Engage Community Church 2012 Annual Report Distributed Feb. 23, 2013
Report from Pastor Jon Hand Personally, 2012 was the most life-changing year of my life. I started the year with a Kairos moment (if you don't know what this is, go listen to the Jan 6, 2013, podcast, Confessions of a Pastor, on the Engage website). Kairos moments are moments or seasons in time when God so skillfully intervenes in the deepest parts of your soul that it reorients and changes everything. I stand on the edge of 2013 ready to patiently pay attention to God's activity, hear God's voice to me, and respond with courage and trust. I guess, this year has taught me the visible nature of faith. Faith is a visible experience. Faith causes us to live in the present noticing the God-shaped opportunities and realities popping up all around us. I see so many God-shaped opportunities and possibilities for Engage Church as we close out 2012. As a church, I see a rag tag group of imperfect people who are learning to hear God's voice leading them to live deeper into the realities of Christ in our lives and this world. I see us learning to listen to God not just individually but collectively. I see us walking together deeper into the places and people God is calling us to love, serve, and bless as we live as conduits of God to our neighborhoods and city. I see many of you learning to grown, being stretched, and even healed as you continue on the journey of building our sense of purpose and identity on the never-ending, unfathomable, and inexhaustible love that God has for you. Lastly, as we head into 2013 I see movement. I see us taking the deep and even painful lessons of 2012 to propel us with God into 2013. I see God activity happening all across our church. I see a wave of growth happening in our church, and I'm excited to grab a surfboard and ride it with you. Here are just a few examples of the wave of God activity I'm seeing: 1. The start of three new community groups led by people who heard God's voice inviting them to step out into a new place of learning and using their gifts to create a context for growth. 2. I see two new community group on the horizon. 3. Messiah Village Church has given us $5,000 this year for us to invest in some of the discipleship needs in our church. 4. I have a friend, Cory DeAngelo, who is an experienced worship leader. He is spending time with our worship teams to mentor and help shape in them a deeper understanding of how to invite Engage Church into greater awareness of God's goodness and love for us. 5. I see several new couples and families who are finding Engage to be a safe and welcoming place for them to connect with Christ and his family. 6. I see generosity growing in our church. We are improving greatly in our finances in the first two months of 2013. I am thankful for the honor to be a part of Engage Church. Pastor Jon
Report from the Leadership Team Ed Asbury, Lindsay de Bien, Tanner de Bien (non-‐voting treasurer), Jon Hand, Tom Kaden, Sue Miller The Leadership Team works with the lead pastor to advise and make decisions for Engage. Its purpose is to be the guiding community for Engage Community Church, offering spiritual direction, visionary leadership and ministry oversight. Some of the key decisions and actions of the Leadership Team in 2012 included: • Renting additional space for Engage Kids. • Approving a time of renewal for the Hands and creating a plan and an Oversight Team to help run the church during the time of renewal and transition. • Matt Tuckey, Kelly Chripczuk and Travis Leaman transitioned off the team in 2013. Tom Kaden and Ed Asbury joined the team as voting members, while Tanner joined the team as a non-‐ voting treasurer. Paul Sokolofski attended some meetings to enhance teamwork. • Hosting EnVision Night. • Improving organization by creating a job description for the lead pastor; establishing a process for joining the Leadership Team and requirements for team members; and creating an administrative coordinator position. Tricia Cressler was hired as the administrative coordinator. • From a financial standpoint, the team found additional ways to cut expenses so the church could operate within its means, fulfilled multiple benevolence requests, and amended the financial sustainability policy to add time for prayer and communication. The team decided to pay guest preachers. The 2013 budget was approved. • Pursuing stronger relationships with Carlisle BIC and Messiah Village BIC, which resulted in Messiah Village BIC becoming “grandparents” to Engage. • Attending a team-‐building session and gathering with church leaders to share life stories. Goals for 2013: • Clarify Engage’s vision and mission for direction and better decision making. • Create a more permanent leadership structure for Engage Kids. • Create a process to help people learn how to deeply invest in being part of the church. • Pray that God will provide someone to help with discipleship resourcing and equipping. • Go through the process of Community Mapping with the church.
