As we come to this wonderful season of Advent, remembering Christ’s first coming and looking forward to His return, may your lives be filled with His peace and joy.
This past weekend we began our Christmas series entitled, “Missing Christmas.” We will look at people who missed the first Christmas and people who miss it today. My hope and prayer is that we won’t miss Christ this Christmas. As we reflect on the mystery of the incarnation, may we share the joy we have in Christ, and more than ever long for His return.
Our Christmas Eve services will be 4:00, 6:00 and 8:00 pm. Childcare will be provided at the first two services, and all three will have lots of wonderful music, a special story for kids from Grandpa and Grandma Steiner, as well as a meditation on the humble shepherds who were one of the few who did not miss the first Christmas. Take advantage of the enclosed Christmas Eve card and “walk across the room” and invite someone you know to join us.
After Christmas we will start a sermon series called “Christianity Explained” using the gospel of Mark to go through the basics of what it means to believe in and follow Christ.
As we draw our calendar year to a close, I also want to give you an update on our finances. You may remember that this year we took on an exciting challenge of increasing our budget 16%. Currently we are $35,779 behind budget year-to-date. Our goal this month is to catch up to budget through offerings of $225,000. Last week’s snow storm and service cancellation is a good reminder to consider using First Fruits (electric fund transfer) as a means of regularly giving back to God (rain, shine, or snow!). Contact the church office if you would like more information about First Fruits. Thanks for remembering the church in your year-end giving.
When you serve, share the gospel or give at DCC you are changing lives to change the world. Your generous gifts throughout the year support partners around the world on 5 continents. This includes our own community through ministries like Salvation Army, Care Net, Habitat for Humanity and many more. When you hear what God is doing here at DCC—like the 30 who were just baptized at Thanksgiving or around 220 students who are going to a conference in Green Bay-- we have much to be thankful for.
Merry Christmas!
Marc
Stewardship Board Update - September 26, 2007
Brothers and Sisters of Door Creek:
After a two-month break, here is the "back to school" update from your Stewardship Board ...
Offering theft
The Board had a special meeting on Sept. 17 after learning of the DCC collection theft. We discussed what happened, reviewed procedures and approved plans to redouble security precautions in the church. We want to assure you that we have made every effort to keep the offering safe through the years. Accountants and the police have remarked that our procedures have been very good. We will make them better, while continuing to keep the church open and accessible to the DCC family and approved community groups. This incident reminds us that we need to be "as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves" (Matt: 10:16) as we serve Christ in the community.
End of year finance and attendance
The theft has not dampened our joy over our end-of-year giving. We ended our fiscal year at 102% of budget! Thank you for being faithful contributors to God's work through DCC. Praise God for blessing us so richly. The extra money will be held in reserve pending a Senior Leadership Team decision on how it might be spent.
Attendance too has increased over the past year. On average, we have 1400 attending, which includes 600 actual DCC members and 265 children.
Election results
In case you had not heard specifics, 228 out of 600 DCC church members participated in the August vote for the 2007-08 plans, budget, Board nominees and Bylaw change. We were greatly encouraged that all three passed almost unanimously. We met the Bylaw requirement for 20% participation. However, church policy states that every member needs to renew his or her membership in writing on an annual basis. We will work on ways to make member renewal a clear and easy process in the coming months. It is important for the church to see that all members renew a commitment to DCC, its plans, budget, staff and board.
New Board members and officers
The Board welcomes Lisa Stearns, Karl Henry and Brian Rust as the new members starting three-year terms. New officers are: Don Millis, Treasurer; Marty Knott, Secretary; Greg Peterson, Vice Chairman; Brian Rust, Chairman.
We have charted a course to monitor DCC plans and budget through the year. We will keep you informed about what we are up to and why (and we'll try to make it as exciting as possible!). Please join us in praising God for His guidance and blessings as we begin a new year.
In Christ,
Your Stewardship Board
Matt Desmond Debbie Marks
Karl Henry Greg Peterson
Marty Knott Lisa Stearns
Marc Maillefer Brian Rust
Don Millis Steve Walters
Stewardship Board Update - June 8, 2007
Brothers and Sisters of Door Creek:
If you are looking for a monthly report for May, this is it. Spring got away from us before we could write it. Much is happening ...
