2018

ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

CONGREGATION

ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH

2714 JAMES STREET

MARINETTE, WI

Annual Meeting Following Worship

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Z I O N L U T H E R A N C H U R C H Marinette, Wisconsin

ANNUAL MEETING

Sunday, January 27, 2019

A G E N D A

Opening Prayer

Call to Order

Acceptance of Agenda

Appointment of Tellers

Report of the Nominating Committee and Elections – Pages 2-3

Zion’s Vision Statement – Page 4

Report of the Pastor – Pages 5-13

Report of the Congregation Council President – Page 14

Committee Reports:

A.V. Team Report – Page 14

Caring Ministry Team Report – Pages 15-16

Christian Education (SPARK & VBS) – Page 16

Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp Report—Page 16-17

Harvest of Hope Community Garden – Page 17

Hooks and Needles—Page 17-18

Jolly Times Report – Page 18

Mission Endowment Fund Committee – Page 18-19

Property Committee Report – Page 19

Social Ministry Committee Report – Page 19-20

Stewardship & Generosity Committee Report – Pages 20-21

Worship & Music Committee Report & Sanctuary Arts – Pages 21-22

Zion Youth Fellowship—Page 22

Financial Reports:

Report of the Auditors

Financial Secretary’s Report – Page 23

Financial Reports of Organizations – Page 24

Treasurer’s Report – Pages 25-34

Consideration of Proposed Resolutions – Page 35

1) Gratitude for Volunteers

2) Proposed Budget for 2019 – Pages 36-40

3) Gratitude for Pastor

Report of the Bishop – Page 41

Other Business

Adjourn

Closing Prayer

Installation of Council Members

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NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT

Term Expires 1.2019 Term Expires 1.2020 Term Expires 1.2021

Sue Baxter Troy Cording_________ Jane Landenberger

LeeAnn Martin David Johnson_______________Lynn Derby_______

Mark Swenson Sarge Rudell_________________Kurt Breuer

John Radloff Karen Sylvester ___________Wendy Ihler_ ___

Youth Term Expires 1.2019

Carly Bauer

SAMPLE BALLOT – January 28, 2018

Church Council (3 year term) Nominating Committee (2 year term)

______LeeAnn Martin ______Chad Derby

______John Radloff ______Nomination from floor

______Michelle Lafond ______Nomination from floor

______Bradley Nelson ______ ________________________

______ ________________________

_______ ________________________

Council Youth Member (1 year term) Mission Endowment Fund Committee

______Carly Bauer (3 year term)

______ __________________________ ______Pam Lund

______ ________________________

Personnel Committee (3 year term) Synod Assembly Delegates

______Bonnie Schoen ______Dave & Carol Johnson

______ _________________________ ______ _________________________

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COUNCIL NOMINEE BIO’S John Radloff: I have been a member of Zion since the early 1990’s. During that time, service has included being the church treasurer for over fifteen years and being on council for several terms. Professionally, I retired in 2016 from working as the director of accounting at Bay Area Medical Cen-ter for twenty four years. I serve on the finance committee at Northland Lutheran Retirement Com-munity; am active at Zion’s community garden; and have facilitated Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class three times. Maryellen and I were married in 1976. Our family is comprised of sons Michael and Jesse, daughter-in-law Tasha (married to Michael) and granddaughter Zahra.

LeeAnn Martin: I have lived in Marinette for 23 1/2 years. Prior to this I was raised in Bruce, WI and went to college in Eau Claire. I took a position teaching math at Marinette High School and have been here ever since. I also have a degree in Biology and taught that for 3 years. I also work the opening shift at the YMCA as a lifeguard about 6 times a month. I have two boys: James who will graduate this year and wants to be an auto mechanic, and Spencer who is 16. I have an older brother who lives with his family in Seymour, WI and a younger sister that lives with her family in An-chorage, AK. My parents still live in Bruce. My significant other, Bob Limberg and I have been to-gether for almost 12 years. We met at MHS both teaching high school at the time. He now teaches Computer Support at NWTC in Marinette. My favorite things are running, biking, swimming, going to Disney World, doing math, and my cats: Gordie, Furball, and Reeses. Though I have a wide range of interests, it's probably easier to say what I don't like: cooking, cleaning, and winter. I've been a member of Zion for more than 10 years and this is my 2nd term on council. When I grow up I want to work at Disney either as a lifeguard or selling balloons.

Bradley Nelson: My name is Bradley Nelson from Peshtigo, WI. My family moved to Marinette in 1976, where I was born a year later, in Marinette and graduated from Marinette High School in 1996. I was baptized at Zion on October 23, 1977 and was also confirmed at Zion on May 23, 1993. I am currently employed by Coleman Engineering Company as a Project Land Surveyor. My educa-tional background is an Associate Degree in Civil Engineering earned in 2001 from Northeast Wis-consin Technical College in Green Bay. I am currently licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor in Wisconsin and South Dakota. I am currently as the Director for the Northeast Chapter of the Society of Wisconsin Land Surveyors. In my spare time, I enjoy deer hunting, amateur photography and fishing the Peshtigo River. I look forward to working with the council.

Michelle LaFond: I am a mother of four children, 2 sons and 2 daughters, ages 19-32 and they are my whole world. I have also been engaged for 4 years to Tom Dudek. He lives in Kingsford, Michi-gan and is a father to 3 sons, ages 17-24. For 27 years I have been an RN, working in Green Bay at St Vincent hospital in the NICU. I have been blessed to care for so many beautiful children, some of which I have been able to watch grow right here in our family at Zion. I am originally from Milwaukee, and was living in the Appleton area until 2000 when I moved to Peshtigo. I was familiar with the area and was excited for the move because I have family here, as both of my parents grew up in Coleman. While continuing to search for a place to worship, we stumbled upon Zion in the fall of 2002, and after attending one service, knew that we had found a great fit for us. We joined the new member group, and have been here ever since. Over the years, I have had opportunity to teach Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and Confirmation. I enjoyed being a member of the missional planning group and I learned so much as it developed into a capi-tal campaign. I have also served on the stewardship committee, and currently am serving on the fu-neral committee.

Youth Council Member Nominee Carly Bauer: Hello. My name is Carly Bauer. A little about myself is- I play soccer and tennis. I en-joy hanging out with friends, watching movies, going to Fortune Lake Lutheran camp, and shopping. I am involved in school clubs such as Student Senate, HYC and Pathways. I have been going to zi-on since I was a baby. I attend “Faith Formation” and was confirmed 2 years ago. I recently attend-ed the Houston Youth Gathering. It was a life changing experience and i’m forever grateful that I was able to go. It helped my relationship with God a ton. I look forward to being on the council once again this year

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VISION STATEMENT Approved January 25, 2009

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18) At Zion Lutheran Church, Marinette, Wisconsin, we believe vision is about God's dreams, desires, and aspirations of what can be. Our congregation envisions becoming a thriving, vibrant model of Lutheran ministry both within our com-munity and the world. We envision organizing and executing God's mission through our congrega-tion in such a way that growing numbers of the unbaptized, particularly adults, will connect with Je-sus through our congregation and inactive members will return to active participation within the church community.