Report from the Treasurer Tanner de Bien & Ashleigh Swarner, assistant treasurer Tanner de Bien stepped into the role of treasurer after Bill Hesse served many years in the role. For added accountability, Ashleigh Swarner became assistant treasurer in July. The first quarter of 2012 saw a decrease in giving, but God is always faithful. When our savings account dropped below $12,000 (approximately the amount Engage needs to operate for one month), we entered a fixed expense budget and found ways to cut additional expenses. Generosity through and to Engage increased throughout the rest of the year. We ended 2012 by breaking even with our expenses and replenishing our savings account. The approved 2013 budget is included at the end of this report.
In 2013, we’re excited to continue to see God provide for Engage’s financial needs. The 2013 budget depends on us trusting God to provide 6% more than in 2012. We’re hoping he will blow us away with generosity, so we’ve also created a Plan for Reaching Deeper into our Community with God’s Help. This plan is included at the end of the this report.
Report from the Operational Coordinator Tricia Cressler This was a new position created in 2013 to facilitate the smooth exchange of information, to help facilitate greater connectivity within Engage, to provide organizational and operational support and supply much needed help in many other areas at Engage. Helping at Engage has been a huge blessing in my life. Practically, it has helped me to save for my daughter’s wedding, and emotionally, it has allowed me to be in community with an amazing group of people and to begin to build long-‐term relationships which I have not done in a long time. It has also allowed me to use the gifts that God has given me to bless many people while being blessed myself by the heartbeat that makes Engage unique. I see God every day in new ways. I am encouraged and blessed to be a part of what God is doing here. Thank you. In 2013, I would like to begin to stabilize the administrative aspect of Engage and delegate it out to gifted people at the church, as well as the Engage Kids piece, so I can spend more time on projects and team building.
Report from the Associate Pastor Tom Kaden While serving as the Associate Pastor at Engage, I had a variety of responsibilities based on my gifts and abilities. First, I was responsible to check in with all of our community group leaders to make sure things were running smoothly and to see if anyone had any pressing needs or concerns that needed to be addressed. I worked with Krissy Kitchen to help communicate to the larger church body what our community groups were doing and how this was connected to our church's mission. In addition to overseeing community groups, I am also the connection person for any new people who have started attending our church. If people wanted to meet or had any questions about Engage, I received their emails and phone messages. I attended all staff meetings with Jon and Tricia to help keep the church moving forward. The highlights of 2012 for me were seeing new people put down roots at our church. Every week we have new faces, but it is those people who get invested in the life of the church which gave me reason to celebrate. Moving forward in 2013, I hope we can continue to raise up a team of leaders who deeply care about connecting with new people on Sunday mornings. Also, a continual area of growth is to move new people from Sunday mornings into a community group-‐-‐which is the backbone of our church.
Areas of Ministry Report from the Audio Visual Team Volunteer-‐led, with oversight by Jeremy Owen Volunteers include Jeremy Owen, Shawn Woodward, Mary Parks, Nicole Amper, Gina Simcox and Josh Smith. The primary responsibility of this ministry is to provide audio and visual presentation support for Sunday worship and events. Top Highlights: We had new team members learning new skills to help in the ministry as well as deeper connection, teamwork and leadership growth among our more experience people. Set up and tear down was simplified by creating a cart to contain the majority of the equipment already plugged in. Prayer for 2013: For continued growth and responsibility as well as more new team members. This is particularly important during the upcoming summer season since schedules get stretched very thin during this time of year.
Report from the Connection Team Michelle Sibert Jon Hand, Sandi Vasquez, Tricia Cressler and I are involved with the Connect Cards. My primary responsibility is to collect the cards, update the database and forward the information to Jon, Sandi and Tricia. Some praises from this past year include, when we ask for help with the pancake breakfast and for “on-‐ call" help for the storms, we received a huge influx of Connect Cards with volunteers. Months go by with very few visitors filling out connect cards, so a prayer request for 2013 is for visitors to better utilize the cards.
