2015~2016 annual report urbandale · social media $300 $0 -100.0% facebook promotions caregivers...

2015~2016 Annual Report

URBANDALE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

God is still speaking

3530-70th Street, Urbandale, IA 50322 Phone: 515-276-0625 www.urbucc.org

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Table of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsTable of Contents

REPORTREPORTREPORTREPORT WRITTEN BYWRITTEN BYWRITTEN BYWRITTEN BY PAGEPAGEPAGEPAGE Agenda & Order of Meeting ...................................... Mary Minard................................. 3

2015 Budget Report ............................................................................................ 5 Strategic Plan Year One ........................................... Mary Edwards, Bob Shoemaker, ............................................................................. Amy Murray, Mary Minard ............................................................................. Missie Murphy & Paul Johnson ................................................................................................................................ 9 Staff ReportsStaff ReportsStaff ReportsStaff Reports

Senior Pastor .................................................. David Sickelka ............................ 18 Ministry Program Coordinator ............................ Amy Murray ............................... 19 Music Program Director .................................... Steven Linn................................ 21 Organist, SOS Choir & Handbell Choirs Director .... Bobby Stinnett ........................... 22 Office Coordinator ........................................... Sophiap Eng-Swanson ................. 23

Officer ReportsOfficer ReportsOfficer ReportsOfficer Reports Moderator ....................................................... Mary Minard............................... 25 Financial Secretary........................................... Karen Capps-Davis...................... 26 Treasurer ....................................................... Charlene Hjort ............................ 27

Analysis of Revenue and Expenses .............................................................. 31 Team ReportsTeam ReportsTeam ReportsTeam Reports

Outreach & Nurture Ministry: Community Concerns ................................ Team Members .......................... 34 Membership Team.................................... Jon Greising ............................... 38

Worship Team ................................................. Paul Johnson ............................. 39 Ad-Ministry:

Endowment Fund ..................................... Jim Benda ................................. 40 Stewardship & Mission Interpretation ......... Tom Rendon .............................. 41 Building & Grounds Team.......................... Mark Siegel & Jerry Woods .......... 43 Technology Team .................................... Joe Walters ................................ 44 Social Media Team ................................... Sandy Gahn ............................... 45 Kitchen ................................................... Gloria Ward ............................... 46

Christian Growth Ministry .................................. .................................................... Nursery ................................................... Anjy Allen .................................. 47 3rd-6th Grade Youth................................... Ken Briggs ................................. 47 7th-12th Grade Youth ................................. Amy Murray ............................... 48

Personnel Team .............................................. Diane Dornburg .......................... 49 Small Group Ministry: ....................................... Mary Edwards ............................ 49

Book Club ............................................... Ruth Rasmussen......................... 50 Bow Tie Boyz ........................................... Mark Siegel & Steve Rebelsky ...... 51 Memorial Garden...................................... David Sheridan ........................... 52

Caregivers: Caregivers 1 ............................................ Jo Lilley ..................................... 53 Prayer Circle ............................................ Maryellen Knowles ...................... 54 Caregivers 2 ............................................ Bonita Wiley............................... 55 Prayer Shawl Ministry ............................... Barb Woodsmall ......................... 56

Membership Report ................................................. Sophiap Eng-Swanson ................. 57

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Order of Meeting URBANDALE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Annual Meeting, May 22, 2016

HYMN OF CELEBRATION “Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness” Hymnal 286 GATHERING PRAYER Mary Minard RECEIVING THE REPORTS Mary Minard

Minutes of the 2015 Annual Meeting and 2016 Annual Budget Meeting ALL: AMEN Pastor David’s Report ALL: AMEN

(Each person will give a brief summary of the year and the congregation will respond with, AMEN)

Ministry Program Coordinator ALL: AMEN Music Program Director ALL: AMEN Organist, Director of Children’s Choir and Handbell Choirs ALL: AMEN Office Coordinator ALL: AMEN Moderator ALL: AMEN Financial Secretary ALL: AMEN Treasurer ALL: AMEN Strategic Plan ALL: AMEN Community Concerns Team ALL: AMEN Membership Team ALL: AMEN Worship Team ALL: AMEN Stewardship & Mission Interpretation Team ALL: AMEN Endowment Fund Team ALL: AMEN Buildings & Grounds Team ALL: AMEN Technology Team ALL: AMEN Social Media Team ALL: AMEN Kitchen Team ALL: AMEN Christian Growth Ministry ALL: AMEN Personnel Team ALL: AMEN Pastor Congregation Covenant Team ALL: AMEN Small Group Ministries ALL: AMEN Caregivers ALL: AMEN ONE: Do you accept these reports? ALL: AMEN

OLD BUSINESS Mary Minard OUTGOING MODERATOR COMMENTS Mary Minard

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INTRODUCTION OF NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM Mary Minard Tom Rendon

Moderator: Tom Rendon Vice-Moderator: Mary Edwards Treasurer: Charlene Hjort Financial Secretary: Karen Capps-Davis Recording Secretary: Bridget Edwards Ad-Ministry Liaison: Bob Shoemaker Christian Growth Liaison: Karrie Schachtner Worship Liaison: Paul Johnson Small Group Liaison: Bob Harding Outreach & Nurture Liaison: Strategic Planning: Mary Minard Social Media Liason: Sandy Gahn At Large: Randy Jedele At Large: At Large: Vote on New Leadership Team: Mary Minard

NEW BUSINESS Tom Rendon INCOMING MODERATOR COMMENTS Tom Rendon ADJOURNMENT Tom Rendon

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2012012012016666 Budget ReportBudget ReportBudget ReportBudget Report

2015 2016 2016

Budget Budget Change from PY

Comments

Expected Revenues

Pledge Offering $319,194.00 $333,088.00 4.4%

Non Pledge & New Member

Plate Offering

Interest

Weddings

Misc Receipts

Building Use

Fundraisers

Total Other (Plate offering, fundraising, etc.)

$30,000.00 $30,000.00 0.0%

Total Revenue (Pledge + Other) 349194.00 $363,088 4%

Expected Expense

Staff

Senior Pastor's Salary $51,623 $55,753 8.0% per new conference guidelines: 7% increase from last year's cash salary + 1% cost of living increase

Senior Pastor's Housing $24,937 $25,436 2.0%

Senior Pastor's SS Offset $5,857 $6,211 6.0% 7.65% of combined cash salary + housing

Senior Pastor's Health/Dental $13,270 $12,856 -3.1% Total premium amount $18,906 ($17,961 health; $945 dental). Salem UCC pays percentage of premiums based on membership numbers; based on 2015 membership, UUCC pays 68% and Salem pays 32%. 2016 rates: 5% increase for health insurance; no rate increase to dental plan.

Senior Pastor's Life & Disability $1,148 $1,218 6.1% 1.5% of cash salary + housing

Senior Pastor's Annuity $10,719 $11,366 6.0% 14% of cash salary + housing

Senior Pastor's Continuing Education

$1,000 $1,000 0.0%

Senior Pastor's Prof Expense $1,500 $1,500 0.0% includes mileage

Senior Pastor Sabbatical Reserve $1,850 $3,403 83.9% Moves to designated fund to build balance at end of year. Based on what Senior Pastor's expected salary (full-time) will be in 2019 ($68,054 divided by 12 = $5,671/month. $5,671 * 3 months of sabbatical coverage = $17,013 total sabbatical reserve over five years. $17,013 divided by 5 years = $3,403/year.

Ministry Program Coord.Salary $24,550 $26,760 9.0% per new conference guidelines: 9% increase from last year's cash salary + 2% cost of living increase

Ministry Program Coord. Housing $15,960 $16,279 2.0%

Ministry Program Coord. SS Offset

$3,099 $3,292 6.2% 7.65% of combined cash salary + housing

Ministry Program Coord. Health $410 $450 9.8% administrative fee for Amy's flex plan

Ministry Program Coord. Annuity $5,671 $6,025 6.3% 14% of cash salary + housing

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Ministry Program Coord Prof. Expenses

$1,800 $1,800 0.0%

Office Coord Wages $39,380 $31,395 -20.3% Increased $0.25/hour

Office Coord FICA $3,013 $2,500 -17.0%

Office Coord Health/Dental $5,106 $5,289 3.6% 2016 rates: 5% increase for health coverage; no rate increase to dental plan

MusicDirector's Salary $16,264 $16,752 3.0%

MusicDirector's FICA $1,226 $1,263 3.0%

Organist/Youth Choir/Handbell Director Salary

$12,453 $12,827 3.0%

Organist/Youth Choir/Handbell Director FICA

$954 $983 3.0%

Custodian's Salary $14,078 $14,500 3.0%

Custodian's FICA $1,077 $1,109.31 3.0%

Child Care Providers $2,050 $2,350 14.6% Increased overall line item budget amount (first increase to line item total in several years). Each provider will receive a 3% increase.

Child Care Providers FICA $270 $270 0.0%

Payroll Processing $1,700 $1,700 0.0%

Miscellaneous Personnel Expense

$200 $200 0.0% 2015 higher than normal due to expenses related to office coordinator search

Staff Development $500 $500 0.0%

TOTAL- STAFF $261,665 $264,988 1.3%

Christian Growth Ministry Team

CS Curriculum $525 $1,500 185.7% based on actual 2015 expenses (outstanding invoice for approx $450)

Confirmation/Our Whole Lives $275 $300 9.1% confirmation curriculum and gifts; OWL curriculum; retreat; based on actual 2015 expenses

Adult Ed Curriculum $100 $100 0.0% based on actual 2015 expenses

CS Supplies $225 $350 55.6% based on actual 2015 expenses

Youth/Special Activities $1,050 $2,000 90.5% Combining Special Activities, Youth Program and Youth Meals into one line item; based on actual combined 2015 expenses of $1827 through November.

