HISTORY: 2004's
Exciting Events: Mission Trip, Chili Cookoff and More
Membership
and participation in ministries by our church family was on
the rise in 2004. Recently joining members began to take
leadership roles bringing new ideas, new life, and a renewed
love for Jesus in our midst.
Our missions team took its first steps
outside the United States since our trips to Jamaica in the
early 1990's. Various members of the congregation had
been involved in mission work over the years, including a trip
to Ecuador in 2003 by Mission Team chairs Peter and Margaret
Cutt. But in 2004, several members of our congregation,
including the Cutts, traveled to Galeana, Mexico to perform
some much-needed work on a Boys home located in the higher
elevations of the mountains near Monterrey. There was
something to do for everyone. From teaching God's word to
children, to cleaning and housekeeping chores, to construction
work our mission team and those from across the U.S. had
plenty to do. It was agreed we would return to Galeana
in 2005 and perhaps in years to come.
Photos from the 2004 mission trip to Galeana
Mexico.
Hard at Work
Lunch was shared by all
hiking to "The Arch Of God."
The age of our church was becoming apparent
for the past few years ... .not in its membership, but in the
buildings and equipment that have served us faithfully.
There have been occasional challenges to the Trustees to keep
things running smoothly. In 2004, we asked our members
to pledge 50,000 dollars over a 6-month period to help take
care of some long-standing problems. As always, when our
members were confronted with a challenge they responded and we
got pledges of over 62-thousand dollars. That allowed us
to completely refurbish the roof of the Education building,
lay new carpet in and install a new sound mixer board in the
sanctuary, upgrade our computer software and hardware in
the office, and put money aside to replace some aging air
conditioning units which were expected to fail in the near
future.
Youth/Ministry Intern Nate Custer
sacrifices his pony tail during a
fund raising luncheon. The hair and the $140 raised was
donated to
"Locks Of Love," an organization that makes
wigs for cancer patients.
After only a few months on the job, we
had to say goodbye to another Youth Director. After some
discussion, the SPRC decided that it might be possible to fill
the role with an adult rather than someone fresh out of
college. That's the decision that was made, and it was
with great joy that the position of Youth Director was offered
to and accepted by long-time member Peggy Erwin whose two sons
had been raised in the church from pre-school through college.
In addition, the SPRC hired Nate Custer as a summer assistant
to the youth program, and decided to keep him on staff in the
role of "Ministry Intern." This appears to
have been a winning combination. Peggy offers the voice
of experience and has a mature Faith with which to lead, and
Nate can deal with the youth on their level. The Youth
program responded well to this team and the program is again
gaining strength.
There were changes to the office staff
as well, as Jane Etzel was hired as part-time office
assistant, and Maggie Van Syckle as newsletter editor and
communications coordinator.
We had some memorable fellowship times in
2004, highlighted as always by the annual Chili Cook off in
Januar.
This annual event serves as a fundraiser for the youth
program. Sunday School classes and even individuals pay
to open up a booth and compete for a variety of awards
including the Coveted "People's Choice" award, which
goes to the booth that garners the most donations from the
crowd.
Karaoke booth at Chili Cookoff
Serving up some "hot dog" chili
Something new this year was the "Who
Wants To Be A Bible'aire" gathering during the Summer.
Based on the popular "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"
TV program, this event had adult Sunday School class members
boning up on their Bible knowledge to see who could answer the
most Bible-related questions correctly. Members of the
congregation watched as our contestants impressed, and in some
cases UNimpressed, with their answers.
"Who Wants To Be A Bible'aire"
Contestants
await the next question from Rev. Gary
Leinhart.
The audience is kept on the
edges of their seats by the stiff competition!
During
2004, 94 children attended Vacation Bible School (VBS).
Each one did his
and her part to make sure our mission team was loaded down
with school supplies for the previously mentioned trip to
Galeana, Mexico.
The sanctuary became a tropical island for the finale
performance
of "Lava Lava Island," the theme
for VBS 2004.
