First Free Church 2007-2008 Annual Report

Senior Pastor

Worship & Connecting Ministries

Student Ministry

Creekside Friends Children's Ministry

Parish Nurses

Church Council Report

Finance and Property Board

Audit Committee

Treasurer's Report/Financial Statements

God has created us for His purposes, and God has 5 purposes for our lives. In this annual report I want to review God's five purposes for your life and how we as a church are doing in helping you fulfill those five purposes.

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.

First, the Bible tells us that you and I were created to love God. The Bible says that the entire universe was created simply so He could create the human race . . . so He could love us. We were created to be loved by God and to love God back. Loving God is to exalt God. Loving God is called worship.

For us, worship is first and foremost about exalting and celebrating Jesus Christ and His presence among us - realizing He is here with us when we gather as a congregation for worship. We celebrate this reality each week on Sunday mornings. Starting in the fall of 2007, we adjusted our two services so that they followed each other back to back. One of the results of this move is that it has shortened our morning and made it easier on those who are involved in leading worship. We have also seen our worship numbers at the 9:30 am service grow larger than those at the 11 am service. This past year we have continued to experience a steady growth, and so far in 2008 our Sunday morning worship attendance has averaged slightly over 444 people.

Attendance numbers are not the bottom line for us. Rather it is "Are we developing worshipers of God?" Here at First Free we dream of a worshiping church, one which is leading more and more people into the very presence of God.

Second, the Bible tells us that you and I were created for God's family. We were created to get into a relationship with other believers. God has designed us to connect to others.

We kicked off the fall of 2007 in a 6-week sermon series entitled, "The Master-Built Community". We talked about loving one another, encouraging one another, serving one another and some of the other "one another's" of Scripture. Out of that series, we launched over 16 small groups for the purpose of putting these "one another's" into practice. Then this past winter we re-launched a few more small groups. Small groups will continue to be a major tool we will use to connect people to the larger body of Christ.

Another tool for connecting people to our church, of course, is our Adult Bible Fellowships. The major reason we adjusted our Sunday morning schedule this past fall was to allow for more growth in our ABFs. We also added a Parents of Teenagers ABF. We dream of a church here at First Free where every attendee is connected to an Adult Bible Fellowship or a small group in such a way that they belong and are known.

Third, God created us to become like Christ. In other words God wants us to grow up spiritually. Our word for it here at First Free is to mature. Your spiritual growth is our goal. With that in mind, I have met monthly with our ABF leaders, to sharpen and develop each of them so that our ABFs might continue to be a place where people not only get connected but are challenged to develop the character and priorities of Christ. We have enjoyed good numbers at our weekly prayer meetings on Wednesday nights and at our church-wide concerts of prayer called Fresh Encounters. Our children and youth Sunday morning classes have grown and our nursery is full. We dream of a spiritually maturing body that is growing in their spiritual character of love, servanthood, and godliness; becoming more like Christ on a daily basis.

Fourth, we were "Shaped" to Serve God. Any time you actually use your "SHAPE" you are doing ministry. As a church we want to equip you for your God-given ministry. Did you realize that First Free is a church of over 400 ministers of Jesus Christ? Why? Because over 400 people consider this their church home. Ministry is not the exclusive property of pastors - it belongs to the people. Adults and children, men and women, new Christians and mature Christians . . . every single one is a minister of God. We dream of being a church where each person finds a place that God has for him/her to serve Him, and they serve Him to the best of their strength.

Fifth, God created us for a mission, and the mission God has given to each of us is to bring people to Christ. As a church our goal is to work in partnership with you so that you can fulfill the mission God has given you. Our dream is to be a church that works in partnership with you; enabling you to reach out with Christ's love to your unchurched friends and neighbors.

In the year of 2007, we lit the candle that sits on top of the organ 20 times, and we celebrate each of those new lives that were brought to Christ. But we need to be renewed in this area, because it is so easy for us to become distracted by life personally. It is too easy for us as a church to get busy with other things so that we are no longer living out this partnership.

Last year we sent out a number of mission teams - including several summer youth teams and a couple of adult teams. Not only are we committed to supporting missions through prayer and giving, but we dream of being a church that sends a tithe of our members across the world to bring Christ to the nations.

