First Free Church 2008-2009 Annual Report

As I write this report we have just concluded our Easter series: "The Portraits of the Cross." I continue to be overwhelmed by what God did for us on the cross. He justified us. He won our freedom. He suffered and paid our debt. He gave us victory. We have the greatest mission on earth-to worship and serve a God that loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for us. Might we always be awed by this truth!

Our Purpose: First Evangelical Free Church exists to Bring people into a relationship with Jesus, Connect them to God's family, Mature them in their faith, and Equip them for ministry so that God's name will be Exalted.

In everything we, do our goal is to Exalt God! Our dream at First Free is to be a worshipping church, one which is leading more and more people into the very presence of God. Each Sunday morning we gather in two worship services to do just that-worship and exalt God. In the winter/spring of 2008 our average worship attendance was 444 people. During the summer, our average attendance lowered to 313. Then in the fall/winter/early spring of 2008/2009 we averaged 513 people. We are excited about this growth, not because we have a larger crowd, but because more people are being led to worship and exalt God.

Debbie Smith has been a huge part of this growth. She has been here at First Free serving as our church pianist for over 10 years. All of us have enjoyed her talents and skills on Sunday mornings. But Debbie has done much more than just help us worship. She has given and served in multiple ways through the years, from working with the youth to leading a weekly small group. Debbie has announced that she is moving to Canada this summer. I want to publicly thank her for her huge impact at First Free! We will certainly miss her.

Our dream is to be a church that works in partnership with you; enabling you to reach out with Christ's love to your unchurched friends and neighbors and Bring them to Christ. Our stated "faith goal" as a church is to see an annual 10% conversion growth (50 plus people become followers of Christ). In 2008 we lit the candle that sits on top of the organ at least 20 times as we celebrated each of those new lives that were brought to Christ. In the first five weeks of 2009, we have lit the candle each Sunday morning. What a great way to begin worship-to join the angels in heaven in celebrating that those who were lost have been found.

This past year, using our Fall campaign "40 Days of Community" as a launching point, many of our small groups took it upon themselves to find places in the Minneapolis community to serve. Our Outreach Commission has also formed a new subcommittee focused on intentionally helping us become a more contagious church for Christ.

We continue to be a strong church in the area of missions. God has been very faithful to us as we support our missionaries in prayer and with finances. But we also dream of being a sending church-where our members are scattered around the world to bring Christ to all peoples. This past year several mission teams went out including some summer youth teams and a couple of adult teams. It is exciting that God can use us for His global purposes!

Our dream is that every attendee become connected to an Adult Bible Fellowship or small group in such a way that they belong and are known. During last Fall's spiritual growth campaign, "40 Days of Community," many people took up the challenge to become connected at First Free. In this year of 2009, we hope to see more people find a small group or ABF where they can share their lives.

We dream of being a spiritually maturing body where each person is growing in their spiritual character of love, servanthood, and godliness; becoming more like Christ on a daily basis. Both our Adult Bible Fellowships and small groups are the primary places for adults to grow in their faith. Some ABF's are growing and others are struggling. A few of the small groups have dissolved, while others are thriving. Prayer is also an integral part of our church life. This past year we have moved our every-other-month all-church worship/prayer experience, Fresh Encounter, to Wednesday evenings with a positive response. Also, during the school year, our regular Wednesday night prayer group has about 8 to 12 prayer warriors that meet on a weekly basis.

Our Children's Ministry, Creekside Friends, and our Student Ministry are bursting at the seams. The nursery and preschool areas are full. The Wednesday night programs are packed with great activity as grade school children are introduced to Christ. The Student Ministry is growing as well. Record numbers of students are going on retreats and are attending weekly events. I cannot say enough about all the volunteers who step in and make a difference in the lives of the children and the students. From Sunday morning to Wednesday nights-people are serving Christ and the body.

This of course, brings me to the area of equipping each member to serve God. We dream of being a church where each person finds a place that God has for them to serve Him. And they serve Him to the best of their strength. There are so many people who are giving their time and talents to First Free, from those who are volunteering at MOPPETS, to those who are serving funeral receptions, to those who are serving us each Sunday morning as part of the "Welcome Force" and the "Fellowship Kitchen Crew." I look around, and I am so thankful to God that I serve in a church where people are looking for ways to make a difference.

