2021 Annual Report by Faith Church

2021 ANNUAL R E P O RT

WHAT WE BELIEVE

regularly with other believers

MISSION TO R EAC H THE DISCONNECTED AND GROW THE CONNECTED.

daily through spiritual practices

my time, talents and treasures

joyfully to make disciples

VISION A CO M M UNIT Y OF B E L IE V E R S AC T I V E LY E NGAGE D IN RESTORING & TRANSFORMING T H E WO RL D.

WORSHIP

GATHER

Not only does God work through community, we have to be in community to experience Him fully. We worship together at services on weekends for this very reason and encourage all to be known in smaller communities such as small groups, Bible studies and/or other ministry gatherings throughout the week.

250

New Members

102

Profession of Faith

105

n I fant / Child Baptisms

d A ult & Youth Baptisms upon profession

OTHER SERVICES

E AS T E R S E RV I C E S :

C H R I S TM AS S E RV I C E S:

Reaffirmations of Faith

Affirmations

I N P E R S O N 4,140 O N L I N E 830

I N P E R S O N 3,697 O N L I N E 2,322

Transfers

On average 1,400 people gathered for worship in person, including Faith Kids across all of our locations, and 1,800 people worshipped with us online.

GROUPS There are many different groups where people are known, loved, challenged and prayed for.

S M A L L G RO U P S

GATHER

*not including MomsNation, Marriage, Journey or Care Groups

Mixed Small Groups 816 people

Women’s Groups 263 women

Men’s Groups 277 men

D3 groups (Dyer only)

Online Groups 48 people

FA I T H K I D S & S T U D E N T S

332

Faith Kids (Infant - 5th grade)

170

Faith Students (6th-12th grade)

284

NEW kids from all Faith Church locations who have not previously participated

R E F L EC TO R S For individuals with special needs

Cedar Lake, Dyer & Highland participants on Sundays per week

CARE

M O M S N AT I O N

Providing assistance, support and sometimes rest for individuals and families

Dedicated to encouraging, equipping and empowering moms in motherhood

290

108

625

Marriage Enrichment couples

Preparing for Marriage Class couples

Recieved care from the Care Ministry

207

Active Support Group members (Overcomers; Celebrate Recovery; Mental Health; Hurting Moms, zMending Hearts; Grief Support)

Participants

Volunteer leaders

Groups that meet at 4 campuses

EVENTS

GATHER

Night to Shine - Feb 12 Night to Shine 2021 a w s all about m “ aking the most of it,” and e w are so proud of the 160 kings and queens and 60 volunteers who did just that. From gift assem bly to hand-delivery in frigid temperatures to small house parties with balloon arches and dance oors to a star-studded video experience that a w s viewed by our beautifully-dressed guests, Night to Shine 2021 a w s as great a success as e w could’ve hoped for. A huge thanks to everyone who served and sponsored.

Women’s Mini Retreats - Apr 24 & Jul 17 Our Women’s Ministry hosted two Mini retreats in 2021, to help intentionally create opportunities for the o w men of Faith Church to grow in their a w lk with the Lord. h T e Retreats oered times of refreshment and encouragement through o w rship, devotion, prayer and community. At our July retreat, e w e w lcomed guest o w rship leader Babbie Mason. We e w re encouraged that the retreats e w re at near capacity as it showed the need to oer opportunities like this in the future.

Faith Students Spring Retreat - Apr 9 & 10 We held our very own Faith Students two-day retreat in April 2021. v O er 150 students participated in three sessions total where they o w rshipped, heard a message and played games. Students e w re able to meet other people from other Faith Church locations and hang out during free times. After each message, students got into small groups to go deeper into what it means to have their identity placed in Christ and how that aects their day-to-day lives and relationships.

