TABLE OF CONTENTSCongregational Council President’s Report 2Senior Pastor ‘s Report 3Associate Pastor’s Report 5Visitation Pastor’s Report 6Director of Music & Worship 7Education Coordinator 9Vacation Bible School Coordinator 11Backyard Bible School 11Coordinator of Jr., Sr. High and Family Ministry 11Faith Formation and Discipleship 13Building & Maintenance 13Communication Ministry 14Stewardship Committee 15Evangelizing/Welcome Committee 16Worship & Music Committee 16Service Team Ministry 17Quixotic Bakery 17WELCA18Preschool Director’s Report 19Piecemakers 20Endowment Fund 20Wedding Consultant 20Adopt-A-Block Coordinator 20Memorials 21Employees 22Council Officers 23Ministry Year 2014 Budget 25Breakdown Chart of 2014 Budget 27Financial Asset Summary 28Budget for 2014 29Memorial Funds 32Endowment Fund 34 Life School 36 Women of the ELCA 37 Preschool 38 Sample Ballot…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………40

Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsCONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL PRESIDENT’S REPORTFred Hasse

As 2013 draws to a close, I would like to thank the congregation for the opportunity to serve as council president. It is truly an honor to work with so many talented and dedicated people. The pastors, staff, council members, and volunteers continue to do amazing things to spread the word of the Lord to members of our congregation as well and throughout our community.

The programs offered at Grace Lutheran continue to enrich the lives our members as well as attract potential members from the community. From the 7:30 service for our early risers, to the traditional 9:00 service to the contemporary 10:30 service, our Sunday morning worship offers something for everyone. Sunday School and the Grace Lutheran Preschool continue to attract young families to Grace. Confirmation and Quixotic Bakery provide outstanding opportunities for our older children. Outstanding musicians provide extremely inspirational and high quality music during all of our services. Friday Fun Fest, Adopt-A-Block, Rockford Rescue Mission meals, and the Mobile Food Pantry illustrate our desire to share with all members of our community.

Grace continues to foster strong relationships with the Northern Illinois Synod, GPS, and our sister congregations in Tanzania. These relationships allow us to see that we are all trying to spread the Word of God regardless of our geographic location.The Endowment Fund has furthered our mission by providing financial support to our members who have chosen to attend Seminary and Lutheran colleges.

The past year has seen many exciting physical changes to our facilities. Thanks to the generous financial and physical support of our members, the Rebuilding Grace campaign continues to make outstanding improvements to our tired building. The revamped kitchen provides an outstanding environment to prepare and serve meals for various activities. The updated kitchen has allowed Quixotic Bakery to take its products to the next level. The restrooms in the Narthex provide comfortable and functional facilities for more than one person at a time. The youth room at the west end of the gym is being transformed into a functional room where our youth will be excited to inhabit. The next phase of Rebuilding Grace is to consolidate the Grace Preschool in the lower level of the building. This project will transform current rooms into light and airy learning centers. Bathrooms will be updated with a new and improved look. By consolidating our Preschool into one area, the security and safety or our young students will be enhanced greatly. While many people have put forth tremendous effort to make all of these projects possible, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Pastor Dustin Lenz and Paul Humphries for their tireless work in coordinating all of these activities.

The upcoming year should provide us many opportunities to continue our mission. Please find an area where you can share your time and talent. May God bless you all!

2

Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsSENIOR PASTOR’S REPORTRev. Brent DahlsengKingdom Rock Solid YearJesus said, "The Spirit of The Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free...Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near," (Luke 4:18; 10:11c).The VBS theme for the 2013 VBS was Kingdom Rock which is a good summary of ministry in and through Grace, Loves Park this year. Participation in the Lord's Kingdom work through Grace happened via these rock solid and dynamic ministries: Life School, Vacation Bible School, Backyard Bible School, Friday Fun Fest, Fine Arts Camp, Home Communion ministry, Women's and Men's ministry, Adult Bible class and Bible studies, Leadership Lab, Confirmation Camp, Submerge and Emerge (our confirmation and Senior High Ministries), the annual Kite Fly at Martin Park, Spring (an after school mentoring program), Adopt-a-Block and our feeding programs: the Mobile Food Pantry, Carpenter's Place, the Rockford Women's Shelter and the Rockford Rescue Mission. Without all our volunteers, none of these ministries would be able to function! Thank you Grace volunteers for all you do. Thanks as well go to the ministry leaders from our Church Council and our effective and efficient staff! Ultimately, thanks be to God!2013 was a year offering some new ministries to expand the Kingdom of God as well! Two retro (meaning we have done this in our past) ministry offerings: family movie night and Taste of Grace. A younger men's ministry has begun and while quite small in numbers, it has good energy. Also, a good ten couples participated in Strengthening Your Marriage 6-week program. Several partnership teams met in 2013: the Grace/GPS Faith Community team; the newly formed Grace/Lutheran Schools team; Grace/Loves Park School team, and the Grace/Tanzania Partnership team all met to advance our effectiveness and communication as we work together for God's sake!Our Church Council reorganized in 2013 adding two new positions: the communication team and community development. The purpose of the communication team is to assist the staff, council, congregation and community to have more effective and helpful communication. The purpose of the community development team is to create and strengthen our partnerships within the Parks community around individual and community needs; as well as programmatic development in response to community needs. These two new positions were added by moving the responsibility for worship review under the Vice-President and moving Prayer and Healing under the Discipleship Formation team (formerly called Christian Education).

3Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsPeering ahead into 2014Anticipate a yearlong 90th anniversary celebration reconnecting Grace with former pastors as well as daughters and sons of the congregation that have accepted the call to pastoral ministry! It will be one grand reunion and celebration!Finally, it continues to be all about relationships. Look for the roll out of the Neighbor Project and how you can participate as we push the pedal down to engage and invite our neighbors to worship and participate in God's Kingdom at Grace! It's time to Re-Grow Grace!Adult Baptisms: November 2012 – October 2013 - 0Child Baptisms: November 2012 – October 2013 - 24Youth Affirming Their Baptism: November 2012 – October 2013 - 13 New Members Received: November 2012 – October 2013 – 25Deaths: November 2012 – October 2013 – 19

We have mourned the death of the following members(November 2012 – October 2013)

Marian AldrichDonovan BartelsLorraine Bender

Leon BroegeJackie Brubaker

Lois CarlsonRobert CarlsonCharles DetraFrances GalvinJames Halter

Jim MillerRobert MillerPearl Olson

Ronald PetersonJames Schoenherr

Erna StrandDolores VrazsityJeanette WadeLilly Youngberg

STATISTICS 2011 2012 2013Baptized Membership 1655 1597 1640Confirmed Membership 1288 1190 1210Communing Members 712 703 705Communing & Contributing Members

506 470 469

Income $628,453.78* $644,465.41* $522,995.41+Expenditures $631,859.08* $633,694.32* $535,565.18+Average January thru October 44 weeks 43 weeks 43 weeksAverage Worship 371 380 370

*Annual +10 months

4

Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsASSOCIATE PASTOR’S REPORTRev. Dustin W. LenzGrace is full of stories. As I meet with long time members, people who have and continue to live in the neighborhood or parents of children preparing to be baptized, I hear stories of something that has happened here in the past and the connections that have been made. What a blessing it is to work in a place with so many stories about the past. I can’t wait to hear what kinds of stories get told ten, twenty, fifty years in the future. These stories may include: stories of Friday Fun Fest and all of the children who have been impacted by such a great ministry; stories of our youth playing paintball in the woods and how their Pastor worked with them to sneak up on the other team; or maybe about the time the church came together decorated their trunks and held Trunk or Treat in their parking lot. Memories like these make Grace special. Stories are being made through our efforts and ministries here at Grace. The past year is full of stories. Looking to the future, we are going to create new stories for people to tell for another generation. It has been a special privilege to be a part of these stories with you. Activities and special focuses, all have a stories behind them which have impacted people. The coming year will create more stories of what God is doing in our world through us. The Story—Many of us we have been around scripture our entire lives; for others there has not been the luxury of hearing the stories repeated over and over again. There are those who have tried to read the Bible from cover to cover but simply get bogged down in some of the details of that pull away from the overarching story of what God is doing. This year Grace has embarked upon reading through scripture together so that everyone has the opportunity to learn the stories of Scripture and discover how the stories from long ago connect with our lives today. Over 120 copies of The Story have been purchased and many of you have been reading through this resource each week. Which is the Bible just arranged to read more like a novel from beginning to end. Some of you have picked it up and are reading through scripture for the first time; others are noticing spouses actually reading. The beauty is that together we are reading the Bible and exploring all of the stories together. And hearing how God speaks through these collective readings. General Pastoral Duties—Visiting with people from both inside the congregation and outside the congregation continues to be a priority for me. If you would like to sit down for a cup of coffee some time shoot me an email with some times and let’s try to meet. I am blessed to be able to meet with couples getting married, parents who come to have their children baptized and walk with families as they mourn the loss of a loved one. It is all about relationships and how God works through the steps of our lives.Friday Fun Fest—Grace has seen success in what has become one of our signature ministries. Several graduation youth are returning to help out, be part of confirmation and join our youth group. Participation continues to be at the 150+ mark with over 30 volunteers each week. The effort our volunteers put in is making a difference on the lives of the children and I know that the children are having an indelible mark on the volunteers.

5Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsQuixotic—Our staple “Yum” ministry for Grace continues to grow. Judy Johnson has been teaching and leading youth in learning job skills many of which have taken them to other places of employment. The congregation has benefited with tasty treats for two Sundays a month. If you have a group who needs goodies for an event consider ordering them from Grace’s bakery. When people ask where they came from you can proudly say Quixotic Bakery a ministry of Grace Loves Park. Rebuilding Grace—This year, while major construction has not happened, many projects are underway as listed below:

A sprinkler system was added to irrigate the lawn and the areas landscaped last year.

The youth room is being updated to make it a more conducive space for our youth and other activities.

Plans have been drawn up for moving the preschool to the lower level as well as remodeling the bathrooms. If you would like to hear more about this or see the initial drawings please see me (Pastor Dustin) I am excited to share this next phase with others.

Other Activities Lutherdale--I continue to represent Grace and the Northern Illinois Synod on

the Board of Directors as the board President. Their ministry continues to find ways to connect with older generations while providing a solid program to children and youth.

Northern Illinois Synod—I have been appointed a two year term on the Congregational Life committee. This committee walks alongside congregations to train and empower leaders to do work within their ministries.

Attended a class on C. S. Lewis. Which has been helpful in finding new ways to share Christ’s love in the world.

Attended the Christian Community Development Association’s annual conference. This was an opportunity to connect with others who are doing some great work in God’s name throughout the world, much like the work Grace is doing.

Joined Loves Park Rotary. This has been allowed me to meet other business Professionals in the community who love to serve.

Thank you for allowing me to serve alongside of you as one of your Pastors. This is a privilege and an honor.

VISITATION PASTOR’S REPORTRev. Gary Park“I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you came to me….Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me.”  (Matthew 25:36 & 40)   I share these words of our Lord because they focus on our visitation ministry at Grace.  6

Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsIt is my privilege to visit members of our congregation who are not able to worship with us regularly or participate in other activities because of illness or physical limitation.  We have about 50 people on our visitation list.  In the past many of these people have taken an active part in the mission and ministry of our church and have been strong and faithful servants of our Lord.  It is now difficult for them to sit on the side lines and observe from afar.  I know they greatly appreciate the prayers, encouragement and visits of their family members and their friends from Grace however: the hours can be long and at times lonely in-between those visits.  If you know of someone who is not able to be with us regularly, someone whom you have not seen at church, at worship, a Bible study group or other gatherings for some time, give them a call, stop by, let them know that they are missed, loved and in your prayers.  If you know of someone who is able but needs a ride to worship services, maybe you can fill that need by offering to bring them with you to church from time to time. 

