2014

ANNUAL REPORT

FAYETTEVILLE, AR

Clint Schnekloth, Pastor

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Pastor’s Report…….............................................................................................................................3

Statistics..............................................................................................................................................6

Council Reports..................................................................................................................................7

Staff Reports.....................................................................................................................................11

Love Bear Ministry............................................................................................................................13

Prayer Chain......................................................................................................................................13

Treasurer’s Reports..........................................................................................................................14

Congregational Meeting Minutes....................................................................................................20

2014 GSLC Council

President Angie Albright/Bob Kroening

Vice President Bob Kroening/Marilyn Hoke

Past President Tom Stockland

Secretary Michael Beaver/Penny Storms

Treasurer Dale Krummel

Worship & Music Linda O’Connell

Building Mark Dilday

Grounds Stephen Heard/Don Catanzaro

Stewardship Brett Aggus

Social Ministry Kathy Stinson

Finance Amy Robertson-Gann/Tom Hollopeter

Evangelism Greg Moody

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10 Spiritual Practices for GSLC in 2015 This year is a chance to cultivate a new habitus. I'm hoping our faith community will increasingly exercise some of these. I offer them in the spirit of mutuality. Perhaps you will cultivate some of them in the places you live, and you will offer your own in the comments.

Both/And Thinking Too many people think either/or. Either you like contemporary worship and dislike traditional worship, or you like traditional worship and dislike contemporary wor-ship. Either you are good at working with children, or you are good at working with the elderly. Either this group can have its way, or that group can have its way.

But much of life needn't be either/or. Instead, cultivate both/and thinking. Just be-cause somebody has a gift in one area doesn't mean they lack gifts in all others.

Sometimes in the church we call this the difference between a gospel of scarcity vs. a gospel of abundance. Either/or thinking assumes there is never enough to go around. Either you are rich or you are poor, and somebody else's success is at your expense. A gospel of abundance assumes that there is enough to go around, that the arrival of newcomers in a congregation is also good for old comers, and that long-standing members have gifts to share with those who are new.

Cooperation, not competition, is the name of the game. Everybody has a ministry in this church. What's yours? Nobody bottle necks ministry in the church. Committees don't exist to tell people whether they can or can't do the thing God is calling them to. Instead, everybody has a ministry, and the only question remains, "What's yours?" People don't share ideas to get other people to do them. Ideas are owned. If you want to see something happen, you help make it happen. Re-rooting in the neighborhood Lots of churches float like Laputa above the neighborhoods in which they are situat-ed. They may have elaborate theories in place about love of neighbor, but they know very few of their actual neighbors... and their neighbors don't know them. So adapt at least some of the lovely ministries the congregation organizes to get out and be in the neighborhood of the church. Or just get out and walk. Walking is a completely under-utilized and under-valued spiritual practice. We could do a lot worse for our neighborhoods than simply walk them and pray while we walked. Who knows what we might encounter? This concept of re-rooting is described especially well in The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches Are Transforming Mission, Discipleship and Community .

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Get real about social issues Faith communities do a bit of soft talk about social justice issue, but our walk is con-siderably less than adequate. Take, for example, the argument in Dear White Chris-tians (Prophetic Christianity) , where Jennifer Harvey proves rather convincingly that the Christian desire for reconciliation is misguided, because of the incommensurabil-ity of the experience of race of blacks vs. whites, and thus a reparations paradigm is better. Or A Framework for Understanding Poverty; A Cognitive Approach , which il-lustrates how little most faith communities are actually aware of how they are bound and constrained by assumptions about class and wealth. Equip one another, and learn in community We need each other for challenge and growth. Christian leaders who organize hud-dles, learning communities designed for discipleship and leadership development, often note that essential to such groups is an appropriate balance of invitation and challenge. We need each other for mutual encouragement and invitation, and we also need each other to challenge each other, so we can observe, act from, and learn from, the kairos moments God places in our lives. Are you in a group that challenges you? Are you being discipled and discipling? Create safe space for faith exploration Sometimes I think the most apt description of the kind of spirituality we host in the ELCA, and the kind of spirituality I attempt to host as a pastor, is to create safe space for exploration in faith. Rather than giving all the answers, are we creating space for everyone to raise, identify, and ask questions? Is it okay to doubt, struggle, wonder? In our own congregation, one of the primary places people feel safe doing this kind of exploration is in our catechumenal process. Lay led bible study gathering around the gospel from Sunday morning brings our lives into conversation with the text, trusting that the Holy Spirit is present wherever this is happening. Art Oh wow, if only the church were known as the go-to place for art. Oh wait, it already is! Just think about it. Where else can you hear live music every single week for free? Where else can you join with others in boisterous song and not have to drink? Where else are instruments themselves art (organs)? Of course there are many places that offer space for art, from community centers to public school. But it is worth noting that the church is an art house, and if we let it be so, it can often be a mighty fine one. It takes much work to strive for excellence, and sometimes the church has traded in rather mediocre fair, but we are up to the challenge of Arcade Fire or Banksy. We can make beautiful things. To reach people we've never reached, we'll need to go places we've never gone

