FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT CHRIST EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

445 ANNDALE ROAD

WATERLOO, ONTARIO N2K 2E3

519.885.4050

www.christwaterloo.ca The Rev. James F. Brown, Pastor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page Adult Education Committee Report 21

Attendance Report 11

CLWR Report 24

Communications Committee Report 20

Director of Music’s Report 12

FaithLife Chapter 74279 Report 15

Fun and Fellowship Report 23

Gardening Committee Report 20

Membership Report 10

Minutes of February 13, 2011 Annual Congregational Meeting 1

Pastor’s Report 6

Property Committee Report 16

Sophia’s Circle 15

Stewardship, Evangelism and Social Ministry Committee Report 19

Volunteer Management Committee Report 19

Worship Committee Report 22

Youth Minister’s Report 13

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Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church

Waterloo, Ontario

44th ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, Feb 13, 2011

11:30 am

1. Council Chair Russ Wilcox called the meeting to Order. Pastor James provided

Opening Devotions.

2. Attendance and Registration of Eligible Voters

Attendance: 48 Eligible Voters: 45

3. Approval of the Minutes of the 43rd Annual Meeting of Christ Lutheran Church

Motion: To approve Minutes of 43rd Annual Meeting with above adjustment.

Moved By: Peter Bjerland Seconded: Florence Binkley CARRIED

4. Election of Church Council

Terms Ending: Jennifer Breadner, Janet Waito, Carl Totzke, Jim Wahl

Resignations: Julie Hill

Report of Nominating Committee –Joe Wilk, Leanne Wilson, Kevin Boehm

Nominations for 3 year terms:

Jennifer Breadner, Rick Hunt, Ken Schade, Janet Waito

Nomination to server 2nd

year of 3 year term due to resignation:

Peter Bjerland

No Nominations from the floor.

Congregation accepted nominees by show of hands

5. Election of Lay Delegate and Alternate to Synod Convention in 2011

- Alicia Becker volunteered to be Delegate

- Peter Bjerland volunteered to be Alternate

6. Appointment of Auditors for 2011

Motion: To appoint Alison Burkett and Shelly Schenk as Auditors for 2011. Should

Shelly, being absent, indicate she does not want to stand, Alison will find a second

Auditor

Moved By: Oz Cole-Arnal Seconded: Bob Schmidt CARRIED

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7. Annual reports

A full slate of reports was presented to the congregation for information in the

Annual Report.

Pastor James spoke to his report and indicated it was a good year with a number

of new faces at worship. New Year focus will be on Volunteer and Stewardship with the

intent of having an active and effective, wider and deeper ministry.

Motion: To accept Annual Reports

Moved By: Ken Schade Seconded: Keith Myra CARRIED

8. Treasurer’s Report

8.1 Presentation of Financial Statements for 2010

Sarah commented on successful financial year with surplus of $1,878 in the

Operating Fund. Some of the surplus in Operating was used to cover a shortfall of $500

in our Benevolence giving’s and to cover the additional $500 voted at last year’s Annual

meeting if we ended the year with a surplus. The Building/Capital Fund had a net income

of $568. She mentioned the significant results by all Fundraising efforts which supported

St Johns Out of the Cold program with a $700 donation and supported the purchase of

two new stoves. Additional givings also supported CLWR, House of Friendship, Steven

Lewis Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity.

The Faith Life mortgage will be paid off by March 31, 2011. There was a

recommendation that Council could send a letter to the Faith Life mortgage supporters to

consider re-directing these investments towards paying down our remaining Mortgage.

Motion: To accept Treasurer’s Reports

Moved By: Alison Burkett Seconded: Bob Schmidt CARRIED

Motion: To thank Sarah Hackbusch for her outstanding work as Treasurer for Christ

Lutheran

Moved By: Pastor James Brown Seconded: Jane Wahl CARRIED

8.2 Auditors Report

Jeff Wildfang gave report of the Auditors and indicated that he and Shelly Schenk

had found everything to be in order.

Motion: To accept the Report of the Auditors

Moved By: Peter Bjerland Seconded: Dale Wilcox CARRIED

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8.3 Presentation and Approval of 2011 Budget

Sarah Hackbusch provided proposed 2011 budget with comparisons to 2010

Actual & Budget numbers. Highlights of the Budget are overall increase of 10%. Salary

increases of 2% for staff, additional $900 for Pastor as per Synod guidelines, 2.25% for

Choir Director to bring this salary to correct level of the RCCO guidelines relating to

education and years of experience.

Operating increased 9%, Property increase 24% due to higher Repairs and

Utilities estimates, Benevolence increase 0% (actually includes $500 increase from last

year’s Budget - included in 2010) and Building/Capital decreased 9%.

The Budget Allocation recommended to the Congregation is:

Operating – 78%

Benevolence – 8%

Building/Capital Fund – 14%

Discussion re Web site development – there is no budget allocated for

development. Council is considering a Task Force towards having the Web site up and

will need to allocate funds from the existing Budget if required.

Oz Cole-Arnal presented a motion as follows:

Whereas, the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada has

decided to partially fund a Saturday workshop of the Alliance Against Poverty (AAP), to

the tune of c. $790.00, designed to build a regional coalition of anti-poverty groups on the

condition that the AAP can find a charity-registered sponsor, and …

Whereas, that funding offer covers slightly less than the actual cost of the event,

Whereas, the Rev. Nancy Kelly has agreed informally to seek approval for St.

Mark’s Lutheran Church’s “Community Ministry Program” to partner with the AAP in

this effort,

Whereas, the timing of this motion precedes the full signing on of the above-

mentioned partners, I move the following addition to the 2011 budget:

Motion: that Christ Lutheran Church support the workshop described above via a

subvention of $300.00 toward the total cost of the workshop on the condition that both

the Eastern Synod and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church finalize their commitments as well.

Moved By: Oz Cole-Arnal Seconded: Peter Bjerland CARRIED

Dale Wilcox emphasized the congregation recognize the concept of moving away

from using Fundraising Funds to support Operating towards supporting further Outreach

opportunities.

Jane Wahl asked that Council put out a call for submissions to the Budget so that

the Congregation is not asked to vote on ‘last minute’ Budget requests at the Annual

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Meeting without the ability to reflect on their impact. Russ Wilcox indicated this is the

usual process, but some requests do come at the last minute.

Paula Brown emphasized that the whole congregation be directed to adjust their

givings to reflect the allocation as suggested by Sarah for new members in the Budget.

