Stewardship Board Update - September 2008

Brothers and Sisters at Door Creek:

Here is the first monthly update from your Stewardship Board for the new ministry year …

Voting results
Over half of DCC church members voted on the 2008-09 plans, budget and Board nominees in late August. Once again, all passed almost unanimously. There is still some confusion surrounding the requirement to renew membership. If you have not yet returned a signed member renewal card to the church office, please do so. We will make member renewal much easier next time around. We are encouraged by the good turnout and strong commitment to the vision and plans for the church.

New Board members and officers
The Stewardship Board welcomes Jill Jones, Jeff Christopher and Greg Peterson as the new members starting three-year terms. Greg is starting his second consecutive term. New officers are: Don Millis, Treasurer; Jeff Christopher, Secretary, Debbie Marks, Vice Chair; Brian Rust, Chairman.

End-of-year-finance and attendance
Giving exceeded budget by an amazing  $59,492 this past year. Praise God! And thank you all for your faithful giving.
This extra revenue was combined with a surplus from last year to cover several added expenses this year: catch-up pay for staff retirement funds,  new AV replacement equipment  in the auditorium, Super Sunday expenses, and a higher than  projected cost to convert the activity center into a video venue for worship.
Weekend attendance too has increased over the past year. On average, we have 1140 adults attending (612 actual DCC members) and 300 children.

Pray for and with the church
Please join us for our fall prayer gathering, this Sunday night September 21, from 6-7pm in the auditorium. We also encourage you to pray with those who gather by the auditorium prayer banner after each service.

Strong start to a new year
Our new ministry year started in September. It has been filled with great news of strong turnouts for ministries such as MOPS, AWANA, Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Student Ministries and more. Twenty-eight people are signed up for the next New Member class.
Our new resale store—Boomerangs—opened on September 9 with strong first-day sales. More importantly, many people were exposed to this new ministry and to Door Creek, in Christ’s name. Pray for the effective witness of Boomerangs, and stop by to check it out! The address is: Northgate Shopping Mall, 1133 North Sherman Avenue, Madison, http://www.boomerangsresale.org/

Worship services grow from three to five
Hopefully by now you have checked out the conversion of the activity center (gym) to the new video café. We held our first two services—at 9 and 10:45 on Sunday mornings—on September 14.
Much has been said about the purpose behind this expansion. A list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about it is available on our web site and at the Information Desk. The Board encourages everyone to not just attend a service there, but also to consider inviting a friend or family member who might feel more comfortable with this style and setting than that of our auditorium. We want to make more space available for new people to come discover and worship our Lord. Ask God to lead more to Himself through this and other outreach taking place through Door Creek.

Last year we cast our vision to “Change people into devoted followers of Christ who change the world with his love.” Changing lives to change the world. This year we will challenge Door Creek to go deeper—to grow in our faith and understanding of the scriptures, and to share Christ with those who do not know him. We also want to grow deeper in our service within and outside of Door Creek.

Please let us know if you have any questions about Door Creek ministries, or how you can get involved. And please continue to pray for God to guide us boldly in the new year!

In Christ,

Your Stewardship Board
Matt Desmond     Debbie Marks
Karl Henry           Greg Peterson
Jill Jones              Lisa Stearns
Marc Maillefer      Brian Rust
Don Millis             Jeff Christopher