2014 -2015 Joy! Lutheran Church

Annual Repor t

I n s i d e Lead Pasto r Report

Counci l Pres ident Report

Names and Faces

Iden t i ty

Relat ional Min is try

Youth

Chi ld ren and Fami ly

Worship

The Finances

Serv ing our Communi ty

Faci l i ty Update

Dear Joy!

When I was young, I loved to do “connect the dot” puzzles. Especially the one with a couple hundred dots! The picture revealed in the end was always an un-expected surprise.

I admire the apostle Paul. Paul was a “connect the dots” kind of guy. With laser focus, Paul wanted every Christ-follower to understand why God does what God does when God does it. AND, why Christ-followers do what they do when they do it. In order to connect the dots, Paul combined two seemingly insignificant words to say something significant, “so that!”

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible quali-ties—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, be-ing understood from what has been made, so that people are without

excuse.

1 Corinthians 3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become

“fools” so that you may become wise.

In the Spirit of Paul, let me do what I love to do … connect the dots. Joy! Luther-an church exists to reach our neighbors with Christ's radical love so that all our lives are changed! In the name of Jesus, a changed life is someone who loves the unlovable, forgives the unforgiveable, and gives the unimaginable.

It’s that simple. This means in 2014-2015:

When over 2000 First Impression volunteer serving spots were filled and 600 loaves of communion bread were made, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When 6 new small groups were formed, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we built 16 bunk beds for children without beds, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we baptized 12 people including 2 adults, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we sent 16 people to Chicago to experience the Urban Plunge at JustEmbrace.org, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we launched a partnership with Kids Hope USA and partnered 5 Mentors with 5 children at Prairie Trail School, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we sent 13 people to El Salvador to build homes and relationships, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we created the Awe and Wonder team to release Joy’s creative po-tential, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we updated the worship center’s lighting, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we launched our sermon series Game Changers (and every ser-mon series before and after), we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we created a welcoming environment where students felt comfortable inviting their friends to church, we did it so that all lives are changed.

When we welcomed 150 children to Vacation Bible School, we did it so that all lives are changed.

Lead Pastor Report Mark Borgetti

This means that in 2015-2016

When we launch MomsConnect in the Park and MusiCreators; an early childhood music program for parents and their children and, we’re doing it

so that all lives are changed.

When we theme the children’s area with bright colors and an adventure

theme, we’re doing it so that all lives are changed.

When we add volunteer staff to help plan special events and direct our out-

reach ministries, we’re doing it so that all lives are changed.

When we increase our benevolence to the Metropolitan Chicago Synod,

we’re doing it so that all lives are changed.

When we launch our church-wide fall study, Finding Your Way Back to God,

we’re doing it so that all lives are changed.

Everything we do when we do it we do so that all lives are changed. The past 12 months have been amazing. God’s energy and grace continue to pour into this church. Please continue to pray for an support the ministries of Joy!, so that all lives are changed by the sharing of Christ’s radical love with our neighbors.

Lead Pastor Report continued

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Council President Report Bob Lenning

As I look back over the past year at Joy!, the one word that comes to mind is consistency. After several years of challenges, this past year had less bumps. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 First and foremost, God has been and always will be consistent. God has given Joy! the mission of reaching our neighbors with Christ’s radical love so that all our lives are changed. God has been consistent in providing for this mission. - God has guided people to Joy!. - God has provided resources when they are needed. - God has instilled passion in people to do ministry that changes lives. - He has provided direction through 3 long term goals of outreach, spiritual growth, and children, youth and family. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Al-ways give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58 The members of Joy! have also been consistent: - Membership has stayed steady. - Financial giving has been right on budget. - Ministries continue to support those in need. “Let us stop going over the same old ground again and again, always teaching those first lessons about Christ. Let us go on instead to other things and become mature in our understanding, as strong Christians ought to be.” – Hebrews 6:1 Being consistent is a great thing – for example, reading scripture and praying daily are great spiritual practices. However, after our consistent year, I believe God has called us to a year of growth, stepping out in faith, and new challenges. As I like to do in all my messages to the children, it is time for my challenge to Joy!.

Get rooted: Dig your roots deep into prayer, generosity, bible study, worship, serving, and relationships.

Get involved: Join a small group. Become a mentor and join the Kids Hope USA team. Join the women’s retreat or Men in Motion. Make weekly church attendance a priority.