Motion: To approve 2010 Budget with the inclusion of the addition of $300 increase in

the Social Ministry Budget in support of the motion from Oz Cole-Arnal

Moved By: Oz Cole-Arnal Seconded: Carol Otterbein CARRIED

9. New Business

Presentation by Faith Life

Peter Bjerland, on behalf of Larry Hoekstra, Faith Life committee representative, and

on behalf of Karen Bjerland of Faith Life Insurance, presented Christ Church with a

matching grant of $1500. The grant was from the Christmas Nativity Display / Bazaar

fundraiser. These monies are to be put towards the purchase of a Defibrillator which

will be kept at the church. Peter praised the efforts of the local committee in their

efforts to take advantage of the matching funds provided, and to Faith Life for

providing this opportunity.

Peter presented the cheque to Paul Mennie. Paul indicated total cost of the

defibrillator is $5,000, but via Region of Waterloo CARE program, the cost to the

church will be $2000. The required additional funds will come from future Faith Life

committee activities. There will also be a $135 annual Budget line required for future

equipment maintenance. Training for staff and interested congregation members is to

be scheduled.

10. Report on Koinonia Homes Feasibility Study

Pastor James reported that the Koinonia Homes Task Force final report indicated

that the project was not financially feasible. Details of the study were presented at the

Koinonia Homes Annual Meeting. The basic rationale was the risks of the Investment

required of Christ Church were too large for the anticipated resulting income from the

project.

An unexpected charge of $1,740 from Frey Bros was incurred during the study.

Discussion that Frey Bros has been a long standing supporter of Christ Church and

should be reimbursed for this charge which they incurred from a subcontractor, MTE

Consulting. Comment also that for a study of the magnitude undertaken and the effort

provide, this charge is very reasonable.

Motion: That Christ Church Congregation pay Frey Bros $1,740 to cover a cost incurred

during the Koinonia Homes Feasibility study; Council, in consultation with Sarah, to

decide on source of the required funds

Moved By: Pastor James Brown Seconded: Carol Schmidt CARRIED

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Further discussion resulted in congregation asked that Koinonia continue to

review possible uses of the Church property, with a specific request to review potential to

work with Habitat for Humanity.

11. General Comments

Paul Bosch requested congregation consider, in an attempt to be more welcoming,

identifying members/couples who would watch for visitors and offer to visit with the

visitors outside the Church – perhaps inviting visitors to dinner at their home.

Carol Schmidt indicated that Thanks be given to members of Council for their

work. Russ Wilcox added thanks to outgoing members of Council for their efforts.

Alison Burkett requested congregation thank Pastor James for his leadership and

the healing work he has done for many in and outside the congregation.

Silke Force added her thanks to Pr James for his support and her thanks for the

support from the members of the Congregation.

11. Motion for Adjournment: Jeff Wildfang

Attendance Record (*) – Non-member

Alicia Becker Julie Hill Bob Schmidt

Florence Binkley

Bernard Lambrechts

(*) Carol Schmidt

Gerry Binkley Audrey Leeman

A. John Tinholt

(*)

Peter Bjerland Marlene Leeman Judy Thomas

Paula Brown Sheryl Loeffler (*) Carl Totzke

Pastor James Brown Ginny McLaughlin Ross Wagner

Alison Burkett Paul Mennie Jane Wahl

Bonnie Cole-Arnal Brenda Mennie Jim Wahl

Oscar Cole-Arnal Keith Myra Janet Waito

Ralph Elsaesser Cheryl Myra Dale Wilcox

Ann Elsaesser Larry Nafziger Russ Wilcox

Marlene Falcioni Jeanette Nelson Jeff Wildfang

Shirley Freeman Ed Otterbein Kelly Wildfang

Sarah Hackbusch Carol Otterbein Joe Wilk

Pat Hartley Linda Rauckman Sheryl Wilk

Tim Hegedus Ken Schade Ken Winfield

PASTOR’S REPORT

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In a pastoral letter written to ELCIC congregations on January 24, 2012, the Rev. Susan Johnson,

our national bishop, made a couple of interesting observations. For the past biennium, National

Church Council has been working on restructuring the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

so that we can live within our means financially. At the July 2011 national convention in

Saskatoon, delegates gave approval to the model presented by NCC, but somewhere through the

process, Susan and the council became aware of an accompanying spiritual renewal taking hold

across the church. “Mission” replaced “saving money” as the driving force of the process; and

our self-image as a church changed from being a national church body to being a congregation of

congregations busy and involved in our local communities. Susan is a good coach, and so she

reminds us to pray, read, worship, study, serve, and give as we embrace ministry and mission at

the local level. She understands that ministry and mission need to have a dynamic relationship

with the living Word; and that God’s Word lives through the nurture of worship, prayer, study,

reflection, and putting our insights and inspirations into practice.

I mention Susan’s message because it describes the transformation our congregation has enjoyed

over the past two years. The renewal we sought was not finances-driven, as was the

restructuring of the ELCIC. Rather, Church Council at its annual retreat in May 2010 asked

itself, our officers, staff, and committee chairs “How are we In Mission for Others?” In Mission

for Others is the banner of the ELCIC, and it carries with it a challenge, a challenge which the

leaders of our parish heard and sought to pass along to all our members and friends. The May

2010 retreat began a process that resulted in the creation of a new vision statement: “Christ

Lutheran Church strives to be a welcoming, caring, innovative, and spiritually vibrant Christian

community.” In December 2010, we “went to the streets” in a sense when we asked our

members how such a statement would influence the business of our congregation, specifically

our five areas of ministry – worship, support, stewardship, learning, and witness. From the

feedback Council and the committee chairs received in the ten talking circles we formed at

worship on December 5, 2010, work plans for each of our parish committees and organizations

were developed by our consultant, Karen Bjerland. These work plans have influenced a greater

emphasis on outreach in 2011, and our original question “How are we In Mission for Others”

continues to be our guiding light in virtually everything we do as a congregation.

The question has also been a catalyst for our growth. Although our membership per se has not

changed much in 2011, growth in the number of our adherents has been significant. Our

attendance at worship has been robust; and we were able, so it happens, to support our 2011

budget which increased approximately 9% over the 2010 budget. We want to thank those who

increased their financial commitment to Christ Church in 2011. As you know, we began the Fall

with a significant deficit in our Operating Fund. Your response allowed us to meet all of our

expenses, including our Benevolence goal of $16,500 to the Eastern Synod and ELCIC, and

finish the year in the black. Our combined Benevolence and Outreach giving totaled almost

$30,000, a record for Christ, Waterloo. Needless to say, it is a privilege to be the pastor of such

a vital congregation. I feel richly blessed, not only by my Call to the people of Christ Church,

but by the generous sharing of so many who give leadership and support to our mission of

embodying the gospel.