Faith Kids Fun Run - May 22 h T e Fun Run is hosted by our children’s ministry, Faith Kids, who are on mission to raise money for medical boat expenses in Brazil, which provides care to villages along the Amazon and Rio Negro River. n O May 22 over 200 participants came together to raise over double the amount of what a w s sought to raise with a total of nearly $24,500! Many families e w re blown away by how hard their children o w rked and believed in making a dierence in Brazil through raising funds. We believe events like the Fun Run are not only a great opportunity to build community but to teach our children to be on mission for Jesus’s name being known!

Prayer-a-thon-Relay - June 25 & 26 Prompted by the Spirit, e w held our rst ever Prayer-a-Thon Relay, where over 400 people took turns praying over a period of 26.2 hours. We sought God for awakening and revival in our region.

SpringHill Day Camp - Jul 26 & Jul 30 n O e collective SpringHill Camp a w s held at Faith Dyer in 2021. We had max sign-ups with 173 children participating c ( ompleted kindergarten through 5th grade). Eighty-ve kids made the decision to follow Jesus for the rst time and 124 a w nt to tell others about Him!

Global Leadership Summit - Aug 5 & 6 n O August 5 & 6 Faith Church hosted its 17th Global Leadership Summit. v O er 600 registrants across Northwest n I diana and South Chicagoland registered to attend, whether at Faith Dyer, a micro & mini site, or viewing online. n O e of our mini sites a w s comprised of the Faith Students Leadership Team from Highland/Munster. Faith Students Director Abdiel lV aerio invited this team to attend because of his passion for our students to grow into leaders where they currently are. h T e students who attended participated in a Q&A in the Fall 2021 edition of h T e Paper.

Superhero Party - Aug 13

Gobbler Classic - Nov 25

Superhero Party a w s a celebration of community with family friendly games, bounce houses, delicious pulled pork nachos, dancing and of course, superheroes! Dyer Police and Fire Departments brought some vehicles to explore and our own Jason DeVries took a chance in the d “ unk tank!”

p U on our return from a virtual 2020, e w set a goal of raising $10,000 for local food pantries in Faith Church communities. n O what turned out to be a a w rmer day for a h T ursday in November, 800 runners and a w lkers joined us for their h T anksgiving morning tradition.

h T is outreach event brought many guests from the local community who e w re not members of Faith Church. h T eir experience here a w s that this is a church where their family with special needs belongs.

With the support of our sponsors, donors and participants, a new record of funds a w s raised. Drum roll…a . re you ready….$20,000!! Simply incredible! God knows the needs of this region. And together, e w e w re able to help make a dierence in the lives of many for His glory this holiday season.

Faith Students Fall Retreat - Sept 18 n I the fall, all of our Faith Students ministries came together for a one-day retreat under the theme of Community. Students from each Faith Church got together to hear two messages on what it means to have the right people in their groups and talk within small groups on how to apply this in their daily lives. We o w rshipped, played games, had a good amount of food for everyone, as e w ll as a glow night afterparty!

Golf Classic - Sept 28 h T e annual Christian Aid Golf Outing a w s held on September 28. tI a w s a beautiful day for our 120 golfers at White Hawk Country Club. With the support of our sponsors, participants, dinner guests and volunteers, over $14,000 a w s raised for the ministry, which will allow us to provide greater guidance and assistance to those in our Faith Church family who are experiencing nancial hardships.

MomsNation Marketplace - Dec 3 & 4 h T e community a w se w lcomed to a two-day vendor event in early December to shop with local crafters, artisans, and small business owners, enjoy food from a local food truck, and listen to live music from local student and community groups. Proceeds from vendor fees and donations collected at the event e w re used to create h T e Mama Bear Project, a new fund that will allow MomsNation to provide nancial support to families within our MomsNation ministry that are facing hardship or loss.

Behold the Wonder - Dec 8 - 11 Behold the Wonder returned in person for its fth year! h T is tremendous outreach opportunity served its purpose in bringing the hope that is Christmas to many rst time guests to Faith Church. From the musicians & performers, to production & tech teams, to the army of volunteers and leaders behind the scenes, the production a w s a magical e w ek in kickstarting the most magical time of the year.

