First Free Church 2006-2007 Annual Report

Senior Pastor

Student Ministry

Worship & Connecting Ministries

Parish Nurses

Creekside Friends Children's Ministry

Church Council Report

Finance and Property Board

Audit Committee

Treasurer's Report/Financial Statements

Someone asked me at a recent "Guest Luncheon" if I had a life verse. I responded: "2 Timothy 2:1, 'You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.'" With my family's return from a once-in-a-life-time trip to China where we visited the birth city of my daughter Hope, I am once again reminded of God's overwhelming grace. We all have so many gifts to celebrate. My family, my wife and two children are a gift from God. First Free is a gift from God. Salvation is a gift from God. And daily, as I celebrate each of them, I stand strong in God's grace. I pray that as a church we might also continue to be strong in His grace.

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.

We desire to Exalt God! Worship continues to be the central focus for us each week. Last spring we began running two services. This past fall we continued our two services, with our average attendance running slightly above 400. We praise God for this continued growth. Do you know why that is so exciting to me? Not because we have a larger crowd, but because more people are being led to worship and exalt God. What greater purpose could we have?

Personally, I want to thank all of those who enabled us to have our two worship services: the musicians, the worship teams, the choir members, the worship tech team, the Welcome Force (ushers and greeters) and the children's workers. Each of them has shown an enormous commitment and dedication to help bring us into God's presence on a weekly basis. Because of their hard work, I look forward to worship each Sunday!

We desire to Bring others to Christ! Our stated "faith goal" is to light the candle in the front of the sanctuary forty times (a 10% conversion growth) over this calendar year of 2007. We have already seen that candle lit a number of times. Each one gives us an opportunity to rejoice with God and his angels. This past year MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) expanded to a second meeting on Thursday evenings and it has been a grand success. On Wednesday evening our Creekside Friends' clubs and our Fire Student Ministries have had another strong year. First Free's vision is to continue to see each person's evangelistic temperature rise.

We desire to Connect people to God's family. We believe that you cannot grow as Christ wants you to if you do not learn to love other people in God's family. We need each other. This year, Pastor Eric's focus has in part shifted to include this "Connecting" purpose. He has developed our "Welcome Force" and added a "Guest Luncheon". Next year we look forward to developing a more intentional small group ministry.

We desire to Mature people in their faith. We want to be intentional about helping people develop Christ-like character and priorities. Our ABF's (Adult Bible Fellowships) continue to grow in numbers. We have enjoyed good numbers at our weekly prayer meetings on Wednesday nights and at our church-wide concerts of prayer, Fresh Encounters. Our children and youth Sunday morning classes grow and our nursery is full. This past fall I preached a series on the area of personal finances and the response was tremendous. We had over 40 individuals go through the Crown Financial small groups. And we saw people begin to line up their financial priorities with God's. People are taking real steps of faith daily as they grow in maturity.

We desire to Equip believers for ministry. God has called us each to serve. He has given us each the gifts for serving. He wants each of us to make a contribution with our life. To be honest, this annual report could be just a list of those who have served God and served here at First Free. With the two services, I have watched countless individuals, from our seniors to our children, increase their commitments. I am so thankful for each one of you.

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!

I cannot say enough about those with whom I partner in the ministry here at First Evangelical Free Church . . . Cindy Sawyer and K_W_ Olson in the office . . . for Pastor Eric, Mark Meyers, Beth Brown, Maureen Juarez, and Dee Huanca for all they do as ministry staff . . . for Scott Beckett and Julie Owens in taking care of our church facilities. Please, keep these individuals and our ministry team in your prayers this next year.

I also want to thank Steve Mondy, Council Chairman. Steve has committed a large amount of time in his role as Chairman, and I truly appreciate all he has done. If you see him, tell him thank you and continue to pray for him.

"The Student Ministry exists to nurture a loving community where students and adults can meet Jesus, become like Jesus, and serve like Jesus, so that God's name will be exalted."

A number of our students have had a difficult year. While most of these students I would not say are devoted followers of Christ, they and their families have seen our church and our people come through for them in ways that are life changing. Whether it is a youth leader taking the time to listen and be a shoulder to cry on, or getting a student back in school and then helping them with homework, we have really shown students that they are loved at and by First Free.

