2007 PASTOR’S REPORT

Our Vision: To be a congregation of disciples proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all.

Our Mission: To glorify God in all that we do, reflecting His love to our community and the world.

Our Core Values: Accept God’s Love, Choose Christ’s Ways, Touch Others Lives

Our Strategic Plan: Discipleship, Assimilation, Service, home

      Dearly Beloved,

      Why do we have these directional statements? For this simple reason: To help us fulfill our calling as the People of God.

     Ever since Adam and Eve rebelled, God has been on a mission to bring all humanity back into relationship with Himself. All our direction statements as a church are focused on this divine quest: to see that HIS mission is accomplished.

     And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”  Mark 16:15

     One of the great joys of being a Christian is having dynamic, living relationship with the Lord. The other great joy is to introduce people to Jesus and assist them to become fully devoted disciples of Christ.

     For 25 years the congregation of Salem Lutheran Church has been on a quest to bring others “back into relationship” with God. It has been our goal to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. We have sought to reach out to our community in Christ and for Christ. We forwarded an invitational ministry centered on the worship celebrations of Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve, along with the annual congregational outreach venture of our Community Day Camp.

     It was a true privilege for me to be able to return to the pulpit on Easter to proclaim the Good News of the Resurrection – “He is Risen. He is Risen, indeed!” This year’s Community Day Camp 2007 was a tremendous success, as measured in the smiles of the children attending and their parents. To be known in the community grapevine as “the church with the great Day Camp” is, indeed, wonderful. One parent told me that their family NOW plans their summer vacation trip around Day Camp because “The kids don’t want to miss it.” Yes, we are having a positive impact on the neighborhood homes of the surrounding area and beyond. This past Christmas Eve we had our second highest worship attendance ever. Worshippers came from near and far to hear the “good news of great JOY.” One little girl, who was accompanied by her grandmother, was totally enthralled with her worship experience on Christmas Eve. Kneeling at the communion rail, holding a lit candle and receiving the gift of a Christmas ornament following the service, were exciting and meaningful for her. Enthusiastically she asked: “Grandma, can we come back here next year?!”

      We are IMPACTING the lives of OTHERS with the Gospel of Jesus Christ NOW. How many people spiritually are we touching, we don’t know. But we do know, for one little girl – this past Christmas Eve was the most wonderful of all. In the bestowing of a blessing, in the glow of a lit candle held, in the receiving of an ornament, she experienced the presence of the Holy. Her worship experience here at Salem Lutheran will be her standard by which she will judge all other Christmas Eve worship experiences for the remainder of her life. Also, we do know that November 11th Veteran’s Day Tribute was emotionally and spiritually moving for those who have or are serving our country through the military services. During the special reception which followed the last worship offerings on that Sunday, the most frequent comment forwarded to me was; “Pastor, that was great! We need to do this again next year!” Whether it is through repeating this particular event or lifting up yet another group before the Lord (i.e. Single Parents; firefighters; Juvenal Justice Case Workers, etc.) can be determined. Regardless, let us be determined to do this very thing again and again and again: IMPACT the lives of OTHERS here and NOW. You can personally have a tremendous impact on the lives of others (and on the life of our congregation) by doing this one thing – inviting others to come with you to worship.

     When seeking a place to worship, we know, out-of-town holiday guests are increasingly utilizing our website: SalemLC.net. The distribution of invitational flyers to hotels, the yellow pages, listings, advertisement of service themes and times in the local newspapers, and onsite signage are all important and contribute to “proclaiming the gospel to all.” In our desire to IMPACT the lives of OTHERS, let us be mindful of the following. In a national survey, newcomers were asked, “What brought you to this church?” The responses: 2% an advertisement; 6% an invitation by the pastor; 6% an organized evangelistic outreach program; and 86% an invitation by a friend or family member. Though more than 93 percent of Americans state that “there is a God,” still 65% of our neighbors are unchurched. Gallup figures reveal that almost three out of five of the “65% unchurched” indicated that they would “definitely” or “probably” or “possibly” go or return to church.

     So why do they remain “unchurched?” they stay away from attending a given congregation – not because of the theology of a congregation; not because of a congregation’s stance on social issues; not because of the style of worship of a congregation. The biggest reason listed – because no congregational member EVER ASKED THEM TO COME WITH THEM!”

     The record attendance figures of the services of Easter and Christmas Eve are not aberrations or abnormalities. These figures indicate the potential of what our regular, normal Sunday worship attendance could be. 

               As we enter into this year of our Lord 2008…
          As we enter into our 25th year:
      “Celebrating the SILVER,
and Going for the GOLD…

there is no doubt in my mind
     we are entering into
          the most exciting and fruitful era of our church.