COV E R TO COV E R 4 Y E A R BIBLE READING PLAN

GROW

If we want to grow daily as followers of Jesus Christ, it is essential we spend time in our Bibles. At the completion of our third year of the 4-year Bible Reading Plan, we now have 3,025 people signed-up to receive a link to the daily Bible passage and devotional:

2,328 receive texts

697

receive emails

J O U R N E Y G RO U P S The Journey is a 22-week course, designed to provide a safe place for a group of 7-10 people to slow down and be intentional on focusing on our relationship with Jesus – our personal discipleship. It provides a place where God can meet us, teach us, shape us, bless us and help us grow. Participants discern Who is God? Who am I? How do I fit into His plan? 10 groups were hosted with 60 participants in total

T I M E & TA L E N T S God has created each one of us to have unique gifts and talents. When we use our gifts to serve others, we become participants in God’s plan to transform the world.

120

of people serve once a month

Reffectors volunteers serve at least twice a month

Faith Students weekly volunteers

Kids o H pe e M ntors serving at 2 local schools M ( acA,rthu So)uthridge

663

a F ith Kids volunteers serve at least once a month

GIVE

82%

BUDGET

$6.5 million

$0 debt

GIVE

for Faith Church Ministries & Operations Examples include staffing costs, worship, Faith Kids, Reflectors, building and facilities needs, and technology and equipment expenses.

Faith Church reached $0 in debt in 2021.

$1.15 million

Dedicated to Needs Outside of Faith Church Examples include Local & Global Missions, educational institutions, Christian Aid and food markets.

*Covers January-June of 2021 budget and July-December of our 2021-2022 budget. As a reminder, in 2021, we switched to a July to June fiscal year.

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I M PAC T A R E A H I G H L I G H T S B R A Z I L : WO R K I N G W I T H T H E F I R S T P R E S BY T E R I A N C H U RC H O F M A N AU S ( I P M)

− Partnered with Lia and Thiago Dantas as missionary liaisons to the RCA and IPM.

− Faith Kids sponsored the Faith Kids Fun Run, through which 180 kids raised $24,500 toward assisting the medical boat in Brazil. RWA N DA : WO R K I N G W I T H WO R L D V I S I O N I N S I M B I

− Hosted a 3-week series in May, Chosen: to love & be loved, and hosted a new sponsorship event alongside World Vision called, Chosen. Individuals and families had the opportunity to sign up to be chosen by a child in Simbi. Over two weekends an additional 393 kids were sponsored in Rwanda, bringing our total number of kids sponsored to 1,150! − In October, 77 people from Faith Church ran the Chicago Marathon with Team World Vision, raising $285,434 and providing 5,708 kids with clean water in Rwanda! This is the most any of our teams have raised!

− Hosted Lia and Thiago Dantas in person for the first time since 2020 at many of our Faith Church locations in October to share and give an update on ministry in Brazil.

A D D I T I O N A L A R E AS TO C E L E B R AT E I N M I S S I O N

- Sent Vinnie and Kate Adams and their kids on mission to serve with Tesoros De Dios in Nicaragua. - Gave support to pastors in Ethiopia serving at Onesimus Nesib Seminary. - Commissioned 12 people from Faith Church to serve for a week in November in North Carolina alongside World Renew, assisting in rebuilding efforts following the 2020 hurricanes that deeply impacted the area.

- Continue to care for and support numerous missionaries and organizations around the world who have adjusted their ministry due to COVID and continue to attest to the movement. - Partnered with Joni and Friends Family Retreat in sending a team of volunteers to serve at the camp; gift baskets for all the families attending during the second week; and Reflector’s staff to support and serve alongside Faith Church families.