Craig Heilman's first 100 days
Three weeks into his new role as our Executive Pastor, Craig and we are even more certain of God's hand in the selection process. The Board has met with Craig to hear how things are going and to ask God to bless him in his service. Craig has begun picking up several responsibilities that were either being covered by Marc, or were on hold after Bill Arvold retired. Among them are establishing staff oversight, working on strategic plans and preparing the church budget proposal for 2007-08. Remember Craig, Brenda and our staff in your prayers.
Changing lives to change the world
This is what Door Creek Church is about. We hope you have picked up one of the bookmarks or cards with our new mission, vision and values statements. More importantly, we hope you are making them your own--not just memorizing them, but asking God for guidance and passion to further these aims in your own life.
Now that we have put these dreams to paper, and Marc has spent May teaching on them, we will start to reveal specifics to the church. You will see and hear them revealed in a number of ways. Our church plan and budget for 2007-08 will begin to touch on them.
We encourage you to talk about the mission, vision and values in your home group or ministry team, in your family and even among coworkers or neighbors who might wonder, "What is your church about?"
How'd we do?
Monitoring and evaluation are among the most important things your Stewardship Board does. They are part of our annual planning process. As such, we are meeting with Marc in June to hear how last year's planning and budget goals were met. This isn't just about numbers and growth. We want to discern together how God has been at work in and through Door Creek. These include staff and ministry evaluations, as well as feedback about the Board's performance.
The staff has been hard at work crafting new plans for 2007-08. We will hear about and discuss them in June and July. Then they will be presented to the congregation later in August.
Stewardship sub-committee formed
We want everyone in Door Creek to understand our budget needs and God's call for us to help with the gifts He has given us. Many of us have been turned off by church experiences where it seemed money was talked about too much. We will not go down that path, but the needs for education and giving opportunities at Door Creek remain.
A small team has been formed to help us address these issues. Watch for classes, materials and announcements in the coming months.
New Board nominees sought
The three-year terms of three Board members end this fall. Those who have served one term may serve another. Lynda Ruchti and John Hunter's terms will end; Brian Rust has offered to serve another term. A nominating committee (comprised of Marc, two Board members and two at-large church members) is being formed to consider replacements.
The congregation may recommend Board nominees, who will then be interviewed and selected by the nominating committee, and then recommended to the Board for congregational vote.
Board nominees must have been a member of Door Creek for at least two years in order to be considered. The church members then vote on nominees in late August (along with the Door Creek ministry plan and budget).
Pray for wisdom and discernment for the nominating committee as they seek God's choices for these important positions. Watch the church bulletin for dates and details.
More sites and services?
Two cool things. First, five staff attended an Evangelical Free Church-sponsored conference on multi-site churches in early May [multi-site means one church with many locations]. The conference was fantastic. The staff and board are excited about this model and the possibilities for Door Creek. The staff is planning to attend next year.
Second, the staff is also in the early stages of planning to add a fourth service. No times or formats have been set. If you have ever thought of volunteering for the Creative Arts Community (worship team), now may be the time!
Please join us as we think, pray and discuss how God wants us to move in these two areas.
There you have it, our spring report. Let's continue to ask God to guide us and energize us in the months ahead!
In Christ,
Matt Desmond Debbie Marks
John Hunter Greg Peterson
Marty Knott Lynda Ruchti
Marc Maillefer Brian Rust
Don Millis Steve Walters
Stewardship Board Update - April 23, 2007
Brothers and Sisters of Door Creek:We write this month with great enthusiasm and anticipation for the future of our church. It's hard to explain the feeling we have. God is at work in our midst. We hope you too have a sense of anticipation and renewed zeal to take part in all that God has planned for you individually, and for Door Creek Church as a whole.
Craig Heilman is our new EP
The vote is in, and we are thrilled to announce that DCC members approved hiring Craig Heilman as our new Executive Pastor. Just over 98% who voted, voted yes. About 44% of our 554 members voted (we needed at least 20%). Craig's start date is tentatively set for mid-May.
Welcome Craig and Brenda in their new roles of service to the church!