Finally, I need to once again say thank you to the staff God has put around me. Cindy Sawyer has been wonderful in the office - keeping things running smoothly. The ministry staff of Pastor Eric, Pastor Mark, Beth Brown, Maureen Juarez, and Dee Huanca continues to be invaluable. Scott Beckett and Julie Groethe have done more behind the scenes than I can ever be aware of. Why not sit down and write a thank you note to one of these staff members for their invaluable ministry!

Steve Mondy is finishing his time as Chairman of the Council. Steve has been an outstanding partner in leading the church. Not only have I watched his golf game mature, but I have watched him lead our council and church with wisdom and grace. I have greatly appreciated his insight, his friendship and his heart for God. Thank you, Steve, for your invaluable ministry.

I pray that as we move into the next year, our vision for what God has called us to will be renewed.

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.

Worship Commission - As a worship commission we administered a congregation-wide survey to get feedback about our services. From that survey we learned that we need to continue to educate people about what worship is and how we are doing it corporately.

Adult Orchestra - played 5 times. Thanks to Heidi St. Clair who stepped up to help with communications, and Jerry McDonald who conducted and helped us grow as musicians

Youth Orchestra - played twice at Christmas and in the spring. Thanks to Cheryl Polland and Jerry McDonald for helping us to encourage young musicians to use their abilities in worship.

Choir - sang several times throughout the year. Rick Olson continues to direct and lead the choir in performing both contemporary and traditional repertoire. Debbie Smith accompanies and encourages as well.

Bands - We are able to have two full bands rotate on a regular basis. Welcome to new folks and praise God for our stand-bys!

Worship Vocalists - We held a vocal workshop this past winter and continue to challenge ourselves to grow in vocal expressiveness in worship. Thanks to Debbie Smith and Kris Larson!

Drama/Scripture Team - I arranged both Christmas Eve and Good Friday to have powerful dramatic presentations of Scripture. Thanks to our actors!

Musical Worship Development - Brian Bartle leads a guitar class each Wednesday night for 3 students. They perform once a semester to encourage worship musician development. Barb Olson is growing musicians through private piano and voice lessons. Thanks Brian and Barb!

Children's Music - I led a band for VBC this past year, a couple times in the fall, and a children's musical in the spring. Thanks to the musicians and all who helped!

Youth Worship - Deanna Symington and Phil Lindholm stepped up to the plate to lead worship for the student ministry on a regular basis. Students are really engaged in singing with them. Praise God for Deanna and Phil!

Technical/Support Team - We recruited a couple of new men for the sound booth and trained them this past year. Thanks to Matt Beckett, Jim Friesen, Phil Hintz, Hong Gu, Pete McWilliams, Adam Nordell and others who serve behind the scenes!!! We also changed the staging up front a little for more flexibility.

Visual Team - Week in and week out, Karen Beckett sets up and proofs PowerPoint slides for congregational use. Tiana Toso has volunteered her time as an artist. Thanks Karen and Tia!

God was gracious in leading me to some online planning software which has really helped keep us organized and share the load of service preparation.

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 them, and equipping them. In a similar way, our church is called to connect with everyone we come in contact with.

We continued our efforts to welcome newcomers through 4 guest luncheons this past year. Some 40 people attended, were well fed and given the opportunity to meet the staff and consider their next steps. Many of these folks are now actively a part of ministries, small groups or ABFs. The goal of connection is being achieved. Thanks to Cindy Larson for taking on the role of coordinating guest luncheons!

Gen Erickson continues to recruit greeters from ABFs. . . many comments comeback about our welcoming church due to the ministry of the greeters. Thanks Gen!
Donna Larson oversees the North Door Greeters, making our church more friendly for the less able. Thanks for your heart of compassion, Donna!
John Lande and the Ushers (a good name for a band, I think) meet the needs of guests and regulars weekly as they meet and assist people on Sunday mornings. Thanks John!
Mae Olson and Myrl Glockner have served faithfully at the Welcome Center all year and now have decided to turn things over to a new team. They have been especially helpful in training and setting up others to succeed in their new position. Thanks Mae and Myrl!

