Our Summer Vacation, Part 1

"What did you do on your summer vacation?"

The people of Shepherd of the Valley will have a myriad of responses to that question. Here is the first in a series of posts highlighting our church activities over summer 2015.

Camp Wapo

 

This June, about 90 children (Grades 1-5) traveled to Amery, WI to visit Camp Wapogasset! We are blessed to visit this place each summer. With a beautiful landscape, tons of fun songs and activities, and wonderful youth as Wapo Staff, kids get to experience God’s love in a new and exciting way at this place! Kids either experienced Wapo for the weekend (Seeds Weekend), a full week, or just one day (Wapo One Day). All campers had a great time and we hope kids will continue to come back to Wapo each summer!

Everest Vacation Bible School 

 

At this year’s Vacation Bible School, kids explored Mount Everest with high school and adult volunteers as their “Sherpa” and their peers as their “climbing buddies.”

Throughout the week, they learned about God’s power to provide, comfort, heal, forgive and ultimately, love! They ate delicious and silly snacks at Mountaintop Treats, exhausted all their energy at Glacier Games, crawled through a bear cave to an icy  wonderland to hear Bible stories, used their imagination to experiment with science at Imagination Station and created many wonderful take-home goodies at Carabineer Crafts!

In large group, kids laughed alongside Everett and E. Hillary as they took on the challenge of making it from Base Camp to the Summit of Everest! Overall, Everest VBS was an amazing success!

During the week, our climbers also brought in offering in their mini “Yeti bears” to help buy food for the people who live in the mountains around Everest. The grand total raised over two weeks was $2,247.26.

All Mixed Up Camp

 

Just like kids, artwork comes in many shapes and sizes. In June, 40 preschool students attended a 4 day, fun filled, all mixed up week during “All Mixed Up” art camp. Students learned about animals that had fur, fins, and scales from Como Zoo and learned all about the ocean from Mad Science. Students went home with projects that included beaded snakes, mosaic garden stones, abstract painting and a cute cupcake sculpture.  Students helped our community by making cards for the kids at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and cat toys for the humane society. The week ended with a wonderful art gallery of all of the students work. To help keep the creativity flowing, each student went home with their very own art kit. A great time was had by all and SOTV is looking forward to another fun preschool camp next year! Stay tuned for the official theme.

Critter Camp

 

In August, 40 1st-5th graders came to “Critters in God’s Creation” mini-camp! They had such a great time getting to know other kids and their small group leaders, all while learning about many different animals that God created. They played games, enjoyed silly snacks and made several unique crafts including cat beds and toys that we donated to the Humane Society, and of course, their own stuffed animal moose! We also were lucky enough to work with the Humane Society, the MN Zoo and the Raptor Center. Those organizations sure know how to make learning exciting for kids! What a great week learning to appreciate how amazing and unique God’s creation is!

Thanks to Ali Drube, Pam Tschida, Jeanne Mikulski for these recaps and photos!

Taking Leave, Trusting God

Lord, the newness of this day
calls me to an untried way.
Let me gladly take the road,
give me strength to bear my load.
Thou my guide and helper be,
Let me travel through with Thee.

- Henry Van Dyke, “A New Day Prayer”

I am leaving Shepherd of the Valley. Leave-taking is hard. It requires leave-making. Part of my leave-making is making sure you understand why I am taking my leave.

First, let me offer assurance that things continue to go well at SOTV. I have nothing but positive experiences to report to you about my years at SOTV. Certainly there have been challenges to face but that is normal. A human organization that deals with the most important aspects of our lives – love, God’s purposes for us, our relationships – will always present such challenges. They are a small minority of what this work and calling are about. I have enjoyed the best of pastoral colleagues, the most dedicated and competent of staffs, the most devoted and gifted volunteers imaginable, and a wonderful community in which to serve. And all that will continue here after I’m gone.

It may sound odd, but all that means is this is a good time to take my leave. Shepherd of the Valley is on track to do some amazing things in the future and I’m leaving at a time when God has much more for me to do as well. The energy and the enthusiasm are high for the congregation and for me. God continues to bear good fruit through the people of this congregation. Seeds for an even better future have been sown and will continue to be sown. Our God is a God of the future and promises a productive and joyful future for you and for me. SOTV is a faithful, well-resourced, energized community of faith. An abundant harvest is right around the corner!