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CONGREGATIONAL STATISTICS

WORSHIP SERVICES

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Average Sunday Attendance: 225 253 258 255

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Special Services:

Ash Wednesday 131 177 148 167 187

Maundy Thursday 84 98 90 67 81

Good Friday 120 135 99 109 100

Easter Vigil 112 130

Easter Sunday 502 550 491 568 496

Christmas 406 467 491 407 332

Baptisms

Avery Linn King

Andrew Zane Rongers

Alexandra Joy Battjes

Colin Ross Battjes

Nina Simone Davis

Lilliana Gomez

Cody Michael Wilson

Aubrey Raye Runa

Elizabeth Jayne Heard

Samantha Rosso

Francis Bernard Klimek V

Morgan Ruth Gabrielle Harrell

Alyster Henry Knouff

Catherine Ann McGinty

Hettie Lou Mincy

Deaths

George David Oleson

Virginia Payne

Annette Margaret Krummel

Henrietta Swacina

James Delbert Gibson

Richard C. Long

Walter Wesley Laster

Phillip David Cotterman

David Freeman

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REPORTS NOT SUBMITTED—COUNCIL PRESIDENT’S REPORT, STEWARDSHIP ,

BUILDING, EVANGELISM

FINANCE COMMITTEE 2014 - Tom Hollopeter

Assumed Financial Chair July 2014 Was given committee: Joe Campbell, Bill Golbuff, Dale Krummel, Kraig Olejniczak, Donn Johnson

Summary

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Methodology Meet with committee in August: Developed “mission based” zero base budget concept. Approved by Council. Completed process for September meeting.

Continued to meet with committee

Staff Revised Job Description

CVA's and Goals

Budget Plan Budget Roll up Counsel Approval

Pastor Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

PNC Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Youth Director Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Parish Nurse Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Educational Director Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Music Director Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Administrative Assistant Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Custodian Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Council

President Done September 10th September 15th

Finance Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Grounds Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Secretary Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Evangelism Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Stewardship Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Building Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Social Ministry Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Worship & Music Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Treasurer Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Financial Secretary Done Done September 10th September 15th

Committees

Audit Committee Done September 10th September 15th

Personnel Committee Done September 10th September 15th

Librarian Done Done Done September 10th September 15th

Constitutional Committee September 10th September 15th

PNC Oversight September 10th September 15th

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Presented Budget to congregation and held two Q & A sessions at Sunday school hour. Aided with Stewardship Campaign.

After campaign meet numerous time with committee to revise budget, presented re-vised budget to congregation. Final proposal was attempt to provide a balanced budg-et that would not consume the remaining cash reserves. It also laid out the role of the finance committee as review agent for the budget.

Budget presented at December Congregational Meeting for approval. An open ended un-vetted budget was passed by the congregation.

Please see the 2014 calendar of events to accompany this report. We donated our loose change and good will offerings this year to ELCA World Hunger (Lenten Soup Suppers) and to Meals on Wheels. We received partnership funds from Thrivent Fi-nancial, for stocking Christmas gifts baskets and for cash donations to Peace at Home Family Shelter. I would like to recognize and thank a number of people for their ongoing participation on the Social Ministry Committee: Lynne Martin, Shana Kasparek, Linda Eichmann, Beth Armstrong, Pam Stockland, Paula Johnson, Fran Sabbe, Janet Parsch, Beth Olen-icjak I would like to honor Marcia McCain whose commitment to the Social Ministry Com-mittee is legendary. I would like to thank Jerry Musick for assistance in managing the public information for the committee's goods drives. And our elder delivery group without whom our holiday gift cheer could not have been accomplished: Tom Stockland, Jill Steingraber, Linda Cotterman, Linnea Lilquist, Rebecca Leed Brye, Lynne Martin, Betty Butcher, Pam Matchell, and a number of close friends and loved ones of our numerous GSLC homebound members. I would like to welcome our newest volunteers: Cody Steussy, Heather Hammig, Jessi-ca McClard, Charlotte Taunton, Kaleb Allee, Diana Kendall-Huss, Linda O'Connell, and Barbara Pashke and THANK all the participants in the amazing Christmas 2014 Tag Party, the unnamed mass of Good Shepherd parishioners who donated supplies for our Stock as Safe Home Benefit, and who shopped and lovingly wrapped gifts for Sin-gle Parent Scholarship Adopted Families, for Elders served by Faith in Action and for our own GSLC home bound members.

