Articles from the CVBC Annual Report for 2000 Focus on the Valley
"The official newsletter of the Chippewa Valley Bible Church"
Editor:
Tom Arneberg
(editor@cvbc.net)
by Tom Arneberg
God has given us another great year at Chippewa Valley Bible Church!
People
At the annual banquet a year ago, a record twenty-six people
decided to make a formal commitment to join CVBC! And
at this year's banquet it looks like there will be about twenty more.
Official church membership is not mentioned in the Bible, but it is a
convenient way to take a public stand that you agree with the
philosophies, beliefs, and strategies of our local church, and that you
voluntarily allow the church to hold you accountable.
Worship Services
Our schedule for the 1998-1999 season was
8:00-9:00 first service, 9:15-10:15 Sunday School,
and 10:30-11:45 second service. The first service that year was apparently
too early, as the attendance was sparse. Also, it was pretty tough to
get a worship team to rehearse at 7:00 or 7:15 a.m.!
Last year for the 1999-2000 season, we went with an 8:30-9:45 first
service, a 10:00-10:45 Sunday School, and 11:00-12:15 second service.
This had a couple advantages -- first, the two services were the same
length, and the same music team was used in both, with a little more
time to rehearse before the first service. But the Sunday School hour
was reduced by 15 minutes.
And the worship service attendance results were
a complete flip-flop: this time, the second service
apparently finished too late for most people, and the first service
consistently drew about three times as many people as the second.
There seems to be no easy way to fit three discrete events into a Sunday
morning and still maintain family-friendly times for both services.
Plus, at a congregational meeting in August of this year, many
people expressed a desire to go back to one service if at
all possible, to promote togetherness.
So in the fall of 2000 we went to this schedule: 9:00-10:15 Worship service,
and 10:30-11:30 Sunday School. We added several seats to the
auditorium, and the ushers did more work to squeeze everyone in.
However, if we are really fulfilling our purpose in evangelizing, then
we still should plan on what to do when the one service is just too
full. At that point, whether it's two months, six months, or two years
from now, we can simply add a second service 10:30-11:45. But we would
leave the one Sunday School hour at 10:30.
This has several advantages -- perhaps the best part is that both
services would be at "family-friendly" times, neither too early nor too
late. Second, there would be a 9:00 a.m. service year 'round (the
Sunday School hour and a possible second service would probably be dropped
for the summers, but the 9:00 service would remain). This would help
make things less confusing.
Last, as important as we think Sunday School is, we realize that many
families choose not to attend. So those families could just go to the
10:30 second service whenever that may be added in the future, or
the parents could even send their kids to Sunday
School while they go to the late worship service if they prefer that.
Church Leadership
Our full-time paid ministerial staff remains as it was
a year ago -- Andy Majorins is our pastor/teacher, and
Dale Thiele is full-time associate pastor
responsible for youth ministry. Melissa Majorins resigned as our part-time
secretary to pursue her education at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago,
and she was replaced in June by Erin Thiele, who was just finishing up her
bachelor's degree at Bethel College this fall.
Tom Sterling remains as our part-time maintenance man. Greg Gilbertson
has been working in a new position as a part-time youth staff intern
responsible for the
junior high group since July 2000.
Special Events
"Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis" is a terminal disease,
often referred to as "being buried alive" as the muscles of
the body slowly die.
This disease affects 10-15 families in the Chippewa Valley at any given time.
The A.L.S. Support group
is open to anyone in the community dealing with a diagnosis
of ALS or any other progressive neuromuscular disease.
As the facilitator, I am also open to providing information and
support to anyone in the congregation dealing with any
type of terminal illness or end-of-life issues.
In Christ - Sally Krohn
Looking back on the year 2000, I am deeply humbled by how the church family
at Chippewa Valley Bible Church took a strong interest in the APPLE Roll
this past fall. Your generous donations, your prayer support, and your
words of encouragement have truly been a blessing.
Does all of this count? Yes it does! This past year, APPLE had seen over
500 hundred woman, and we even had the opportunity to speak to some men.
Your support has given APPLE the resources necessary to donate clothing,
diapers, and food to mothers with infants and toddlers.
APPLE will, with love and encouragement, continue to provide maternity
clothing, pregnancy tests, and counseling sessions to anxious, young
mothers. APPLE will continue to provide post-abortion counseling for woman
who have gone through this "simple medical procedure," as the world calls
it, which, undoubtedly, has shattered women's lives.
It angers me to see how our society has placed such little value on human
life. Just the other day on the news I witnessed the great lengths people
went through to rescue a puppy that had fallen into a sewer pipe in a road,
and yet some people are so willing to vacuum out of a mother's womb an
innocent, struggling, unborn baby -- and they label this "a simple medical
procedure." Abortion is not the politically correct term anymore; instead,
it's spun as a "pro-choice" stance. Psalm 82:4 states that "we are to
rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil men." As followers of
Christ, we are called to protect the unborn.
Thank you all for your love, encouragement, support, and, most importantly,
your continued intercessory prayers to our Heavenly Father on behalf of
these young mothers and their babies.
Lori Burns
This was a milestone year for our church regarding attendance -- it is
the first time that we have averaged over 300 people on Sunday mornings
throughout the entire year! (See chart 1.)
Actually, there were four Sundays where we had over 400 people in our
worship service -- April 23, May 7, June 11, and October 29. For the
last two of these Sundays, we were even all together in one service!
The highest-attended Sunday of the year was October 29, when 429 people
worshiped with us in the one 9:00 a.m. service.
This year continued in at least a four-year trend of increasing
attendance (see chart 2). The average attendance for the entire year
has been steadily increasing since at least 1997:
The Awana program this past year was full of great things.
We averaged between 150 and 175 great kids who were exposed
to God's word.
During the school year, Awana met at CVBC on Wednesday evenings
from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
We have put the new building to good use, and have packed
every classroom with lots of kids who are studying God's
word.
God has given us more children and they are learning His
Word, with great joy, and coming to know Him as their Lord
and Savior. It is great to see them studying His Word and
growing in Christ. It's great to put God's Word into the hearts of
children who are not getting into His Word each
day and who are coming from homes that don't hear His Word.
I thank God for all the great leaders and helpers He has
blessed this group with this year, and it's fun working with
people who do care about His kids, and what they are doing
for Him.
We again have a good group of directors and helpers:
Cubbies: Darla Volbrecht, Bev Hyland, and Mary Sterling;
Sparks: Christine Bishop, Kim Hoffman, and Ellen Bennet;
Chums & Guards: Dora Wood and Brandi Lasiewicz; Pals: Mark
Woodford; Pioneers: Steve Vogt and Curtis Clausing; others
are: song leaders: Terri Tompkins, Esther Pedigo, Connie
Majorins, and Libby Krause; game leaders: James Bedell and
Jay Long; and others that help fill in at times.
This past year we took part in a booth at the Northern Wisconsin
State Fair in Chippewa Falls,
where we met new and old Awana kids and passed the
word about Jesus Christ and His love. Thanks to all who
helped out the whole week and thanks to those who helped
with the cost.
I thank God for all of our leaders that take time out of
their busy work week to work with God's children.
I sometimes get too busy to take the time to say thanks to
everyone that helps out, so a big thanks to all who help and
pray each week.
Tom Sterling
Basket Classes have continued to take place again throughout the year 2000.
One welcomed addition this year has been the attendance of gentlemen at
several classes. (One gentleman even came back for a second time!) Classes
have continued to meet in my home, usually during one week of the month,
with varied days and times to accommodate most schedules. Anyone is welcome
to attend (even men!).
Another change this year has been the addition of a web site:
"www.reedbetweenthelines.com".
Because of the classes becoming more of a home-based business, along with
the web site, I will no longer be putting the class dates and times
in the church bulletin. But feel free to
contact me personally or by phone or email
("mdvolbre@ecol.net") to get a class schedule.
The web site will also keep you posted on upcoming classes.
I have really enjoyed getting to know many of the ladies and their friends
at CVBC over the past couple of years through basket weaving. The CVBC
ladies have definitely had an impact on those non-Christians who have
attended classes. I feel blessed that God has allowed me the opportunity to
work out of my home in an occupation that still feels like a hobby! For
those men who may be
interested, I hope to make a "Fishing Creel" Basket in
the near future. (And to remind myself of the theme of the Adult Sunday
School class taught by Keith Tompkins.)