We challenged students to jump into the deep end this year and share their faith with their friends. On New Years Eve we had an event where students were challenged to bring their non-Christian Friends who would hear the Gospel that night and our students were to talk to them about what they heard. They brought 33 friends. We had a citywide scavenger hunt with the same idea and students brought 20 friends. Students also learned how to share their faith at Mission 180.

The area of growth in the student ministry has been exciting to watch this year. This past summer we had a girls and guys Bible study in leaders' homes studying Hebrews and the Life of Jesus. We covered topics on Sunday and Wednesday including Ephesians, finances, the prophets, Romans, worship, evangelism, ministry, fellowship, discipleship, poverty, sex and purity. Throughout the year many students took up the challenge to memorize a scripture verse a week.

Students really stepped up and were the hands and feet of Jesus on Valentines Day at Community Emergency Services and The Salvation Army Harbor Lights. With the help of so many incredible gifted and God honoring people, we had a Fundraiser Dinner on March 24^th that raised nearly $12,000 for Student missions this summer. I'm excited to see what God is going to do in and through the students going to Mission 180, Cincinnati and Costa Rica this summer.

Since last April it has been really fun to see many students truly worshiping the Lord at our monthly worship nights and at retreats. There is a group of 7^th Graders who are helping Eric with Kids' Music on Wednesday nights. I am excited when I see what is really in our students' hearts as they let that pour out during worship times and in conversations.

The Student ministry could not happen without the direct support of volunteers and parents. Many thanks to John and Maria Cain, Joyce Friesen, Chad Hollinbeck, Melinda Meyers, Ben Nordell, Jim Polland, Aaron Rusnak, Deanna Symington and parents for their part in our Student ministry. Many thanks also to all those who put so much time and energy into the New Years Eve outreach and the Terrace on Chicago.

Jesus worshiped by living a life in submission and relation to his father, and ultimately by laying down his life as a sacrifice for our sins. We in turn worship by living a life in submission to Jesus, empowered by His Spirit, and laying down our agendas as a sacrifice of praise to God in thankfulness.

Since I departed the youth ministry a year ago, I've had the joy of continuing to work with FEFC youth in leading them in worship monthly and collaborating with Mark Meyers, the youth director. I enjoy their responsiveness and enthusiasm to God. They even stand up in adult services by their own choice (and do not leave…). I will continue to equip a team to lead in youth worship. This will also most likely include the 6 junior high students with whom I met weekly this spring to help with children's music and sing in the Sunday service.

Each Wednesday night I lead the children in some upbeat music using CD's and an overhead. I intend to move towards making these teachable "worship" moments with the students. I am very open to equipping volunteers to take over this spot, but I also enjoy the energy of the students. Thank you, Beth, for the opportunity to serve!

We assimilated 3 new band members into our musician rotation, Phil Lindholm, Todd Molenaar and DJ O'Neill, easing the pressure on band members so they wouldn't have to be there from 7:30 AM until 12:00 PM every week. Thanks, guys, and welcome! I continue to be amazed at the dedication that our instrumentalists have to our ministry. Thank you to Jordan Goodman, Barb Olson, Jerry McDonald, and Debbie Smith for your weekly sacrifices of praise. It is a joy to serve with you.

Debbie Smith continued to coordinate our vocal team this year, keeping us sounding excellent. Thank you, Debbie, and our many vocalists for leading us into His presence through song.

The orchestra (or shall we say, big band) played 5+ times this past year, under my organizational leadership and Jerry McDonald's conductorship. Many thanks to this great group of musicians and the wonderful addition they are to the service.

The choir lost a few people with the advent of two services this year, but the sound remained very solid. The choir sang approximately once every 2 or 3 weeks for 8 months of the year. Many thanks for Rick Olson's enthusiastic leadership of the choir.

Our commission met monthly to pray, evaluate, encourage, and to collaborate in planning worship services throughout the year. Julie Danielson's heart for worship inspired us all to focus on things greater than our music-God himself. Thank you, Julie, for your dedication and friendship to us all. We will miss you!

Five of us (Debbie, Jerry, Matt, Karen and I) attended an arts conference at Willow Creek in Illinois last June. We gleaned from seminars and speakers and sharpened our individual musical and technical expertise.