Our fall small group kickoff "The Master-built Community" yielded 15 groups and 162 participants. Several groups have morphed, been added to or stopped over the last months. We now stand at 10 groups and 80 participants, which is an expected drop. We look forward to further engineering connection/growth in small groups as our directors meet and train leaders for another fall kick-off. Thank you to Brian & Jennifer Bartle for all your work in birthing these groups! Thank you to the many small group leaders willing to host, teach, and take a risk with new folks. The adventure is just beginning.

"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."

Over the course of this year our church has become a more loving community, and the student ministry has done the same. Students have begun to build some solid biblical community: caring for each other, praying for each other, seeing needs and trying to help. This year there have been quite a few new students that have been openly accepted into the group. It has been interesting to watch students figure out how to accept others in the group while still having and keeping the friendships they have with other students.

Again this year, sharing the relationship we have with Jesus with our friends, family members and others in our lives was a big focus. We did an eight-week series where students were challenged to take it further than just presenting truths to people about Christ. They were challenged instead to live a life that is in love with Jesus and to share the relationship they have with Him while in relationship with others. It doesn't sound like a novel approach, but for the students who got this idea that evangelism isn't something I do but it is something I am, this has really impacted their lives. This year there were nearly 80 students at the NYE outreach and 50 students at the City Wide scavenger hunt outreach. Our students are bringing their friends to the events where Christ will be presented, but the goal for this year is that they would bring their friends to regular old youth group. This is where Christ is lived and where their friends can have a chance to slowly take in this Christian thing and choose what they want to do out of relationship and time.

The area of growth and discipleship is key to ministry. This year it has been great watching our students as they walk on this section of the path in their journey with God. Some students have moved from, "I hate church" to "it's okay". Other students have moved from "I love church and want to be here all the time" to "I love God and want to serve him in His church" and everything in between. Sure we have had students who took steps back in their journey with God, but it is a journey where mistakes can be very, very important when we do reach the destination. We must remember as we watch students in their walk with God that the journey is just as important as the destination. Let's encourage and build our students up as they journey to and with God.

This year it was great seeing students wrestle through the ideas of justice, mercy and service over the FOCUS weekend. Students became the poor, middle class and rich. Through this they have a more biblical view of their role as servants. Our students met the needs of individuals with whom we made contact through Community Emergency Services. In one evening at Feed My Starving Children, they packed enough food to feed 38 children for a year. They did more than just meet some needs. Some of them are beginning to realize they have a responsibility to serve and are beginning to do something about it even when they are not told to by their leaders.

It was also a great blessing to see our church step up and stand behind our students going on mission trips this summer. In one night we were able to raise over $11,000. Thank you, church, and please pray for God to work through these experiences.

The prayer and hope is that everything we do will make God smile. I believe that many of the choices our students are making do that. Our students don't realize it, but it is clear to those who observe them that they truly are beginning to understand worship - that it is about more than singing and praying. Worship is the attitude of your heart and the actions of your life. Many of our students are showing a true heart of worship, and I hope God is smiling.

The Student ministry could not happen without the direct support of volunteers and parents. Many thanks to Johanna Holliday, Chad and Heidi Hollinbeck, Phil Lindholm, Sherrie McClun, Patty Mellema, 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.

"ALL ABOUT KIDS! Cultivating small seeds, bearing big fruit!" was the theme for the Children's Pastors' Conference I attended in San Diego in March. Just imagine 1600 children's leaders gathered together with one mission in mind: KIDS! There is nothing more important than leading children to Christ, guiding them as they grow in their faith and helping families on this journey. We have the honor and pleasure of ministering to children at First Free. This past year has been an amazing ride, and I look forward to next year with all of its wonderful challenges that lie ahead.

Seeds were planted in 185 developing hearts and minds as we took a "wild ride through God's word" during our Vacation Bible Camp (VBC!) in July. God is Real! God is with Us! God is Strong! God is Awesome! God is in Charge! These were the simple, yet powerful messages during our week of Vacation Bible Camp. We were hoping and praying for about 120 kids to come and God brought 60 more! We had a blast at our "Avalanche Ranch" where over 80 volunteers served the children. Beyond our First Free kids, 96 "friends" were invited and we had to order more cowboy boot mugs to reward the friends! Lives were also touched across the world as the kids at VBC stuffed "prayer bears" for our featured missionaries, the Conrads, to pass out to children in Japan. It certainly was my favorite week of the year!

