To Know Christ and to Make Him Known to a hurting

world

We are the people of God, who in this local context of ministry , call ourselves “Stonecrest Community Church”. Over the last 16 years, we have attempted to

focus on the numbers, “1 5 4 1”.

Connect to God

Connect to Others

Connect to Service

Connect to Seekers

• Lost people matter to God, he wants

them found.

• No work we do is more important than

prayer, therefore prayer is our most

important work.

• We don’t measure our health by our

seating capacity but by our sending

capacity.

• All that we have belongs to God, we are

only caretakers of it for a season.

• Not all change is progress but we cannot

progress without change; change always

involves faith-!lled risks.

“Would you like to

help us lift the

name of Jesus

Higher…so that He

will draw all men to

himself?

Over this past year we renewed our focus on the fact that Jesus calls us to BE His disciple…and to reproduce disciples…who reproduce disciples. We rejoice in what God has done in our midst over 2013. To Him be all glory and praise and honor! I hope that as you read through this report you will find encouragement in your heart because you have brought encouragement to mine! I have witnessed your zeal for God. Attendance at prayer meetings increased by over 100% in nearly every one of the 13 prayer groups who meet weekly. God sightings have been numerous as people’s lives have been changed.

I ask but one thing of you as you look from today’s perspective into the next 11 months. Would you come alongside of myself, the 13 Elders and 14 Ministry Team Leaders and attempt to: and then live it out to the glory of the Lord Jesus? Please notice that God is the Gardener, Jesus is the Vine, We are the branches, every branch does one of two things—either bears fruit or does not bear fruit…”this is to my FATHER’S glory, that you bear MUCH , showing yourselves to be my disciples” (vs. 8) . !

Memorize John 15:1-8

words of thanksI want to express my most sincere gratitude to my wife, Susan, who has served God so faithfully in the context of her home and beyond. You inspire me daily, Susan. I see Christ in you beyond what words can express and most eyes can see.

I want to express my deep appreciation to all the full time, paid staff who have served tirelessly and have pushed the bar of excellence to higher at Stonecrest. You are truly great men and women of God. I have learned much from you. This body of believers would not be where we are were it not for your countless efforts and faithfulness.

Certainly my expressions of thanks are beyond what words can describe in regards to the Elders and MLT. You have rejoiced alongside of me and at times we have wept together over the deep valleys of sorrow and the dark side into which ministry sometimes calls us to enter. Faithful, godly, mature, persevering, discerning, dependable and trustworthy are words which come into my mind when I think of you. May God bless you richly as He lays up for you treasures in Heaven!

Respectfully and gratefully submitted, Rev. Brent K. Haggerty Lead Pastor

•  644 was our average Sunday morning attendance (increase of 19.6%  over 556 in 2012  -  473 in 2011)

• 433 people connected with Stonecrest for the first time with 165 (38%) of them coming back at least two more times 

• 38 men, women and children prayed to receive Christ as their savior with 5 others recommitting to their faith and 

• 9 people were baptized.

• 71 new members were welcomed (25.4% of beginning year Membership role count)

•  11 times each week a group gathers in prayer at Stonecrest

• At least 4 times each year we come together for special times of prayer

•  Life Groups:  34 new groups started during “The Bible Series” with 8 of those continuing as new Life Groups in addition to the 10 we had

• On Deck:  5 times in 2013, Susan and I welcomed 68 guests into our home to welcome and connect them to Stonecrest.

•  190 attended the Stress and Life Dinner with Jericho and Mercedes Cotchery.

•  210 kids attended Summer Spectacular 2013 and 130 volunteers served that week.

• Approximately 1000 people attended and 103 volunteers served at Family Fun Night with Andy Petttite.

• 190 attended the 3rd Annual Sportsmen’s Harvest Feast.

•  700 were in attendance for our 3rd Stonecrest Children’s Christmas Presentation, “The Christmas Shoe Tree”.  Hundreds and hundreds of shoes were donated.