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WORSHIP AND MUSIC - Linda O’Connell

It has been an interesting year and a very invigorating year for this committee. The consensus of the committee to try and hold only one Traditional Service during the summer months was discussed in great detail. The average attendance for June, July and August for 2012 was 64 and 75 and for 2013: 69 and 53. The Con-temporary Service the averages were 80 & 85. But sometimes the attendance fell as low as 40 in attendance in the middle of the summer for the Traditional service.

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STAFF REPORTS

HEALTH MINISTRY—Deaconess Beth Olejniczak, RN

The past year has been one of growth and change for GSLC. As I reflect on the pro-grams and ministries that have touched many lives, there are a number of people that I would like to personally thank for their dedication and willingness to help with the Health Ministry program at GSLC (& I apologize if I have left anyone out).

Members of the Congregational Health Ministry Committee: Lisa Alverson, Joan Campbell, Phyllis Gambill, Jonell Hudson, Lynne Martin, Jessica McClard, Andrea Rog-ers, & Harris Sonnenberg

Our conclusion was that with the lower number of people attending during the sum-mer months, dropping a service would “fill the pews” and also have the benefit of lowering energy cost during the summer months. Also, switching the services mid-summer would give Council and our committee a chance to “test the waters” to see which time slot would work best for the congregation (which happened around 7/15). The results were mixed, at best.

As usual, Altar Guide did a phenomenal job this year keeping with the recommenda-tions for gluten-free bread, to staying with a lighter colored wine to help distinguish between the wine and grape juice. There were, also, recommendations to help shorten the service time by singing fewer verses of most hymns, dropping the re-sponsive psalm or speaking it responsively rather than singing it; Shortening the com-munion liturgy by having only the Words of Institution and Lord’s Prayer. We also rec-ommended that the Creed and second scripture reading be kept in the service.

The new Pentecost paraments were completed and used for that service. Preparations for the Advent and Christmas seasons were put into action with plans to have the Christmas Concert on the 14th of December. The committee greatly appreci-ated the extra volunteers who stepped up this year to help with Lent/Easter and Ad-vent/Christmas decorating and the lighting of the Advent Wreath; especially, Betty Metcalf’s construction of the lovely Easter Cross.

And most of all, Worship and Music would like to THANK all those who volunteer their time and talents toward serving in the Choir, Contemporary Worship Praise Team, Handbells, Altar Guild, Acolytes, Assisting Ministers, musician and Communion Assistants. A big THANKS too, to those who served on Worship & Music this year: Michael Beaver, Lori Homstad, Beth Olejniczak, Donna Scanlan, Cindy Vogel and the participation of Bob Mueller and Pastor Clint.

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Programs offered: Adult Health Forum: Home Instead Senior Care Adult Health Forum dinner program: Dementia & Alzheimer’s Walk to Jerusalem Community Blood Center blood drive (in June & Oct): Lynne Martin, Pam Match-ell, Dee Tustison, Sharon Struzyk, Sharon Walker, Phyllis Gambill, Marian Baker, & Don Struzyk Prep & set up for fellowship activities such as the Reformation Dinner, Thanks-giving Dinner, and Christmas Festival: Tiff Wimberly, Betty Metcalf, Kim Krummel, Lori Holmstad, the “Spit & Shine” group, & especially Don Struzyk Healing prayer stations: Lynne Martin Daily exercise program: Betty Metcalf, Kim Krummel, & Anita Crosby Christmas Caroling to our homebound members: Bob Mueller and all the fami-lies that participated

Parish nurse activities included: preparing articles for the monthly newsletter, e-blast, and the church website attending staff meetings, council meetings, & individual meetings with Pastor Clint to discuss care needs of the congregation visiting those hospitalized, in their home, rehab, or extended care facilities BP checks and counseling as needed 3 days a week & on Sunday mornings

Deaconess activities included: attending OLTT and supporting new members assisting with set up and food prep for GenOn preaching during Lent and to fill in where needed Stephen Ministry intake process and attending supervision groups attending WELCA & occasionally leading bible study volunteering as assisting minister, communion assistant for CW, & coffee hostess helped with social ministry activities such as Stock a Safe Home & Angel Tree home communion

It has been a blessing and a pleasure to serve in this faith community this past year as the parish nurse during my deaconess internship. I have known many of you for over 20 years and have been blessed to meet so many new people. My prayer for this community is that you continue to grow in Christ and that your ministry con-tinues to be a blessing to many.

