Annual Report Salem Lutheran Church 2 0 1 7 INTERIM PASTOR S REPORT... Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we look back on this year of 2017 we thank God for the many blessings that have been showered upon us and upon our congrega ons. Certainly there have been mes of suffering and sorrow, but we trust that God has been there with us and through Christ we have been li ed up in these mes of struggle. As we look forward to 2018 we plan for new opportuni es for facili es maintenance and improvements, growth in our Trust Fund, Early Communion Prepara on for our children and their families, and the calling of a new permanent pastoral leader. Your on going and increasing support of me, talent and financial support is cri cal in achieving our goals in the coming year as we live out our congrega ons core values of Worship, Teaching the Faith, Faith Journey, Hospitality, Welcoming Diversity, and Community Outreach and Service. We pray for the Spirit s power and leading! Pastor Len DEACON REPORT: WORSHIP & PARISH MINISTRIES In 2017 the ELCA merged all lay rosters into one, that of Deacon. As your Deacon I am called to support all of Salem s Core Values, but the three I focus on most are Worship, Teaching the Faith, and Faith Journey. Salem is blessed with four ac ve Crea ve Arts groups who enhance and lead worship in every season: Children s Choir, Celebra on Voices, Sounds of Grace Bells, and Salem Puppet Praise Team. Brass ensembles, student musicians and special gi s of music as well as an annual Children s Spring Musical and Fes val of Carols in Advent all bring forth the gi s of God s people in this place to celebrate and tell the story of Jesus. As we prepare we are learning how to walk with God and support one another in prayer and friendship at life s ups and downs. I am so grateful for each person and invite others to become a part of this circle of praise and prayer. Membership & Statistics Members 1,124 Associate Members 68 Average Weekend A endance 172 Sunday School Students 59 Bap sms 12 Confirma ons 6 Weddings 2 Funerals 13 Each person s faith journey is both similar and different. Many of our community experience new or ongoing health challenges each year, people dear to us move or die, jobs or rela onships change. I am grateful for the partnership with Pastor Len, our Diakonia graduates, Home Communion Ministers, Prayer Chain members, and re red Pastor John Seraphine to address the pastoral care needs among Salem people as our life journeys o en test and grow our faith. Salem s strength is in her Lord and God working through God s people. As each one finds a place to belong and a place to serve, a beau ful tapestry is woven and the body of Christ is made strong. There will always be places that grow weak and need shoring up, but we have God s promise to never leave or forsake us and to mul ply and bless our humble efforts at sharing and being the Good News. Thanks be to God, and to God be the Glory! Carla Vanatta, Deacon
YOUTH LEADER It is the third Sunday of Advent and just hours ago I found myself si ng in my office filled with middle and high school youth dressed as shepherds, angels, Mary, and Joseph. The youth are wai ng for their me to serve as ushers, communion assistants, and members of the live na vity (Worship). Without warning, the conversa on turns to one youth commen ng that he didn t use to see the point to coming to church, but now that there is youth group, there is a point (Faith Journey). I am humbled as the others chime in about how they like being part of the group and cannot wait to travel together to the Na onal Youth Gathering this summer (Teaching the Faith). One of the middle schoolers chimes in asking, What is the Na onal Youth Gathering? Is it like a mission trip? I respond that it is not a mission trip, but that it is my goal to take a mission trip the following summer of 2019. The high schoolers prac cally jump out of their costumes as they exclaim, Really, That s Awesome, Where are we going to go? (Community Outreach and Service). I began my ministry here at Salem just nine months ago. Since that me we have reinstated Vaca on Bible School, we have started new curriculums with both Sunday School and Confirma on, and we have created a High School Youth Group. I encourage each and every one of you to stop in to any of these ministries and you will quickly see that the Spirit is alive in all of them! This year has been filled with good work, but as we look forward to 2018 there is s ll so much work to be done. Vaca on Bible School has the poten al to reach so many more children, our middle school youth need to have a place at Salem other than Confirma on class, and we need to channel our high school youth s desire to serve. Nicole Erickson YOUTH AND FAMILY TEAM... Several different areas are part of the Youth and Family Commi ee: Sunday School, Youth Safety, Confirma on, Youth Group, GRACE, Nursery, and Vaca on Bible School. All are led by devoted, faithful people who are invested in helping to support our youth as they grow in the faith that is Christ. Common core values to