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You will not be surprised when I acknowledge that with the growth we enjoyed in 2011, we also

had accompanying growing pains, our October deficit being the most conspicuous. But faith is

what calls us and provides for our unity as a church. Together in Christ, we trust and believe and

accomplish much; and God is glorified, we read over and over in Holy Scripture, as we go

forward in faith. Thanks be to God for the indwelling Spirit, so present within and among the

people of Christ, Waterloo.

I am particularly grateful for our professional staff for whom the work of Christ Church is

nothing less than a calling. Jackie Irwin, the newest member of our staff, has had a steep

learning curve this year in assuming not only the secretarial duties so ably managed for 18 years

by her predecessor, Marlene Leeman, but also taking over the Lincoln Village After-School

Program student accounts and all the rental contracts from Alicia Becker.

Meanwhile, Alicia has been working closely with our youth of both Sunday School and

Confirmation-age, developing devotional, recreational, and service programming; team-teaching

at our annual Confirmation Camp (Seminarian Silke Force also joined us this past summer); and

team-teaching our weekly Confirmation classes. Since the summer, Alicia has also become

involved in an outreach project to young adults developing and trying some emergent church

models. As well, her Opening the Word discussions at Sunday worship continue to nurture both

youth and adults alike, as she helps us understand and find meaning in the Scripture readings of

the Revised Common Lectionary.

Sheryl Loeffler, adapting to the challenge of frequently-changing membership in the choir,

continues to encourage our choristers to grow musically and increase their technical skill. I often

marvel at how she is able to have such a strong choral force with such a relatively small

ensemble. She is also willing and able to turn her hand to virtually any musical challenge in

order to support the song and prayer of worship. When we sing at Communion, “We lift up our

hearts,” I realize that our hearts are borne up not only by the Holy Spirit, but also by the Spirit-

filled music we sing and listen to.

We are also greatly indebted to our support staff, paid and volunteer. I think of how beautifully

clean our church is kept by Darrell Erb and his staff from Red Carpet Cleaning Service, and by

Carol and Ed Otterbein who stop in twice a week to do whatever needs to be done to keep things

looking cared for. Carol and Ed also change the message on our outdoor sign each week, no

mean feat when the temperature dips below zero and they have to remove individual letters from

the frozen letter track with awl and screwdriver. They do a little extra gardening from time to

time and season to season. They erect and take down our the outdoor crèche, make signs for the

Christmas Craft and Bake Sale, and trim bushes. Ed is also our plumber-in-residence, attending

to anything related to water that requires maintenance. Ken Schade, Property Committee Chair,

spends time each week on the other needs of the church plant. He keeps on top of our inventory

of paper and cleaning supplies, makes minor repairs as needed, and organizes the annual Spring

Clean-up Saturday. Perry Falcioni looks after our rooftop heating and air conditioning units,

giving them tune-ups regularly. We are a well-cared-for church, thanks to the many who are

called to support our common life as members and friends. Christ Church has remained a field

placement site for Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, in spite of a one-year change in the contextual

ministry program begun in September 2011. From January to April, 2011, Silke Force served as

our seminarian, completing the placement she began in September 2010.

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In September 2011, we received our first-ever intern in the person of one of our former field

placement students, Ralph Weigold. More changes at the seminary resulted in Ralph’s

assignment with us: he has an extended internship, shared between Trinity Village and Christ

Church this year, and between Trinity Village and Holy Cross, Newmarket last year. At Trinity

Village, Ralph is chaplain for the staff and the chronic care patients and their families at the

Trinity Village Care Centre. At Christ Church, Ralph focusses on pastoral formation, preaching,

youth ministry, and parish administration. In addition, he takes at least one course per term at

WLS. In the meantime, Silke, whose home congregation is Advent, Toronto, sojourns with us at

Christ Church, having moved to Kitchener-Waterloo and remained here. Kevin Boehm, who is

also studying at WLS, is having the year away from contextual placement and often serves on

the assisting minister rota of this, his home congregation.

The 2010-2011 re-engineering of Davenport Road by the City of Waterloo resulted in Christ

Church selling a small portion of our property to the city in the Spring of 2011 for the re-design

of the corner of Lexington and Davenport. Several months of negotiations resulted in a contract

which benefitted both church and city. Christ Church sold the property for $1, but received in

return a driveway opening from Davenport to the back part of our property and the assumption of

our accompanying legal fees. The contract was approved at a special congregational meeting,

held on April 24. The driveway opening will free us from engineering and construction costs at

whatever time we choose to develop the west side of our approximately three acres.

Our congregation entered into a second clergy exchange in 2011 with the Rev. Dr. Glenn

Chestnutt and St. John’s Church of Scotland, Gourock. During the month of July, Glenn

assumed the duties of pastor of Christ Church, while I served the people of St. John’s. We trade

houses, and he and his family have the full use of our car while they are in Canada. Paula and I

are required by British insurance regulations to rent a car in Scotland, rather than make use of

Glenn and Hannah’s vehicle. Our two churches contribute $500 each to keep the playing field

level, as it were, for the cost of the car rental. Ideally, these exchanges would be revenue-neutral

for both congregations: Glenn and I thank our two churches for making it so for us. The

exchanges seem to work well for both churches: the July attendance figures in both Christ

Church and St. John’s remained above average last year; and our Church Council always goes

the extra mile in making our Gourock guests welcome. This year, Russ and Dale Wilcox opened

their home for a drop-in barbecue in honour of the Chestnutts.

In my involvement in the wider community, I completed my 20th

year in 2011 as an on-call

chaplain at Grand River Hospital. I actually began in 1987 when I was still a seminarian, but

took a three-and-a-half-year leave from the schedule when I served Zion, Stratford from 1990-

1994. I continue as titular president of the K-W Council of Churches: for lack of renewed

leadership at the executive level, the Council’s activities have been scaled back considerably

over the past three years. This year, I represented the Council in helping plan the annual

Community Prayer Breakfast (May 4) and making representation before the Finance Committee

of Kitchener City Council when the charities’ Stormwater Management exemption was again

placed on the table by the new Kitchener City Council. I am pleased to report that the exemption

remains, thereby providing relief from an annual financial burden of anywhere from $2,000 -

$10,000 for our sister churches in the City of Kitchener. Waterloo’s fees, from which there is no

charities’ exemption, are a fraction of Kitchener’s, and are introduced gradually over a five-year

period. At their maximum, Christ Church will only pay about $1,000 annually.