Many times there are people with special needs who should be brought to the Pastors’ attention.  There are people sick, people who are hospitalized or convalescing and we may not know for many days, even weeks and sometimes not at all.  Sometimes people leave the hospital and go to one of the several convalescent homes and we don’t know where they are.   Please let us know by calling the church office at 815-633-8075.  We want to be there for them when they need our ministry and support just as they have been there for us in the past.

Our thanks to those who faithfully serve as communion stewards by taking communion to those who are not able to come to church.  If you know of someone who would like to receive communion at home, please call the church office at the number above and we will arrange to include them.  Let us know if you would be willing to serve as a communion steward. 

Our thanks to all of you who are reaching out to members and friends with phone calls or a visit to share with them your encouragement and prayers.  Thank you for your caring ministry.  God bless you.

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC & WORSHIPGloria LynnIt is with “Great Joy” that I begin my Annual Report for Grace Lutheran Church.  I am so blessed to work in a wonderful, positive environment.  I have been able to call this my Work Home for 14 years and I thank God everyday for the opportunity to serve this congregation!7:30 ServiceI lovingly refer to this as the "early risers" service.  This service is a compilation of many styles of music both old and new.  The people who attend this service are very flexible.  They are accepting of anything and everything!  It allows a wonderful platform for new and young musicians to offer their gifts.  They are always received so beautifully and graciously.  We try to include the tried and true and also bring in some of the newer contemporary styles.  I continue to be amazed at the dedication

of the people at this service.  They are like the mail; always there no matter what the weather outside they always bring the sunshine inside.

7Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsSanctuary ChoirWe are incredibly blessed to have the "Best" choir in all of the Northern Illinois churches here at Grace.  I know I may be biased; but I speak the truth.  Anyone who attends the 9:00 service will attest to this.  Our choir, unlike others in the area is growing and strong!  Over the last three years we have doubled our membership!  We also have young people involved with our choir which cements its continuing growth. At the helm is our Choir Director of three years, Kari Maratos.  Kari brings exciting and inventive music to the choir and has extended our literature to more contemporary and gospel offerings.  The Christmas Concert/Cantata was well-received last year and she is planning a similar one this year.  Moving the rehearsal to 8:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings has increased the amount of people and we are blessed with their "early" dedication.  The dream of course would be to have our choir in the front of the Sanctuary so that not only would the congregation hear them but also be able to see the glory of the Lord on their faces. Random Voices of PraiseOur Worship Team at 10:30 is called Random because of the different people we have coming in and out of our team.  Though it is Random we are trying to make it more intentional.  We have instituted an Online Planning Center which allows the services to be emailed out to specific members on the specific time they are on the rotation.  This is a HUGE step for me as I am Technologically Challenged!  It is a wonderful tool which I am learning more and more about.  In the future we will have our music on IPADS or other such tablets and magically switch from one song to another with a pedal!  WOW! Technology is amazing but so are the people in our team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following people for their dedication and service to our 10:30 team and beyond:  Bass:  Tom Clark, Reed Ortland, Andy Valentine, Ben Johnston and Mark JohnstonEl. Guitar:  Alex Ortland, Jake Genens, Mark Johnston and Nate GuskeAc. Guitar:  Alex Ortland, Jake Genens, Mark Johnston, Nick Johnson and Mark JohnstonDrums:  Todd Edwards, Drew Hall, Mike Owens and Ben JohnstonKeys:  Haven Wells, Tori Johnson Female Vocals:  Cyndy Johnson, Diane Valentine, Carli Huxtable, Lindsay Chandler, Haven Wells and Kelci EatonMale Vocals:   Scott Eaton, Alex Ortland, Mark Johnston, Todd Edwards, Tom Clark, Nate Guske and Nick JohnsonSound:  Mike Owens, Emily Owens, Drew Hall, Rachel Hall, Caleb Johnson, Mallory Holland, Megan Clark, Nick Johnson, Kelci Eaton and Mark JohnstonWhat an incredible team we have and we look forward to the following year to minister to the 10:30 service bringing praise to God!

Fine Arts CampWe moved back to the original concept this year with Fine Arts Camp.  This was our 10th year and we felt it was time to go back to the original concept which was to teach and focus on the process of the Arts rather than centering around the

"product".  The theme: "Honoring God With Our Gifts" was received very well.  Moving into a different focus we also moved into a different Director. 

8Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsLindsay Chandler, who has been an integral part of Fine Arts Camp for 7 years as co-director moved into the role as Artisitc Director this year.  Lindsay had a phenomenal team of over 50 volunteers who worked with 100 children ages 3-11 over the two week period.  The two weeks culminated with a show on Friday evening showcasing song, dance and drama followed by a fabulous reception.  We were honored to have Kelly Barlow and her culinary team provide the "finger foods"!  It was a smorgasbord of the Arts as well as Culinary Confections!  Judy Johnson and the Quixotic Bakery donated some sweet treats to finish off the night!  It was a wonderful two weeks and Lindsay and her team are already busily planning next year!Worship DesignOver the past few years a new responsibility has been given to me as part of the Worship Planning.  This brings me great joy to be able to help design the Worship space with the Pastors, Kathy Bergeron and other members of our staff.  We began with the Psalm Project in January 2013 which encompassed not only the space but music, art, dance and drama for ALL of the Psalms!  What an undertaking but all of us that were a part of it learned so much about the Psalms that we didn't know.  Advent and Lent involve setting up the space and the different services with all sorts of props, sets, and music which is a never-ending canvass we paint on to invite the spirit of God into our church!  Now moving into the "Story" series we are working to bring excitement and wonder to the Sanctuary and beyond for the congregation ofGrace.  From the videos, music, postcards, facebook posts, bulletins, flyers, signs and tweets it takes a tremendous amount of work from an incredible team which we have! In closing I will reiterate how I began; I am blessed to be a part of the Grace staff and to be where God has placed me!  I pray to do His will and purpose for the congregation of Grace and the community of which we serve.  I end with the words of one of our favorite songs:"You're the God of this city; You're the King of these people, You're the Lord of this Nation you are!"  May we always be mindful of that!  

