First Free Church 2003-2004 Annual Report

Senior Pastor

2004-2005 Objectives

Student Ministries

Worship Ministries

Visitation Pastor

Liaison to the Community

Church Council Report

Outreach Commission Budget

Women's Guild

Finance and Property Board

Audit Committee

Treasurer's Report/Financial Statements

As I write this report we have just concluded our Easter series: "The Passion of Christ: A Walk to the Cross," and I continue to be overwhelmed by God's grace and His love for us. We have the greatest mission on earth - to worship and serve a God that loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for us. Might we always be awed by this truth!

Our Purpose: First Evangelical Free Church exists to Bring people into a relationship with Jesus, Connect them to God's family, Mature them in their faith, and Equip them for ministry so that God's name will be Exalted.

Although stated last in our statement, worship is our central purpose! We desire to Exalt God, and this past year our worship has matured. Pastor Eric Twietmeyer, Debbie Smith, Barb Olson, the Worship Team, the Choir, and the Worship Commission have brought us into God's presence on a weekly basis. Each Sunday I look forward to worship! I anticipate that God is going to continue to enlarge our understanding of Him!

Our vision also includes Bringing people to Christ. Simon Peter brought his brother to Jesus (John 1:40-42) and it is our privilege to introduce our relatives, our neighbors, and our co-workers to Christ just as he did. This past year we have seen a number of individuals make commitments to Christ. Each week we celebrate those commitments by lighting a candle up front in the sanctuary. We have also begun to think more purposefully about how our programs assist us in bringing people to Christ. Our summer VBS program continues to reach children in our community. The Seekers class builds relationships with multi-cultural couples and individuals who are interested in learning about Christ. This past year, for the first time, we held an outreach class called, "10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible". This class, with 35 people in attendance - half of them guests, shared the Gospel in a very strategic way. Those who participated saw God work in wonderful ways!

Although some great strides have been taken this past year in this area of Bringing, we have much more to do. I look forward to seeing how we grow and develop as individuals and as a church into becoming more contagious for Christ.

As in the past we continue to be a strong church in the area of missions. God has been very faithful to us as we support our missionaries in prayer and in finances. Be sure to read the Outreach Commission's report. It is exciting that God can use us for His global purposes!

Our Adult Bible Fellowships have grown this past year. We have added two ABF's - a Young Adult ABF and a second Seekers International ABF. We have also seen each of our ABF's grow in number as the church grows. The ABF's are the places for adults to Connect to the body of Christ and Mature in their faith.

Our Children's Ministry and Student Ministry have grown as well. We have added classes for the children on Sunday mornings. Our nursery and pre-school area are busy and full. The Student Ministry is growing as those students who have been so faithful invite their friends. I cannot say enough about all the volunteers who step in and make a difference in the lives of the children and the students. From Sunday mornings to Wednesday nights - people are serving Christ and the Body.

Not only do I want to say thank you to all those who volunteer in Children's ministry and in Student Ministry, but I also want to say thank you to the staff God has put around me. Cindy Sawyer has been wonderful in the office - keeping things running smoothly. Stacy Olson has been a great help to Pastor Eric. The ministry staff of Pastor Eric Twietmeyer, Bob Chapman and Russ Anteronen continues to be invaluable. Our custodian, Scott Beckett, has done more behind the scenes than I can ever be aware. Please, next time you see one of them - thank them for their invaluable ministry!

Finally, I need to thank two people. Don Brueske is a man that God placed as Chairman of the Council in His perfect timing. I believe Don was in this position not only for the church's sake but also for mine. God used Don. I have been saddened by Don's stroke and the loss of Don as Chairman, but I am confident that God continues to have His hand on Don's life.

Second, I cannot say enough about Alan Peterson, as he quickly had to step into the role of Chairman. Alan has done an impressive job. Not a beat has been missed. He has been outstanding to work with. I greatly appreciate Alan's humility, his support in prayer, his understated sense of humor, and his advice. Praise God!

And that is what this is all about - Exalting God! We do all this so God gets the Glory!

Bring people into a relationship with Jesus, Connect them to God's family,
Mature them in their faith, and Equip them for ministry so God's name will be Exalted.

Exalt: Each of these objectives are intended to put God first in our planning and in our implementation.

Bring: Develop the Evangelism Task Force - with the purpose of raising our congregation's evangelistic temperature through education and personal evangelism opportunities.