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In the Spring, Gwyn Murray, Director of Music of Trinity, New Hamburg, signalled her

intention to retire at the end of August 2011, the completion of a 50-year tenure! Needless to

say, Trinity had no experience in searching for a church musician, and asked if I would serve as a

volunteer consultant on their search committee. It was an honour to serve in this capacity. The

committee worked creatively in developing a job description that matched their present and

future needs, posted the position both locally and nationally, and were successful in writing a

contract with Jamie Courtney who began early in January, 2012. As that work was finishing, I

was asked by the Rev. Lyle McKenzie, Assistant to Bishop Johnson, to serve on the Anglican

Church of Canada’s Liturgy Task Force, a national working group charged with the

responsibility of reviewing and revising the worship texts used in the ACC liturgies. The Liturgy

Task Force is the Anglican counterpart to a similar Lutheran committee I served on from 2001-

2004 in Chicago. This committee meets in Toronto, and is a subcommittee of the Faith,

Worship, and Ministry Committee of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Throughout 2011, I assisted by leading occasional seminars at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. In

November, I co-presented a workshop at Renison College for Liturgy Canada entitled “Buildings

Shape People: Are We Out of Shape?”

On April 7, 2012, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Waterloo will mark its 45th

anniversary.

Because April 7 is Holy Saturday, we’ll actually celebrate on April 15. One of my great joys is

in being able to look back to our very beginnings through the vivid memories of our founding

pastor and mission developer, the Rev. Roy Grosz. Roy is now less mobile than he was five

years ago when we celebrated our 40th

, and he may not be able to be present for worship on April

15; but whenever we visit, the love he has for our parish radiates in the glow of his beaming

smile when he thinks of all that has been, all that is, and all that is to come. And he always asks

me to remember him to the “wonderful people of Christ Lutheran.” In, with, and under his

comments and warm feelings is the memory of our ministry together, not only during his years,

but also during the years of Pastor George’s and my ministries. We have accomplished so much

in our young life, and we are still growing in grace. I thank God for my call as your third pastor

and our life together as a community of faith. I thank God for all the gifts our members and

friends give freely to Christ Church that allow us to drink deeply of life in the Spirit. I thank

God for our vision as a welcoming, caring, innovative, and spiritually vibrant Christian

community. May we continue in such blessing.

Yours in Christ,

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MEMBERSHIP REPORT

2010 2011

Baptized Members 467 468

Confirmed Members 356 360

CONFIRMATIONS (12 June 2011)

Heather Sarah Horst

Riley Jane Westbrook Meier

Rosalee Pamela Rader

WEDDINGS

Michelle Sharon Fiebig and Kristopher Garry Hollett on 6 August 2011

April Lynn Schade and David William Watson on 15 October 2011

FUNERALS

Elizabeth Rosalie (Shortreed) Foote 30 September 2011 funeral: 4 October 2011

Beth’s death is not reflected in our membership statistics, above.

NEW MEMBER (2 October 2011)

David Watson, by Affirmation of Faith; transferred from Central United Church, Stratford.

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COMPARATIVE CHURCH ATTENDANCE REPORT

Average per Sunday 2008 2009 2010 2011

January 79 76 72 76

February 77 115 63 72

March 78 70 73 77

April 95 146 91 72

May 82 69 90 73

June 55 69 86 71

July 52 54 66 60

August 54 49 54 68

September 65 70 66 73

October 70 72 86 85

November 83 77 91 92

December 77 100 76 97

Average per month (by yr.) 72 81 76 76

Lent Midweek n/a n/a n/a 31

Easter Day 145 181 201 171

Sunday School (total) 108 102 105 n/a

Christmas Eve 231 156 160 200

Christmas Day 25 34 21 59

Jackie Irwin,

Church Office Administrator

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MINISTRY OF MUSIC REPORT In 2011, Christ Church Choir welcomed Julie Hill, Stephanie Maxwell, Richard Walsh-Bowers,

Ralph Weigold, and Sharon Woodley as new or returning members.

The choir also said good-bye to its two youngest soloists, Jacqueline Godbout and Bernard

Lambrechts, as they left to continue studies at opposite ends of the continent—Jacqueline to

Nova Scotia and Bernard to British Columbia.

Many thanks to the 21 people who served as choir members, cantors, and soloists at Christ

Church in 2011! May music continue to be a blessing to all of you.

May those of you who sing, but aren’t in the choir, be called to join us!

Many thanks to those who sang with the choir as guests: Graham Brown, Craig Burkett, Oz

Cole-Arnal, Berneice Hamel, and Janice Purvis.

Many thanks to those who served as instrumentalists: Christopher Bramble (piano and organ),

James Brown (recorder and piano), Ann Elsaesser (flute) Ralph Elsaesser (piano), Michael

Hackbusch (soprano saxophone), Julie Hill (accordion, guitar, and percussion), Bernard

Lambrechts (flute), Esther Martin (piano and organ), David Rader (violin and mandolin), Russell

Rader (banjo), Trevor Wagler (piano and organ), and Wendy Wagler (flute).

Let every instrument be tuned for praise;

let all rejoice who have a voice to raise;

and may God give us faith to sing always:

Alleluia!

Sheryl Loeffler

Director of Music

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YOUTH MINISTRY/SUNDAY SCHOOL REPORT Youth Ministry The 2011 year started strong in Youth Ministry at Christ Lutheran Church. The youth continued

to meet regularly every other Sunday afternoon after church for lunch, Bible study and activities.

On April 1st we hosted our first large event at Christ Lutheran, the Canadian Lutheran World

Relief version of World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine, “Hunger Inter-Mission.” For this event we

invited youth from St. Stephen’s, Kitchener as well as Trinity New Hamburg to join us, and had

an approximate attendance of 25 participants. This event was an encouraging mix of support for

world missions and the joining of youth ministry efforts in our conference. We are looking

forward in 2012 to a similar effort, continuing with the CLWR curriculum and support for their

ministries.

As we moved through the year, we covered a variety of topics in our study time together.

Missions and service were two that provided for much of our conversation through the year,

beginning around our CLWR efforts and continuing as we moved towards the summer and the

outreach of providing Vacation Bible School for the youth and children of our community. Many

of our youth and several of their friends volunteered their time during the week of VBS, offered

in August. As well, there was advertising and delivering flyers in the neighbourhood prior to the

event. I was encouraged by the involvement of our youth in leadership and look to 2012 as

providing even further opportunities for their development and growth in service.

In July, we took a break and headed out to Edgewood for a night away from the city. We took

our tents and gathered our wood, roasted our hot dogs, and swam in the creek. It was a great

time away and a great chance to get out to Edgewood before their summer programming started.

