Pastor Brian’s Church Conference Report
January 2017
God has indeed blessed Son’s Life Missionary Church in the last year! While our numbers only increased slightly I feel like the Spiritual temperature continues to rise. God has blessed us financially as well. Adding Justin was not a burden to us financially as offerings rose to more then cover increases in the budget.
Strengths of Son’s Life
There is a great sense of community. Friends of mine who visit the church are always amazed at how people seemed to stay and talk and share with each other. People genuinely seem to care for one another and we have a very rich fellowship here.
We are learners of God’s word. In 2016 as we charted small group involvement it was amazing to see that in the spring when Mafia and Taco Tuesday were going full force with Thursday Night and Women’s Bible study over 70% of our regular attending people were involved in at least one small group where they were learning and going deeper.
God has blessed us financially has I have already mentioned. Two huge projects in the last two years between the roof and the parking lot were able to be paid out of general funds, so we did not have to take money from our savings. I believe that God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing. In 2016 we sent just over $27,000 to ministry and causes outside our church. Because our offerings were so high that amounted to about 12% of our budget. We presently have money on hand to aid other ministries and we need to consider how to do that to stay true to what God wants from us.
We are raising up new leaders. I think this fall having a whole new group of people speak on Sunday morning is a great indication of how new leaders and those willing to share the gospel are gaining confidence to do the work of the kingdom. We will continue to encourage people to develop skills that God has given them.
Weakness of Son’s Life
The biggest weakness I see is that for 2016 we only had 3 first time professions of faith. As your pastor I should be leading more people than that to Christ on my own. We need to be more aggressive as a church and as induvial believers in sharing the gospel and asking people to make that commitment to Christ.
Are we becoming too comfortable? We need to continue to look for ways to expand our ministries outside our doors. Justin and I are working on ideas but we know that the Holy Spirit can and does work through all of us so we are seeking ideas and direction.
My statistical report for 2016 goes like this
Messages 137 this number includes Sunday Morning plus all the Bible Studies, youth groups, children ministry and all other educational things I lead.
Visits 182 which include home visits, hospital visits, nursing home, and hosting at my house
I drove 7078 miles that were church related last year
I did 3 Funerals
I performed 1 wedding
In closing I want to again express my gratitude to God and this congregation for allowing me to serve Him at Son’s Life. I am eager to see what God has planned and ready to do whatever He calls me to do to advance the kingdom starting here in Sebewaing
Respectively Submitted
Pastor Brian Reinhardt
Pastor Justin
Year End Report
MAFIA
Mafia ended the year averaging just under 10 regular attenders. Before summer we finished a book from the 3DM collection. When we kicked off in the fall we picked a study from Right Now Media that focused specifically on growing inside our families and being intentional in our growth.
Taco Tuesday
We finished the year averaging just over 12 people in the upstairs bible study and probably several more children than that downstairs. Before the summer, we finished Francis Chans BASIC series and have now started a 3DM study that focuses on using life shapes to reach out and build new disciples.
Prayer Walks
Unionville PW had more traction than the prayer walk in Sebewaing. In Unionville, we were joining with other churches to walk and pray and began to run into some “regulars” on the street that still seek us out on Mondays to talk and see how we are doing. We are still meeting on Mondays in Unionville to pray and ask God for leading and direction. The Sebewaing prayer walk never seemed to get much traction and so we decided to stop meeting at the beginning of the summer.
Looking forward
I’ve had several ideas of how we can continue to do ministry in our town. We discussed tonight at board of ministries a new way to utilize our time and efforts in reaching out to the community. I am hoping that this will help us to get more people involved in a directional and intentional ministry.
I’m convinced that we can and have to do better. And I must start by asking for forgiveness in my own shortcomings. We are charting new territory as we move forward as a Church Plant in the process of becoming a Church and we take on the responsibilities and identity of a Church, a group of people, that want to affect the Kingdom for Christ. Like pastor Brian shared we do several things very well and we should celebrate those things. But, like Seth said yesterday, we need to always be expecting Jesus to be doing a new thing through us.
Join me in praying for a fresh vision. And for the willingness to allow Jesus to do something new through us. I believe God still will work and do a mighty thing through us. We need to continue to be open to his calling and his leading. We also might have to examine some of our programs and determine if they need to be tweaked to serve a different purpose.
GOD is So GOOD!