•  160 kids and their parents were blessed by Neighborhood Joy this year.

• Approximately 1300 came to during Christmas to see “Bethlehem’s Treasure. 

• 50 youth and 5 leaders  attended Lake Champion Combo and Service Retreat.

• 30 students and 5 leaders attended LIFE 2013.

• 13 jr. high students and leaders went to Boston Project to serve.

• About 15 represented Stonecrest on the 2013 Dominican Republic Missions trip.

• We sent 5 from Stonecrest to serve in Burkina Faso.

• The Stonecrest website received 9,782 unique visits as compared to 2,084 in 2012.

• $93,000 supported Christian & Missionary Alliance missionaries around the world.

• $28,000 helped our sister churches and ministries in the NY/NJ area.

• $32,500 was made available to help those in need in our congregation.

• $36,300 was used for our Spanish Ministry center in Bound Brook.

• $10,000 was sent to dig water wells in Burkina Faso, Africa.

• $6,700 helped build the Neriah Community Health Clinic in Haiti.

• $7,900 was set aside to help families adopt a child through Project Adoption.

• $5,500 helped rebuild two houses on Staten Island damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

• $10,800 went to affiliated ministries: African Inland Missions Schools, Athletes in Action, English Language Institute of China, First Choice Women’s Resource Center, Handfuls of Hope, International Friends at Rutgers, and Project Dance.

We closed out a great year in 2013 as we experienced the Power of The Holy Spirit working in Men's lives! For some, it was a great year! For others, it was an extremely difficult one. But we know that God is in the midst!...AND will never leave us, BUT, guides and leads us that we MAY HAVE Joy in the journey Thank You God for your Patience, Thank you Jesus for your Example and Sacrifice, Thank you Holy Spirit for reminding us that your mercies are new every morning!  Welcome 2014! To God be the Glory! - Russ Nelson, Director of Men’s Ministries

 Stonecrest continues to impact people’s lives around the globe through generous giving to medical clinics in Haiti, language support in China, impact to international students at Rutgers and continued financial support for wells in Burkina Faso. Our first team went to Burkina Faso for a first-hand experience to see how the provision of wells is giving the national church many new opportunities to provide people with “living water” and dramatically impacting their perceptions of Christians in a way that is growing the church.- Ted Bruner, Director of Outreach Ministries

This year many of our kids had an opportunity to "Connect to Seekers" outside of the walls of Stonecrest.   We were we able to raise over $4000 at Summer Spectacular, to drill more wells in Africa, so children could have clean water.  We also "shined the light of Jesus" by singing and making friendship bracelets and ornaments for residents at the Chelsea Assisted Living.  Five residents came out to see the "Christmas Shoe Tree"!!- Tom McKenna, Director of Children’s Ministries

Con-nec-tion:  One that connects; a link.  From our volunteers who faithfully serve at our Connection Booth, to the many Ushers and Greeters who provide the “friendly face” of Stonecrest, we’ve worked hard to make a way for first-time guests and regular attendees to connect at Stonecrest. This year saw us move our Sunday “Meet & Greet” from what was our Conference Room to right in front of the fountain in the Lounge.  A Gathering at the Fountain is another way for newcomers to connect with the men and women who make up the building blocks of leadership at Stonecrest.- Catharine Mallack, Director of Connections Ministries

What a joy it is to be able to serve on the Media Team! This year, one of the most exciting things we got to do is to share people’s stories with the Stonecrest Family through video. We are able to see and hear how God has answered prayers and how we can help one another in the Body of Christ. We hope for more of that in 2014! We have seen more people visit our website this year than any other previous year and launched the Stonecrest app by the end of the year! I am so thankful for this team of volunteers that I get to serve alongside of.- Joe Rhee, Director of Media

