Editor:
Tom Arneberg
(editor@cvbc.net)
Have you ever taught your children something, thought they really understood it and then a few weeks later have them do just the opposite of what you taught them? Ever say to them "I thought you knew better than that"? Through the years God has taught me many lessons. I know how important it is to depend on God, to not attempt to do things on your own, to pray about everything, to ask others to pray with you.
A year ago, He must have been looking down shaking His head and saying, "Sally, I thought you knew better than that." I was struggling with the support group, feeling overwhelmed and trying to fix it on my own, until finally God flashed a big message in front of me saying "You don't have to do this alone."
With that reminder, I asked the congregation to help and to pray. And just like that -- help was on its way. God supplied a building to store equipment in, a person to handle all of the finances and someone else to take over the responsibilities of the newsletter. Thank you for praying!
The ALS Support Group continues to minister to 12 - 15 people at monthly meetings and to many more through phone calls, letters and personal visits.
This year we ministered to a man in a nursing home in Amery. He was having a difficult time adjusting to his loss of independence after needing to leave his home. We were able to get him an electric wheelchair and a word processor. After only two weeks with the equipment, the therapist at the nursing home called back and said "I can't thank you enough, Lloyd is a changed man." I visited this same man a few weeks ago. Unable to speak at all, he spends 6-8 hours a day typing on his word processor. He quotes Shakespeare and Thoreau, and gives special advice to his nephew on the meaning of life as well as on how to build his new home.
I visited another man just this week, giving him a chance to talk about what it was like to auction off his farm of 45 years and have to move to an assisted living center. We talked about cows and tractors and antique phonographs, feeding tubes and respirators, and how to answer a phone if you can't use either of your hands. Mostly we talked about faith and healing and prayer and heaven.
There's not enough space to tell you the stories of the grandma who got so excited when she found the Packer's Homepage on the computer we lent her; or the single lady who's too frightened to come to a meeting, but calls regularly; or the young man can't dress himself, but shot a buck from his wheelchair; or any of the others whose lives have been touched through this ministry. If you ever have a few minutes and want to know ways you can pray more specifically, please ask!
And last, just an update on Lew Neff, the co-founder of the support group. As you may know, Lew has donated air conditioning units for our church. Many of you have been praying for him. His health is almost gone. Able to communicate only with his eyes these past weeks, he has clearly indicated that he has recently placed his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. It may be only hours, days, weeks or months, but soon he will be standing straight and tall, walking those streets of gold! Thank you for your prayers!
The motto of the group is "You're not alone!" The need is too great -- it can only be met through your prayers, please don't stop now!
In His Service,
Sally Krohn
During the school year, the Awana program meets at CVBC from 6:00-8:00 PM on Wednesdays. This year change seems to be the buzz word in Awana. As most of you know I agreed to take over as the Awana Commander for Mark Woodford. This change became effective this month. I am a little scared about taking over for Mark but I am also excited. Here at CVBC we have a group of Leaders that are dedicated and have hearts on fire for God.
The other changes are that Dora Wood has taken over as the Chums Director and Jean Richtmyre is training Connie Williams as the new Sparks director. The other Directors are: Cubbies -- Cheryl Pokrzywinski, Pals & Pioneers -- Tom Sterling.
Having all of the dedicated people I have just mentioned and all the other leaders we currently have, I am a little uncomfortable asking for more help, but as the Awana Commander/Director's handbook states "The need for leaders must be made known to the entire congregation for its prayer and consideration." So I am letting all of you know that we do need some help and we could use you. Please consider donating an hour or two per week to the Awana program.
Remember, please be in prayer for the clubbers and leaders.
2Tim 2:15
Mel Richards, Awana Commander
Goals
II Timothy 3:15-17 "and that from childhood you have known the sacred
writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by
God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped
for every good work."
* Want to infuse their young lives with God's word that can save,
teach, give reproof, correct and train
II Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
* Show them how to read and interpret the Word
Studies used:
* Based on the characteristics of an overseer in II Timothy 3
When I first came this study was being lead by youth leaders, but they
were expressing their frustration in explaining the material.
Paul Stewart
and I talked about it and we decided to try having someone on youth staff
leading the study for awhile. We moved the study away from the book,
"Measure of a Man" and focused more on the specific attributes of an
overseer that Paul lists for us in II Timothy 3. The results were a
more focused study, more time spent talking about God's word, and the
kids were more relaxed.
Book of Philippians
* Exegetical study of the book of Philippians designed to show basic
hermeneutic methods and explore the major themes in Philippians
Several of the young people expressed an interest in studying a New
Testament book so they could see basic bible study methods and still get
a solid message. Some of our summer attendance was small but provided
us with a good opportunity to grow close and do some fun activities
together. Their was some disappointment
as some of our 'leaders' in the
youth group left, but it was very encouraging to see other young people
come forward to take their place in leadership roles.
Growing in Christ
* Basic study of 13 basic principles/assurances of the Christian faith
While trying to pick a new study, Keith suggested going thorough the
Growing in Christ study, by NAV again. The young people seemed to like
this idea. Used a question and answer format that was well suited for
the young people. Many of the young people have said that they really
enjoy being able to ask questions. It has been tremendous having the
older people (see I was nice to you guys) to explain questions and add
their viewpoints.