Connecting: Parish Nursing - Start the new ministry of Parish Nursing with the goal of caring for our body, especially helping Bob Chapman in the area of hospital visits and caring for the elderly in our body.

Maturity: Develop in our church a stronger, more identifiable ministry of corporate prayer.

A No Man's Land is described as the distance between the opposing trenches in war. It is laced with barbed wire and many obstacles. It is a place we may have to go through, but no one wants to get caught there or lost there. I imagine growing up from junior high into adulthood as such a war. Hopefully, our students aren't changing sides, but they undoubtedly feel the attack of the enemy on many fronts. I was recently reminded about the importance of student ministries and the need for medics, support lines and strategies to help students in the war they're in -and how to fight. A neighbor of mine explained how religion was forced upon him in his local church. His church leaders and parents walked him through the motions of confirmation, but with no real relational connections or a student ministry, his others-enforced faith left him in a no man's land. I am thankful that through the partnership of parents, students and a church, God is raising up a generation of students who care about Him, one another, and those outside of their circle of faith.

Our student ministry has held its own and numerically grown in the past year as we seek to create a loving community where students can meet Jesus, become like Jesus, and serve like Jesus-so that God's name is exalted.

While we haven't had a huge focus on winning the lost thus far in our group, we did take a group of 24 students to go see The Passion of the Christ. This powerful film led one of our students to ask on the way home from the movie, "Are you a Christian? How can I become a Christian?" That led to a discussion where we gave him a Bible, and he placed his trust in Christ. We hosted monthly outings on Wednesday nights which were designed for students to bring friends to: Roller-skating, Game Night, Urban Jungle Night, Mystery Dinner, etc. We look forward to expanding our contacts with those who do not yet know Christ so that we can introduce others to Him.

We have used both Sunday morning and Wednesday evening for students to look into the Word and be challenged by the example of Christ. Since many of our students are involved in Christian schools, they have a strong knowledge base of Scripture. They are simply in need of time and a desire to apply their knowledge. We attended two retreats at Camp Shamineau this past fall-one for spiritual encouragement and the other where our band led the music/worship and received a challenge to have a heart for God. Special thanks to Heather Anderson, Debbie Smith and Jesse Willett for teaching on Sunday mornings!

This past fall we established a senior high student ministry team which met monthly for a meal, training and for encouragement. This team is open to the faithful, available, teachable, responsive students who are willing to serve others and who have a desire to learn how to minister to their peers. We will continue this team, raising the challenges and adding new members in the fall. Seven of our students worked together to serve our church and its members in Project SERVE, partly in preparation for our trip to the national conference this summer.

Our adult ministry team has met monthly this past year for equipping and encouragement. We look forward to a retreat in early fall for our ministry team. Thanks so much to Heather Anderson, Scott and Vanessa Beckett, Doug Brown, Katie Hucek, Peter and Jessica McWilliams, Jill Rose, and Jesse Willett for your weekly dedication to our students!

Last summer we had a youth ministry intern to help build relationships with our students. Jesse did a fantastic job. It was great to see our students connect with him. I am encouraged to pursue another intern for this summer.

I am thankful for your prayers and partnership as we seek to reach the next generation.

This past year once again represented an adventure in blending different elements to respond to our Big God. The people in our varied congregation repeatedly tell me they appreciate the mixing of old and new music, thoughts, visuals and sounds. Our worship commission and key instrumentalists and artists do a phenomenal job at implementing the vision to see that God's name is exalted in all we do. (Matt Beckett, Karen Beckett, Jordan Goodman, John Londborg, Jenny Merry, Jerry McDonald, Barb Olson, Kim Reeve, Stacy Olson, Debbie Smith and many others…) A huge addition to our crew this past year has been Stacy Olson. She has amazing gifts in making the ordinary interesting, especially graphically and choreographically. It has been fun to get to know her and work with her this past year.

As for the big events, The Got Purpose? Campaign, Christmas Eve, Good Friday, and Easter, each went well. Our holiday celebrations have all included some orchestral instrumentation and the choir.

Chorally, just as a protracted winter was taking its toll on our faithful singers, three new vocalists joined our ranks. Krista Leudtke was vital in choosing music and directing the choir this past year. We are sad to see her go, but are making plans for choir in the fall under changed leadership.

Youth band-wise, the Pin Monkeys (Braeburns has also been a proposed name) continued to mature, most recently meeting together on their own for rehearsal purposes.