God has gathered and richly gifted Zion for this mission. God’s greatest gift is that through the wa-ters of Holy Baptism we become part of our Lord Jesus and, as such, become his disciples, partici-pating in what Jesus is doing in the world today. God has also given us the precious gift of one an-other in order that we support and help each other grow in our discipleship.

In light of the many unique gifts that God has graciously entrusted to Zion, we envision a congrega-tion that:

PRAYS

regularly and embraces prayer as being central to all that it does and habitually listens for God’s call and guidance, not only in all areas of congregational minis-try, but in our personal lives as well.

WORSHIPS enthusiastically and is so hungry to praise and worship God that at least half of its baptized members are present for worship on a weekly basis.

STUDIES

the Holy Scriptures and the principles of Christian faith in order to fulfill its great desire to learn more about its calling as disciples of Jesus and the gifts that God so graciously provides. Families will regularly use materials provided for Bible study at home, and groups within the congregation will regularly gather to study the Scriptures and these principles.

INVITES

others to participate in the life of the congregation by training its members to actively encourage those who are not connected with a congregation to partici-pate in what Jesus is doing through Zion, warmly welcoming them and enthusias-tically involving them in the mission work we do together as God's children.

ENCOURAGES

and supports its members and others in the community on their faith journeys by regularly organizing groups that will foster Christian fellowship. Zion will also continually grow in the types of caring ministries offered within the congrega-tion.

GIVES generously of time, talents, and treasures for the work of Jesus in our community and around the world, and encourages others to be generous with their gifts as well.

SERVES by employing innovative ways to assist children and their families in our commu-nity as well as around the world.

This is God’s vision for Zion’s mission- God’s dream of what “going where Jesus leads” will look like within our congregation. “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, "Here I am! Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8)

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2018 REPORT OF THE PASTOR

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come

over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedo-

nia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. (Acts 16:9-10)

God still gives visions to God’s people, the church, as to what needs doing within our communities. And God is already active in those places before we even show up, as you’ll see when you read on in this account from Acts. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of

prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named

Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in pur-

ple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her

household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come

and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us. Acts 16:13-15)

Faithful Lydia was already there. Notice too that the request was simply to come and help. There was no call for conversion or to establish a worship center. It was simply to come and help and pro-claim the good news through that help.

What needs doing in our community? How has God gifted Zion to make a positive difference in re-gard to that need? God entrusts our congregation with all that is necessary to do what God calls us to do. It is all too tempting to think otherwise, to get swept up scarcity thinking rather than acknowledge the abundance that God always provides. Yes, our abundance may not be obvious to us at first, but by praying together, through careful listening to the voice of God, by being the church, the living body of Christ, we can and will discern those needs in our community and how God has equipped us to make a positive difference. God will guide us, as God has in the past, to try faithful experiments - faith-filled steps toward embracing and doing the mission we feel God has called and blessed us to do. Who knows where it will all lead?

The church as a whole is undergoing significant transformation today as it has many times before in its history. God has never and will never leave the church to survive on its own. God is always pre-sent in, with, and through the church, guiding us into new expressions of God’s love for the world.

This past year, our Council has been actively trying to discern where God is leading Zion. As we look at our passions and at the unique character of Zion at this time as well as the assets which God has entrusted to us, we feel we are once again being led to care for children in our community in some way. As we try to discern new directions, we are intrigued by the developments happening with Communities that Care of Marinette and Menominee Counties. We are also deeply concerned about the needs of children within our school system. What is God inviting and empowering Zion to do within our community that will have a positive impact upon this community’s children? And, how will this shape our life as a congregation and how we organize ourselves for that mission? There is so much ahead of us as God leads us into these very new ways of being the church together.

One of the tools Zion has been blessed with is our Seven Marks of Discipleship. These marks not only help us individually grow in faith and discipleship, but they also guide us as a congregation to grow in our mission together.

Pray We envision a congregation that prays regularly and embraces prayer as being central to all that it does and

habitually listens for God’s call and guidance, not only in all areas of congregational ministry, but in our

personal lives as well.

Your Congregation Council has been praying. We have been dwelling within God’s Holy Word, dis-cussing and praying about what God is leading our congregation to do in our community, and what changes we might need in order to be engaged in that mission. We thought, (and hoped), that it would not take us a whole year. It looks like it is going to take us longer than that. What we have

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discovered is that it is a messy process, but we have grown significantly through the mess. Prayer does that. It deepens us in our relationship to each other as it deepens our relationship to God. Prayer can sometimes make things look more clouded and murkier, but again, being in this prayer-ful process together makes all difference and is a rich blessing. I look forward to experiencing more prayerful discernment in 2019.

Worship

We envision a congregation that worships enthusiastically and is so hungry to praise and worship God that

at least half of its baptized members are present for worship on a weekly basis.

In addition to service, worship is the primary thing we do as a congregation. Zion began 144 years ago as a gathering of and for Swedish speaking Lutherans in order that they could worship togeth-er. So much has changed in those 144 years, and God has led us through it all. Many of those changes have not been easy. (It took us almost 20 years to switch from worship in Swedish to wor-ship in English.) We’ve seen, however that God never abandoned us. Through thick and thin, God has remained active and present, which becomes the heart and soul of our worship.

Study

We envision a congregation that studies the Holy Scriptures and the principles of Christian faith in order to

fulfill its great desire to learn more about its calling as disciples of Jesus and the gifts that God so graciously

provides. Families will regularly use materials provided for Bible study at home, and groups within the con-

gregation will regularly gather to study the Scriptures and these principles.

One of the most important things we need to do as a congregation is to pray, study and converse together over the scriptures. We started doing this in earnest about 13 years ago, but much has changed in that time. We need to do this in earnest again. Doing so is one of the significant ways that God will direct us toward the future that God envisions for us. Our Council has continued to do this over the years. We did this at our Sunday Evening Service of Reflection. I believe we need an-other venue for this to take place, but I’m at a loss as to how to help this happen within our congre-gation. Got any ideas? Anything you feel you’d might like to host or lead? Let me know, please, and we’ll try to make it happen.

Invite

We envision a congregation that invites others to participate in the life of the congregation by training its

members to actively encourage those who are not connected with a congregation to participate in what Jesus

is doing through Zion, warmly welcoming them and enthusiastically involving them in the mission work we

do together as God's children.

There are people in our community, people you know, who have not really heard about the com-plete and absolute love that God has for them. My informed estimate eleven years ago was that there are 14,000 people in our immediate area that do not have a congregational home, and not all of them are averse to participating in a congregation. (I’m sure that in 11 years, this number has increased.) Why aren’t they participating? Most of them simply haven’t been asked or invited. Yes, I know that you have invited some of them to come and worship or participate with you in some way, and on behalf of all those you have invited I thank you. Please keep it up. It is one of the most loving things you can do.