Get growing: Participate in Financial Peace University. Grow your giving. Look for new ways to serve.

Get going: Talk to your neighbors and share Christ’s love with them. Invite the children of your friends to VBS, KAK, Crossroads, or ATF. Do your friends and neighbors know you go to Joy!

Together, we are changing lives, but there are so many out there who need their lives changed. It is an honor to serve with all of you at Joy!.

Names and Faces Church Council and Staff

Bob Lenning, Council President

Eric Sato Vice President

Laura Shabat Council Secretary

Bryan Peterson Council Treasurer

Bruce LeRoy Gary Koehler Robin Flory

Staff

Council

Mark Borgetti Jenelle Ancona Cheryl O’Neill Colin Cranmer

Laurie Papini Sue Gearica Laura Kline Jennifer Marvin

Pastor Al Caldwell Kaitlynn Camardo Joneen Lannon Dave Pilkington

Human Resources The Human Resources Team consists of Jim Kerwin (lead), Gail Padmanabhan, Tim Maguire, Judy Kotsiopoulos and Gary Koehler (council representative). Our purpose is to “enable change by working with church leaders, staff, and key volunteers to improve the capabilities of Joy!'s mission and ministries”. Some of the accomplishments over this past year:

Together with the Finance Committee, created policy for employee medical insurance. Joy! now has all full time staff both eligible and covered under medical insurance plans.

Created policy on training and development.

Using the hiring process, brought on a new nursery staff person.

Conducted a comparative compensation analysis for the entire staff and made recommendations to Council and Finance Committee.

Created new volunteer staff positions: Pastoral Care Minister, Special Events Coordinator and Director of OUT Ministries.

Together with staff, revised job descriptions and responsibilities, conducted performance reviews and goal setting.

Completed the employee survey and pastor 360 survey.

Our current objectives are centered around continued policy updating and creation. Leadership growth and staff development. If you are interested in learning more or volunteering for this team – contact Jim Kerwin at jfkerwin@aol.com

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Identity

The Mission at Joy!

Our Mission is to be a joy-filled, Christ-centered community that is pas-

sionate about reaching our neighbors with Christ's radical love so that all

our lives are changed!

Core Values at Joy!

These are the things that we feel are the heart of our Joy! community,

and we funnel each ministry and action of our church through these

seven values. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the leadership and

accountability of mature believers and our mission and values, these are

the things that drive and govern our decisions here at Joy!.

Accepting - each person as they are

Encouraging - each person to grow in Christ

Building - a loving community through intentional relationships

Revealing - God through innovation and risk-taking

Empowering - each person to put their faith in action

Raising Children and Youth in Christ

Experiencing - Joy!

Current Focus at Joy!

Any healthy church has goals, and each year we have strategic planning

meetings to decide what our next set of goals is going to be as a

church. These are the focus points from the latest vision meeting.

We are focusing on celebrating of our small group communities. We

want to applaud the leaders who put their time towards building and

deepening relationships and encourage everyone to do life within a small

group context and support.

We are focusing on kids, youth and families! We are devoting time,

energy and resources to making sure that our families feel valued and

cared for. We want kids to feel safe and have places to play and explore,

our teens to have a cool space that’s all their own and to come next to

parents as they’re trying to make sense of this journey. We can’t wait to

see what God does!

Finally, we are focusing on outreach to our neighbors. We believe that

the community that God is building at Joy! is one of acceptance, support

and love and we want to share it and bring more people into the

nurturing, thoughtful environment where we can all grow in our faith.

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Relational Ministry Jenelle Ancona, Director