As part of equipping young worshipers, I give and oversee guitar lessons to students in the youth ministry. As curriculum becomes available, I intend to expand to teaching other instruments as well.

Pastor Joel continues to carry the torch of the Word before us weekly and gives us the reasons for our worship. I was able to participate in the preaching process a number of times this past year as well, and find it more enjoyable each time. God inspires me through it, and I hope He inspires others, too.

I look to further incorporate other art forms into worship, including visuals and movement. Many thanks to K_W_ Olson, my assistant the past 4 years, for the wonderful legacy and archive of great artwork she has assembled. We will miss her joyful spirit.

Jesus was the ultimate connector when it came to people. He shepherded his disciples into communities of faith by exhorting them to love one another, just as he loved them-by leading them, teaching them, being with them, encouraging and equipping them. In a similar way, our church is called to connect with all whom we come in contact.

In the fall, I assembled ushers, greeters, welcome center, and guest host ministry leaders together to form the Welcome Force. These folks are the smile of First Free Church, and they are the first to love all who walk through our doors. They are so invaluable to us. Major thanks to Gen & Don Erickson, Donna Larson, Mae Olson, John Lande, and their teams for their faithful service in noticing the people and the details every week. We also added bistro tables and a mini-guest reception area in the foyer to catch folks who are new each week.

We held guest luncheons in October, December, March and May this year. We had about 65 guests plus children attend these luncheons where we give guests an opportunity to meet some First Free folks and shoot questions at staff members. We also challenge them to attend the church membership 101 class.

Over the last year we have seen significant growth in groups throughout the church. We have about 6 groups going, though only a few have been "open" or "advertised" for new people. We have groups for couples, men and women. We are looking forward to launching a small group support structure in the fall, including leader training and group seeker support. Brian and Jennifer Bartle will be coordinating as the point couple.

I personally have little to do with the ABF leaders, not because I don't like them, but because Pastor Joel meets with them. ABF's are a key ministry of connecting because they are like the Living Room of our church. They provide an important place for people to go if they are new, as well as a place for continued nurture through the Word and fellowship. ABF's will continue to play an important role, even with the advent of a more prominent small group structure.

This marks the end of the second year of the Parish Nurse ministry at First Free. The goals for the past year were to visit people who were homebound or in crisis and to make the church more accessible to those with disabilities. In the spring of 2006, we were asked to assume the role of Visitation Pastor. With this, our status changed from unpaid staff to paid staff.

Thank you to all who have alerted us to those who could benefit from visits. Presently 28 people from church are now homebound (in homes, hospitals, nursing homes or assisted living environments). A year ago there were 34 homebound. The goal of a monthly visit with prayer and Bible reading has been met for most people. In March, there were 61 visits to 28 homebound or hospitalized people made by Visitors, Parish Nurses and Pastor Joel. Instruction to prepare visitors to the homebound has been offered as requested. An appreciation potluck supper was held in September for the Visitors.

We have worked with Pastor Joel, the Wellness Advisory Team, the Caring Commission, Beth Brown and the Property and Finance Board, in recommending changes to improve accessibility and safety of the church. Specific areas include lighting, signage, identifying areas with potential for falls, wheelchair space within the sanctuary, drop-off space in front of entrance door to the elevator, and nursery cleaning guidelines.

Monthly Blood pressure screening took place through January 2007 under the direction of Apryl Hultstrand. Since that time blood pressure screening has been done on request.

Janice Schreck, a Bethel Parish Nurse student, completed her parish nurse internship with us in March. She plans to begin her ministry at Elim Baptist Church.

A great thanks to the members of the Wellness Advisory Team: Marilyn Fisher (Council), Ardese Barrett (Seniors ABF), Vanessa Becket and John Lande (Caring Commission) Carolyn Berg, and Phyllis Nordin for their support to this ministry.

We are thankful to be a part of the ministry team and appreciate opportunities to assist those facing life challenges. We have had the privilege of seeing spiritual growth, sometimes through great adversity. Goals for 2007-2008 are to add grief support, advanced directives and learning about our elders' life stories.

"Thanks a Latte" was the theme for the children's ministry appreciation lunch for all the leaders in children's ministry. With over 100 people attending we were able to show our thanks to all the very well-deserving group of committed, faithful partners in ministry who give much of their time to children and to serving Jesus!