Youth Program $350 $0 -100.0% supplies for youth projects and activities;

Youth Meals $320 $0 -100.0% food for youth group meetings;

Lay Development $450 $450 0.0% training for youth leaders

TOTAL-CHGROWTH $3,295 $4,700 42.6%

Outreach/ Nurture Ministry Team

OCWM $0 $13,706 100% Annual support

Interfaith Alliance $500 $500 0.0% Annual support

DMARC $725 $900 24.1% annual membership/support payment; based on 2015 membership of 594 and $1.50 per member.

Central Assn Dues $1,200 $1,400 16.7% annual support

Community Concerns $250 $250 0.0% misc. mission funds

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Advertising/Social Media $400 $500 25.0% Combining advertising and social media

Membership $500 $300 -40.0% new member books; baptism, confirmation and new member certificates; new member class expenses; based on actual 2015 expenses

Social Media $300 $0 -100.0% Facebook promotions

Caregivers $300 $300 0.0% Mental Health First Aid training/manuals

Social Team $800 $1,000 25.0% Budget Meeting entrée, Annual Meeting meal, Homecoming picnic; based on actual 2015 expenses

Family Promise $2,000 $2,000 0.0% $1000 for hosting expenses (based on 2015 expenses); $1000 host congregation contribution

TOTAL-OUTREACH/NURTURE $6,975 $20,856 199.0%

Worship Team

Service/Worship Supplies $400 $400 0.0% communion and offering supplies; materials for banners; candles and other décor; half of OneLicense.net fee; pulpit supply

Sub Organist/Guest Musicians $200 $200 0.0%

Music-Senior Choir $1,500 $2,000 33.3% includes half of OneLicense.net fee

Music-Children's Choir $200 $200 0.0%

Music - Raggedy Band $500 $500 0.0%

Piano Tuning $320 $360 12.5% $90 each for 2 pianos, twice a year

TOTAL- WORSHIP $3,120 $3,660 17.3%

Ad-ministry Team

Electric/Gas $13,200 $14,000 6.1% based on current budget billing amount

Communications $2,700 $3,000 11.1% telephone and internet service; based on current monthly charge

Water $1,000 $1,200 20.0% Urbandale water service; based on current average monthly charge

Bldg/Grounds Maintenance $7,000 $8,000 14.3% lawn care, including gas for mower; pest control; trash/recycling service; regularly scheduled A/C and furnace maintenance; security monitoring; grass seed and fertilizer; other miscellaneous materials and parts required for building upkeep; based on actual 2015 expenses

Custodial Supplies $800 $800 0.0% kept at same amount based on actual 2015 expenses

Snow Removal $3,000 $3,000 0.0%

Elevator $1,025 $1,200 17.1% Regular maintenance covered by service plan; state inspections; based on current rates

Capital Contingencies $1,500 $1,500 0.0% Unplanned furnace, A/C, plumbing, alarm and appliance repairs; elevator service calls

Office Supplies $3,100 $3,100 0.0% Office paper, envelopes and other supplies

Office Equipment $4,400 $3,800 -13.6% Copier lease, monthly maintenance and per copy charges; lower estimate for 2016 based on new copier lease

Postage $1,600 $800 -50.0% Reflects cancellation of bulk rate permit

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Technology $7,350 $7,350 0.0% 1 computer replacement; Microsoft Office upgrade; Carbonite Online Backup; monthly ACS support; 5 hr block of technical support services; Symantec antivirus software; 1&1 web hosting & email; technology contingency fund

Insurance $10,447 $9,854 -5.7% Workers' compensation, property, and liability insurance; 2016 premiums: Property/Liability $8774; Workers Comp $1080

SMI (Stewardship) $250 $250 0.0% Stewardship campaign and special offering materials

Cornerstone Loan Payment $5,340 $5,340 0.0% No change in monthly payment amount.

Kitchen Supplies $150 $250 66.7% Based on current monthly average expenses

TOTAL- AD-MINISTRY $62,862 $63,444 0.9%

TOTAL EXPENSE $335,536 $357,648 6.6%

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Strategic Plan Year One Composite Strategic Plan Year One Composite Strategic Plan Year One Composite Strategic Plan Year One Composite Annual ReportAnnual ReportAnnual ReportAnnual Report

Last year the congregation unanimously voted on approving the three-year strategic plan for our congregation. Much progress has been made in several areas. Following are reports on the progress on these five areas: Community, Financial Stability, Christian Growth/Education, Leadership, Social Justice and Worship.

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Community Annual Report: Mary Edwards, LeaderCommunity Annual Report: Mary Edwards, LeaderCommunity Annual Report: Mary Edwards, LeaderCommunity Annual Report: Mary Edwards, Leader

Our Strategic Plan mission statement for Community is “We are a growing church community that offers a personal atmosphere where everyone is welcome and people have a sense of belonging. Small group and church-wide events, activities, and opportunities engage people of all ages, nurture sacred relationships, and build a diverse community in a changing world.” This is not something that happens by accident. Our congregation has been intentional in the development of our strong community ties, and we must work to carry that into the future. This year, most of the work I have completed has focused on reorganizing and revitalizing our Small Groups Ministry.

• Completed Goal: A Small Groups Ministries Liaison to the Leadership Team will

study and revise the intent and function of that ministry and reorganize as needed.

� After conducting some research about Small Groups Ministries at various

organizations, I concluded that the “Free Market Small Groups Model” is the

most similar to what we are doing here at the Urbandale United Church of

Christ. I presented my findings to the Leadership Team and it was agreed

that this is the model that we would like to continue to use in the future.

Please reference the Small Groups Report if you would like more information

about the model.

� I updated and revised the Small Groups Resource Guide to provide better

support for individuals wishing to start a Small Group.

� While evaluating the function and intent of our Small Groups Ministry, I found

that small groups were taken out of the bylaws a few years ago. This may be

why small groups have become unorganized. It is my suggestion that we

begin the process of updating the bylaws to include this important church

ministry.

• Completed Goal: Current small groups are listed with memberships to gather data

to measure growth both in number of groups and number of members.

� We currently have 9 small groups at our church, including Caregivers and the

Prayer Shawl Ministry. Some groups are very small, while some currently

have more than 20 members. This gives us solid baseline information about

current participation in Small Groups and allows us to measure our successes

as we further develop the ministry.

• Completed Goal: Membership on all church teams is listed, as well as other

volunteers, in order to gather baseline data.

� Upon finding that the membership lists on our website were severely

outdated, the Leadership Team reviewed and updated these lists to the best

of our knowledge.

• Completed Goal: A survey is conducted to determine interest in small group

leadership for groups to meet expressed interests, such as millennials, parents with

young children, retirees, an alternative adult education and spiritual direction.

� We utilized a free SurveyMonkey survey to gather data on the interests and

needs of our congregation. The survey was advertised via our weekly church

emails and the UUCC Facebook page. A total of 48 church members

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responded to this survey. We were able to gather some great feedback

about which new Small Groups may be successful in our congregation, as

well as information about individuals who may be interested in leading these

groups.

• Completed Goal: Feedback is gathered from the two groups of caregivers as to

the current effectiveness and future suggestions of their roles.

� The Caregivers groups met last year to discuss the effectiveness and future

suggestions of these groups. We communicated via email this year to move

that information to the Leadership Team.

Although we already have a strong sense of community in our congregation, we need to work to ensure that this continues for years to come. I am looking for individuals interested in serving on a Community Team, as the work to be completed is growing beyond the scope of what one person can do alone. And that is what our community is all about – helping one another to become a part of something bigger than ourselves. If you are interested in joining this team or learning more about it, please contact me at [email protected].

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Financial Stability Team Annual Report: Robert Shoemaker, LeaderFinancial Stability Team Annual Report: Robert Shoemaker, LeaderFinancial Stability Team Annual Report: Robert Shoemaker, LeaderFinancial Stability Team Annual Report: Robert Shoemaker, Leader

Our meetings have been well attended by a core group of 8-10 people. Because there are several references to our church’s mission in the Financial Stability section of the Plan, our first meeting was focused on better understanding that mission. We conducted an exercise to dissect our Mission Covenant, as found in Article III of our bylaws. Though beyond our scope, it is hoped this work will eventually result in a concise mission statement that can be used as a core communication tool for our church.

We next tried to answer the question, “What does Financial Stability in our church look like?” Themes which emerged from this included Solid Planning, Financial Communication, Growing Givers, Strong Mission = Strong Church, Support of our Infrastructure through Capital Planning, Predictability, and the Elimination of Financial Anxiety.

Next, to support the notion of Growing Givers, we adopted a theme: “Everyone Comes, Everyone Stays, Everyone Gives.” We see the need to get the word out about the great things we have to offer (social justice, small groups, ONA) through advertising, op-eds, spreading the word as we are involved in our community activities, greater use of social media, upgrading our website, leveraging our OWL program; we see the need for alternate worship, be it time, day and/or style. Another possibility is to draw people in through hosting metro-wide events.