2013 was a tremendous year of growth for Stonecrest and for me personally.  After completing the ordination process it was nice to be able to enjoy a one month sabbatical, combined with some vacation, as an extended time to reflect, draw closer to God and get to know myself better.  What I learned continues to mold and shape me and my ability to minister to the Stonecrest family, and helped me prepare for some of the difficult times of loss we went through together later in the year.  Thank you Brent and Governing Board for giving me this unique period of time to celebrate 10 years of ministry at Stonecrest. Thank you Ministry Leadership Team (MLT), and all of our week-in-and-week-out volunteers, for raising the bar of caring with excellence in helping everyone at Stonecrest take their next step in Connection to God, Others, Service and Seekers!- Jeff Heinaman, Executive Pastor

Exciting times in Women’s Ministry.  Many thanks to the women who faithfully serve the needs of Women at Stonecrest.  There were 75 women at our Spring Retreat.  That along with  Body & Soul, Women’s Prayer  and our annual  Christmas Party, proved to be wonderful times for women to connect to other women at Stonecrest.  This past September brought Bible Study Fellowship  to Stonecrest.  We’re excited about them being here.  Coupled with our Tuesday  Bible Study, we’ve been able to provide women with opportunities for spiritual formation.  We continue to serve the women of Good News Home during our monthly “Fun Nights” . - Deb McKenna, Director of Women’s Ministries

This was a year of growth in Compassion Ministry.  We have increased our team with new members, partnered with My Neighbor's Ministry at Zarephath Community Church, and have developed a "Wheels of Mercy Ministry" for those in need of transportation.  I am truly thankful for being a part of this ministry as it has helped me grow  personally, spiritually and professionally.  It has helped me see others through the eyes of Christ and to see Jesus working through you, touching the lives of other's has been an incredible blessing!  It has enriched my life in more ways than I could imagine. - Lorena Ratz, Director of Compassion Ministries

Spiritual Formation provided multiple opportunities for the Stonecrest community to grow in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether we were studying John's Gospel (with M. Lucado), finding our spiritual gift (SHAPE) or re-meeting the God we "Forgot" (F. Chan) we gathered to learn new insights into His divine nature and how to live accordingly. The ministry provided an additional opportunity to partake in The Bible series as part of Stonecrest's fall emphasis and then buckled down to investigate scripture's historical reliability with J. McDowell. 2014 will continue to see more opportunities to deepen our connection to God and others. To grow in our living devotion to our Lord and Savior - to ensure we do not fail in being effective and productive in our knowledge of Him. - Michael Horner, Director of Spiritual Formation Ministries

Youth ministry in 2013 made me realize how much I need to spread the good news of God especially to the young, because of how much “pulling-from-different-directions” they have to endure during these phases of their lives. The Life2013 conference in St Louis was a tremendous milestone/benchmark as I started to see how desperate our youth members are  in need of understanding, relationships that are worth their while and trust. This opens the door for this ministry because thanks to Nithin, things are going very well and the just like I have students that trust me, all of our leaders have "that group" of students that go straight to "their leaders" when they seek help/trust...it is such a blessing for the church, for leaders, for the students, and for myself that things are where they are.- Jorge De La Rosa, Assistant of Youth Ministries

We had a group of high school kids graduate that were phenomenal leaders in the youth ministry.  We launched youth alpha and saw a few students come to Christ.  We have worked with the township to do 5 middle school fun nights as well as a huge family night where we had around 200 in attendance. Joey brings a lot of positive energy and momentum to Junior high.  Right off the bat you could tell that the kids loved him and enjoy being with him.  He has been developing a strong identity and passionate worship among our junior high students and it is amazing to watch them grow in their love of God and care for one another over the past few months.   - Nithin Thompson, Director of Youth Ministries

Our worship team in 2013 grew from 15-25 people. We we able to record and produce to records in the studio (Elevate & Let Us Adore Him). But most importantly, we have chosen to focus our eyes on Christ during our worship and encourage the congregation to do likewise. The Spirit of God is noticeable in our services more than ever and we thank Him for that. We pray that this *meeting (Psalm 22:3 of God meeting us in our praises) continues into 2014. - Joey Monteleone, Director of Worship Ministries