And I know that you plan to continue to invite. During our Growing in Faith stewardship drive, many of you considered people that you might invite this year. I pray that God uses your invitations as a way to bless those who are not connected with a worshipping community, and to bless Zion with God’s unique presence within each one.

With this said, I need to add that we do not invite people in order to keep our congregation alive. We are not “peddlers of the word” as the Apostle Paul admonishes. (2 Corinthians 2:17) Our

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mission is not to “make the sale.” Our mission is loving concern for all people, a loving concern that grows out of a deep relationship with them. True invitation comes about as a result of developing a concerned, open and loving relationship. We invite because we have listened to and care about the individual. It is not recruitment in order to keep our institution alive. It is Christ who brings us togeth-er as a congregation. It is Christ who keeps us alive and viable. Our focus must always be on the mission of Christ first, and let Christ, yes, using us, attend to the numbers within our congregation.

Encourage

We envision a congregation that encourages and supports its members and others in the community on their

faith journeys by regularly organizing groups that will foster Christian fellowship. Zion will also continually

grow in the types of caring ministries offered within the congregation.

This Annual Report is full of details regarding what our congregation has been busy with over the past year through our committees and task groups. These are the things that members who are in-volved get to witness first hand. If you aren’t yet involved in the congregation in some way, you might want to try something. Yes, it takes some time, and yes, it will sometimes demand patience and understanding, but the benefits of offering and receiving encouragement from others as you do this work together far outweigh these expenses. Many of these ministries are also ways of express-ing Zion’s encouragement to others in our community, and the people of our community are watch-ing.

Over the years I have heard this adage: “People join congregations for community, not committees.” This is true, and yet, an important aspect of committee work is the growth of connections within the community. It’s all about relationships. We know this. It isn’t news. It is the truth we see throughout the Scriptures. It is the truth we experience within our own lives again and again. Life is all about re-lationships and working together within the congregation helps those relationships to grow.

Work within the congregation fosters encouragement amongst ourselves. As we discern the direc-tions that God is leading us toward within our community, certainly we will be taking our encourage-ment “on the road.” How can we be an encouraging force for children within our community? How can we encourage their parents and care-takers? What gifts of encouragement have been entrusted to our congregation to share within this community? These are questions we will continue to explore in 2019 and beyond.

Give

We envision a congregation that gives generously of time, talents, and treasures for the work of Jesus in our

community and around the world, and encourages others to be generous with their gifts as well.

In 2018 our weekly regular giving grew by 4% over the previous year. This growth is wonderful be-cause it is a sign of growth in faith. Zion’s stewardship is healthy. We see our giving as more than just the price we pay to attend worship and retain the services of a pastor. We see our giving as a vital way to worship God. We know that where our treasure is, there our heart will be as well, which is a wonderful promise that Jesus makes. If we do not like where our heart is, if we are not satisfied with the things that our heart tends to focus upon, we can change it by putting our treasure in the places where we want our hearts to go. That’s why giving is a vital way to grow in faith. By growing in our giving, we grow in faith.

In light of this growth, I’m pleased to say that two of the significant cuts we made to 2018’s budget were added back by the Council in to 2019’s recommended budget: Our contribution to the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the ELCA, (we went back to our previous level of giving 11% of our income as opposed to 10% in 2018), and our contribution to DAR Boys and Girls Club, (we went back to 2% from our 1.5% level in 2018). This growth in our giving as a congregation is a healthy thing, because it helps us grow in faith together as well. It keeps us more sensitive to God’s guidance and direc-tions. Engaging in God’s mission is an act of faith; faith that is spurred on by our generosity.

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All of this leads to my deepest thanks for your faithfulness. Please know that your giving makes a positive difference, not only in the life of this congregation, but also in lives of all those affected by our mission. Just as your giving to God’s mission through Zion is first-fruits giving, so too is Zion’s giving. The first checks we write as a congregation are the gifts to the wider church, as well as the other missions that are important to us as a congregation. Your generous regular giving has a pow-erful impact upon the lives of many, and I am grateful to be a part of such generosity!

Serve We envision a congregation that serves by employing innovative ways to assist children and their families in

our community as well as around the world.

We gather to worship, and we gather to serve. Our service is as “easy” as offering our building and property for use by so many, such as: The Scouts, both Boy and Girl, the Ecumenical Bible Study for Adults with Special needs, and the Red Cross blood drive. The Marinette Kiwanis Club uses our building weekly. Every year there are showers of various kinds held within our social hall. Our neigh-bors use our grassy areas and our parking lot. Student drivers use the parking lot as well. Our Har-vest of Hope Community Garden attracts people from the community who need garden space and enjoy gardening with others and helping feed the community. In addition to simply offering our build-ing and property, Zion also collects food and health items for NEWCAP and the homeless in our community. We the support Salvation Army’s Angel Tree and ring a bell next to their kettle. We col-lect school supplies, and goodies at Easter time. We roll up our sleeves to make a difference with “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday. And we make this difference around the world as well, through the quilts made by Sew for Missions, and the purchase of Equal Exchange items, purchasing our palms through LWR, collecting money to eliminate world hunger, and the list goes on.

Yet, with all that we are already doing there is a hunger to do more. And so, we are prayerfully ask-ing God what new ventures are before us. How can we make a positive impact with children and their families within our community? What has God entrusted to us to so that we can bless them and help them grow in healthy ways? And most importantly, what is God already doing within our com-munity regarding children, beckoning us to be a part of it?

Zion has been a part of many exciting mission ventures. What lies ahead for us?

Melissa Gannigan, Zion’s Office Administrator This past April, Melissa finished her first year as Zion’s Office Administrator, and I write without hesi-tation that she has been a rich blessing for our mission and ministry. Besides being a joy to work with, she willingly jumps in and takes care of what she sees needs to be done. Melissa brings nec-essary administrative skills in the brave new world of social ministry. This past year, due to the ill-ness of Karen Houdek, our Financial Secretary, Melissa had stepped in to learn and help in that ar-ea as well. I thank you for providing the means to have such a great partner in ministry.

Thank you Compared to 2017, this past year was pleasantly quiet. No bishop election. No major remodeling in our building. No new staff. I only spent half the year with interim pastor responsibilities for St. James. None of my children got married or produced any new grandchildren. No deaths of parents or other significant family members. No revelations of unknown relatives. Yes, it was a quiet year, and yet it was filled with so many rich blessings of which I am grateful.

This past fall I completed 20 years as your pastor and, as they say, the time has just flown by. I’m simply stunned that this much our life together has gone by. To me, our work together still feels as fresh and exciting as it did the day I began my ministry with you. I hope the same is true for you re-garding my work with and for you. I consider it a privilege to be called your pastor, and I am deeply grateful for this calling. My wife, Karen, and I love Zion and this community. We are at home here, and you make it a joy for us to consider it so. I can’t thank you enough.