In the past 2 years we have seen the number of children in our ministry double. In the year 2005-2006 the theme that stood out to me was growing, Growing, GROWING. As I look over this past year, 2006-2007, it's all the faithful partners in ministry that stand out to me, the large number of those serving kids that we are so blessed to have here at First Free. It's a privilege to have them on my team, and we as a church body need to recognize the importance of having adults work with our children, children that we want brought up with the foundation of Jesus. Let's look at the different areas where so many are serving.

14 preschool teachers have shared the responsibility of teaching nearly 30 preschoolers during the 1st service, ABF hour, and 2nd service. The teachers love working with this age group and these 2 1/2-5 year olds are an active, adorable group who love to play with trains, play with play-doh, listen to Bible stories and make crafts. These kids are also excited about the new "kid-size" toilet in their bathroom! The curriculum used here is HeartShaper by Standard Publishing.

Where can you find 70 volunteers...40 kids from First Free...40 kids from another church....40 kids who are non-churched...great storytellers...the best crafts...a slip 'n slide...and creative snacks from around the world? VBS of course! Kids learned how Jesus made a difference all over the world, and we brought the world here with special guests from First Free who came from China, Africa, and Mexico, along with missionaries from Guatemala, Africa, and Japan! This summer, I'm praying for more kids...and more volunteers (how about you?) as we travel to Avalanche Ranch.

13 men and women faithfully show up on Wednesday nights to lead and instruct nearly 80 kids, half of whom do not attend First Free on a regular basis. After a time of learning about godly women and praying, girls in grades 1-6 split into 2 groups: the younger girls joining to learn from FaithWeaver Friends and girls in grades 4-6 to learn from Faith 4 Life, both by Group Publishing. Our boys continue to use the Christian Service Brigade curriculum. It's great to see so many dads joining their 1st and 2nd grade boys for TreeClimbers. They have a blast learning about and exploring God's creation, bringing in men from the congregation to share their areas of expertise, such as sailing and fishing. Did you know you could fish off the balcony? The Stockade boys are fortunate to have many caring men come and teach them and have fun whittling wood, playing in the gym, and having an overnight at church!

Parents of our youngest friends are happy to drop off their children at our nursery because of so many that care for them during both services and the ABF hour. Nearly 45 men and women give an hour of their time monthly caring for infants and 2 year-olds. And what a blessing we have with our two nursery coordinators who so faithfully serve in these very busy rooms. We are always happy to welcome more nursery caregivers to share this meaningful responsibility. I also appreciated pairing up with the Parish Nursing Program to research and improve our cleaning procedures in the Nursery and Preschool areas.

A few leaders share the responsibility of teaching the Kindergarten thru 6th graders when they are dismissed from the two worship services. We appreciate them for giving of their time so we can offer Children's and Junior Church during both services. What a blessing! The K-3rd graders started the year by going through the Crown Ministries children's curriculum "The ABC's of Handling Money God's Way" and ended the year with studying the Fruits of the Spirit. The 4th-6th graders learn about various topics dealing with the Christian life and hear about different professions from adults in our congregation. This group had fun going on their annual fall hike and trip to the Science Museum.

9 teachers enjoy meeting in smaller size classes where kids break out into their own grade levels. 4th-6th grade teachers taught "The Secret of Handling Money God's Way" from Crown Ministries in the fall as did our adults. The K-5 teachers enjoy using the Route 52 curriculum by Standard Publishing, and the 6th graders learn how missions play a role around the world from Discipleland.

I appreciated the opportunity to attend the International Network of Children's Ministry Children's Pastors' Conference in San Diego in February. It was refreshing to join together with 1,300 adults who want to reach kids for Jesus, worshipping with them and hearing powerful speakers. I attended workshops ranging from Speed Stacks to Kids' Praise Music to Balancing Marriage and Ministry. While there I also ordered curriculum for Vacation Bible School. My highlight of the conference was hearing from Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales and Max Lucado. They encouraged me to keep my eyes continuously focused on God.

To provide a safe, fun environment where kids can come to know Jesus as their Savior, grow in their relationship with Him, and share their faith with others.