Vision becoming clearer
Over the past several months we have written about the steps taken to revise our mission, vision and values:
o Mission: Who are we as a church body?
o Vision: Where are we headed?
o Values: What are we committed to?
Not that the ones we have are useless or outdated. On the contrary, we want to give greater clarity and ownership to these statements. Like a sailor who needs to work with the wind to maneuver toward an ultimate destination, we need to make slight adjustments as God's Spirit guides us.
What that means is the Board and Staff will have several new statements to share with you in the coming weeks. Statements that are clear, succinct and motivating. We will begin by sharing and discussing them with ministry leaders. Then we will send them to the church body.
During the month of May, Marc will teach on four aspects of these new statements:
Our mission May 5-6
Our vision May 12-13
Our gifts May 19-20
Our stewardship May 26-27
Please pray with us. We all need to be able to embrace and explain who we are and where we are headed. We also need to be able to describe it simply and clearly to those who are curious. Make every effort to listen to these messages, and consider and discuss the implications for yourself and your family.
Sabbatical
We have agreed to offer a sabbatical for our ministry staff after five years of full-time service. Qualifying staff may take ten weeks off from normal church duties, with pay and benefits. The purpose is rest, study and refreshment. Details are available from any Board member.
Pastor Cal Steiner will be the first to take a sabbatical, during this summer. While he is out, other staff and ministry leaders will assist in covering his regular responsibilities. Please pray for refreshment and renewal for both Cal and Ruth.
Student membership
Several DCC students have inquired about becoming members of the church. The Board has agreed that students who actively seek membership will be encouraged to do so. At this time our bylaws state that a voting member must be 18 or older.
New sub-team formed
As we continue to grow, our church has several new staffing needs. The Board has formed a temporary sub-team to advise Pastor Marc on how best to meet these needs (positions and budget) for the coming year. Team members include Don Millis, Marty Knott and Greg Peterson. Ask God for guidance as we continue to work within budget.
Please do not hesitate to contact us about any of these things. While specific ministry-related questions are best handled by the leaders of that ministry, we are accountable to you for "Board business," the things we write about month by month.
Be encouraged!
In Christ,
Matt Desmond Debbie Marks
John Hunter Greg Peterson
Marty Knott Lynda Ruchti
Marc Maillefer Brian Rust
Don Millis Steve Walters
Stewardship Board Update - March 2007
Brothers and Sisters at Door Creek:
Most of what we have to report to you this month has to do with changes that we believe will put us in a better position to grow. We have taken these changes very seriously--carefully considering where our needs are expanding or changing, and how best to match gifts and abilities with needs.
Sabbatical
One thing we have gained over the past two years is a new appreciation for the labors of our staff. Did you know the average length of time pastors stay at a church is 4 to 5 years? A leading reason is burnout. We do not want that to happen to our staff, so we have drafted a sabbatical policy for our full-time pastors and ministry directors. The idea is fairly common among large churches. More details will come in our April SB letter.
Pastor Cal to reduce his hours
One reason to ponder a sabbatical policy is the 20 (!) continuous years of service that Cal and Ruth Steiner have given to the church. Ruth is retiring from teaching elementary school in Cottage Grove this summer. Cal is eligible to retire, but we do not want him to. We have been discussing and praying about the possibility of reducing his hours and modifying his role with the church. This would start with a well-earned sabbatical over the summer. When he returns, Cal will work 60% time in pastoral care ministries--visitation, counseling, weddings, funerals, and occasional teaching.
Other staff adjustments
Cal's work with marriage and family ministries will be shifted to Pastor Bob Goodsell. In order to make room for this new responsibility, Pastor Bob's administrative work with small groups is being moved to Sue Groves.
We hope you have noticed that Middle School (Rock) and High School (Xtreme) ministries are growing. There are 130 active in Rock and 125 active in Xtreme; 94 Xtreme students are involved in a small group! Pastor Kyle is Xtremely busy with these students, and needs help. We have approved at least a part time additional hire in student ministries to come alongside Kyle. A job description and hours are being worked out. Pray for the right person to match the need.
Costs for these shifts and additions are being covered through the reduction in Cal's hours.