Technologically, we purchased a headset mic which allows me freedom to sing and look around (smile at the band, you could say). The new lighting system holds many possibilities as we learn how to program it and use it for dramatic effects.

The Worship Commission and I are going to train ourselves through some worship team development material, equipping ourselves to lead worship, so that over time more and more worship leaders are being developed.

There are always areas of growth for me in worship. I look forward to improving the musical and communication systems in the next year as we continue to try new styles and watch God work. More than anything else, I look forward to seeing God fan our hearts into flame as we passionately pursue our Savior together.

God has given strength and health, His people have been most kind and supportive, and therefore; it has been a good year for me personally in service to this body. Praise Him!

The church year of 2003-04 we have had the opportunity to tutor and help students at Hale Elementary. I had the privilege to serve on the FRN Community Tutoring Project committee. They (FRN) are losing their long-time director, so it is a matter of prayer that he will be replaced so the project continues.

The Children's Gospel Mission, now under the auspices of Union Gospel Mission, continues to need our assistance in prayer and helpers. We are beginning to see some maturity in the children we have spent several years working with, but the needs are still numerous. We continue to encourage mentoring through Kinship or any other means of connecting one on one with children.

Weekly we receive phone calls asking our church for assistance. Most of these people are referred to Manna Lifeline for food and CES (Community Emergency Service-a Christian organization) for rent, utility, and other types of financial assistance. Our own benevolent fund seeks to help those in our own congregation, and those referred by people in our congregation.

Some time is spent in helping Hospitality House track team with children's programs in the late winter, spring, and summer. Again this year we gave gym access, some coaching, and relationship building for the children and parents of the McCrae Park basketball team. Even with a new head coach and only 4 players to start with, they were second in their league and went on to play in the Championship game. They lost by only four points and played with more maturity and sportsmanship than the eventual winner. The park director at McCrae wanted to thank you, the church, for helping to revive the basketball program at their park.

So I want to thank you for allowing me to serve these organizations, the church, and Jesus Christ in these ways this past year.

But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33

This past year has been one in which we can all bear witness to God's faithfulness to us at First Free. God has blessed us with many gifts and resources, and we respond to Him in worship with grateful hearts. He has generously provided the resources we need, both spiritual and material, to accomplish the ministry that He has given us.

We continue to seek to fulfill the five purposes which are outlined in our purpose statement. Pastor Joel is teaching and encouraging the Council to set goals and formulate plans for reaching them. We on the Council are excited about the future that God has planned for us as a local body of believers.

This past year we have seen much growth, and we have every reason to expect this growth to continue. Growth is most evident in the greater number of people we are seeing on Sunday mornings. Each week we seem to see more new faces. We are continually adding new members for which we are especially grateful. We are clearly poised for further growth and the expansion of First Free's ministry. Growth brings change. It is important that we maintain an attitude of mutual support if we are to thrive and be healthy.

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." Romans 12:5

The Body of Christ is the main focus of the Caring Commission. All members of the Body are important and need care. Here are some ways that the Caring Commission has cared for the Body this year:

Benevolent Fund - The church body has again been very gracious in their monetary giving to the benevolent fund. We have been able to give money to meet the needs of a number of church families and families connected to church members this year.

Visitation - Pastor Bob Chapman has been busy this year keeping up with contacting and encouraging people in the hospital and other care facilities. Praise God for Bob's wisdom and understanding of the medical field, so he can so appropriately assist church body members in their times of need.

Funeral Receptions - Betty Carlson and Ann Johnson have taken the responsibility of heading up the funeral receptions at church. They have done a great job of recruiting and organizing the volunteers who serve the lunches following funerals at church.

Information Desk - Mae Olson has done a wonderful job maintaining a very welcoming information desk on Sunday mornings. She's been busy with all of the visitors at church in recent months. New this year has been the addition of visitor packets-which include a brochure about our church, a First Free pen, and a Turtle Bread Company gift certificate.

Greeters - Gen Erickson has continued to coordinate the greeters on Sunday mornings, but the Adult Bible Fellowships have supplied the greeters-each class taking a month at a time. It has been wonderful to have greeters of all ages-both inside and outside!

Fellowship - A big thanks to Mary Londborg and Paulette Goodman for heading up all of the kitchen's activities. They keep the food coming-both on Sunday mornings and for special events at church. Sunday mornings have been a wonderful time to meet and chat with the church body as well as visitors. We had a number of successful in-home fellowship dinners both this fall and this winter. What a fun way to get to know others better.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped CARE for the Body of Christ this year, whether in an official role, or on an individual basis. Let's continue to reflect Christ's love in tangible ways by caring for people in our church.