Seeds were spreading each Wednesday night as more kids were invited to our kids clubs! Yes, the kids kept inviting their friends! I have met many parents on Wednesday nights whose children are here because they heard about our church through their children's friends or at school. Kids are raving about the fun they have at church! We also held the "Harvest Trick-or-Pumpkin-a-bob-Thing" on Halloween, which fell on a Wednesday this year. Kids had fun rolling pumpkins, eating nachos and cheese, jumping in an inflatable jumper, and more! The volunteers had fun, too! We are blessed with 18 men and women who have committed their Wednesday nights to showing God's love to at least 90 1^st through 6^th graders.

The nursery continues to be a busy place …and more babies are on their way. Each Sunday 12 caregivers get to rock, play with, and be amused by these adorable babies and young toddlers. I am so thankful for Mary Bostrom and Lori Peterson who care for the youngest in our church body each Sunday morning. The families will miss Lori in the nursery for now, but we are so appreciative of all the seeds she has planted and will continue to plant!

Preschool seeds are sprouting in our fastest growing group of 2½ to 5 year-olds! There is a lot of energy in our preschool rooms, especially in our 2's and 3's room which has been nearing 20 kids. What an opportunity we and our fabulous preschool teachers have to influence these little ones and to encourage their parents.

Cultivating seeds during Children's/Junior Church and Bible Time has proved to be a welcomed challenge with increasing numbers since the fall. With the new format in the fall of 2 services and ABFs meeting simultaneously, we provided children's programming during the entire morning. In December we changed our Sunday morning format so that kids could experience worship and observe their parents worship in the sanctuary then be dismissed from the service. I appreciate the teachers for being supportive of the schedule and for serving the children so faithfully.

At church, we can do our part to build relationships with children and plant seeds. We also realize that we have these opportunities just a few hours each week. The Creekside Friends children's ministry will continue to enjoy building relationships with our surrounding community!

"May the God of hope fill you with all peace and joy as you trust in Him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13

This marks the end of the third year of the Parish Nurse ministry at First Free Church.

We continued in the role of Visitation Pastor at First Free Church, making an average of 22 visits a month over the past year. The focus was on visiting people in the congregation who could not come to church, or those experiencing other crises. This year the visitation ministry included people of all ages.

A class to prepare members to visit persons who were homebound was offered twice in the past year. Many visitors who completed the class chose homebound people to visit each month. Our goal was that all homebound persons receive at least one visit per month by a parish nurse or a trained visitor who would visit, read scripture, and pray with them. In April 2008 there were 29 homebound people on the list, not including those in hospitals.

We continued to assess needs and recommend changes to address accessibility and safety issues in and around the church. The support of Pastor Joel, the Wellness Advisory Team, the Caring Commission, Beth Brown (Children's Director) and the Property and Finance Board was vital in accomplishing change.

Members of the Wellness Advisory Team (Marilyn Fisher (Council), Ardese Barrett/Char Boyles (Seniors ABF), Mark Poston (Caring Commission), John Lande, Carolyn Berg, and Phyllis Nordin (Finance and Property Board) met regularly and provided suggestions and support for the Parish Nurse Ministry.

Blood Pressure Screening was halted in January 2007 but resumed in March 2008 under the direction of Christina Olson. It takes place the second Sunday of each month.

In July 2007, Hennepin County awarded us a grant to gather life stories of Seniors to share with others in the congregation. Some of the many stories that resulted were published in the monthly newsletter from church and in a Veterans Day pamphlet, raising awareness of the wonderful Christian heritage that exists at First Free. This project was very effective in helping people to connect with one another.

We delight to be a part of the First Free ministry team and are thankful for opportunities to work with many in the congregation. It is encouraging to see spiritual growth amidst some very difficult circumstances.

1. Oversee the visitation ministry and preparation of visitors to the homebound,

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations."
Psalm 100

All of us here at First Free can echo the words of the psalmist, and we do each week in our worship services! Psalm 100 is a short psalm, but it certainly captures the spirit of our congregation that I sense as we meet together to sing and to listen to God's voice from His word. We genuinely do have much for which to be thankful.