Opportunities
* Meet with two students on a weekly basis
Worksheets for Independent In-depth Study
* Developed worksheets based on each lesson that students could use for
further study
* If any lessons are students can call and schedule an session to make
up their lesson
Improvements For Next Bible Study
* Going to separate guys and girls to provide a more comfortable and
less distracting atmosphere
Summary
It has been a challenging, but great experience for me to be involved in
the senior high guy's bible study. I have seen many new people start
exploring the word of God and many older Christians start to study more
advance concepts and doctrines. When I look across the many different
plans of ministry in CVBC this is one of the truly vital and exciting
ones. Watching the young people grow, give me support and act out of
Christ-like love has moved me more then any bible study I have ever been
a part of.
The youth pastor and I have already discussed ideas to make the study
more effective for the ages and maturity level of high school aged
people. This ministry will continue to grow and affect young lives
as long as it continues to focus on God, has support from church
leadership, gifted teachers leading the study, and an atmosphere that
young people enjoy. With the tools this church body has, this study has
tremendous potential.
John Salinas
I believe that 1997 will go down as a pivotal year in the history of Chippewa
Valley Bible Church. God has blessed us greatly this year!
Last spring the board had decided
that the top three priorities for 1997 were:
This was also the year that the new database became fully operational.
We now can do everything from one central database on the office
computer -- print mailing labels, as well as labels for the new picture
board or for the new mailboxes, print address rosters, one-page phone
lists, etc.
We don't know yet what our top priorities will be for 1998 --
the elders will
have discussed this at their Second Annual Elders' Retreat on January 17,
after the deadline for this report. But we feel that God has some big plans
for our local church body. Stay tuned, and hang onto your hats -- we're
going to ride the wave!
In His service,
Tom Arneberg, 1997 Church Chairman
Children's Church was re-organized late in 1997 with the hope that planning
and preparation would be made easier for those staffing this ministry. A
curriculum was chosen which coincides with what the four- and five-year-old
Sunday School class is learning each week. Teachers are rotated on a
schedule so that everyone teaches three to four times per year.
We want to thank everyone who has volunteered for Children's Church. Without
you, there would be no ministry in this area. A special thank you to Libby
Krause who faithfully starts each week of Children's Church with singing.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Flaig, Paulette Hedrington, and Jody Strand
After participating in the 1996 Christmas program, many adult singers
expressed an interest in forming a choir. Since I knew that we had several
very capable singers in the congregation, I felt the time was right to give
it a go.
Sharon Spencer and I attended the Music Minnesota Conference at Northwestern
College during the summer. We got many new choir ideas and purchased some
new music. It was a valuable experience for both of us and we thank the
church for sponsoring the trip.
The choir roster has been growing and I feel the group is doing a great job.
We have been using the new music and testing the differing styles. Our best
moment came right before Christmas when we sang "I Know Now."
I feel the choir is really starting to gel and we pray every week that our
music may be a real blessing to the CVBC congregation as
we sing His praises.
For the Lord's glory,
Terri Tompkins
Starting August 22, 1997, CVBC no longer had a cleaning service. We
looked for dedicated, hard working, responsible families who felt God's
calling to help support their local church. This was an opportunity to
redirect the money that we were spending on a cleaning service to other
needs within the church.
We promoted this as a family affair. This was not for women only. This
was a good opportunity to teach children (and ourselves) responsibility and
serve the Lord at the same time.
For the past five months, we at CVBC have been serving each other in this
very unique way. We have been cleaning our own bathrooms, picking up after
ourselves and vacuuming up our own messes. We have had 34 families clean
already.
Please consider helping. Ask around and see who has cleaned and see how
easy it was. It takes about two hours and everything is provided.
Please pray that God will use you to help in this way.
Thank You
Sarah Richards
As CVBC grows larger, good communications becomes even more important.
In 1997, we continued to put out a four-page newsletter every month
("Focus on the Valley"),
with an all-volunteer staff. Thanks to Stuart Krause for lending his
artistic talents in laying out and scanning in photos for each issue,
and to Connie Williams and Audrey Peterson who do the hard work of
copying, folding, labeling, and mailing.
This year we added all AWANA families to
our mailing list, so the total circulation is now up to 380 homes!
Another way we communicate in our church is through electronic email.
This may be surprising to those of you not online, but we currently
have 93 different people on the CVBC email alias! An email alias is an
address where you can send email, and it will automatically be
distributed to each address on the list. This is a great way to keep in
touch -- messages on the CVBC list include prayer requests, text from
newsletter drafts, text from the weekly bulletins, updates,
announcements, etc.
Many
CVBC members are also on a local Promise Keepers list, which contains
about 140 different people from 22 different area churches. And there
are smaller email aliases for the elders, the deacons, church leaders,
etc. Not to mention, of course, private email between any two people.
If you have
email but are not on the CVBC email list, please send a request to me at
"toma@mcs.com". I will add you to the list, and send you the email
addresses of everyone else.