Happy Weaving!
by Tom Arneberg
There are many men within CVBC who were positively impacted by the Boy
Scouts of America program in their youth, as I was. Off the top
of my head, I
can name Darin Thomas, Mark Hedrington, Stu Krause, John Mathwig, Larry
Hoffman, and of
course Eagle Scouts Mike Mayhew, Glenn Woods, and Steve Nutzman.
Ask any of these guys what Scouting meant to them. There is
something about getting a boy in the wilderness, on a camping or
hiking adventure with other boys and men, that provides an
unequaled opportunity for character development and healthy
growth.
We have been talking for over three years about starting up a new troop,
and the time is now upon us! Darin Thomas, who served as a scoutmaster
of a troop in Houston before moving here in 1997, will
be the Scoutmaster, and I will function as
the Troop Committee Chairman. We have already been thrilled at the
number of men who have volunteered to help out! Paul Forsythe said he
would be the Awards Chairman, a time-consuming and thankless job that is
very important to the troop. Jamie Mauk has already attended one of the
training session for leaders, and is anxious to help share the extensive
experience he gained camping while growing up in Montana. Several other
guys also said they'd help out as needed.
If you're not familiar with the program, you can learn more about it
at our new web page, "www.troop72.com". One of the BSA's web pages,
"www.bsa.scouting.org", says
that scouting is more than just having fun outdoors -- it
"provides an environment that fosters in youth the initiative to
grow and learn while instilling strong values and morals." A
recent study showed that Boy Scouts were more likely than
non-Scouts to:
Our troop will be open to all boys aged 11 years or older or who have
finished the fifth grade. We may make exceptions to allow boys who are
"almost 11" to participate in some activities, although they wouldn't
be able to earn any badges or advance in rank until they're officially
enrolled.
If anyone is interested in helping out, please let us know! Talk to
Darin or me, or send email to "leaders@troop72.com". If you really want
to gain an understanding of what Boy Scouts is all about and how they
teach leadership skills, we would highly recommend attending the
leader training sessions. These are open to any adult -- even to
parents who are just curious what their boy is in for! There is one
class that meets indoors for a few hours of videos and discussions, and
another 28-hour course that is outdoors and includes a night of
camping. The next outdoor course is in April, but the indoor class is a
prerequisite. If there is enough interest in the indoor class, we can
have them do a session right in our own church, so please let us know of
your interest.
by Paulette Hedrington, Mary Jorstad, Jody Strand and Deb Tilton
The Children's Church ministry currently reaches between 20
and 25 children each week. Three- to five-year-olds sing, pray,
listen to a Bible story, have a snack, and usually find time
to do a craft during the time allotted for Children's Church.
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.
The Adult Choir at CVBC continues to flourish as we learn more about music
and each other at our weekly rehearsals. We tend to lose some members each
year, but then we gain others and, modestly speaking, of course, we still
sound great! Seriously, the choir attempts to do challenging and fun but
meaningful songs that minister to our congregation in a special way. Special
thanks to Sharon Spencer and Jesse Pedigo for accompanying our group and to
Gary Rowan and Bill Weiss for drumming. New members are always welcome!
Terri Tompkins
Hello CVBC! As many of you know, we took a step of faith this last summer.
We joined a group of people starting a new church in Eau Claire. Since
then, we have seen God working powerfully in our lives and in the lives of
others. In June we had our first core group meeting. These past seven
months, we have grown together spiritually and have begun preparing for our
launch service this spring. Led by senior pastor, Paul Berthiaume we have
developed a name and vision. The church will be called Jacob's Well and our
vision is to meet people wherever they are on their spiritual journey and
bring them closer to the Lord. Our name and vision come from John 4, which
is the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. Jesus knew her past,
accepted her, and invited her to follow Him. We want to follow Jesus's
model in reaching the people of Eau Claire.
Our launch service is now only a few months away. Valleybrook Church in Eau
Claire has offered to partner with us. In January Paul Berthiaume will be
speaking on Sundays sharing our vision and inviting people to join us in
this exciting journey. Then, we plan on having two preview services, which
will serve two purposes. First, the services will be an opportunity for
others to join the movement. Second, the services allow us to work out all
of the logistics of having a worship service. Finally on March 11th,
Jacob's Well will officially launch at Delong Middle School.
In the following months, we will provide you with updates on how the new
church is doing. In the meantime, we would appreciate your prayers. Here
are some specific requests. Pray that God will lead people to help us
launch Jacob's Well. Pray that we will be able to do all of the necessary
tasks to prepare for our launch service. Pray that God stirs hearts and
leads people to Jacob's Well. Pray that we proclaim the love of Christ and
the truth of His Word clearly.
We are extremely grateful for the work of CVBC and your partnership in
sharing the gospel with those in the Chippewa Valley. May we continue to be
filled with His amazing love.
Patrick & Brenda Hukriede
For at least the past ten or fifteen years, several CVBC families have
made the annual trek in August to spend a week at "Family Camp" at
Crescent Lake Bible Camp. Located near Rhinelander, about a three-hour
drive from Chippewa Falls, CLBC is set on beautiful Crescent Lake.
Many newer CVBC families may not know about our church's involvement with
this camp. The CVBC/CLBC alliance goes way back -- our former
pastor, the late Bill Pederson, was a board member of CLBC for 30 years. More
recently, Keith Tompkins served on the camp board.
The week-long family camp (Sunday afternoon to Saturday morning) is
full-service, featuring three
hearty meals per day in a grand new dining hall. The one-hour
chapel services at 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. each day feature an excellent
speaker who will challenge you from the Word. If you've never been to
something like this, there's nothing quite like it -- delivering eleven
sermons in six days gives the speaker a chance to penetrate his chosen subject
area more deeply than you get when the message is spread out over several
weeks among a varying congregation.
And there is plenty to do during the rest of the day! There is a swimming
beach, boats of all kinds, mini-golf, rifle range, archery range, volleyball
and softball fields, crafts center, and plenty of frogs to catch for the
frog-jumping contest.
The cost is reasonable. Cabins vary from hotel-like to rustic. Some
cabins are just four walls with no running water, while others are
multi-family units with bathrooms, showers, kitchenettes, etc.
If you want to learn more about Crescent Lake Bible Camp, please talk to any
of the families who have gone recently -- Arnebergs, Wallaces, Tompkins,
Williams, McIlquhams,
Pokrzywinskis, Wolves, etc. In 2000, we were excited to welcome
first-timers Jeff & Lisa Flaig, and Brad & Tracy Robb and their
families.
You can learn more about the camp, including seeing 311 full color
photos of week #4 (CVBC's week) in 1999, at this web page:
"http://arneberg.com/org/clbc". The camp almost always fills up one
year ahead of time, but there are usually cancellations, so it would be
prudent for you to get on the waiting list if you're interested.
Tom Arneberg
As CVBC grows larger, having good communications becomes even
more important.
In 2000, we continued in
our sixth year of putting out a four-page newsletter every month
("Focus on the Valley"). It is created by a volunteer staff (Tom
Arneberg edits, Stu Krause lays it out, and a cast of dozens gets to
proofread the electronic copy.)
Once we produce the master, our church secretaries (Melissa Majorins
and
Erin Thiele this year) do the copying, folding, labeling, and mailing.
Several issues this year had to be expanded from four to six pages, to
accommodate all the articles written by church members! That's a nice
"problem" to have.
The newsletter goes to over 400 homes, including families of AWANA and VBS
kids.
Another way we communicate in our church is through electronic mail.
Our central email list is now up to 146 different people. We also
have smaller email lists for various groups within the church,
such as elders, deacons, worship team, etc.
Email provides us a great way to keep in
touch -- messages on the CVBC list include prayer requests, text from
newsletter drafts, text from the Sunday bulletins, updates, and
announcements. Even more information, ideas, discussions, and
brainstorming comes across some of the leadership email lists.
If you have access to email and are not on the main email list, please
join us by sending a note to "email@cvbc.net".
Our web page, "cvbc.net", now has over 4000 hits. With the addition of
several
digital cameras owned by church members, we are now
seeing more photos online. For example, there are hundreds of full
color
photographs of our VBS for each of the past two years at
"cvbc.net/vbs"!
There is additional useful information on our home page,
including back issues of all our newsletters since 1995, our constitution,
information about AWANA, links to
papers on Biblical Eldership, etc. Believe it or not, there are even
people who were led to worship with us from viewing our web page and
learning all about who we are and what we do here! We pray that God will
continue to allow us to use whatever means available to us to reach our
community for Christ.