I also want to say thank you to the staff. Last year, Cindy Sawyer resigned after working in our church office for over 12 years. Thank you, Cindy, for your many years of ministry and service. Last year we also added Olivia Lueth and Karna Anderson to our office staff. Both have been wonderful in the office. The ministry staff of Pastor Eric, Pastor Mark, Beth Brown, Maureen Juarez, and Dee Huanca continues to be invaluable. Scott Beckett and Julie Groethe have done more behind the scenes than I can ever be aware of. Thank you!

Finally, I need to thank Alan Peterson, who stepped in last summer as Chairman of the Council. Alan has done an impressive job and he has been outstanding to work with. I greatly appreciate Alan's humility, his support in prayer, his wisdom, and his partnership in the ministry that God has given us all.

Children's Musical. After last spring's successful run of Barbecue for Ben, Diane Ryden stepped forward to lead a children's musical this year. Come Messiah, Come is in progress and a key component to the development of young musicians, not to mention faith development.

Technology. Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. That being said, we most likely will continue to use technology in our daily grind. We've worked this year to maximize and care for the space and technology we have been given. This includes monitoring volume levels, researching acoustical design, and equipping and managing 10+ volunteers who run the sound, the video, and make recordings for the web and CDs. Thank you to our many technicians!

School of Worship. Our 12 students continue to grow in their musical ability as well as their ability to articulate what worship is. I've coordinated with Youth Pastor Mark to equip students to lead worship monthly for their peers and occasionally for the main worship service.

Orchestra. We consolidated the Orchestra into the Cross Generational Orchestra, to be held twice a year.

Choir. Our choir, led by Rick Olson, continues to encourage all of us as we seek to use our musical gifts for God's glory. Thanks to Rick for leading and cheering us on!

Ushers. How many times has John Lande been here early and stayed late to clean up? Almost too many to count! Thanks John! And thank you, also, to the three teams of ushers that meet practical needs weekly.

Worship Teams. We have such good musicians at First Free; it is a joy to play with you all. Special thanks to Karen Beckett for her endless hours of powerpoint lyric prep and doing the hundreds of details that need to be taken care of ("Where are the matches?" "Can you print out a copy of…?").

Small Groups: This fall we kicked off new small groups with the "40 Days of Community" campaign. About 16 groups were on board with us. Twelve of those groups persisted throughout the year. Chris Messerer interned with me, leading a small group at our house and doubling as a technology assistant. I see great potential in Chris and look forward to watching his future ministry flourish after seminary.

Welcoming Ministries: This year we were blessed by Laura Radtke who coordinated a group of 10 or so volunteers who are the smiling faces behind the counter in the foyer.

In January, a small group focused on local outreach began meeting to strategize ways to love our neighbors and introduce them to Jesus. We have been meeting twice a month and look forward to equipping God's people further to become light to our city.

"The Student Ministry exists to nurture a loving community where students and adults can meet Jesus, become like Jesus, and serve like Jesus, so that God's name will be exalted."

The group has continued to grow numerically and students have continued to accept these new students into our community. There have been successes and times of great acceptance and love, but overall we are in more of a place of stagnation which lends itself to growth and new life. I am excited to encourage and challenge the students to be the John 13:34-35 Student Ministry.

A time when the group really poured their love out on each other was at the Pizza Fest in November. Gathering in people's homes for this event felt like a good family Thanksgiving when you've been away for a long time. The love and acceptance was electrifying and really unifying. A few other really great times where the students were the John 13:34-35 group was over the Fall and Winter retreats.

The goal this year is that the John 13:34-35 community would not be experienced only over big events but year round and these bigger events would just be expressions of what is already a key part of the ministry.

Over the summer, a group of 9 students went to the Converge evangelism training conference outside of Chicago. These students learned basic apologetics to help strengthen their confidence in their faith and learned how to have conversations with others about their faith in Christ.

December 31^st brought 80 students into FEFC where they had a lot of fun and heard the Gospel through Mark Larson's personal testimony.