EDUCATION COORDINATORJulie FrykmanThis year marks my third year as Christian Education Coordinator at Grace Lutheran Church. The position continues to challenge me in creating excitement, and finding opportunities for growth, in both myself and the ministries of which I assist. Autumn is always a very busy introduction to the Life School year. We held Life School registration on Sundays during August, and at the beginning of September. It’s a time to gather our curriculum, create a yearly calendar of activities, solicit volunteers, and hold touch base meetings. The amount of faithful volunteers that

return to Life School each year continues to inspire me! They, as well as the few new teachers and assistants, are the heart and soul of the ministry that guides our children’s faith in the Lord! They make Life School the engaging ministry it is each year!

9Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports One of the highlights this time of year for many is the annual Kick Off Sunday. This year we switched it up a bit from our annual Pep Rally theme. I was given a fabulous idea, from a member of our Communication Team and our Music Director, in which we created another avenue to invite kids from the community to Grace again! This year we built on the incredible enthusiasm and participation from the summers Fine Arts Camp and invited everyone back to participate in our “Premiere Sunday” as the kick off to Life School. We were delighted in the response it brought and will continue to look at ways to involve our community! This year we are blessed to have a talented volunteer, Rachel Hall, lend us her gifts to lead our music time. We are beyond excited for what this will mean for the children! Rachel has a background in dance and it translates beautifully for our group praise time. Her energy and ideas have already been well received! Life School helps teach kids many aspects of our faith; one aspect is service and giving. Each semester we give to an Offering Cause. We have three Offering Causes throughout the school year; a local, a regional, and a global. This year our local cause is Maya’s House of Rockford. Our children are learning about how this center assists children of homeless families by providing a nurturing environment. The center supports the developmental needs of the growing child and recognizes the imprint poverty and homelessness often leave on children. A representative from Maya’s House will be coming in the month of October to give a fun, informational talk to the children, as well as inform our congregation of what this chosen offering cause is doing in our community. In addition to the Biblical lesson, games, and crafts the Life School children partake in, this year we will once again hold our Bible Verse Memorization Incentive. This incentive, to memorize the weekly lesson Bible verse, was extremely well received last year! Life School had 100% of our classes complete the verses and each was able to participate in the Ice Cream “Sunday” party reward. We are so excited to roll out this incentive again and engage our kids in learning Gods word!  Believe it or not, fall also is a busy time of planning for Advent. This season is such a beautiful time of year in our faith, with much to be thankful for and many activities to take part in! It is so much fun, yet takes great preparation, to create a fulfilling and engaging Advent Wednesday children’s time. Our lessons will follow Grace Lutheran Church’s “The Story” series.  Another part of Advent that takes great preparation is the Life School Christmas Performance. We are delighted to again have a creative volunteer draft an original play just for the children of Life School! We will soon be announcing our plans for auditions, gathering volunteers for the creation of costumes, and volunteers to assist with stage décor.

At Grace we continue to equip families to pass on the faith through commitment to reading and discussing God’s word. In September we held the Mile Marker #2 (3 year old Bibles) and #3 (Third grade Bibles) meetings and worship service blessings. In our Mile Marker meetings we equipped parents with knowledge, tips, and shared ideas of how to pass on the love of Jesus Christ and faith. Through Mile Markers and Life School we hope to encourage this partnership between the home and church.

10Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports To foster and support our ministry and outreaches we continue to plan and organize numerous events throughout the year that engage people of all ages. Our first of these events will be our third annual Grace Night Out at Willow Creek Ranch. This event always has something for all: food, a football game, live music, games, hay rides,bonfire, and more.  I personally can’t wait for the fellowship, music, and of course all the sweet treats so generously donated!! Please pray for us as we continue to look for ways to grow Life School attendance, and share the love of Christ in the enjoyable, engaging, and loving environment of Life School! 

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL COORDINATORAmanda KenneyThis year’s theme was “Kingdom Rock”. A total of 135 children, ranging in age from four to fourth grade, attended.  The curriculum had a fun theme “Where Kids Stand Strong for God” and “Trust God”. Through  music, games, snacks, bible stories and crafts each child learned that no matter who you are, no matter how you feel, no matter what people do, no matter what happens, no matter where you are…Trust God! The week concluded with a program presented to parents on Friday and the congregation during Sunday morning worship.The mission project this year raised money for pencils and pencil sharpeners for the kids in Tanzania.A HUGE thanks to over 60 volunteers who helped make “Kingdom Rock” a great success. We couldn’t have done it without you guys!Weekly meetings began in May with the confirmands, along with High School and adult guides, who met to plan this year’s Vacation Bible School. By having the youth plan VBS they develop many skills including planning, decision making, organizing and working in teams. We can be proud that we have many youth capable and willing to take on this challenge.

BACKYARD BIBLE SCHOOLJean Humphries, Debbie GustafsonBackyard Bible School was a great success this year. This year we did a one week program from July 29 through August 2. We had 15 neighborhood kids this year and 3 of them were new to the program this year. The awesome turnout this year was

really exciting and gives us all the encouragement we need to start planning for next summer.This year we celebrated Christmas in July. We began with the Advent story and the kids made Advent wreaths as we talked about the meanings of the colors of the candles and then they made mosaic candles. We worked through the travels of the 3 Wise men and filled baskets with the gifts they delivered to the Baby Jesus. We colored Nativity sets that they had fun working on and then putting them together.

11Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports This year we also added game time and, of course, snack time is a big hit. This year we had some of the kids volunteer to offer prayers of thanksgiving for the snacks and for the program.Backyard Bible School is an amazing experience for us and we cannot thank Forrest and Leeanna Hargraves for the very generous welcome they give us each year when they give us free run of their yard and gazebo for our program and even make treats for us.