2016 Leadership Board Summary
As clerk of the Leadership Board We have had 5 regular meetings and 2 special meetings. All are recorded in a hard copy notebook kept in pastor’s office. All church business conducted by all committees is included. Margaret Martin was our church delegate for conference this year. The special meetings involved paying for a new church parking lot and new windows and doors. All minutes and committee reports are completed and updated. We did have Curt Cloninger’s Drama “Celebrate the Child” and a marriage seminar offered to the community and our membership. We had our missionary partners Baylocks, Saunders and Theo Makombe present to the church body. We offered 12% of our budget to missionaries for this year. Next year we are proposing 17% giving. We brought another pastor Justin Kuhl on full time this year. We are so blessed by our Great God and will continue to reflect His self-giving love and commission to all we can.
Respectfully submitted, Deborah L. Haist
Trustee’s 2016 Review
The trustee’s conducted 5 regular meetings in 2016. We also had one meeting to set the budget for 2017. All bills were paid on time and all insurances are current. Records of all regular meetings can be found in the church office.
Major projects completed in 2016 were the parking lot being repaved and the sanctuary finished with new AV equipment. The trustees conducted two work days one in the spring and one in the fall. The new doors and window which were approved in a special meeting in November should be installed in the next month.
Other projects being looked at for 2017 include parking lot lights, basketball hoops, raising the ceiling in the sanctuary and possibly some kind of shed to hold equipment
Review of Christian Education for 2016
Review of Christian Education for 2016
Christian Ed started the year with 4 workers. Marissa Linzner, Amy Wiederhold, Deb Harrod and Loydene Gabrielson as chairperson.
In January, after much discussion,we decided on the calendar for the year. We also came up with possibilities for a VBS theme. It was decided that we would share a theme with one of our sister churches.
With the end of the school year in June, Sunday school and junior church ended for the summer. We had the acorn bank breaking on June 5th
In July,we had a great success in VBS . Our theme was Cave Quest. We saw God’s hand in many areas as we prepared for and went through the week at VBS, from the last screw to build the set to someone walking in just as a position needed to be filled. We had 53 kids registered, with an average of 31 kids each day. Justin lead all of the children in the salvation prayer on Wednesday night and while no one came forward with a commitment, we trust that God is speaking to their hearts of His great love. The boys and girls had a contest all week to see who could raise the most money. The girls beat the boys, but their combined offerings raised $288.07 for Operation Kid to Kid mission project. This year the money will be used to help children in North. America have safe homes in which to live and play. The Extraordinary Group Mission Trips uses the resources to send out volunteer teams to fix the homes for the kids. ($400 will provide the materials to repair one home.)
I want to thank all of the volunteers at VBS, who shared their week and love with the kids. I also want to thank everyone who donated supplies for VBS. We appreciate the materials you supplied. Most importantly thank you for praying for VBS and please continue to pray for all of the kids and their families, who were a part of VBS, as Jesus continues to speak to their hearts of His Everlasting Love.
In August, with the beginning of the school year, we again helped families at Bayside Estates with school supplies for their kids,so they could have a successful school year. They supplied 25 book bags.
In September, we had our Sunday School kick off with kids being moved up to the next class and junior church beginning again. In junior church this fall, the kids learned about the Great Women of the Bible and the Nativity.
In November, we came together on a Saturday morning and packed 60 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
Finally its December, the end of another year. We had great fun as a church family as we put on the church Christmas play, “The Light Before Christmas”. Marissa and Cody did an amazing job as the leads in the play. Mary and Joseph ( Michelle and Justin) were great in their weaving through the crowd. All of the “actors” in the 4 scenes did an awesome job with their interpretation of their parts. Thanks to everyone who shared their talents that night.
We are looking forward to a new and exciting year in 2017.
| Respectfully submitted, |
Board of Ministries 2016 Report
Son’s Life Missionary Church Board of Ministries held six meetings and one budget meeting in 2016.
There were ten people on the board in 2016 until July and one passed away leaving nine on the board.
Out Reach Services
- Random Acts of Blessing
- Thanksgiving Meals: 7 meals
- USA School Ministry
- MAFIA Monday
- Taco Tuesday
- Prayer Walk in Sebewaing and Unionville
- Young At Heart
- Men’s Breakfast
- Ladies Day
- Movie Nights
- Helping His Hands Ministries
- Food Bank at Bay Shore
Community Events
- S.L.M.C. supported several swim days at Bay Shore for the Community
- Community Movie Night
Support for Missionaries
- Brinks
- Sanders
- Blaylocks
- Makombes
- Shavers
- Port Austin Bible Campus
Respectfully Submitted Frank Martin Chairperson, Head Deacon