The Student Ministry's main thrust in all we do is to help students become like Jesus. This area of discipleship is one that has ups and downs for individuals and whole groups. This year we have seen some significant positive growth in some students with their faith becoming a much more active part of their lives. Yet on the other hand, we have seen some students take steps back away from Christ and obedience to Him.

Throughout this year students have had opportunities to serve our Seniors through home visits where they have done work on some of their homes, cars, yards and just visited with others. Students have worked with CES (Community Emergency Services), our local Christian food shelf, sorting food and delivering it to individuals. We have also served at Feed my Starving Children two times this year where we have packaged over 30,000 meals to help feed starving children all over the world.

Pastor Eric has been working with a number of students through the School of Worship, and from this a youth worship group has been formed. It has been exciting to see these students become better musicians and even more exciting to see them become worship leaders, leading the other students in worship of our God.

The Student ministry could not happen without the direct support of volunteers and parents. Many thanks to Sarah Clinton, Phil Hintz, Johanna Holliday, Chad and Heidi Hollinbeck, Jesse and Emily Horst, Sherie McClun, Mark and Patty Mellema, Melinda Meyers, Ben Nordell, Aaron Rusnak, Darcy Schubloom, and parents for their part in our Student Ministry. Many thanks also to all those who put so much time and energy into the New Year's Eve outreach and the Terrace on Chicago.

Connections. Lots of Connections. Kids connecting with teachers. Toddlers connecting with toddlers. Nursery Caregivers connecting with other Nursery Caregivers. Friends connecting with one another on Wednesday nights. Those friends connecting with new friends and connecting them to church on Wednesday night. Unchurched parents connecting with churched parents on Wednesday nights. Lots of connections. And then, there are even more connections made the week of Vacation Bible Camp...

What a privilege it is to be a part of Creekside Friends...and to watch the dots among babies thru 6th graders to churched and unchurched parents get connected! I praise God for the growth First Free has seen in the Children's Ministry this past year. Growth means that more kids and their families are connecting to Jesus!

We are blessed to have 3 committed nursery coordinators, Mary Bostrom, Katie Goodman, and Becki Kobielush, who took on the "re-configuration" of the nursery rooms last summer. We had to be proactive in making some changes because we knew of many babies on the way! A wonderful new addition was the 2's "Treehouse" room which is a preschool room for 2-year-olds. This room was formerly used for sleeping babies only and it's a newly remodeled room right next to the bathroom (which was important!). It's also been great to work with the Parish Nurses to keep on top of our sanitary procedures.

A new check-in system was implemented for the nursery and preschoolers and the parents have been very happy with it! We are hoping to have a new paging system this year.

Thank you to all the 70+ nursery caregivers who serve in the nursery and 2's rooms so faithfully. This is a valuable ministry that blesses the parents.

The 3's Hoppers and 4's and 5's Critters classes have continued to grow and bring joy to the teachers! The kids love to sing, play, and learn about God's creation!

We've had a wonderful year in the Bible Time classes, which are grade-level classes that meet during the first hour. In the fall we had to search for new classrooms and purchase room dividers because of the numbers of kids! The teachers have enjoyed using the new Discipleland curriculum, where kids grow to know, love, and serve God.

On a Sunday morning you may find 6th graders talking about their prayer journals, or 5th graders doing a "TV" broadcast from Bible times, or 1st graders tasting food such as pita bread and dried apricots from Bible times.

In the fall we scheduled children's and junior church during the 2nd hour so that they could join their parents for the first part of the worship service. What a blessing it has been for the kids to have both the kids' experience and watch their parents experience worshipping God.

The kids in grades K-6 are dismissed to three separate rooms: Kindergarten and 1st grade, 2nd and 3rd grade, and 4th-6th grade. This has worked very well! The K-3rd graders participated in "40 Days of Community" in the fall and are now having a great time learning about the Armor of God! The 4th-6th graders learn much about the Christian walk, and have outside experiences such as a hike in the fall, a visit to Redeemer Residence at Christmas time, and a Saturday at the Science Museum!