July was also a chance for me to head out to the ELCIC National Convention held in Saskatoon.

It was a great conference filled with highs and lows and new and old connections. During this

time, there were several opportunities to connect with other folks in youth and young adult

ministry and foster connections and make plans for the future. More particularly, I was able to

meet with a small group which included David Pfrimmer, Anne Anderson, and Bonnie Schelter-

Brown to discuss the future of youth ministry and youth ministry training in our church as well

as the possibilities in Young Adult Ministry.

Upon my return from Saskatoon, there were several events to look forward to. Vacation Bible

School was offered during the month of August and welcomed about 20 children and seven

youth to our program. The Edgewood Staff, including a friend of our congregation Rebekah

Ludolph, as well as staff members Cameron and Bree, were on hand during this week providing

programming and leadership for those involved. We would definitely like to see this partnership

continue in 2012. One of the new features of this VBS week was an opportunity for some

leadership development and programming for our volunteer youth. Because there was such a

large group of youth participating as volunteers, Rebekah and I were able to pull them aside

during down times in the program to do a study together in leadership.

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Once again, Pastor James and I took a group of confirmands to join the Confirmation Camp

program at Edgewood Camp, led by the Edgewood staff. It was a week full of worship, study

and lots of fun at the end of a busy summer. The Christ Lutheran teaching team was triple strong

with the addition of Silke Force to our group. We studied Jesus’ life, his wisdom and ministry

taking time to focus on the Beatitudes and the Parables. It was again a great chance for the youth

to meet with other Lutheran youth in our conference and spend some “set-apart” time together to

build community and learn together. Much coffee was drunk by all; even more sugar was

consumed, but in the end the lessons learned and the relationships built in that single week

continue to flourish even now.

As we headed into the Fall season, Youth Group resumed with regularity after what seemed like

a quick summer. On September 10th

we organized a bus trip to Canada’s Wonderland, hosting

Trinity New Hamburg, St. James, New Dundee, Mount Zion, Waterloo and Christ the King from

the GTA. We nearly filled the bus with a couple of folks travelling by van or car, and had a fun

filled day in the warm sun of early Fall with friends celebrating the end of summer and the start

of a new School year.

Early in October, we visited the brand new YMCA facility in Laurel Creek for an afternoon of

swimming to celebrate the new school season. We are looking forward to opportunities to

continue to use this facility for activities in 2012. Their Family Boot-Camp and Public

Swimming could become a chance for us to be active and do something a little different.

Our Christmas pageant rehearsals began in late October and early November. Another fantastic

job was done by our youth as they brought to life the story from the Gospels of Matthew and

Luke in “Double Take,” a script produced by Abingdon Press. The 2011 Christmas season also

presented another year to perfect the art of finding the perfect Christmas tree, a discipline which

Pastor James and I have been practising for the last several years. This year’s trudge into the

bush was not nearly as cold or snowy as in other years, but as always, was an important part of

our Christmas traditions here at Christ Lutheran. As usual, the youth met after the tree had some

time to rest in its new home; they lovingly hung the decorations and the Christmons. We would

be biased to say that it was our best yet, but as usual it definitely provided a festive backdrop to

our Christmas celebrations.

In 2011, my job description saw a few changes with the removal of some administrative tasks

involving the after-school program and the addition of Young Adult and Campus Ministry. In

August, there was some exploration around being involved in campus start-up events. The

results were not as fruitful as we hoped. Early in the Fall, another meeting was scheduled

involving David Pfrimmer, Tim Hegedus, Debbie Lou Ludolph, Anne Anderson, Bonnie

Schelter-Brown and myself at the seminary to discuss possibilities and make plans for Young

Adult Ministry. From this meeting we hosted 2 “Pub Nights” in the fall which were not well

attended, but have already grown in 2012 to six or seven young adults. We are looking forward

to further growth in this area, including a Bible Study component as well as regular meeting

times and dates. I hope to become more involved in on-campus events and meeting more

students!

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Sunday School We have continued in the 2011 year to use the One Room Sunday School program which we

used in the 2010 Sunday School season. This has proven a great resource which provides

adequate flexibility for our attendance and age groups. This year, some of our confirmation

graduates took up the responsibility of doing some of our teaching. We are hoping in the 2012

year to continue this opportunity for leadership growth and development. Our numbers for

Sunday School have remained fairly consistent to our previous years, with some increases

around special Sundays. An increase in attendance for the 2012 year would be desirable and we

are looking at ways to continue to grow our program. We are currently looking for volunteers to

lead activities, teach and support the growth of the program.

Submitted by

Alicia Becker, Youth Minister

SOPHIA’S CIRCLE Sophia's Circle is the women's fellowship group of Christ Lutheran Church. In 2011 we

continued to meet on the third Wednesday of each month, except during Lent when we moved to

a different day. We do not normally meet in the summer, but in August 2011 we held a special

meeting at the cottage of one of our members. Group members take turns as hosts in their own

homes where we enjoy refreshments and share "joys, concerns, and challenges" with a

commitment to confidentiality. New members are always welcome: the location of each

month’s meeting is always published in the This Week column of the Sunday bulletin.

Respectfully submitted,

Paula Brown

FAITHLIFE FINANCIAL CHAPTER 74279 REPORT The members of FaithLife Financial at Christ Lutheran Church wish to express our deep

gratitude to the congregational members for their support during this past year.

Through your generosity, we were able to contribute a total amount of $5,307.93 to designated

worthy causes. In April, a defibrillator was purchased at a cost of $2,000.00 and made available

for the congregations use. In September, Chapter members sponsored a “Pizza Party” at coffee

hour that netted $567.93 (including a matching grant of $250.00 from FaithLife Financial) which

was forwarded to Word Vision in support of the Horn of Africa famine relief effort. On

December 18, the Chapter hosted a coffee hour that netted $2,740 designated to help the

congregation reduce its anticipated fiscal deficit. That amount includes a $500.00 matching

grant from FaithLife Financial.

FaithLife Financial encourages its members to be involved in congregational, community and

even worldwide social needs. We are grateful for their support and involvement.

Peter Bjerland

Treasurer, FaithLife Financial Chapter 74279

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PROPERTY COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2011 I would like to start with a “special thank you” to all the members of my committee: Gary Wilk,

Joe Wilk, Ross Wagner, Ken Winfield and Larry Nafziger. Kevin Boehm also acts as a back-up

for electrical and for the PA system if needed. I would also like to thank the people who come

out for our spring clean up, and other jobs during the year, they sure are a great help.