Tom Arneberg, toma@cvbc.net
The Lord has blessed our numerous activities in 2000.
Showers, meal preparation as needed for church families,
visitation and encouragement of those in poor health or
spirit and preparation for communion and baptism are some of
the services provided by the Deaconesses this year. The
Deaconess committee was also involved in honoring the Senior
Saints in our church with a program followed by cake and
coffee. A special "Thank you" to all who were involved in the
planning of this event as well as those who have assisted us
in other areas.
In His Service, The Deaconesses -- Judy Haley, Debbie
Woodford, Audrey Peterson, Sheri Stuve, Becky Scheidler,
Paulette Hedrington, Jody Strand, Cheryl Mason, Polly Sharp
This year we completed a much-needed parking lot addition,
the relocation of the basketball hoop, and the construction
of two volleyball courts.
These all provide a place for a lot of Christian fellowship. Inside, all
of our electrical units were updated, and a great new paint job
offered a brighter, cleaner atmosphere for us all to enjoy. Of
course, there were many little things done behind the scenes.
Looking forward to 2001, our focus will be on technology enhancements,
such as a video projection system for the sanctuary.
Also, monitors for the nursery and youth rooms will allow workers in
those rooms to view
our services and other activities held throughout the year.
Outside, we have some landscaping and a playground to finish.
We continue to explore possibilities to provide more space for
our services and the other ministries that we all enjoy. Please
be patient and keep reminding us of problems and solutions.
We are always looking for volunteers to work on projects, so if
you are interested in helping out in any way, just let us know.
A friendly reminder to all the great groups using our church is
to please take care of the facility. We are happy it's being
used so much, and we are open to new ministries such as the Karate
classes and the Boy Scout Troop scheduled for 2001. Praise be
to our great Lord for the many blessings on CVBC!
Currently our Deacons are Stuart Krause, Jon Strand, Darin Thomas,
Dave McDaniel, Doug Mason and me. Please continue to pray to
our Lord for these men, their families and their ability to serve.
Mark Hedrington
This past year we began meeting in each others' homes for food, fun and
fellowship. As we talked and shared with different ones, we heard these
groups called "Diners Club," "Dinner for Six," "Delightful Diners," or
just plain "Had some new friends over for dinner last night." All in
all, over 100 people (couples and singles) met to share food and
fellowship with the objective being to get to know one another a bit
better.
It was fun to hear of the creative ways different groups met.
One group met for a summer picnic and welcomed friends of another of the
couples who were visiting from the West Coast. Another couple talked of
having a great time getting to know someone better to whom they
had only said "hi" at church. I also heard of pizza parties and some who where
treated to an exquisite meal with fine china. We are all unique and
that was the fun of these dinners. We are lined up again for this year
with new people to meet, and if you didn't sign up and would like to be
in a group it is not to late. We tried to keep to between six and eight
people in
each group, and most groups planned to get together a total of
three times. Every three to four
months we will be meeting with new people. Come join the fun!
Kay Forsythe
Who's the first person you meet when entering the doors of
CVBC? For about two years now, Ed Hyland has been opening
the doors and greeting those arriving for church services.
Many of us often have our hands full with a baby, books,
baskets, a walker, or we are holding hands of younger children.
We really welcome and appreciate a friendly greeting and
having that door opened for us! Thank you for being our
"doorman", Mr. Hyland!
by Keith Tompkins
God has continued to be faithful in His lovingkindness toward the people of
Chippewa Valley Bible Church in 2000. It is easy to measure the numerical
growth in the congregation, but it's more difficult, and yet
more fulfilling, to
see the spiritual growth and maturing of our body this past year. It has
been a year of stretching and testing for many within the body, including the
elders, which should be of no surprise since any significant growth will come
with its own set of challenges. The greatest thrill of serving the flock as
an elder is to hear the testimonies of new members as they recount how God
has supernaturally and personally intervened in their lives, delivered them
from the control of the enemy and brought them into fellowship with God
through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. It is amazing to hear the accounts of
God transforming lives from the inside when the believer opens his/her heart
to Him.
Great encouragement has also come from seeing the residual impact of the
Promise Keeper men who returned from the Minneapolis conference and have kept
the fire alive through monthly prayer and fellowship breakfasts, praying
together before the Sunday worship services and other outreach efforts too
numerous to mention.
Another highlight of the church year was to see many take seriously the
challenge to pray specifically for unsaved friends, relatives, neighbors and
co-workers and to take steps to share with them the Gospel of hope. This
began as a Sunday School challenge but continues today with many from the
class agreeing to continue praying for the names that were put in the
"fishing basket."
It has been encouraging to see how the church family has surrounded many in
need this past year. There have been numerous instances of God's people
giving of their time and gifts to reach out to help hurting people in our
congregation and our community. CVBC is poised to have a great impact on the
community in 2001 as the people of God are rolling up their sleeves to "do
the work of the ministry."
If I could leave a challenge for the coming year, it would be to purposefully
and prayerfully ask God to allow each of us to reach one person this
year -- that we could lead another to Christ and begin a discipling
relationship. Nothing, absolutely nothing, brings someone's focus into
proper perspective better than being involved in God's supernatural,
mysterious and life-changing salvation of another person's life. He will
build His church -- will you and I have a part to play?
Paulette Hedrington, Sue Pribnow, Jody Strand
A major accomplishment for the library committee in 2000
was the remodeling of the library with new book shelves. With
the addition of these new book shelves, we are better able
to display the materials we have. We also added a wooden
library return box and a new bulletin board containing
miscellaneous library information including forms for
reserving library materials and for requesting new library
materials.
We expanded the library in the areas of adult
fiction, children and young adult fiction, parenting,
marriage, and Christian living. We purchased several new
videos and audio tapes for kids (e.g., Bibleman, Jay, Jay the
Jet Plane, Veggie Tales) as well as videos that can be
enjoyed by the entire family (e.g., Visual Bible According to
Matthew, the movie Left Behind). At any given time there are
more than 300 books, videos and audios checked out of the
library.
We would like to thank everyone who made donations to the
library in 2000. 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!
Ladies' Missionary Fellowship meets the fourth Wednesday of
every month to fellowship with one another, share new
letters from our missionaries that have been received
throughout the month, and have prayer for them. We also write
a note to send to them along with the church's monthly newsletter. We send
birthday and anniversary cards to each of them on their
special day.
Several ladies met in January for a stamping
party to make cards for use throughout the year. The prayer
journal for the congregation has been completed and will be
used to inform them of the mission work so they can remember
them in prayer.
This past year we have given financial help to Keith and
Tony Tompkins for their trip to Africa, for Phil Majorins' trip,
and for
the Youth Missions Trip to Mexico. We also helped pay tuition for
Marta Bustos, a student going to school in Venezuela who was a helper for
John and Kathy Pedersen. And we sent money to the
Bethel Mission orphanage to buy toys and food for Christmas.
We had the privilege to have Jeff and Stephanie Poulson and
Deb Velie speak to us while home this year. We continue to
receive funds from Pick N Save and are registered under
Ladies' Missionary Fellowship -- CVBC for anyone who has not
designated a charity. We also save receipts from Gordy's
Hardware and Grocery store where there is a box on the
information table in the foyer at church. We use the refunds
for projects when we are aware of special needs of any of
our missionaries.
LMF, along with the help of the sewing club, made many skirts
to send to Mary & Tony Poulson. "Thank you" goes to the ladies of
the sewing club for their help and thanks to the
congregation for donating the materials.
We had our annual picnic at Irvine Park and our Christmas
party was held at Joann Oman's home. Both were enjoyed by
all.
I thank God for each of the ladies that faithfully attend
the meetings and participate in providing devotions and
snacks for fellowship.
We invite any of the ladies to join us.
In His Service,
Following the Promise Keepers conference in Minneapolis
in September, several men decided to start a Men's Prayer
Breakfast at church on Saturday mornings once a month. The
first breakfast was in November and attended by
approximately 20 men. All enjoyed pancakes, eggs and
sausage, as well as fellowship and a special talk by elder Keith
Tompkins. Keith addressed the topic of men's roles and
responsibilities towards their church and the leadership of
the church.
The December breakfast was again attended by approximately
20 men who enjoyed French toast and sausage. The breakfast
was highlighted by Rich Ward's personal testimony and a time
of corporate prayer.