Connections. Connections. Connections! Kids have a blast on Wednesday nights, then they go to school or their neighbors and tell them about it, then their friends come! We keep seeing that happen and we love it! More kids...more kids that know Jesus... We are blessed to have 25 adults who come every Wednesday night...and we've had over 100 kids come through the door and spend time with adults who love Jesus and want these kids to love Jesus! They see godly examples...and are having a blast. Two service projects Clubs kids participated in were Operation Christmas Child and filling Easter Bags for Here's to Life Inner City.

Highlights for the girls... • doing crazy hair! • Christmas parties in leaders' homes • Gym time! •memorizing Bible verses • praying together & for each other • learning that God is REAL

Highlights for the boys...• GYM time! • whittling • making birdhouses • sledding • overnight at church which included mini golf & marshmallow guns! • learning that God is REAL

VBC was a POWERFUL week at First Free at the end of June! God was at work...we heard so many stories of God touching the lives of kids...and parents, too! It is a week of outreach that is so worth all the work put into it! Thanks to a great VBC team that worked hard! By Friday, we had 189 K-6th graders come through the door! We also provided nursery and the "Squeaky Beaker" Preschool program for children of workers. After including those kids, we had 220 children at VBC!! And we couldn't make it without all the volunteers... over 120 volunteers had a blast (and were a bit exhausted by the end of the week). Everyone who is able should really come and help out at least 1 day and see what happens during that week. There are 5 different stations and all are connected to the theme...we want the kids to learn about God and have the opportunity to ask Jesus into their hearts!

Our featured missionaries of the week were a very special family to me... my brother and his wife, Mark and Lou Sorenson, and their 7 children are all deaf and their ministry is to the deaf in Thailand. Mark shared about their ministry and the whole family shared a song in sign language with us. We also had 100 people come back on Thursday night to watch the movie, The GodMan, which told the story of Jesus and featured the Sorensons. We collected money for them (in beakers!) to be used to buy Bibles in the Thai language to pass out in Thailand! It was an extra special week for my family and me!

It was also great to have the Conrad family from Japan here again, and they shared photos and stories of passing out the "prayer bears" that we made for them at VBC the year before!

Fifty-three 2nd-6th graders have been meeting each Wednesday night since February to worship God while learning the musical Come Messiah, Come! A big thanks to Diane Ryden, Kris Larson, and the rest of the Musical Team for heading this up! Most of the kids involved come to our Wednesday night clubs. This is a wonderful opportunity to invite their families and friends to hear about Jesus!

PRAISE GOD for all the children's leaders! The Nurture Commission had their 3rd annual "Thanks a Latte! Celebration" for the children's workers and their families, and we had approximately 170 people attend. They are appreciated!

Respectfully Submitted...and lovin' kids with you,
Beth Brown
Children's Ministry Director

Our major focus was visitation to the homebound and hospitalized of First Free again this year, providing both them and their families with spiritual support and assistance. Averages of 33 people were homebound or hospitalized each month. Parish nurses made 21 visits a month. Through the help of 18 active visitors, most homebound people were visited at least monthly. Ten visitors were trained during the past year, three of them youth. We are thankful to serve in the role of visitation pastor for First Free Church to people who experience life challenges.

The Wellness Advisory Team for Parish Nursing meets quarterly. Carolyn Berg, Char Boyles, Marilyn Fisher, Apryl Hultstrand, John Lande, Gail Marchand, Phyllis Nordin, Christina Olson, and Mark Poston provide much wisdom and support.

We are thankful for the following community organizations which provide support to us: The Faith Community Health Ministries Network of Hennepin County and North Central EFC/Elim Care Faith Community Nurse Advisory Team - of which Dee is a member.

Romans 15:13 (NLT) [We] pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace, because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14 (New International Version)

In 2009 First Free will celebrate its 125th year as a local congregation. It is good to pause and look back at this time and reflect on God's faithfulness to us over all those years. If we think of some of the catastrophic events that took place around the world in that same time frame, we can be thankful for the grace of God which has always carried us through.

The words of the Apostle remind us that to be chosen and loved by God implies a responsibility for us to do as the Word says and "put on love." That love then becomes our identity as a church, both within and without. We must show love to one another in the church and to the greater community around us.