Here are some of the highlights from 2011.

January

Prepared for winter: put shovels out, filled salt containers, picked up bags of salt for the

entrance ways on sale.

Repaired more of the wooden chairs in RGH, bought rubber bottoms for the wooden chairs.

Set up tables and chairs for Epiphany Fellowship dinner on Sat. January 15th

. Also set up

tables and chairs on Sat. January 29th

to celebrate Marlene Leeman’s retirement.

February

Received notice from Waterloo North Hydro re: power saver deal of $1000.00 off a proposed

retrofit of our 4’ electrical lighting units. We replaced the tubes and balasts in 18 of our

fixtures for a total cost of $280.24 installed, which will save up to approximately $310.00 per

year in hydro costs.

Received call from Eloise Breadner on February 8th

about a water leak in the ceiling of the

nursery. Went up and took out some ceiling tiles and put pails underneath to catch the water.

March

Bought more bags of salt for both entranceways.

Had Pastor James call Earl Martin of Frey Building Contractors, but they said there was

nothing they could do, since it was 10 years after installation.

Signed the outdoor maintenance contract with TriGreen Lanscape from April 1st, 2011 to

March 31st, 2012 for a monthly charge of $575.00 + HST.

Picked up more vacuum bags, toilet paper and paper towels.

Held a property meeting, discussing the stewardship plan at Christ Church and how it relates

to property.

Discussed the water leak in the nursery and handicap washroom. Called Stephen Duncan

(who has a child in the Lincoln Village After School program) a roof consultant engineer.

His charge is $125.00 per hour, but he will amend that to $75.00 per hour, and will take 2-3

hours to a maximum of $300.00 for the consult.

Discussed an extra sign for handi-capped parking space, re: new post and sign next to the

present one by the George Mayer room. The cost was put in the budget and passed, it will be

installed sometime in May.

Discussed putting new plywood tops and painting the legs on our 4’ stacking tables in RGH.

The cost was put in the budget and passed.

New stacking chairs for RGH were passed in the budget, bu due to our financial situation,

have been put on hold for now.

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April

Property again served the Easter breakfast led by Eloise Breadner as Karen McRae was out

of town.

Picked up more light bulbs on sale.

Held our church clean up day on April 9th

, 11 people turned out in the morning for clean up

and fellowship.

Property stacked chairs in the Sanctuary and put down the labyrinth on Palm Sunday after the

service. We rolled it back up on Tuesday, April 19th

and put the chairs back in place.

Property served breakfast on Easter Sunday, headed up by Eloise Breadner.

May

Picked up new paper towel dispenser (plus a case of hand towels) and installed it in the

handicapped washroom

Picked up more toilet paper, glass cleaner, garbage bags, plus bought and installed a new

ballast for the t8 fluorescent lights in the nursery

Received a letter from the city of Waterloo that we had to have a backflow device installed to

ensure that our drinking water is protected from external contamination of the supply system.

We contacted Dave Hurst plumbing and heating to do the job. The cost of the installation

was $679.00 + HST, but they had to purchase a backflow permit from the city of Waterloo

for $265.00 for a total of $944.00 + HST = ttl $1066.77. The work was done and completed

on May 26th

.

June

Picked up more hand towels for kitchen, case of toilet paper, 2 jugs of dish soap and rinse for

dishwasher, jug of hand soap for the washrooms, replaced some lights around the church.

Met with Stephen Duncan and checked out the hvac unit on the roof, re: installation etc., all

seemed to be in order, but would have to have the unit lifted to see any damage to the cub

underneath.

July

J.R. Crawford did the retrofit installation of our 18 – 4’ tube fixtures, with new t-8 tubes and

energy saving ballasts. Property went up the night before and took out 40 of the newer

ballasts, and 60 of the tubes so we will not have to buy any new tubes and ballasts for our

remaining 4 units for a long time.

August

On Saturday, August 13th

, ordered the table tops from fairway lumber to redo the stacking

tables. We picked them up on Friday, August 19th

as well as paint for the frames, brushes

and stain for the table tops. Larry Nafziger and I sanded down the frames ahead of time.

Property members met on Saturday, August 20th

and painted the frames and applied two

coats of stain on the table tops. On Monday, August 22nd

, I attached all the tops to the frames

and applied another coat of stain the following week.

Called Acorn Fire and Safety to have our fire extinguishers and emergency lights checked for

the year.

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September

Pastor James checked out the contract we had signed with Frey Building contractors, they

had contracted Palmer roofing in St. Clements to do the job on our flat roof but they only

covered two years on the flat roof and 25 years prorated on the shingled roof.

Mr. Matthews from the city of Waterloo came in and checked our backwash installation we

had to have done and reported that everything was done by code and we will be receiving a

letter from the city.

October

On October 5th

property set up tables and chairs for the provincial election of October 6th

,

then put them back on Friday, October 7th

.

November

After various phone calls and emails we decided to go ahead and have Boldstar Infrared

services go ahead adn do an infra red test to check out where the water might be coming in.

Received the test results and reported to council.

It was decided to go ahead and have Fred Nanasi of Alternative Roofing to do the curb

flashing repair, and T.J.Cranes to lift the hvac unit off and back on when the roof was

repaired.

Ross Wagner has put some fiberlass around the posts at the entrace of our narthex, where the

aluminum was deteriorating from the salt usage on the sidewalks.

On Wednesday, November 23rd

, Fred Nanasi pumped the water off the roof, Perry Falcioni

disconnected the hydro and gas from the hvac unit so Fred could do the roof and curb repairs,

then T.J. Crances put the unit back in place and Perry re-connected the hydro and gas. We

owe a big thank-you to Perry Falcioni for co-ordinating the lifting of the unit and the roof

repairs, plus dis-connecting and connecting the hydro and gas.

December

On December 1st, helped to set up for our annual Craft and Bake sale on December 3

rd, then

put things back on the afternoon of December 3rd

and also clean up on Sunday, December 4th

.

Big thanks again to Carol & Ed Otterbein for setting up the outdoor nativity scene again this

year. I added the lights and hooked them up to our outdoor lighting.

We should also thank Carol & Ed for all the work they do around the church, planting and

watering the flowers, trimming heldges, fixing leaky taps, cleaning windowns and various

other jobs around the church. But most of all for changing the wording on our outdoor sign,

this is a real labour of love.

Special thanks also to Bob Henkel for the weekly task of changing the numbers on the hymn

board for Sunday worship

Have been asked to get quotes for the cost of replacing the flat roof of Roy Grosz Hall, which

is approximately 37 years old. Prices to be advised later in December for decisions to be

made at our annual meeting.