But, leave-taking is still hard. As the poem says, God is calling me to an untried way and I will miss SOTV and all of you very much. This September, I will begin serving a church in the Minneapolis Area Synod that has experienced some challenges in leadership. My job will be to listen, to lead, and to serve. The goal is to help the congregation develop a roadmap to move forward in a whole variety of ways. This is not a permanent position, but one that will last for a year or more. Then, I’ll be off to the next place that could use a helping hand. I won’t know where until the opportunity arises.

This sort of strategic interim ministry brings its own particular challenges and opportunities. I’m looking forward to using my experience, skills, and gifts to benefit the church in new ways. I thank SOTV and all of you for affording me the opportunity to become a pastor who can be of such help to other churches. I suppose you could say that I am leaving because God has prepared me to do just this kind of ministry, even though it does bring with it ambiguity and uncertainty about the future. I trust God will provide for my needs and yours. He always has.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Chris Smith

Pastor Chris Accepts New Role

Pastor Chris Smith

Pastor Chris Smith, after careful discernment, has decided to accept a new role with the Minneapolis Area Synod. You can read more details in his letter of resignation.

Pastor Chris' last weekend at SOTV will be August 22-24, 2015. He will preach at all hours, and be wished farewell and Godspeed at the end of his call. Everyone is invited to greet Chris in between services, and thank him for his ministry.


A New Senior Pastor

The Call Committee has been redirected in their search to call a new Senior Pastor. They are looking for your participation in nominating any qualified candidates. Please download and complete the Candidate Nomination form and submit your nomination to call@sotv.org or the Welcome Center. Thank you for your participation! Copies of the form are also available at the Welcome Center and church entrances.


In the Meantime...

Pastors Randy Brandt and Duane Paetznick will share the role of interim senior pastor. The Saint Paul Area Synod is assisting us with an immediate search for interim pastoral support.


A reflection from Steve Mueller, former Council President:

“Change is the only constant in life. ‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ (Romans 8:28).”

We have a strong Vision and Mission, solid and faithful lay leaders on staff, council and leadership teams, and an amazing congregation with abundant talents and gifts given by God. We are excited to see what the future holds for SOTV.


Letter from Council

A letter was mailed on July 20, 2015 to all SOTV households containing Chris' letter of resignation and a letter from council containing some of the information mentioned above. If you did not receive it - and believe you should have - please e-mail your address to infochange@sotv.org.

We Are Not Done Yet!

 

By Troy Nelson, Church Treasurer

WE ARE NOT DONE YET!

Of course, I am talking about the Capital Campaign. It’s been a BIG job, and in some ways, a bigger job than we expected. We set a large goal, and by the grace of God, we have already received more pledges than in any previous campaigns at Shepherd of the Valley. More than 3.5 million dollars! We are thrilled and we thank everyone who has prayerfully considered and made gifts to our campaign.

This Campaign is not just about paying off our mortgage, or making improvements to the building. Over the past 30 years, members of our church looked into the future with faith to lay a foundation and build a church that would serve by spreading and living the Gospel. Each of us are beneficiaries of that prayerful foresight. It is now our turn to lay a similar foundation.

Yes, it is summer. You are busy and everyone else is busy. That is why a visit with you will only take 30-40 minutes.

The goals of this Capital Campaign, to eliminate our debt, improve our facility, and expand our outreach, may not seem as exciting as building a new sanctuary or narthex. Yet, they are just as crucial to the continued success of our ministry, and they build upon the solid foundation of those earlier campaigns.

Our community, our ministry, and our need to be stewards of what God has given us are changing. Today, we are paying close to a $1,000 a day in principal and interest on our mortgage. That is one-eighth of every dollar that you give now, or 12.5 cents. That one-eighth limits our ability to adapt to our changing world and community. 

Right now, we are midway through two weeks of Vacation Bible School. How many more children could enroll if it was free to them to attend? Same thing for Christian education during the school year, if it were free?

In Apple Valley there are 3,000 people or 6.4% of our neighbors living in poverty. How many more could utilize our Food Shelf and other outreach programs help if we had the space and the ability to do more?

There are so many ministries where we could do more, and that is why WE ARE NOT DONE YET. We still want to reach out to every SOTV household with accurate information on which to make a decision. Our original plan was to accomplish our goal by May of this year, and we still need to make contact with about  half of these households.