Over the course of two meetings, we identified certain demographic and financial data we would like to have for our congregation. Our Team is trying to understand and tell the story of our church in factual terms in order to help us plot the future for both annual pledging and planned giving. Next steps in this arena are to assimilate and analyze the information. Most recently, consensus was reached on the five main areas for which we will be making recommendations to the Leadership Team (in no particular order):

• Plan for Growing the # of Givers (here, we deem it mandatory for other Teams to participate)

• Plan for Building our Endowment • Long-term (3 year) Budget Plan • Financial Communication Plan • Development of an Emergency Fund (we feel strongly this is different from the

Endowment Fund)

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Christian Growth Team/Education Annual Report: Amy Murray, LeaderChristian Growth Team/Education Annual Report: Amy Murray, LeaderChristian Growth Team/Education Annual Report: Amy Murray, LeaderChristian Growth Team/Education Annual Report: Amy Murray, Leader

Last September kicked off the Strategic Plan with dinner and discussion. We had several individuals including youth leaders, teachers, parents and other CE interested folks share their thoughts and goals for this year. There was positive feedback for our educational offerings including OWL, ASF and the new Sunday school curriculum. The following ideas were chosen to focus on this year:

• Continue offering the OWL curriculum and invite participants from the community

� This is being met with a partnership with Planned Parenthood to speak at

youth group. Also, in conversation with First Unitarian to hopefully engage

their OWL program resources.

• Offer mission opportunities, Christian education and fellowship for youth

� This is met through both youth group and Sunday school offerings including

trips to the mission pantry, blessing kits, etc.

� We also brought back Wednesday Night Alive for youth ages 1st-6th grades.

It has included a bible verse, weekly theme, crafts and games.

� Vacation Bible School—Surfshack: Catch the Wave of God’s Amazing Love is

scheduled for July 17-21.

• Train and equip Sunday school teachers

� We offer this in August before the program year begins and just recently had

a positive evaluation meeting in April.

• Offer Intergenerational Summer Sunday school

� Joan White with support from Ken Briggs will lead summer Sunday school using the curriculum “Friends and Heroes.” It is an interactive curriculum that will involve a daily Bible Story, discussion and craft.

The Christian Growth Team continues to be supported by several volunteers and changes each year as the needs of our youth change. We will continue to build the OWL program and utilize the Deep Blue Curriculum. We will continue to assess the needs of our children and youth and call upon the congregation for support and leadership. Thank you for your support and feedback. We look forward to our summer ministries and discerning where God is leading us together next!

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Leadership Annual Report: Mary Minard, Leader Leadership Annual Report: Mary Minard, Leader Leadership Annual Report: Mary Minard, Leader Leadership Annual Report: Mary Minard, Leader

As the strategic plan is looked at from the perspective of Leadership, what we heard was that:

• UUCC members appreciate the “ease of “involvement” in leadership roles. • Many recall “exciting times” of serving in capacities where they could make a

positive change or contribute to the spiritual growth of both themselves and the congregation.

A big part of that for this year was beginning to lay the foundation for a “deliberate system for identifying and using people’s spiritual gifts”. Two Adult Spiritual Formation Sundays were used to discuss what members’ thoughts were concerning spiritual gifts and best practices to build that system. A team was formed and loose plans were made to develop different systems (including an electronic system) for receiving information from our members, and then creating a data base which would be shared the stakeholders of our church.

As we move forward into next year, my goal as a Former Moderator will be to revive the energy of the team and use our combined commitment to create the foundational system needed to assure that “new and long-term members alike are fully involved in ministry and express satisfaction in the engagement of their spiritual gifts.”

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Social Justice Report: Missie Murphy, LeaderSocial Justice Report: Missie Murphy, LeaderSocial Justice Report: Missie Murphy, LeaderSocial Justice Report: Missie Murphy, Leader

Social Justice efforts at UUCC continue to be focused on long-standing volunteer and fund-raising efforts on events that occur from once a year activity to a few times a year. The following activities are ongoing areas UUCC serves:

• Green Boat Crew: conservation efforts • Hunger Hike (Oct): Increase community consciousness and concern of local and

world-wide hunger

• Backpack Buddies Provide: weekend meal packs to elementary school students identified as “chronically hungry”

• Family Promise Assists: homeless families with children by providing overnight shelter and nutrition; families can stay 30 days, or up to 90 days

• Urbandale Food Pantry: food pantry for local residents • Reggie’s Sleepout (Oct Drake Stadium), fundraiser for Iowa homeless youth • Mitchellville Prison: Helping rehabilitate back into society • Habitat for Humanity & Rebuilding Together. Building and rehabilitating homes • Homeless Shelter Meals. Serving meals to homeless (efforts were successful in 2015;

however, there is no organizer for 2016)

• LGBT Advocacy • ESL (English Second Language)

At the end of 2015, the congregation voted on social justice areas that are the most important; so that UCC would know what and how efforts to prioritize and focus on. Voter turn-out is considered low, as approximately 30 members voted. Top five areas follow:

• Housing: Family Promise • Hunger: Food Pantry, Hunger Hike • Rehabilitation: • Refugees/Immigration • Humanity: LGBT Advocacy/Racial Discrimination/Green Boat Crew

As the social justice coordinator this past year; I was contacted by several members expressing concerns with how and what is reported to the Leadership Team. One group indicated that they did not see the reason to have to report up to the Leadership team and that they felt like updates and notifications are widely broadcasted for members to be informed. Another representative wanted to make sure that I knew that the social justice efforts they participated in was from a personal standpoint, and they were not representing UUCC. Another member expressed frustration that only the same members volunteer all the time and that they would like a break, but no one is willing to take their place. This last year has been a learning experience for me and I’ve decided that I do not want to continue in this role. Unfortunately, I do not feel like I can put in the time required to make this successful.

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WorshipWorshipWorshipWorship

Worship Team Members: Paul Johnson, Patricia Goldberg, Dayna Weltzin, Jon Duvick, Linda Hancock, Wendy Sontag, Steve Linn, Carol Looney, Joan White, Pastor David Sickelka

The Worship Team was reconstituted in September as part of the adoption and implementation of the Strategic Plan of the congregation. The plan called for “requiting a new, representative Worship Team that includes music staff, pastoral staff, and six additional individuals. At the Strategic Plan Dinner in September a number of folks expressed interest in being a part of the Team.

There were a number of idea which surfaced at the dinner. They included:

• An additional service. The Strategic Plan calls us to design a second worship service that may be offered at a different time and be a vehicle of a different, more creative or alternative worship service. We look for additional discussion and input regarding this at the annual meeting.

• A desire was expressed for more consistency in the use of non-gender specific language in prayers and scripture readings. In the past few weeks the Scripture Readings have included more intentionally inclusive language.

• An interest in more sensual participation in worship which could include such things as dance and dramatic readings.

• There was an affirmation of the “Raggedy Band” and their contribution to worship. • We affirmed the possibility of getting helpful input from our newer members

regarding the relevance of such things as liturgy, sermon, music, and inclusive language.

We will continue to keep these things in mind in our ongoing conversation and planning. We remain open to ideas and involvement of other members of the congregation in all aspects of our worship life.

The Strategic Plan called for “designing a second worship service that may be offered at a different time and is a vehicle for a different, more creative or alternative worship experience.” The worship team is seeking more input regarding the timing and audience for such a service.

During Lent, we offered an alternate worship experience at 5 p.m. on Sunday which were led by a variety of members. Those were not well attended.

We are open to additional active participants on the Worship Team who wish to join with us in continuing to design our worship experience that is engaging, meaningful, creative innovative and active. Paul A. Johnson, for the Worship Team

Reports Composite Shared by Maryellen Knowles, Coordinator Year One Strategic Plan

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STAFF REPORTS

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Senior Pastor Report for the period May 11, 2015 to May 10, 2016

.

The recent arrival of our first grandchild has gotten me thinking about what it is like to raise our kids with the values and worldview that is consistent with our faith. My children grew up in the heyday of the Disney cartoon movies, most of which we still have on videocassette. One lesson that they learned from The Lion King was that there is a circle of life that includes death and birth and a sense of having a place in creation. Maybe my grandson will have other images to hold on to, but somehow, I hope the lessons will be the same.

Our congregation has certainly had its share of lessons in the circle of life as we provided comfort and support to seven of our families who said good-bye to one of their own and celebrated their life in funeral and memorial services. We also celebrated the joy of loving relationships as we helped one of our couples formalize their relationship in the bonds of marriage.

We said good-bye also to our long-time office coordinator, Tara, and welcomed Sophiap Eng-Swanson to our ministry team. The transition has been a smooth one, and we are well on our way to taking full advantage of her many gifts and abilities. As soon as Sophiap was on board, several of us left town to take part in General Synod in Cleveland Ohio. Two of our youth, our moderator, Mary Minard, Rev. Amy and I spent a week worshipping and fellowshipping with UCC folk from all over the country. Upon my return, I began my sabbatical and from July 1 through September 30 I focused on renewal, study and professional development. Renewal included RAGBRAI, a week at a cottage on a lake in Michigan, and time spent on home improvement. Study included a reading list and worship in a variety of other churches. Professional development included a week in Boston for the National Institute for Church Leadership.

Upon my return from sabbatical, it was time to get serious about implementing the Strategic Plan adopted at last year’s annual meeting. We have made great progress in some areas and have some golden opportunities in others that we will seek to exploit in the year ahead. We also have 3 of our members pursuing a church vocations path, one of whom has been approved for ordination, pending the receipt of a call. These are powerful indicators that the Holy Spirit is at work bringing people into positions of active ministry.

I continue to spend some of my time attending wider church meetings and events, as well as interfaith and interdenominational activities. The Urbandale Pastors’ Network meets monthly, usually once per year at our building, and I continue to support the work of One Iowa, the Iowa Pride Network, and the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, serving on the latter’s board of directors. I have also been a part of a group of Des Moines area pastors and agency leaders called the Transformations Group that is inclusive of Pentecostal, Charismatic and Conservative churches that I don’t otherwise have much in common with. But it is a diverse group and an important arena for our message and presence to be known.

As our programs and ministries also experience the circles of life, with some having served their purposes and ending while others are birthed and begin a promising life among us, we find that the mysteries of God’s working among us continue to amaze us as the miracles of new life come into being all around us. We can celebrate that God is still speaking and working in our community of faith. Amen.