COORDINATOR OF JR., SR. HIGH AND FAMILY MINISTRYChris Thomas2013 was a great year of ministry at Grace.  There were a lot of exciting things going on, from the annual mission trip, confirmation camp, Dare 2 Share retreat, and the Wilderness Retreat.  On top of all of these things we had 5 lock-ins, 2 Nerf battles, a paintball trip, and many other day events.  We also started renovation on the youth room and it looks great! It was wonderful seeing new leaders emerge in the groups and to see what heights these ministries could raise to.  We had an average of 12 youth participate in Emerge on Sunday nights with a great opportunity to welcome in our community. We also continued our Friday night basketball open gym.  We had great participation in the spring with about 14-15 coming in on average.  We slowed down during the summer and early fall with the floor being waxed and the start of the high school football season, but I expect our numbers to return when winter comes around.  It is great being able to serve the community as a safe place where youth can gather to play. This was a great year for our Submerge Confirmation program as well.  We had 11 new students join the program this year with a total of 22 students for both the 7th and 8th grade.  This year, because the Story small group met at the same time as our program on Wednesday nights I took over for all of the large group teaching for Submerge.  We also had many new guides join us this year, including Sherrie Foss, Jason and Melissa Lawrence, and Josh Manning, who joined Amanda Kenney and C.J. Campbell.  We had 13 students confirmed in 2013.  Their names are Logan Barger, Emma Brown, Keegan Clark, Jake Elmer, Jacob Gouchenour, Nolan Gruner, Kyle Jacobson, Morgan Knutsen, Gannon Novak, Samantha Petersen, Carson Racich, Evan Schrader, and Cameron Taft.  

For our mission trip this year we took 23 people to do flood restoration in Sandy Hook, NJ.  Of that we had 19 students and 4 adults, making it the largest mission trip I’ve led.  I had 3 excellent chaperones who made it possible, Amanda Kenney, Anne-Marie Kuchinski, and Jordan Semevolos. The owner of our worksite, Rie, was at home when Hurricane Sandy struck the East coast.  It was devastating to her home with the water reaching up to her second story.  Even more traumatically, Rie worked with a contractor who used faulty wiring on all of her electrical.  So it was wonderful to be able to step in and help.  By the end of the week we had removed all of the drywall necessary for the electrical to be re-done, painted a large portion of the exterior of the home, and cleaned up and added some fresh mulch to her yard.  We also were able to experience the local New Jersey scene by visiting the Seaside Heights Boardwalk. 

12Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports On our last day we journeyed to New York City toured some of the city and saw “Newsies” on Broadway.  It was an amazing experience all around. I also don’t want to forget some of the great family events we had in 2013.  Grace Night Out was a smashing success this year, thanks to the leadership of Julie Frykman.  We also had our Faith Nights at the Rockford Aviators.  We are always excited to try new ideas and ways to celebrate as a family at Grace.  I want to thank each of our volunteers for helping to put on these events! 2013 was such a great year of ministry at Grace!  It was a blessing to be able to work in such an active and vibrant community!

FAITH FORMATION AND DISCIPLESHIPCommittee Members:  Julie Frykman, Amanda Kenney, Melissa Lawrence, Pastor Dustin Lenz, Nancy Milani, Chris Thomas The Education Committee was recently reorganized into the Faith Formation and Discipleship Committee.  This group meets regularly to explore methods of encouraging Christian discipleship through the educational ministries of Grace Lutheran Church.   In 2013, we have been focusing on creating opportunities to learn and grow in the Christian faith with practices identified by the ELCA: pray, study, worship, invite, encourage, serve and give.  We are working to improve the balance of these seven practices within Grace Lutheran’s Christian instruction and activities, from infancy to adulthood.  Activities included in this discussion are: Baptism; 3 year-old & third grade Bibles, First Communion, Life School, Confirmation, SPRING, Vacation Bible School, small groups and adult study groups.    Grace Lutheran continues to have many opportunities to practice and improve our faith and discipleship.  Thank you to everyone who has volunteered or participated in these ministries. Julie Frykman, Nancy Milani, Judy Johnson, Pastor Dustin Lenz, Amanda Kenney, and Melissa Lawrence

BUILDING & MAINTENANCENeal BuelowMore significant progress has been made this past 12 months in updating and improving the building in the second year of the Rebuilding Grace campaign.  Thank you once again for the continuing generosity of Grace’s members.  The donations and time put in by members are truly a show of how giving the Grace family is.  The Council and Building and Grounds committee are very grateful to all who have contributed time and/or gifts. Work was completed on the kitchen and this is now a thoroughly modern, and much more user-friendly space that we can be proud of.  The modernizing has also made it more efficient and safer too.

13

Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports The Ancona family made a wonderful gift to Grace of a memorial fund that they asked us to use to put in an in-ground sprinkler system.  This Spring we installed a state-of-the-art system, with satellite monitoring that ensures that all of the beautiful landscape work that was done last year will be optimally watered.  This will save water and money, and a great deal of time that had to be spent moving around hoses and sprinklers previously.  Late this year Sandra Knorr and a group of volunteers worked on putting in additional plantings on the east end of the building, donating the plants to Grace.  This kind of work has put a nice finish on the main areas immediately around the Church. In the second half of the year updates and improvements have also been made to the youth room.  Several old couches were removed and some “stadium” style seating was installed which allows versatile use of the room as well as offering storage space.  In addition a popcorn machine and flat screen TV with video player were installed so the youth group can have some fellowship with a video on occasion. All of the updates carried on in the past 1 ½ years have made for a big reduction in the number of small repairs that need to be carried out.  This does not mean work is not being done, but there are fewer small “emergencies.”  In spite of that, there are always small projects and fixes and clean-ups that are done, sometimes even without my ever having to find out. My sincere thanks go to all those behind the scenes who keep things working and looking good.  This includes, but is not limited to, the folks in the office, Micah, the pastors and many volunteers who offer their time and knowledge willingly.  We appreciate your continued generous support as the Rebuilding Grace campaign heads through it’s final year so that we can finish the ambitious goals we set out for ourselves not so long ago.  We are truly blessed here at Grace with gifted and generous members.     