It has been another encouraging year of growth for the ministry of the First Free family. We have added 35 new members this past year; look around on any Sunday morning and you are likely to see new faces. Our Children's Ministry continues to grow in numbers, and for this coming year we have budgeted for a much needed assistant in Children's Ministry. These things are only indicators of a more significant growth which continues as well, as we preach and teach the gospel of Christ, lives are being transformed, healing is taking place, and what was lost is found.

The world around us is clearly in trouble. The prosperity that people have taken for granted is threatened. These can be great days for the Church. God's Kingdom can flourish, as it often does, in our most difficult times. None of us can predict what the coming year will bring, but if we remain faithful to our calling, and obedient to God's Word, we can be used mightily by Him for His purposes.

On behalf of the entire Council, I wish to thank all of you who faithfully remember us in prayer. I would also like to personally thank my fellow council members and Pastor Joel. It is a joy and delight to work with all of you.

It is an honor to serve our Savior and our church as members of the Caring Commission.

This past year the Caring Commission sponsored many events in order to connect people and sow God's love. Summer Fellowship Dinners connected over 70 people with each other. Many responded saying the summer was a great time to fellowship outdoors. The Lake Nokomis Baptism and All-Church Picnic, as always, was attended by many people from the church as well as a number of visitors.

In the fall we celebrated the "40 Days of Community" by having an All-Church Dinner one Sunday after church. In conjunction with the "40 Days of Community," a Ministry Fair was held in the gym to allow people to get information about becoming involved at First Free. The Fall Festival Square Dance was attended and enjoyed by over 30 people.

The Thanksgiving Food Drive resulted in almost 1000 pounds of food and about $150 in grocery gift cards. The grocery gift cards offered recipients the opportunity to buy the food of their choosing.

First Free's Ministry and Support staffs make all of our activities possible by their bringing God's Word to us and making sure our church is properly maintained. In the late fall, the Ministry Staff was shown appreciation during the morning worship services and presented with cards and gift cards. This spring, the Support Staff was shown appreciation with cards and gift cards.

The Winter Fellowship Dinners were conducted in February with over 60 people participating. Fellowship Dinners are a great way to get to know and encourage one another.

The Benevolent Fund is a special way to show people God's love. We prayerfully consider the requests and distributions. After funds are distributed, we receive many thank you notes indicating that the help came at just the right time. Sometimes, along with the financial assistance practical assistance is also given. This ministry is especially important during the current economic crisis.

Our Parish Nurses provide comfort to those who are not as mobile as they once were. They offer encouragement to those dealing with health issues. Their ministry is extremely valuable in showing God's love to members of our church. Their report is presented separately.

We praise God for how He works through His people here are First Free to connect His people with each other and with Him.

God has richly blessed our church with godly, mature leadership, and this is so evident in the Nurture Commission. Both Beth Brown and Mark Meyers lead with vision and hearts that yearn to see each life changed in Christ as they grow and learn of the grace and mercy of our Savior from cradle up to college age. They have put together a wonderful, dedicated group of faithful workers who in turn invest their time and gifts in ministering to the growing number of our kids and youth. We want to thank everyone who volunteers, and we had a "Thanks A Latte!" luncheon in April to show our appreciation for the workers.

During the past year we gained two new Nursery Coordinators: Becki Kobielush and Katie Goodman-thank you. We were part of the Ministry Fair in October and had a corner in the gym set up communicating the areas we support and the many opportunities for people to serve. We would like to add an ABF leader to our commission if anyone is interested to help communicate needs and concerns. Another item of information is that we do conduct background checks on everyone working with our youth and ensure that the list is completed and updated as needed.

Last year we assisted 20 kids with scholarships for Camp Shamineau and Camp Nathanael and this year we are at 25 with time still available to submit requests.

Last summer the Vacation Bible Camp continued growing in the number of kids and helpers each day. This year the theme is Crocodile Dock and it will be an exciting time for all those involved.