Another newfangled means of communication is our church "home page" on the
World Wide Web. Our web page has received over 600 hits in the last
couple months of 1997! If you have access to the Internet, you can find
an amazing amount of data -- on the CVBC home page, for example, you can
retrieve the text of every article of each monthly newsletter since
1993, the text of most weekly CVBC bulletins, a summary of our
ministries, a "CVBC Frequently Asked Questions" page, announcements
about upcoming church events, papers and materials on Biblical
Eldership, phone numbers and email addresses of our leaders, and many
links to various Christian resources outside of our church (such as
AWANA, Promise Keepers, Focus on the Family, etc.). There is even a
link to a page that lets you search the scriptures for keywords, in
several different Bible translations! You can get to the CVBC home page
at this address:
Tom Arneberg, toma@mcs.com
In 1997, the ladies of the church started meeting on the third Thursday of
every month for a time of fellowship. Each woman brings her own craft to
work on. All ladies of the church are welcome!
Respectfully submitted,
Jody Strand
The Lord certainly has blessed our numerous activities this year. Baby
showers, new baby and graduation recognitions, meal preparation as needed for
church families, family send-offs, visitation and encouragement of those in
poor health or spirit and preparation of communion are some of the services
provided by the Deaconesses in 1997. Thank you to those who have assisted
us.
In His Service,
The Deaconeses --
Judy Haley, Becky Scheidler, Jody Strand, Maggie
Merdler, Audrey Peterson, Sarah Richards, Polly Sharp and Paulette
Hedrington
The CVBC Deacons are responsible for attending to the physical needs of the
congregation. The selection of the first deacon is told in Acts 6:1-7. The
deacons were selected to meet the physical needs of the believers so that
the other disciples could give attention to prayer and ministry of the word.
During 1997, most of our attention has been focused on repairs and ongoing
maintenance of the building. However, we have also helped several church
families who were either moving into or out of Chippewa Falls. The major
projects completed in 1997 were:
* Continued rebuilding of the sound system
These various projects, along with cleaning and maintenance, could not have
been accomplished without the help of the Church Body. We appreciate each
person who helps make sure the building is well maintained.
In 1998, Lord willing,
we will be breaking ground for the new addition that is needed to
ease the overcrowding in the building. We are looking forward to the
challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in 1998.
In His Service,
The Deacons -- Jon Strand, Stuart Krause, Dave McDaniel, Chuck Wood,
Mark Woodford, Mark Hedrington
(Have Stu put in clip art - theater masks)
For those of you who are new to the church, Counterfocus
is involved in three
main productions per year -- a dinner theater in the spring,
VBS in the summer
and the Christmas program in December. In-between these productions
the team
performs skits for youth group and has done some sermon starters.
The name
Counterfocus comes from a theater term meaning: the director's use of
one or more characters in a group to focus on someone other than the emphatic
figure in the scene. We coined this term, gave it a spiritual application,
and it has become our mission statement: God's uses us as a drama team to
help others focus on Him rather than on the world .
Like the church's mission
statement,
our plays and skits encompass worship, edification, and evangelism.
We started off 1997 with a dessert theater, a one act play,
The Eclipse of Mr. Cole.
This was followed by a full length play in April, Snapshots and
Portraits, a play about the family and family issues like divorce,
rebellious children, aging, and the loss of a loved one. The play was
performed in place of the Sunday sermon, and was followed by a potluck.
Those of you
with children will remember the Sunrise Balloon Adventure,
this summer's VBS
theme. Orva, Willa, and Blade began each night with an adventure
about faith
during their balloon race. The 5th and 6th graders got
involved this year too
by performing the Bible story lessons for the younger kids.
After VBS was
over we decided to start up a drama team for 4th through 6th graders,
Counterfocus 2 .
They did a series of sketches for children's sermons that
dealt with the theme of the Kingdom of Heaven. Our final project of the year
was the Christmas program. We did separate plays this year -- the elementary
grades performed 1-800-CHRISTMAS, a children's musical, and the
Jr. & Sr.
Highers performed a one act play, 'Tis the Season.
Libby Krause and Terri Tompkins directed the music
for the children's musical helping the kids do an excellent job!
It hasn't just been kids involved in the drama team; we've had lots of help
from adults: Stu Krause, Rich Ward, Richard Vircks, Rick Pribnow, Dennis
Wolf, Terri Tompkins, Libby Krause, and others. I'd like to see more
involvement from the adults in our congregation; it would enable us to do a
larger variety of plays without being limited by numbers and gender. So if
you think you might have even a bit of talent don't be afraid to try out for a
play or come talk to me and let me know you're interested in being involved in
drama ministry.
Brenda Street
It has been a privilege serving God's people as elders in our local church.
The elders started off the year with a retreat, which will hopefully become
an annual event. They spent Friday night and Saturday morning fasting and
praying, researching, debating and discussing. Topics included a review of
various CVBC ministries, membership policies, and the constitution.
For the first part of the year, we focused in on the book "Biblical
Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership" by Alexander
Strauch. This is an excellent book that gets you to look at the patterns for
local churches that God set forth in the Bible, and to get beyond some of the
traditions that man has built up over the years. Reading this book will
explain to you a lot of what makes our church different from other churches
you may know about, so I'd highly encourage you to check one out from our
church library and give it a chance.
