~identity We are an open
community
of Christians gathering to seek, celebrate, live and share the
love of God for all creation.
~vision We envision being transformed
by God and transforming the world into a compassionate, just, inclusive,
Christ-like community.
~method We experience God’s
unconditional love, embrace hope, grow in faith, and become empowered by our passion for ministry and
service in the world.
. Street • Indianapolis, Telephone: -- • Fax: -- • www.stlukesumc.com
: , Dr. Kent Millard, Senior Pastor How Would You Describe St.Luke’s United Methodist Church?
What About the Numbers? Here is a summary of the financial numbers:
I describe our congregation this way. We are a “big-tent” congregation, which means there are people in our congregation with wide diversity of opinions on practically every topic. Consequently, we have members of our congregation who are very conservative on theological issues, members who are very liberal on theological issues, and a large group of people who consider themselves somewhere in the middle. I maintain that God does not love us because of where we are on the theological spectrum. I believe that God loves us unconditionally because we are all children of God and we are called to love each other with that same unconditional love. I love this congregation because it includes all people under God’s big tent of love regardless of race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation or theological perspective. This is why we define ourselves as an—
OPEN COMMUNITY OF CHRISTIANS WHO SEEK, CELEBRATE, LIVE AND SHARE THE LOVE OF GOD FOR ALL CREATION. Here are some of the highlights of this open community of Christians who seek to share God’s love with all creation:
1. We ended with , of income over expenses. Our Finance Committee will use this balance to reduce capital indebtedness and provide for equipment purchases.
2. Gross income from all sources (Budget, Capital, Endowment, Garden, Special Offerings, Groups): ,,.
3. Over million was given away in mission outreach activities. 4. Capital Campaign gifts totaled ,. 5. pledges increased % over , and the average pledge increased .%. We have fewer pledges in compared to .
Here is a summary of the membership and attendance numbers.
1. We received new members in and lost by death or transfer for a net membership gain of . For the first time in our history we have over , members at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.
2. The average worship attendance at St. Luke’s and The Garden dropped % (from to ) in . I visited recently with several other large-church pastors around the nation who have had similar decreases in worship attendance during the past year. One congregation did a study and discovered that people indicated their over-busy lifestyles and frequent out-of-town trips were the reason for the drop in their regular attendance and had nothing to do with dissatisfaction with the congregation. Furthermore, new members are equally busy with other commitments and also don’t attend as frequently. The conclusion was that they were reaching more people in worship but not as frequently.
3. Our Christmas Eve worship attendance was ,, which was more than last year and may indicate we have the same issues here. We are reaching more people totally but not as frequently.
4. We have a task force studying worship attendance with a goal 2
of increasing worship participation to , over the next five to ten years.
The Year of the Consultant
Pastoral & Staff Changes in 2007
During the leadership of St. Luke’s has been meeting with Dr. Gil Rendle who is one of the nation’s leading church consultants and the author of Holy Conversations and When Moses Meets Aaron.
During Rev. Brent Wright moved to become the pastor at the Jamestown United Methodist Church and Dr. Carolyn Scanlan decided to follow a different career path as a Disciples of Christ ordained pastor. Consequently, we have redistributed pastoral responsibilities among the six full-time and two parttime pastors on staff.
Here are some of the organizational changes we have made as a result of these consultations:
1. Rather than having staff leaders reporting to me there are now only three. (Linda McCoy, Julia Johnson and Adolf Hansen).
2. Julia Johnson now oversees the work of the Lay Staff Directors (Mary Katherine Schnitz, Mark Squire, Terri Coe and Jayne Thorne).
3. Adolf Hansen oversees the work of associate pastors Brian Durand, Marsha Hutchinson, Marion Miller, and Stan Abell.
4. Linda McCoy continues to oversee the work of The Garden staff.
5. The Lead Team—composed of the lay staff directors and all the clergy—is led by Adolf Hansen and Julia Johnson for communication and operational issues.
6. We will develop a Governing Board of persons who will deal with vision and policy matters and provide direction for the staff and lay groups in the congregation. I believe these changes will enable us to continue as a passion-driven congregation with greater focus and effectiveness.
Rev. Marion Miller has become the pastor in charge of the Later @ St. Luke’s service. Rev. Stan Abell became a full-time pastor in June , giving % of his time at The Garden and % at the St. Luke’s campus. Rev. Brian Durand will devote more ministerial time in general pastoral responsibilities, and we will hire a new fulltime Director of Youth Ministries who will work under Brian’s direction. Brian will continue with some youth ministry activities such as teaching our confirmation classes. Dr. Adolf Hansen moved from one-fourth time to one-half time in order to provide associate clergy oversight and co-facilitate the Lead Team. Rev. Marsha Hutchinson has additional responsibilities in teaching, pastoral care and worship planning and coordinating. Lori Lee Andrews resigned as Director of Children’s Ministries to attend art school. Anne Adams and Dawn Bick are sharing responsibilities while a task force works on the next steps in Childrens’ Ministry staffing. During , we welcomed several new staff and said goodbye to others including: Kit Williams, Ryan McMenamin, Tonda Zeek, Derek Hakes, Mary Lynn Voigt and Ed Chesovitch. Those we welcomed are: Kathy Alexander, Front Desk and Duplication; Jason Barnes, AV Media; Martha Heinrich, IT; Kathleen Headington, Associate Youth Director; Lew Mulford, Facilities Staff.