all of the areas are Teaching the Faith and Faith Journey. The Youth and Family Team meets one Monday a month at 6:30pm. Youth and Family s goal is to host more intergenera onal events in 2018. Sunday School is held from 9:15 10:15 on Sunday morning and is always looking for extra hands. We currently have 59 students enrolled in our Sunday School program. Our new Spark rota onal curriculum this year allows students to dig deep into each lesson over the course of 3 4 weeks. The lessons we will teach this year include First Sin, Noah s Ark, Joseph and His Brothers, Advent and Christmas, The Lord s Prayer, Fruit of the Spirit, Lydia, Holy Week and Easter, Love is, and Queen Esther. By embracing a child s Faith Journey, we acknowledge that students are at different places in that journey and what reaches one student may not reach another. We address this by teaching each lesson in a variety of ways (arts/ cra s, movies, drama, etc.) to increase the reach to all kids. We supported Community Outreach by sending postcards to the community invi ng them to join the Salem Expo to share all that Salem has to offer! Youth Safety is an inten onal area of the Youth and Family team. We ensure that Salem is a welcoming and safe place for all youth by running background checks, checking references, and requiring safety training for all volunteers and staff working with youth. Call Committee The Call Commi ee was elected at a special mee ng of the Congrega on on April 9, 2017. The mission of the Call Commi ee, which encompasses all the core values of Salem s Strategic Plan, is to find a full me, permanent, resident Pastor and to bring that name forward to the Congrega on for considera on. The Commi ee serves un l the mission is complete. The Call Commi ee works with the Northern Illinois Synod during this process as the Synod serves as the liaison between candidates and the Call Commi ee. Call Commi ee members are: Brandon Graves, Phil Klein, Judy Milroy, Jenny Ruff, and Rachel Sauber.
Youth and Family Team (con nued) Confirma on at Salem is alive and well! We conduct a three year program for all 6 th 8 th grade students. This year, 24 middle school students come together each Wednesday night from 6:30 8:00 p.m. to study the Bible and to grow in faith. Our new curriculum, Spark House CoLabOrate, covers the Old Testament, New Testament, Lutheran History and Catechism, and Lutheran Living. To support Community Outreach and Service, students par cipate in both on and off campus service projects throughout the year including par cipa ng in a Feed My Starving Children packing event, making and serving a meal at Hope Haven, assembling health kits for Lutheran World Relief, and making hea ng packs for residents at local nursing homes. Our goal for 2018 is to expand on the social opportuni es offered for this age group. Salem Youth Group meets on the first and third Sunday of the month during the educa on hour (9:15 10:15) for Bibles and Breakfast Bites and the second and fourth Sunday of the month at 11:30 1:30 for youth group. All high school youth are welcome to join us! To support the youths Faith Journey we offer a variety of opportuni es including Youth Group mee ngs, Bibles and Breakfast Bites, service projects, and retreats such as the Na onal Youth Gathering. To support Welcoming Diversity we invite members of the congrega on to meet with us and share their unique story. Our presenters come from very diverse backgrounds and o en share how this has influenced their lives. Community Outreach and Service has been supported by assembling 126 school kits for Lutheran World Relief. Youth Group s goal for 2018 is to a end the Na onal Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas. Living Christ s Love Vaca on Bible School was re instated in the Summer of 2017 the week of July 10 14 and had 31 children in a endance. In Teaching the Faith par cipants learned that Jesus is the light of the world and how Jesus light can guide them through even the darkest of mes. Hospitality was found when both members and nonmembers joined us for the week. Over half of the VBS par cipants were not Salem members! Community Outreach and Service was supported as the VBS children par cipated in an outreach program over the course of the week by raising money for Opera on Kid to Kid. VBS is held for one week in the summer but prepara ons begin long before then. Anyone interested in helping with VBS is encouraged to talk to Nicole Erickson. FINANCE COMMITTEE Salem s Finance Commi ee monitors Salem s income and expenditure reports and compares them with the annual budget. The Commi ee makes sugges ons regarding Salem s bookkeeping and financial ma ers. The Commi ee is also responsible for considering the budget requests of Salem s groups and commi ees and developing a budget. That budget is then recommended to the Council and ul mately the Congrega on for approval at our Annual Mee ng. The commi ee meets monthly in the Chapel Lounge at 5:00 p.m. Anyone interested in joining the commi ee should contact the church office for our precise mee ng day and me that month.