God’s Peace with Justice, Pastor Dave

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Ministry Program Coordinator

Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head,

into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament

with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s

growth in building itself up in love. Ephesians 4: 15-16

Thank you for another year together in ministry. It has been a blessing to share in our collective faith journey. I appreciate our church family’s willingness to try new ministries while always discerning God’s call for us. I look forward to our summer together and pray you have time for reflection, fun and experience our awesome God in new and profound ways.

With the help of many of you we have accomplished the following over this past year together:

• New Sunday School Curriculum, Deep Blue

• Support for the 3-6th Grade and 7-12th Grade Youth Groups

• Adult Spiritual Formation Volunteer Ice Cream Social

• Community Polar Express PJ Party & Potluck

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Program for 7-9th grades

• Silent Auction Fundraiser for Camperships

Follow-up OWL Offerings for 7-12th Youth Group

• 4th of July Parade Christmas Program involving

Preschool-7th grades

Intergenerational Events with Covenant Christian & St. Stephen’s Lutheran

Support and Training for Child/Youth Volunteers

• Wednesday Night Alive Programming

Adult Spiritual Formation: Thank you to Randy Jedele for supporting ASF and to our many members and guest speakers for providing meaningful presentations this year. We will meet again this summer to plan for Fall 2016. It is not too early to think about your ministry and how you might to promote upcoming events, missions and ministries for the 2016-17 program year.

Sunday School Teachers: Many thanks to Jill Johnson for leading us in song at the opening of Sunday school, organizing our Christmas program and planning for VBS 2016. Thank you to all our teachers, substitutes, parents and families for supporting the Sunday school program. More teachers are still needed for next fall.

Nursery: Many thanks to Anjy Allen and a host of volunteers who are committed to caring for our young children. Please see Anjy’s report.

Church School: We used the Deep Blue curriculum from Cokesbury for our Preschool-7th grade youth from Augsburg Fortress. A big change was providing our 6-7th graders with their own space and curriculum. This was a very positive change that we will continue next fall.

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Our Emerging Adult class (8-12th graders) tried meeting after church for the fall semester but due to scheduling conflicts with our youth and families, we went back to Sunday school at 9am for this age group starting in January. This group has enjoyed watching movies that tackle theological issues such as “Left Behind” and plan to continue this in the fall. Thanks to Jackie Ward and Emily Gibbens for providing leadership.

Offerings/Food Pantry: Classroom offerings for the year were dedicated to the support of the Urbandale Food Pantry. We made 4 trips during the Sunday school hour. The Preschool-5th grade classes when in October and April and the 6-7th grade class went in October and May. Thanks to Ruth Brauer for coordinating our time to clean and restock shelves.

Collaboration with Covenant Christian & St. Stephen’s Lutheran: All three of our churches participated in our Second Annual Trunk or Treat and Covenant Christian’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt. We look forward to more events together in fellowship and mission.

This year has been one of many changes and growth. We tried out new ministries and found a renewed sense of energy and creativity in our programming. I am grateful for the flexibility and willingness to try out new forms of ministry such as our renewed Wednesday Night Alive program, Sunday school opportunities and making new partnerships with Planned Parenthood. We are an ever-changing congregation that covenants together to support one another and honor our God-given gifts. I look forward to discerning what God has in store for us this summer and the 2016-17 program year. Rev. Amy Murray, Ministry Program Coordinator

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Music Program Director

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and

admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” Colossians 3:16

The Adult Choir had another successful year of music making! I am pleased with the progress made and the outstanding singing every week September through May. I am very appreciative of their time and efforts that enhance our worship services every week. This year we welcomed Sasha Krizer, Tiffany Briggs and Becky Swift.

The Adult Choir rehearsed on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and prior to Sunday worship at 9:30am this past year. They sang most every worship/special service this year.

Thanks to Bobby Stinnett for an outstanding job accompanying the choir, also serving as organist, directing SOS Choir, Youth Bells and Adult Bells. He continues to do an outstanding job year after year!

The Raggedy Band had a successful year under the leadership of Charlene Hjort and Jon Greising.

We had some great soloists and ensembles perform for our special music last summer and also at our Christmas Eve Services. Thanks to all who shared their music with us.

Thank you to our instrumentalists who accompanied the choir this year on several anthems, Carol Looney, Emily Sheridan, Michele Senger and Maeve Greising.

I am fortunate to collaborate every week with Pastor Dave, Bobby, Amy and Sophiap. They are a very supportive staff that I appreciate so much!

I look forward to another year at UUCC! Steven Linn Music Program Director

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Organist & Director of SOS Choir, Youth & Adult Handbells

Our Wednesday Night Alive programming changed here at Urbandale UCC this last year. Other offerings for kids were available besides singing with SOS Choir and playing with Youth Bells. This created more opportunity for the kids and some choices to be made as to which activity to go to. The Adult Bells. and our community meal (served once a month, OWL, Confirmation, and Adult Choir were all part of our continued programmed Wednesday evening.

The SOS choir (a combination of voices in grades 1-8) provides music in worship monthly. This year’s group was very small in numbers as compared to other years. This makes finding music to perform a challenging task. In order to prepare a “musical” this year, we incorporated many of the songs that were to be in the musical itself throughout our monthly musical offerings in church. The choir maintained a membership of 5-6 kids this year. I would like to especially thank Sam Murray, Leah Gardner and Ken Briggs for helping with our end of the year musical. The choir presented it’s musical “The Good News Cruise” on Sunday, May 1st.

Youth Bells had a total of only 4 ringers this year. Again, with only 4 ringers, selecting music is hard to do without being simplistic or less challenging. This group of four young men did an outstanding job. Our Adult Bell group maintained a healthy membership again this year and worked very hard. Thanks to Nancy Stapp McCurdy for providing a bell solo in church and to Carol Looney for accompanying the bells on her flute. This group has a lot of fun. I would also like to thank Sasha Renfrow Kiser and Rachel McCann their help substituting this year when we needed (an) extra hand(s).

These various musical groups here at UUCC not only provide us with music on a monthly basis, but offer social time for our church youth and adults. The Choirs learn and prepare their songs during their 30 minute rehearsals each week. Each year there are challenges with weather cancellations, kids out of town, school conferences and various scheduling conflicts. Getting songs prepared can be both rewarding and challenging at the same time! We all adapt very well!

Thanks to Steve Linn, who does a remarkable job running our music department with his music organizational and leadership skills. (also his subbing ability for me when I am out) Charlene Hjort and the Raggedy Band offered a spectacular Christmas rendition of “Silent Night” as we practically had a whole orchestral group of our own church members. I enjoy having them share leadership with me in the service on the 3rd Sunday of each month. To Pastors Dave and Amy, Steve, and Sophiap, working and be a part Urbandale UCC is fun and fulfilling. Next season always brings new ideas, challenges and people with exciting opportunities to make music. I look forward to it. Respectfully submitted, Bobby Stinnett

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Office Coordinator

WOW, where to begin…First of all a big THANK YOU all for the support that you have given me this past year. Coming into a position where your predecessor was so well loved and connected to your congregation was intimidating. During my time with Tara I started to see why she was going to be a great loss, she knew the ins and outs of this church, she had history here.

My first month was very overwhelming which is expected in starting anything new. I had to learn the ways of your church, I’ve worked at a church before so the bulletin, newsletter, and dealing with different personalities was no worry to me. The overwhelming part was not what I had to learn but more of what was going on with the staff. Tara was leaving, Pastor Dave going on sabbatical and Pastor Paul stepping in as an interim pastor. Tara showed me the routine she and Pastor Dave had but I knew all of that was going to change come July because Pastor Paul was going to be here for the next three months.

What a crazy roller coaster ride that three months was. Pastor Paul and I had back to back funerals, that was one thing I was not prepared for. I saw the bond you had with one another during these difficult times and the kindness you had for a “stranger”, me, when my mother-in-law passed unexpectedly. During this time, I became close to Pastor Paul and by the end of his interim I didn’t want him to go and was really nervous about Pastor Dave coming back since I didn’t get a chance to know him before he left.

The rest of the year has been a smooth learning experience. Some new things will still pop up now and again where I have to send Tara an email but other than that I am so lucky that Tara was so wonderful and had instructions for almost everything.

Thanks to everyone that has helped along the way. Big thanks to Elise for all of your support the first few months. I miss you and hope to see you soon! To Jo, thank you for always asking me how my weekend was Monday mornings. Rev. Amy, thank you letting me unload on you every Tuesday and helping me get through life with a 7-year-old. Pastor Dave thank you for being the easiest and most laid-back boss I’ve ever worked with. Last but not least, thank you Pastor Paul for making me understand and the importance of the phrase, “All is Welcomed” and the importance of the United Church of Christ. Respectfully submitted, Sophiap Eng-Swanson

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OFFICER REPORTS

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Moderator

Dear Members of the United Church of Christ,

It has been my privilege to serve as your Moderator for the past year. It has been a pleasure to work for and with a congregation that is passionate about the work of their church and the work of the world. What an amazing “spirit filled” group of people you are!

At our Annual Meeting last year, I played the song “Do Something” by Matthew West. In it, a man is complaining to God about the plight of the world. He asks God, “Why don’t you do something?” And God replies, “I did, I created you.” My challenge to you as a congregation back then was that we all have the capacity to make things better within our church and in the greater world. Our work could not be about a flame burning here or there, but had to be about us working together to create a fire, a large fire, one that burned with passion and love for all. And you all stepped up, and a fire was lit!