In the second half of 1997, the book we spent the most time on was "The
Purpose-Driven Church" by Rick Warren. This book provides some great insight
into what it means to be a local church body, and why we exist. We are going
to be borrowing many of the ideas in this book in the coming years. One
example is that we are going to be giving more emphasis to what it means to
be a member of a local church.
We continued to meet every Sunday morning from 8:00-9:00 a.m.,
and occasionally at
other times, for prayer and discussion. Our church has gone through some
things this year that caused us heartache, but we know that God has a purpose
in everything, and our job is to stay true to His Word.
If you ever would like the elders to pray for you or counsel you, please
don't hesitate to ask us. And we covet your prayers as well.
In His service,
The CVBC Elders: Tom Arneberg, Andy Majorins, Keith Tompkins, Dennis
Wolf, Mel Richards, Mike Mayhew
God has been faithful to meet all our financial needs in 1997! We
remain debt-free, and have built up the building fund this year, in
the hope of breaking ground on the new classroom addition soon.
This is a summary of the annual financial report. A detailed
line-by-line summary will be placed in the mailbox of each church
member.
Expenses
Receipts
--------
Category Amount (1997 actual)
-------- ------
Building Fund 4,835
Christmas for Missions 1,085
Designations 7,560
Liberty Christian School 1,072
General Offerings 164,023
-------
TOTAL 178,575
Flow-Through
------------
Category Amount (1997 actual)
-------- ------
AWANA $ 1,739
Youth Group 7,493
-------
TOTAL 9,232
Monetary assets
Weekly budgets: 1997 -- $2862, 1998 -- $3125 (9.2% increase)
Respectfully submitted,
Douglas Mason (Co-Treasurer)
A new ministry was launched in December of 1997, The Awana
Hospitality Team. This effort is being targeted to follow up on the
families of the kids in our Awana program, especially those families who
list no church affiliation. The hospitality packet that each family is
given includes information about CVBC and also a clear presentation of the
gospel with a bible study on the assurance of salvation. Additional
resources being distributed include bibles and the Jesus video.
At this
writing the visits have just started and the team is working through the
expected challenges and obstacles that accompany any effort that takes back
ground from the enemy. Please pray for the brave pioneers that form the
first CVBC Awana Hospitality Team:
Stuart Krause
Submitted by Awana Hospitality Team Director Keith Tompkins
Each Thursday forenoon September to May a group of ladies meet to study Gods
word and pray for the needs of ourselves and others. Our studies the past
year have been on prayer, praise, intercession, sharing and listening.
All ladies are cordially invited to join us.
Respectfully submitted,
Ruth Newton
For a third year, the library committee continued to re-organize and catalog
the materials in the church library. We also purchased several new books in
the area of adult fiction as well as some videos for kids. Thanks go to the
deacons for building new library shelves early in 1997. These shelves have
greatly helped in displaying the library materials. At any given time
there are 40 to 75 books and videos checked out of the library.
We would like to thank everyone who made a donation to the library in 1997.
They are greatly appreciated by everyone who uses the library. The library
committee will always accept donations of useful, up-to-date Christian
materials. If you would like to donate books, videos, or tapes, please place
them in the donation box in the library.
The library has a lot of different materials which may interest you. If you
have not already done so, please stop by the library and take a look!
Respectfully submitted,
Paulette Hedrington and Jody Strand
Our Ladies' Missionary fellowship is a group of dedicated ladies who meet on
the fourth Wednesday of each month to share the news of our missionaries and
have prayer for each missionary that
CVBC supports. We write personal notes on
the monthly newsletter to keep them informed of what is happening within the
church at home. We start each morning with a brief devotion time which is
led by one of the ladies. We have a Sunshine chairperson who is in charge
of sending our missionaries and their families birthday and anniversary
cards.
We also have supplied items for the kitchen when we see a need of something.
The ladies have met twice to tie quilts for any missionary that would need
one.
We also save Pic & Save grocery receipts that can be turned in for cash
refunds and we have been able to send extra support for any missionary that
may have a special need.
We purchased yearly subscription to Brio/Breakaway magazines for the sixth
grade and Teen Quest for the ninth graders.
We have had the privilege to have had Tony & Mary Poulson and Brenda home on
furlough and Mary spoke to us at our annual picnic in August and also at our
Christmas Party. Ginger Sharp has also been able to speak to our group of
ladies.
Some of the ladies have made skirts for the Poulsons to use among the
Indians in Brazil.
An invitation is always open to any of the ladies to come and join is in a
time of God honored fellowship. Babysitting is always available.
In His service
Audrey Peterson, President
There continued to be a lot of emphasis on Men's Ministries nationwide in
1997. The Promise Keepers gatherings had another great year, including an
event at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, attended by several CVBC guys.
The truly remarkable event was "Stand in the Gap" in Washington, D.C. --
possibly the largest gathering of any kind ever in our nation's capitol!
There were around 25 men from CVBC who ventured out there in October for a
time of prayer, repentance, and what many think may be the beginning of a
revival in our land.