Mobile Food Pantry: In conjunction with the Northern Illinois Food Bank, we host and staff this mobile food distribution effort approximately once a month. It is available to anyone with an Illinois zip code. This is also publicized by the Beecher Village Hall and Beecher Chamber of Commerce. In 2021 we averaged 85 families per mobile (with

BEECHER

approx. 13 new families per month), reflecting an average of 292 people each month. We have continued to offer prayer cards each month and this has been well received. Student Ministry: Faith Students Beecher continues to provide a place for teenagers to ask questions, belong and feel loved. We invite young people to become a follower of Jesus, and we walk alongside them in their journey. A big part of our ministry is an outreach to the community and an estimated 60-70% of our students who attend are from the Beecher community and surrounding area. Trunk or Treat: We co-hosted a Trunk Or Treat event with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Beecher at our location. This annual event of St. Paul’s needed a new location this year as a result of the fire at their church in September. This event was attended by 450 children, plus parents and adults. Blessing the community: To help build a connection within the community, provided lunch to Beecher Elementary School, Junior High and High School. These were individually packed “lunch bags”, so as to accommodate for the protocols the schools had in place for Covid during the spring. Beecher’s 4th in the Fall: Beecher postponed their annual 4th of July Celebration until Labor Day weekend this year and held a “4th In The Fall” Celebration. We had around 20 volunteers serve in the kitchen over the five day celebration.

Light Up Dixie: For our second year, we decorated a tree along Dixie Highway as a part of the Beecher Chamber of Commerce Light Up Dixie. Beecher’s Frosty Friends: We provided 80 Christmas gifts for families in need in Beecher.

Faith Family Market in Cedar Lake: Every Monday members of the community have the

CEDAR LAKE

opportunity to shop for and take home food and other goods provided by the generosity of Faith CL. This year we were able to bless our community with 60 Thanksgiving Baskets. Prayer & Worship Night: We launched our 1st & 3rd Wednesdays Prayer & Worship Night. We gather together to praise God and pray with and for each other even reaching those in our community who are only beginning to learn the mission of Faith Church. Kids Hope: To offer our support to MacArthur Elementary School, we provided appreciation gifts bags and lunch to all faculty & staff. We currently mentor five kids. Faith on the Move: Our Community Outreach and Service Team was established to go on mission in our community. Their mission is to support residents with minor repair and clean-up projects and to help them care for their property. Faith on the Move primarily uses volunteers for this work and will not accept projects outside of the scope of their abilities. Depending on associated costs, funding for projects typically is a partnership with the property owner (based on income sources) and Faith on the Move, which receives donations in support of its ministry. In the first year we blessed our community with a fall clean up day, a wheelchair ramp for an elderly woman and participated on a rehab project in Lowell through the organization Rebuilding Together. Community Blessings: Angel Tree gifts for 30 kids and food baskets for 13 families at MacArthur Elementary School; $2,000 giving in SpringHill scholarships; gift cards for 25 kids to get clothes and 40 kids to get new shoes; St. Jude House was given grocery and gas gift cards for their program participants; and gift cards to bless some Reflectors families.

Reflectors: To show our Reflectors participants and their families they are loved and supported, we hosted a DanceGiving event and outreached to those not currently members of Faith Church. Town of Cedar Lake Trunk or Treat: We participated in the town of Cedar Lake’s Trunk or Treat event to support our community in providing a fun and safe environment for the kids. The event was a success with 800+ kids coming through for a good time. Card Ministry: The Card Ministry has kept the relationships building by sending out 154 greetings of faith, celebration and support. North Carolina Mission Trip: We hosted a fundraising soup supper that raised scholarship money for all 10 participants who traveled to North Carolina to assist with rebuilding projects, including homes destroyed by hurricanes. Lakeside Artist Guild & Academy: We partner with this organization, which offers music lessons primarily to kids. Faith Cedar Lake allows the organization to utilize the space in our building in exchange for their participation in our praise and worship ministry. The organization has taken freewill offerings at their two concerts and have donated more than $1,000 back into the ministry of Faith Church Cedar Lake.

Faith Students

DYER

- Serve Days: Students painted the walls of Wagoner Elementary School and helped families move. - Small Groups: Small groups worked with Phil’s Friends and blessed the community through yard work. - The Welcome Network: Faith Students partnered with The Welcome Network by working on a home that helps transition refugees to America.