In June I had the honor of being part of the youth group entourage at General Synod and had a wonderful experience. Then it was back to our Leadership Team for our Annual Retreat. As we made plans for our work, we also made time for meditation, reflection and inspiration. We decided our goals for the year would be centered on the Strategic Plan- assuring that the work we were planning was the work we had decided on as a congregation. Schedules were built and a dinner was planned-the good work had begun.

In the fall, under the direction of the SMI Team, a musical theme was brought back into our Stewardship Campaign. The theme was, “Everyone Gives”. And guess what? Everyone gave. It was a wonderfully successful campaign and for the first time in a while, the budget team was able to present a balanced budget that was able to include support for Our Church’s Wider Mission. What an amazing feeling it was to know that everyone had come together (again) for the work of the church and the work of the world.

So much has gone on in our church this year and the reports that follow will detail that work for you. We have gained some new members, and lost some of our beloved ones. We have kept some traditions and tried new things. We are a living church; one that goes through its seasons like all living things do.

As I say my farewell to being your Moderator, I would like to say thank you. Thank you to all of you who continue to give your gifts freely to the work of this church. I am blessed to know you, Mary Minard

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Financial Secretary


January-December 2015

Each week two of our offering recorders spend an hour or so after services to count, record and deposit the weekly offering. Their time and dedication to the chore is much appreciated.

The offering recorders who have served in the past year are: Chris Jordan, Ruth Rasmussen, Carla Briggs, Taena Fowler, Steve Chandler, Mark Siegel, Jeff Couch, Kathleen Trujillo Roush, Bob Stacy, Joe Walters and Jim Nervig.

Thank you to the whole congregation for your generosity in the past year and going forward. Karen Capps-Davis, Financial Secretary.

2015 Pledge Summary

Pledge Amount Range: # of Pledge Units:

$0 – $999 38 $1,000 – $1,999 24 $2,000 – $2,999 14 $3,000 – $3,999 12 $4,000 – $4,999 7 $5,000 – $9,999 12

$10,000 + 5

Total Pledges: 112 Average Pledged

Amount: $2991.86

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Treasurer


January-December 2015

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Analysis of Revenues & Expenses

2015 Revenue & Expense Overview

Pledge income for 2015 exceeded expectations by $2,865.78.

Amount Pledged $309,868.00

Amount Received $312,733.78

Difference $2,865.78

Non-Pledge income exceeded expectations by $13,830.46.

Amount Budgeted $30,000.00

Amount Received $43,830.46


Total Revenue exceeded expectations by $16,696.24.

Total Estimated Revenue $339,868.00

Total Actual Revenue $356,564.24


Total Expenses came in $12,002.56 under budget.

Budgeted Expenses $335,536.00

Actual Expenses $323,533.44


Pledge and other revenue in excess of operating expenses comes to $33,030.80.

2015 Total Revenue $356,564.24

2015 Total Expense $323,533.44

2015 Surplus/Deficit $33,030.80

The Leadership Team recommends allocating the 2015 revenues in excess of operating expenses as follows:

1. $10,300.00 to OCWM to fulfill the commitment the Leadership Team made to the congregation at the 2015 budget meeting.

2.

$12,227.22 to transfer the Strickler Peace and Justice Fund to a permanent restricted account.

3. $1,071.49 to eliminate the negative balance in the Youth Fundraising/SERRV Merchandise designated fund.

4. A minimum of $5,000.00 to cover the cost of an outside review of our books.

5. Any remaining balance to be moved into the Cornerstone Building Fund.

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Analysis of Revenues & Expenses - Annual Report January to December 2015

Endowment Fund Update

Church Builder Bonus Fund (Term Note - matures 7/27/17)

Beginning Balance $31,053.23

Interest Earned $859.83

Ending Balance $31,913.06

Demand Note



Ending Balance $25,516.81

Total Endowment



Total 2015 Ending Balance $56,593.21

Building Fund Update

Demand Note

Deposits $20,023.47


$20,116.55

Cornerstone Loan Update

In 2008, Urbandale UCC opened a twenty-year construction loan with The Cornerstone Fund for repairs and updates to the roof and windows, as well as parking lot resurfacing, with an original principal amount of $106,000. We modified our original loan in February of 2013 in order to reduce our monthly payment and our interest rate. The balance remaining on the loan as of December 31, 2015 was $56.513.81. Our current interest rate is 5.75%, with a monthly payment of $444.74.

Respectfully submitted,

Charlene Hjort, Treasurer

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TEAM REPORTS

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Community Concerns

Backpack Buddies

Thank you to all who helped package for Backpack Buddies in 2015. Maybe you are wondering what happened to packaging? The Food Bank of Iowa has been purchasing prepackaged bags for school delivery since January. It has helped increase capacity to other schools in Iowa. We miss the monthly event, but please know it has helped feed hungry kids.

We delivered weekend meals for 35-40 kids a week at Olmsted Elementary School in Urbandale. A special thank you to Phil Armstrong for making sure the bags are delivered each week, and to Jennifer Gardner for organizing this ministry.

Food Pantry

This last year donations were down but there was still monthly donations to be delivered to the Urbandale Food Pantry. There was success due to the kids and parents of this church stocking shelves and cleaning several Sunday's at the pantry. Conie and I would tell the cleaning crew about new happenings at the pantry and end the cleaning with a treat. Thanks to Conie and all for your help this year. I hope the new pantry chairperson all the success. Ruth Brauer

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Family Promise of Greater Des Moines

In the past year we were saddened to hear that our partnership with Covenant Christian Church has come to an end. The congregation there decided they wanted to spread their wings and get involved with other areas of need. However, some of our valued Covenant volunteers indicated that they would like to stay in touch with our Family Promise mission, and we hope to be able to call on them to offer a small measure of assistance as we travel through the 2016 calendar year. We are, however, hopeful that we may find another congregation with whom to partner in the near future.

We are no longer relying on the ‘MealTrain’ website, as the site gradually became too user “unfriendly”. Thanks to Jon Duvick, we are now using a site called “signup.zone” (https://signup.zone/uucc-fp). After much web surfing and investigating, Jon found this particular site, which better answers the needs of those of us volunteers who rely on it for preparing our volunteer list, setting up our schedules, indicating who is bringing what in terms of ‘Meal Preparation’, who is assisting with ‘Meal Serving’, who is volunteering to be an ‘Overnight Host’, who is ’Transporting’ our families to and from the Day Center at Westminster Presbyterian Church, who is ’Setting Up’ the two Sunday School Rooms and the Nursery and changing them into bedrooms for our guests, who is ’Tearing Down’ those rooms and converting them back into usable Sunday School and Nursery space, and who is going to assist with the ‘Laundry’.

OUR FAMILY PROMISE COORDINATORS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Gloria Ward - UUCC Host Coordinator, Transport & Supply Coordinator - 515-745-0961 (C) Avis Allen - Meal Preparation Coordinator - 515-783-4105 (C) Anjy Allen - Meal Server Coordinator - 515-783-4104 (C) Jon Duvick - Overnight Host Coordinator - 515-480-5505 (C) Charlene Hjort - Set Up/Tear Down Coordinator - 515-422-1839 (C) Bridget Breitbach - Laundry Coordinator - 563-920-5592 (C) Kathy Marean - Kidz Korner Coordinator - 515-480-5587 (C) Gloria Ward - - 515-745-0961 (C) FAMILY PROMISE HOSTING DATES: (We hosted February 14, 2016 - February 21, 2016) May 15, 2016 - May 22, 2016 August 14, 2016 - August 21, 2016 The new calendar will be made available in September, 2016

This ministry is able to continue only due to the generous contributions of UUCC members and friends. Thanks to all who volunteer and work on this most needed, and beneficial, ministry. Gloria Ward

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“Green Boat” Crew

The Green Boat Crew is dedicated to exploring and fostering faithful care for all of God's creation. The focus of this past year has been to present information to the congregation that encourages members and teams to make choices to reducing carbon footprint and, thus, positively affect climate change. The Green Boat Crew meets monthly, with a wonderful potluck followed by a business meeting to discuss faithful responses to environmental concerns and plan upcoming events. The members of this group tracked their 1st full year of their own carbon footprint reduction, with reductions in many areas that were encouraging and surprising. We continue to learn and make our own personal adjustments. This year, the Green Boat Crew has sponsored the following educational events:

• Hosted the Food & Climate Workshop at UUCC in October 2015, with several other local congregations as sponsors, with approximately 25 in attendance.

• Brought in speakers for ASF during the fall of 2015, including a presentation on “Wind Energy” by John Boorman on Earth Day Sunday, and “The Interconnection of All Creation” by Joan Fumetti.

• Presented 2 ASF sessions in winter 2016 to introduce congregation members to reducing their home/personal carbon footprint, with 8 new family units setting their own goals for reduction.

• Invited the congregation, and Building and Grounds Team, to a soup lunch in February 2016 to view “Journey of Hope: The Mayflower Carbon Neutral Story” and their journey of hearing the Christian gospel call to care for the earth by responding to climate change with a carbon neutral commitment in their building planning.

• Presented at the Wednesday Night Alive group for Earth Day 2016.

We have representation at the Des Moines Green Coalition, composed of local churches working towards the same goals. Crew members have join others people of faith in this community to continue action around climate change.

In the coming church year, the Green Boat Crew will be discussing the wider UCC’s new “Creation Justice” emphasis and how we might be involved with this.

We welcome others to join us for our monthly meal & discussion.

Respectfully submitted, Elaine Lundstrom

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Habitat for Humanity/Rebuilding Together

Thanks to coordination by Jerry Woods and Jon Greising, UUCC folks (especially the Bow Tie Boyz) have been involved with a number of building projects in the Des Moines area. On at least two Saturdays, one in October and one in February, nearly a dozen members helped with Habitat for Humanity projects. Another group of a dozen volunteers did repairs to a Rebuilding Together home in Des Moines. Similar projects are being scheduled again this year.