Three essential questions
Who is Door Creek Church? Where are we headed? What do we hope to accomplish? These are three essential questions that each of us should be able to answer--particularly as more people visit and inquire about us. The church has (and we affirm) a statement of faith, mission and values (see the web site for details). What we seem to lack is a vision that ties it all together and points us in a clear direction.
The Board and Staff have been working on such a statement for several months. We met again with church leaders in early March to continue to refine, discuss and pray. You will hear more about this as ministry plans are drafted this spring.
Executive Pastor Update
The search team continues to make good progress. Keep praying with us that God would reveal his plans soon.
Change can be good. We are certainly experiencing our share. Please pray expectantly as these changes occur.
In Christ,
Matt Desmond Debbie Marks
John Hunter Greg Peterson
Marty Knott Lynda Ruchti
Marc Maillefer Brian Rust
Don Millis Steve Walters
Stewardship Board Update - February 1, 2007
Brothers and Sisters at Door Creek:We begin our year with more news of progress from your servants on the Board ...
End of year report
We are very, very thankful that the church had a record-setting month for giving ($170,941 plus $7,000 for the special offering) and attendance (1466) in December. While these measures are not the focus of our work, they indicate what resources we have for ministry in the coming months. Join us in praising God for blessing us in outreach and the gift of giving.
Stewardship committee
Erica Hendricks, Dave Skora, Don Millis, and Dave Oldenburg have formed a group to help teach the church about wise use of time and talents. They and others will teach classes on stewardship from time to time. They will also help clearly explain the church budget and income. We are grateful for their service in this important area of church growth.
Search for Executive pastor continues
The five-member search team has interviewed several potential candidates. They do not have a candidate to recommend to the Board at this time. Please continue to ask God to guide the team as it seeks just the right person. This position oversees all staff but the Senior Pastor, and manages the administrative and financial responsibilities of the church. Pastor Marc and the Board are working together to make sure the EP duties are being covered while the search takes place.
Vision retreat
What does God want us to be as a church? What unique opportunities has He given us? How would you describe DCC to a friend in just a few minutes?
These and other questions were discussed at a Staff and Board retreat on Saturday morning, January 20. It was the fourth held in the past year, including one meeting with ministry leaders. We had not met since Marc joined us, so we wanted to meet again and share everyone's ideas. Many passionate observations were shared. And there is much more to do before we are ready to cast vision and direction for the next several years.
We are involved in many important ministries as a church. God is blessing us daily with stories of salvation, obedience, sacrifice and service. We want to be good stewards by focusing on what God wants us to do. Keep praying for clarity and unity for us all. Watch for a report in the coming months.
Leadership development
Thirty-one people gathered on Thursday, January 18 for the first of six leadership development sessions. The series is intended to teach and model servant leadership for those in positions of responsibility in DCC. Marc taught biblical perspectives on character in leadership in the first session. Session two will be on servant leadership.
Communications group
Several people with gifts and interest in communication have formed a committee to help the church in this area. They will meet on a regular basis to coordinate writing, images, print, email, web and other tools to keep you informed of what is going on at DCC. Please contact the church office if you have skills and an interest in helping.
Upcoming town hall meeting
Got questions about how things are going at Door Creek? Mark Sunday, February 25 on your calendar for our first town hall meeting of the year. We will gather for an hour after second service to hear a few ministry reports and answer your questions. Child care will not be provided.
Lord willing, it's going to be an exciting year in the life of our church!
In Christ,
Matt Desmond Debbie Marks
John Hunter Greg Peterson
Marty Knott Lynda Ruchti
Marc Maillefer Brian Rust
Don Millis Steve Walters
Stewardship Board Update - December 21, 2006
Brothers and Sisters at Door Creek:November slipped by us before we could send an update. Here is a report for both November and December.
Pastor Marc's next series
After the current Advent series ends at Christmas, Tom Nebel will teach on December 30-31, and Pastor Cal will each teach on January 5-6. Pastor Marc will then teach a 5-6 week series on "The Storms of Life." This will be all about God doing good in our lives through the hard times. After that, he will teach from Ephesians: from who we are in Christ, to how we live for Christ.