I wish to thank all the members of my property committee for their help during this past year, we

have done much around the church. Wishing them and all members of Christ Lutheran Church a

happy and healthy year ahead.

Ken Schade

Property Chairman

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STEWARDSHIP, SOCIAL MINISTRY and EVANGELISM These headings are grouped together for one reason. These committees do not exist, except on

paper; and the contact person on council is the outgoing connector. These committees are

important to the health of Christ Lutheran Church.

We have to take our words forward into action.

Stewardship

The practice of managing our resources~ helps us to make sure that we have time, talents, and

resources focussed on our community throughout the year.

Social Ministry

The search for a just society and the efforts that we need to make to get there are crucial

elements in our preaching Christ as the core of a just society.

Evangelism

Our efforts to spread the gospel are needed to grow our contacts with the world.

We have worked at some of these initiatives on an ad hoc basis. Efforts on behalf of the House

of Friendship, and Out of the Cold as well as The House of Friendship’s Potato Blitz, Lutheran

World Relief, Koinonia Community Homes, and efforts on behalf of Camp Edgewood (Mens’

Work Week-End, May 25-27) are all aimed in the right direction.

BUT we need to enhance our efforts to give more to those who need more help than we have

given.

Please consider working on the efforts of one of these committees – to serve our Lord.

Bob Schmidt,

Stewardship, Social Ministry and Evangelism

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT REPORT The Volunteer Management Committee has been reactivated after several quiet years. We are in

the process of assessing the needs of the congregation, evaluating the talents of the

congregational members and filling vacant positions with the best possible volunteer. We hope

that when you are asked to serve, you will prayerfully consider our request.

Jane Wahl

On Behalf of the Volunteer Management Committee

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GARDENING COMMITTEE

Christ’s Garden The season began with our annual Spring clean-up in late April and the month of May. A

number of small shrubs at the entrance to the church have been struggling in recent years and

were eventually removed in late June. Others have been given new life with some careful

pruning.

The perennial gardens did well in 2011 with relatively little work, aside from deadheading, and

the occasional watering and weeding. Several flowering shrubs on the Anndale Road side will

need to be cut back this spring, and some perennials are ready to be transplanted to the north

garden.

Watch for new tulips to blossom at the entrance this spring, that is, if we planted them deep

enough to avoid the perils of our alternating freeze and thaw cycles this winter.

We plan to mulch the perennial gardens and trees this spring, and will invite congregants, with or

without green thumbs, to give us a hand.

The gardening committee of Christ Church is in need of additional help during the growing

season. Whether you are an avid gardener or simply enjoy the experience of the garden, please

consider giving a few hours of your time in 2012 to Christ’s Garden.

Thanks to all who contributed to the weeding, deadheading and watering in 2011.

Respectfully submitted by,

Hilary Walsh, Committee Chair.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT Since inception in the spring, the focus of the committee has been building and implementing a

web presence for our church. With a lot of work by Nathan Waito, Kristel Knabenschuh and

occasionally myself, the website went live, in October at http://www.christwaterloo.ca. With

James and Jackie updating the site regularly, it now contains our current church calendar, James’

sermon archive, the newsletter and links to many of our other activities. Outstanding effort by

all those involved. Thank you all, it wouldn’t have happened without you.

For the future, there are many other ways in which we can improve communications within and

without our church. Specifically, adding Twitter feeds, Facebook links, a blog for the ongoing

activities we hear about during Sunday morning announcements, potentially webcasting our

weekly service, and even adding a password-protected church directory are all possible. If you

have an idea, propose it. Anything that lets us connect with each other, connect with our

community and helps promote our commitment to helping others is a possibility. And by the

way, YES, we can use your help!

Conrad Knabenschuh

webmaster@christwaterloo.ca

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ADULT EDUCATION COMMITTEE The Adult Education Committee has a mandate to foster faith development by offering a variety

of opportunities for adult education. This is a summary of our work during 2011.

Lenten Midweek Events

The theme, “The Hungry Feast”, provided an opportunity to learn about the work and programs

of local agencies.

March 16: The Working Centre with Joe Mancini

March 30: Ray of Hope with Scott Brush

April 6: Supportive Housing of Waterloo with Grant Birks

April 13: YWCA of Kitchener-Waterloo with Cathy Middleton

April 20: (Snow date) House of Friendship with Michael Hackbusch

Worship included a joint Anglican-Lutheran Eucharist on April 13 with Rev. Herb Horsey of St.

Columba presiding.

Labyrinth

Once again at the beginning of Holy Week, we had an indoor labyrinth in our sanctuary. Thanks

to the property committee for its help in setting up and packing up the labyrinth. During the

outdoor labyrinth season, “Labyrinth Lines” in the weekly worship bulletin offered ideas for

creative use of the labyrinth. Thanks to Erma King and Dave and Alison Burkett a finger

labyrinth is now available for borrowing from our church library.

Adult Education Forum

March 6: Atinuke Bankole gave a presentation about Black History in Waterloo Region

March 27: Paul Bosch spoke about his tour of Lutherland.

April 17: Bonnie Cole Arnal, offered some guidance on walking the labyrinth.

May 1: David Wilk showed pictures and spoke about his global travels.

September 25: Carol Schmidt spoke and showed pictures of her El Camino pilgrimage

October 23: James and Paula Brown showed pictures and spoke about their travels in England

and Scotland during their second exchange visit to Gourock, Scotland

November 13: Ian Darling and Pastor James offered a post-Remembrance Day dialogue sermon

on reconciliation during worship.

Study Groups

In January-February, we offered a Bible Study based on scripture passages that were used by

Barbara Brown Taylor as sermon texts. Each week’s session included listening to the sermon

from her collection, Gospel Medicine. Members of our committee shared leadership. The spring

Book Study using Henri Nouwen’s Life of the Beloved was led by Janet Waito. In the fall, we

experimented with a 9 a.m. Sunday morning Bible Study, Women of the Bible. This was well

attended and we plan to continue with this format. Thanks to those who led the sessions; Jackie

Irwin, Alicia and the youth group, Silke Force and Nadine Quehl.

Movie Discussion Group

The movie discussion group met from time to time whenever a suitable movie and an after-

worship time slot coincided. Interested folk were invited to see the chosen movie at their own

convenience and then gather after Sunday worship to discuss it.

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Our Committee

My thanks to our committee, which includes Pastor James, Paul Bosch, Silke Force, Elvira

Sentes and Janet Waito.