TRUST FUND... The Salem Trust Fund Commi ee was established in 1990 and works to guarantee that memorials and bequests made to Salem are used to the Glory of God and help to support all of Salem s core values. We appreciate the support of all Salem s members in the use of these funds to assist in the work of the church. 2017 has been a challenging year for our congrega on and the Trust Fund. Memorials and gi s were used for numerous projects and ministries including: Singing Memorials, Ringing Memorials, significant Facility Repairs, Youth Ministry Leadership, Confirma on Bibles, Web site Development, Outside Benevolence opportuni es, and a Seminary Scholarship. The commi ee also worked on upda ng policies and clarifying procedural prac ces. One change made is that the Perpetual Fund is now referred to as Endowment Fund. This elected commi ee meets four mes per year in February, May, August, and November. Many thanks to Jim Graves for serving on this commi ee for the last nine years and thanks to Kevin Dahl, Doreen Robinson, Kim Simmons, and Dave Benson for their dedicated service over this past year. We all appreciate the opportunity to serve through this important commi ee. WORSHIP COMMITTEE Worship Commi ee supports weekly, seasonal, and fes val Salem services in fulfilling Salem s Core Values of Worship and Hospitality. All are welcome at the Lord s Table, gi s of prayer and praise are invited from musicians, puppets, readers, acolytes, and Assis ng Ministers, gi s of me and faith are welcomed to prepare and serve Holy Communion, prepare for Bap sms, and dress the church for each liturgical season, greet and a end worshippers as ushers, and support the congrega on in mes of joy and sorrow for weddings or funerals. Jesus invites us to His table regularly; we are the support crew! With 2017 marking the 500 th Anniversary of the Reforma on, several special events were scheduled with sister ELCA Congrega ons in DeKalb: a Mar n Luther book booth, a fall devo onal booklet wri en by area Lutherans, a shared Reforma on meal and slide show, a joint worship service on All Saint s Day, and a Luther Puppet Program shared with Trinity Lutheran, Genoa, and Salem congrega on. As we consider Christ s call to the table, in 2018 Salem will begin welcoming younger bap zed children to par cipate in Holy Communion when their parents join them in either a Spring or Fall educa on me prior to Easter and Christmas. We will also work to offer worship par cipa on ac vi es via an online sign up so people may choose the services most convenient to them. Your worship team welcomes your par cipa on, feedback, and ideas as we con nue to evaluate and schedule worship opportuni es. Salem Worship Commi ee meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month; all are welcome. WITNESS COMMITTEE The Witness Commi ee, as defined by our core values, is Hospitality and Community Outreach Services. Our small group of dedicated members meets regularly to plan ways in which Salem Lutheran Church can be welcoming by reaching out to the community. Walking with God, as we do, we have delivered visitor gi baskets, handed out cookies for the Santa Walk downtown, handed out water at the summer car show and delivered welcome baskets to new Sycamore/DeKalb residents, among other things. The things we have done, leave US feeling VERY rewarded!! Come join us on the first Tuesday of the month (or as needed), at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel Lounge to walk along side God with Brandon Graves, Jan Holland, Carole Lichty, Sue McMillan and Kim Simmons. We would be happy to share our rewards with you!!