Gift to Blackhawk
Just under $3,500 in gifts were contributed toward Blackhawk Church during the Thanksgiving service offering. The gift is earmarked for their building project. Many thanks to all who contributed toward and prayed for these needs!
Financial review
It is important to all of us that we trust how income, expense and personnel matters are handled in DCC. So last year, DCC hired Wegner LLP to review our financial policies and procedures. At its conclusion, we were praised for our "good procedures, policies and practices." Several recommendations were given to further ensure DCC's financial integrity. We are pleased to report that all but one has been implemented. The Board agreed to address the remaining one in our December meeting.
Budget Update
Year-end giving accounts for a large portion of annual contributions to DCC. While we neither worship money, nor make it central to involvement at DCC, giving of our time and talents is part of what it means to be a Christ follower. We are currently below budget by about $22,500 (11%). Please remember Door Creek in your year-end giving.
Executive pastor search
The church sent Bill Arvold off into retirement this month with a blessing, a plaque and a special gift for him and Laura.
The Executive Pastor search team has been in prayer, in meetings and on the phone, seeking a worthy replacement for Bill. We are glad to report progress-there are a few good, interested candidates. Ask God to guide us to choose just the right person for this important responsibility. In the meantime, many of Bill's former duties have been temporarily moved to current staff and volunteers.
Reaching "twenty-somethings"
The Board and staff want Door Creek to do more to attract those in their late teens through twenties-whether single or married, in school or working (or both!). A few weeks ago Marc invited DCC attenders in their twenties to an open discussion after a Saturday service. About twenty attended and shared many good ideas about how the church can meet the needs of this age group. Several also volunteered to consider forming a ministry triad to plan and implement ideas. Please ask God to guide and bless our attempts to broaden our church family.
Vision work continues
Last spring your Stewards and staff began praying, discussing and planning new statements of direction for Door Creek. There were two retreats and a meeting and survey with ministry leaders. Then we took a slight break as Marc joined us and got up to speed on the process. We have resumed planning. Another retreat is planned for January 20. We hope to begin charting our course as ministry plans are drafted in the spring. Please pray for us as we set our sights on recasting the vision/direction for DCC.
Leadership development
As we grow, Door Creek needs more servant leaders. Our first-ever ministry leadership development series is designed to address that need. Many have signed on to this pilot effort, and will begin meeting monthly from January through June. Will you pray for their preparations, and ask God to provide us with more ministry leaders as we grow?
We are all greatly encouraged by your demonstrations of love, your witness and worship.
In Christ,
Your Stewardship Board
Matt Desmond Debbie Marks
John Hunter Greg Peterson
Marty Knott Lynda Ruchti
Marc Maillefer Brian Rust
Don Millis Steve Walters
Stewardship Board Update - October 25, 2006Brothers and Sisters at Door Creek:
Pastor Marc's first months
We thought it would be helpful to let you know the priorities we have given Marc in his first six months as our Senior Pastor:
Get to know the staff and congregation
Plan and teach the first series (Bible overview)
Prepare a teaching advisory team
Participate in new Executive Pastor search
Make contact with pastors at neighboring EFC churches
Work with Board and staff to continue to refine vision themes
Marc has been hard at work and prayer over each of these things, and more. It's hard to believe almost two months have passed since the Maillefer family joined us. All of us are very thankful for the way God is teaching and leading us through Marc!
Bethany celebrates 100 years
Our "mother" church, Bethany Evangelical Free, will celebrate its 100th anniversary this month. In 1965, members of Bethany decided that, rather than move from their location on Madison's near east-side to what was then the far east side (near Hwy 51), they would plant a church.
Shortly thereafter, Buckeye EFC was born. Then came a west-side church plant, Blackhawk EFC. We are giving Bethany a gift and leaders from our church will attend a commemorative banquet, on behalf of Door Creek.
Please keep Bethany in your prayers as they continue to serve their neighborhood.
Blackhawk Church
We are also making a donation toward the building project at Blackhawk. Plans call for a special offering to be taken during the Thanksgiving eve baptism service. If you would like to contribute toward the total gift from the church, please designate your offering to "Blackhawk building."
We continue to pray for and stand with our sister church as they take a bold step to the far west side of Madison.