The Men's Breakfast will continue monthly on the second
Saturday of each month at 7:00 AM at the church. All men are
strongly encouraged to join us, and guests are always
welcome. Possible speakers for future meetings include Mark
Halverson of WWIB, Terry Moulton of Mouldy's Archery and
Tackle, and Pat Kreitlow of Channel 13 News.
Steve Vogt
We as a church have continued to support many missionaries this year, both
overseas and in the United States. We invested $20,777 in the lives of our
missionaries in 2000 (including $1337 in the "Christmas for Missions"
offering), which is almost 10% of the total church budget. We will be
increasing our missions budget by $3240 for the year 2001.
There were 33 missionaries and ministries on our support list in 2000. The
following changes are being made for 2001:
There will be an overall increase in the yearly financial commitment to
our existing 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.
Missionaries we supported in 2000:
We have been blessed with the following new babies born to CVBC
families in the past year:
We moved to the area from Colorado in April of 2000 and
were in search for a church that could continue to provide
us with the strong Biblical teaching we had had in Colorado.
From our previous teachings we knew what to look for in
doctrinal beliefs and so started our search for a new church
home.
After searching for a couple weeks we got on the internet
and there we found CVBC which not only addressed their
doctrinal beliefs but allowed us to look at the frequently
asked questions. The first question asked was the one we
most wanted to know how the church responded to, "How do I
know if I'm good enough to go to heaven?" We knew we had
found our home.
Our first visit to CVBC was on Mother's Day
of 2000. Wow, we heard not only a great sermon by Pastor Andy, but we
also were able to hear personal testimonies for baptisms that
day. I remember Cris and Dave Bishop introduced us to the
congregation and I even got a rose, I think it was for
traveling the farthest distance. Everyone was so welcoming,
it felt good to feel God's presence.
Since coming to CVBC in May we have met many, many
wonderful people. God's love is so present. The women in the
Mothers' Bible Study immediately welcomed me and began
praying for our family, THANK YOU. We have had a very busy
transition into our new life but recently started attending
a small group, in which we know God placed us.
Thank you CVBC for immediately welcoming us into our new
"Forever Family."
In Christ's Love - Craig, Laurie, Eric & Abigail Marshall
When we first moved back to Chippewa Falls five years ago, Brett had wanted
to find a Bible-based church to attend, as opposed to one like the church
we attended in Rice Lake, which would have been my preference. One
of the first places we attended was CVBC. The messages were pretty good and
it was really nice to finally be able to understand some of what the Bible
had to say. I could never understand it on my own.
But I really wasn't
comfortable here. You see, I just wasn't like you. You did things like put
up displays on Sanctity of Life Sunday. What about a woman's right to
choose? You talked about submitting to my husband...yeah, right! You sang
songs that talked about the enemy being under your feet. Who's the enemy? I
thought Christianity was supposed to be about love. You were so friendly.
Couldn't you tell that I wanted to be left alone?
We eventually started to attend Valleybrook Church in Eau Claire. I met a
lot of nice people there. People that I said "hi" to on Sunday, but that was
about it. Oh...and I met Jesus there, too. He is the most amazing thing
that has ever happened to me. Every part of my life that He touches turns
to gold. And you know, one of the many amazing things I've learned about
Him is the way he can change your heart so completely around from where it
was. I am now a volunteer for the APPLE Pregnancy Care Center. I'm okay
with the idea of submission to my husband because God gave me a really great
husband. Praise Him!
I now know who the enemy is because I am trying every day to fight him. I
also don't want to be alone anymore. Which brings me back to CVBC.
Valleybrook is a great church, but it's big and it's far away and it's hard
to get involved or get to know anyone. The only regular fellowship I had
with other Christians was with my husband. God led me back to CVBC through
the Weigh-Down Workshop, which I'd seen posted in the Herald Telegram.
Over-eating is one of the ways Satan tries to get to me. CVBC was so much
closer than Valleybrook so I thought I'd give it a try. I did lose some
weight. But more importantly, I noticed that all the members of the group
were really very much like me. And they really seemed to care about each
other...like a family. That was the kind of fellowship that really seemed to
be lacking in my life. About that time, Brett began to feel a similar tug
that God wanted us to find a different church. So here we are.
John 3:19-21 says "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but
men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone
who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear his
deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light,
so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through
God." You see, when I first came here I wasn't like you. I was not saved
and I felt that if you all knew how dark my heart was you'd have to agree
that I wasn't like you. But now I am like you, forgiven, washed clean and
trying each day to walk in the light, as He is in the light.
Allison Schnobrich
I knew from the beginning that
Andy was speaking the truth and the church had a sound Biblical foundation.
Everyone is very nice and I like the way Andy teaches. We have been going to
Bible study after church and that is one of the reasons that we wanted to
find a closer church. Our son is in AWANA and that is something that was not
possible before. So really, all of this is just what we were looking for.
There are a couple of things that I miss from Valleybrook. Many people came
to church in blue jeans, which created a very relaxed atmosphere. The music
at Valleybrook was really good too.
Brett
We welcome the following families who have started worshiping with CVBC
in the past year (the date is their first known visit):
Note: the above names were taken from our church directory.
If you are a regular attender of CVBC and you are not in our
directory yet, just fill out a big blue card next time you're at church.
We would like to recognize the following 27 people, who each decided to
take the step of commitment to their local church in becoming
official members of CVBC in 2000:
Also, as of press time, the following 20 people plan on becoming
official CVBC members at the Annual Banquet on January 21, 2001:
(###NOTE -- this list might change...I will send an update later!)
Another fruitful year for our CVBC nursery! We are happy to welcome nine
new babies born to our church families and five new children attending
on a regular basis. This makes our totals 14 infants (0-24 months) and 9
toddlers (24-36 months).
In March I asked Karen Hoff, Staci Sullivan, and Carolyn Thomas to join
me in forming a nursery team. They willingly accepted. They have truly
been blessings as we combine our ideas and share the workload. As a
team we have been able to accomplish many things which contribute to the
cleanliness, efficiency, and safety of our nursery.
In order for our nursery to function, it requires at least seven
volunteers every Sunday. (Two or three in the infant nursery, two
in the toddler room, and two during
Sunday School.) One of our goals is to have enough volunteers to keep the
rotation to every 3-4 months. We realize that our volunteers sacrifice to
give the best care possible to our children, and for this reason we would
like to thank all of you who have committed yourselves to this ministry.
You are all blessings and much-needed for this ministry to operate.
Thank you for your dedication and love. ("I thank my God every time I
remember you." Phil. 1:3)
If you ever have any questions, concerns, comments, or suggestions we
welcome your input. Please contact any member of the team.
In His Service,
It has been a great privilege during the past year to teach the Word of
God, as well as to carry out other aspects of pastoral ministry:
counseling, discipleship, hospital visitation, baptisms, rest home services,
jail ministry, small group ministry, men's ministry, contacts with visitors,
Discovery Class, AWANA, etc.
Being a "pastor" literally means giving one's self to the work of
shepherding souls. A shepherd of souls has the responsibility of leading,
feeding, comforting, correcting and protecting the flock. My heart resounds
in these words written by another "shepherd of souls." Eugene H. Peterson,
writes this regarding his pastoral ministry:
In the past year I have continued preaching from the Gospel of Matthew,
basically covering chapters 14-19. Interspersed with the study of Matthew,
we have also covered other topics and portions of God's Word.
Other Special Services included:
One unique event in my life this year was the opportunity for our family
to take a six-week sabbatical during June and July. In light of my
ten years of
service at CVBC, the rest of the elders offered to carry my responsibilities
for six weeks while I took a sabbatical. After some discussion we decided
that the summer would be the best time to do this. Our family traveled
across the western United States and parts of Wisconsin. We saw some parts
of this great country that we had not had the opportunity to see before.
Probably the most significant event in my life this year was the death of
my father. My father was a simple, hard working man who endured many
struggles during his 79 years on this earth. He did not leave a great name
for himself in this world, but he left something much greater, that is, a
legacy of faith in his five children. I'm deeply grateful to God for the
profound effect my father has had on my life. There are many things about
dad that God used to form me and develop my character. His last words,
before he died were "tell the grandchildren to make sure and meet me in
heaven." The events associated with my father's last days on this earth and
his eventual death are things dear to my heart that overshadow most of
everything else that happened in the year 2000.
I also want to say that I am deeply grateful to my family for their
support and encouragement. Only God knows how much Connie is the perfect
helpmate and partner I need. I count my children as a great blessing from
God and find great joy in watching their growth and development.
"Sola Deo Gloria!" - to God Be the Glory!