Closer to home, we still have our Men's small groups, called Men on the Move.
There are four groups this year. We still have the Tuesday morning group at
Heckel's led by Mel Richards and the Thursday morning group at church led by
Andy Majorins. And now we also have a Thursday evening group at Ken Nyhus's
house, and a Friday morning group at Arizona's, led by Keith Tompkins and Tom
Arneberg.
Proverbs 27:17 says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." If
you are not currently being sharpened, please consider joining one of our
groups!
We continued with our biannual "Car Care Saturday" in 1997, where we
change the oil and check out cars of widows and single women from our
congregation and our community.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Arneberg
We as a church have continued to support many missionaries this year,
both overseas and domestic. We invested $15,425 in the lives of our
missionaries in 1997 (including "Christmas for Missions"),
a little over 10% of the total church budget. The
CVBC missions committee chooses which missionaries to support, and
regular prayer support and communications with missionaries is
maintained by the Ladies' Missionary Fellowship, which meets monthly.
There were 28 missionaries on our support list in 1997. One of them,
John Wilbur, has left his missionary post at Crescent Lake Bible Camp to
accept a call as a youth pastor in a church. We added three more for
1998: the Bill Pederson Scholarship at Oak Hills Bible College (Bill was
a pastor here at CVBC for twenty years), Dan Gaffney of Family Life
Ministries in Eau Claire, and Chad Selje of Campus Crusade for Chist in
Eau Claire.
So that brings 1998's total to 30 missionaries. Please continue to
pray for our missionaries. You can learn more about any of them by
looking at the pictures and descriptions on the walls in the church
building, or by asking any of the LMF members.
* Apple Pregnancy Center (Eau Claire, WI)
New Additions for 1998:
Our "Moms in Touch" group meets every Tuesday Evening at
7:00 pm at Gail Olson's house, 1301 Miles,
Chippewa Falls (723-1436).
We currently have four regular attending
moms who meet to pray for our teachers,
administration, schools and most importantly our children who are in their
care.
The purpose:
* To stand in the gap for our children through prayer.
* To provide support and encouragement to moms who carry heavy burdens for
their children.
* To pray that our schools may be governed by biblical values and high moral
standards.
Moms in Touch is NOT to be a lobbying group, regardless of how worthy the
cause. Our main purpose is prayer, and secondly to be a positive,
encouraging and supportive influence in our schools.
Participation in outside social issues must be SOLEY on an INDIVIDUAL basis.
Under no circumstances should the Moms in Touch name be used in conjunction
with outside issues.
(For more information about "Moms In Touch International," check out the
link from the CVBC home page on the world wide web.)
We invite Any interested moms to join us at any time. It is our hope that
more Moms in touch groups will rise up to pray for each school district.
The ministry of prayer is one of the highest callings a Christian
can have. Right now Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, interceding
for you.
Gail Olson
Our Bible Study continues to be blessed and grow. We currently have between
ten and fifteen ladies attending each study. With at least that many kids, it
makes for a full house -- but we are also blessed with having babysitters to
watch the children during the study. For most of 1997, we used the book
"What Happens When Women Pray" by Evelyn Christianson as our study guide.
We are currently studying from the book "Lord, I Want to Know You" by Kay
Arthur.
Although our Bible Study has become known as the Young Mother's Bible Study,
we welcome any of the ladies of the church to join us. Ladies from outside
the church are also welcome. We meet every other Tuesday morning at 9:45 for
Bible study, prayer and fellowship.
Respectfully submitted,
Jody Strand
This year has not seen any dramatic changes in the nursery. We continue to
have plenty of children to watch over! We have 5-6 nursery workers every
Sunday: one or two for the Sunday School hour and two each in the toddler
nursery and the infant nursery.
We have been blessed with willing workers and God continues to bring forth
new volunteers. I have been thankful for the consistent help we have had for
the Sunday School hour. Grace Haley, Melissa Majorins and Jessica Wolf kept
the nursery staffed during the summer for that hour. Jody Strand and I rotate
to have a familiar face in there during the school year. Our rotation is
approximately 12-13 weeks for the rest of the schedule.
Any help, suggestions, or comments can be directed my way.
In His Service,
Beth Arneberg
As I think back over the past year I am humbled at the faithfulness of God in
taking my
weak and limited efforts and using them to accomplish His purposes. Along
with the
Apostle Paul, I affirm this truth:
"Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things
pertaining to God.
For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has
accomplished through
me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed." Romans
15:17-18
During 1997 it has been a great privilege to teach the Word of God as well as
to carry out
other aspects of pastoral ministry such as counseling, discipleship,
visitation, baptisms,
rest home services, jail ministry, small group ministry, men's ministry,
contacts with
visitors, Discovery classes, AWANA, etc.
In the past year we have had sermons covering the first five chapters of the
Gospel of
Matthew. Interspersed with the study of Matthew, we have occasionally covered
other topics and portions of God's Word.
Other Special Services included:
-Monthly communion services
In August the whole Majorins family (Mom, Dad and all five kids!) spent two
weeks in
ministry at Camp Mont Lawn in eastern Pennsylvania. For me this was a time
of
ministry as camp chaplain to children from inner-city New York, as well as
ministry to
the camp staff. I led daily chapel services for the children, devotions for
the staff, and
small group Bible lessons for the children.