It seems like yesterday that the last Nurture annual report was submitted, and yet here we are one year later looking back at what has taken place and looking forward to what will come. Won't you tarry in this moment as you read this knowing that you (we) have been brought here for just such a time as this.

If you were involved in the Nurture ministries, once again we thank you. I trust that your experience will cause you to remain involved. Peruse the following talents that you might posses that would benefit you and Nurture.

This is just a snippet of talents that could be used and developed through a commitment to the Nurture ministries.

Please continue to pray for the Nurture Commission and for the impact that all these activities will have on those who attend. May God's name be lifted high.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name!" Psalm 103:1

As we as a church body reflect on what we have to be thankful for this past year, there is much cause to praise God's holy name! We have a faithful Worship Pastor who works well with the Senior Pastor to organize each week's worship service. Also, scripture encourages us to "sing a new song unto the Lord," and we have Pastor Eric Twietmeyer to thank for adding many new songs to our repertoire!

We as a commission have been the recipient of several monetary gifts that have enhanced our facility and given us some wonderful tools to utilize in leading worship in lights, sound, and other equipment. Thank you to all who have made this possible!

We have many faithful servants involved on the platform and behind the scenes who assist Pastor Eric with the challenge of coordinating the many facets of our worship services. To name only a few, we have Debbie Smith on piano and leading vocal teams, Krista Luedtke who has led the adult choir, and Barb Olson on organ who also serves with Nancy Fowler to lead the kids' choir. The list includes worship teams, ushering teams, soloists, people preparing power point presentations and song lyrics, artwork, sound, lighting, and equipment operators, instrumentalists, the youth band, etc. It's amazing and exciting to me to contemplate the sacrificial giving of so many people that goes into each service. The challenge for the worship commission and all others involved is to plan worship services that would elicit a response from the participants like the Psalmist in Psalm 84:1-2 "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

Thanks to each member of the worship commission for their many contributions and a special thank you to Karen Beckett for serving as Vice Chair these past two years. Thankfully, Karen will continue to be involved in worship team and in preparing lyrics for services, which we appreciate very much.

We'll continue with a blended format as we think this best meets the needs of our inter-generational church body. (We define "blended" as a mix of musical styles, instruments, and "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs." Eph. 5:19) We will continue with concerts of prayer and evaluate other needs in the area of worship that are not currently being met.

We know that worship is important to God-He says He desires worshipers who "worship in spirit and in truth." It is our task as a commission to continuously, humbly, and prayerfully consider how to help the congregation worship in spirit and in truth. What does this kind of worship look like? For the participant, the task is to continuously seek to grow in our understanding of what worshiping in spirit and in truth means. Worship is a matter of the heart. When we come to worship, do we examine our own hearts? Do we come each week because we know it's the right thing to do, or because we can't wait to express our gratitude to God for who He is and all He does for us? Do we focus on what we get out of worship, or on what God has to say to us and how He wants to change us? Our prayer and desire for each one of us is that we would continue to grow in our experience of God in our worship, that we would meet with Him during worship-as Pastor Joel points out many Sundays. We pray that as a result of spending time in His presence, our love for God and each other would increase, and that we would be compelled to respond-to serve God with our whole hearts and take His life-changing message to a dying world!

Thank you for the opportunity to lead the Outreach Commission for the past three years. It has been a blessing to get to know the missionaries that are supported by First Free and to work with a great group of people on the Commission. Here is a summary of some of the highlights of the past year and some future plans.

There has been an increase of $14,000 in our budget since the 2001-2002 fiscal year. We are thankful for the increased giving of the congregation. Some of the changes in the 2004-2005 budget are described below.

Mission Weekends: Three mission weekends were held in the past year. The two Saturday events were excellent but lacked attendance. In February the missionary panel was held on Sunday during the second hour so teens and adults in the ABF's could attend. Many more in the congregation heard the missionary panelists.

Outreach Commission Policy Statement: Pastor Joel asked that the Evangelism Task Force be incorporated into the Outreach Commission. We agreed that this is appropriate and revised our policy statement to reflect this change. We sent the new policy statement to the Council, recognizing that it will require some revisions of the Church Constitution which will need to be approved by the congregation. At present we receive minutes from the Task Force, and look forward to the reorganization.