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LOVE BEAR MINISTRY - Ellen Johnson, Love Bear Coordinator

This year, 2014, completes twenty years that we have met each Tuesday morning at GSLC to sew Love Bears. We deliver the bears to the emergency rooms at Washing-ton Regional in Fayetteville, Northwest Medical in Springdale, and Siloam Springs Me-morial Hospital. We have completed 32,660+ Love Bears since August of 1994. Good Shepherd members, friends and Thrivent Association for Lutherans fund our budget each year. We wish to thank everyone who contributes to the Love Bears year after year. We appreciate your donations very much. Linda Salmonson joined our group this year and when the weather is not good enough to golf, Stan Salmonson comes, too. We are always in need of new members, so come and give our group a try. We meet every Tuesday morning from 9-11:30 a.m. in the old fellowship hall. I can’t thank all of our volunteers enough for the time they spend at Love Bear Ministry.

LOVE BEAR FINANCIAL REPORT January 1, 2014 Balance Forward: $2990.91 Income

GSLC Members $875.00 Thrivent Association for Lutherans $606.00 Memorials $190.00 Total Income in 2014: $1671.00

Expenditures Poly-fill, fabrics, ribbons, labels, thread, etc.: $1585.04 Ending Balance, December 31, 2014: $3076.87

PRAYER CHAIN—Fern Kelsay

There are 28 people committed to the Prayer Chain who pray daily for those who are ill, have someone they love ill, or have other concerns. The Prayer Chain prayer list contains the Sunday prayers that are offered from the altar plus those who call and ask to be put on the “chain” for daily prayers. If there is an emergency request (someone who needs immediate prayers) the request is sent through the “chain” im-mediately with each person calling the next person on the list or emailed until all have been reached. This does take a commitment from each person but it does not require a lot of time. Praying for other people helps each of us to grow in our own prayer lives. If anyone would like to be a part of this group please call Fern Kelsay 442-7874

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GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH Congregational Meeting

March 9, 2014

Call to order and approval of agenda President Angie Albright calls the meeting to order at 9:16 AM. President Albright asks for a motion to approve the agenda. Harris Sonnenberg moves. Anita Crosby seconds. Motion passes. Certification of a quorum by President Angie Albright- Quorum estab-

lished

Devotion by Pastor Clint Schnekloth Pastor Clint Schnekloth lead the body in prayer.

Review and Approval of November, 2013 Congregational Meeting Minutes

President Angie Albright asks for a vote for approval of the November 2013 Congregational Meeting Minutes

Linda O’Connel moved to accept the November 2013 Congregational Meeting Minutes as posted. Curt Rom seconded.

Motion Passes Approval and Acceptance of the 2013 Annual Report

President Albright asks for a motion to accept the 2013 Annual Report. Jon Page moves to approve and accept the 2013 Annual Report. Stan Salmonson seconds Motion Carries

Pastor Schnekloth’s Report

Pastor Clint reviewed his annual report. Highlights include the call of Pastor Letsinger, starting of a catechumenal

process that culminated with the baptism of over a dozen children bap-tized and three adults baptized at the Easter Vigil.

Biggest struggle is the budget shortfall.

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Pastor Letsinger’s Report

Treasurer’s Report

New Business

Approval of Synod Assembly representatives from GSLC

Slate is Angie Albright and Blaise Albright, Bob Kroening, Pastor Abigail Letsinger and Anthony Ethridge, and Pastor Clint Schnekloth.

President Albright asked for a motion to accept the slate. moves to accept the slate. sconds. Motion carries

Update on strategic plan

Be on the lookout for financial forum and strategic plan revisions.

Approval of resolutions Don Catenzero moves to accept the resolutions. Curt Rom sec-

onds. Don Catenzaro asks to amend Resolution 4 to add Paula Jonson’s

name. Curt Rom calls the amendment to question. Amend-ment passes.

Motion Carries. Announcements

Adjournment

President Albright asks for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Linda O’Connell moves. Sharon Walker seconds. Motion Passes Meeting adjourned at 9:53am

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GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH

Congregational Meeting December 14, 2014

Pending

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