Let's be committed to continued spiritual growth in 1998 as we follow God's
instructions
in Philippians 2:12-13: "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God
who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."
Seeking His Glory, Pastor Andy Majorins
Our Small Group Ministries during 1997 consisted of 8-10 Small Groups meeting
together on a regular basis. Throughout the year some 45-50 family units
were
represented in these groups. Each group was unique in its character and
approach. Each
group provided a unique opportunity for individuals in our church family to
experience
fellowship, accountability, and prayer support for their Christian life.
In addition to these general groups we also had a number of specialized groups
targeted
to meet specific needs: Men on the Move, Ladies Bible Studies, Young Mother's
Bible
Study, Youth Bible Study, etc.
If you were not involved in a small group in 1997, you missed a lot! Find a
group to join
in 1998.
Pastor Andy, Small Group Coordinator.
On the second Thursday of each month the Senior Members and friends of CVBC
meet for a carry-in luncheon and a program. Liberty school invited us to hear
one of their programs, we've had videos, travelogues, music programs,
discussions, times of sharing.
The birthdays and anniversaries of the month are recognized.
Respectfully submitted,
Ruth Newton
During the 1997-98 Sunday School we have 126 children/young adults enrolled
from two years of age to the Senior High class.
It has been a great joy for me on Sunday mornings to have the privilege of
leading the next generation of Christians in praising and praying to our
Lord!
Thank you to the teachers --
Lynn Mayhew, Chris Bishop, John & Kim Mathwig, Mark
& Paullette Hedrington, Dora Wood, Dave & Lori McDaniel, Greg & Rachel
Wallace, Kathy Dresel, Rhonda & Mark Brasseur, Stuart & Libby Krause, Mel &
Sara Richards, Greg Hoffman, Scott Elkins, Marcie Brandt, and my favorite
Sunday Shool secretary, Mary Wolf!!! Thank you for being so willing to help
out with the teaching of the kids! Keith, Andy, Mel, Mike, Tom, and I
thank you for
leading the adult classes and putting up with my procrastination and arm
twisting.
Thanks to all those who fill in as subs when the call goes out! (When Mel
lets me know, that is!) Special thanks to Brenda Street, Libby Krause,
and Terri Tompkins for their hard work on this year Christmas program.
These folks take time out of their busy lives to invest time into helping
your children walk closer to the Lord. I know it is a responsibility they
don't take lightly and realize they can make a difference in the lives of
children. Please pray for them!
Pray for our space needs. As we grow this becomes more critical. We would
like to incorporate more than one adult class in the schedule, but we are
limited by space. Some classes are averaging 12-14 students in small rooms.
We look forward to another great year of teaching at CVBC.
In His Service,
Dennis Wolf
It's been a pleasure being head usher for the past year. I enjoy seeing new
faces on Sunday morning. The highest number of people was 228 and the lowest
around 150. Also a big thanks to Tom Sterling and others for helping me.
Yours in Christ,
Jerry Brandt
The goal of the worship team is not to entertain passive people in the
audience, but to get each member of the congregation fully engaged in
worshipping God on Sunday mornings. Scripture says:
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true
worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the
kind of worshipers the Father seeks." -- John 4:23
We need to "worship in truth" -- that's why many of the songs we sing on
Sunday morning are straight out of the Word of God, word for word.
There is nothing like singing the Scriptures!
But we also need to "worship in spirit" -- that means not just going
through the motions or understanding it intellectually, but letting the
Holy Spirit control us. Worship music is a great way to soften our
hearts and prepare us to hear the Word preached in the sermon.
There are many references to all kinds of instruments used to praise God
in the Bible, and we are hoping to add more instruments to our worship
team on Sunday morning in the coming months.
The Worship Team
"Let the world sing Praises to our King" or at least let Chippewa Valley
Bible Church. We have no control over what the world will do but we can
influence our local congregation.
It has been a privilege to help out with our worship team this past year.
Sharon Spencer filled a tremendous void at piano. Her talents are greatly
appreciated.
Our prayer as a worship team is to lead the congregation in worship and
prepare our hearts to receive the message God has waiting for us. We hope
'97 did that. We pray that '98 will continue to do that for you. With the
addition of Scott Elkins on guitar, Tony Tompkins on bass and Marilyn Davis
on keyboard, 1998 has a good start. We are praying for someone to step
forward in the area of percussion.
Also pray that our worship would be pleasing to God. That we as a team would
not perform for man but truly worship God in Spirit and Truth.
In His Service
W.O.W. is a acronym for "Women of Wisdom." It is a Women's Bible Study that
meets every second and fourth Thursday at 1:00 pm at the church.
Our purpose is to meet
with other women to pray and grow in the wisdom of God through the study of
His Holy Word, the Bible. Currently we are studying "Lord, I want to Know
You," by Kay Arthur.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask
God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be
given to him." - James 1:5
For His glory,
Lynn Mayhew
The beginning of 1997 started for me in Hanover, PA. In fact, if this time
last year you would have told me that I would be a youth pastor in
Wisconsin by mid
November, I probably would have said you were crazy. Nevertheless, here I
am. I'm excited about being here and after the purchase of a lot of winter
clothing, I now feel ready for the task.