In particular as we think about the last line of the psalm, we can look back to 1884 when First Free was founded many years ago. God has indeed been faithful to us for many generations. We have a great heritage. We also have a great responsibility to continue to follow God's leading so that future generations will be able to say the same thing. God's blessing is not something we should take for granted. Although God is anxious to give good things to His children, we can prevent Him from doing so by not listening to His voice. We need to have an on-going attitude of dependence on Him, just like sheep depend on their shepherd for every aspect of their lives. It is a pleasant picture to think about sheep enjoying being sheep under the watchful care of the shepherd. Storms and other threats may come, but the sheep are not smart enough nor strong enough to deal with those things without the shepherd.

The First Free congregation has weathered various "storms" during its long life. Currently we seem to be experiencing a relative calm with lots of sunshine. God has been very good to us and all of our lives are hopefully being transformed to more accurately reflect Him to a needy world. Many people, myself included, have commented about how exciting it is to have such a diversity in ages, races, and nationalities in our congregation. It would be wonderful to see even more of this kind of diversity in the future as a living example to the world that God's message is truly for all people.

However, our enemy will work hard to resist the cause of Christ. One area where a diverse congregation is particularly vulnerable is in the matter of unity. Common sense says that the greater the diversity, the greater the potential for disunity. All we have to do is look around the world and look back through history to see the strife that can result when people have different views, nationalities, skin colors, etc. Only the Good Shepherd can keep peace in His diverse flock. Where people pay little or no attention to the Shepherd, trouble is sure to follow. However, as we listen to His voice, we can shine brightly for Him. We can display unity where the world would expect disunity. We can shine like the burning bush that Moses encountered. And, just as Moses marveled at the unusual sight of a bush burning without being consumed, people will be attracted by the burning of God's Spirit in a group that normally would be consumed by diversity.

The Council is thankful for your remembering us in prayer this past year. God has given us a spirit of unity even though our Council is also diverse. Our meetings have been joyful even when we were involved in discussions where different points of view were expressed. Ultimately God led us to solutions upon which we all could agree.

On a personal note I would like to thank the entire congregation for allowing me to serve as Council Chair for the past four years. It has been both a humbling and rewarding experience. There should be a very smooth transition as Alan Peterson assumes the Council Chairmanship on June 1. He has had previous experience, and I expect God to give him wisdom as he submits to His leading. Thank you again for the support you have given me.

The Caring Commission continues its important function of looking after the physical and spiritual needs of the members of our church body.

We are meeting these needs in several ways. The Benevolent Fund is one important facet of our ministry. We have had many requests from both members of our church body and from people who are not connected to the church. Even though the Benevolent Fund is healthy, the Caring Commission feels a strong responsibility to be wise in the use of the funds. We are conscious of the current economic condition of our nation and prayerfully consider each request.

Our Parish Nurses provide an invaluable service. They visit members of our church whether the member is in the hospital, recuperating at home, living in a nursing home, or unable to get out on their own. They also train those who are interested in visiting. Each visitor is greatly appreciated by those they see and by the family members of the person visited.

Those volunteers who staff the Welcome Booth are very important because they encourage visitors to continue attending First Free. We are grateful for all the volunteers who help First Free put its best foot forward. We are especially grateful for Mae Olson and Myrl Glockner and give them a big "Thank You" for staffing the Welcome Booth. They have now decided to step aside. Thank you, Mae and Myrl, for getting the Welcome Booth started and for faithfully overseeing that ministry for the last several years.

At Thanksgiving First Free donated over 1200 pounds of food to Community Emergency Services Food Shelf.

We had a pizza party at church for men and boys who watched the Men's NCAA Basketball Final game. The party was well attended.

Last year we had the lakeside baptism and picnic at Lake Nokomis. The lakeside baptism and picnic are coming up in August. We are also planning Summer Fellowship Dinners for July or August.

We look forward to another year of ministering to those in need both within and outside of our church body.

It's been another exciting year of growth and change for our nurture ministries at First Free. Increasing numbers of faithful workers invested their time and gifts in ministry to our steadily increasing congregation of kids, youth and adults. We are deeply grateful for our volunteers' service; we suspect they had a blast giving it! The move to the new ABF/service format required much planning and work, but brought us much relief in the way of available space for our growing Sunday school, youth church and ABF programs.

