in my mind. That s when I asked her to teach me about Jesus. All of that was enough to make me want to be Christian. There are lots of opportunities for you to bloom where you are planted. Contact Alice. Watch for the following: Habitat for Humanity Everyone can participate: Pray Provide food for the builders Serve on the building team (no experience necessary.) We ll be joining the Lutheran Cluster September 14 & 15 and September 28 & 29. BTW: Get the kids involved! Operation Barnabas: Our Ministry to the Military and their families Watch the bulletin for opportunities to serve the military in our community and congregation. December will be the focus month with chances to go to our neighboring Fisher House, to attend concerts, and more! 11

12 50 T.J. Redmann, Chairman of Planning Oversight Committee, tjredmann@msn.com May 2018: All our praying and planning is really taking shape now and things are beginning to happen. Shepherd@50 is slowly becoming more than just presentations and paper. Whether you are talking about our Mission Church taking off or the Campus Facility taking shape, we are making great strides with our Shepherd@50 initiatives. Your thoughts, prayers, and comments are fundamental to our success and you can clearly see God s will and guidance in how things are working out. Our Future is looking great and here are some of the Shepherd@50 highlights EVANGELISM Reaching Our Future. God s plan to cultivate in our lives! Our Mission Church conducted the first of its Monthly Preview Services at the Casa Blanca Santikos Theatre on 22 April with around 100 persons gathering to participate in good ol Lutheran worship and Christian fellowship. These monthly preview services will continue over the summer and transition to a weekly service on 23 September. God is visibly blessing this effort to grow His Kingdom here in San Antonio! For those that have asked, please remember that Alamo Hills Church is thoroughly a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod ministry using our Synodical Doctrine and theology (GRACE ALONE FAITH ALONE SCRIPTURE ALONE!) as well as being fully under Texas District review and accountability. We are helping build the Kingdom of God here in San Antonio and bringing others into a life changing relationship with Jesus. STEWARDSHIP Building Our Future. God s plan to enhance our lives! The plans for the new Shepherd Lutheran Church and School facility are coming together. Krueger Construction has developed some design plans for the new structure as well as preserving the vaunted history from the old church. There will be meetings with the city of San Antonio staff early this summer to gain required permissions and permits. The congregation will still be asked to provide their approval in a vote later this summer before any construction work takes place. Dave Kottwitz will provide an Campus Facilities Subcommittee Overview on 27 May (during the initial 15 minutes of the Bible Class) with a brief Q&A session. He will also have some of the initial design renderings on display for review during his subcommittee presentation questions and comments may be submitted thru the Shepherd@50 address at the end of this congregational meeting report. DISCIPLESHIP Resourcing Our Future. God s plan to support our lives! We have submitted our loan request to the LCMS, Texas District, CEF on 30 March with their decision being announced after their 7 May meeting. And the response was TO ACCEPT OUR LOAN REQUEST! The full Texas District Board meets 22 May to grant final approval from the LCMS (Texas District) Board of Directors and make it official. The vote by the congregation to approve the loan and grant permission to begin the total construction effort/project will take place at a special Voter s Meeting in June It is good to see our efforts, as a part of God s Plan for San Antonio, take shape and expand the Kingdom of God opportunities to spread the Good Word in our community. And all this only happens through your participation and prayer! What can you do to help? (1) Continue to pray for God s guidance and direction in all we do. (2) Provide comments and suggestions as appropriate so you are a part of the solution - actively participate in OUR FUTURE. And (3) Contact our committee at shepherdat50@outlook.com if you have a comment or concern that you want to share, express or just ask the committee to get an answer. Remember that this is OUR VISION OUR FUTURE! T. J. Redmann, PhD Chairman, Shepherd@50 Committee Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church & School 12

13 Seminary News James Ebersole, Dear SHLS/C Family, Grace and Peace! How are you all doing? It has been about a full year since Allie and I went to Gainesville, FL for Vicarage. I have learned so much on this journey. I ve also learned that I have much to learn. This year has been a good year to get emerged into what I will be doing when I graduate. While being here in Florida, I have worked closely with the college students. We ve been able to take many trips, do fellowship events, and Bible studies. In addition to working with the college students, I have been granted many opportunities to preach and see how a church functions. My comfort level in the pulpit has grown tremendously since I was there with you all in the summer. Life has been going well for the Ebersole s in Gainesville. We left here with three people, but we are coming home with four. We are eagerly waiting for Milo James Ebersole to arrive in May. Sky will make a great big sister as she grows rapidly. Sky is forming words, running, and attempting to jump. We look forward to coming home in July. It will be nice to be with our family and friends before we head back to the Seminary in Indiana for one last year. School starts September 4 th. We ll most likely be heading back to school at the end of August. While we are home, I have the opportunity to take a mission trip to Poland. This will be a two-week trip from July 31 st to August 13 th. Allie has been very supportive of me going and I ask for prayers as I prepare to go to share God s word with those in Poland. We re always following the latest news via and Facebook about Shepherd@50. We re praying for all of you and the church. It s tremendously amazing to see and hear about all the work God is doing down there in San Antonio, TX. Feel free to reach out to me via jebersole2014@gmail.com. I d love to hear from y all! To God be all the glory, James Ebersole 13