Board sub-teams
In addition to providing direction and oversight for Door Creek, the board is also working on three special projects. Three sub-teams have been formed to address church vision and membership, leadership development and policy planning.
Vision and membership
Last summer, the board, staff and ministry leaders discussed the current state of DCC, and our preferred future. The vision team is taking this information and applying it to the DCC mission, values and purposes. Any proposed changes will be shared with church ministry leaders in coming months.
This links closely with membership orientation as we want to be sure new members (as well as old!) know what we are about, and where we are headed. This group is lead by Lynda, Matt and Debbie.
Policy planning
John, Don and Marty form the team that reviews church policies and recommends updates to the board. Many of us at Door Creek assume that, with the help of many volunteers and staff, the church "just runs."
Policies play an important, underlying role in making sure we "run well." This team is largely responsible for translating the hopes and plans into policies that guide and direct our actions.
Leadership development
The board realizes that we have not had a formal program to grow ministry leaders in our midst. Our remedy is a six-month series that will begin in January and will be lead by Marc, Brian, Steve and Greg.
Ministry team leaders, board, staff and others they recommend have been invited to the initial series. If you are serving in ministry and have an interest in leadership training, stay tuned. You will be invited to the next series.
Executive pastor search
The EP search team worked with the board to make some slight changes to the job description. The team has met several times for prayer and to plan next steps. They have begun looking at potential candidates.
Continue to pray with them that the right person will be chosen to lead our staff team in the area of administration.
There are many, many wonderful indications of God's work in our midst. Thank Him and keep praying for guidance as we serve.
Your Stewardship Board,
Matt Desmond John Hunter
Marty Knott Marc Maillefer
Debbie Marks Don Millis
Greg Peterson Lynda Ruchti
Brian Rust Steve Walters
Stewardship Board Update - September 19, 2006
This is our September Board update for you ...
Reminder from Pastor Marc
If you missed the installation service for our new Senior Pastor, you can listen to it on the web site (doorcreekchurch.org), or on tape or CD. There is also an excellent interview with Marc on the web site.
Please remember the three things that Pastor Marc asked us to pray for all of us from 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13 (from the service):
Remember God's definition of success ~ not as the world defines success
Serve with the proper motivation ~ to please God, not people~ and seek the applause of heaven
Follow God's plan for ministry; handle God's people with care, gentleness and love by God's grace
Keep praying as well for the congregation's role as "God's field" (I Corinthians 3) and "living stones" (I Peter 2).
New and old Stewardship Board members
Please welcome Don Millis, Matt Desmond and Debbie Marks as your newest Stewardship Board representatives. They began their three-year terms September 1. Jeff Christopher and Dave Oldenburg just completed their terms. Jeff served two terms, including a few years as Board Chairman. Dave lead the Board in planning many policy and bylaw edits that keep the church "running well" behind the scenes. Please be sure to thank these two gents for their service when you see them!
End of Year Report
We just closed the books on Door Creek's 2005-06 fiscal year (ending August 31). Attendance and membership were up over the previous year. We budgeted $1,503,347, while contributions totaled $1,349,440, leaving us short of our planned budget by $153,907. We reduced spending during the year to stay roughly even with giving. However, we still ended the year with our first shortfall in recent memory: $51,217 (3.4% of budget). Given the events of the past 19 months, coupled with much higher utility costs, this is understandable.
Members approved a new 2006-07 budget of $1,585,105 (17% more than actually received last year). At first glance, this may seem a stretch. With the exception of this past year, it is in line with the pattern of growth we have been experiencing for the past several years.
Please prayerfully consider how you will serve and contribute in this new year.
DCC and Politics
This is an election year. While DCC encourages us all to be informed and vote, we want to remind you of our longstanding practice regarding political involvement as a church. We do not endorse or facilitate educating our members on the candidates or issues. We will not host forums or distribute literature. We may provide biblically-based instruction that relates to some issues from time to time. We plan to draft a document on the broader issue of the role of DCC in engaging society on biblical issues, perhaps within the year.