The library group led by Carolyn Berg and Nancy Fowler has set up a Birthday Book Club to help provide more up-to-date materials for our church family. If interested, put your tax deductible donation in an envelope and mark Library with your name and birth date (no year) on it and place in the Library box in the church office or give to an usher.

Please continue to pray for our staff, our volunteer leaders, and all of our kids, youth, and adults as we seek to honor and glorify God and grow in our relationship with Him and also to raise up our next generation to serve Him.

I don't know about you, but I have been enjoying watching my garden wake up from the death of the long, cold winter to the new life of spring. What a picture of what God can do in us when we turn away from sin and to Him instead!

I spend a lot of time in the garden during the year, and it still amazes me to see that little bit of plant sticking out of the dirt in April, grow into a big, beautiful creation of God as the season goes on. While God can most certainly do that without any assistance on my part, I'm grateful that He allows me to participate in the cultivation of the garden-planting, watering, feeding, weeding, pruning, and harvesting. All that hard work results in the beauty of a garden that constantly turns my mind to the One who made it all, taking such amazing care in even the smallest detail of the smallest plant. Knowing He cares about us even more, how can I help but worship such a Creator? It is all about Him, after all.

You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For You created everything, and it is for Your pleasure that they exist and were created. (Revelation 4:11)

Just as with a garden, we need to constantly cultivate our worship of the Lord our God. Once again, I'm grateful that God allows us as a commission to participate in that cultivation. All the details we have worked on throughout the year are a part of that process. We plant, water, and feed in the form of service planning, goal setting, talking and praying through the issues that arise, etc. Occasional workshops and seminars, such as the choir workshop we sent Rick and Debbie to in August, allow us to learn and grow with other believers and to bring what we learn back to our congregation.

As in a garden, even the weeding and pruning are necessary if we want our lives to be reflections of our beautiful Savior and Creator. Pray with us that we will keep our hearts and minds open to how God wants to weed and prune us in the coming months.

While much of our work comes at the beginning of the cultivation process, God gives us a glimpse of the results as we worship together every Sunday, and especially in the services such as the one held at Minnehaha Falls in August, the Celebration service at the end of our fall campaign, and the Christmas and Easter services. While it was all intended for the pleasure of God, He does see fit to give a small portion of that pleasure back to us, as we find enjoyment in that wonderful time of worshipping Him together.

We also see the results in the stories we are told about how God has used certain elements of a service or other event to touch someone's life in a significant way (Listen for some of these stories in upcoming services.). This is especially true on the weeks when we are able to light the candle on the organ that symbolizes someone's decision to put their faith in Christ (As many of you have heard me say, I absolutely love my job of lighting that candle!). What an important part of worshipping-celebrating together a new life in Christ! That is certainly part of the harvesting.

As we move into a new season, pray with us that we would continue to grow in the love of our Lord, and that we would continue to learn how to worship Him together even more.

Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:16-17, NLT)

The Outreach Commission consisted of the Chair, Anne Schow as Vice Chair, Carolyn Berg, Vi Fjellman, Felix Juarez, Marie Mondy, and John Symington. This is an experienced group with knowledge of missions from many perspectives, but we want to add younger people to the commission.

A Community Outreach Committee was formed, chaired by Commission Vice Chair Anne Schow and including Kelli Benner, Laurie Graham, Patti Olson, Tim Olson, Jill Rose and Eric Twietmeyer. This group is taking an energetic and strategic look at how to motivate us all to communicate with our increasingly post-Christian culture and be effectively involved in the Great Commission. In addition to the formal members of the Committee, a number of people have volunteered for special tasks.

The "40 Days of Community" and "Ministry Fair" in the fall of 2008 raised our awareness of the needs and opportunities around us and got many of us to begin serving. Our Fall Outreach Weekend was on the theme of "Ministry to Youth and Children" with the sermons delivered by Rev. Dan Reeve who is now the Executive Director of Center for Student Missions. We also had Gary Maloney and Don Paterson of Christian Service Brigade and Tom Harriger of Student Venture participating.

