I have been Chairman of the Congregation at SOTH for just over one year, and I want to share with you some of what has happened in that time.   It has been a true blessing to work with the staff and lay leadership over the past year.  As Chairman, I gain visibility into all of the work that is done at (and through) Shepherd of the Hills, and I am weekly humbled by the congregations collective walk with Christ and dedication to service in his name.

If there is one thing that I have learned in the past year, it is that God’s plans for us, in our lives as followers of Christ and our lives as a congregation of Christ, are much more interesting than our own.

We have experienced change at SOTH in the past year.   Pastor Jason Haynes, our assistant pastor of 7 years, accepted a Call to a church in Colorado.  Jonathon Loesch, our DCE for 15 years, accepted a Call to church in Texas.  Both are doing well and continuing God’s work in those communities. 

After 20 years of experiencing worship music in the same way, we changed.  We invited Rick Capps to move from Chapel West to Chapel East and called on our friend Joel Held to lead Chapel West and the Adult Choir.

Less visibly, the Church Council has experienced change.   The positions of Vice Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Worship Board Chairman, and Mission Board Chairman have all changed. 

And as a result, the congregation itself has changed.  

Some families have moved on to other churches, others have come to SOTH.  I think there is too much of a stigma associated with this.  While the need for worship and the need for Christian community remain in all of us, how and where we worship is a choice we all make every week.  We are all at different places in our walk with Christ.  And as individuals, what we need in that worship experience and what we can offer to that worship experience changes over time.    So this is not only predictable, but healthy - for those that have departed, for those that have arrived, and for us as a congregation.  

And so we have experienced some a lot of change at SOTH.   As I have shared this story with others and sought out guidance from those that have been through this kind of change, I have been struck and alarmed by their counsel.   Many said that these changes would result in dire consequences.   They said people would stop coming.  They said the congregation would lose confidence in our ability to be effective stewards of the gifts we are provided.   And the one would affect the other.  Key ministries would be lost and yet more people would stop coming.  It was considered a doomsday scenario. 

But God’s plans for us in our lives and for our Congregation are so much more interesting than our own.

So let me share some of what has transpired in the midst of all this change:

·         We Called Kevin Austin as Assistant Pastor and David Reuter as DCE.  This was a significant effort – we formed a needs assessment committee, call committee, sought candidates that met our needs, approved the Calls as a congregation, and today both David and Kevin are persuing their calling here at SOTH as God’s servants.  We thought this would take 18 months (from March 2007).  Yet a mere 5 months later these positions are filled and our work continues.  Rhonda Bricker, our Vice Chairman, has been instrumental in this effort.

·         During the Call process, several Lay Liturgists served the congregation – helping to lead services in both Chapel West and Chapel East, including Phil Buchiarelli, Dick Holk, Ralph Poole, Gary Griffith, Jeremy Lowe, Kirk Dannenberg, and others.

·         In Chapel East, Rick Capps and the band continue to amaze me with their dedication and pursuit of excellence.  I am reminded of the stories in Leviticus.  God did not ask his followers to just pitch a tent and worship him.  He commanded them to build something special, a place of worship, with exacting specification.  God asked for obedience and excellence.  And this is the spirit that Rick brings to Worship every week.   

·         Vacation Bible School once again touched the lives of hundreds of children.  But this year, we did not have a DCE to organize and lead the effort.  Leadership of VBS fell to Cindy Wilson and the lay leaders in the congregation.  And this remains one of the significant outreach opportunities for SOTH.

·         In Sunday School, we struggled a bit without a DCE, but again the lay leaders among us stepped up, saw a need to serve, and filled in.  We are now renovating the Sunday School facilities and preparing for the coming Sunday School year with new programs and a new leader - David Reuter. 

·         Over 30 of our youth attended the National Youth Gathering in Orlando, Florida this year, sharing and strengthening their faith with other youth from around the country.  They raised all the funds to do so on their own – the result of an HEROIC effort by Barb Boros and many others, including the Griffith, Belko, and Larsen families.

·         During this year’s budget process, we returned to a full congregational tithe, setting an example as a congregation for the principles of Christian stewardship.

·         We finalized site development work on the South Property, completing an important phase in our overall development plans and preparing us for the next steps with the South Property.

·         We implemented a screening program for all SOTH workers that will be working with children.

·         We completed a Financial Controls Review to ensure that we comply with Synod standards for financial management.

·         We formed a Stewardship Committee under the leadership of Dan Griffith.

·         A SOTH Health Ministry has been formed under the leadership of Ron Herman and a matching funds grant has been secured to help the ministry grow.

·         New Stephen Ministers have been commissioned and Jeff Miller has been commissioned as a Stephen Minister Leader.

·         Upgrades to the Audio-Visual equipment were completed - all equipment donated to the Church by the worship band and song leaders.   And a special thank you to Mike Caraway for his expertise and commitment.

·         We supported two Golf Tournaments as outreach events this year – supporting Deaf Camp, National Youth Gathering, and local families in need.

·         Our mission work continues, contributing over $70,000 to mission work through the synod, Concordia University, Laverne Lutheran High School, Redeemer and many other local missions.

·         We have built four more houses in Mexico (led by Raul & Nieda Jimenez) and in India we have helped to plant several churches and an orphanage – changing forever the lives of many families and those without a family.

·         We have new baptisms every month and continue offer the Sacraments of Holy Communion each week.

·         This fall, a congregational-wide bible study begins – “The Best is Yet to Come.”  I can’t imagine a better title and encourage everyone to get involved in a small group.

- All by God's blessings.

So despite the changes, despite the doomsday scenario, the work here at SOTH continues.  There is so much to note, so many people to recognize, and so much to be thankful for.   I continue to be amazed and humbled at the dedication and spirit of service of all in the congregation at SOTH.

God’s plans for our lives are so much more interesting than our own.  I pray that we all seek Him out daily. 

“Let us be Doers of the Word, and not hearers only” James 1:22 

This is a bit late, but we held our last Council Meeting on July 25th.    Some notes from the July Council Meeting:

• The Church Council approved a resolution to improve Sunday School facilities in preparation for the coming school year.   This includes painting the Sunday School rooms and hallways, removing the wall between Rooms 11 & 12 to create  a larger area, and soundproofing the wall between Chapel West and the Sunday School rooms
• The remainder of the July session was focused on administrative matters around the 2008 budget process. 

 Our Next Church Council Meeting will be held on August 22nd.