COMMUNICATION MINISTRYDrew Hall

This year was a wonderful year. Thank you for your support from the election at last year’s meeting, to the several surveys during service. It has been a wonderful experience and an eye opening at that!Our first order of business in 2013 was to understand how our congregation best communicates, not only with each other, but also with the community. It became clear that we all mostly got our news and general information through face to face and bulletin announcements. Many of us still enjoy getting the newsletter; however the website was and continues to be very underutilized as a primary source of communication. Pursuant to that, we have begun working on a new website that will be more flexible for the staff to get information up and out via the internet. Our consultant has agreed to see through the implementation and the training of staff members to fully utilize the power and functionality of the new site. Mike Owens is working closely with the consultant and doing much of the legwork in construction of the website saving thousands in the process. 14Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports Ultimately, when the site is done, the staff will be able to upload information quickly making the website more relevant. Hopefully, the website will become a primary source of information and a welcoming window of Grace to the community.Secondly, we understood that the staff having many different email appendages (i.e. @hotmail.com, @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, etc.) was, at best, unprofessional. We took steps to resolve that, thanks to Dave Franciso however, we haven’t gotten used to it yet and don’t quite rely upon them for 100% of our email communication.The committee has been involved in Taste of Grace, the Women’s Conference, Fine Arts Camp, Vacation Bible School, and Pastor Park’s 52nd Ordination Anniversary, all in varying roles. Thank you to Mike Owens, Kathy Bergeron, Rachel Hall, Fred Hasse, Mark Johnston, Craig Moritz, and Rand Moore. If I missed anyone, I sincerely apologize. Everyone has been a wonderful help in getting things in motion.Special thanks to Kathy Bergeron, Katie ped Ministry/Event registration forms, gotten social media sites consolidated, we’re working on a volunteer registry, and strengthened relationships between the preschool and the church. We’ve looked at making a more concerted effort in routinely preparing a “bigger presence” during Sundays that the preschool may be singing/visiting. Kathy Bergeron, in particular, has been willing to take on additional duties such as preparing the announcement slides, producing videos and implementing different strategies to ultimately create a smoother communication process in general. None of this would be possible without help and encouragement from the congregation, the pastors, and other committee members. Thank you all for your support and willingness to help whenever asked. It’s been a wonderful first year, and I look forward to 2014 being even more successful.

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEESharon Hood

Financial stewardship is based on the belief that God is the true and ultimate owner of each person's possessions, and that one is accountable to God for the acceptable care and use of those possessions  The highest percentage of our expenditures went for assisting others in many various forms: Community Development:  Rent and medical assistance for some that need it, mobile food pantries along with GPS that has assisted literally thousands of people, Adopt-A-Block where we go out and build relationship in our neighborhood surrounding Grace, serving Rockford Rescue Mission, and assistance for our seminarians. Pastoral Leadership: Worship services, visiting our sick and homebound members, and performing weddings and funerals.

15

Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual ReportsAdministrative: This includes the many various forms of communication within the church such as bulletins, newsletters for our Grace Website and Grace Facebook page, etc. Building & Property: Upkeep, maintenance, repairs and utilities. Worship: Piano, organ music, choir etc.  Education: Vacation Bible School, adult and children’s Sunday school, confirmation, GLISS, Bible study and lay leadership education. As you can see when we break it down, Grace Lutheran is a very active, far reaching church that has a profound effect on many people both at Grace and beyond. We have had another awesome year!!  The members of Grace Lutheran are wonderful, caring, and giving people.   We are all truly Blessed! EVANGELIZING/WELCOME TEAMJean HumphriesEvangelizing/ Welcome Ministry has been hosting the Welcome Center withVolunteers on a rotating basis and reaching out to our visitors throughphone calls, emails and postcards. We look forward to beginning a new groupinterested in exploring their faith and baptism this Spring. Visitors and members are welcome to join us for these informative gatherings. If you are interested inhosting the Welcome Center or connecting with our Visitors, please contact thechurch Office.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTRebecca Stewart

Beginning this year Grace added a new ministry, Community Development. This is my first time working on any Church Council and I spent much of the year trying to navigate my way through along with the much needed guidance from God and our Pastors.

Community Development has focused on the many requests for assistance from those both in our Church community and our Neighbors. Getting started has been a tough road, because of not knowing where to begin. We are beginning to build relationships with others in the community who are working to help those who are in need. We have been focusing on building long term skills rather than temporary fixes and helping to keep the dignity of those persons intact.

Members of the Community Development team were able to attend a couple very informative seminars this past year. Gaining both guidance and ideas on how to better serve our Community and build those relationships and develop and nurture effective and healthy partnerships. I believe Faith is the foundation and basis for all Community Development. I’m talking about faith calling us to use our gifts and talents!

16Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports Faith teaches us that faith is a verb and as such we are called use it to do something. “Faith without works is dead”.I recognize that people hear the call of God differently. He speaks to each of us differently. We can harness the power of faith and allow God to use us to help bless others. If you hear his call for you to use your gifts and talents to help make a difference that helps to improve the quality of life of others, I would like to extend the invitation for you to join with us. Your gifts and talents can help us to do more and make more of an impact in the lives of those that we serve. I would also like to thank all of our volunteers without you none of this is possible.

SERVICE TEAM MINISTRYLisa PeekIt still amazes me on how many Grace Volunteers lovingly support people of our community through the service ministry. The community of Grace continues to feed the hungry at the Rockford Rescue Mission and the Women’s Crisis Shelter. We could always use more volunteers for this amazing avenue of community outreach. Our long time leader of the Carpenter’s Place service, Jane Workinger, is moving and we are looking for a new leader for this service ministry. Please contact me with details. We wish Jane the best in her new adventure and she will be greatly missed. We also feed the workers on the Lutheran Habitat for Humanity houses in August. We provide care packages for the military and the students away at college. We continued our partnership with GPS Faith Community through the Mobile Food Pantry and the holiday baskets. There is room for more volunteers from Grace to support this service ministry.

