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TABLE OF CONTENTS

2019 Annual Meeting Agenda ......................................................................................... 2

2019 Annual Meeting Resolutions ................................................................................... 3

Strategic Long Range Plan Update ................................................................................. 4

Nominations for Church Council ...................................................................................... 8

Nominations for Endowment Board ................................................................................. 9

Nominations for Synod Assembly Delegates .................................................................. 9

Church Council President Report .................................................................................. 10

Pastor’s Report ............................................................................................................ 12

Youth & Program Director ............................................................................................. 14

Treasurer’s Report ........................................................................................................ 15

Congregational Statistics ............................................................................................... 17

2018 Annual Meeting Minutes ....................................................................................... 18

Summary of Accounts ................................................................................................... 20

RELC Financial Audit 2018 ........................................................................................... 20

Mission and Ministry Budget 2019 ................................................................................ 21

Benevolence and Mission ............................................................................................. 27

Endowment Board ......................................................................................................... 29

Golden Age ................................................................................................................... 30

Health Ministry .............................................................................................................. 31

Local & World Service ................................................................................................... 33

Nursery .......................................................................................................................... 34

Outreach ....................................................................................................................... 35

Property ......................................................................................................................... 37

Refresh .......................................................................................................................... 39

Stewardship .................................................................................................................. 40

Senior High Youth Ministry ............................................................................................ 41

Senior High Youth Financial Statement ......................................................................... 41

Spiritually Equipping Every Disciple (SEED) ................................................................. 41

Music Director ............................................................................................................... 44

Worship and Music ........................................................................................................ 45

Technology .................................................................................................................... 46

Women’s Fellowship ..................................................................................................... 47

Women’s Fellowship Treasurer’s Report ....................................................................... 48

RESURRECTION SUNDAY Sunday, February 3, 2019

A Day of Celebration for our Church Family! 9:00 a.m. Breakfast is Served

9:45 a.m. Annual Meeting 10:45 a.m. Worship

*Please bring this report when you come to the Annual Meeting.

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2019 ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA RESURRECTION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH – GRETNA, NE

I. OPENING PRAYER

II. AGENDA

RESOLUTION 1 - Adoption of the meeting agenda

III. ELECTIONS RESOLUTION 2 - Recognition of retiring Council members

RESOLUTION 3 - Acceptance of ballot and elections

1. Election of three Church Council members 2. Election of two to three Synod Assembly delegates 3. Election of one Endowment Board member

IV. REPORTS RESOLUTION 4 - Acceptance of 2018 Annual Meeting Minutes RESOLUTION 5 - Acceptance of Reports 1. Pastor 2. Church Council President 3. Treasurer 4. Endowment Board 5. Ministry Teams

V. OLD BUSINESS

VI. NEW BUSINESS RESOLUTION 6 - Action on proposed 2019 Mission and Ministry budget

Presentation and Discussion pertaining to Resolution 7

RESOLUTION 7 - Action on proposed Church Property Refresh Project and building loan refinancing to fund the Project in the amount not to exceed a gross loan amount of $500,000. The 2018 action approved $300,000 of new debt. The gross loan amount at time of the 2018 action would have been approximately $500,000. This will allow additional funds to meet the requirements of the proposed renovation while keeping the debt at a similar level.

VII. LORD’S PRAYER / ADJOURNMENT

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RESURRECTION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 2019 ANNUAL MEETING RESOLUTIONS

1. RESOLVED: That the proposed agenda be adopted as the order of business for our 2019 annual meeting.

2. RESOLVED: That the congregation express its deep appreciation to the following

retiring Church Council members: Matt Flynn, Rich Armstrong and Jeremy Reineke.

3. RESOLVED: That the printed ballot along with any nominations from the floor be the official ballot for the election of three Church Council members, two to three Synod Assembly delegates and one Endowment Board member.

4. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the 2018 Annual Meeting be accepted.

5. RESOLVED: That the reports of the Pastor, Church Council President, Treasurer,

Endowment Board and Ministry Teams be accepted.

6. RESOLVED: That the 2019 Mission and Ministry budget be approved.

7. RESOLVED: That the proposed Church Property Refresh Project and building loan refinancing to fund the Project in the amount not to exceed a gross loan amount of $500,000 be accepted.

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NOMINATIONS FOR CHURCH COUNCIL VOTE FOR THREE (THREE-YEAR TERM)

Linda Biel Karas

My name is Linda Biel Karas and I am very interested in serving as a member of the church council. I am married to Kevin Karas and we have three daughters who are in college now.

My history with Resurrection goes way back. My great-grandfather, Fred Krambeck, was on the building committee for our sanctuary. My grandparents, parents, and I have all been married by RELC pastors and I was baptized and confirmed here at RELC. I grew up on a farm southwest of Gretna on Capehart Road and graduated from Gretna High School.

I received my bachelor’s degree in accounting from UNO, became a CPA, and served in many financial/leadership roles ranging from auditor, to senior cost accountant, to Division Controller, then to Vice President of Finance. 22 years ago, I switched focus from my professional career to taking care of our family and have only recently started working again part time as a substitute paraprofessional for the Gretna Schools. Over the years I have kept busy with volunteer work at our children’s schools and at church. I currently teach Sunday School to our church’s middle schoolers.

I am very proud of our Resurrection family. I want to see the best of our church traditions continue, as well as listen to feedback from our congregation to support our future growth and make it the best it can be.

Larry Rippe My name is Larry Rippe and I would consider it an honor to serve on the Resurrection Lutheran Church council. My family joined Resurrection soon after moving to Gretna in July,1998. Over the last 20 years, our 4 children attended Sunday school, were confirmed here and active in our high school youth programs, all of which have helped to establish a faith-based foundation in their lives. Angela, my oldest daughter, was married in our church. Beth and I are firm believers in the importance of providing opportunities for our youth to have Christ in their lives.

My wife, Beth, has been active in the church helping with Sunday School, Bible School, the Mentor program and on several committees. She is currently a member of several choirs and the Worship & Music committee. As for myself, I was a co-chairman of the Facilities Planning committee for the fellowship hall and chairman of the Mission & Benevolence committee and participated in numerous other programs. I currently serve on the refresh committee, member the vocal choir, OWLS and an usher at the early service when needed. Beth & I also represented Resurrection as delegates at several assemblies.

Now that our children are out of school and time requirements for my job are greatly reduced, I feel that the time is right for me to do what I can as a council member, to help Resurrection continue to provide an environment for people to establish and grow in their faith just as it has for me and my family.

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Connie Walters I’m Connie Walters. I live in Gretna and have been an active member of Resurrection Lutheran Church most of my life. I’m retired, have 2 adult children and 2 grown granddaughters. I enjoy gardening and working outside in nice weather and in the winter, I enjoy staying inside! I like to read, go to lunch with friends and I volunteer for Nebraska Dachshund Rescue. Through my adult years at RELC I’ve taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, been on many teams and committees, been a 6th Grade Mentor a few times and have served on the council in the past. Currently, I am on Alter Guild and I help organize activities for the OWLS group. I realize our church is growing and changing and am anxious to help plan for the future of our congregation by listening, learning and working where needed for the betterment of RELC. I feel I have much to offer our church in experience and knowledge and I would be honored to be on the church council.

NOMINATIONS FOR ENDOWMENT BOARD

VOTE FOR ONE (FIVE-YEAR TERM)

Kevin Karas My name is Kevin Karas and I am very interested in serving as a member of the Endowment Board. I am married to Linda Biel Karas and we have three daughters, Maggie, Tayler and Jamie. We live in Tiburon South.

I currently work in Lincoln for National Research Corporation as the Chief Financial Officer. I am a CPA and have held several other senior management and executive level finance positions over the past 30 years. I grew up in Omaha and received my bachelor’s degree in accounting from UNO.

Our family have been members of RELC since 2011 when we moved back to Nebraska after living in Kansas and Minnesota for 20 years. We have a deep history with RELC as Linda and I were married by Pastor Koeber in 1989.

I have served at RELC as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, a member of the Church Council, the Stewardship Committee (on which I still serve) as well as volunteering to help with the Resurrection Run and other RELC events each year.

I would be honored to contribute my time, faith, and financial expertise to serve as a member of the Endowment Board.

DELEGATES TO THE NEBRASKA SYNOD ASSEMBLY MAY 30-JUNE 1, 2019 – KEARNEY, NE

VOTE FOR TWO

Scott Steinhoff

Denise Steinhoff

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CHURCH COUNCIL PRESIDENT 2018 Annual Report

Greetings Church Family – it has been an honor serving as your Council President for the last year. We have had a fantastic year thanks to the support, encouragement, guidance and prayer you have all provided. Early in 2018, your council met for a strategic planning and goal setting session. From that session, we determined our focus would be on three key areas during 2018 that supported our strategic long range plan adopted during our last annual meeting.