Respectfully submitted, Pastor Keith

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STATISTICS

Baptized Confirmed

Membership at Previous Year End (2017) 421 359

Member Received During 2018

By AFFIRMATION OF FAITH 9 9

Members Received During 2018

By BAPTISM 2 (Parents Members)

Total Members Received . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 0

Baptized Members Confirmed October 28, 2018. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

SUBTOTAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 372

Members Removed during 2018

By Death 9 9 By Transfer 1 1 By Request 14 14 By Council Action 51 49

Total Member Removed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 73

Membership as of 12/31/2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . 357 299

Associate Member……………………………………………………………………….0

Average Weekly Worship Attendance ……………………………………………… 106

Confirmed Members who Attended Communion at Least Once ………………….249

Unconfirmed Members who Attended Communion at Least Once ………………. 17

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2018 PASTORAL ACTS

Baptisms 8/19/18 Mason Jon Krah 9/2/18 Allie Jolee Buenning

Funerals 1/7/18 Nathan Vincent 6/23/18 Elaine Vivian Therriault 8/4/18 Mildred Camp 9/22/18 Joseph M. Larson 10/26/18 Ronald C. Johnson 11/5/18 Viola E. Anderson 12/29/18 Alice A. Oleson

Weddings

5/13/17 Jacob Christopher Kolstad and Amie Lee Stieber 7/5/18 Robert Allen Shubert and Barbara Ann Rose Merten 10/20/18 Rebecca Janet Breuer and Robert Alan Erickson

Members Received in 2018 Baptism 8/19/18 Mason Jon Krah 9/2/18 Allie Jolee Buenning

By Affirmation of Faith 4/8/18 Carolyn & Godfrey Heitmeier III 4/8/18 Tom Dudek 4/8/18 Adam & Calista Thill 11/12/18 George Ihler 11/12/18 Joe and Georgeann Griffiths 11/12/18 Sally Brotzeman

Confirmation—October 28, 2018 Sydney Lund Travis Lund Gage Schutt Jonah Zuehls

Members Dismissed in 2018

Removed by Council Action August, 14, 2018 Jake Anderson Jacob Bowdin Dennis, Rhonda and Dejay Bromund Ernest and Geraldine Brooks Jennifer Brooks Tyler Brooks Andrea Charapata Debra Cook Dolores and Erwin Green Alicia Gaudes Sarah Gaudes Vicki Guay Benjamin Hubbard Joshua Hubbard Kimberly Janquart Bryan Johnson Eric Lebick Jacob Lebick Jeffrey Lebick Robert Lebick Tayler Lemieux Christopher Litts Thomas Maxwell Cassie McClain Bradley Mech Scott Minzlaff Todd Minzlaff Bryan Nelson Larry Nord II Janis and Steven Olsen Gary Olson Michael Peterson Terry Potter Larry, Kristine and Tyler Race Julie, Michael and Billy Retza Danielle Rhode Heidi Schoen Justin Schoen Shawn Schoen Alyson Teasdale Bethany Travis Austin Trepanier

Removed by Request August 14, 2018 Timothy Fischer Everett & Beverly Johnson Jacob Kolstad Margaret Minsloff Michael Minsloff Alan and Betty Nelson Don and Julie Otto Richard, Karen, Mitchell and Molly McFarlane Removed by Transfer August 14, 2018 Kay Meek

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Members Dismissed in 2018 Continued...

Removed by Death 12/31/17 Nathan Vincent 3/27/18 Thea J. Swenson 3/28/18 Richard F. Larson 3/22/18 Ronald C. Johnson 7/20/18 Mildred Camp 08/28/18 Joseph M. Larson 12/2018 Chris Weinrich 11/3/18 Viola E. Anderson 12/29/18 Alice A. Oleson

FIVE YEAR WORSHIP ATTENDANCE SUMMARY

Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Average 2013 127 121 141 129 122 112 95 121 117 138 117 124 122 2014 107 106 112 169 125 99 87 99 110 124 103 120 113 2015 97 106 104 138 115 98 98 94 135 150 128 135 117 2016_ 113_ 106__147__104__111___84__ 89__101__ 98_ 118_ 114 102 108 2017 106 113___95 130 110 89 88 91 116 123 115 113 107 2018 107___97___97__140__113___98__ 89__ 93__ 108 124 99 108 106

Year Ash Wed. Maundy Thursday Good Friday Tenebrae Christmas Eve_

2013 90 129 52 162

2014 88 91 60 197

2015 75 73 55 212

2016 81 81 48 196

2017 64 93 48 218_______

2018 82 81 56 158_______

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REPORT OF THE CONGREGATION COUNCIL PRESIDENT

Council Members: Karen Sylvester, Pastor Keith Kolstad, Kurt Breuer, Sarge Rudell, Lynn Derby, LeeAnn Martin, John Radloff, Sue Baxter, Jane Landenberger, Troy Cording, Mark Swenson, Wendy Ihler, Dave Johnson, Carly Bauer

Our Church is changing before our eyes. One of the ways that this is evident is in the attendance numbers for worship. Our average attendance has been dropping for the last four years. We have our doors open and we are a welcoming congregation. We have had new members join our congre-gation this year, but there are so many that are outside of our walls that need to feel the love of our Christian family.

Pastor Keith has challenged the council by asking us “Who are our neighbors?” Not just who the person is next door to our church or our house, but the people in the community. How can Zion use its evangelism to reach outside of the walls of the building we worship in? For me and our council this question has been very challenging. We spent a significant amount of time discerning how we can bring unchurched neighbors into our fellowship and praying on this issue over the past year.

The path for this visioning process is not completely clear, but we do have direction. Children have always been an important part of Zion’s family, and that is where the focus has led us outside of the walls of this building. Time has been spent meeting with community groups and educators on where Zion can fit in and help with the young people in the community. I believe with all my heart that this is going to help Zion grow and be involved with the community.

Finally, I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to the outgoing council members: Mark Swen-son and Sue Baxter. Your service to the congregation has been greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

Blessings to you all,

Troy Cording

Council President

AV TEAM REPORT

Zions AV Team has had another very successful year. I would like to thank all of our AV Team members, without whom we couldn’t provide the service that we do.

Over the last year we have continued to broadcast our service on Facebook Live and to provide an archive of all the services for later viewing. Our live broadcast usually averages 4 to 10 viewers per week and 100 to 300 views after the service is posted. We have many members that are able to watch our service as they are traveling or visiting friends and family. This has also allowed many members to stay connected and participate with us when away or just at home sick. We have had the opportunity to provide live broadcasts for baptisms, weddings and funerals. This was a great service for the friends and family that could not attend. The stats that we keep seeing indicate we are really reaching people in a way that is truly amazing. Our hope is that other people will see the great sense of community and love we have built in this church and feel a need to be part of it. The social media world is evolving rapidly and we are trying to find new ideas and opportunities to get our message out.