Pastor Andy Majorins
In 1990, Promise Keepers started as a vision of two men (Bill
McCartney and Dave Wardell). In the years to follow, there
have been weekend conferences throughout the U.S. from
about a half dozen early on to more than 30 this past year.
An estimated 4.8 million men have been directly reached by
PK ministries. Indirectly, many more have been touched
through radio, tapes, books, and other media. Conferences
play an important role in all this and are a highlight for
many men, helping empower and encourage them to continue
their walk with God. Bill McCartney adds, "Men's conferences
continue to draw men year after year, not because Promise
Keepers is great, but because God is."
From a personal perspective, I feel that the conferences
are great, and I'm also very enthusiastic and encouraged by
what happens after a conference. Men are moved by the Holy
Spirit at the conference to change. The benefits of that
changing are seen in that man's life, his wife, children,
church, and community.
I've been to four conferences and I thought this year's
conference at the Minneapolis Target Center was the best.
The Holy Spirit was letting me know little by little, before
the conference, to begin getting ready for something. I was
a little apprehensive and excited, but yet confident it
would be wondrous and powerful. IT WAS!
Erwin McManus and
other excellent speakers spoke to us Friday night and
Saturday and it seemed to build to a crescendo on Saturday
night when (OH! The worship music was also fantastic!)
Larry Jackson put out the call to us men to volunteer for
battle in our Lord's army! I answered the call. Along with
hundreds -- SEVERAL hundred other men! The move of the Holy
Spirit was confirmed when Erwin McManus came back out on
stage to stand with Larry Jackson and said quietly that the
Holy Spirit had given him Jeremiah 20:9* to tell us. After
saying that, Larry Jackson commissioned us, then blessed us;
the conference was ended, and here we are today!
About 40 men from CVBC went to that conference. Out of that
came: Saturday morning men's prayer breakfast, men's
accountability groups, men gathering for prayer before
Sunday service, encouragement and support of the church
leadership, and how many other blessings in the more private
settings. OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!
*Jeremiah 20:9 -- "But if I say, 'I will not mention Him or
speak in His name,' His word is in my heart like a fire, a
fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in,
indeed I cannot."
Dennis Krizan
I attended the Minneapolis conference in September and found the
experience to be very rewarding. Since it was the second
conference I had attended, I did not have the same
expectations I think I did the first time; however, I quickly
realized that it would not be an experience that I would
ever forget.
Personally, I was blessed to spend the weekend worshipping
the Lord with my brother, who just in the past year, had
come to know Jesus. Promise Keepers has been very
instrumental in the growth of my faith, especially in better
understanding my role as a Christian husband, and I have
personally seen it impact my brother and others.
The speakers and the music at the Promise Keepers
conference were fanatasic. However, the greatest blessings
that I believe have come to the group from Chippewa Valley
Bible Church that attended the conference are the
convictions that have begun to grow over the past several
months.
It was during the conference that the Lord placed on my
heart that men of the church should be praying for our
worship service each Sunday. Dennis Krizan, Glen Woods, Paul
Forsythe and Curt Clausing all committed themselves and
recently several others have joined in praying before each
service.
During and after the bus trip home from Minneapolis,
several men became deeply convicted that we have fallen
short on our responsibilities at home and to the church.
Many men who were involved in Promise Keepers have
continued to meet regularly for prayer, accountability to
each other, and to identify ministry opportunities at
Chippewa Valley Bible Church. These men have specifically
indicated their support and committment to the elders of the
church.
In November, a Men's prayer breakfast was started on the
second Saturday of each month at the church, beginning at 7:00
a.m. The breakfast typically includes a guest speaker on a
topic of interest to the men, as well as a prayer time. All
men of the church are strongly encouraged to join us the second
Saturday of each month.
I believe the greatest blessing that came from the Promise
Keepers conference was the unity and bonding that came as
result of many going as a group. Together, these men have
become more committed to prayer, and as a team of the Lord's
soldiers, are excited about serving God in our homes, church
and community.
Steve Vogt
The Quilting and Sewing Class has been meeting the first and third
Wednesday mornings of the month since September of 1999. Our purpose is
to show the love of Christ through our love of sewing. By sharing my
limited knowledge of sewing and quilting with others in the church, we
have been able to reach out to women of other faiths. It has been a very
enlightening experience for all of us because of the international
background of the women who have shown an interest in learning to sew and
quilt.
We started out the year with our group of: Judy Haley, Nadine Hanamann,
Char Vogt, Mingi Bodine, Helen Tobiss and her friend Claudia Grummet
(originally from France). We added another friend of Helen's, Marie
Laure Brookman (also originally from France). This fall, Mingi brought
her friend Noriko Slowinski (originally from Japan). We also welcomed
Terri Clausing to our group but said farewell to Helen.
Our special Christmas project introduced us to some other prospective
quilters, one of whom, Connie Nelson, has joined our Wednesday class. We
welcome more women to join us; you don't have to know how to sew already.
Serving Christ through sewing,
Cheryl Mason
Jon and Jody Strand
For the third year in a row, the "Growing Kids God's Way"
class (GKGW) has been offered in a small group setting at
CVBC. This is also our third year involved in the ministry.
The first year we attended the class led by Tom and Beth
Arneberg and we have now held classes in our home for
two years. We can attest that the concepts taught in this
course have truly helped our family (but please don't watch
the Strand girls too closely!). Many other families in our
church have been impacted in a positive way by the GKGW
approach to Biblical parenting. The class is designed to not
only grow "kids" God's way but also to grow "parents" God's
way. The curriculum offers specific and practical
suggestions in child rearing, and gives the
husband-wife role in parenting its proper scriptural
prominence.
We gather for two hours each week for instruction,
discussion, fellowship and prayer. The class runs about
twenty weeks, including a group dinner or two. It's a big
commitment in both time and effort, but it is well worth it!
This year's class includes: Dave & Cris Bishop, Franklin &
Mingi Bodine, Steve & Heidi Kuepfer, Jamie & Andrea Mauk and
Jon & Jody Strand. If you are at all interested in taking
this class in the future, please talk to those who are
taking the class now or who have taken it in the past and
find out what they think about it. God willing, another class
will start in the fall of 2001 so let us know if you are
interested.
It was a joy to lead Erik Johnson, Ryan Burr, Neil Flynn and Matt & Amy
Fish through the Navigators' 13 week "Growing in Christ" study this fall. We
even had a special guest appearance one evening from "Mullet," the Fishes' dog
obedience school graduate. Matt and Amy are expecting their first child any
day now, so please continue to pray for all of these young people that the
seed of the Word of God will produce great fruit in their lives.
Keith Tompkins
Ladies' Bible Study Class meets at 9:30 Thursday mornings.
During the year, we have studied Hebrews, "angels," and
currently are studying "Christian Character." We invite
other ladies to join us.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ruth Newton
It has been a wonderful year for Moms' Bible study, and rather than me
just babbling on what it means to me to be a part of such a great group
of women, I did one step better and asked some of the group what our
meetings mean to them.
Just to quote a few, Linda Gehrig sums up our Tuesday Bible study women
as "encouraging." Many of us have one feeling in common, the fact that
we all have access to godly Christian women and friendships. Mary
Crumbaker was very specific when describing what Moms' Bible study means
to her, "It keeps me focused, prayerful, and gives me great ideas!"
Most of us agree that it is a place to be connected with other women who
want to learn and grow spiritually, as well as enjoy the companionship
we give to each other.
We finished Barbara Bush's book, "Mastering Motherhood," earlier this year and
dove right into Stormie Omartian's "The Power of a Praying Wife." Our
group meets every other
Tuesday morning at ten o'clock. However, we extend much
further than most small groups. We have ladies' night out from time to
time. This gives all an opportunity to enjoy dinner and time in
fellowship without the responsibility of tending to our little ones.
Thanks to all the daddies who happily stay home with the children while
mommy goes out once in a while! Furthermore, because CVBC is such a
fruitful church, our Bible study enjoys putting together informal baby
showers for our mothers who are expecting.
There is a special thanks which goes to Cindy Steinmetz and Connie
Williams for watching all our pre-schoolers during our study. We could
not do it without their loving support.
We are by no means an exclusive group. There is no requirement to
attend our Bible study, just a love of the word of God, and the fact
that it is a women's Bible study. Sorry guys.
We love to extend a
welcome to anyone who would be interested in checking us out!
Carolyn Montalvo Thomas, for the Mom's Bible study.