This past year, wonderful things continue to happen in the areas of relational ministry! Relational Ministry has 6 main focuses…. Small Groups, 1st Impressions, Connections Ministry, Special Events (Joy!fest, Womens Ministry & Men’s Ministry), Care and Adult Spiritual Growth! We know God created us to be in relationship with one another and powerful things happen when we do commit and engage in community- especially the Joy! community where we are committed to changing lives! I’d like to share the following story of the impact a ministry had in helping change a life. Jean’s story…...Our Small Group Ministry has been around for 16 years+. We have had an array of small groups over the years, but the focus remains the same - to be a place where people can belong, grow and serve and where lives can and do change. Here’s Jean’s journey to and through small group ministry at Joy! Jean Holland grew up Catholic and became a Christian while attending Willow Creek Church in 1991. Despite her commitment to her faith there and being active in various ministries Jean still refused to join a small group so when her faith began to flounder she decided to leave Willow Creek and went on an 8 year search for a church in Lake County (closer to home). She “found” Joy! in 2001 and slowly tried to plug in, but continued to resist joining a small group. God had other plans for, as Jean refers to herself, “Stubborn Prodigal Daughter”. God put on Jeans heart the call to attend an adult retreat, called Kingdom Weekend. It was through that weekend that she met an amazing group of women with similar life experiences that bonded them together. One of those women is Alice Kerwin. Alice is “a true leader and very persuasive” according to Jean, and convinced Jean to join a new small group that was forming. Through that group many friendships were made, interesting bible studies were done, wisdom was gained and compassion was shared. Suddenly Jean found herself in the midst of the “challenge of her lifetime” as she faced leaving a long, intense, unhealthy, serious domestic situation. Without God and these new friendships, prayers and support, Jean couldn't have had the amount of strength needed to remove herself from the situation and face years of hardship and battles that truly were tolling on her. Unfortunately, the group life cycle came to an end and Jean went some time without a small group while fighting depression and the aches of unemployment. But God always provides and a Joy! friend, Sheilja Lorenz, became God’s next instrument in Jean’s life by supporting her and continually inviting her back into small group ministry. In 2008 after a 2 year hiatus, Jean returned to a small group called Tuesday Morning - led by me :) Jean said, “What a remarkable group of women I have encountered in this group. I have been so blessed to land here. A little more mature in my faith this time, with a deeper appreciation, in this study, for the amazing women I would meet.” She added, “ My small group was a safe place to ask questions, take risks and be the imperfect individual I was while also taking time to laugh.” It was in this small group that she discovered “God’s amazing work through using others” and “it still blows my mind and humbles me to this day.” So…….Jean’s TOP TEN reasons as to why you should get up and go to Small Group? 1. It is a wonderful way to learn about the Bible and grow deeper in our faith 2. Provides Christian Fellowship, which is necessary and provides a sense of

community that, Jesus intended for us to have 3. A good way to get to know people at Church and make quality friendships 4. It provides a safe place to ask questions and share experiences 5. Gives us accountability to others 6. Teaches us tolerance, patience and respect for others viewpoints and unique differences. 7. A wonderful place to meet people who "walk the walk"... It's inspiring! : ) 8. Opportunity to pray with others and for others. 9. Support for Life's Challenges 10. Fun camaraderie! : ) This was a wonderful story of God’s work at Joy! through small group ministry efforts. Thank you, Jean, for sharing & Praise God for His ways!

Additional things I’m so proud of this past year….to partner with great teams that make great impacts, such as:

Through Special Events -

- Joy!fest event collected numerous sheets, blankets, pillows & paper products for PADS program

- Men In Motion event produced 16 bunk beds for kids in Lake Co who didn’t have a bed to sleep on.

- Through our Women’s Christmas Dinner we collected 323 pairs of panties and 67 bras for A Safe Place

- We made 2 prayer quilts during our Women’s Spring Retreat

Starting Point/New Member Team helped put on classes & welcomed 26 adult new

members & their families from October thru March.

Our 23 small group leaders facilitate environments for approx. 200 people to grow

closer to God & each other- 5 new groups were developed with focus on Marriage, Justice, Young moms, Women’s study and a mixed bible study

Our College Cares Ministry was resurrected and 35-45 Joy! college kids got

packages of love from their church family 4 times this past school year.

Numerous people dove deeper into the Book of Luke with Pastor John Holm

The Tables of 8 program helped create & deepen relationships with 48 Joy! folks

over food & fun

Our bread baking team made 600 loaves of communion bread so people could

experience the love & forgiveness of Christ through the Holy Supper.

We added 2 new 1st impressions coaches to the hospitality team this year- they help

complete our 2000 1st impressions volunteer spots available each year so people can be welcomed, feel accepted and appreciated into this church family

I look forward to the upcoming years objectives such as:

Partnering with the Adult Spiritual Growth Team as results of assessments are used

for future programing and we roll out the new Spring Adult Retreat

To equip and support a new small group or people, who have gone through divorce

or a separation both within Joy! walls and our surrounding community- called DivorceCare

Partnering with the amazing group of women helping Joy! host its 1st Beth Moore

Live Simulcast event for 150 women and the impact that will have on women’s growth at Joy! and within our community

I thank this entire congregation for its support of my efforts here in this role and thank God I get to wake up everyday and be a part of this community of faith.