I have had a great time working with all of our Team and look forward to the future. You all make my job easy and enjoyable.

Thank you all!

Chad Derby

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2018 ZION’S CARING MINISTRY TEAM ANNUAL REPORT

It has been eight years since Zion's Caring Ministry Team (ZCMT) began its mission to bring the love of God out into the world. The groups primary focus was visitation and Holy Communion, but it rapidly evolved to include a card ministry, transportation and occasionally assisting the elderly with small household tasks.

Those participating since the groups inception in 2010 are Heidi Beland, Ann Buscher, Pat Ron-deau, Sarge Rudell, Nancy Sallee and myself. Jacki Renee' began visiting in 2011 and Lori Despins in 2013. In November 2018 we welcomed Judy Stehle to the Holy Communion division of the ministry.

The Caring Ministry Team mission is to provide quality, Christ-centered, confidential care to those in our congregation who are elderly, home-bound, in a nursing home or assisted living, and those on Zion's Prayer List. Many times, we also commune those who are not members of Zion espe-cially if they reside in nursing homes with members.

This is the second full year that I have scheduled Pastor Keith’s visits to members who are home-bound, in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or those on Zion's Prayer List. In 2018, Pastor Keith made over 150 visits lasting approximately one-hour in length. Scheduled visits do not gen-erally include those members who were hospitalized.

Heidi Beland, Pat Rondeau, Sarge Rudell, Judy Stehle, and I distributed Holy Communion to as many as 33 individuals. In 2018, 146 communion visits were made. Each of us holds a short wor-ship service; some share sermon notes taken the Sunday before the visit; some sing songs and some do not. All of us are blessed by God to be able to provide this vital ministry to his flock.

Approximately 78 visits, most monthly, were made to about 10 congregation members in their homes or care facilities. The visitation team is comprised of Ann Buscher, Lori Despins, and Jacki Renne'. Most of those visited don’t have opportunity to get out often, therefore these visits are treasured.

Nancy Sallee continues to do a remarkably job with Zion’s card ministry even though she and her husband, Kenny leave the area for warmer climates. Nancy’s cards bring a little of God's love and carrying into lives. This past year she sent out 120 greeting cards as well as over 30 cards to those visiting Zion’s worship service.

On occasion an elderly member will ask for assistance with a special task in their home that they are totally incapable of handling. These requests don’t come often but when they do, we do our best to fill them.

Sometimes members of our congregational family need transportation to worship and medical ap-pointments. Roger DeGroot, Bryan Gutknecht, Lanse Dill, Sarge Rudell, and Don Schutt help when needed. If you require ride assistance, give me a call and I'll do my best to make arrange-ments.

If you were hospitalized this past year and did not receive a visit from Pastor Keith, it's probably because he wasn’t notified. Please be sure to have one of your loved one's contact Pastor Keith at Zion at 715.735.7898 or his cell phone at 715.587.7898. He cares deeply and does not want hurt feelings or misunderstandings.

The same holds true if you want to utilize a service provided by Caring Ministry. We do our best to reach out to those on the prayer list, but many times congregation members feel forgotten or worse yet ignored. We absolutely don't want that to happen. We sincerely care and truly want to share God's love and caring with you. Please call me at 715.732.4206 when you or someone you love has a need, and I'll do my best to see that your request is handled in a timely manner.

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2018 ZION’S CARING MINISTRY TEAM ANNUAL REPORT ...continued

To all of you who serve on the Caring Ministry Team, thank you for giving of yourself and your time so freely. What you do makes an enormous difference in the life of the people you minister to. They feel included, cared for, and remembered by their congregation. Your faithfulness is deeply valued.

The team could certainly use another visitation volunteer or two. If God is challenging you to reach out and get involved please give me a call and we’ll talk.

In God’s peace and love,

Karen Sylvester

ZCMT Chairperson

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

The SPARK year started out with the children singing during worship in March and May. There are 17 children enrolled between Pre-K and grade 5. Our volunteers for the year were Kim Gaudes, Jo-hanna Zuehls, and Stephanie Klein. SPARK ended it’s lessons on May 9 and began again Septem-ber 19. Bibles were handed out on September 16, to Ainsley Emler, Alexis Rosenfeldt, Emma Wil-liams, Jakob Ross, Owen Derby and Nora Derby. Several youth received their first communion Oc-tober 14. These young people were Sophie Limberg, Emma Williams, Alexis Rosenfeldt. The chil-dren sang during worship in October. The SPARK offering collection from November and December was used to purchase gifts for two children on the Angel tree. This year’s Christmas program, “The first Christmas” was a huge success. Thank you Johanna Zuehls for writing this and taking on this project again this year, also thank you Rachel Rosenfeldt for accompanying us!

God’s Blessings,

Stephanie Klein

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2018

This years theme for Vacation Bible School was “teaming up with God”. It was a sports theme. We held it July 9-12 at Zion this year. We had 29 different children attend from several area congrega-tions. Meals, games, arts/crafts, storytelling, and music were the components of this year’s lessons.

Respectfully submitted by Stephanie Klein

FORTUNE LAKE LUTHERAN CAMP

2018 was a year of transition for FLLC. In February, after more than six years as our camp director, Pastor Tracy Polzin accepted a call to a parish in Wisconsin. The board of directors acted quickly to find an interim director; Sara Joneson was hired for the position. Working part-time and mostly re-motely during the winter months, Sara recruited summer staff and oversaw general camp manage-ment; she assumed full-time duties and moved to camp for the summer months. Mary Ryan and Chris Nocerini continued as office and facility managers respectively and Cindy Atkisson assisted part-time with office and housekeeping tasks. Intern Zachary Erickson lived onsite and did whatever else was needed to prepare for the summer camping season, then served as a program director.

Thanks to capable direction and a cooperative, enthusiastic staff, the summer program welcomed 524 individuals (including 80 family campers) to Fortune Lake; an additional 344 youth were in-volved in day camps at 11 congregational sites. Several retreats were offered during the fall and other rental retreats were hosted. The annual Fall Fest/Quilt Auction produced the largest fundraiser in camp history, netting over $21,000. While the camp director's house was vacant, several renova-tions were accomplished; onsite computer and phone service also received a major upgrade.

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FORTUNE LAKE LUTHERAN CAMP ...continued

The process to call a new director began in September and, after considering nine candidates, Amanda Rasner was selected as "the one!" We are grateful for the strong leadership of the camp board's executive and call committees, the cooperation and patience of the camp staff, and the continued support of association congregations and individuals. With joy and thanksgiving we are ready to embark on a new year with a new director!

Ruth Warmanen

FLAME Coordinator

HARVEST OF HOPE COMMUNITY GARDEN—REPORT OF 2018

To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, it was a very good year. There was a significant increase in partici-pation both by Zion members and by community members; and it was heartening to have a num-ber of young adults and youth active in the garden as well. Areas that had been merely weeded or mulched for a couple of years became active producers of either flowers or vegetables. There were numerous deliveries to food pantries of tomatoes, peppers, onions, squash and green beans, and many of the individual beds produced well. It is hoped that participation levels will increase as space is still available.