This group of men meet on the first and third Thursday of the
month over the lunch hour. This is a unique group in that
there is no book and no official leader. Topics are hand-picked
by the group prior to a meeting. And we encourage open,
confidential discussions of whatever may be on one's heart.
Some of the topics we've discussed are:
Our goal is to find God's truth and will in regard to the topics
we talk about. Some of the regular attendees are Tom Arneberg,
Greg Wallace, Jamie Mauk, Franklin Bodine, Stu Krause and Darin
Thomas. If you are a man interested in a lunch time small group,
contact me.
Darin Thomas.
Pastor Andy led this men's group which met at church on Thursday mornings
from 6:30 to 7:30 AM. Anywhere from 3-12 men would attend each week. We
spent time in Bible study and prayer. The group continues to meet and any men
are welcome to attend if it fits your time schedule. We are currently using
the "Experiencing God" book as our study guide.
by Tom & Beth Arneberg
For three years now, our church has sponsored
"Growing Kids God's Way" (GKGW) small groups.
This is a
videotape- and workbook-based curriculum
by an organization known as "Growing Families International"
(GFI) in California, featuring Gary and Ann Marie Ezzo.
Including this year's class led by Jon & Jody Strand, we have had 39
parents
now go through the curriculum.
This year we started a new class from GFI
specifically
geared toward parents of children between 8 and 12 years old, called
"Preparation for Adolescence -- Growing Together Through the Middle
Years" (PFA).
This class concentrates on these topics:
The PFA class is open to any parents who have already been through the
GKGW core curriculum and have kids in the 8- to 12-year-old range.
The new class is only eight weeks long. Because of the demand -- most
of the 31 parents who have already been through GKGW want to take PFA --
we had to split up into two groups. One group met at the Arneberg house
on Monday nights in the fall, and we are hopeful that another group will
start up in January.
If you have any questions about these classes, send email to
"TomAndBeth@arneberg.com" (or talk to us in real life if you still prefer
that mode). For more
information about the ministry, go to the "Growing Families
International" link near the bottom of the "www.cvbc.net" web page.
Every two weeks on Friday night, at the Robinsons' in Eau Claire, we
are studying from a Max Lucado "Life Lessons Series" guide. The study,
from 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus, follows a simple format, but
allows for some good discussion. We currently have eight adults in our
group: Al & Anita Sharp, Donglai & Wendy Dai, Mary Stamos,
Elizabeth Slack, and Dave & Brenda Robinson.
We have become
comfortable with each other, but not so much that we would exclude
others who would want to join.
The only requirement is that you like chocolate.
Dave Robinson
Is it a demon in dark glasses and a trench coat? How about hand-to-hand
combat in a world unseen between angels and demons? Or maybe, Satan
whispering suggestions in your ear? Or sometimes as simple as the pull
of the flesh?
We are studying what the Bible says about God's, Satan's and ultimately
what our role
is in the battle of the mind. The book begins by identifying the players
that the Bible identifies and how they interact according to the
revelation of Scripture. Then it continues on to cover the weapons that
God has provided through His Word to fight this battle. We will also
focus on the promises of God for our protection, God's expectation of us
during the battle, and the peace that we will know if we live our lives
according to His plan.
The battle is being fought around us each day, but do not doubt, for we
already know the outcome of this war. Our only goal is to obediently
follow our Leader on whatever mission He leads us.
Fellow Warriors:
Lynn Mayhew,
Sue Pribnow,
Doug & Cheryl Mason,
Paul & Brandy Lasiewicz,
Steve & Sharon Spencer, and
Clare & Evelyn Stamos
Senior Saints meet regularly the second Thursday of each
month at noon. We enjoy a "Shared" luncheon and a worthwhile
program each time. We have had musical programs, speakers,
and shared experiences. Our fellowship has been most
enjoyable. We encourage more seniors to join us.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ruth Newton
Doing a study book called "Priorities - Tyranny of the Urgent." Led by Andy
Majorins. Participants include Andy & Connie Majorins, Wayne & Diane
Preston, Lynn & Joe Cherrier, Bill & Bonnie Pfeiffer, Jim & Judy Haley.
In March of 2000, several of us couples were not currently in a small
group, so we decided to start our own. The group currently
consists of Steve & Char Vogt, Dennis & Bev Krizan, Paul
& Kay Forsythe and Glen & Monique Woods. We meet on
Thursday evenings at the home of Steve and Char Vogt, and
are starting a new study based on the book "Victory Over
Darkness," by Neil Anderson.
The format of our group has included shared leadership by
taking turns preparing to lead a specific week's lesson. Our
group has incorporated music, devotionals and current events
into weekly studies.
The group has been very blessed with opportunities for
Christian fellowship. We have discovered that within small
group settings, there is a unique opportunity in sharing of
faith that leads to growth in our Christian walks. A special
part of our small group is the sharing of prayer concerns
and corporate prayer.
Steve Vogt
Our first meeting was Sunday night, October 15 at the Volbrechts'. We chose
to study the book of Galatians using the Serendipity book "Freedom" as our
guide. So far the group has consisted of John and Julie Burgess, Bard and
Karen Hoff, Craig and Laurie Marshall, Jay and Mary Long, Lonnie and Mary
Jorstad, Mark and Darla Volbrecht, and Sheryl Schmidt. This group meets
Sunday Nights from 6 to 7:30 p.m. We meet in our upstairs living room while
all of our children play in the basement. Then we usually end with a snack
and a time of fellowship. If there are any others who are interested in a
small group, we would enjoy having you join us. As we grow, at some
point we will split into a second group and continue to grow numerically and
spiritually while we get to know each other.
Sincerely,
Our small group of women has been meeting twice monthly, during
Children's Choir. "In Search of Spiritual Integrity, Studies in the
Book of James" by Lance Ketchum, has been the in-depth book we have
chosen. It has continued to convict, guide, and challenge us to walk
closer to our LORD. We have also been blessed through praying together
and sharing God's workings in our lives.
Gail Nayes, Mary Wolf, Sue Pribnow
The Home Builders Couples Group is meeting on Friday nights at the
church. We are currently studying the first of the group studies
titled "Building your Marriage." The Home Builders Couples Series is
designed to strengthen marriages and develop supportive relationships
with other couples.
The members of the group are Dennis & Mary Wolf, Travis & Amber Fliehr,
Greg & Gab Gilberston, Dale & Erin Thiele, and Jeremy & Sara Andreo.
Our group meets every first and third Thursday of the month at
6:45 p.m. We are studying Elizabeth George's book, "Beautiful in God's Eyes."
Generally, Lynn Mayhew leads the group, but others take turns as
well. We meet at Mingi Bodine's home. Our group members include
Andrea Mauk, Kristi, Sheryl Schmidt, Connie Majorins, Jean
VanDong, Elizabeth Slack, Bev Bremness, Lynn Mayhew, and Mingi Bodine.
In this book, Elizabeth George goes through the passage
in Proverbs 31:10-31, which tells about the qualities of a
Godly woman. Each week, we a take one verse and talk about
that quality in depth and how we can put it into practice in
our lives. This study has reaffirmed the importance of the
women's role in the family. We also share each other's burdens
in a time of prayer. We generally finish up with a dessert;
sometimes Mingi has the ladies try a new Taiwanese dish.
Mingi Bodine
There have been some changes in the past year. We added some new speakers
and signal equipment, as well as a new lapel microphone that Pastor Andy has
been using. With each change we believe we have improved the overall sound,
even though it has sometimes taken some time to get the adjustments right.
This fall we also began using worship teams with a sound person assigned to
each team. I want to especially thank Chuck Wood and Rick and Derek Pribnow
for all the work they have put in with the changes and making sure
everything works properly.
I would also like to thank Chuck Wood and Rick and Derek Pribnow and
David Robinson for their willingness to run the sound system.
We are always looking for others who might like
to run the sound; if you are interested let me know.
Sincerely,
It was just one year ago that I was thanking the Lord for all the new
and available space!! We praise Him again this year because all of that
new space is being used to its capacity on Sunday morning for Sunday
School.
We have approximately 133 children on the Sunday School rolls. I would
like to thank all those individuals who give of their time on Sunday
mornings to take part in the Sunday School ministry:
A special "Thank you" to Linda Balsiger who directed the Christmas program
"Whose Birthday is it Anyway?"
I want to thank all those who have participated in the Sunday School
ministry over the years that I've been
Sunday School Superintendent. This is my last year in this
capacity. Pastor Dale will be assuming the responsibilities in the
upcoming year.