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Together in Minstry Everyday (T.I.M.E.) T.I.M.E. continues to be a major emphasis of our congregation as we encourage everyone to invest some of their time in outreach ministries and activities. During the winter of our emphasis on Healing and Hunger helped to generate over , for the Nothing But Nets anti-malaria campaign during our Lenten season. Our summer theme of Appreciating Creation has launched a Green Ministry within our congregation which has made people more aware of how we can be better caretakers of God’s creation.
our grandchildren, and found it to be an enlightening and inspiring experience. I also lead a group of persons from St. Luke’s on a Holy Land Pilgrimage which we found to be very inspirational, and I participated in a Rotary-sponsored trip to Kenya (along with our son Kendall Millard and daughter Koretta Hall) to learn about the IU/Kenya AIDS and hunger ministry which St. Luke’s has supported for years.
During the Fall of we focused on Bridging the Generations, and a generous donor gave us , to distribute in amounts to encourage people to do ministry across the generations. Over , was generated in crossgenerational ministries.
Work projects under the direction of World Missions enrolled more than people in outreach projects in this country and around the world. I was privileged to participate in the Rosebud Mission Family ministry project with two of 4
We have continued outreach ministries through our partnership with Indianapolis School #20, support for Christian, Jewish and Muslim educational opportunities at the Mar Elias school in Israel, our AIDS task force, and the Power of One outreach ministries.
Special Events During we published Dr. Carver McGriff ’s book, Making Sense of Normandy, about his World War II experiences in the Normandy invasion. We have sold over copies and people are asking for more. We thank Bob Zehr and the cast of “South Pacific” for the inspiration that performance brought and the recognition of the World War II veterans among us.
During I accepted the Distinguished Evangelist of the Year award from the United Methodist Foundation for Evangelism on behalf of the hard work of the members and friends of St. Luke’s who have helped many people experience the amazing grace of God for many years.
Looking Forward I have been inspired by the House Church movement where people invite neighbors and friends to come to their homes weekly for a potluck dinner, a DVD of a St. Luke’s sermon, prayer and discussion. Many congregations like ours have launched these House Churches and are finding them to be a new way to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I hope that we can find a way to encourage and support these new ways of reaching people. Dr. Adolf and Naomi Hansen and Minnietta and I will be leading a trip on a cruise ship to Alaska August -, where we will not only enjoy the beauty of God’s creation but we will also participate in daily Bible study sessions on creation. During Lent we will raise at least , for the Sierra Leone Medical and Educational mission where the churches of Indiana have had a long history of service. Our Trustees are leading us in a process of replacing the -year-old heating and air conditioning system in Robertson Chapel and all of the older parts of our facilities. I am encouraging those who have had “holy moments” in Robertson Chapel through a worship service, wedding, baptism, or funeral in that chapel to consider a generous gift to help us pay for replacing this heating and air conditioning system. We continue using Robertson Chapel for children’s worship every Sunday morning, our Later@St. Luke’s service and for many funerals and weddings, so we need to provide adequate heating and air conditioning services to maintain those ministries. Providing for church facilities is just like providing for our homes; there comes a time when we need to replace furnaces and air conditioners to continue to use these facilities. Jesus was a “big-tent” person as he reached out to embrace all sorts and conditions of people in his time, and we are faithful to him as we continue his ministry of reaching out to share God’s love with all those around us. It is a joy to be one of the leaders in this “big tent of love” congregation. Grace and Peace,
Kent Millard 5
pledges
2007 by the numbers
During , the St. Luke’s congregation continued to generously support the ministries of the church with their financial gifts.
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, , ,
Gifts received for Powerful Possibilities Campaign Other Capital Campaign/Building Fund Gifts TOTAL Capital Gifts
Gifts toward Annual Operating Fund Gifts received for Support of The Garden Funds Received for Missions/Designated Funds/Programs** Gifts Received for St. Luke’s Endowment TOTAL Gifts Received for Operations/Outreach
,, , ,, , ,,
TOTAL Gifts Received from the St. Luke’s Family in
$ ,,
** Sampling of Outreach Ministries receiving assistance in Amani Foundation Hurricane Katrina Appalachian Project, Hazard, KY Indiana United Methodist Brightwood Community Center Children’s Home Brookside Community Center IPS School 20 Partnership Celebration of Hope IU/Kenya AIDS/Power of One Caring Churches Network Inter-Faith Alliance Changing Footprints Jamaica and Zimbabwe Scholarships D’Iberville Volunteer Center Jeremy’s Tree Haiti School Earthquake and Flood Relief Lucille Raines Residence Epes Center, Chile Mars Elias Fletcher Place Community Center Neema Orphanage Fresh Start Nothing But Nets Global AIDS Initiative Oaks Academy Gore Oklahoma Boys Ranch Outreach, Inc. Habitat for Humanity Sierre Leone/Operation Classroom Haitian Academy Hospital UMCOR Heifer Project United Christmas Service Metro Ministries World Missions Support of Work Trips Honduras
••• Total gifts and contributions made to world and community groups from UMW, The Garden, Singles, Children’s and other ministries were over ,. ••• St. Luke’s also contributed , through apportionments to the work of the United Methodist Church throughout the world.