Along with the good there were a few negatives. There was a large population of rose chaf-ers that absolutely loved the flowers and some vegetables. That was followed by Japanese bee-tles that favored flowers, some of the beans and also the raspberries. That may sound bad but it is all just a part of gardening. The sand point had not been used for several years and was officially capped due to groundwater concerns.

Respectfully submitted,

John Radloff

2018 HOOKS & NEEDLES REPORT

Our little Knit & Crochet group met five times from Nov 2017 through Mar 2018. We try to get to-gether once a month during the cold season.

We continue to make items that we give away.

Some of us are still making wool caps for Warmth for Warriors. Any pattern can be used as long as it fits two criteria: 1) the caps must be beanie style so they will fit under a helmet; 2) must be made of 100% natural fiber.

We were gifted quite a lot of acrylic yarn by the Sew for Missions group and have been working our way through it for the last few years. Everyone is welcome to use up this yarn. It is not re-served for our projects alone. The projects we’re using the acrylic yarn for include:

Lapghans that we give to area nursing home residents. These are small blankets that won't get tangled in wheelchairs.

Prayer Shawls that are available as a comfort gift from our congregation to anyone going through medical treatments like chemotherapy or during bereavement.

Sensory Muffs and/or Sensory Mats that we give to area nursing homes for dementia patients. These are items that have beads, bumps, pockets, flowers, curly-cues and other interesting tactile attachments to keep anxious hands busy.

This year we learned how to make plarn. PLastic yARN. In an effort to reuse the plastic bags that we each accumulate we are turning them into plarn and creating small totes that will be given to the homeless shelters. We hope to fill them with shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream,

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2018 HOOKS & NEEDLES REPORT ...continued

razor, deodorant, toothbrush & toothpaste. Please note that we have more than enough plastic bags for this project on our own. If you would like to turn your own bags into plarn we are happy to show you how but we are not seeking donations at this time.

Last spring we had a few beginners learning to crochet. We are always happy to teach you either knit or crochet. There are so many resources available online now that if we don’t know how to do something we can find out and all learn together.

We don’t have a set week that we meet but it is on a Sunday, after worship, usually 11am-1pm in the family room. We try to get the date published in the bulletins and newsletter at least two weeks ahead.

I’ve been cooking pizza margherita in our awesome cast iron skillets and we usually have sweets and coffee or tea too. Come check out what we’re up to. Let me or Michelle know if you’d like to join us and we’ll make sure to have enough lunch.

Grace & Peace to you all.

Heidi B. & Michelle L.

JOLLY TIMES

Jolly Times game day which began in October 2015 is a community activity currently in its fourth season. Seasons run from Labor Day to Memorial Day. We adjourn for the summer to play out-doors. Participants meet on the first and third Thursday of each month in Zion's Family Room from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to play. Games played have been the card games of Pinochle, Hand & Foot, Smear, Sheepshead, Cribbage, and Uno. Other games played have been Farkle, Pig (dice), Jenga, and the ever popular Mexican Train Dominoes, which is easy to learn and fun to play. And, we sometimes have treats to share!

Jolly Times is advertised in the weekly Community Section of the EagleHerald newspaper. In Janu-ary 2018 we took Jolly Times "on the road" to Our Savior's Lutheran Church to play at its monthly Fireside potluck fellowship time and dinner.

Do you have a game to teach us? I have a new card game to teach in 2019 that I learned on New Year's Eve. It'll be fun! Come and join us for a Jolly Time! Bring a friend. The more, the merrier!

Sharon Powilaites

MISSION ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE REPORT 2018

Members: Pam Lund, President; John Radloff, Treasurer; Karen Kolstad, Secretary; Pastor Keith Kolstad, Phil Strohl, Troy Cording and Roxanne Bowdin.

The Zion Lutheran Mission Endowment Fund is a fund in which gifts received (fund principal) are permanently preserved and the earnings are used to support specific purposes as outlined in our guidelines.

At the end of 2018, the investment account balance was $161,454 and the checking account bal-ance was $3,372. Proceeds from a life insurance policy were added to the investment fund in 2018 totaling $4,041. In 2018 we distributed $6,100 in earnings. Applications were reviewed in June and our recommendations were given to the Congregation Council at their August meeting. The ap-proved distributions were: $1,300 to Stephanie Klein for Head Start Classroom Supplies; $1,000 to the Always Being Made New Campaign of the ELCA (split between ELCA Fund for Leaders and NGLS Lutheran Campus Ministry); $1,000 to the Northern Great Lakes Synod Answer the Call Fund; $500 to Camp Daniel for their 20/20 Vision Capital Appeal; $1,150 to Zion’s Carpet Project; and $1,150 to Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp for their scholarship program. We hope to distribute a similar amount in 2019. Continued...

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MISSION ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE REPORT 2018 ...continued

Watch for 2019 newsletter articles on different topics related to Endowment Funds, Estate Plan-ning, etc. We also hope to have articles published in the Eagle Herald and the Peshtigo Times about the grants made to community organizations as well as the process for applying for 2019 grants.

Application forms are available on the kiosk in the narthex (lobby area) and on Zion’s website. Bro-chures that explain Zion’s Mission Endowment Fund and its opportunities are also available on the kiosk.

Rev. Craig Mansur, Chaplain at the hospital, continues to offer workshops on the Five Wishes doc-ument. Those workshops will be advertised in Zion’s newsletters and bulletins.

If you have any questions about Zion’s Mission Endowment Fund or need more information about how to make a gift to the fund, please see one of the committee members.

Respectfully submitted,

Pam Lund, Chair

PROPERTY COMMITTEE REPORT 2018

Major Projects that were completed in 2018 Exterior: Spring clean-up in May Fall clean-up in October Grass cutting Snow Removal Interior: Strip and wax the social hall floor Paint the walls and ceiling of the social hall Clean out the kitchen cupboards and storage area

I wish to extend our appreciation and thanks to all who have given of their time and talents to suc-cessfully complete these projects. A special thanks to Ann Buscher and Jane Landenbberger who donated the funds for the floor waxing and the social hall painting. The walls have not been paint-ed in over 20 years. Thanks also, to Dave and Carol Johnson for helping with lawn cutting in 2018.

Regards,

Mark Swenson

SOCIAL MINISTRY COMMITTEE REPORT

Members: Sarge and Joni Rudell, Carole Boerner, Michelle Larson, Lori Despins, Carol Johnson, Sharon Powilaites, Heidi Beland, Barb Baumgarten and Don and Jo Schutt

As you can see from the list of our members, we have a hard working committee—along with all you, our congregation members, we do a lot of things each year.

For our Fall School Supply Drive; the box was dropped off by the Salvation Army and then picked up again and distributed.