We are mission-oriented.
     We are spiritually-motivated.
          We are Christ-directed.
               We are NOW staffed for further congregational growth.

     As a rule of thumb, if a congregation desires to grow, it needs one full-time person on its congregation’s staff for every one hundred people at worship per average Sunday. Since the installation of Rev. Jefferson Cox in May as our pastor for Congregational Life, we have experienced: a steady increase in our Sunday worship attendance; an increase in those participating in the life and mission of Salem Lutheran Church; and increase in the number of those who want to be affiliated with Salem Lutheran Church. The “one-per-hundred rule” is at work!

     A church must staff ahead of its needs to keep growing.

     But staffing for growth does have dilemma. When a congregation does so, it will not have enough households to financially support the additional position. Yet, it will never gain the households necessary to do so without the added staff position.

     We are experiencing what any congregation experiences when it increases its staff. We do not yet have enough households to support the new staff position (and properly fund our Investment in Mission 2008).

     So what do we do in the interim?

     Years ago, our need was to intentionally address the hugely disproportionate, encumbering indebtedness incurred. We successfully did that. Through the ACT Campaign our indebtedness has become proportionate and manageable. As of October 31, 2008, our contract with the ELCA Mission Investment Fund will terminate and the ACT Campaign will conclude. ALLELUIA! Thanks be to God! And thanks be to you who made and fulfilled your pledge, you who made personal sacrifices in order to financially respond, and you who made contributions to the cause. Well done! And thank you to all who continue to generously contribute to the ACT Campaign, long after your original obligation has been fulfilled. Well done! Every cent you have given has been and is being directed to the reduction of the mortgage principle…and will continue to be if so designed, even after the conclusion of the ACT Campaign. 

               As we enter into this year of our Lord 2008… 
          As we enter into our 25th year: 
     “Celebrating the SILVER,
and Going for the GOLD…

     the needs of our congregation have changed.

     This may sound strange but the money currently being directed towards mortgage reduction could better serve our congregation if they were directed towards addressing the shortfall of our 2008 Investment in Mission. To be a healthy, dynamic, growing congregation it was once imperative to reduce our mortgage. Now, it is imperative to support the increase of an additional position on our staff and the programmatic increase which accompanies growth in ministry and mission.

     We are striving to accomplish work that ACT laid the foundation for us to do: to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed to all. 

We are taking ACT-ION.
     We are seeking to make an incredible IMPACT on OTHERS NOW.

     If you are currently making a gift to the ACT Campaign, I ask that you prayerfully consider redesignating your gifts to the Fund for ACTION. If you are not currently contributing to ACT, I invite you to prayerfully consider making a one time gift or a continuous series of gifts to the Fund for ACTION. The expenditure of the monies received through the Fund for ACTION will be under the direction of the Mission Team and used at the discretion of the Mission Team to support line items included in our Annual Investment in Mission and beyond.

     I thank God for your partnership and passion to proclaim the Gospel.

     On behalf of Christy and I, thank you for your prayers, encouragement and expressions of love during my car accident and the death of Christy’s mother, Audrey Marie Schroeder. We feel blessed.

     And I am so blessed to have worked with 
Mission Team 2007:
Eric Schubert
Paul Linnell
Bill Rundle
Jan Heckmann
Ruth Owrey
Harold Hachmeister
Michael Weaver
Andrew Meyer
Meredith Csobadi
Keith Thompson
Eileen Tietz
Kevin Sherin 
 

     And I am so blessed to have worked with
our Church Staff;

Rev. Jefferson Cox Congregational Life
Linda Magnuson Church Administrative Asst.
Barbara Hackett Wedding Sexton
Sara (Knoles) Petefish Minister of Music (whom I will deeply miss)

     Administrative Volunteers: Eleanor Mecklenburg
Sue Kerzisnik
Patti Hawn
Emma Marino
Anne Lauer 

     Thank you to each and every member who served on or through our Standing Committees, the Call Committee for an Associate Pastor, the Special Task Force for Filling the Position(s) of Minister of Music. 

     Thank you to our Senior Choir, Early Risers Choir, Contemporary Worship Music Leaders, Chime Choir, Children’s Choir, Christmas Cantata Choir, Instrumentalists, Soloists, Acolytes, Assisting Ministers, Ushers, Greeters…

     Thank you to WELCA, our Sunday School Teachers, Altar Guild, The Resurrection House Missionaries, Day Camp volunteers…and the list goes on.

     Thank you to those who helped in the physical transition of our nursery and a special thanks to Cori Adkins and Mary Brooks, whose ministry made this happen.

     I love working with and alongside you in the great cause we have been given; to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all!


     I love you,
     I love being your Senior Pastor!