1997 has been a big year of transition in the youth group. Paul Stewart
resigned as youth pastor in the spring. A few of the former youth staff are
no longer with us, but new staff have come to the rescue. I know they have
done a wonderful job because the youth group has continued growing without a
youth pastor, a condition which is not the norm. (Our current average weekly
attendance is 75.)
With new leadership comes new vision. Our new goal is this:
to introduce the students of the Chippewa Valley to Jesus, involving them in
the life and service of the church, and mentoring them for innovative and
excellent service in their homes, schools, workplaces and beyond.
We will have a continuing emphasis on evangelism, but more effort will be
spent on involving teens in the life of the church. It isn't just a goal to
see kids saved, but we will strive to see them baptized, joining the church,
attending church and involving them in a small group. After that, we will
seek to mentor them for ministry areas for which they are gifted. This our
full responsibility in light of the Great Commission found in Mt. 28:19-20.
We are anxious to see what God is going to do in the new year.
Pastor Scott Elkins
Stu -- here are some misc. notes.
* This will be around 15-20 pages, based on 52K of text.
* We should have page numbers, and a table of contents.
* The order of articles in this file is unimportant...put in whatever
order you think flows nicely. Probably should have Chairman's Report
first (since it's an overview of everything), and maybe the financial
report last.
* Speaking of financial report -- I think we might need to include the
entire report (3 pages), not just the summary in this file. Just leave
space for three page drop-in.
* Brenda should be giving you lots of pictures. It would be great to
have various shots of ministries, maybe even some big ones with captions
to tell who the people are. Also, it might be nice to have small
pictures of whoever is writing the article, like columnists do in the
newspaper. I assume you have many of these still on your hard
drive...also, we can borrow the family pictures on the wall at church if
needed.
Thanks a ton! Let me know when you think Connie can get started on the
photocopying...maybe she could even start on some pages before the
entire thing is done...
- Tom Arneberg, 1/12/98
-----
* Give them the tools to live the Christian life
* Give them confidence in using the Bible
------------
* Guys-only study
* Averaged between 3-5 guys on a weekly basis
* Co-led by Richard Sullivan, Greg Richards and John Salinas
* Guys-only study
* Averaged between 3-7 guys on a weekly basis
* Co-lead by Richard Sullivan and John Salinas
* Combined girls and guys study
* Averaged between 4-14
* Team lead by Terri and Keith Tompkins, Nick Hunt, Sara Richards (Mel
chickened out) and John Salinas
-------------
* Provide the opportunity to have accountability in spiritual, physical
and mental life
* Two students expressed interest in studying on their own
* This has been a big help to students who's parents discourage
organized bible study outside of the Catholic church
---------------------------------
* More of a focus on how we can improve each young person's spiritual
life as an individual instead of as a group
* Lessons will be integrated with youth group themes and focus
-------
Chairman's Report
How did we fare on our top priorities?
Priority #1: New constitution was passed
The constitution rewrite went through four phases, starting with the
elders' retreat in February 1997.
In the summer, the elders led a 12-week Sunday School
series on Biblical Eldership, hosted a one-hour question and answer session
after presenting draft #3 to the congregation in September, and spent part
of two board meetings in the fall discussing it.
Based on feedback and comments from many people, the elders came up with
the fourth and final draft, which was distributed in early December, and
it was approved by the congregation on January 4, 1998.
(The portion of the
total active church membership who voted was 73%, and of those who
voted, it was 92%-8% in favor of it.)
If you haven't read the new constitution yet, please do so!
It is an exciting document that we believe reflects God's plan for the
local church body.
Priority #2: Scott Elkins hired as youth pastor
The new youth pastor, as you all know, is Scott Elkins. He and his wife Beth
and their two children moved here from Pennsylvania in November, and are
already doing some great work here. It seemed like a long process after Paul
Stewart left at the end of May, but we think we have found just the man God
wanted in that position, and it was worth the wait!
Priority #3: Building addition plans shaping up
Last, we did make progress on the building addition. The deacons have firmed
up the plans and got some bids. We did decide earlier in the year not to
actually break ground until the rewrite of the constitution was complete, but
that's behind us now. Our building fund is currently at about $75,000,
and we'll need a total of $150,000 - $200,000 to complete the
addition debt-free. But we are prayerfully
considering whether to break ground in the spring or summer of 1998, since we
do have enough money right now to at least get the outside structure up.
Changes in the church office
We also saw some changes in the church office this year. We went for eleven
months of the year without any paid office help, relying on the generous
hard work of volunteers. Thanks to Connie Majorins,
Sarah Richards, Audrey Peterson,
Connie Williams, Cris Bishop, and Lisa Flaig
for helping out in the office when needed. In
the fall, the elders decided that we need someone to be responsible for
the office and maintain a consistent presence,
so Connie Williams was hired on a part-time basis to be the
church secretary 15 to 20 hours per week.