Relational Ministry continued

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Youth Ministries Colin Cranmer, Director

This year brought a lot of great moments for Student Ministries. Overall, we couldn’t be more pleased with the gentle spirit, silliness and warmth that our kids bring each time we meet. We have such a great group of kids, that they set the tone for all the kids coming in and the community really captures the sweet spirit of Joy! Attendance in both groups has been good, but Crossroads has really exploded…we’ve been hitting about 45-50 kids on a Wednesday. So cool!

Some of our favorite moments are:

Downtown Serving—Every other month we have filled up a train car with goofy kids and oversized backpacks filled to the brim with sandwiches, hats and gloves, shirts and socks, and hygiene packs, and headed into the city. When we first started going, the kids were nervous—but now they are on a mission. They can spot a person in need a mile away and they are so happy to kneel down, share a sandwich and listen to what that person has to say and pray for them. We’ve shared meals, we’ve tied shoes, we’ve held hands, we’ve been prayed for by people that we wouldn’t be able to interact with unless we went looking for them. I am so proud of the softness of our kids’ hearts for the home-less people of Chicago. And kids bring their friends to these service days more than to any other outreach.

Winter Retreats—We took bunches of kids on our winter retreats this year. Al-most 40 middle schoolers went to Camp Timberlee for worship, teaching and lots and lots of snow! We had a blast! We checked out a new camp for the high schoolers and hopped a charter bus with our sister youth group from Wisconsin, and headed up to Springhill Camps in Michigan that had paintball, horseback riding, ziplines and just about any other thing you could think up. Always a fa-vorite as a mid-winter refresher.

Our AtF Ministry took on a big challenge with last year’s mission trip as we chose to go down to Mission Lab, a homebase of operations for outreach in New Orleans. It was incredibly stretching and eye-opening as we led a Vacation bible school for at-risk kids below an overpass, and shared the love of Christ with kids who were by themselves all summer long while school was out. Our hearts broke over the five year old kid babysitting her two year old sister all day, and so many others. We also continued our work connecting with the homeless of New Orleans and ended the week with a party for people without an address. I so wish I could give you the vision of our high schoolers tossing a football around with homeless people, or playing the guitar while people ate pizza, hung out and shared stories.

There are so many things and little moments that I wish I could fit into an annual report, but ultimately, our kids created an environment where they can explore their faith in a safe place and with safe people. I’m always proud when I look around our church on a Sunday and see kids serving in all the corners; up on stage as musicians, serving communion or ushering, and leading younger kids in Kids’ Klub.

I so appreciate that our church values students, and it shows in the way they value their service. Our congregation has spoken so loudly, yet again, how much it wants to build into our kids. The pizza fundraiser (over 600 pizzas sold!) and the garage sale (over $4000) is always such a beautiful expression of the value that this community gives to what our kids are doing. This has also been our highest donation year to our scholarship fund, and because of that, no stu-dent is being turned away if they want to go on our New York Mission Trip this year. For this, and for everything you do, our student ministry family thanks you!

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Children & Family Cheryl O’Neill, Director

“So That All Lives Are Changed” Stories This is what one family said about their experience with Kids’ Adventure Klub: Mom: When we first started attending Joy! I was scared that the teachers wouldn’t want me to stay in class with Noah, but they were so sweet and welcoming. Even though I was the only parent that had to stay with their child, they made me feel comfortable about sitting in class with him. Noah now feels comfortable attending class on his own. This tells me that he has made friends in class and the teachers are kind to him. Dad: Class is so much fun that Noah went and enjoyed himself. We are amazed at how much both Natalie and Noah learned. We love the Bibles that they were given. Cheryl showers our kids with love upon their arrival and that makes them feel comfortable when they walk into church. Natalie: The teachers are nice and funny. We got to watch movies and learned stories from the bible. Noah: It was fun. I got loved by God.

This is one family’s experience with VBS: My kids had a great time every day! We will definitely enroll again next year! I told my sister to enroll her child next year. My kids are still singing and looking for Jesus through there spyglass (Bracelets). I also like the conversations after they got home about bullies and helping other people. This opens up communication about these topics.

We received a letter from a parent of a child that came to VBS. She was writing to ask for a scholarship because they couldn’t afford the registration fee. Her son Elijah, had such a positive and welcoming experience, she couldn’t imagine not having him participate this year!