God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday was in September. People worked in different areas for clean up along the Menominee River.

We had themes for NEWCAP again each month. Thank you for your generosity and thanks to John Powilaites who did the delivery of all the items.

Heidi Beland is our Equal Exchange Fair Trade contact person and we thank her. Continued...

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SOCIAL MINISTRY COMMITTEE REPORT ...continued

Thirty-five names were on our Salvation Army Angel tree. Thank you all for purchasing all the won-derful gifts for all the needy kids in our community so they could have a happy Christmas. We thank Don Schutt and Dave Despins for delivering the gifts for us.

Our Harvest Dinner was held on November 4th. We honored many members of our congregation who were 75 or older. The gifts were made by the Sarah Group. Melissa took reservations for us. Karen Sylvester again was our M.C. We had a sing-a-long with music prepared and played by Ra-chel Rosenfeldt. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

The theme of this years World Hunger Drive was butterflies. We had 3,996.59 butterflies emerging from their cocoons and hanging from the ceiling. Thanks to all of you for your help with World Hun-ger.

In the Spring we collected individually wrapped Easter Candy for the Welcome Center to make into baskets to deliver to the less fortunate children in our community.

January found us collecting non-perishable food items for Marinette School Pantry and NEWCAP. Even though the other churches are not competing with us this year—Pastor Keith has challenged us to break our own record from last year. Can we do it?

Thank you all, for all the donations you have made during the year to help us with all of our pro-jects. We really appreciate all of your help to make our ideas to become a reality.

Jo Schutt, Social Ministry Chairperson

STEWARDSHIP AND GENEROSITY COMMITTEE REPORT

The goal of Zion’s stewardship ministry is to help God’s people grow in their relationship with Jesus through the use of the time, talents, and finances God has entrusted to them.

Karen Sylvester continues to do an excellent job of spreading the word about stewardship by utiliz-ing a different topic each month in the “Stewardship Corner” portion of the newsletter. These arti-cles stress the goals of Zion’s stewardship program and are well worth your time.

With this year’s stewardship drive, we wanted to ensure that members of Zion remembered that stewardship is so much more than just giving funds. So, again, we linked the drive to the Seven Marks of Discipleship (pray, worship, study, invite, encourage, give and serve), since each Mark is important in our relationship with God.

This fall’s drive also considered the youth of the congregation. They were given a different commit-ment sheet along with the tried & true ways to grow in faith sheets. Thank you to the Spark lead-ers and parents who helped the youth go through these sheets. We had 5 returned responses and heard a lot of enthusiasm over this.

Our speakers were an important part of this drive - it’s inspiring to hear their thoughts and wonder-ful that they’re willing to publicly share them! They were Hilma Backman (her ideas were read by Roxanne Bowdin), Lynn Derby, Jonah Zuehls, Heidi Beland, Johanna Zuehls, Carol Johnson, and Jane Landenberger (her words were read by Nora Derby).

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

Our drive concluded on October 21st with Seven Marks Sunday. We had 58 families turn in com-mitment sheets. We pray that these efforts have helped our congregation feel God’s spirit moving in them.

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STEWARDSHIP AND GENEROSITY COMMITTEE REPORT ...continued

In order to help us plan future stewardship drives, surveys were distributed to several families.

Thank you to all who participated - ideas were duly noted!

A full report on the “Giving” pledges compiled by Karen Houdek, Zion’s Financial Secretary, is on the next page.

Blessings,

Zion’s Stewardship Committee:

Roxanne Bowdin, Pastor Keith and Karen Sylvester

WORSHIP AND MUSIC COMMITTEE

Greetings from the Worship and Music Committee

The Worship and Music Committee has not had many meetings this year but that shows how smoothly things are going.

Hymn Committees We would like to thank all the members of the hymn committees for their time. We are always looking for a few new faces. The individual committees only meet twice a year for around an hour. If you would like to serve on one of the 6 groups please contact Ann Buscher. Ann is continuing to pick the hymns for the Thursday evening service at Northland Village.

Communion Groups We have three communion groups who set up communion each Sunday and change the paraments. In the winter we could use one or two volunteers to cover things for our snowbirds.

Projection Chad Derby is now heading the responsibilities for the projection team. He is always looking for more volunteers. Our services are placed every week on our website and live on Face-book each Sunday. Facebook gives the opportunity for people to watch our services at home or on the road.

Flowers Due to Everards closing we now have our altar flowers etc. coming from The Flower Gal-lery each Sunday. Thank you to Debby Harding for taking care of the flower chart for the entire year for our church. Deb makes sure we have flowers for each Sunday including Easter and Christ-mas and the correct wording is in the bulletin. This is a huge job. Debby has decided to step down from this job so at this time Melissa, our amazing Office Administrator will be taking care of flowers and the eternal candle.

Liturgies We currently have four liturgies we are rotating in our services.

Instruments Our organ tuner has been here to tune our organ. You may not realize that the pipes you see in the back of church or only a few of the pipes. The rest are in the large chamber some 16 feet tall! The contemporary worship group welcomes back Shawn Limberg on bass guitar so we now have 8 people in the band.

Choir The choir has moved to the chapel for rehearsals and had 18 people in the choir this fall. Several new members joined the choir for Christmas Eve.

Decorating The Sanctuary Arts Group keeps our worship area looking beautiful. Decorating for Christmas is always a fun time.

Services - We currently have three services each week. The second Sunday each month our youth are participating as ushers, greeters etc. This began when our youth were preparing to go to the ELCA National Youth Gathering. They are now including all youth third grade through High School. They also put on the coffee hour after the service.

Thank you to Don Limberg and crew for putting up our outside nativity again this year. Continued...

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WORSHIP AND MUSIC COMMITTEE ...continued

Thanks to our organists, choir director, accompanists, and contemporary worship band our Sun-days are filled with beautiful music. We also would like to thank those who share their special tal-ents on Sundays when the choir or band is not performing. Our committee oversees many things such as hymn committees, communion helpers and filling the clipboard just to name a few. There are so many people to thank that help in so many ways. If you have served on a hymn committee, sang in the choir, played the organ, greeted, ushered, read the lessons, served communion, deco-rated the church, washed the communion cloths, changed the banners or paraments, donated can-dle or flowers, played an instrument, served as an acolyte, etc...These are all the things that make us disciples in faith as we Worship the Lord. Thank you for serving Him

Blessings, Ann Buscher, Bill Tipple, Pat Rondeau, Troy Cording, Kathy Heimbuch, Barb Grom, Nila Krenos , Rachel Rosenfeldt, Dave Johnson and Pastor Kolstad

2018 ZION YOUTH FELLOWSHIP REPORT

The youth of Zion have been exceptionally busy in the year of 2018. With the National Youth Gath-ering planned for Houston, TX over the summer, our youth participated in fundraisers including sell-ing stock in themselves, serving concessions at the RCCA concerts and by selling cheesecake and pretzels at the waterfront festival.