Build on Foundations: - The Refresh Team has been very busy with planning for the optimal

way to incorporate a ramp to the sanctuary while beatifying both the

interior and exterior of the church facility. Significant accomplishments

have been made working with the architect and structural engineer. We

have more to consider for what I believe is a very exciting opportunity to

increase the church’s appeal and make it more inviting for all by optimizing

the ramp placement. This will require a new east entrance while making

our Narthex a natural gathering place. Please join the Refresh Team

in a “walkthrough” later this month to see and hear the details.

- Your council formed an Audit Team during 2018 and their first report is

included in this publication. As stewards of our congregation, we must

protect our financial foundations, the trust of your monetary support

and validate the high standards of those you trust with these funds.

This team will report annually going forward.

Engagement: - Multiple small groups have formed within the last year and more are

being considered. Take time to learn about the groups and get

involved. You may find a new interest or learn a new skill. Either way,

you will enjoy some great fellowship and deepen your faith. I can

personally attest to engaging conversation over a cold beverage and

some very kind card sharks that let you win once in a while.

- In the 2019 budget, we are supporting part of the strategic plan to

increase the visibility of RELC by providing funds for an Advertising

budget. We have a lot of opportunity to increase the knowledge of

potential visitors and the ways to gain their attention is rapidly

changing. Like it or not, we are in a social media environment and

gone are the days of Yellow Pages and billboards at the entrance of

town.

Youth: - As approved in the 2018 budget, we have hired Tyler Johnson as our

Youth and Program Director. Please be sure to engage with Tyler and

offer support and guidance on how to continually improve the offering

we have for our youth.

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I feel as if we had a successful year! All of this is due to the dedication and efforts of my fellow council members and RELC staff: Rich Armstrong, Ryan Bergsten, Matt Flynn, DeeAnn Hartman, Karen Hitz, Sue Lobsiger, Jerry Layher, Melanie VanBlarcom, Pastor James, Tyler Johnson, Des Stednitz and Jeanne Ralston. On behalf of myself and the council, I want to personally thank each RELC ministry team and each of you for your contribution of time and talents to RELC this year! All the best in the future as we continue to Share God’s Word, Show God’s Love and Serve God! Respectfully Submitted, Jeremy Reineke

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PASTOR REPORT 2018 Annual Report

Throughout 2018, the Messenger has contained a record of my activities and duties, so I won’t belabor those points here. Instead, I’ll give a few highlights and reflections on 2018. The most important thing that I desire the congregation to hear in this report is that I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to serve you as pastor and I continue to thank God for bringing me here. Goal Keeping: In my report to you last year I set three goals for 2018, two of these goals were achieved, one was not. All three will serve well as reflection points for the year. The first achieved goal was to hire new staff; a program and youth director. This was accomplished as we brought in Tyler Johnson, who has been working to develop new programs and resources for the congregation’s youth, while she learns about what makes our congregation tick. This position is still very fresh and continues to evolve. The second was to study the feasibility of resurrecting an evening worship service. This study has been done, engagement was high, and we will roll out the new Saturday night, blended, worship service in either the season of Lent or Easter of 2019. Unlike previous iterations, this new service has a primary purpose of recognizing the truth that Sunday is no longer a sacred day for the world. People work and activities are scheduled all through Sunday. For many business and sports clubs, Sunday has become simply another day. As such these individuals may not have the availability to worship. Resurrection, as a church, seeks to meet the needs of the world we live in, rather than the world we may wish existed. We will also be supporting this service more fully than in the past in terms of the resources we are investing in it, so that it will feel like a regular service of worship rather than an ad-hock experiment. The third goal, a 5% increase in worship attendance was not met and so will be set again. A number of activities went in to keeping this goal, from the work that Outreach did in curating an inactive member call list, to trying Facebook out as a tool for marketing. These efforts will remain in place and marketing will be given a higher priority in 2019. While a 5% increase in attendance did not materialize we did experience a 46% increase in new membership over 2017. One thing I have observed is that, while it is important to reach out to inactive members, creating new disciples is what enlivens the church. Resurrection remains committed to reaching out to both categories. Lows of 2018: - Personal health: My health has really declined over the past few years. This becomes a low for my role as your pastor in my ability and stamina to do the work of ministry that Resurrection deserves. As the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, I acknowledge that my temple is not in the best state of repair. I will be investing time into this over 2019 so that I can better serve you.

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- Looking back at this year, we may have tried to do too much at once. While many of the things we became involved in were and are exciting, like the Refresh Project and hiring Tyler, it did put some strain on the budget and people’s time. I don’t know if this was really a low or simply a challenge. At any rate, the congregation rose to the occasion. Highs of 2018: For me there were many highs to this year, among them were: - The hiring of new staff - We began the Refresh; new chairs, refurbish of the stain glass windows - The completion of the kid’s “God’s Dugout” space - New Membership was up 46% - Baptisms were up 220% - New ministries were started for the Lambs and through T.A.G. - The ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston was a blast. - God’s Work. Our Hands. We had a great turn out for both the service projects at Kids Against Hunger and HETRA. - VBS - The volunteerism of the congregation. - Increased giving Goals for 2019: - 5% increase in attendance - Better personal health - Taking leadership training to better address the needs of “today’s” church.

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YOUTH & PROGRAM DIRECTOR 2018 Annual Report

This report is to serve as a recap for the first section of my time at RELC; months since my hire to the end of the year. I want to emphasize a sincere thanks from every encouraging member of RELC, your prayers for me have been so appreciated. My Call to RELC Due to surgery delaying a bit of my introduction to all of the ministries of this church, I started here fully in august. My goals upon starting were to aid in the development & production of any and all youth groups by assisting all current leaders and volunteers as needed, as well as following my job description & requests of those around me. New Ministries I was asked by Pastor to begin a program for 1st to 5th graders on Wednesday nights. This is where the LAMBS originated. The curriculum for this program aimed at teaching the fruits of the spirit through the stories of Jesus & other biblical figures that exemplified the quality in question and skills to add to the children’s emotional intelligence, while assisting them in turning their faith/knowledge into action and service. I also started a “tabletop adventure group”! Currently, this group is using the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition rules & going through a pre-published campaign. This group has some members of our church, but mostly is seeing individuals that do not attend here. College ministry programs were drafted this year also, in addition to the SOCK (sponsoring our college kids) ministry that will begin this next academic year, I also have been working with the Nebraska Lutheran Campus Ministries as a member of their governance board to allow programs here to aid kids they have that don’t have a congregation to belong to. I’ve also developed a plan for years to come about possible programs to add or implement to better aid this age group. Existing Ministries I have been also blessed to be in a congregation with such well-developed ministries! The Underground high school group has a great group of kids & some amazing leaders. This upcoming year I am going to be present in that group more and help those leaders be able to work less on projects & allow me to get to know the kids more. In addition, I have also helped with Sunday school, running the church Twitter account, Oktoberfest, trunk or treat, advent fair, assisting with the Christmas program as asked, planned & implemented the Vala’s trip for families, & the caroling event, as well as any other events asked by the pastor or members of the SEED team.

Looking Forward I hope to be present in more activities, to be able to develop/assist with programming to better serve all of the kids & families here at RELC, as well as to better develop. Thank you all for your continued prayers & support.

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TREASURER REPORT 2018 Annual Report

2018 Operating Results Most of the favorable trends from 2017 continued into 2018, and we were able to maintain a strong financial position. Offering to the General Fund decreased slightly because of four consecutive snowy weekends in November, however, total operating income for the year increased by $6,171.88. Offering to the Building Fund remains strong although the current balance does not reflect that. Upfront cost for hiring the architect, our new chairs and payment for repairs that were completed prior to the loan (line of credit) receiving final approval required $55,424.81 be paid from the Building Fund on top of the monthly mortgage payment. As a result, our balance in that fund is $36,160.12 compared to $92,488.38 at the end of 2017. If the upfront cost had been reimbursed by the loan before the end of the year the 2018 balance would be within $1000 of 2017. 2019 Budget For 2019 we are projecting the positive giving trend we have seen the last few years to

continue. While our increase in income was smaller this year than in 2016 and 2017, some

of that was caused by the low envelope income in November. We are trying to be realistic

with our projections rather than supply a number to balance our budget.