An email I received this morning as we begin 2015 VBs: Told the girls (Hailey and Alexis) VBS starts today. They are so excited, Hailey remembers her class routine from last year and is sure it's the same this year.... They have their shoes on and are ready to go NOW its 6:55am…VBS doesn’t start until 9 am. You have made a big impression in their lives. They have never stopped talking about VBS from last year. Can’t wait to see what this year brings!!!

Accomplishments Children’s & Family Ministry is proud of this past year:

Offered 2 community building events (Pool Party & Family Fall Fest) that support our core value of build a loving community through intentional relationships.

Next Step (extended VBS program for youth) provided a time of fellowship over lunch, teaching time, growing closer as a community, diving deeper into the theme of VBS and how they can apply it to everyday life, and of course some games and crafts to complete the experience!

Another Core Value of Joy is encouraging each person to grow in Christ. This year we offered a Family Holy Week event on Palm Sunday to encouraged families to come together for lunch, and “Walk with Jesus” (Stations of the Cross). By having this event on a Sunday, working parents were able to participate.

Partnered with Adult Discipleship & Youth Ministry to provide a self-guided meditation Stations of the Cross.

Partnered with Jenelle Ancona and Small Groups to provide childcare for a young moms group.

3 adult, 7 children (4 years old - 5th grade) and 4 infants were baptized.

12 children received their First Communion

12 children received Bibles.

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Children & Family continued

Objectives for 2015-2016

We will lean into our revised mission and vision statement. - Vision: To confidently equip parents as the family faith center of their home, walking with their children and growing faithfully together. - Mission: Welcome all children to experience the love of Jesus; encourage all parents to be the faith center of their home; guide families to shine the light of Christ in their daily lives.

Reorganize the Children’s Ministry Team as many leaders have served for 15 years and will be retiring this year.

Provide a themed children’s area that is welcoming to children.

Provide two serving opportunities in the community for Joy! families to participate in together.

Provide an opportunity for moms of children to come together at a local park once a week to connect.

Provide an all community event at the Kenosha Kingfish Baseball Game.

“Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” Psalm 95: 1- 6 Worship is the first purpose of your life. When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength.” Worship is an expression of our love to God – for who He is, what He has said, and what He’s doing. In worship we strive to turn our attention away from ourselves and toward God. Connected with and central to everything we do, worship turns us to God and God's love and mercy. Worship unites us in celebration and helps us grow in faith. It roots us in what really matters for life. The Worship Arts Team consists of the Worship Band, Choir, Sound Team,

Presentation Team, Drama Team, Children’s Message Team, Podcast Team,

Lighting Team, Video Team, and Awe and Wonder Team. Every weekend, the

Worship Arts team utilizes approximately 30 volunteers to create worship, some you

see up front in more prominent roles like participating in the music teams, and

others are more behind the scenes in roles such as helping with worship planning

or the worship presentation for the Sunday services. We have a total of

approximately 75 volunteers that regularly donate their time to Joy’s Worship Arts

Team.

During this past year, we have continued to make changes and renovations to the Worship Center in the areas of sound, lighting, and stage design to enhance worship so that we may focus our hearts on God, be filled with His awe and wonder, and connect with Him in a deeper way. We are proud of the improvements we have made in this area. We will be making more improvements in the Worship Center in the coming months with the addition of new stage curtains as well as new worship storage with the help of Riley MaGuire, who is donating time and energy with these projects for his Eagle Scout project. In addition, at the beginning of July we will be transitioning to a new presentation software called ProPresenter for our worship services. This software will help with our goal of enhancing worship at Joy! through visual media. Another new project we are currently developing is a mentoring program to train more musicians for our teams, including more youth, to help develop their skills for God’s Kingdom purposes. Something very significant can happen when the body of Christ gathers all together

on Sunday morning. Those weekly services define what matters to a church and its

leaders, what they will focus on all week, what part of God’s Word will challenge

them, and how they’ll experience God’s presence and power.

When Sunday mornings inspire, envision, and equip those who attend, a buzz of

excitement is generated that feeds all the other ministries and events. God is

honored whenever we devote ourselves to improving our churches and to carefully

planning weekend services that increasingly reflect His awesome power, grace, and

love.

Sunday worship comes with amazing regularity and takes a great deal of coordination. We also devoted extra time to special services such as Prayer Services, Joy!fest, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas. We are so very thankful for the support of so many people that collaborate to make worship at Joy! a meaningful and transformational experience.