Hunger Hike

About 20 Urbandale UCC walkers supported the 46th Annual Des Moines Area Hunger Hike on Sunday, October 11, 2015. Sandy Gahn and Kathy Marean were organizers, and walkers included both youth and adults.

In 2015, Urbandale UCC raised more money than any other Des Moines area church or synagogue. The total donations were a record-breaking $6,083.77. Some of the funds were designated as memorial contributions for Lee Couch, a long-time supporter and former board member of the Des Moines Area Hunger Hike.

Urbandale UCC was honored at the Hunger Hike Awards Dinner with a special Hunger Hike bowl in appreciation for having broken the $6,000 fundraising mark. Sandy Gahn also serves on the Hunger Hike Board as the Financial Secretary. She began her service on the Board in 2013.

Spaghetti Meal (Second Wednesdays)

It is hard to believe we have been serving this meal for over six years. We still have community members drop in to enjoy a hot meal, but more importantly we have a great time of fellowship sharing a meal together. Thank you to Jennifer Gardner for organizing this meal each month and to Scott Gardner and others for meal prep, and Anjy Allen and others who help serve and clean-up for their dedicated service to this ministry!

If you are interested in helping either prepare the meal, serve or clean-up, please contact Jennifer Gardner.

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Membership Team

God is Still Speaking, and so is the Membership Team at Urbandale United Church of Christ. On a weekly basis, the Membership Team coordinates many efforts to welcome visitors.

We continue to welcome new and returning visitors on a weekly basis by keeping the welcome table staffed and supplied with information packets. Did you know that visitors make up 10-15% of our weekly attendance? Many thanks to Sophiap for her assistance with the information packets and visitor name tags. Thanks also to Ruth Brauer for her assistance with visitor follow-up.

Two times per year, the team coordinates new member classes for those wishing to join or learn more about the church. Attendees share their spiritual journeys, learn the history of the UCC and Urbandale UCC, and evaluate their spiritual gifts and learn how those gifts can be shared with the congregation. Many thanks to everyone who provided food for classes and receptions. Thank you also to Maryellen Knowles for her creativity in photographing the new members and creating the eye-catching new member bulletin boards.

Jon Greising is now responsible for the new member team. Avis& Anjy Allen and Bob Harding are assisting team members.

Three new members joined on Palm Sunday. Several others are now exploring church membership.

Additional members are needed to help man the membership table before service, and help prepare membership materials. If you are excited to share the mission of Urbandale UCC and would like to share your experience with our new friends, please contact Jon at [email protected]

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Worship Team

Worship Team Members: Paul Johnson, Patricia Goldberg, Dayna Weltzin, Jon Duvick, Linda Hancock, Wendy Sontag, Steve Linn, Carol Looney, Joan White, Pastor David Sickelka

The Worship Team was reconstituted in September as part of the adoption and implementation of the Strategic Plan of the congregation. The plan called for “requiting a new, representative Worship Team that includes music staff, pastoral staff, and six additional individuals. At the Strategic Plan Dinner in September a number of folks expressed interest in being a part of the Team.

There were a number of ideas which surfaced at the dinner. They included:

• An additional service. The Strategic Plan calls us to design a second worship service that may be offered at a different time and be a vehicle of a different, more creative or alternative worship service. We look for additional discussion and input regarding this at the annual meeting.

• A desire was expressed for more consistency in the use of non-gender specific language in prayers and scripture readings. In the past few weeks the Scripture Readings have included more intentionally inclusive language.

• An interest in more sensual participation in worship which could include such things as dance and dramatic readings.

• There was an affirmation of the “Raggedy Band” and their contribution to worship. • We affirmed the possibility of getting helpful input from our newer members

regarding the relevance of such things as liturgy, sermon, music, and inclusive language.

We will continue to keep these things in mind in our ongoing conversation and planning. We remain open to ideas and involvement of other members of the congregation in all aspects of our worship like.

We are mindful the worship is at the center of what we do and who we are as a congregation. We gather to praise God and to affirm and uplift one another in faith. In worship we seek the strength and inspiration to live our daily life in reflection of our faith in God and reveal God’s love to others in our words and actions.

At the center of our worship is Pastor David Sickelka. Our intention is to welcome and affirm his role and support him as our primary worship leader. We seek to support him and the congregation not only with our ideas, but also with assistance with all of the tasks and coordination required to support our worship events.

We acknowledge and express our thanks to the Worship Team that was in place for most of 2015. Thank you to Ruth Miller, Leslie Sheridan, Kathy Marean and Linda Hancock. A special thanks to Kathy Marean who coordinated the Usher and Greeter part of our worship for several months in 2015 and into 2016. Psalm 117 Praise YHWH, all you nations! Extol God, all you mighty ones. For God’s love toward us is great, God’s faithfulness, eternal. Alleluia!

From The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation Paul A. Johnson, for the Worship Team

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Endowment Fund Team

Endowment Fund 2015 Church Builder Bonus Fund (Term Note - matures 7/27/17)

Beginning Balance $31,053.23 Interest Earned $859.83 Ending Balance $31,913.06 Demand Note Beginning Balance $25,389.71 Interest Earned $127.10 Ending Balance $25,516.81 Total Endowment Beginning Balance $56,442.94 Interest Earned $986.93 Total 2015 Ending Balance $57,429.87 The Endowment Fund brochure is available to you, highlighting the ways in which donors can contribute to the fund. We thank you for your generous support of the Endowment Fund which was established to provide members and friends of Urbandale United Church of Christ with opportunities to extend the direction of their life-time stewardship through planned giving; and in order to enhance and enlarge the ability of the church to underwrite its stated goals, objectives and purposes for the future. Please keep the Endowment Fund of Urbandale United Church in mind as you make plans for the future in our life. There are many ways in which you can contribute to the fund. If you wish more information about and of these ways and/or the Endowment Fund, please contact the Church Office or any member of the Team.

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Stewardship & Mission Interpretation Team (SMI)

Purpose: Coordinate opportunities for faithful stewardship of our individual and collective resources to meet the needs of the congregation and foster our mission as a Christian church locally and globally.

Team Members: Debbie Gannon, Randy Jedele, Tom Rendon, Jeff Sontag,

Major Accomplishments: Successful pledge drive (Everyone Gives) that raised $334,488 from 112 pledge units

Everyone Gives: With apologies to Cole Porter, SMI mutinied his popular musical, “Anything Goes,” and re-christened it “Everyone Gives,” to remind us that giving is a fundamental spiritual discipline at the heart of everyone’s relationships to God. Besides the heave-ho-ing of the SMI Team, special thanks goes to our lyricist Jon Duvick, and our intrepid soloists Charlene Hjort, Dayna Weltzin, Ken Hanson and John Chaplin. Thanks as well to Steve Linn and Bobby Stinnett for musical support. Can any of us get this out of our heads?

If you want all kinds of people To feel welcome ’neath our steeple Then our faith lives. Everyone gives.

for Urbandale UCC continued being a “5 for 5” church for its 14th consecutive year. That means our church provides general support of the UCC at the state and national settings through Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM), as well as contributing to the four special offerings. For each of these offerings we saw an increase (except for Strengthen the Church). The numbers below reflects the totals taken during the past program year. In two cases we doubled our contributions from last year.

One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS): $2,450 (up from last year’s $990) In cooperation with eight other Protestant denominations and Church World Service, this offering is used for self-help programs in more than 80 nations to build sustainable communities that can stand against and rise above hunger, disease, illiteracy, and other forces of injustice. In addition, the offering is used to respond to natural disasters, civil strife and war; and provide advocacy, hospitality and hope to refugees.

Strengthen the Church: $442 (from May 2015) This offering furthers our commitment to be a multiracial, multicultural church, open and affirming, and accessible to all. Funds are used to strengthen and renew existing congregations, fund leadership for new congregations, and provide programs for youth, young adults and leadership development. Neighbors in Need: $1,231 (up from last year’s $547) This offering is used to support programs and direct grants offered by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries, many of which are made to address hunger and poverty. The offering is also used to support the UCC’s Council for American Indian Ministry, the voice for American Indians in the UCC.

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Christmas Fund: $3,668 (up from last year’s $2,615) This offering is used to provide Christmas Gift checks, monthly pension supplementation, quarterly health premium supplementation, and emergency grants to retired UCC pastors.

Thanks to a budget surplus at the end of 2015, Urbandale UCC was able to give to OCWM despite not having budgeted for it during the 2015 calendar year.

Henri Nouwen, in his book The Spirituality of Fundraising, reminds us, “…if we ask for money from people who have money, we have to love them deeply. We do not need to worry about the money. Rather, we need to worry about whether, through the invitation we offer them and the relationship we develop with them, they will come closer to God.” SMI sees its work as a spiritual ministry to the church, and each request for money and each response is an affirmation of faith: God is good. Submitted by Tom Rendon on behalf of SMI

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Building & Grounds Team

We appreciate our custodians, Sadmir and Umihana, for their work in keeping our church clean and inviting. We truly appreciate their years of service, dedication, patience and attention to detail.

The furnace replacement in 2014 was an eye opening (or eye burning) experience for the team. One of the furnaces malfunctioned, causing smoke that led to a visit from the fire department. We were fortunate the damage was limited to the furnace, and the church alarm system functioned as intended and the fire department did respond. We got “lucky” in that we had a church member come forward to cover the cost of the replacement furnaces. With that bit of “luck" we were able to move rapidly to get several bids for replacement furnaces before the weather turned cold.

