Senior Minister's Annual Report for May 2007

         Overall, it’s been a wonderful year in our church. A year ago, I challenged each of the church Boards to come up with one new initiative to try for the year.  And they – you – came through with a bang!
         Deacons decided to give Baby Bibles to each child who is baptized here.  C.E. connected us with Parish Resource Center, that can supply helpful materials for all our Boards. Mission & Outreach sponsored our first "semi-local-mission-trip" to the San Luis Valley.  Growth updated and expanded our new visitor packets.  Trustees significantly increased our building revenue through some creative negotiations with Mesa Developmental Services, who use the lower floor of our C.E. Building.  Fellowship created our Fifth Sunday "Be a Shepherd, Bring a Sheep" potlucks.
         In addition, SCR (thanks to Jim Lauer’s and Patti Maurer’s very hard work) has completed a new Personal Manual for church employees.  Endowment & Financial Advisory is – with our congregation’s support – developing new guideline’s and categories to manage our endowment and trust funds.  And our Nominating Committee is doing their best to match your gifts with the needs of our church Boards and Committees.  Our Landscaping Committee continues to make our grounds look more and more beautiful, to the point that next year, our church is one of the highlights stops of the annual Garden Tour.
         Our unofficial Labyrinth Committee worked hard to complete our lovely labyrinth, which we dedicated to the service of our community in October.
         Our various fellowship groups are thriving, too.  Men’s Breakfast continues to attract a number of hearty souls each week to share great food (maybe not healthy, but very tasty).  Women’s Fellowship has had some wonderful programs this year, including joint programs with women from the American Lutheran Church, one of which is going to lead to another new venture – use and sales of Fair Trade Coffee!
         And our Finishing Touches (aka Birthday Fund) Committee has purchased lovely new furniture for Mayflower, made sofa, floor, and pew cushions, and continued to beautiful our church with "birthday gifts."
         One of the most important collaborative steps we have taken this year is making a true commitment to move our staffing levels closer to where they need to be, to serve the many needs of our congregation.  Between your pledge dollars, and two extraordinary generous gifts from Frances Crowell and Betty Hall, we are now able to have a half-time Assistant Minister.  Dan has already brought his gifts of pastoral care, preaching, and liaison work with our C.E., Growth, and Mission & Outreach Boards in ways that bless all of us.
         So, as I write this (in December 2006) in preparation for leaving for my sabbatical, I am excited about the health of our church.  In our November Leadership Retreat, we honored and celebrated the many gifts that our lay leaders, and so many of our members, bring to this congregation.  We affirmed the principles below!!  We agreed that it is our first and foremost call, as people of faith, to stay focused as the positive and on the possible, as we move into the future together.  Do we still have things we need to work on, and attend to?  Absolutely!  But I know that you will have moved into those challenges from a position of strength, abundance, and commitment - and I fully expect that when I return to you, you will have dreamed new dreams for us to accomplish together – Thanks be to God!
         Blessings,
                        Pastor Sharyl