In His Service,
Dennis Wolf
[Picture-1 caption:] Three of the ladies at the December 5 "Old Fashioned
Christmas Tea" show their antique dresses:
Darla Volbrecht (1927), Sheri Stuve (1908), Beverly Hyland (1914)
[Picture-2 caption:] Girls ages four to six years old enjoyed their own
tea party last February
What little girl (or big girl) doesn't like a tea party?
CVBC girls have had the opportunity to attend a formal tea
with a fancy-set table with Miss Sheri (Sheri Stuve).
What started as a tea ministry for girls and women of the
church two and a half years ago has turned into a full-time business,
"Tea With Miss Sheri" in her 1870s Victorian home.
In June 1998, Sheri started teas for the 4-6 year olds and
each age group beyond that, including the senior adult women
of the church. At Christmas of that year, all women were
invited for a "Victorian Christmas Tea" and tour. In Nov.
1999 the Christmas tea was replaced by an all open-house
baby shower for Anna Majorins.
On December 5, 2000, Sheri once again had an "Old Fashioned
Christmas Tea" for all women of the church, many of whom dressed in
the fashion of the early 1900s. Her sister dressed in her aunt's
dress from 1927 and her Mom was in a dress from 1914.
Sheri enjoys opening her home and sharing hospitality to provide
women of the church a chance to enjoy each other's
fellowship, and the opportunity to meet some of the newcomers
and become personally acquainted with them.
Greetings, CVBC family. It's been another exciting year for the
ushers of our church. It gives us great pleasure to serve you all
Sunday after Sunday as we attempt to comfortably seat everyone, and
keep the climate of the sanctuary acceptable to all.
As most you of are aware, we started off last year with two services.
The challenge here was to make sure that we had ushers in place for
both times slots. However, once summer started we moved to one service.
Although some Sundays were somewhat cramped and hot, we believe that
most people were comfortable during the summer services. The church
family's preference to stick with one service at the end of summer was
relayed to our church elders during an after-church open forum meeting.
After the elders' decision to continue holding one service during the
fall, an additional challenge to the ushers was making sure everyone found
a seat on Sunday mornings.
To help us in this effort, we have added a number of chairs to the
sanctuary. We are now roping off several of the back pews so we can
fill the front of the sanctuary first. We are actively seating people
once the service has begun, to keep families and individuals from getting
flustered in finding a seat on their own in a sanctuary that fills very
fast once the service begins.
The challenges of seating are a good thing, as it shows that CVBC is
growing. We are not aware of any complaints with the decision to keep
with one service or with the service of the ushers. But if you have
one, please let one of us or an elder know. Or you can simply fill out a
yellow card and drop it in the offertory box. If you are content with
CVBC having one large service, please pass that along as well. CVBC
leaders want to know what is on your heart.
In closing, the ushers would like to thank everyone for their patience
and kindness as we do our best to serve you on Sunday mornings. And if
there is anyway that we can better serve you, please let us know.
In God we serve,
Jerry Brandt, Tom Sterling, Jon Strand, and Darin Thomas
by David & Christine Bishop
The 2000 Vacation Bible School theme was "SonZone Discovery Center,"
a very special place designed just for kids. In the Discovery
Center, the kids met Professor Mega-Noggin and her search for
GP4U (God's Plan for You). While searching for GP4U, each day
the children were presented a "Big Q" and a Bible story to answer
the 'Big Q': Why Are We Here?, Why do Bad Things Happen?, What is
God Like?, Why Did Jesus Have To Die?, and So...Now What Do I Do?
The church was transformed into a laboratory, thanks in part
to decorations borrowed from Bethesda Lutheran Church of
Eau Claire. Each night began with great music. Many of the songs
included the Scripture memory verses for the day, like
"I am the Way" (John 14:6,7) and "Live a Life of Love"
(Ephesians 5:2) The all-out favorites for the week were
"God's Plan for You" and "Bridge of Love."
The program continued with a skit/suppet show, Bible time,
game time, snacks and crafts. The children were challenged to
memorize a Bible verse each day. Many rose to the challenge by
memorizing all five verses.
The children had the opportunity to share their love for the
world around them by participating in the VBS Mission project.
This year's Mission Project was an extension of the Mission to
South Africa that Keith and Tony Tompkins participated in.
Keith and Tony spent time with the children, showing slides,
telling stories about the people of South Africa, and teaching
a worship dance that the people perform in their church!
The goal was to raise $800 to send 200 "Growing in Christ"
Bible study books to the people of South Africa. The children
and adults exceeded the goal by raising enough money to purchase
264 books!
In order to make Vacation Bible School a success, we need people
who are willing to work and children who are willing to learn.
We averaged 135 children per night. A special "Thank You" goes
out to all of the people who were willing to use their talents to
make this an enjoyable and learning event for everyone!
If you'd like to learn more about this year's VBS (including
seeing 200 full-color photos!), just go to "www.cvbc.net/vbs/2000"
on the Internet.
God has led the Weigh Down Program this year in three
sessions. Many people, both from inside and outside the
church, have committed themselves to learning to let go of
their idols (food, money, relationships, you name it) and
put their trust in the Lord in these areas. We've learned to
eat (and stop eating) the way God designed us and have
unlearned all the "law" or rules the world
has taught us.
So far, we figure there has been a weight
loss through the program of over 400 pounds. It was really
neat to actually see the representation of the 400 plus
pounds in food that the participants brought in and donated
to the Salvation Army at Thanksgiving.
It has been exciting to see God work through the program
and the fellowship, sharing, and encouragement of the
participants. This past session, our 10:00 a.m. time frame for
ending discussion often got forgotten!
If God so leads, we would like to continue the program this
year, starting again in February. Remember, it is never too
late. The only way to fail is to give up. And the only way
to be obedient is to seek a love relationship with the
Father. Obedience flows from love, not trying harder through
self-effort. "Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes
in me will never be thirsty.'" John 6:35.
Lynn Cherrier
This past year Lynn Mayhew and I have been praying for women's ministry
and its direction at CVBC. For many years, there have been exciting
opportunities for women to serve and grow personally. Now, I believe
God is expanding those opportunities and developing a structure through
which ministry can be even more fruitful. As the church congregation
grows, the opportunity for ministry grows.
This fall our prayer took shape. First, we invited women in leadership
to come together to pray and discuss women's ministry programs. We
looked at successful programs in other churches and how they were
structured. We also looked at whether CVBC was ready for a women's
ministry team, that would facilitate communication and help coordinate
ministry needs and opportunities here in our congregation.
In December, we put together a small group of women who are in the
process of meeting with women in the church to explore the past,
present, and future of women's ministry at CVBC. This is an exciting
time of possibilities, and I am excited about those who have committed
themselves to this part of the journey. They include: Connie Majorins,
Mary Wolfe, Bev Krizan, Lynn Mayhew, Jody Strand, Audrey Peterson, Kay
Forsythe and myself. If you are interested in sharing your ideas,
thoughts or concerns about women's ministry, feel free to contact one of
the above mentioned women. We welcome your input.
As you can see, God is at work. The final outcome is yet to be seen.
I'm looking forward to what He will do. Even now, I know that God is
casting the vision for women's ministry at CVBC, led by a women's
ministry team dedicated to motivating and serving you, the women of the
church.
Esther Pedigo
It is quite a privilege to stand before the congregation and lead in worship
to our Lord. It is also a challenging assignment and we pray that we do an
adequate job each week. Our teams do try to change the style of music from
week to week to give everyone a chance to sing what they like. I believe it
is imperative that we are patient as a congregation. Musical tastes are as
diverse as are the many differing types of people who attend our services.
If your favorite type of music is not sung one Sunday, it probably will be
sung the next Sunday, so don't despair. Psalm 150 tells us, "Praise the
Lord...Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise
Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let
everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!" So maybe you
don't like cymbals, maybe you don't like trumpets -- praise Him anyway. And we
will continue to do our best to lead you in praising our God.
Terri Tompkins
The Children's Christmas program was held on December 17, 2000
for children age three years through sixth grade. I didn't
realize in October that I would be putting the
program together. But with some prompting from Dennis Wolf, Keith Tompkins'
Sunday School classes, and probably the Lord above, I found myself making
plans.
Like most things I do, I kept the program short and direct. Thanks
to several moms for behind the scenes work. I was also fortunate to have
Jessica Wolf accompany us on the piano. (I think that was prompted by Dennis
also. :-) Few rehearsals were needed this year and the kids learned their
part of the program well (at least they thought they knew their part until
they stood in front of everyone).
