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Pastor’s
2007 report to Third Evangelical Lutheran Church
If
it is true that all bad news is reported and that good news goes
un-noticed this would be a blank page.
I want to thank and congratulate Third Lutheran and all
of the members for filling the year and this report with good
news.
Most
of the members who were taken into membership in the fall of
2006 were well integrated into Third.
The members received in February and September are gifts
that we all continue to embrace. The year was a year of growth
in membership and attendance.
When we took our survey for natural growth development we
scored well in the area of celebrative worship.
From my observation I am certain that if taken today our
score would be increased. Carl and the entire evangelism
committee working with natural church growth have kept the
issues of natural church growth to the fore. Youth participation
in worship has increased. We now have two young people serving
on the altar. The
Sunday school students again did an outstanding job in both the
Christmas and Easter dramatic presentations.
Celebration
has followed celebration at Third Lutheran. All the committees
have functioned well and the activities have been congregational
and community successes. The vacation Bible school program
headed by Joanne and Kristin and supported by nearly every able
bodied member established a level of community participation
that surpassed expectations. The September chicken BBQ was an
experience in working together and a meal which will be
remembered. The fall festival was far more than the sale of
“Junk for Jesus”, it was an event.
We turned down a fifty dollar offer for an old wardrobe
that did not look like much and at the orders of Kay hauled it
to her house, set it on the lawn and I think Kay sold it for
four hundred dollars. People
from the community and even from New York City came and sat at
the tables visiting and eating hot dogs served up by Neal,
Henry, and
Ernie.
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The
spring and Christmas musicals put on by the inspiration of Kara and the
perspiration of several other hard working women to include Kim and
Elaine was a community celebration of the ability of young musicians and
the appreciation of talent and effort by those of us who applauded.
The father of one of the participants asked, “Who brought and
prepared all this food?” Following
the December program an informal musical program continued. What a
celebration.
We
also celebrated the overcoming of all sorts of problems.
The roof leaked. It was fixed.
The carpet on the stairs and the downstairs floors looked bad and
smelled worse. The downstairs hall and Sunday school rooms were painted.
A chair rail was added to the hall and new carpet was laid down
in the hall. A crew of men and Sandy, who swings a mean paint brush,
made a difference.
The
steam radiators fell off the wall in the social hall and the furnace had
to be
replaced.
There was no end of work for the property committee headed by
Charlie.
The tenacity of President Monica, Treasurer Gary and every member
of
The
congregational council made things happen.
The
wonderful celebration of the ordinary is to be commended. Breakfasts,
coffee and food at all the receptions, the care of the altar, the
ordering of the flowers and preparing of the nave for the seasons of the
church year; you have done a lot of heavy lifting this year. But the
most wonderful celebration of all is that we continue to meet in the
name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit to celebrate the gift of faith and
receive the forgiveness of sin and the body and blood of Christ.
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