"I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together." Psalm 34:1-3

Indeed God has been gracious to us at First Free this past year. His Spirit has been very evident in our services as well as how He has led in the various areas of ministry. One very measurable way God has worked is in the area of our finances. You may recall at the end of our last fiscal year we had run a significant deficit, primarily because we had to replace our boiler system. Nevertheless, we felt led to actually increase our budget by 19% for the fiscal year 2006-2007. It was the longest Council meeting we have had since I became Chairman before we arrived at that increased budget decision. We really felt God was telling us the increase was necessary because of our growing congregation. However, we fully expected to run another deficit that we hopefully could make up the following year. When we were about $50,000 behind budget halfway through the fiscal year in September, the Council was wondering if perhaps we had made a mistake. We should not have been concerned-God had other plans. A few months later, by the end of the fiscal year on March 31, we had a deficit of only $4,000 or so in income which is just a little more than 0.5%! In addition everyone in all our ministry areas had worked hard to save money wherever possible. This effort resulted in spending about $15,000 less than the budget allowed. Therefore, we actually ended the fiscal year with about $10,000 MORE than we had when the year began. No one on the Council ever expected that! God surprised us all, and we thank Him.

We do thank our congregation for listening to God's voice in the area of giving. God doesn't drop money like manna at our doorstep. Instead He expects His people to listen and obey as He leads. Our congregation has done that this past year, and hopefully we have all learned something in the process. Now we must continue to listen to God in all areas of life. It is exciting to think about what surprises He may have in store for us this coming year. Perhaps there are some people we would like to see make a decision for Christ, or perhaps there is a health or job concern that seems difficult or overwhelming. God is able to work wonders in every area of life.

There is another area of giving I would like to encourage some to consider. That is the area of giving our time and talent to serving others. Christ himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35) Many people in our congregation are giving many hours each month serving others. Many others are not and this is not as it should be. I recently read about a congregation that required a certain number of hours of service each month as a condition for becoming a member of that congregation! That sounds pretty radical, but service really is not optional for a Christian. If you are currently not giving of your time and talent in any significant way, ask God to show you how He would have you serve. We would be thrilled if your service takes place at First Free, but if God calls you to meet other needs of your family, friends, or community, follow Him wherever He leads. He will answer your prayer as you make yourself available and surprise you with the amount of joy you will receive as you follow His example.

Those of us on the Council would like to thank the congregation for your support, suggestions, and prayers throughout this past year. We would ask that you continue to pray that God would give us wisdom and sensitivity as we seek His will during this coming year. We are honored to serve such a caring congregation. Finally, every one of us has people in our lives who need to hear God's message. Let us continually pray for one another that we would be faithful representatives of Him.

The Church Body has been busy caring this year. Here are some highlights from the Caring Commission on the caring that has been happening in our congregation.

Benevolent Fund - The church body has 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 members, regular attendees, and those within the church's neighborhood community.

Parish Nursing - Dee Huanca and Maureen Juarez have used their expertise in nursing to help assist the Pastor to meet the needs of our congregation. Parish Nurses provide counsel and spiritual support, encourage healthy lifestyles, find health resources, provide health information, and organize support groups. Their focus this past year was visitation to seniors of the church, preparing others to do visitation to those who are ill or not able to come to church. In the future they would really like to see their primary goal to be preventing illness, finding more health resources, providing more health information, and organizing support groups. They do all this work in coordination with the Wellness Team and the Pastor.

Visitation - Pastor Joel Sutton, Parish Nurses, and Volunteers have been busy this year keeping up with contacting and encouraging people in the hospital, other care facilities, and those who are shut in. Praise God for Maureen and Dee's wisdom and understanding of the medical field, so they can so appropriately assist church body members in their times of need.

Funeral Receptions - Betty Carlson and Phyllis Nordin head up the funeral receptions at church. They have done a great job of providing nice receptions for many families this past year.

Information Desk - Mae Olson maintains a very welcoming information desk on Sunday mornings. She's been busy with all of the visitors at church this past year. She continues to pass out visitor packets.

Welcome Force - Gen Erickson coordinates the greeters on Sunday mornings through the Adult Bible Fellowships. It has been wonderful to have greeters of all ages-both inside and outside! If you have noticed, there is a new guest reception area in the foyer after each service now.