Because of that event our team recognized that we were not well prepared financially for the unexpected bigger ticket repair items. As a result, the team started a process of identifying likely capital projects that will need to be undertaken in the next couple years and bigger ticket items that will likely come up over the next 3-5 years. We want to thank team members that have worked on getting cost estimates and helping identify both the work to be done and to prioritize the work. Special thanks to Gordon Dunn, Scott Gardner, and Bob Shoemaker.

In addition to the capital project work, many smaller projects are tackled every year. We truly appreciate the many volunteers that help to do this work. Some of our accomplishments this past year include:

• Installed cabinet locks in classroom for ESL classes • We keep searching to minimize building expenses; one way was fixing leaky toilets. • Hung curtains and replacement white board in class room • Sought out numerous carpeting quotations for replacement carpet in Fellowship Hall • Researched leaky roofs by climbing ladders during rainstorms and using roofing and

masonry experts

• Assisted Tech Team in installing Narthex and FH TVs, running cables • Investigated narthex settling issue by hiring a structural engineer • Secured pews in sanctuary • Replaced sump pump in elevator pit • Pulled wires for security cameras • Changed many light ballasts and light bulbs

• Repaired west exterior door threshold • Changed child-care room door so it could be locked • Cleaned maintenance room

Clean up Days―Spring and Fall: We had two clean up days over the past year. We thank the Burmese church and the Cub Scouts that meet at our church and many of their parents for their energetic help during our cleanup day. Respectfully submitted Mark Siegel and Jerry Woods Building and Grounds

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Technology Team

UUCC Tech Team: Jon Duvick, Jon Greising, and Joe Walters.

Technology team has been upgrading audio/visual capabilities throughout the church this past year. A new TV and DVD player were installed on the second A/V cart. The new TV is able to play media from laptops and smartphones to allow users to connect their own devices. This provides a second cart to support multiple groups using the church. A large screen TV was mounted in Fellowship Hall. This TV is able to display content from the sound booth computer such as announcements and/or videos. Work continues on planning for a permanent setup that add a laptop and DVD player as well as options for users to plug in their own devices. A new TV was added in the Narthex that is also connected to the sound booth. This display is intended to show announcements and other media from the sanctuary. This display was made available with funds from the Joyce Hjort memorial fund. A special thanks to the Hjort family.

The church continues to take advantage of non-profit licensing agreement with Microsoft. Church devices are being upgraded to Office 2016 at no cost through this arrangement keeping on the most up-to-date office software. Microsoft is providing free upgrade to Windows 10 through July 2016 for qualifying devices. All of the church devices qualify for the free upgrade and half have been upgraded at the present time.

Work has continued on installing a new video surveillance system. A new display was mounted in the office. New cameras have been installed throughout the church. Work continues on running wiring and testing the setup.

The Financial Stability Team has been exploring functionality of AccessACS. AccessACS extends the capabilities of the church membership software online to members. During the evaluation, potential cost savings were identified if the church membership software is moved to another product offered by ACS technologies. More evaluation will be done to see if this is a viable solution to meet needs of financial stability team and church operations. Joe Walters for the Tech Team

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Social Media Team

The UUCC Social Media Team continues to post regularly to the Urbandale United Church of Christ Facebook page. As of April 2016 we had a total of 256 “page likes” – those who have “liked” or continue to follow Urbandale UCC on Facebook.

Our “reach” (as Facebook calls it) is defined as the number of unique people who have seen our posts. The highest number of reaches UUCC achieved over the past year occurred on June 27, 2015 when we had a total reach of 907 views. This date corresponded to the General Synod and several of our attendees were posting on our Facebook page. We also reached a larger than usual number of people in November when pictures were posted of members who participated in the “Everyone Gives” campaign. We also had increased traffic around Christmas time.

We also participated in the Iowa Conference’s pilot project to distribute media for the “God is Still Speaking 2.0” project. This was an invitation to every local church to distribute pithy, witty social media postcards. Each postcard highlights an aspect of the United Church of Christ that makes us unique.

The more activity (likes, share, comments) on our posts, the more people our posts reach. Photos of members continue to perform the best and help us reach people beyond our congregation. Daily meditations might also be useful for connecting with church members. We welcome members of the congregation to submit photos they take at church events to our team email box: [email protected].

Andy Smith-Jones has stepped down as chair of this group because of increased work commitments but Sandy Gahn has joined the team as liaison with the council. Team Members: Erin Haemer, John Chaplin, Sandy Gahn.

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Kitchen Team

Purpose: Organize the kitchen, purchase kitchen supplies, establish a ‘Kitchen Use Policy’, coordinate with the ‘Buildings and Grounds Team’.

Members: Gloria Ward, Ruth Rasmussen

Adjunct Member: Betty Christensen

Adjunct Member in Memoriam: Joyce Hjort

The kitchen area continues to serve as the center for overnight guests of the church during Family Promise hosting weeks, as well as for our monthly Community Spaghetti Dinner and other congregational meals and events. We appreciate all of the work done by the Buildings and Grounds Team to keep the kitchen in good working order.

Our goal is to keep the kitchen stocked, organized and clean. A complete inventory of the kitchen is still underway, with a thorough cleaning of the cupboards and drawers continuing to take place. When completed, the cupboards and drawers will be appropriately labeled.

Your gifts of time and supplies are greatly appreciated, as are your suggestions as to how to make the kitchen more efficient and user-friendly. Respectfully Submitted, Gloria Ward for the Kitchen Team

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Christian Growth Team~Children’s Ministry

Nursery There is no EIW anymore and I now have infant to 7 year olds. Due to no EIW we now have Play Doh and water colors in the nursery which the kids play with EVERY Sunday. Every Sunday differs as far as how many kids. Some days I'll have 2, others I'll have 7. Also, the nursery is no longer being used as the movie room during Sunday School. Anjy Allen

3rd-6th Grade Youth Group

The 3rd–6th Grade Youth Group generally met the first and second Sundays following worship service from September 2015 – May 2016.

Our group had two service projects we took part in during the year. The first was taking part in the area hunger march. Each of the youth signed up folks who made pledges to support their march. They raised over $900 as a group for hunger. The second service project was taking part in cleaning and re-stocking the Urbandale Food Pantry.

At our meetings we always had a meal supplied by the parents of the youth. This year we had a great variety. Examples were soup, walking tacos, taco salad, pizza and many other wonderful meals. The kids would always attack the food. A big THANK YOU to the parents for your support!

The over-all goal of the program for the youth meetings was to help the youth grow in their faith. We used movies, resources from Iowa Religious Media Services and simulation games. One meeting centered on choices as they related to our values.

I am so proud of our young people. They care about and support each other. They realize each one of us in the church and out on the streets is a valuable part of the body of Christ. They are always willing to give of themselves to other people.

As the Adult leader of the youth group this year I want to give my thanks to each of the adults who stayed with us for meetings so we had the adult coverage we needed.

We will need some new leadership for this youth group next year. Kenneth Briggs

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7th-12th Grade Youth Group

A youth group led by Rev. Amy

Our older youth group had a rough start to the program year. A survey was conducted last summer to determine what times work best for our 7-12th graders to meet for Sunday school. There was a lot of support for youth to meet after worship from 11:15-noon. As the program year went on there were times when no youth were present. After further communication with families and youth, the schedule was no longer feasible for families due to other obligations after church. We resumed Sunday school at 9am beginning in January of this year.

Once we were able to re-establish our Emerging Adult Sunday school we then were able to offer youth group meetings for April and May. The youth voiced they would like to continue discussing OWL type topics. We partnered with Planned Parenthood and had a speaker come talk with us about Intimate Partner Violence and had a simulated discussion addresses warning signs and what support is available. We will also meet again on May 22nd to address safe texting practices and identify consequences and benefits of texting, online gaming and social networking.

We also will stay connected over the summer and hope to go boating again with Bob Shoemaker and plan a trip to Adventureland. We look forward to what unfolds for these gifted young people. Youth leaders and Sunday school teachers are needed for next fall. Please see Rev. Amy if you are interested in working with our dynamic youth.

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Personnel Team

1. The Personnel Team assisted the transition from Tara to Sophiap as office coordinator and serves as the support team for Sophiap as for all staff.

2. The Personnel Team assisted with the transition to Pastor Paul during Pastor

Dave’s sabbatical and served as Pastor Paul’s support team during his service.

3. The staff organizational chart has been updated and posted in fellowship hall.

4. All staff job descriptions and employment policies are being reviewed by the Personnel Team, with team members interviewing each staff person to update job descriptions and employment policies.

5. Separate from and subsequent to the updating of job descriptions and employment policies, the Personnel Team will assist in developing a process for

providing feedback to staff.

6. Personnel Team provided input on the video security policy being developed for Leadership Team approval.

7. Personnel Team recommends a minimum of 3% salary increases for each staff member.

8. New Personnel Team members would be welcomed!

Diane L. Dornburg Julie Armstrong Betty Christensen

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Small Group Ministry

Small Groups play a vital role at Urbandale UCC. Small Groups provide ministry and fellowship to our church community, allow us to develop close relationships, and enable us to express our commitment to each other and to God.

As part of the Strategic Plan, much of the past year has been focused on reorganizing and revitalizing our Small Groups Ministry. We have been conducting interest surveys, defining the purpose of our ministries, and looking for ways to get more people involved.

Urbandale UCC uses a Free Market Small Groups Model. As defined on www.SmallGroups.com, these groups form around specific interests, topics, or affinities. The goal is to transform an interest group into a spiritual community through relationships and spiritual practices. Groups may be large or small, and topics are developed by the leader. There are many strengths of this Small Groups Ministry model, including the following:

• Starting a group is easy, and groups are ideally formatted for fellowship and relational development.