Worship Laura Kline, Director

Worship Arts Director

Choir Director Assistant Worship Arts Director

Media Team Director

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Finances Sue Gearica, Financial Manager

Our committee, chaired by Marty Gallagher, consists of Bryan Peterson, Treas-urer, Sue Gearica, Finance Manager, Heidi Houdek, Gloria Ricchio, and Stew-ardship Committee Liaison (members alternate months). Below are some highlights of the past year for the Finance Committee:

Transfer of completion of capital expenditure project from Building Team to Mark Borgetti and Sue Gearica

Monthly communications with the Church Council regarding financial well-being of the church

Group effort to continue health insurance coverage for qualifying employees

Worked with the Stewardship Committee on the 2015 Pledge Drive “Triple Threat”

Interest rate reset on current mortgage through Mission Investment Fund

Met with council in January for a “State of the Union” update

Completed pledge updates in database for 2014

Began the So That Lives Are Changed-Phase 2 pledge drive which com-pletes 12/31/16

Contribution Statements released for each quarter

Renewal of MidAmerican Electric Utility Rate Contract

Presented a draft fiscal year 2015-2016 budget to Church Council

Close review of insurance coverage for building and contents

Upgrade of electronic Simply Giving Tool allowing members to manager their contribution

Budget

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Budget continued

Serving our Community

PADS We recently finished up serving Pads for the 2014-2015 at Shepherd of the Lakes Church. A total of more than 1700 guest stays on 30 Monday evenings translates to an average of more than 57 guests each week, more than 5 children each week, and more than 5100 meals prepared and served.

On May 11th a PADS Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was held to thank the volunteers and donators who have made this program a success. Burdette DePauw, Gary Koehler , Todd Thulin, Pastor Mark Borgetti and Cathy Kramer cooked up a feast for the volunteers. Cathy Kramer was awarded Site Manager of the Year and Kevin Belles was awarded with a Certificate of Special Recognition for cooking and serving breakfast at 3am.

Volunteers served more than 4500 hours to make this all happen! We appreciate the teachers, leaders, coaches, and parents who support the work of more than 180 youth, as well as all who serve through organizations. Below are just a few of the more than 670 volunteers who were so giving and gracious and hard working for our homeless neighbors this season. Thank you!

Cub & Boy Scout Pack 91 Troop 96 Girl Scout Troop 40698 Grayslake Central High School Athletes GCHS National Honor Society Ignite youth Joy! PEO Shepherd of the Lakes Warren Township H. S. Student Council WTHS Future Business Leaders of America Navy College of Lake County Westlake Christian Academy Harris Group Grayslake North H. S. National Honor Society Holy Cross Lutheran Church Lake Forest Friends Lakes NHS St Mary's St Paul's Vernon Hills High School WTHS NHS Girl Scouts Joy! Small Groups served dinner: Godfella’s Joy Staff Tuesday Morning Bible Study Group Amazing Grace B3 Wednesday Night Bible Study Group SOS Thanks again to all the volunteers and donators who freely share their resources and time to this huge ministry! By Cathy Kramer

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Serving our Community

continued

Prayers & Squares, the Prayer Quilt Ministry Joy’s Prayer Quilt Ministry provides hand-made quilts to special people, who are in need of prayer due to illness, death or other difficult circumstances in life. Each knot on the quilt represents a prayer that has been offered specifically for the recipient during worship services here at Joy! The mission of Prayers & Squares is not only to make and distribute quilts, but to promote prayer through the use of the quilts. Monthly workshops are held offering quilting instruction, assistance in completing quilts and fellowship by sharing a meal with all that attend. Happenings and Yay God moments:

Our group is growing – which give us many extra helping hands!

We’ve blessed the El Salvador Thrivent Teams with supplies to share with the women’s co-op there and we also provided the team with prayer squares to gather prayers on their mission trip.

Prayers & Squares received Thrivent Action Funds to purchase quilting supplies for LWR quilts.

A quilting workshop was shared at the Women’s Spring Retreat with over 50 women and we taught them how to sew a prayer quilt.