From an Expense standpoint, our ministry teams are doing an excellent job controlling their

expenses. Almost all our Team budgets are the same as or smaller than last years. Two

exceptions are Worship & Music who had to increase their projections to accommodate

the idea of a third service based on congregational interest, and the Outreach team that

will begin working with a marketing professional to lend guidance on how we spread our

message of who we are and what we do. The goal of this expenditure is to make more

people aware of RELC which will increase our attendance and giving. In addition, our

administrative expense has increased with the hire of a full time Youth/Program Leader.

Tyler’s hire fulfilled a need for a person to assist Pastor James with youth programs as

well as lending support where needed with other ministry teams, and she has been a

welcome addition to our talent pool.

In total we are budgeting expenses of $373,743.00 which is an increase of $15,204.00 over 2018. With our budgeted income of $367,450.00 we are projecting a deficit of $6,293.00. Total Annual Giving and Fund Balances In 2018 Offering Income increased while contributions to the Building Fund decreased. We believe that the extremely large Building Fund donations received in December 2017 were triggered by the tax law changes that that became effective January 1st of 2018. If we compare the giving level of 2016 to 2018 it shows a much stronger and more realistic picture.

Total Fund Balances Decreased by $50,585.78 which can be completely accounted for by the payments made from the Building Fund for the upfront expenses incurred by the Refresh Team as we began work on our building. Our loan balance is now down to $81,491.69.

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Annual Giving Building Offering Total

Year End Loan

Balance

2016 $106,951.29 $281,445.32 $388,396.61 $246,533.65

2017 $132,549.50* $301,998.57 $434,548.07 $159,302.65

2018 $90,489.16 $313,529.43 $404,018.59 $81,491.69

* A 2017 end of year building donation of $11,375 was misreported and not included in this table in 2017. Therefore, the total building giving and total giving for 2017 have been increased to reflect that donation. All other financial reporting in 2017 and 2018 reflect this donation hitting in 2017.

Fund Balances Building Memorial General

Total Fund Balances

2016 $54,408.50 $44,044.57 $87,181.57 $185,634.64

2017 $92,488.38 $47,533.75 $105,457.67 $245,479.80

2018 $36,160.12 $37,571.68 $121,162.22 $194,894.02

I want to thank every member of our Congregation for the tremendous level of support for our mission to spread God’s word and His generosity to all who desire and need it. As we grow our staff to improve our ministry, we will incur challenges, but I have no doubt that the members of this congregation will rise to any challenge. Rich Armstrong 2018 Church Council Treasurer

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CONGREGATIONAL STATISTICS

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 BAPTIZED 717 765 821 800 797 CHILDREN 198 188 259 191 194 CONFIRMED 553 555 597 517 515 COMMUNING 491 545 387 450 455 CONFIRMED MEMBERS WHO COMMUNED & CONTRIBUTED

239

236

203

206

225

CURRENT YEAR – 2018 MEMBERS RECEIVED Baptized 16 Confirmed 16 Transferred In 16 MEMBERS REMOVED Died 5 Transferred Out 20 Statistical Adjustment 26

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 HERITAGE 8:30am WORSHIP 82 83 102 91 90 JUBILATION 10:45am WORSHIP 145 140 126 132 117 AVERAGE WORSHIP TOTALS 227 223 228 223 209

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RESURRECTION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 2018 ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES

1. Opening - Council President Brenda Fleck welcomed everyone to the meeting

and Pastor James opened with a prayer.

2. Resolution 1 - Adoption of the meeting agenda—Steve moved to approve the

meeting agenda. Richard Ayer seconded. Agenda Approved.

3. Resolution 2 - Recognition of retiring Council members — Eric Pinkall and Kevin

Karas

4. Resolution 3 - Acceptance of Ballot and Elections—Ballot for Church Council.

Motion was made by Doug Ayer and seconded by Lisa Roseland to accept the

candidates and a vote by acclimation. Motion Approved.

5. Resolution 4 - On the 2017 annual meeting minutes Matt Hill Moved. Bob

Roberts Seconded.

6. Resolution 5 - Acceptance of Reports. Motion by Bill Schwarten. Seconded by

Becky Schnack. Motion Approved.

7. Resolution 6 - Action on proposed 2018 Mission and Ministry Budget. George

Jahn Moved. Bill Schwarten seconded. Becky Schnack asked if Youth Pastor

would be ½ a year. Keven Karas reported that it is budgeted for 9 months. Tammy

asked regarding Youth Program Coordinator. Midweek meal moved to administrative

from Outreach. Connie Walters asked about the Owl Table Grace dinner expense.

Kevin Karas explained that this was part of benevolence. Brian Roeber asked

about the 10,000 budgeted Feed the Roots. Kevin explained that the line item

was more or less for benevolence. Kim Hoyer asked it the office manager salary

covered both positions. Yes, it does. Leroy Hoyer asked about the 500.00 budget

for Sunday School. Leroy inquired if this was enough to educate all of our students.

Pastor pointed out the total budget for Christian education is $4,200. Matt Hill

was asking about strategies for advertising and if there was any plan to do paid

advertising. Kevin Karas reported that there was $1,000 for external communications.

Marcia Wilderdyke suggested that we work with the local newspapers to put articles

in the paper. Del Armstrong said that we currently have limited space to grow at

this campus. Brenda stated that until we see an increase in growth that we likely

would not be building. Also, as a part of the SLRP process the team is continually

planning for the church’s future. Kris Wagner discussed how the Outreach team

had considered expanding our reach to external groups. Matt Hill asked if the

budget could be adjusted if there was no hire in April. Brenda suggested that the

council would work to adjust the budget as needed. Charlotte Pfeffer asked about

attendance numbers. The question was raised, why members were leaving? Motion

by Steve and Richard Armstrong seconded to approve the budget. Motion passed.

8. Resolution 7 - Action to approve the Strategic Long Range Plan. Becky Schnack

moved to approve the SLRP. Mardelle Bergsten seconded the motion. Motion

passed.

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9. Resolution 8 - Action on Church Property Refresh. Motioned by Richard Ayer

and seconded by Bill Schwarten. Tammy Williams asked about the payments

and loan proposed in the Refresh. Kevin Karas explained that this would add 3

more years of payment onto the current loan. Motion Passed.

10. Resolution 9 - Action on the amended Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church

Constitution. Motion by Eric Pinkall to approve. Seconded by Jennifer Bush.

Motion passed.

11. Motion to adjourn the meeting by Ryan Bergsten. Seconded by Richard Ayer.

12. Brenda led the congregation in the Lord’s Prayer.

Respectfully Submitted, Matt Flynn, Church Council Secretary

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SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTS

General Fund Beginning Balance (01/01/18) $105,457.67 Inflows $367,833.71 Outflows $352,129.16 Ending Balance (12/31/18) $121,162.22 Memorial Fund Beginning Balance (01/01/18) $ 47,533.75 Inflows $ 16,571.50 Outflows $ 26,533.57 Ending Balance (12/31/18) $ 37,571.68 Capital Account Beginning Balance (01/01/18) $92,488.38 Inflows $90,489.16 Outflows $146,817.42 Ending Balance (12/31/18) $36,160.12 Church Building / Rentals Loan Information

Bank Balance (12/31/18) $81,491.69 Interest Rate 5.25%

RELC FINANCIAL AUDIT 2018

Resurrection Church Financial Audit In 2018, the Church Council initiated an audit of the church's financial records. It was conducted internally by volunteer members of the congregation. They noted that historical rental property income was not recorded appropriately resulting in a one-time adjustment. No other discrepancies or concerns were noted. The committee recommended an annual review of the records be conducted to ensure they are accurate and appropriate.

The Council would like to thank Becky Schnack, Kris Wagner, and Richard Bergsten for their contributions of time and talent for this effort!