Fellowship & Food - Mary Londborg and Paulette Goodman head up all of the kitchen's activities. They keep the food coming-both on Sunday mornings during donut time and for special events at church. Sunday mornings have been a wonderful time to meet with the church body as well as visitors.

Guest Luncheons - Pastor Eric Twietmeyer coordinates the catered luncheon once a month for newcomers. It's a great time for Pastor Joel Sutton, Joel's family, Pastor Eric and Erica Twietmeyer to get to know new people looking for more information about First Free.

We extend 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 the people in our church.

Our nurture ministries at First Free have continued to grow numerically and spiritually this year. Increasing numbers of kids and the move to two services, have meant increasing numbers of faithful workers investing their time and gifts in ministry. We are deeply grateful for our volunteers' service; we suspect they had a blast giving it!

Beth Brown continues to offer strong leadership with her ever-present smile, continually working to assist teachers and improve safety and program quality. Our youth programs, outreach and (most importantly) youth themselves have blossomed under Mark (and Melinda) Meyers' capable and Spirit-led leadership. God has richly blessed our church in these leaders for our young people! Be sure to read their reports for many encouraging and exciting highlights.

As a commission we had the privilege of helping 22 First Free kids (grades 1-12) experience camp at Shamineau, Rock Ridge and Nathanael last summer through camp scholarships. Another nineteen (and counting) have received camp scholarships for this coming summer.

Please continue to pray for our staff, our volunteer leaders and our kids as we seek to honor our God and raise up our next generation to serve Him.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

A simple thing God has taught me about worship that I'd like to share with you is that it has a lot to do about remembering-who God is and what He has done and continues to do for us, His people. We take communion and in so doing are to "remember/proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." (1 Cor.11:26) We are to "remember the Sabbath and keep it holy." (Ex. 20:8) The Israelites were to remember that they were slaves in Egypt and how God freed them, and pass that on to future generations. (Deut. 5:15) He wrote the 10 commandments on stone tablets so that they wouldn't forget their responsibilities to God. The Jews were entrusted with the very words of God, which have been passed on to all future generations. (Romans 3:2) God promises to remember his covenant with Abraham forever, which all true believers are subject to, and remember our sins no more. (Psalm 105:8 and Isaiah 43:25)

Wow-if we only reflect on a few things we know about God and then add what He's done for us and continues to do in our own lives, how can we do anything but worship Him?!

Eric, as the Worship Pastor, and the rest of the worship commission seek to plan each week to remind each of us of God's character and to engage our minds to reflect on what He's done for us. We hope and trust that the Spirit is at work among all within our church body.

Thanks to Pastor Eric and each commission member for the privilege it's been to share in this humbling and awe-inspiring process. Thanks to all the members of our church body who make our worship celebrations possible each week and for stretching themselves and their families to meet the two-service schedule; worship teams, sound booth operators, ushers, greeters, the worship band, orchestra and choir members, nursery workers, etc.. Thanks to Rick Olson for his inspired leadership of the choir! Last but not least, thanks to everyone who participates-may we bless each other as we seek to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. May our weekly worship times simply be an extension of our lives lived in an attitude of worship and love towards our Savior-24 hours a day, seven days a week!

The words of a familiar hymn come to mind as we celebrate another year of God's faithfulness…. "How can we say thanks, for the things you have done for us? ….the voices of a million angels could not express our gratitude! All that we are, and ever hope to be….we owe it all to Thee! To God be the Glory!"

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
Psalm 105:1

Praise God for His continual faithfulness and provision. He continues to grow First Free by providing us with members who have a heart to share the Gospel. Some go and some send; all serve for the glory of God.

Your faithfulness in supporting the Outreach budget honors God and should encourage each of us as we look forward to another year. Currently we support over 35 missionary couples and singles and several organizations. Our priority for the budget in the coming year is to increase our support for our missionaries. The 2007 / 2008 budget reflects this with a 6.5% increase over last year.

Our other goal as a commission is to increase our prayer support for our missionaries. Three different items are provided to help you in your commitment to pray: 1. Please remember to use the missionary prayer list on the back of the monthly calendar included with each mailing of the First Word newsletter. 2. Please take and read the missionary letters provided in the rack on the wall near the information booth. 3. Please take a look at www.firstfreechurch.org. Under the heading ministries, click on missions. We can't measure an increase in prayer like we can with the budget but a 100% increase in prayer is possible.