In February the theme was "Unreached People Groups in Your Neighborhood." The speaker for the services was Dr. Alejandro Mandes, director of Hispanic Ministry for the EFCA. Also participating were Therese Douglass of New Life Family Services, Dan Puumala and David Hall of Outpost Ministries, and Mike Neterer of World Relief Somali Ministries. KaWan Olson and Shana Shrock gave volunteers' perspectives on Somali ministry and made it very personal. We re-instituted the Saturday Breakfast Panel with famous pancakes by Craig Hucek and his crew. There were powerful presentations by the speakers, who then spoke again to the ABFs on Sunday. The response to the speakers and topics was very positive and many of the congregation began to investigate how they could participate in these ministries.

At the time of this writing, we are close to making our budget in spite of the economic crisis. For this we praise the Lord and thank all of you. Our proposed budget for 2009-2010 will be the same overall total budget; however, we add two new missionaries with strong ties to our body. This balances out because one couple is retiring and for another, support is being decreased. If giving exceeds expectations, there are other missionaries who could be added.

Besides those activities under the umbrella of the Outreach Commission, outreach takes place through many of the ministries of the church, especially the children's and youth programs. It ought to be taking place in each of our lives as we see the world around us and the opportunities given us as the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to see them.

Our Fall Outreach Weekend will be on the theme of "Prayer: The Front Line of Missions." Since the battle is spiritual, this is where it starts and the only effective source of the power to reach the lost.

As we reflect back over the past years as we have met, we have shared in many interesting speakers telling us about their work and what God is doing.

Leola Kowalski has shared our missionary letters with us and given us updates on prayer needs. We are a praying group.

We have had various speakers: Barb and Guy Hugo, Dave Boeltl, Mary and Bruce Damon, Dr. Ross Olson, Mark Meyers, Herb Bloomquist, Kathleen Peterson, and Jill Rose. Warren Ahlgren and Mark McClun have been with us to add music to our meetings, along with Barb Olson, Nancy Folwer, and Ardese Barrett. We have really been blessed.

We have given each speaker a monetary gift, sent Christmas gifts to each missionary, and then to other missions projects. Thank you to all who have made this possible. Thanks, too, for each one who has served and made our time together a blessing.

Our spring picnic was at Verna Beckman's party room. We invited the men. Bruce and Mary Damon were our guest speakers. Our Christmas Luncheon was again at Vi Fjellman's and we had a good number attend. Kristin Hink from Marie Sandvick Mission spoke. We were able to send with her our shoe boxes which the ladies had put together. They were to be given as gifts to the children.

Most of the actions taken by the Finance and Property Board this past year have been reactive versus proactive. To keep within the church budget, we chose repairing and maintaining what we currently have and have tabled large capital improvements for future consideration. In the spring of 2008, one of the roof air conditioning units had to be replaced; this was a necessary and major expense. Early in 2009, a sewer line had to be repaired at one of the church's homes; fortunately, the final cost was much less than anticipated.

Carpeting in the lower level hallway, plus the social events and youth rooms was replaced this year. The board is very grateful to the many who volunteered in completing the installation. Their assistance saved thousands of dollars in labor costs.

In response to the Fall Ministry Fair, a landscape committee was developed to assist the board in matters concerning landscaping of church property. This committee is composed of volunteers who have a strong commitment to using landscaping as a church ministry and who possess knowledge of plant life and landscape design; we welcome this group's assistance.

Looking forward to the church year of 2009-2010, a partial listing of projects that will be taking place are: replacement of the closet doors in the gym, installation of an acoustical system in the sanctuary, replacement of ceiling tiles in the education wing hallway and church office, and the replacing of concrete sidewalks for safety reasons. Additionally, there is the possible purchase of another home located north of the church parking lot.

As First Evangelical Free Church continues reaching out to the community and expanding the number of believers attending, we are confronted with a lack of storage space. Plans are being made to deal with this situation starting with the disposition of unused church property through a garage sale.

The Finance and Property Board asks for your continued prayers and support. In all we do, let it be to the glory of God.

The Audit Committee has examined the financial statements and supporting records of First Evangelical Free Church for the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2009. In our opinion, the financial statements fairly present the results of operations for the fiscal year and the financial condition as of March 31, 2009.

(Please contact the church office for a copy of the Treasurer's report and proposed Local Ministries budget)