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MISSION AND MINISTRY BUDGET 2019 2018

Budget Jan - Dec 18 Actual

2019 Budget

Income

COMMITTEE INCOME

Outreach

God's Work, Our Hands 1,000.00 90.00

Donut & Coffee Donations 150.00 268.86 200.00

Total Outreach 1,150.00 358.86 200.00

Property

Fellowship Hall Chair Sales 1,540.00

Total Property 1,540.00

Vacation Bible Schools 1,500.00 1,611.03 1,500.00

Youth and Family Income 300.00

Other 500.00

Total Youth and Family Income 500.00 1,800.00

Total COMMITTEE INCOME 3,150.00 3,509.89 2,000.00

HALL RENTAL 600.00 735.00 600.00

INTEREST 150.00 241.21 200.00

LOCAL OFFERING

Vanco-Simply Giving 80,000.00 80,082.40 80,000.00

Local Envelope 233,000.00 232,665.66 245,000.00

Sunday School 500.00 311.37 300.00

Vacation Bible School 70.00

LOCAL OFFERING - Other 400.00

Total LOCAL OFFERING 313,500.00 313,529.43 325,300.00

MISC

Copier Usage 9.00

TAGG 363.85 400.00

Bulletin Ream 600.00 530.00 600.00

Confirmation Ream 280.00

Kitchen Supplies 125.00

Lily Fund 203.46

Misc 1,495.00

Poinsettia 147.00

Rental Property Income 23,600.00 22,619.82 23,600.00

Wrong Deposit (500.00)

Total MISC 24,200.00 25,273.13 24,600.00

MISSION - DESIGNATED

Least of My Brethren 255.00

ELCA 824.00

Kids Against Hunger 1,648.16

Gretna Neighbors 830.07

Lutheran Family Services 808.00

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NLOM 774.00

Other 5,000.00 5,000.00

Prison Ministries 726.00

PROJECT HOPE 722.02

TANZANIA 762.04

World Hunger 48.00

Total MISSION - DESIGNATED 5,000.00 7,397.29 5,000.00

SPECIAL EVENTS INCOME

Oktoberfest 1,000.00 475.21 350.00

Thrivent Choice Dollars 1,000.00 812.00 900.00

Wed Night Dinner 10,000.00 8,818.86 8,500.00

Total SPECIAL EVENTS INCOME 12,000.00 10,106.07 9,750.00

Total Income 358,600.00 360,792.02 367,450.00

Expense

ADMINISTRATIVE

INSURANCE

Property Ins 11,500.00 11,838.19 10,600.00

Workmen’s Comp 778.50 1,040.00

INSURANCE - Other (468.00)

Total INSURANCE 11,500.00 12,148.69 11,640.00

MISC EXPENSE

Advertising 500.00 850.87 500.00

Advent Tree Lights 50.00

Background Checks 200.00 218.00 200.00

Devotion Guides 200.00 158.00 200.00

Easter Breakfast 101.15 120.00

Kitchen Supplies 400.00 210.25 220.00

Mid Week Meal 10,800.00 8,503.73 8,500.00

Misc 500.00 993.08 500.00

Oktoberfest 1,000.00 359.98 350.00

Poinsettias 153.01

Pulpit Supply 500.00 625.16 880.00

Synod Delegates 350.00 1,150.00 675.00

Theological Conferences 180.00 200.00

Vanco Services 1,200.00 1,184.37 1,200.00

Total MISC EXPENSE 15,700.00 14,687.60 13,545.00

OFFICE EXPENSE

Office Temporary Labor 1,215.00 1,500.00

Office Equipment 300.00 149.99 200.00

Office Supplies 1,800.00 1,790.51 1,800.00

Postage 1,800.00 2,097.34 2,200.00

SERVICES

Copier Lease Base Fee 1,800.00 1,784.76 1,800.00

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Copier Monthly Print Charge 1,600.00 1,293.24 1,400.00 On-Line Accounting 500.00 949.12 1,200.00

Total SERVICES 3,900.00 4,027.12 4,400.00

Total OFFICE EXPENSE 7,800.00 9,279.96 10,100.00

SALARY & BENEFITS

Medicare Expense 1,270.43 1,630.00

Social Security Expense 5,432.17 6,960.00

SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE 6,000.00 6,675.49 8,590.00

KITCHEN COORDINATOR 8,750.00 8,000.00 8,000.00

MUSIC COORDINATOR 21,200.00 21,099.92 21,200.00

NURSERY COORDINATOR

Nursery Coordinator Salary 1,800.00 1,659.60 3,800.00 Nursery Staff 1,200.00 589.00 - Nursery Supplies 100.00 21.00 100.00

Nursery Training 60.00 - -

Total NURSERY COORDINATOR 3,160.00 2,269.60 3,900.00

OFFICE MANAGER 45,000.00 38,406.06 42,500.00

SENIOR PASTOR

Continuing Education 1,200.00 70.00 850.00

Disability & Fees 1,750.00 1,738.08 1,530.00

Group Life Insurance 175.00 173.76 120.00

Health Ins 9,000.00 9,530.64 10,960.00

Housing Allowance 12,420.00 12,420.00 13,140.00

Pension 6,950.00 6,952.44 7,370.00 Pretax Retirement Contribution 193.12 Retiree Support 405.00 405.60 430.00

Salary 45,000.00 45,542.22 48,250.00 Travel Allowance 2,000.00 2,296.71 4,700.00

Total SENIOR PASTOR 78,900.00 79,322.57 87,350.00

SNOW REMOVAL 500.00 837.50 725.00

YOUTH & PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Health Insurance 6,750.00 - -

Salary 27,000.00 - 36,000.00

Total YOUTH & PROGRAM COORD. 33,750.00 17,612.70 36,000.00

Total SALARY & BENEFITS 197,260.00 174,223.84 208,265.00

UTILITIES

Rental Property Water 81.64 -

Electric 15,000.00 13,835.00 15,000.00

Natural Gas 6,000.00 6,198.73 6,000.00

Refuse 1,500.00 760.00 840.00

Rental Property Natural Gas 151.22 -

Telephone 3,300.00 3,379.58 3,400.00

Water 1,500.00 1,468.14 1,500.00

Total UTILITIES 27,300.00 25,874.31 26,740.00

Total ADMINISTRATIVE 259,560.00 236,214.40 270,290.00

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BENEVOLENCE

Least of My Brethren 255.00

Kids Against Hunger 1,500.00

Ronald McDonald House 472.94

ELCA 824.00

Feed the Roots, Grow the Forest 10,000.00 1,850.00

Gretna Neighbors 1,840.92

Lutheran Disaster Relief 422.82

Lutheran Family Services 808.00

Misc 801.76

Nebr Luth Outdoor Ministries 774.00

Nebr Lutheran Campus Ministry 500.00

Nebr Synod 25,000.00 25,816.48 26,000.00

Orphan Grain Train 472.94

Prison Ministries 726.00

Project Hope 722.02

SIENNA FRANCIS HOUSE 422.82

Tabitha 500.00

TANZANIA 762.04

World Hunger 48.00

Total BENEVOLENCE 35,000.00 39,519.74 33,530.00

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

CHRISTIAN/YOUTH & FAMILY

Christmas Program 250.00 38.93 150.00

Curriculum 2,000.00 2,120.61 2,200.00

Supplies 350.00 128.19 250.00

Teacher Appreciation 100.00 66.02 100.00

VBS/Day Camp 1,500.00 1,966.28 1,500.00

Total CHRISTIAN/YOUTH & FAMILY 4,200.00 4,320.03 4,200.00

FAITH STEPPING STONES

Confirmation Altar Flowers 60.00 60.00

6th Grade Mentor Reception 79.92 80.00

0-03 Year Old Monthly Flyer 200.00 - 100.00

3 Year Old Bibles 200.00 97.44 100.00

3rd Grade Bibles/Class 200.00 191.84 200.00

Baptism Candle 50.00 39.21 50.00

Baptism Certificates 100.00 - -

Baptism Sponsor Books 100.00 307.40 200.00

Confirmation Cake 60.00 - 60.00

Confirmation Certificates 50.00 - 50.00

Confirmation Corsages 120.00 83.00 120.00

Senior Quilts 200.00 200.00 200.00

Total FAITH STEPPING STONES 1,280.00 1,058.81 1,220.00

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YOUTH AND FAMILY

Age Specific Programming 109.27 200.00

Adult Curriculum 500.00 - 500.00

Confirmation Curriculum 500.00 565.64 600.00

Confirmation Supplies 250.00 231.00 250.00

Faith Stepping Stones 60.00 120.00 50.00

Lyon Assembly 300.00 300.00

Senior High Ministry 100.00 49.20 100.00

SOCK 150.00

Women’s Ministry 250.00 - 100.00

Total YOUTH AND FAMILY 1,660.00 1,375.11 2,250.00

Total CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 7,140.00 6,753.95 7,670.00

GOLDEN AGE

Christmas Tea 75.00 58.64 75.00

Easter Baskets 225.00 200.00 225.00

Total GOLDEN AGE 300.00 258.64 300.00

HEALTH MINISTRY

AED Supplies 200.00 75.90

Education Materials/Books 50.00 17.42

First Aid Kit 60.32

Green Team Supplies 50.00 44.34

Hand Sanitizer 100.00 -

Liability Insurance 200.00 127.00

Misc Supplies 75.00 65.97

Splash Program 200.00 302.62

Total HEALTH MINISTRY 875.00 693.57 1,000.00

LOCAL & WORLD SERVICE

Misc 100.00 - -

Transients 40.00 -

Total LOCAL & WORLD SERVICE 100.00 40.00 400.00

OUTREACH

Marketing/Outreach 500.00 530.22 6,200.00 New Member Reception 50.00 97.97 100.00