Thank you to all who have supported our missionaries and ministries this past year. A special thank you is in order for two faithful couples that have served the Lord for years. Bud & Beda Anderson and Harry & Lorraine Prins have both moved west to be closer to their families. We understand their decision, but we miss their willing hands and their servant hearts.

As we meet each month for our meetings we are blessed with good fellowship and to encourage and strengthen each other in our Christian walk.

Beda Anderson spoke to us in April, and we knew in the fall they would be moving to Colorado. We miss her very much.

Our June picnic was at Verna Beckman's. Nancy Fowler and Barb Olson led us in a songfest.

Various speakers have challenged us in different ways: Pastor Joel, Sheryll Erickson, Glenn Hultstrand, Carrie Boyum and Jessica McWilliams about MOPS, Delores Huanca and Audrey Sollie. In this way we will know how better to pray for them.

Our Christmas Luncheon, one of the highlights of our year, was again at Vi Fjellman's party room. Karin Olson spoke on "A Cup of Christmas Tea" about a great way we can show hospitality.

God has blessed us so that we have been able to give: $500 to Heat Your Seat, $200 to Camp Shamineau Scholarships, $200 to Youth Mission Trips, $200 to Glenn Hultstrand's mission trip, $500 to the Children's Shelter in Cebu, $100 to Scott Beckett for his faithfulness in setting up for us each meeting. We also sent Christmas money gifts to 16 missionaries. Thanks to all of you for your generous giving.

White Cross has been meeting each second Tuesday under the leadership of Phyllis Brown. Many busy hands rip, fold, sew, and roll bandages. Much is accomplished and the fellowship is great. Many baby quilts have been made and sold which helps pay for the postage to ship our boxes to Congo. $688 was sent along for postage. We want to encourage others to join us both for Women's Guild and White Cross. We need you!

Three of our ladies have gone to meet their Savior this year. They are Sheryll Erickson, Margaret Tuuri, and Della Bjork.

Thanks to all of you for your help in serving to make our meetings a good thing.

For those of us serving on the board, 2006 will not be a salient year in our memories. It was a year in which we spent conservatively, with a goal of coming in under budget. We undertook no capital projects this year but maintained the assets entrusted to us.

We are completing our first full year of our newly expanded Sunday morning program. The growth of our church body puts a greater burden on our church facility, and some of the limited-life building elements, like paint and carpets, are a testimony to that. Members of the Seniors Class painted their classroom and continued on through the gym. Thanks! The year ahead will see more paint and some carpet too.

Our church van provided added adventure for First Free travelers of all ages. Improvements were made to the transmission, suspension, and electrical systems. We are ending the year with a better and more reliable van. My thanks to Alan Peterson for rising to the challenge of bird-dogging the diagnoses and repairs, both locally and remotely.

We made improvements to the usability and safety of our property this year, though we have more work to do. Feel free to share with us your concerns.

This year, four of us will be ending our service to the F & P Board; they are Alan Peterson (Council), Charlie Sawyer (F & P Secretary), Peter McWilliams, and Hong Gu. I want to extend a warm thanks to each of you. I look forward to working with your replacements, but we may call on your expertise in the year ahead.

Thanks to everyone who helped the Finance & Property Board in our mission this year.

The audit committee will examine the financial records and statements of First Evangelical Free Church the week of May 6, 2007.

God did an amazing work in the hearts and pocketbooks of our congregation during 2006/2007. Our people gave $500,119 to Local Ministries, which was virtually equal to budget ($501,300). Expenditures were 2.5% under budget, resulting in an increase of $11,492 in the Local Ministries Fund balance. The balance of the Local Ministries Fund on March 31, 2007 was $115,248.

Our people gave $139,289 to the Outreach Fund in 2006/2007, which was just 0.5% short of budget. Outreach disbursements amounted to $131,173 during the year, resulting in an increase in the Outreach Fund of $8,116. The balance of the Outreach Fund was $48,716 on March 31, 2007.

Factoring in the non-budgeted funds, the church's cash balance at the end of the fiscal year was a healthy $229,745, or 17.0% higher than it was at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Note: For the complete treasurer's report and proposed budget for fiscal year 2007-2008, please contact the church office.