14 Concordia University Danielle Clark, My name is Danielle Clark and I just finished my junior year of college at Concordia University Texas (woosh!). As a freshman, my major was secondary education with a specialization in English and a Lutheran Teacher Diploma (LTD). Now, as a senior, my major is Behavioral Science (psychology and sociology studies) and LTD. I lifted up a lot of prayers to God for guidance in the path he had set for me because I was beginning to become discouraged in my pursuit to become a teacher. The Lord closed a lot of doors within the path to become a teacher and opened a lot of doors in the Behavioral Science area. Upon praying, I felt God leading me to that area of study, so I switched my major first semester Junior year. But I did not want to completely take away the option of teaching and that is why I am continuing in receiving my LTD. I have been tremendously blessed to have attended Lutheran schools up to this point in my life and I knew I wanted to remain in an environment like it. Currently, I am projected to graduate in May of I hope to become either a Behavioral Therapist or Marriage and Family Counselor. I would also like to teach religion classes at a Lutheran school and coach volleyball as well. I cannot wait to see where God leads me in the years to come! Thank you for all your prayers and support. Hill Country Bible Church Rachel Foote, foote.rachel@att.net I am currently attending Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, TX where I am very involved with the church s Young Adult ministry. This church has empowered me to lead young adults who are seeking hope in places outside of Christ so I can serve their needs and share with them the love of Christ. I have been able to accomplish this through leading a college aged small group for women where I plan and facilitate the discussions that occur every Sunday night. This leadership has had its moments of clarity in how to love my neighbor and also learning opportunities of how to be compassionate towards those who are more difficult to embrace. The joy I have experienced in seeing this community of women be grown by God is what keeps me coming back and hopeful for its impact on college students that will spread the gospel to their own spheres of influence. Small group is not the only place that I lead discussion, for I am a discussion group leader at The Gathering. The Gathering is HCBC s weekly young adult night that serves to connect young adults in Christ centered community. Our topics have covered healthy dating, the art of neighboring, and anxiety in our culture. It s been such a blessing to connect otherwise unrelated young adults who don t know each other at The Gathering. In support of my own spiritual development, I meet weekly with a Young Adults staff member named Candace for intentional discipleship. Meeting with Candace has been a blessed time to focus on my spiritual growth and challenge me in my walk. Through building up my own walk with the guidance of Candace, I am becoming more confident in my ability to be a more committed worshipper, witness, servant, and disciple maker. Outside of the church, I have had the eye opening opportunity to meet routinely with a co-worker who is on her own spiritual quest for purpose and assurance in something bigger than herself. Through these conversations, I do my best to actively listen while also interjecting the truth of the gospel that allows us to flourish in this life. I am excited to continue walking this woman towards the cross as she moves beyond past hurts and mistrust of religious experiences. 14

15 Frankly Financial Tim Eickstead, Director of Operations, The Texas District Church Extension Fund has tentatively approved the loan request for We expect a final Yes vote and letter of commitment by the TXCEF after their meeting on May 22, After that approval is granted, it is time to ask the wonderful Lutheran question: What does this mean? 1) It means that the time for continued prayer for the goals of Shepherd@50 is now! Please be praying for the Alamo Hills Mission Church as it is now conducting monthly services and moves toward its launch service September 23, Pray also for the continued work of the Shepherd@50 as they review the final plans for the new building at the 6914 Wurzbach Rd. campus. Keep in your prayers the work of the architect as they work on plans; the city officials as they review them; and the committee as it seeks to develop a building which will bless the ministry of Shepherd for the next 50 years. In your prayers keep the discussions which will be important for the congregation to come to a final positive Yes, Go ahead vote for the building phase of Shepherd at 50. 2) It means that we need to begin the understanding of the impact this new loan will have on the financial side of our congregation(s) ministry plans. We will need to truly understand the plans to fund the new building through a gradual mortgage increase in the ministry plans of both the church and school/childcare. Here is the tentative way this is expected to play out. Here is that break down as it currently is envisioned: Our funding plan assumes that the new mortgage payments will jump to around $32,000 per month once the new full mortgage kicks in (combined with our existing debt balance). However, as communicated, we will pull from capital campaign funds to subsidize those payments each month. Starting out in the first year, the plan would be for the church and school to only pay a combined $11,400 per month, for a first year increase of $3,000 per month. Annually each year thereafter, we ll up those payments by another $2,500 until we grow into the full payments in about 10 years or so. So, if the school picks up 2/3 of the new $11,400, that means their share would be about $7,600 per month (up by $3,400 from $4,200). As noted, that would be a first year increase of $40,800 (12 x $3,400). So, Pastor s numbers work if the revenue increase he describes is done. Or, the church could choose to ease the school into it over the first year or two. Each year thereafter, if the payments are increased by $2,500, and the school s portion thereof is $1,667, that represents an annual increase of $20,000 (12 x $1,667) for the school. Dividing that total annual increase by 400 students results in a potential annual tuition increase of $50 per student per year or $5 dollars per month during the school term. 3) Take time to continue the opportunity to openly discuss this project that the team has worked hard to maintain. On May 20,2018 there is a regularly scheduled meeting where discussion on the status and plans of Shepherd@ 50, especially as they pertain to the building project will be conducted. Then, in early June 2018, after final funding approval is granted by the TXCEF, a special congregational meeting to take a vote on the building for Shepherd@50 will be held. 4) As a congregation members will be asked to join the staff and parents of the school and child care to clear out the current administrative building prior to the demolition. There is a need to remove things like cabinets, stored items, office furniture and bookshelves to storage. Also, simply clean out areas which have been used for storage some things need to be trashed, others need to be kept for legal purposes. Your help will be needed! May God continue to bless the risks we take for His kingdom s work! Working for Christ, F. Timothy Eickstead 15