Parade 1,000.00 50.25 200.00 Postage 200.00

Resurrection Cafe 1,200.00 958.80 1,200.00

Trunk or Treat 100.00 - 100.00

Total OUTREACH 2,850.00 1,637.24 8,000.00

PROPERTY

Rental Property Maintenance 5,545.00 6,044.71 2,400.00

Rental Property Taxes 4,364.00 4,364.70 4,533.00

Fire System Maintenance 1,000.00 673.50 1,000.00

Interior Maintenance 6,800.00 5,532.24 9,100.00

Exterior Maintenance 800.00 1,892.80 1,700.00

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Janitorial 16,600.00 16,276.52 16,400.00

Test Lawn Sprinkler Backflow 110.00 - 110.00

Total PROPERTY 35,219.00 34,784.47 35,243.00

SPECIAL EVENTS

Easter Lily 190.06 200.00

Total SPECIAL EVENTS 190.06 200.00

STEWARDSHIP Consecration Sunday 500.00 440.88 500.00

Offering Envelopes 300.00 201.35 210.00

Total STEWARDSHIP 800.00 642.23 710.00

TECHNOLOGY

Computer Equipment 4,500.00 3,840.95 2,040.00

Internet 2,000.00 998.00 1,260.00

Website 250.00 464.10 700.00

Total TECHNOLOGY 6,750.00 5,303.05 4,000.00

WORSHIP AND MUSIC

Altar Guild 325.00 286.75 325.00

Choir Accompanist 1,350.00 725.00 1,350.00

Flowers 200.00 99.75 200.00

Service Accompanist 3,900.00 3,630.00 7,000.00

License 1,070.00 1,128.17 1,225.00

Maintenance/Repairs 500.00 - 1,000.00

Misc 100.00 54.38 300.00

Musicians for Christmas/Easter 1,000.00 - -

Other 1,500.00 2,136.34 1,000.00

Supplies 209.00

Total WORSHIP AND MUSIC 9,945.00 8,269.39 12,400.00

Total Expense 358,539.00 334,306.74 373,743.00

61.00 26,485.28 (6,293.00)

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BENEVOLENCE & MISSION TEAM 2018 Annual Report

Team Members: Del Armstrong (chairperson) Sue Lobsiger Marsha Wilderdyke Jeanne Ralston

Kyle Slusher (secretary) Richard Bergsten Council Liaison: Rich Armstrong

Nebraska Synod/ELCA Mission Share: 8% of our offering each month goes directly to the Nebraska Synod/ELCA Total for 2018 = $25,082.35 Other Giving: 2% of our offering is given away quarterly Total for 2018 = $6,270.59 1st Quarter - $1,445.88

• $500.00 - “Feed the Roots, Grow the Forest” – Nebraska Synod Campaign o Our congregation pledged $18,000 for this campaign o It is the plan of our committee, to provide $1,000 each quarter to the NE

Synod Campaign to help our church meet its commitment. o Due to a reduction in Mission and Benevolence share, we have reduced

our quarterly giving to $500.00 o about 1 year left on this pledge

• $472.94 The Ronald McDonald House Omaha

• $472.94 Orphan Grain Train

2nd Quarter - $1,430.70 • $500.00 “Feed the Roots, Grow the Forest” – Nebraska Synod Campaign

• $500.00 Tabitha Health Services

• $430.70 Gretna Neighbors rental sponsorship

3rd Quarter - $1375.79 • $350.00 Feet the Roots- finished commitment!

• $180.15 Half of the $360.30 needed to finish the 2018 Gretna Neighbors donation.

• $422.82 Hurricane/Disaster Relief ELCA World Hunger

• $422.82 Sienna Francis

4th Quarter - $2018.22

• $180.15 Half of the $360.30 needed to finish the 2018 Gretna Neighbors donation.

• $612.69 Gretna Public Schools Lunch Program

• $612.69 HETRA

• $612.69 Stephen Center

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Lenten Giving - $4,664.09

Lenten Offerings Dates $ 4,664.09

ELCA Youth Leadership 2/14/2018 $ 824.00

Gretna Neighbors 2/21/2018 $ 830.07

Lutheran Family Services Refugee Services 2/28/2018 $ 808.00

Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries 3/7/2018 $ 774.00

Project Hope 3/14/2018 $ 702.02

Prison Ministries 3/21/2018 $ 726.00

Total Giving for 2018 = $36,107.03

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ENDOWMENT BOARD 2018 Annual Report

Board Members: Kris Wagner Chair Person 2nd Year Richard Ayer Treasurer 1st Year Brian Roeber Secretary 3rd Year Deb Mindrup 5th Year Richard Bergsten 4th Year Jeremy Reineke Council Liaison The Endowment Fund was established in 1990. The Endowment Fund’s principal was funded by charitable contributions from members of the congregation. The purpose of the Fund is to enhance the mission of RELC apart from the general operation of the congregation.

2018 Financial Highlights (as of 11/30/18) Fund Principal (since inception): $203,989.12 Fund Balance: $241,842.78* *Value does not include items that have not cleared the bank 2018 Management Fees $ 1,763.03 2018 Fund Performance 2.78% 2018 Disbursements (as of 12/18/18) $ 15,519.00

Summary of 2018 cash disbursements: Tuition Scholarships $ 13,255.00 Camp Scholarships $ 2,064.00 LYON Assembly $ 200.00

The following table shows year-by-year Endowment Fund disbursements:

2018 $15,519.00 2011 $21,725.50 2004 $ 8,530.73 1997 $10,201.00

2017 $11,495.00 2010 $13,403.66 2003 $ 8,517.50 1996 $16,871.54

2016 $ 6,833.00 2009 $ 6,538.00 2002 $10,046.00 1995 $13,501.50

2015 $16,669.32 2008 $ 7,719.95 2001 $ 9,698.42 1994 $ 8,079.90

2014 $14,409.32 2007 $10,067.68 2000 $12,325.00 1993 $13,897.24

2013 $14,109.00 2006 $ 7,345.02 1999 $13,030.50 1992 $12,772.00

2012 $13,969.50 2005 $ 8,306.50 1998 $37,835.50 1990-91 $ 8,000.00

Total $351,417.28

The Board has established a quarterly meeting schedule and therefore met 4 times during 2018.

Please keep in mind that a gift to the Endowment Fund makes a long-lasting contribution to the church and its programs. The Board welcomes the input of the congregation regarding gifts and disbursements. Please contact a Board member with any suggestions. Respectfully Submitted, Kris Wagner, Chairman

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GOLDEN AGE 2018 Annual Report

Our Team continues to go to SilverRidge, although there are only three members there at present. Every year it changes, but there are a few members that are at other health centers. Right now, there are only three members who give communion, plus Pastor James. It would really be appreciated if there is anyone who would consider going to a member’s homes or assisted living home. They really appreciate having someone come and visit with them. Communion only takes a few minutes to read off of a prepared paper and the rest of the time they just want to visit and find out what is going on in our church. At Easter we deliver sacks of Easter candy (Chocolate bunnies), visit a while, give communion, two minutes, and go on to the next member or that is it. Christmas, we have communion at SilverRidge with cookies, candies, just goodies. Pastor is there to tell the Christmas story and give communion. That consists of two morning or afternoons to celebrate Easter and Christmas. We try to give monthly communion, but if your life doesn't always match with that, then you go when it is possible. Our lives are not written in stone, but they appreciate whatever we can give them. It is not hard or like we are giving a sermon...this is talking to our members just like our parents who like to have people come and say hello. Please consider this small project in your life and theirs. If you have questions, please call and chat with me or with Pastor concerning this. I was reluctant also, and then I plunged in and found out it was just like talking to a friend...it becomes a nice friend....and it really is pleasant and rewarding.

Respectfully submitted, Charlotte Pfeffer, Chairperson

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HEALTH MINISTRY TEAM 2018 Annual Report

Blessings to you from your Health Ministry Team!

Your Health Ministry Team is comprised of trained Faith Community Nurses and several dedicated health professionals and lay members who have an interest in health promotion and wellness. The past year we have stayed busy continuing with the successful programs we have in place as well as offering a few new ones.

We continue with newsletters in the Messenger, offering timely information for whole-person health. We continue with our monthly blood pressure screenings (stop by and see us on the third Sunday between services). We also provide health-related information and events on our bulletin board at the south end of the hall outside the Fellowship Hall and in the restrooms.