Beth Brown continues to lead with enthusiasm, professionalism and that ever-present smile, maintaining and expanding our strong children's ministry. Under Mark (and Melinda) Meyers' dynamic and Spirit-led leadership, we are seeing more youth come to church, come to Christ and come to know Him at a deeper level. 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. We are also seeing our adult ABFs grow and are working to expand support for them.

As a commission we had the privilege of helping 25 First Free kids (grades 1-12) experience camp at Shamineau, Rock Ridge and Nathanael last summer, through camp scholarships. Another eighteen (and counting) have received camp scholarships for this coming summer.

Please continue to pray for our staff, our volunteer leaders and all our learners -kids, youth, and adults- as we seek to honor God, come to know Him better, and raise up our next generation to serve Him.

It has been a season of growth for the worship ministry here at First Free. We have grown in numbers, as God has blessed us with the welcome addition of several new musicians and tech team volunteers. We have worked on growing our vocalists, using tools such as a Vocal Artistry workshop in January. We have also worked on growing as a commission and as worship leaders. One particular process involved our Worship Vision Statement:

Our worship at First Evangelical Free Church seeks to EXALT God through Spirit and truth, CELEBRATE God for who He is and what He has done, and RESPOND to God through service.

We began formally evaluating how well we are fulfilling this Worship Vision Statement and its attendant Values in Worship (eleven Biblically-based principles to further flesh out this statement in more specific and practical ways). As a valuable part of this process, we conducted a survey through our ABF classes, specifically designed with these values in mind. We have reviewed the responses, and will continue to spend time over the next few months looking more in-depth into the issues raised. We will also be discussing ways to educate the church body on what worship is and what we envision it to actually look like here at First Free, all while seeking God's guidance.

That brings us to a final area of growth, one that is the driving force behind all that we do: We as a body of believers have been called to worship our great, powerful and loving God. Helping one another to grow in that worship is what we ultimately desire to accomplish. It is an ongoing process; a process in which Christ must be the center.

As we grow together, may we join our hearts with the angels around the throne, saying, "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" (Revelation 7:12)

First Free has been blessed with a vital ministry in missions for well over a century. Over the years we have seen many go and serve faithfully. We have also been a congregation of faithful senders working here at home to support, pray, and encourage others as they leave us to serve God.

Last October Jim Grosz, GP and Nancy Foote, and Tom and Mary Bussard visited us. First Free has supported all three of these families for many years and each of them is involved in student ministry. Jim, who grew up at First Free, shared about his ministry on a Saturday evening and preached at both services on Sunday morning. The Footes updated us on their ministry during the first ABF hour, and the Bussards presented their ministry during the second.

On Outreach Sunday last February, Lareau and Evie Lindquist and David and Patsy Alfors were with us. The Linquists, who both grew up at First Free, explained Barnabas International and how their role with Barnabas is changing. Lareau preached at both services on Sunday. Dave and Patsy spoke during both ABF hours dressed, as they normally would be, in Cameroon, Africa.

This past year has also been a year for short-term mission trips for several in our congregation. Members traveled to Canada, Dominican Republic, and Peru. Our youth ministry has had a strong emphasis on missions in the past and this will continue this summer with a number of short-term trips planned. To encourage these things the Outreach budget has increased budgeted funds for short-term missions by $5,000. We have also proposed that $2,500 be set aside for youth mission scholarships for those in need of financial aid as determined by the Youth Pastor and his staff.

Two special offerings were collected this past year. The Thanksgiving offering was given to Community Emergency Services to buy food for their food drive in November. We have also increased our support for CES by $1,000 per year. The other special offering collected was the Christmas Card Fund. This offering was given to the EFCA project BIBLES FOR CONGO. Civil war in that part of the world has led to a severe shortage of Bibles, and the EFCA has been a leader in helping to replace them.

New for this year is our support of Jack and Beth Thompson who have served with the EFCA for years and had considered Central Free their home church. They both have a teaching background and will be living in Budapest, Hungary. We have also initiated support for Shamineau East while we continue to support Camp Shamineau in Motley, Minnesota.