This August we raised $3,000 through the annual book sale in memory of Fran Cronberg to support the fight to find a cure for blood cancers. I personally want to thank all the volunteers for working so hard to show the community the power of Christ and that Grace is more than just a church but a community that supports one another. The power of God is alive more than ever outside of the church’s four walls. QUIXOTIC BAKERYJudy JohnsonQuixotic Bakery continues to grow in the Grace Lutheran church kitchen. The purpose of the bakery remains to provide young people of the congregation and neighborhood with employment skills and an opportunity to generate income for youth projects.  During the 2012-2013 year the bakery had over $8,000 in revenue and put over $3,000 in youths’ accounts that were used for confirmation camp, the Sr. High mission trip, leadership lab, retreats, etc.  

17Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports As we begin our third year, we are excited to say that Quixotic cookies are now available on a daily basis at Chubby Guy’s BBQ and all three Tom & Jerry’ locations. Quixotic cookies are also available in the Rockford Lutheran School concession stand. Of course, Quixotic is still open in the church kitchen twice a month on the first and third Sundays of the month.  You can place an order in advance of bakery dates if you want to make sure you get your favorite treats or you can stop in at the kitchen on the first or third Sunday of the month to purchase a treat with your coffee.If you would like to get involved as an adult volunteer who helps supervise youth in their responsibilities at the bakery, please fill out a volunteer form, available on the Quixotic website at quixoticbakery.com. If you are a youth interested in working in the Quixotic Bakery, applications are also available at quixoticbakery.com.

WELCA(WOMEN OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA)Debbie Gustafson, Marlene ParkGrace women continued to explore the M&Ms we share as a group and individually. All women are welcome to participate in any program or project.  Lenten and Advent meals were prepared and served by groups of women.  More women gathered in April for another charming tea.  Wallie Stewart, the North Conference representative on the board of the Northern Illinois Synod Women of the ELCA, presented the program: "There's A Place For You!".  She shared a video encompassing the ministries of the churchwide organization including quilters. Several Grace women attended the annual Spring Retreat sponsored by the synodical women's organization at Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Center.  "Two Scoops of Grace with Sprinkles on Top" explored the place of laughter in a Christian's life. 

In September Audrey Wooley served as delegate to the synodical women's convention in Peru, IL and Marlene Park served as parliamentarian.  Among the business items was election of delegates to the Women of the ELCA Triennial Gathering, July 2014 in Charlotte, NC. Marlene was one of seven chosen. “Of Many Generations” is the theme for the gathering, celebrating women over the 25 years of the new organization.In October Grace was represented on the planning committee and at the 19th Annual Ecumenical (Catholic/Lutheran Benefit Brunch at which Pastor Twila Shook shared the lives of women around the world who live boldly and in faith.The ministry of hospitality has been an important topic of conversations.  Providing lunches at funerals is the primary focus.  The “Connections” tear-off on Sunday mornings provides an opportunity for men and women to sign up.  Some women provided cakes for a birthday celebration at P.A.Peterson Home. A brunch for all women of Grace is November 9, 2013. Patricia Msseemma, president of the N. IL. synod women. will share about our companion synod relationship with the Arusha Diocese, Tanzania. 

18Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports Currently the following circles are meeting monthly September to May:  Bethany, Grace, Mary-Martha, Naomi, Rachel and Sarah.  They study  the Bible or other material designed to encourage growth in faith.  Service projects such as support for the malaria campaign are part of the ministry of each group.

PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR’S REPORTCurrent Enrollment: Preschool: 71, Nursery: 59 Total: 130 Current Staff:Jill Miller-Preschool Director, Preschool TeacherStacie Leese-Assistant Director, Nursery TeacherJeanine Fadness-Preschool TeacherCandy Wolf-Assistant TeacherLinda Dunphey-Assistant TeacherSheri Sinnaeve-Preschool TeacherChrissy Axe-Nursery Teacher, Assistant TeacherNancy Milani-Assistant Teacher, Floating AideTricia Sill-Assistant TeacherJulie Forbes-Assistant TeacherJoy Swenson-Floating AideMelissa Hancock-Floating AideMary Frykman-TreasurerCurrent Board Members:Sue Hoffmann, Judy Owens, Mary Frykman, Pastor Brent Dahlseng, Alice Anderson, Kim Hasse, Candi Joern, Kori Lamb, Joni Meichtry, Nancy MilaniHighlights:

*Enrollment is back up in the Nursery classes and down in the Preschool classes. We eliminated the second afternoon preschool class, but hope to add it back in the future. *We have several staff changes this year. Miss Garton and Mrs. Humphries left us at the end of last school year. We have Mrs. Forbes and Miss Sill joining us as assistant teachers, and Mrs. Swenson and Miss Hancock joining us as floating aides. Mrs. Sinnaeve and Mrs. Axe both moved from assistants to teaching positions.*Our graduation programs continue to be big events, all celebrated in the evening on the week before Memorial Day. *Preschoolers have gone on field trips to Curran’s Apple Orchard and the Fire station. They will also visit Burpee Museum in the spring.*Nursery students will go on a field trip to the Discovery Center in November and will visit a pig farm in the spring. Last year's visit to the farm was a big hit.*Preschool and Nursery students participated in a fire drill with the Loves Park Fire Department during Fire Safety week.*Preschoolers sang in church in October and will sing again in the spring.*Nursery students will sing in church in January.*All students have been visiting the computer lab and our library once a month, with the help of parent volunteers. *We continue to offer the option of two or three days for Nursery students and three or four days for preschool students.

19Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports *We have several upcoming fundraisers for our Carol A Johnson Scholarship Fund.  We have more families than ever before being helped by our scholarship program which means more need than ever before. We hope to raise funds at our Applebee’s Pancake breakfast, Backyard Grill night, and Beef-a-Roo night.*Our family events this year will include a Reading night in the Fall and a Science night in the Spring.*We are now on Facebook. Like us at www.facebook.com/gracelutheranpreschool.Thanks to everyone who has donated supplies, time, and money to help keep our preschool running smoothly. We have a coconut tree posted on the door in our entryway where we add items we are wishing for. We appreciate all donations. Visit our website at www.gracelutheranpreschool.com. Thanks to Dave Francisco for maintaining it for us.