Our Splash! ministry continues to grow as (in partnership with the S.E.E.D. Team) we mail monthly newsletters with parenting and spiritual formation tips to families with children age 1 month-36 months. We are now serving approximately 25 families in this exciting ministry.

We continue to offer FREE colon cancer screening kits in March, in partnership with CHI Health and the American Cancer Society. We also offer a Flu Shot Clinic in the fall. We hope you will continue to take advantage of these opportunities.

We continue to enjoy our Low-Impact Exercise Class. It is held every Friday morning at 9:00 and is open to the community. This program is geared for those over 50, but anyone is welcome! To find out more about this great opportunity, talk to Linda Anderson or Nicki Ayer.

In 2018, we continue our Moving for Better Balance Tai Chi classes. Research shows that tai chi reduces falls up to 50% in those age 65 and older. Tai chi also reduces stress and high blood pressure, relieves anxiety and improves sleep. It can also increase strength and flexibility and relieve chronic pain. Our participants have experienced a significant increase in balance at the completion of a 12-week session. Our next session will begin on Monday, January 14th, at 9:00. If you are interested in classes, talk to Karen Hitz or Nicki Ayer.

Also, in 2018, we continued our Prayer Shawl Ministry Resurrection. Knitters and crocheters get together periodically to work on their projects…and have a lot of fun in the process! In November, we partnered with several other stitchers in the Gretna area to provide approximately 400 hats and washcloths to Least of My Brethren. Feel free to stop by the office anytime to pick up a prayer shawl or smaller prayer square for someone who is going through a difficult time. Also, if you would like to stitch a shawl, lap blanket or prayer square, or would like to learn how to knit or crochet, please contact Karen Hitz or Nicki Ayer.

The Faith Family Trekkers continue to log miles together, while enjoying great conversation along the way. For more information, contact Sue Lobsiger.

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We continue to offer our Medical Supply Closet. If you are in need of like-new medical equipment, you can borrow any item from the closet at no charge for as long as you need it. You can also donate your gently-used equipment for others to use. Contact anyone on the Health Ministry Team with questions.

An off-shoot of the Health Ministry Team is our Green Team, which was formed in 2009. We have placed recycle bins in the kitchen area and in the Resurrection Café. In celebration of Earth Day, in April we sponsored a showing of WALL-E, complete with popcorn, healthy snacks and door prizes. Please feel free to join us if you have an interest in being a good steward of God’s creation! Also, when making decisions on the other Teams in which you are involved, please keep this environmental stewardship in mind.

As always, if you have any health-related questions or concerns, please stop one of us in the in the hall or give us a call. We are here to serve you! Also, if you have interest in joining our Health Ministry Team, please contact Nicki Ayer or call the office.

Respectfully submitted, Nicki Ayer

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LOCAL AND WORLD SERVICE 2018 Annual Report

Areas of Focus:

Congregation: *Provided meals to families with new babies. *Assisted with Easter Egg Hunt to benefit Kids Against Hunger. *Created a Memorial Day banner for members to post the names of loved ones during the Memorial Day holiday. *Co-sponsored God’s Work Our Hands with the Outreach Team with service projects benefiting HETRA, Least of My Brethren and Kids Against Hunger.

Gretna & Sarpy County: *Provided emergency money to be used for transients in times of need. *Continue to raise funds for the Good Samaritan Fund and student sponsorships through TAGG.

Greater Omaha area: *Coordinated Lenten Gift bags –collecting 75 paper bags filled with various hygiene, food, cleaning and personal items for those in need during the Lenten season – Provided to Project Hope. *Coordinated collecting travel-size hygiene items for our hospitalized military veterans. *Collected nearly $600 in cash donations to provide Thanksgiving meals for families in need through Project Hope. *Provided Christmas gifts to 55 residents in the Douglas County Nursing Home. *Collect pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Omaha.

*Continued to promote & accept food, clothing and personal hygiene donations for the Project Hope food pantry in North Omaha.

World: *Sponsoring 2 primary students in the Nkuu Kati Parish in Tanzania.

The Local and World Service Team would like to thank everyone who generously supported our team’s ministry to reach out and serve others in the name of Christ. Serving on the Local and World Service Team for 2018 were: Shelley Schram: Co-Chair, Nicole Slusher: Co-Chair, Sue Lobsiger: Council Liaison, Lexie Frahm: Secretary, Terrie Wohlers, Kari Bergsten, Mya Williams, Marissa Ellingson, Lauren Ostdiek-Wille, and Joy Weishaar.

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NURSERY 2018 Annual Report

Hello, let me start by introducing myself for some of you that don’t know me, I am Taylor Renner, the nursery coordinator at the church. I have been nursery coordinator for a year now. I am currently the lead Pre-K teacher at Little Red School House in Gretna, and I have been there for two half years now. I absolutely love kids and I have always loved kids. My mother owned an in-home daycare while I was growing up. I started babysitting neighborhood kids when I turned 13. I am currently working on getting my bachelors in elementary education at Grand Canyon university.

My philosophy for the nursery is that children should be safe and loved by all staff members. They should be able to learn about Jesus through the nursery books, crafts and through music.

I am very blessed for another year in the nursery. This year I would like to bring in some more staff members as a back-up, in case I would be unable to be in the nursery at any time, this seemed to be an issue this year for the nursery. I want the nursery to always be open and available to families. I would like the best of the best in the nursery, as I want the children to feel loved and safe in there. I would also love to bring in some more toys and art supplies as the children love to do art and we have limited supplies of this in the nursery.

Taylor Renner RELC Nursery Coordinator

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OUTREACH 2018 Annual Report

Members: Ryan Bergsten (Council Liaison), Anne Brodin, Brenda Fleck, Wendy Hirschfeld, Eric Pinkall, Bob Roberts (now retired), Becky Schnack (Vice-Chair), Bill Schwarten, Kris Wagner (outgoing Chair), Marsha Wilderdyke (incoming Chair).

In 2018, the Outreach Team has been honored to oversee our usual duties and take on some new responsibilities based on the Strategic Long-Range Plan. It has been a successful and rewarding year and we would like to share this snapshot with you.

EVENTS: Chili Cook-off: We had approximately 20 participants who contributed interesting and delicious chili for this fundraiser for the youth’s yearly mission trip.

Mid-Week Meal: We have integrated announcements into Mid-Week Meal. We have also started showing informational slides on the screens. Attendance and donations are up slightly compared to last year.

Café: The Resurrection Café continues to be a popular gathering place between services. We have consistent participation by volunteers.

Business Fair: 2018 was the first year RELC participated in the Gretna Business Fair which was held on March 17. We decorated our booth in a St. Patrick’s theme with RELC information and a guessing game: How many wafers in the jar? All guesses were deemed correct based on Grace and each entrant was given a certificate good for Mid-Week Meal. We also had RELC business cards printed and handed them out. It was a fun event and we made many connections. In 2019, we plan to host a photo booth with props for attendees to take pictures.

Gretna Days: The Team sponsored a parade float with the theme: “Youth Groups of All Ages”. We recruited members from FISH through OWLS to ride the float and demonstrate one of their group’s activities. The Team also made breakfast casseroles which were a hit at the Run breakfast.

God’s Work Our Hands (coordinated with Local and World Service Team): This year we helped with HETRA Fall clean-up (12-15 participants), Kids against hunger ingredients packing (26 participants), and Least of My Brethren drive for household items and adult bikes (four bikes, numerous household goods, and cash). We plan to do this drive again in January because we had a very positive response.

Trunk or Treat: This event was lively and entertaining as it is each year. We had approximately 80 trick-or-treaters, numerous trunks, and nine interactive games run by 36 youth volunteers. And, Schwann’ brought ice cream for everyone. This year we moved to a coin-prize system from the standard candy-prize system. The coins were then traded in for snack cakes and the kids seemed to like the new system.

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INITIATIVES: Target Marketing: The Team designed and had a postcard printed to send to new members of the community. We also have determined the target demographic and the source for obtaining the name and address information. Postcards will be sent out in January 2019.

Name Tag Sundays: We have had two nametag Sundays. In addition, we have been asking everyone to write something about themselves such as hometown or hobby. The name tags serve as ice breakers and have been well received. We plan to continue nametag Sunday into 2019.

Gretna Churches Group: We started a FaceBook page that is open to all members of Gretna Churches. The goal of this page is to provide a place for all churches and members to post their events that are of interest to other church members.

OTHER DUTIES: Connector Schedule and Guidelines: We updated the Connector Schedule. The Connector Guidelines along with an invitation to participate as a Connector were sent by email to all members. The Team is also making an effort to recruit new members by word of mouth.