The evening began with some special music from some of our special musicians.
Keep it up, kids! The first part of our program consisted of the children
telling the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-16 and singing various Christmas
hymns. The fourth through sixth
grades thought they knew Silent Night -- but then I had
them sing it in German. There's nothing like starting over again!
Then the children three years old through Kindergarten
sang for us with the help of their teachers. That age continues
to be adorable year after year! Our program then took us into a short play
about remembering whose birthday is celebrated at Christmas, not just
remembering everyone on your list!
Each year that I have helped with a program or planned one myself, I stand in
awe when it's all done. Because each year it's the same thought: "How will
this ever come together?" But each and every year the Lord shines His message
bright and clear through the eyes and smiles (and mumblings) or our
youngsters -- that so many years ago an awesome thing happened: "Christ the
King was born for each and every one of us." Is it any wonder Christmas is
such a joyous time?
Thanks be to God.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man
found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and
buys that field." (Matt. 13:44) Do you have that kind of desire for God? We
believe that nothing less than a desire to forsake all for God will please
God. The challenge is to present this to teenagers who are bombarded everyday
with luxuries that captivate their desires.
Our youth ministry here at Chippewa Valley Bible Church has experienced an
excellent fruitful year of God's blessings. Students have been growing in
their understanding of Scriptures and who God is. Many have been stretched in
taking leadership amongst their peers. Some have realized this year that
their lives should be committed to full time ministry. This is God's work of
drawing His children to His work of ministry. It always is exciting to be a
part of the process.
Our process includes various programs and activities throughout the year. Our
students have opportunities to hang out, have fun, meet new people, be
challenged by God's word, partake in group worship, serve people in need, see
new places, and be embarrassed in front of their peers. Some of the highlights
from this year include Snow Camp back in February (Junior High) and March
(Senior High),
our Easter Sunrise Service, our Mexico missions trip in July, our
Bible studies throughout the year and an Evangelism Training Seminar done
with Crossroads Church.
In seeking to better minister to the students this fall, we have taken on Greg
Gilbertson as a Junior High intern. He focuses his energies on the Junior
High program. Greg has done well, as he has a passion to learn and be
challenged through this experience. Besides Greg we have a wonderful adult
staff who care about the students. Included this year in this bunch are Jason
Andreo, Chris Brandt, Garry & Claire Foltz, Paul Forsythe, Gab Gilbertson,
Emily Haley, Dave & Lori McDaniel, Kevin Mason, Gail Nayes, Ken & Cheryl
Nyhus, Rick Pribnow, Erin Thiele, Carolyn Thomas, Keith Tompkins, Rachel
Wallace, Stan & Connie Williams and Debbie Woodford. It is fruitful not only
for the students but also for the leaders to be involved in meaningful
relationships.
Once again (as seen from last year's report) I would like to recognize a group
of high school students who have manifested that desire to serve God with
their all, the senior high executive council. I entrust much responsibility
to this group knowing they will take it seriously. Particularly this year
the group has been stretched in their leadership within the group and they
have matured in great ways. This fall the group consists of Cam Clausing,
Saralyn Hoekstra, Julianne Majorins, Erika Mayhew, Sara Pokrzywinski, Derek
Pribnow, Heidi Schild, and Jessie Wolf.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, "But by the grace of God I am what I am."
We say together as a youth group, we are who we are by the grace of God. We
are thoroughly excited for the new year as God continues to complete His work
until the day of Christ.
For God's Glory,
The CVBC Youth Choir had a big year, as we took our first "ministry tour" in
the spring. We traveled to Duluth to sing at Fon Du Lac Community Church. The
choir made a weekend of it as we left Chippewa Falls on Saturday and stayed
overnight at the Country Inn. After an evening of swimming and a pizza
dinner, we retired fairly early and then got up to eat breakfast and head
over to the church. We were given almost an hour to sing and perform our
skits.
The choir did a great job with the only casualty being Andrew Wilcox
falling off the back riser -- no injuries to report! For the church service
following, we brought up some of the parents and sang "My Deliverer." After
the
church ladies graciously fed us lunch, because the weather was so
beautiful, we drove down to Canal Park on Lake Superior to see the ships,
to walk to the lighthouse,
and to feed the gulls. Thanks to Mr. Pribnow's foresight, we had
plenty of bread to keep the kids wildly popular with the birds. It was a
great trip. (Editor's note: you can see pictures of this trip online at
"www.cvbc.net/music".)
The Youth Choir continues to work hard on their music every week and perhaps
another trip will be in their future! "Thank you" to Dora Wood for her
faithful piano accompaniment, Libby Krause for her special work with harmony
parts and Lauren Tompkins who gives assistance wherever we need her.
Terri Tompkins
------
The primary focus of this ministry is and always has been touching people's
lives with the love of Christ. As you will see in other articles,
we were blessed to welcome NINE new
babies in 2000, and at least ten new families started worshiping
with us this year.
----------------
We continued to experiment this year with how to structure our time on Sunday
mornings.
----------
In our eldership, Dennis Wolf was
welcomed back from his five-month sabbatical in June of this year.
Andy Majorins and Tom Arneberg both took six-week sabbaticals in June
and July. Stuart Krause has been meeting with the elders for a year
now, in preparation for possibly becoming an elder in the future. Chuck
Wood is taking a break from his years of faithful deacon service, to
devote more time to his new business.
--------------
There were many worthy special events in 2000; just read the rest of this
annual report for details. Some of the ones that deserve special
mention include another Youth missions trip to Mexico, the first road
trip for the youth choir,
another wild Vacation Bible School with 160 kids, Promise Keepers, and
many more.
A.L.S. Support Group
APPLE Ministries
Sunday Morning Attendance
Year Avg. annual attendance
---- ----------------------
1997 194
1998 224
1999 277
2000 303
"Awana"
Awana Commander
2 Timothy 2:15 & Ephesians 2:8-9
Basket Classes
Darla Volbrecht
CVBC to launch new Boy Scout troop: "Troop72.com"
Children's Church
Choir
Church plant to launch in Spring 2001
Many CVBC families enjoy Crescent Lake Bible Camp
Church communications keep us informed
Deaconesses Report
Deacons' report
Diners' Club
CVBC's Own Doorman
Elders' Report
Church Library Report
Ladies Missionary Fellowship
Audrey Peterson
LMF President
Men's Breakfasts
Missionaries Supported
CVBC blessed with a quiver of new babies
Newcomers' Perspective: Craig & Laurie Marshall
Newcomer's perspective: Allison Schnobrich
Newcomer's Perspective: Brett Schnobrich
New families join us in worship
New members make commitment to CVBC
Nursery Report
Kim Hoffman
Pastor Andy's Report
"The... conviction was that my primary pastoral work had to do with Scripture
and prayer. I was neither capable nor competent to form Christ in another
person, to shape a life of discipleship in man, woman or child. That is
supernatural work, and I am not supernatural. Mine was the more modest work
of Scripture and prayer -- helping people listen to God speak to them from the
Scriptures and then joining them in answering God as personally and honestly
as we could in lives of prayer. This turned out to be slow work. From time
to time, impatient with the slowness, I would try out ways of going about my
work that promised quicker results. But after a while it always seemed to be
more like meddling in these people's lives than helping them attend to God."
Promise Keepers -- Dennis Krizan
Promise Keepers -- Steve Vogt
Quilting & Sewing Class
"Growing Kids God's Way" offered for a third year
Small Group: Growing in Christ
Ladies' Bible Study
Mothers' Bible Study
Thursday Lunch Time "Men On The Move" Group
Thursday Morning Men on the Move
Ezzo class "Preparation for Adolescence" debuts at CVBC
Life Lessons Bible Study
Leaders: Mike Mayhew & Rick Pribnow
"Spiritual Warfare" small group
Senior Saints
Sunday Evening Small Group
Vogt Small Group
Small group: Volbrechts
Mark Volbrecht
Wednesday Ladies' Bible Study
Friday Night Home Builders Group
Women in the Word
Sound System Report
Mark Volbrecht
1999-2000 Sunday School Report
Tea Parties and Women's Teas
Ushers' Report
Vacation Bible School: "SunZone Discovery Center"
Weigh Down Workshop
Women's Ministries at CVBC
Worship Teams
Children's Christmas Program 2000
Linda Balsiger
Youth Group Report for 2000
Dale Thiele
Youth Choir
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