PIECEMAKERSDoris MoritzPiecemakers continues to make warm coverings for those in need.  We continue to support Carpenter’s Place, Habitat for Humanity, RALM and LWR.  If we are aware of a need we are able to fill that is our goal.  We are supported by donations of materials as well as monetary donations.

ENDOWMENT FUNDAnn McCormickThe Endowment Fund was established December 29, 1985 to enhance the mission outreach of Grace Lutheran Church. Anyone who would like to, may contribute to the

fund in any amount large or small. Unless otherwise specified by the person giving the gift, the principle will remain intact and only the interest used. A committee of five church members, the Pastor and church council president meet four times a year and oversees the fund. Our primary mission over the past two years has been to financially support Grace Members attending Lutheran Colleges and seminaries.

WEDDING CONSULTANTSGloria Lynn, Julie Frykman, Kathy Bergeron, Katie Thomas, Jennifer BergeronWe had the pleasure of leading eight weddings from November 2012 thru October of 2013. We had four member and three were non-member weddings.

ADOPT-A-BLOCKIn the summer of 2009, four members of Grace: Julie Frykman, Ron and Debbie Gustafson and Pr. Dustin Lenz participated in a variety of service projects at the LA Dream Center: Skid Row Outreach; a mobile VBS; preparing meals for the homeless and a neighborhood outreach called Adopt-a-Block. We launched AAB at Grace in August 2006 on three neighborhood streets: Grand and Sheridan Avenues and River Park Road. We continue to build relationships on these three streets and have occasionally worked on these streets: Illinois, Arlington, Pearl, Merrill, Evelyn and East Drive.

20Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois 2013 Annual Reports The Great Commandment calls us to Love God. Love Neighbors. If you have been in worship much at all over the past five years, this is a familiar refrain – our unofficial slogan. There is an opportunity for more volunteers to intentionally build relationships in SW Loves Park in what we now call: The Neighbor Project. A second phase of this project involves the whole congregation because God calls all of us to love our neighbors in whatever neighborhood we live. Begin by meeting your neighbors. Write down their names and addresses so you can pray for them. As your relationship grows, you will learn specifics on how to pray for them. Listen for how God opens the door for you to share the hope you find in the Lord. If they are active in a local congregation, praise God. If the door should open wider and your neighbor who is distant from God becomes interested, invite them to worship with you.

MEMORIALSMary FrykmanMemorial contributions from January 1 through September 30, 2013 were made in loving memory of: Pearl Olson, Laurel Larson, Robert Carlson, Donovan Bartels, Jim Miller, Lois Carlson, Lilly Youngberg, Grace Smith, and Viola Truittmann.Gifts were given for banding for paraments for the altar in memory of Marge Lahn.  There were computer upgrades made in memory of John Hopper, Ronald Ryks, Hank Anderson, Gary Betts, Nina Cline, Judy and Ron Bowen Anita Bohl, Viola Hunley, Carol Carlson and Joe Kieley.

Several families have designated their loved ones memorials to be gifted to the Rebuilding Grace project.   This past year a lawn irrigation system was installed with a gift from the family of Antionetta Ancona.

21EMPLOYEES’ STARTING DATES OF SERVICEMINISTRY STAFFBrent Dahlseng, Senior PastorNovember 27, 2006Dustin Lenz, PastorOctober 15, 2005Gary Park, Visitation PastorSeptember 1, 2000Gloria Lynn, Music CoordinatorOctober 1, 1999Gregory Gyllsdorff, Organist September 1, 2010Kari Maratos, Choir DirectorJune 1, 2010Julie Frykman, Education CoordinatorJuly 15, 2011Amanda Kenney, Educational Outreach InternJanuary 3, 2012

Chris Thomas, Family and Youth Ministries

May 16, 2009

SUPPORT STAFFKathy Bergeron, Parish SecretaryOctober 12, 1989Katie Thomas, Assistant SecretaryFebruary 1, 2010Mary Frykman, Financial SecretarySeptember 1, 1994Micah Young, CustodianJune 1, 2011Judy Owens, Building AttendantOctober 22, 2000 David Francisco, MediaJanuary 1, 2004

222013 CONGREGATION COUNCIL OFFICERS

President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fred HasseVice-President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom ClarkTreasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tim LarsonSecretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cathy Arnold

YOUTH MINISTRY TEAM – Sarah KuchinskiThe purpose of the Youth Committee is to innovate, strengthen and develop opportunities for youth in their teens to twenty-something through education, service, community as well as spiritual, faith and character development.

FAITH FORMATION AND DISCIPLESHIP – Melissa LaweranceThe Faith Formation and Discipleship committee is responsible for the formation of Christian disciples through the educational ministries of Grace Lutheran Church.

EVANGELIZING TEAM – Jean HumphriesThe purpose of the evangelizing committee is all about relationships: to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors. Particular program areas that fall underSERVICE TEAM – Lisa PeekThe purpose of the service committee is to guide Grace Lutheran Church in its responsiveness to the needs of people within its service area within greater Loves Park. The following service projects fall under the direction of the service ministry: Mobile Food Pantry; Carpenter’s Place; the Rockford Rescue Mission, the Women’s Shelter and Habitat for Humanity.

CHURCH PROPERTY MINISTRY – Neal BuelowThe purpose of the Church Property Committee shall be to oversee the proper maintenance and protection of all property of the congregation, and shall take care that the same is kept in good repair and is adequately insured.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – Rebecca StewartThe purpose of the GCD (Grace Community Development) team is to partner with our economically disadvantaged neighbors and other community development organizations to address root needs and issues by designing and implementing development strategies.

STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY – Sharon HoodThe purpose of the stewardship committee shall be to teach biblical principles for the use of money, time and passions/gifts; to communicate with the congregation about the ministries we support locally, through our synod and the ELCA as well as our global partnerships; and lead all its members to higher levels of proportionate giving for the Lord’s work.

COMMUNICATION MINISTRY – Drew HallThe purpose of the communication team is to assist the congregation in both effective internal as well as external communication of the mission and ministry of Grace Lutheran Church. This includes and is not limited to Web-based communication; cell communication newspaper and television coverage of events and online community building.

24

25