Absentee List: The Team curated this list with the help of some long-time members. We decided each absent member must be treated on a case- by-case basis. Some need calls from Pastor, some need a Team member to check-in with them, and some may need a letter sent. The manner of contact will be determined by Pastor and/or the Team. Lists are scheduled to be evaluated quarterly.

New Member Faith Sponsors assignments: The Team considers new members and those interested in RELC. With the help of Pastor, we match these individuals with an individual or couple of similar age and interests. In addition, we purchased Resurrection travel mugs to give to new members. This year we are working towards presenting new members with a welcome basket designed to make new members feel welcome at Resurrection as their new church family.

Respectfully submitted, The Outreach Team

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PROPERTY 2018 Annual Report

Team Members: Bill Schwarten (Chairperson) Steve Bergman Jim Haver Jerry Layher (Council Liaison) Dan Hokens David Schram Miles McMahill Bryan Ralston Evan Peters Brian Roeber Marvin Stender Jeremy Reineke

The Property Team had another busy year in 2018 as evidenced by the below list of completed projects. We want to extend our sincere thanks to all of those individuals who so willingly, throughout the year, gave of their time, talents and in several cases their financial resources to assist in the completion of these projects. The Property Team understands that the completion of some of these projects could not be done without the help of congregational volunteers.

We look forward to another busy 2019 as we already have a couple of projects on the schedule. Since we are a team that thrives on communication, if you see a problem or a potential issue, PLEASE contact one of us and we will do what it takes to get the problem or issue resolved. Thank You!!! COMPLETED PROJECTS IN THE LAST YEAR

• **Education hallway painting

• **Classroom painting

• **Courtyard painting

• Painting of all parking lines and handicap parking

• **Total landscape renovation

• Spring maintenance on sprinkler system

• **Cleaned parking lot

• Replaced multiple ballasts and lights throughout the building

• **Led weekly mowing schedule

• Monitoring of rental property needed repairs

• Supervised carpet and hard floor cleaning in fellowship hall, kitchen and surrounding areas

• Constant monitoring of all heating and air conditioning units for proper functioning and filter changes

• **Renovated basement “Dugout” for Sunday School

• Created new storage room on old stage

• Installed motion sensor light switches in basement and south hallway restrooms

• Installed new faucets in kitchen sinks

• Moved sacristy to old bathroom space

• Removed old kitchen unit from education hallway and created new file storage in that space

• Renovated storage area (old pastors office) next to sanctuary

• Advent tree lighting

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FUTURE PROJECTS SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION

• **Fellowship Hall painting

• Repair rolling door in kitchen ** - Includes congregational volunteers and the Property Team

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CHURCH BUILDING REFRESH

2018 Annual Report

Team Members: Bill Schwarten Steve Bergman Aaron Bush Alan Brodin Dan Hokens Larry Rippe Miles McMahill Phillip Galaska Rich Armstrong DeeAnn Hartman Jeremy Reineke

The Refresh Team has had a very busy year meeting, planning, making decisions, and putting together the final documents for the new loan. We did make some strides this summer that we felt were necessary to move forward with the project, with Council approval, prior to finalizing the loan.

• We did have the stained-glass windows repaired, caulked, cleaned and new storm windows installed. This was one of the high priority items that did not impact any other refresh issues. According to the company that did the work, these windows should last us a very long time. The money for the project was borrowed from the Building Account and will be repaid when the loan is finalized.

• We did hire an architect and structural engineer to help re-design the narthex to accommodate the new handicap ramp. The architect also has given us some very good ideas for some of the sanctuary remodel. Those funds were also borrowed from the Building Account which will be repaid when the loan is finalized.

• We did purchase the new Fellowship Hall chairs since there was some good summer discounts available. Those funds were also borrowed from the Building Account which will be repaid when the loan is finalized.

• We did hire a company to do the tuckpointing and exterior cleaning work in the Spring. No costs to date for this work.

We are currently waiting for the final drawings to be completed for our approval prior to beginning work on the entire project. As with any project some original ideas have changed since the inception of the refresh project. The drawings should be completed early in January with work on the project hopefully commencing in early spring. We will share those drawings with the congregation prior to any work commencing.

As we have tried to communicate previously, although this project feels like it is taking a long time to get underway, the team is diligently going through all the details in order to make sure we are spending the church’s money in the right way. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact any of the team members above.

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STEWARDSHIP

2018 Annual Report

Team Members: Kevin Karas, Evan Peters, Jennifer Reineke, Kris Wagner

Team Purpose: The goal of the Stewardship Committee to help our Church community and ourselves grow in our relationship with Jesus through contributions of time, talent, and treasure to support our Church ministry in accordance with what God has entrusted to us.

2018 Activities We met in the fall to organize and coordinate the annual Giving Campaign and the Stewardship Sunday event. We developed communication for the service bulletins and Messenger, created the annual Pledge Cards and coordinated several Temple Talks to discuss the importance of sharing our time, talents and treasures. We also worked with Pastor James in developing the Stewardship video that he produced which was presented to the congregation on Stewardship Sunday. We organized the congregational meal for Stewardship Sunday, which included smoked turkey as the entrée again.

You will be enriched in every way for your generosity.—2 Corinthians 9:11

Respectfully Submitted, The Stewardship Team

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SENIOR HIGH YOUTH MINISTRY

RELC Underground 2018 Annual Report (included in the SEED Annual Report)

SENIOR HIGH YOUTH Financial Statement for:

January 1-December 31, 2017 Checking Account: Beginning Balance $21,948.33 Plus Deposits $21,349.10 Less Expenses $11,942.33 Ending Balance $31,355.10 Mission Investment Fund $147.17 Total Youth Funds: $31,502.27

SPIRITUALLY EQUIPPING EVERY DISCIPLE (SEED)

2018 Annual Report

Team Members-Lona Pinkall (Chairperson), Melanie VanBlarcom (Council Liaison), Marilyn Ellingson, Lynn Donahue, Matt Flynn, Tyler Johnson (Youth and Program Director)

Youth and Program Director-Tyler Johnson was hired by the congregation and began her employment in early July. We are excited by the potential to expand our current ministries with her help. Some of her current duties include coordinating the volunteers for the SEED team events and further developing the Fish and Lambs youth groups’ activities. She has also assisted with Senior High Youth publicity and communication, teaching Sunday School and the Lambs Wednesday night class. In the coming year, her job will expand to include working more directly with the leadership of the RELC Underground, Sunday School programming, and directing VBS.

Basement Renovation--In August, a team of volunteers completed the renovation of the basement into our new Sunday School gathering space called “God’s Dugout” and the RELC “Underground”, where the high school youth meet on Wed. evenings. Both spaces have been completely transformed into welcoming and comfortable places for our young people. Thanks to Phillip Galaska for donating the new carpet, Bill Schwarten for building the dugout and fences, Desiree Stednitz for ordering the supplies, and to Lynn Donahue, Kelly Ekue, Allison Pinkall, Lona Pinkall, Ron Sydzyik, Marilyn Ellingson, Marc Feala, and high school youth for painting.

VBS-In June, the youngest members of our congregation ventured onto an uncharted island to learn biblical truths to help them survive and thrive. The most important lesson

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being that Jesus carries them through life’s storms. The theme was “Shipwrecked--Rescued by Jesus.” Thanks to the efforts of directors Shelli Wolverton and Tiffany Honeyman, 75 children and 50 volunteers got to experience this exciting week of fun and learning. The high school youth created the decorations that set the mood throughout the week. Thanks to all those who assisted by teaching and donating supplies. $762.03 was raised to support the Water for Tanzania, which was the designated Mission for the week.

Sunday School-Open to any child or teen, age 3-14. Superintendent, Lynn Donahue selects and creates materials to supplement the purchased curriculum. There have also been numerous service projects incorporated. DeeAnn Hartman shares her energy and musical talent leading the kids in song each Sunday. Students in grades 6-8 have the option of assisting with the younger kids or attending their own Sunday School session geared just for middle schoolers. Several High school youths also assist with the Sunday school program by helping in classrooms.

The Christmas program, “Christmas Hang-ups” was shared with the congregation on Dec.16th during the 10:45 worship service. Thanks to DeeAnn Hartman and Becky Schnack for taking charge of this endeavor.

Advent Fair-Approximately 30 people and 20 volunteers enjoyed the crafts, games, and treats which all had an advent focus. This year’s fair was held on Wed. Nov. 28th, following the midweek meal and was organized by Marilyn Ellingson, Lona Pinkall, and Tyler Johnson. In addition to these ladies, activity stations were created and run by Jeanne Ralston, Pastor James, Lisa Roseland, Ruth Hartman, Janelle Asche, Nicki Ayer, Mardelle Bergsten, Linda Anderson and the senior high youth group. Thank you to all those who volunteered their time and energy to make this event successful.