• Effective for evangelism because the groups are organized around hobbies or common interests.

• Leaders form the vision for their groups based on their own individual passions and skills, rather than adapting to the church's vision.

Sound simple? That’s because it is! Small Groups can be based on hobbies, relationships, social activities, physical recreation, support groups, and more. If you can dream it, it can become a Small Group! If you are interested in leading or co-leading a Small Group, please contact Amy Murray or Mary Edwards for more information. We have a new and improved Small Groups Resource Packet to help you get everything started. If you are interested in leading a group but are not sure which topic to choose, we are happy to share information about which ideas garnered the most interest in our recent online survey.

There are a number of groups that currently exist at Urbandale UCC. Small groups are sometimes featured on the bulletin board in the west hallway during the year. Check it out and get involved! Listed below are group names, contact people, and page numbers where you can learn more about each group. Information about upcoming meetings can be found in The CALL and Sunday bulletins.

Small Groups Book Club: Ruth Rasmussen

Bow Tie Boyz: Mark Siegel Steve Rebelsky

Memorial Garden: David Sheridan

Caregivers Groups Caregivers I: Jo Lilley

Prayer Circle: Maryellen Knowles Caregivers II:

Bonita Wiley

Prayer Shawl Ministry: Barb Woodsmall

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Book Club

We have enjoyed a varied and interesting year of reading. October found us at DMACC to hear Emily St. John Mandel talk about her book Station Eleven and then lunch at the Bistro on campus. In December we had an early Christmas dinner at Waterfront Restaurant in Ankeny. Our selections were:

Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Gray Mountain by John Grisham The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger Americana by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

We’ll conclude the year of reading with:

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf Me Before You by Jojo Moyes Ruth Rasmussen

Bow Tie Boyz

Bow Tie Boyz is a mission-based men's group that gets involved in church work projects, raising money for youth camperships and other service projects, including Habitat, Rebuilding Together, and work days at Pilgrim Heights. We get together once or twice each month at church to share a breakfast we prepare.

We are the guys that flip pancakes for Ash Wednesday, serve brunch at Easter, and grill burgers and brats for the Homecoming picnic.

Something new this year, the Bow Tie Boyz pooled their money at Christmas and donated to the Make a Wish Jolly Holiday Lights campaign.

All are welcome to attend our Bow Tie Boyz’ breakfasts or any other activities that we lead throughout the year. Mark Siegel and Steve Rebelsky, Bow Tie Boyz co-leaders

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Memorial Garden

The Memorial Garden is a sacred space for contemplation and prayer. As a visible symbol of the love and care of God in our lives and our deaths, the garden is available as a place for the interment of the cremated remains of members of the UUCC family. The garden is also a living reminder and celebration of the contributions that our members, past and present, have made to our UUCC community. Memorial services, weddings and other small gatherings may be held in the garden.

Visit the garden often to witness the symphony of seasonal changes. Rest there on a limestone bench with a view of the Cross.

This past year the brick walkway, which had settled in several areas, was restored. In addition, the lilac and forsythia bushes, which were overgrown, were cut way back to allow new growth and greater visibility in the garden. For information regarding the garden and its use, or to join the Memorial Garden Committee, which cares for the garden, please contact Dave Sheridan at 515-883-0806, or Margo Marks at 651-303-4882.

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Caregivers

Caregivers I

The original Caregivers Team serves the UUCC church family by caring for those who are ill, who are suffering a loss of a loved one, who are confined to their homes or care facilities or who have special needs. This Caregivers group meets the second Wednesday morning of each month to share their information and to pray for those who receive care. Our purpose is to always be watchful of the needs of our church family and serve in a caring and supportive manner.

If you are aware of someone who may be a candidate or have a personal need for visitations, phone pals, receiving of cards or prayer shawls, please call the church office or any of the people on this Caregivers Team—Darlene Harvey, ReNae Vanden Broek, Barb Woodsmall, Marci Freer, Jo Lilley, Maryellen Knowles, Rachel Siegel, Nancy Young and Pastor David Sickelka.

Special thanks to Julie Linderkamp for weekly flower deliveries and visits with those having a

special day or in need of extra cheer. The Caregivers oversee these projects: Visitations: Many of the Caregivers offer ongoing care-giving to special people on a regular basis throughout the year.

Phone Pals: A Caregiver is paired with a church member who lives alone. A call is made daily at a prearranged time. These calls result in companionship and reassurance.

Cards: Throughout the year cards are created and sent to church people on the caregiver list. Respectfully submitted, Jo Lilley

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Prayer Circle

There are twenty-one members of our church available to pray for anyone who asks. This Circle does not meet in person but, as individuals, will hold you in prayer. The guidelines for this include:

• We hold you in our prayers. • We hold your request in confidence. • You may request prayer for yourself or a member of your family. • You may give permission for another to request prayer for you. • No one may put you on the list without your permission. • You may share as much or as little information as you wish in the request. • You may note if you would also appreciate cards/calls/visits, etc. • You may follow up with an update or asked to be removed from the prayer list at

any time.

To be placed on the Prayer Circle you may notify the church and that information will be given to me to contact the other members. Or, contact me directly and I will send an e-mail to the members.

My contact information is: Maryellen Knowles: [email protected] Phone: 515-661-3302.

The prayer circle members include: Bonita Wiley, Charlene Hjort, Diana Griffith, Gail George, Marcie Freer, John Chaplin, Liz Dopman, Randy Jedele, Verna LeVear, Kathy Marean, Sandy Gahn, Jeff Couch, Wendy Sontag, Nancy Boyer, Patricia Goldberg, Bonita Wiley, Amy Christensen, Paul Johnson, Rachel Siegel, Maryellen Knowles, and Pastor David Sickelka. Respectfully Submitted, Maryellen Knowles

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Caregivers II

The Caregivers 2 group at Urbandale UCC seeks to support members of our congregation as they go through the many transitions in life. We provide a confidential set of listening ears, meals, hospital visits, transportation and assistance in connecting with other needed resources. We work closely with Pastor Dave and the Caregivers 1 group in hopes of reaching as many care-giving needs as possible. We do rely upon members of the congregation to alert us to concerns, with the realization that as Christians we are all called to reach out to others. Thank you for supporting our ministry by providing meals, rides, and prayers for those in need.

The Caregivers 1 & 2 group met last summer in an effort to assess our ministry. Many ideas, concerns, and joys were shared. Our two groups are at a point where leadership roles are changing. Therefore, a visioning process for the future of the caregiving ministry at UUCC would be advantageous. Our caregivers and congregation continue to provide excellent care to our community.

Our current caregivers are:

Jennifer Gardner Keeli Comito Carol Looney Jim Mitchell Wendy Sontag ReNae Vanden Broek Amy Christensen Patricia Goldberg Liz Dopman Elaine Lundstrom Steve Rebelsky Diana Griffith Randy Jedele Erin Dodd McConnell Nancy Young Lisa Griffith-Tierney Bonita Wiley John Chaplin Dana Weltzin Ruth Miller Sharon Benson Linda Hancock Respectfully submitted by: Bonita Wiley

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Prayer Shawl Ministry

The UUCC Prayer Shawl Ministry (PSM) is in its 13th year of providing comfort, love and faith through the giving of prayer shawls to our church family and beyond.

Since the inception of the ministry in December 2003, a total of 602 shawls have been given. A total of 34 shawls were issued this annual year. Of these 34 shawls, 11 shawls were given outside our church family. One baptismal shawl was given to Kaiden James McCord. Six high school graduates were presented shawls in May 2015 to: Jamel Carter, Julanie Carter, Maleika Carter, Isabel Clark, Alex Dirks, and Gillian Kolotsane-Wren. Four exchange students: Anastasiya Kovalenko (Russia), Lahona Landvoight (Brazil), Vitor de Mendonca (Brazil), and Taulant Xhelili (Russia) were also recognized.

The Narthex Prayer shawl display continues to offer a visual representation of the many shawls given. Each loop represents one year and each strand of yarn represents a prayer shawl given.

There are currently 19 prayer shawl makers on the roster: Alberta Bowler-Keeler*, Nancy Boyer*, Ruth Brauer*, Keeli Comito, Karen Capps-Davis*, Sunny Duvick, Taena Fowler*, Diana Griffith*, Linda Hancock, Verna LeVear*, Jo Lilley*, Carol Looney*, Elaine Lundstrom*, Margo Marks*, Barb Nervig*, Jean Swift*, Bonita Wiley*, Joan White*, and Barb Woodsmall*. Those with an asterisk* indicate at least one of their shawls was given in this time period. We welcome the return of past time prayer shawl makers, Linda Hancock and Nancy Boyer, and a new member Pastor Joan White. And will much sadness, we will miss a past prayer shawl maker, Miriam Cline.

PSM wishes to acknowledge Nancy Boyer who continues to keep memory book/records updated, Julie Linderkamp who assists with processing shawls and record keeping and Sophiap Eng-Swanson, office coordinator who provides much staff support.

Carol Looney has also accepted the position of co-coordinator of PSM this year.

And a special thanks to all our church family and Pastor Dave and Pastor Amy for the enthusiastic support of this ministry! Barb Woodsmall, Coordinator

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Membership Report

TOTAL MEMBERSHIP as of April 30, 2015 591

Additions from April 30, 2015, to April 30, 2016:

Confirmation 0

Confession of Faith 8

Associate Member 0

Transfer In 0

Total additions: 8

Losses from April 30 2015, to April 30, 2016:

Death 5

Transfer Out 7

Total losses: 12

Baptisms (not counted in total membership): 1

TOTAL MEMBERSHIP as of April 30, 2015 587

2015~2016 annual report urbandale · social media $300 $0 -100.0% facebook promotions caregivers...

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