: The congregation continues to respond to St. Luke’s mission with their Prayers, Presence, Service and Gifts.
# of Families Pledging
Total Pledges
Average Pledge
,, ,, ,, ,, ,,
, , , , ,
2007 Annual Income Statement Pledge Income Identified Plate Loose Plate Christmas/Easter Special Gifts Gain/Loss on Securities Prior Year Pledges Facility Rental
,, , , , , - , ,
TOTAL Income
,,
Board of Trustees Staff Parish Relations Church Apportionments Program Budgets TOTAL Expenses
, ,, , , ,,
Net
,
Welcoming New Members During we welcomed new members at St. Luke’s and lost members by death, transfers or withdrawal for a net gain of members. The total membership of St. Luke’s is , at the end of . Our average attendance in worship at our ten weekly services declined slightly in from , in to , in . The Garden worship services decreased from to .
Confessions of Faith Confirmation Class Transfer from UMC Other Denominations TOTAL New Members
Removal of Members Withdrawn Transfer to Other UMC To Other Denominations Deaths TOTAL Withdrawn
Net Membership Gain Membership Baptisms Preparatory / Children under 18 Constitutents Average Worship Attendance St. Luke’s Worship The Garden TOTAL
membership
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St. Luke’s Staff ST. LUKE’S CLERGY STAFF: Kent Millard, Linda McCoy, Brian Durand, Marsha Hutchinson, Marion Miller, Stan Abell, Adolf Hansen ST. LUKE’S STAFF: Anne Adams, Associate Director of Children’s Ministries; Kathy Alexander, Administrative Team Assistant; Jason Barnes, Director of AV/Media; Dawn Bick, Interim Children’s Ministries Assistant; Betty Brandt, Director of Spiritual Life Center; Brad Cherry, Facilities; Terri Coe, Director of Adult Ministries; Lori Crantford, Director of Communications, Marketing & Development; Brian Durand, Director of Youth & College Ministries; Jan Emmons, Finance; Andy Engle, Youth Intern; Sylvia Forbes, Membership & Care; Brenda Freije, Student Pastor; Bryce Fuhrmann, Associate Director of Youth Ministries; Bertie Gilster, Front Office; Adolf Hansen, Theologian in Residence; Janelle Hatfield, Childcare Coordinator; Kathleen Headington, Associate Director of Youth Ministries; Martha Heinrich, IT Manager; Carol Helmus, Special Event/Wedding Coordinator; Sharon Holyoak, Oasis Bookstore Manager; Molly Huntemann, Youth Intern; Julia Johnson, Executive Director of Ministries; Faina Kleyner, Finance; Beth Lammers, Building Scheduler; Tujuianna Lockhart, Facilities; Bobbi Main-Jackson, Director of Weekday Ministries; Charles Manning, Assistant Director of Music Ministries; Linda McGlothlin, Adult Ministries; Bonnie McMenamin, Music Ministries Assistant; Janet Miller, Children’s Ministries; DeAnna Moran, Adult Ministries Registrar; Tim Moore, Taizé Prayer Service Leader; Lou Mulford, Facilities; Rickie Murphy, Facilities; Debra Nethercott, Director of Children’s Music; Sarah Nevin, Publications Design; Jan Nichols, Coordinator of World Missions Projects; Julie O’Connor, Development & Celebration Team; Jessica Pollock, Young Singles Coordinator; Rich Potterf, Building & Grounds Ministry; Mary Katherine Schnitz, Director of Care Ministries; Cara Scott, Receptionist; Kelly Scott, Facilities; Winnie Sibotshiwe, Facilities; Mark Squire, Director of Music Ministries; Alison Strawmyer, Weekday Ministries; William Taylor, Facilities; Jayne Moynahan Thorne, Director of Outreach Ministries; Cheryl West, Director of New Song; Adra Wheeler, Director of Hospitality & Volunteers; Wanda Wilburn, Facilities; Rich Wisman, Facilities THE GARDEN CLERGY STAFF: Linda McCoy and Stan Abell THE GARDEN STAFF: Troye Kinnett, Director, The Good Earth Band;
Richard Ramsey, Creative Director; Steve Whipkey, Director, Oak Hill Band; Judy Tolley, Administrative Team Leader
Some of our new members in 2007.
. Street • Indianapolis, • Telephone: -- • Fax: --
www.stlukesumc.com