Our biggest success this year is wrapping people in prayer. Here is a summary of quilts given away in 2014-2015:

Prayer Quilts 43

Lutheran World Relief Quilts 42

Special Giving Quilt 1

Kids Quilts 20

GRAND TOTAL 106 If you’d like more information about Prayers & Squares, please contact Alice Kerwin at 847-845-0452 (alice.m.kerwin@gmail.com) or Gail Schrader at 847-548-5735 (gschrader50@jlschrad.net)

Serving our Community

continued

Stewardship “You will be ENRICHED in every way, so that you can be

GENEROUS on every occasion and through us your GENEROUSITY will result in THANKGIVING to God.” II Corinthians 9:11 With God’s help, everyone can experience the power of generosity by making Spirit-lead moves with their time, talents and treasures. The Stewardship Team is inspired and humbled to walk with the Joy! family as together we make moves to be more generous with all that God has entrusted to us. The Stewardship team is proud of these accomplishments this past year:

Stewardship conversation that takes place all year round and not just in 1 season

A focus on all areas of stewardship particularly time, talent and treasure

Sharing the impact of acts of Joy! stewardship during worship each month

19% growth in total pledges to the general fund

Offering Financial Peace University (FPU) classes to grow in biblical, financial stewardship

Consistent partnership with Finance team, Council, and Outreach Ministries

Joy! Harvest-sharing our harvest with each other and community

Increased use of electronic giving

Creation of offering card so electronic givers can physically participate in offering during worship

Our 2015-2016 objectives are:

To grow as a congregation in the mindset that stewardship is an ongoing, daily facet of our faith that is lived out in the areas of time, talent and treasure. All are equally important in our faith life.

To foster opportunities to deepen our understanding of biblical stewardship.

To partner with Council, Finance and ministries of Joy!

Update for 2015-2016: In partnership with Council and Finance, ministry areas that were funded through designated giving will now be placed in the general budget to uphold these ministries as important and valued. Thank you for your generous gifts of time, talent and treasure! Cheryl McCumber

The Giving Tree had quite a year.

Through the Thrivent Action

teams we made an investment in

a beautiful new tree, a storage

bag for the tree and a tree skirt.

In addition to Thrivent’s

generosity, the people of Joy!

gave generously as well. 175

Children from One Hope United

had their names taken off the

tree in record time (two weeks).

A $100 donation was made and

given to the One Hope United’s

Holiday gift program, and an

additional 25 people were

helped with gift cards.

With the continued support of

the people Joy!, Amazing Grace

will continue to coordinate this

Christmas outreach to share

Christ’s love with the children of

One Hope United.

Submitted by: Mary Reiling

Bob Lennning – Council President Report

Building & Grounds Jim Kerwin

Through the Facilities Improvement Team (retired this past year) Joy! has been gifted with a tremendous new facility. The Connections Cafe provides space for relationship building, teaching, celebration and general meetings both large and small. The worship space and audio and video improvements enhance our congregation's experience in worship. The new youth space provides a place and means for youth worship and fellowship - and there are many more improvements too numerous to list here. Now our attention turns to the care and maintenance of all that we have been blessed and the general improvements needed to support the ongoing mission of Joy!. So the next few years will be devoted to the general operations needed to do that. We have some ongoing efforts that address some of these needs:

New sign and lighting - as part of the vision for Facilities Improvement we are building a new sign with our new logo and driveway lighting. Dave Bowman is leading this effort and the end result should make our entrance more visible and inviting for our visitors.

Space - the final frontier. Storage has always been at a premium and continues to be even in our new facilities. There are several space efficiency and organization projects already underway under the leadership of Riley Maguire to improve general storage and support Joy!'s ministries.

Grounds - with great expanses of land comes large amounts of grass and landscaping. Burdette DePauw continues to lead this team which has received funding to purchase a new mower this year. The team also felled many dead trees on the property which enhanced the beauty and protected those remaining.

Gardens - last year was a pivotal year in reclaiming our gardens from the invading weeds. Darcy Mulford has stepped up to lead the team and continue to beautify the gardens and reclaim the flowers and plantings from the old sign out front.

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) - With a large new expansion comes complexity with our heating and cooling systems as well as the impact to the roof. Under Don Bianchi's leadership we have contracted with companies to inspect, maintain and repair the roof on a periodic basis and maintain our heating and cooling systems. Kevin Belles is moving us towards universal controls for HVAC and lighting throughout the complex.

We have a ways to go to from a largely reactive group to a proactive maintenance organization and from total reliance on volunteers to an appropriate use of outside suppliers and vendors - but we have been making strides this past year. If you have interest in serving please contact Jim Kerwin at jfkerwin@aol.com