Executive Pastor Search
In July we mentioned that Bill Arvold had moved to 70% time as our Executive Pastor (EP). He plans to retire by January, 2007. We have just appointed a search team to find a new EP. Members of the team include Board members Marty Knott, Don Millis and Marc Maillefer, and at-large members Erica Hendricks, and Al Auby. The team will begin its work by evaluating and recommending updates to the EP job description. We will keep you informed as things develop. Please pray for the right person for this position.
Continuing to move forward In Christ!
Your Stewardship Board,
Matt Desmond John Hunter
Marty Knott Marc Maillefer
Debbie Marks Don Millis
Greg Peterson Lynda Ruchti
Brian Rust Steve Walters
Stewardship Board Update - July 17:
Door Creek family:
Join me in offering thanks and praise to God who has blessed us with a new senior pastor, Marc Maillefer!
The vote response this past weekend was overwhelming - 97.5% of the members who voted, voted "yes". About 78% of eligible members voted.
The Board extended terms of an agreement to Marc that are in line with those of our previous senior pastor (Brad). Marc accepted. We plan to have him start in the DCC office by mid-August. He will begin teaching the weekend of September 2-3.
I can't begin to tell you how wonderfully God has guided both the Maillefer's and us in this more than year-long process. It was truly remarkable. We are very excited about the future of our church. We hope you are too.
Whether you prayed, voted, or both, thank you for your role in this process. Let's keep praying for God's hand on the transition for Marc, Lori and their family, as well as for all of us as we start another chapter in the life of Door Creek Church.
In Him,
Brian Rust
Chairman
Stewardship Board
More: Read article by Gordon Govier in Capital Times or AllGodsPeople.Com
Stewardship Board Update - May 11, 2006
Brothers and Sisters at Door Creek:
Your Stewardship Board has much to tell you in our May update on activities and decisions.
Senior Pastor Search
Progress continues to be made in the search for a new senior pastor for DCC. The search team is talking with a potential candidate and still contacting and considering other possibilities. We all ask that you pray for clarity for them as well as for the candidate(s) and their families, including those we choose not to pursue.
Please pray that God would reveal His man for DCC as soon as possible but ultimately in His timing.
New Stewardship Board nominees
Each summer two to three members of the Stewardship Board complete their three-year terms. This year Jeff Christopher and David Oldenburg are completing their terms. A ninth Board member will be added so that three new positions will open each year. A nominating committee is being formed to discern and select several new candidates to bring before the congregation for a vote.
If you have suggestions for the nominating committee, please submit them to the church office. The vote occurs at the congregational meeting in August. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for the nominating committee as they select your next representatives on the Board.
Message Plans
While some have had questions regarding the video messages from pastors at Blackhawk Church, most of the feedback continues to be positive. As of the end of May, there will be two more segments in the "Theology for Dummies" series.
If you would like to provide feedback on the video messages, please follow this link to the feedback form.
Starting in June, and for most of the summer, Tom Nebel will return to teach us--live and in person! The two remaining video segments will be scheduled on weekends when Tom will be unavailable.
Preferred Future Plans
The Staff and Stewardship Board met for a half-day retreat and planning session in April. There we spent time discerning who we are as a church, and how we view our "preferred future" or vision. It was a tremendous time of prayer, discussion and agreement! Thank you for praying for us.
We are meeting again on June 3 to plan how to move Door Creek toward that preferred future. Details will be shared with ministry leaders and the rest of the congregation through the late summer. Pray that God would prepare our hearts for the plans He has for us.
Staff Changes
Tricia Pokrandt has joined the staff as Children's Ministry Assistant. Her primary role is serving as staff presence at Children's Ministry during the Saturday night worship service. She also does special projects.
Michelle Liljestrand will be leaving her position as Receptionist/Administrative Assistant near the end of June to be a stay-at-home mom. She will continue as DCC's staff accountant on a part-time basis, working mainly from home. After an interviewing process, we have hired Kim Lange as her replacement. Kim will start on June 5th.
Welcome New Members
We are very excited to welcome 19 new members to Door Creek on the weekend of May 13-14. Over 120 adults have become members in the past 18 months!
Thank you for your continued faithfulness and service!
In Christ,
Your Stewardship Board
Jeff Christopher Dave Oldenburg
Steve Walters Greg Peterson
John Hunter Lynda Ruchti
Marty Knott Brian Rust
Bill Arvold