Respectfully Submitted,

Bonnie Cole Arnal, Chair

WORSHIP COMMITTEE (formerly known as the Worship and Music Committee)

Our Mandate

The Worship Committee (WC) promotes the integrity of worship within the practices of the

ELCIC. The WC provides support to the Pastor and the Director of Music, and serves as a forum

for discussion of ideas about liturgy. Committee responsibilities include reviewing plans for

worship, giving special consideration to guest musicians, guest preachers and speakers, special

themes and events (e.g. Lenten services), and different forms of worship (e.g. dance, visual arts,

drama, etc.). We also review budget lines for the Director of Music and the Altar Guild.

Membership and Meetings During this past year committee membership consisted of Pastor James and Alicia Becker

(Pastors), Sheryl Loeffler (Director of Music), Julie Hill (musician, altar guild), Paul Bosch

(adult education, clergy), Leeanne Wilson (altar guild) and Michael Hackbusch (musician,

clergy). In the latter part of the year, Pat Hartley joined the committee in place of Leeanne

Wilson as chair of the altar guild. Our committee met three times—January 12, February 22 and

November 15.

Discussion topics in 2011 included:

Strategies to gain volunteers in the altar guild and the lector rota

Viability of the choir

Donations –went towards choir music and small percussion instruments, splitting altar

book into two sections, choral scholarship

Worship Revitalization (suggestions from the Congregational Discussion-e.g. more

drama, more ethnic or modern music, different gospel interpretations, more opportunities

for congregants to get to know each other, making church more welcoming to

newcomers, etc.)

Planning and evaluation of different activities for the seasons of the church year e.g. Lent

(“The Hungry Feast”), Easter, summer pulpit exchange, Christmas pageant, Christmas

without Sheryl etc.)

Care and maintenance of worship equipment and supplies

Planning and evaluation of special events e.g. whole community Sundays, Sermon

“dialogues” (i.e. with James and Alicia, James and Ian Darling, 45th

anniversary of CLC,

etc.)

Current events in the ELCIC regarding worship

www.christwaterloo.ca and what might be appropriate to post

Changed name of committee to Worship Committee (since music is part of worship)

Respectfully submitted,

Julie Hill, Chair

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FUN AND FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE

Fun and Fellowship had another busy year organizing and putting into motion the following

events:

In January we had our annual Epiphany Turkey Dinner for approximately 60 people, catered by

the Breadner family and Kevin Boehm. A good majority of guests helped with clean up as

Jennifer had a bad fall early morning and was not able to do her part as usual. This event is for

the families and friends of our congregation.

In February we held the Pancake supper. Preparation began on Sunday, as apples were grated

for the apple sauce. The sausages were cooked on Monday night. Set up was done with the help

of the Property committee. The supper was served on Tuesday, it was a very busy night and was

enjoyed by all. Our Confirmation youth always help with the serving and clean up.

In April the Easter breakfast was organized by Eloise Breadner and Karen McRae, who cooked

and served. Set-up and clean-up was done by the Property Committee.

The Fish Fry and Silent Auction took place in May. There was a lot of work baking pies,

preparing potatoes and setting up. This is always a very rewarding event as people from all over

come back, year after year , for our good food and hospitality.

The Confirmation dinner took place in June. This is a potluck dinner organized by members of

our committee and with set up and clean up by the Property committee.

In early October, we held a planning meeting to discuss ideas and craft items for our annual

Christmas Craft and Bake Sale. We started in late October to meet on Saturday afternoons to

make crafts, always having good fellowship time with cookies and tea. In late November we

baked cookies to sell at the CCB the next week. Men, women and youth come out to help with

this. Karen provides the cookie dough and instructions and everyone has a good time – it looks

like Santa’s workshop! The big day arrived on December 3rd

with people lining up at the doors

before 8:00 a.m. Our committee works hard not only on the day of the CCB but several days

before and also at the after-sale and luncheon (sometimes with little sleep). This was another

successful year, thanks to all who support our bazaar.

I would like to thank the following people who help make every function a huge success.

Ken Schade and all the people on the Property Committee who come out every time we

we call for set up and clean up.

Karen McRae, Ginny McLaughlin, Jeanette Nelson, Shirley Freeman, Linda Rauckman,

Gayl Winfield, Cheryl Myra, Jerry and Flo Binkley, Carol and Ed Otterbein, Audrey

Leeman, Rosie Rader, Shelly Schenk, Dale Wilcox and Tanya Fongang.

All the projects done at home by other people not mentioned: you know who you are.

My family – Don and Jennifer – for all of your support.

Another great year, lots of hard work with great results.

Eloise Breadner

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CLWR REPORT During 2011, Christ Lutheran participated in two exciting Canadian Lutheran World Relief

(CLWR) programs.

In the spring, Carol Schmidt and I organized the “We Care Kits” campaign—sending baby

bundles, school backpacks, children's and adult’s clothing and hygiene kits, sewing kits, two

quilts and two blankets, and two complete teacher’s classroom kits, along with $340 sent to head

office for shipping our gifts to those in desperate need. This was our first year of what will be an

annual program, and we hoped to get 15 kits. We didn’t make our goal: we doubled it! We got

32 kits, as well as the quilts and blankets and teacher’s kits. A HUGE thanks to everyone who

participated! (Watch for announcements when we begin again in the spring).

In the two-and-a-half months leading up to Christmas, I set up a table at the back of the church

for CLWR’s Gifts from the Heart program. This was my second time doing this, and I

streamlined the process by handling everything here in Waterloo – the orders, supplying the gift

cards, issuing receipts. Jackie graciously took on most of the paperwork, so a sincere thanks goes

out to her. We scaled down the campaign somewhat this year, in light of our church drive to

decrease the Operating Fund deficit, but even so, the response was amazing! By the end of the

campaign, our congregation provided 6 fishnets, 8 fuel efficient stoves, 3 cups of milk, 3 bags of

seed potatoes, 4 flocks of chickens, 1 bale of commodities, 1 grove of fertilizer trees, 2 pair of

goats, 1 solar lighting panel, 1 set of garden tools, 4 medical kits, and sent 2 people to business

skills training, 4 people to teacher training and 1 child to summer camp. An additional $400.00

was donated to be used where most needed, making a grand total of $1,895.00.

When I remember that these are only two of the many worthwhile causes the members of this

church are involved in, I can hardly express how in awe I am of the spirit of love and generosity

that flows through our Church, and how honoured I am to be part of this congregation. We are,

all together:

“Christ Lutheran: the little church with a huge heart.”

Jane Ann McLachlan,

for CLWR at Christ, Waterloo

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