YOUTH GROUPS

Fish-This is our pre-K and Kindergarten group. Their events include a trip to the Mahoney Fun Center and Vala’s Pumpkin Patch.

Lambs-The 1st through 5th grade Wednesday night programming focuses on helping each child develop a deeper faith by assisting kids by building on their current knowledge, assisting them in trying to turn their faith into actions and deeds as Jesus did, and using the life and teachings of Jesus to teach important concepts of emotional intelligence. This group tries to focus their crafts and activities on things that either will aid the kids as an emotional intelligence tool, help them gain awareness of a concept or biblical teaching through an activity, or a service project illustration how to turn a command from Jesus into an action.

Lions-The middle school programming focuses mainly on Mentoring for 6th grade-an in- depth study of the gospel of Luke with an adult member of the congregation who is not a relative. Confirmation classes for 7th and 8th grade. The first year the focus is bible

study, while the second year is service learning and being the church in the community and world. Last spring, there was a middle school lock-in and the 7th grade attended confirmation camp at Carol Joy Holling.

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RELC Underground-The Senior High Youth Group, led by Marilyn Ellingson and Lona Pinkall had an eventful year. We meet every Wed. night at 6:30 in our new basement space, which has been improved by the addition of furniture that matches. We did some fundraising to support our Mission trips. It started with the hosting of our 3rd “themed” Valentine’s Dinner in Feb. This year was a “Mardi Gras” party down on the Bayou complete with Cajun cooking and gator wrestling. The delicious food was prepared by Chef Matt Anderson and his crew (Linda Anderson and Larry and Jo Burson). Next, we helped with the Resurrection run in July. Youth could be seen directing runners on the route and cooking/serving breakfast. We held a labor auction during the Oktoberfest celebration, and had a bake sale in November. In addition to our weekly Wednesday night meetings in the basement, we went on several outings and participated in many service projects. Also, last summer, 19 youth and 4 adults joined 30,000 other Lutherans at the National Youth Gathering in Houston, TX. In November, 3 youth and Tyler attended the LYON weekend retreat at Carol Joy Holling. Thanks to the congregation for supporting the many fundraisers and encouraging youth involvement in worship.

We would love to see more young people attending our Sunday and Wed. programming. Please encourage your High School students to attend and make it a priority to bring your children to Sunday School and Fish/Lambs gatherings. They are the future of our church.

COMING SOON--College Age Ministry–We plan to start this year by introducing a new ministry designed to keep our college aged kids connected to their home congregation, or to help local kids in our area connect with a congregation. Look for more information on how you can get involved coming soon.

If you have ideas for ways to expand the SEED team ministry through additional programs or events, please let one of the team members know. We would also love to add a few new members to our team. The team meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted, Lona Pinkall

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MUSIC DIRECTOR 2018 Annual Report

2018 was an exciting year in the music and worship ministry at RELC. We experienced growth in our three ensembles, with new members and new music all around. Connie and Mark Dunwoody stepped away from RELC with our thanks for their years of ministry here, and we welcomed Liz Stinman into the ministry as our primary pianist for the 8:30 service. Patti Layher and Sheri Feala continue to share keyboard responsibilities at our 8:30 service as well, and Liz is accompanying the Chancel Choir each week.

We enjoyed great success in our new rehearsal schedule implementation, which accommodates all three of our musical ensembles’ needs each Wednesday evening. The Chancel Choir and Bell Choir welcomed several new members this year, and the new rehearsal schedule has worked well. The Bell Choir is excited to be participating in a Bell Choir Festival at St. Thomas Lutheran in Omaha this coming February and have been working on music for that event all Fall. As we look ahead to 2019, we are grateful for the opportunity to continue to facilitate worship for our congregational family, and to share our gifts and talents through special music. Worship is at the heart of congregational life, and we are blessed to be called to lead in this ministry.

We pray for God’s continued blessings on the worship and music ministry in 2019.

Sincerely, Matt Hill

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WORSHIP AND MUSIC Annual Report 2018

Chairperson: Patti Layher; Council Liaison: DeeAnn Harman; Music Director: Matt Hill;

Members: Jennifer Bush, Matt Layher, Beth Rippe.

In 2018, the Worship and Music Team continued work on improving Sunday morning services and the music ministry. The sound and video system, including the new software, installation for the Fellowship Hall was finished in January. Matt Hill has led the task of creating the digital presentation for our contemporary service. The team has also provided ideas/suggestions to Pastor and Matt H. to improve the flow of the contemporary service in hopes of providing a more meaningful service for worshipers. Our 8:30 service continues to provide our traditional Lutheran service.

In August, our team met with Pastor and Matt for the specific purpose of generating new ideas for worship and reviewing services for this fall. Opportunities for more adult involvement, and possibly adding an evening service were a couple of the main discussion topics. Discussion at monthly meetings this fall included follow-up on these ideas.

Also, over the summer Connie and Mark Dunwoody announced that they would be moving and would no longer be able to serve as music leaders for this service. In mid-September, Liz Stinman, who has been accompanying for the Chancel Choir, agreed to step in and serve as our primary music leader. Sheri Feala and Patti Layher continue to fill in on open Sundays and special services.

There are many sub-committees and individuals that provide countless hours to fulfill our mission at Resurrection. We would like to express a special “thank you” to all who continue to give of their time and talents in striving to provide a meaningful and inspirational worship and music ministry….This ministry would not be possible without you. Thank you!

Serving in God’s Spirit,

Worship & Music Team

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TECHNOLOGY TEAM 2018 Annual Report

• Installed new wireless access points to support public and private wireless internet access in all areas of the church.

• Installed 2 new laptops to support staff needs.

• Continued evaluation of MS O365 with shared contacts lists

• Support as required for office staff.

• Continued support of Facebook page and web site.

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WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP 2018 Annual Report

The Women’s Fellowship is a group of women who meet for fellowship and Bible Study each month. Meetings are held at the Church on the third Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m. or at Silver Ridge on the third Thursday of the month at 2:00 p.m. Currently there are 26 active members. We invite any women of the church to join us.

This year we purchased batting for the Quilt Group to use for Lutheran World Relief and baby yarn for the Baptismal blankets knitted and crocheted by women of the Church.

We now have a Communion and Paraments room, in the Sunday school wing, thanks to Bill Schwarten and members of the building committee. The Women purchased a refrigerator to have in the room, and cabinets were built to hold our supplies. Patti Layher is serving as our Communion coordinator.

Our Quilt group meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. at the Church. We have women who sew large blocks together at home and then the tops are tied at the church. The quilts are boxed and sent in the fall to Lutheran World Relief. This year we sent 33 quilts. The quilting group also sewed the quilts that were presented to the High School Seniors in May. We gave 10 quilts to our High School Seniors this year.

There are six teams of women who fill the communion trays each Sunday. The brass articles on the Altar are polished and the Paraments are changed to the appropriate colors as the seasons of the church change. Individuals take turns calling the people who have signed up for flowers and bulletins. Resurrection is so appreciative of the women who take care of these important tasks.

The funeral serving teams served luncheons for 7 funerals this year. We have women assigned to call members to provide salads and desserts for the luncheon as well as finding people who can work in the kitchen. Thank you to all who willingly say yes when we call. Coordinators for the funerals are Karen Jahn, Karron Brugmann, Judy Feit, and Harolyn Stender. We thank Carol Pinkall for her many years of serving as one of the coordinators.

Members from the two circles attended the Christmas Tea for our members living at Silver Ridge in December. This is hosted by the golden Age Team. Pastor James served communion to those present.

Respectively submitted, Judy Feit

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WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP TREASURER REPORT 2018 Annual Report

Starting Balance - January 1, 2018 4,933.98

Receipts:

Offering 430.00

Funeral Serving 850.00

Donations for Sr. Quilts 160.00

Other Donations 100.00

Total Income 1,540.00

Expense:

Purchase of 4 Communion Chalices 1,934.20

Refrigerator for Sacristy 359.00

Sr. Quilt Materials 159.49

Yarn for Baptism Blankets 121.82

Supplies for Funerals 72.67

Total Expense 2,647.18

Ending Balance - December 31, 2018 3,826.80 **

**

Not Spent - $263.50

Respectfully submitted, Barb Westenburg & Karen Hitz, Co-Treasurers

Women's Fellowship Treasurers' ReportAnnual Report YE 2018

Includes Remaining Balance from Kitchen Shower