Blessing the Community: Faith Church provided Hope Packs full of school supplies for over 900 students at Wagoner and Strassburg schools in Sauk Village. Reflectors Ministry: We have been able to grow in our relationships as a ministry and have also been able to provide care in unique, tangible ways to those within the Reflectors family via bringing meals through the Reflectors in Action volunteer team, helping with household emergencies, as well as encouraging one another through the highs and lows of 2021. Outreach: Faith Dyer partnered with Tesoros de Dios (God’s Treasures) to provide food packets, medical packets, therapy tools, and Christmas gifts for students and their families who attend Tesoros De Dios in Nicaragua. To date we have received about $9,000.

Town of Highland: We were able to come alongside our community in many ways this year. Faith Highland helped clean up the local parks; serve Southridge Elementary through Kids Hope;

HIGHLAND

and hosted the Highland High School Football Team / Cheer Team for dinner the night before their Sectional game. Another 2021 highlight was participating in a community-wide worship service on September 5 at Main Square Park. We are so blessed to be a part of this town!

Faith Students: FaithStudents Highland/Munster has been sponsoring a World Vision child for two years. This year we raised $500 from August to December providing our World Vision sponsor child with everything he needs for the entire year. Our next goal is to sponsor another World Vision child.

Grace Beyond Borders: We continued our partnership with this East Chicago-based ministry which serves the homeless in the Region. Multiple volunteer teams were able to assist with the renovation of their first building, which is close to opening. The goal for the building is to serve as transitional housing for women and children.

Habitat for Humanity: It was exciting to be a part of a ministry that dedicated four more completed homes this year. We had fun working together to build all the walls for an entire house in our own parking lot again. We volunteered on construction sites and the Faith Highland deacons partnered with Habitat in hosting Financial Peace University.

Food Bank of Northwest Indiana: Faith Church continued its support to provide nutritious and consistent food to the region. Specifically, our very own Franklin Wilson was the Grand Marshall for the Walk of Food for all the donations he helped raise. We also delivered 259 pounds of protein for a fall drive and raised $4,000 from the Gobbler Classic.

Family Market: Members of the church community have the opportunity to shop for and take home food and other goods provided by the generosity of Faith Munster. With the many challenges of this year, the generosity of our church family kept the shelves stocked; the team

MUNSTER

served many families during quarantine in a safe way. This year we were also able to bless families with a turkey for Thanksgiving in addition to their regular goods.

Love, Inc: A ministry of local churches to transform lives and communities in the name of Christ. We serve as one of the churches for Love, Inc to help out with collections of groceries, financially and volunteers.

Membership Class: We hosted eight classes and welcomed 23 new members. Stars of Hope: We partner with Love, Inc. in adopting 10 families for Christmas. This year we were able to bless 10 families in need and collected 110 gifts to distribute to the families just in time for Christmas. We are thankful for the generosity of our members.

Fall Festival: This year we hosted our second Trunk or Treat. We had 29 decorated trunks and served hotdogs to 160+ people. It was well attended by our church and community families.

DIY Classes: We had a few classes throughout the year for special seasons like Easter, fall and Christmas. We added a Pop Shop for the holidays that was well attended by our church and people from the community.

STAY CONNECTED SOCIAL MEDIA

WEBSITE DATA

74.01% Viewed from Mobile

Increase in Facebook followers

Beecher

143

Cedar Lake

187

Highland

578,110 PAGE VIEWS

Facebook Live Average Views (per week)

+79

Beecher

+274 +274

Cedar Lake

+181

Highland

Dyer

+82

Munster

20,164 Media Plays

Viewed from Desktop

Dyer

Munster

2,519 App Downloads

22.94%

415

APP & TEXTING

3.05% Viewed from Tablet

O N LIN E M IN IST RY ON AVERAGE, WE HAVE 1,766 UNIQUE VIEWERS PER WEEKEND

People signed up to get a weekly text from their campus.

122

292

Beecher

Highland

183

1,214

Munster

Dyer

360

Cedar Lake Instagram followers

1,415