Report from the Coffee and Set Up Team Terry and Claudia Cook The Coffee and Set Up Ministry is responsible for setting up all of the chairs, tables, decorations and other items needed for Sunday morning worship. The team makes sure that coffee and drinks are ready for the congregation. It is a way to worship God and his people. Top Highlights: The Cooks are new leaders! They took over so Ed Asbury could use his gifts in other ways at Engage. Coffee set-‐up also became part of this ministry in 2012 to help streamline the volunteers. Please continue to pray for additional assistance and guidance. We’ll accept all/any prayers.
Report from Engage Kids
Volunteer-‐led, with oversight by Tricia Cressler Our goal is to provide a safe, Godly environment for the kids (age birth through 5th grade) during the worship service. Some key highlights from throughout the year included: • Revamping the kids area and adding a K-‐5 room
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Facilitating Project Backpack and Operation Christmas Child and raising more than $100 in change for Awaken Haiti.
In 2013, please pray that God will reveal someone to lead and oversee Engage Kids and for two new teachers for the K-‐5 room.
Report from the Greeters Christina Hauptman & Leslie Tritt We have greeters in three locations every Sunday: the parking lot, front door and at the top of the steps. Greeters in the parking lot point visitors in the right direction for church while being friendly and welcoming. Front-‐door greeters’ primary responsibility is to direct people where to go, and the upstairs greeter hands out bulletins and offers some information to new comers (ie. coffee bar, bathroom, sit anywhere, etc.) Top Highlights: We have had a few people added to our team, and have had some of the Engage youth/kids help us out with the assistance of the adults. Goals/prayer for 2013: I would love to have just a few more people on the team so everyone could serve once a month without leaving any holes. (We are so close!!)
Report from the Softball Team Chris Jones, Chris Cressler, Tom Kaden
Softball in 2012 was a blast! In 2011, our softball team won the championship and built lots of solid friendships through this game we all love to play. 2012 was no different. We had several new team members (some who aren't connected to a church right now)-‐-‐which I believe is truly the heart and mission of our church. We love creating an environment of safety where anyone, wherever they find them self on their journey, can feel loved and accepted. Chris Jones, who now attends Carlisle BIC, was our head coach in 2012. Our team was made up of players from Engage and Carlisle BIC which was a nice mix and created unity between churches. However, in 2013 our church hopes to have our own team due to the number of players we expect to participate. Chris Cressler will be our new head coach!!! Our biggest prayer is that many of the players who aren't connected to a church would build friendships where they feel safe to explore faith.
Report from the Women’s Group Volunteer-‐led This group provides a place for women to gather and talk to other adults about life and faith while children have a safe place to play.
Report from the Worship Team
Adrianne Wenrich, Shawn Woodward, Allan Mathew, Alan & Leslie Tritt, (overseen by Tanner de Bien) The primary responsibility of the band is to lead worship on Sunday morning. This year, we transitioned four members to leaders of individual bands. I have been truly blessed with the group I've been given and I look forward to what God will do through this team. In 2013, please pray for continued spiritual growth and excellence from our team.
Community Groups Report from the Community Group Coordinator Krissy Kitchen
I collect and organize information on community groups, and with help from the leadership, also work to promote the community groups. I am very new to this role, but it was neat to see God working in new community groups that were born in 2012. A prayer for 2013 is that God would continue to grow community in our church, and through community, we can grow more intimate relationships and touch others around us.
Sokolofsky/Reyes Group Our group has changed a bit temporarily. We were the Sokolofsky/Reyes group, but have since split into three groups due to size. Paul and Kim Sokolofsky and Matt and Kristin Tuckey, are now leading the Marriage/Relationship Group based on the book “The Cure.” This group’s goal is to be able to develop deeper/more intimate relationships with God and spouse. Jeremy and Brenda Reyes are leading the Rest Group, which is focused on prayer and praise. Come to pray and worship. Please pray that the Rest Group will learn to fully trust and rest in the boundless love of Christ. Chris Niewind and Krissy Kitchen are leading The Framily Group – a group of friends that feels like family and is working through New Testament scriptures. Highlights from 2012 include having an ever-‐growing group of people who love to be together and share and talk about God, but also a group who has been able to listen to what God is doing in the group (e.g. breaking into three groups based on the needs/desires of our community). A goal is to continue to listen to what God is doing in our groups.