No more Sunday morning collections
Another interesting change this year has been ceasing the practice of
"taking a collection" during the worship service. Scripture says, "Each
man should give what he has decided in his
heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves
a cheerful giver." (2Cor. 9:7) In light of this, one of the
things decided at the elders' retreat in February was to stop
passing the collection baskets on Sunday mornings. Instead, there is a
box in the back of the church where worshippers may leave their tithes
and offerings.
God has honored this, and has provided for all our needs in 1997
through the generous, cheerful giving of His people! It can also have a
pleasant impact on our guests; many of them are surprised that they can
come to a church and not be "compulsed" to give money.
Children's Church
Choir Report
Church Cleaning
Church Communications
http://www.mcs.com/~toma/cvbc
As we get larger and technology gets faster, computer communication will
become more important. But if you don't have a computer, don't worry --
we still have our telephone-based prayer chain, and occasional calling
trees. And of course there's no replacement for face-to-face fellowship
at worship services and small group meetings.
Ladies' Craft Night
Deaconesses' Report
Deacons' Report
* New carpeting for the youth pastor's office and library
* New computer and various office equipment
* Design of the new classroom addition
* New shelving behind Baptismal
Counterfocus Drama Team
Elders' Report
Financial Report
--------
1997 1997 1998 Percent
Category Budget Actual Budget Change
-------- ------ ------ ------ ------
Staff Compensation $84,000 $65,323 $97,600 +16%
Administrative Exp. 7,700 6,857 7,700 + 0%
Facilities 24,700 20,823 21,500 -13%
Youth & Education 13,900 12,607 14,000 + 1%
Ministries 4,200 5,733 6,350 +51%
Missions Support 14,340 14,440 15,340 + 7%
------- ------- -------
TOTAL 148,840 125,782 162,490 + 9%
---------------
The church's total monetary assets, including checking account, savings
account, and certificates of deposit for the building fund, as of
December 31, 1997, is $93,914.
Mel Richards (Co-Treasurer)
Mike Mayhew (Financial Secretary)
Awana Hospitality Team
Dave McDaniel
Mike & Julie Leisz
Jay Long
John Strand
Andrea Metza
Sally Krohn
Rick & Sue Pribnow
Marty Schield
Mel Richards
Darin & Carolyn Thomas
Mark & Debbie Woodford
Stan & Connie Williams
Ladies Bible Class
Church Library
Ladies' Missionary Fellowship
Men's Ministries
Missionaries Supported by CVBC
* Dave Anderson (Crescent Lake Bible Camp)
* Jim Arneberg (Tanzania, Africa)
* Roland Bergstrom (Minnesota)
* Judi Brodeen (Mali, Africa) (on educational leave in LA)
* Ted Cripe (New Zealand)
* Maris Dzeles (Latvia)
* Mike Morgan (Good News Jail Ministry -- Eau Claire)
* John Schone (Good News Jail Ministry -- Eau Claire)
* Mark Hull (Fellowship of Christian Athletes -- Eau Claire)
* IFCA National
* Charles Frink (New Zealand)
* Roy Koopman (AWANA -- WI)
* Ester Majam (Philippians)
* Jack McMahan (New Zealand)
* John Pederson (Oak Hills Bible College -- Bemidji, MN)
* Brenda Poulson (Brazil)
* Tony Poulson (Brazil)
* Radio Bible Class (MI)
* Ginger Sharp (Campus Crusade -- Minneapolis)
* Steve Spellman (Brazil)
* Jeff Thibaudeau (Brazil)
* Paul Thyren (Wisconsin Church Extension)
* Debbie Velie (Latvia)
* Jim Walton (Wycliffe -- TX)
* John Wilbur (Crescent Lake Bible Camp)
* Jim Woldhuis (Village Missions -- Duluth, MN)
* Bill Pederson Scholarship (Oak Hills Bible College -- Bemidji, MN)
* Dan Gaffney (Family Life Ministries -- Eau Claire, WI)
* Chad Selje (Campus Crusade -- Eau Claire, WI)
Moms In Touch
* To pray that our children will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, then in turn
stand boldly in their faith.
* To pray for the teachers, students, staff and administration.
Young Mothers' Bible Study
Nursery Report
Pastor Andy's Report
-Paul Thyren, Wisconsin Church Extension, February 2.
-Easter Worship Service, March 30
-"Snapshots & Portraits" play by our Drama Team, April 13.
-National Day of Prayer Service, May 1.
-Farewell Service for Paul & Kari Stewart, May 25.
-Missionary Ted Cripe, June 22.
-John Pederson, Oak Hills Fellowship, August 3.
-Keith Tompkins, CVBC Elder, August 24.
-John Schone, Assistant Jail Chaplain, October 5.
-ARC Ministries, October 12.
-Missionary Tony Poulson, Brazil, October 19.
-Christmas Worship Service with "The Blessings Gospel Trio,"
December 21.
-Scott Elkins, Youth Pastor, December 28.
Small Group Ministries
Senior Saints
Sunday School
Ushers' Report
Worship Music Team Report
Worship Team Report
Stan Williams
W.O.W!
Youth Group
Notes for Stu
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