In addition to fundraising activities, the youth have taken a more visible role in the congregation by participating in “Youth Sundays”. These Sunday services - always on the second Sunday of the month - the youth took the active service roles upon themselves. These duties included the roles of usher, lector, and communication assistant. Each youth who attended the gathering participated at least once is not more often. Following the gathering, Youth Sundays continue and younger youth have been invited to share their talents.

Following our Youth Sundays up until the time of the Gathering, the youth would serve during cof-fee hour and follow that with a bible study. While the attendance was mandatory, the youth were all very active and showed great energy.

In July, 9 youth and 3 adults traveled to Houston, TX via plane - many experiencing their first plane ride. The Gathering theme was “This Changes Everything” and several of the youth did state that the speakers did in fact impact their life and world views. Each youth had a different experience, but they all experienced something positive. The next Gathering is in Minnesota and several youth have already stated they would like to go back.

Following the Gathering, the youth gave a presentation for any congregation members who were interested in learning what they did. This was done during a Youth Sunday where the youth spoke in church about their experiences and shared a slide show of their favorite memories.

The Houston gathering may be over, but we are currently planning and preparing for the event in Minnesota. Many of the youth have been looking forward to finding local events to continue the positive growth in church.

Over the Christmas season, the younger youth gathered following services on a Youth Sunday to bake cookies which were later delivered to our congregation shut-ins during Christmas caroling. In addition, the group went shopping to supply gifts to the Wausaukee School District Christmas store which supplied gift for needy students to “buy” for family and loved ones. Our group spent approxi-mately $450.00 and supplied over 150 gifts. The staff at the school was very excited with our gift.

Overall, 2018 has been an exciting year for the students and adult participants. This congregation is providing the opportunity for our youth to explore their faith and live in it as well. We are thankful for all the support we have been given and look forward to paying it forward.

Johanna Zuehls

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2018 YOUTH MINISTRY FUNDS

Savings Account: Balance as of 12-31-17: $9162.10 Deposits: $ 3579.03 Withdrawals: $ 6000.00 Balance as of 12-31-18: $6741.13 Checking Account: Balance as of 12-31-17: $5127.10 Deposits: $13801.80 Expenditures: $15105.41 Balance as of 12-31-18: $3823.49 Karen K. Dill Treasurer

2018 Zion Lutheran Kitchen Fund

Checking Account:

Balance on hand January 1, 2018 $302.94

Receipts 2018 $250.00

SUBTOTAL 552.94

Disbursements 2018 234.54

Balance on hand December 31, 2018 $318.40

This account is in balance with the bank statement dated 12/31/2018.

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2018 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND REPORT

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2018 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND REPORT

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RESOLUTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

AT THE ANNUAL MEETING

JANUARY 27, 2019

The resolutions are as follows: 1) Whereas we recognize Almighty God as the Source of our life and our salvation, and where-

as the work of His Holy Church is advanced by the efforts of many faithful and dedicated people who serve in a variety of elected, appointed, and volunteer capacities be it resolved that we express our gratitude to God and our appreciation to all the faithful people who serve Him in and through Zion congregation.

2) Whereas the ministry of the church needs our regular and generous financial support for lo-

cal, synodical, and world-wide concerns be it resolved that we adopt a budget for the Gen-eral Fund for 2019 in the amount of $230,438.

3) Whereas we recognize Almighty God as our source of life and salvation and whereas the

work of His church is advanced through and by the leadership of the Pastor. Be it resolved that we thank Almighty God for Pastor Keith and also thank Him for the encouragement and support of his wife Karen and their family, Jacob and Amie, Jacki, Jessy and Morgan. Be it also resolved that we the congregation encourage and support their work in and through Zion Lutheran Church.

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Zion Lutheran Church

2019 Budget Comments

An expense budget is adopted annually; however there is no formal receipts budget. 2018 receipts are used as a basis for estimating 2019 receipts, and for budgeting purposes, assume no increase or decrease. In recent years, Zion has adopted a “deficit” budget, which means budgeted expenses exceed receipts of the prior year and that a portion of the General Fund balance is used to offset the difference. In 2018, the final result was different in that General Fund receipts exceeded Gen-eral Fund expenses by $8,397, which increased the General Fund balance to $9,940 from $1,543. If 2019 budgeted expenses are compared to the 2018 receipts, Zion council proposes a deficit budget, in that budgeted expenses exceed prior year general fund receipts by $1,911, proposing to use about 1/5 of the General Fund balance.

Comments for the 2019 budget by budget section:

Benevolences:

Items are budgeted at actual 2017 amounts except for Synod, FLLC and DAR.

Synod had been 11% of General Fund envelope offerings for years 2015 through 2017, reduced to 10% for 2018 but budgeted at 11% for 2019 (an increase of $1,922);

Budgeted FLLC (Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp) is about $700 less than 2018 as 2018 included a special appeal and a one-time donation;

DAR Boys and Girls Club had been 2% of General Fund envelope offerings for years 2015 through 2017, reduced to 1.5% for 2018, but budgeted at 2% for 2019 ( an increase of $513).

Salaries and Perquisites:

Budgeted wages were increased 2% with the exception of the office administrator and organists. Organists were increased 7.3% as part of a several year plan to get Zion’s rate closer to market and office administrator was increased by 5.6%;

Pastor’s benefits were based on the 2% increase and the 2019 benefit rates provided by the benefit carrier.

Other Operating Expenses:

Worship and Office supplies were budgeted at the 2018 budgeted amounts rather than at the lower 2018 actual expense;

Custodial supplies/minor repairs were budgeted at the 2018 budgeted amounts rather than at the lower 2018 actual expense;

Most committees were budgeted at the 2018 budgeted amount;

Miscellaneous expense was budgeted at the 2018 budgeted amount rather than the lower 2018 ac-tual expense.

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Maintenance and Repair:

Copier contract increased due to a mid-2018 per copy increase in the maintenance contract which is based on the number of copies;

$2,500 was added for lawn service as this task is no longer being performed by Zion workers. In 2018, mowing was done by volunteers; in 2016 and 2017, Zion workers were paid $50 per mowing but the outside service is more expensive;

Boiler/heating system repairs and maintenance is budgeted at $3,500; $1,500 is for a control panel that will be paid for by the capital improvement fund. The remaining $2,000 is in line with prior year budgets although actual expense has been low the past several years;

The basic annual payment on the carpet loan is $5,769; it is increased by about $2,000 to reflect an additional December, 2018 donation that will be an extra principal payment in January, 2019;

$500 is budgeted for parking lot maintenance;

$2,500 is budgeted for roof parapet repair:

Other Transfers and Payments:

By reading this section carefully and referring to various lines in previous sections, some lines offset. A number of funds interact with the General Fund and these offsets serve two purposes: one is to report the aggregate financial activity of a group of funds including the General Fund; another is to be able to report information that reflects the net activity of the General Fund.

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