The Travis Group We have shared leadership with different couples taking different roles and all couples taking turns leading discussion. When we meet, our group has decided to give priority to catching up and prayer requests. This is followed by topical discussion (which goes on until our kids end it). We serve at My Brother's Table quarterly and are discussing adding more serving opportunities. We are unique because only half our group attends Engage, and our group is all taking ownership of the group by taking turns leading. Our highlights are serving and becoming a group with shared leadership. Our goal is to find more ways to serve as a group.
Young Adult Group The Young Adult Community group is for anyone who is or feels young at heart. Some exciting things that happened in 2012 are that we started sharing leadership responsibilities so several people could start learning how to lead a scripture-‐based group discussion. We helped multiple people move and spent an afternoon cleaning up a neighbors’ yard. We also distributed cookies to our neighbors around the Ribbon Mill at the end of the year. This group is now called the Totally Awesome Community Group.
We’ve formed trusting relationships with one another, and moving forward, we want to learn how to live our lives in such a way that we can be open and honest and help each other discern where God is leading us.
2013 Budget Income ##
1/1/2012
Interest Income Investments Swipe 5 Rental Income Rental Income Special Gifts
INV S5 RI SGM
Special Gift Monetary Special Gift Donations Kaden Funding Heart Forge Tithes and Offerings Tithes and Offerings BIC Staffing Income BIC Staffing Income
SGD KF HF TITH BI
Total Income
Annual Budget 2013 Category Subtotal Total 125.00 2.00 127.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,400.00 124,800.00 124,800.00 20,000.00
2,787.06
20,000.00 144,927.00
Expenses Payroll Promotion Advertising and Advertising and Promotion Donations Operating Expenses Utilities Office Supplies Property Insurance Postage and Delivery Contract Services Computer and Internet Other Expenses Rent Expense Ribbon Mill Rent Additional Rent Ministry Expenses Pastor Administrative Conferences and Meetings Audio/visual Community Groups Connection Lunch Engage Kids Sunday Morning Hospitality Other Ministries
AD OP OS IN PD CS CI OE RM AR PA MTN AV CG CL EK SM HP OM
Total Expenses Balance
Annual Budget 2013 Category Subtotal Total (88,037.76) 0.00 0.00 (8,793.29) (6,000.00) (600.00) (1,900.00) (400.00) (1,368.00) (59.95) (500.00) (10,827.95) (29,040.00) 0.00 (29,040.00) (100.00) (1,500.00) (608.00) (100.00) (600.00) 4 per year (1,020.00) (500.00) (1,000.00) (500.00)
BIC account Balance
(5,928.00) (142,627.00) 2,300.00 2,300.00 0.00
A Plan for Reaching Deeper into our Community with God’s Help If we reach and exceed our income goals each quarter we are prepared to re-‐invest those funds back into the vision and mission of Engage Church moving forward in 2013. These goals are aspirational and based on God’s provision above and beyond our ‘fixed’ expenses for 2013. With God’s help and our sacrifice we can reach these goals together. Milestones for deepening our reach. APRIL 2013 Replanting our image in the community___________________________________$2,500 • Permanent Sign • Website Upgrades • Mugs for Guests • Entrance Fee to Carlisle Chamber of Commerce • _________________________________ • _________________________________ JULY 2013 Resourcing our community groups and Sowing into our community_____________$2,500 • Community Group Resourcing / Training • Special Benevolence Initiatives • _________________________________ • _________________________________ OCTOBER 2013 Investing in our kids__________________________________________________$2,500 • Engage Kids Classroom Enhancements (Drop Ceiling, Lighting, etc.) • Youth Group Camp Scholarships and Resourcing. • _________________________________ • _________________________________ JANUARY 2014 Creating a context of value on Sundays___________________________________$2,500 • Audio Visual upgrades and needs. • Connection Lunches (In addition to the 4 already planned) • _________________________________ • _________________________________ • _________________________________ Equipping for the future Funds that come in above the budget and this additional spending plan will be used to cover unbudgeted needs related to benevolence or ministry resourcing. Increased giving will allow for the creation of positions in the following key areas. • Discipleship Training and Equipping + Engage Kids Director.