This past year, Laura Snyder returned from her two-year commitment in England with Operation Mobilization. We pray for her as she continues to seek God's leading in her life. Enrique and Becky Fernandez have also followed God's call and relocated to Costa Rica. They continue to serve with the EFCA as part of LATN - Latin America Training Network. We praise God for these and others who are willing to go and we respect their commitment.

Sending also takes commitment. It takes time, it takes money, and it takes prayer. Our hope and prayer as a commission is that as we experience new growth as a church we will also experience new commitment to evangelize the world. We need everyone to commit to a ministry of serving as senders. "How can they preach unless they are sent?"

"How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth."
Psalm 47:2

Our ladies have been faithful in coming out to our meetings each month. Thanks to all who have helped and served. The fellowship is great.

Grace Vandervort decided to become Mrs. Michael Beck and moved to Canada. We miss her very much. Lee Kowalski has taken over her responsibilities.

Various missions have been highlighted by speakers, Marlys Healy from Children's Shelter of Cebu., Jul Stone, Diane C., Patsy Alfors, and Julie Morgenstern. Beth Brown and Pastor Joel also spoke.

The Christmas luncheon was at Vi Fjellman's party room, and we always have a good group. Johanna Holliday and her children made the Christmas story come alive with their presentation. Shoe boxes were filled with toys, tooth brushes, tooth paste, candy and gift items and were brought to the Marie Sandvik Mission.

Because of the generous giving of our ladies, we were able to give monies to several mission groups and Christmas gifts to our missionaries. Thanks so much.

Phyllis Brown heads up White Cross which meets each month to rip, sew, fold and roll bandages and cut squares. This is a great need in Africa. Please join us!

Finance and Property is more than just bricks, mortar and counting money. It encompasses the many talents and skills that each board member brings to the table. With several new members on the board this year, we've all had to go through on-the-job training, as there is no step by step approach on how things are to be accomplished. There are always going to be aesthetic type issues brought to the board, and these are the hardest to address since opinions vary. There is a strong interaction between the board and the paid on-site staff who see what needs to be done and make suggestions on how to handle it. It is the board that decides what the priorities are and how much is in the budget to deal with them.

Most of the past fiscal year has been devoted more toward the future (fiscal 2008-2009) and making plans and schedules for doing renovations that have not been done for several years. We are consistently vigilant to be faithful stewards of budgeted funds.

The first order of business was to replace the aging telephone system with updated communication features. Upgrades were approved to sound equipment in the sanctuary. An assessment of all church facilities was conducted in November. Toward the ending of the cooling season last year, one of two air conditioning units broke down, and it needs to be replaced. Recently bids were received and a contract signed to replace the unit at $28,000. Almost all of the carpeting in the facility was last replaced in the mid 1980's and is definitely showing wear. Because of the large capital outlay, it was decided to phase in the replacement with the most needed sections being done first. In the first part of June, carpet in the lower level of the older section of the building is being replaced at a cost of $21,000.

The board is looking forward to the new year with visible improvements taking place throughout the church facility.

The Audit Committee has examined the financial statements and supporting records of First Evangelical Free Church for the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2008. In our opinion, the financial statements fairly present the results of operations for the fiscal year and the financial condition as of March 31, 2008.

God's sovereignty over the finances of our church was once again evident during the 2007/2008 fiscal year. Our people gave $530,178 to Local Ministries, which for the second consecutive year was virtually equal to budget ($531,085). Expenditures were 2.9% over budget, resulting in a decrease of $16,050 in the Local Ministries Fund balance. The balance of the Local Ministries Fund on March 31, 2008 was $99,198.

The people of First Free gave $145,091 to the Outreach Fund in 2007/2008, which was just 0.8% short of budget. Outreach disbursements amounted to $142,338 during the year, resulting in an increase in the Outreach Fund of $2,753. The balance of the Outreach Fund was $51,469 on March 31, 2008.

Factoring in the non-budgeted funds (memorial gifts, etc.), the church's cash balance at the end of the fiscal year was a healthy $292,647, or 27.4% higher than it was at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Note: For the complete treasurer's report and proposed budget for fiscal year 2008-2009, please contact the church office.