Activities with Missionaries: The Outreach Commission receives prayer requests from missionaries and prays together for specific needs at each meeting. We communicate with the missionaries and inform the church of their needs. We sent Christmas gifts to each of our missionaries. The money collected from the Christmas Card Fund was given to John and Wendy Gerhardt, who are involved in a building project. We organized a welcome for Grace Vandervort when she returned.

Short Term Missions: In the past year 29 people from our congregation worked in one or more short term mission project. A group of 19 people went on a mission project sponsored by First Free to the Dominican Republic. The Outreach Commission interviewed the participants in this project. Many of the short-term workers received permission from the Outreach Commission to raise funds in the church. Seven people received financial assistance from the Outreach Commission.

As I began our fall Guild Meeting, it was with some fear and trembling but everyone has been most gracious, and it has been good to serve you in this way. We pray God has blessed you as we have met together.

We chose as our theme for the year, "Let's Pray." My prayer is that prayer has become a vital part of your life. Pastor Joel and Dr. Bob Chapman spoke at two of our meetings on this subject. This is a very important ministry that we as women can do.

Terri Miller shared with us of their work in Russia. Using the Russian stack doll she told of the layers of progression in their work to be effective to reach out in a new culture.

At our November meeting we were blessed to have Cheryl & Doug Conrad with us, both to speak and sing. They will be going back to Japan as soon as their support comes in.

Our annual Christmas luncheon was held in the party room at Vi Fjellman's. We had a great time and many of our ladies who can't always come were with us. We were happy to have many of our younger women there, too. John & Amy Lindstrom told about their work in New Guinea. Shoe boxes filled with gifts for children or adults were brought for the Marie Sandvik Mission. Money gifts were also given.

We did not meet in January. Herb Bloomquist was the speaker in February and the men were invited to attend. We need to be much in prayer for this very vital ministry at Camp Shamineau. They are doing a great job of reaching out with the message of Jesus.

Our White Cross, with Phyllis Brown as Chairman, has kept us rolling bandages and doing various things for the missions. Lydia Children's Home will no longer be having their annual sale, so we will find other places for the things were are making.

Thanks to all who have helped in any way to make this a blessed year, to Beda Anderson who has organized the programs, to those who have done the calling, to those who worked at Redeemer Residence, and to all who served our treats at each meeting. God bless you.

At our April meeting we had Grace Vandervort with us. We welcomed her home from her field of service.

In 2003-2004, we built upon the improvements that came with 2002-2003 - most notably the addition of Scott Beckett as Custodian. The addition of Scott has allowed the board to disentangle itself from day-to-day maintenance issues and instead direct attention to larger facility projects.

The most notable project of last year was repair of the inter-building steam lines. This work was well overdue and caused us the discomfort of hot water coming out of the cold spigots all winter. Although the new pavement has not yet been laid, the project is essentially complete. There was an additional cost incurred due to an old fuel tank that needed removal and environmental cleanup.

The sound and light system improvements to the sanctuary were also made in the last calendar year and were paid for with memorial funds.

What's more, many facility updates throughout the church have increased the utility and efficiency of the building. Automation of lights, plumbing, and new fixtures are improvements that have cost little and have a very positive impact.

Replacement of the light fixture in the north entry was my favorite improvement.

Despite these improvements, we are looking at some very significant expenditures this year. Our boilers have been nursed along with bailing wire and duct tape for several years, but major repairs can no longer be put off. The boilers need extensive renovation and/or replacement. Cost for this work will range from $50,000 to $100,000. I have asked Mark Holman, our Church Treasurer, to look at ways to finance this expenditure.

Naturally, with this daunting repair ahead of us, we have become less focused upon some of the other big projects the board would like to see completed. We are hopeful, however, that we will find funding for the boilers and these additional projects:

While this list of projects and expenditures is daunting, our Lord has never failed to meet our fiscal needs. I am confident that funding for the boiler and these other projects will be something we will be thanking God for in the near future.

As I conclude my four years with the Finance and Property Board, I would like to thank these members who served over the past year:

We have audited the financial statements of First Evangelical Free Church for the period of April 1, 2003 through March 31 2004. Bank account balances were verified and the invoices were sampled to ensure that the expenditures were properly authorized and that payments were made accurately and in a timely manner.

In our opinion, the financial statements fairly represent the financial position of First Evangelical Free Church.

We would like to express our thanks to the Finance and Property Board and to Treasurer, Mark Holman, for the professional manner in which the church's resources are managed.