Yes, it is summer. You are busy and everyone else is busy. That is why a visit with you will only take 30-40 minutes. So I humbly ask you for your help. Please accept the phone call from a volunteer visitor, schedule your visit, get the pertinent information, then prayerfully consider laying a new foundation for the future. Thank you.

Together, We Can Do More!

Staff Announcements

Pastor Candee Moser will conclude her interim ministry at SOTV effective July 29, 2015. She will preach at all services July 25, 26 & 27, and you are invited to greet and thank her in between services. It is hard to believe Candee has been with us since March! We are grateful for the time we have had to work with Candee in worship, fellowship and the care ministries of SOTV. 

Following the Congregational Meeting held on June 7, 2015, we are moving forward to manage staff structures related to the budget, and the vision and mission of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church.

Effective August 1, 2015, our pastoral structure will reflect our mission of Worship, Learn, Care, and Connect. While all the pastors will have a shared emphasis on general pastoral duties such as preaching, teaching, and pastoral care, each pastor will now have a specific area of responsibility and accountability.

Pastor Randy Brandt

The role of Executive Pastor is eliminated, effective 8/1/2015, and Pastor Randy Brandt is transitioning to the role of Learn Pastor, effective immediately. This includes management and supervisory responsibilities of the Children, Youth & Family (CYF) ministry.

Mim Campbell

Therefore, the role of Director of CYF is also eliminated, effective 8/1/2015. Mim Campbell will conclude her employment on July 29, 2015.

We are grateful to Mim for her leadership in ministry! Mim has impacted the lives of many families over the years and we are blessed by her partnership. 

Please join us for Mim's last weekend at worship Sunday, July 26th where you will be able to greet her between services.

If you have questions regarding staff structure please contact Jennifer.maxwell@sotv.org.

The Fiery (and Outdated) Furnaces

George Ulrich

Our church building has greatly evolved over its 30 year lifetime, beginning with an eye to an unknown, yet hopeful and faith-filled, future. After five major construction projects, we currently have 15 furnace units that deliver heating and cooling, including equipment original to the building. Some units do not work properly, use older inefficient technology, consume more energy, and cost us extra expense in day to day operation, maintenance and repairs.

The #2 priority of our 2015 Capital Campaign is to improve our facility (after debt reduction). Meeting our campaign goal will make building changes possible and pay a dividend toward our future ministry. Reduced operating and energy costs will enable our resources to be used in other ministry areas as well. The possibilities are endless!

If you had a car with a noisy muffler, worn out springs, or was rusted out, you would need a sizable investment to afford replacing your old clunker. Your pledge to the Capital Campaign is a special investment that enables the church to use its resources efficiently, recover future funds, and continue to be a place of welcome and hospitality.

Please sign up to receive a visit and learn the full story of how your hopeful and faith-filled generosity can be magnified for the future in ways that we can’t fathom today.

Together, We Can Do More! 

Thanks to Bob Dennistoun and Greg Nonweiler for contributing the idea and content for this post.

2015 Annual Meeting Recap

On Sunday, June 7, 2015, the congregation gathered together with enthusiasm to learn about the current state of the church and its continued success in the future. Approximately 180 people packed rooms 20-22 following a lunch in the Great Hall. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Leaders presented updates on our vision, mission, and initiatives, three new council members were unanimously elected, and motions were passed on our 2015-16 budget, expenditure limit, and endowment charter.

A summary of the meeting in detail is below. Official minutes will be made available on our website, following the June Council meeting. Please direct any questions to Council@sotv.org.

Opening Prayer - Pastor Duane Paetznick 

 

Welcome - President Jenny Buckley 

• A word of gratitude to everyone in attendance for valuing this church and its governance 
• Thank you to our leaders on Council, Leadership Teams, and Staff for another year of service 
• Approval of minutes from 2014 meeting

 

Brief Summary of Our Vision - Pastor Chris Smith 

 

Introducing Our Mission and Initiatives - President Jenny Buckley 

• Presented to the congregation in early March 2015
• Approved by Council at its March 19, 2015 meeting

 

How We Live Out Our Vision 

 

Our Volunteers 

Volunteers make our ministry happen. Our staff structure must support their work.

Our Staff 

• Our eventual goal is to have five pastors on staff: Senior Pastor, and pastors in Worship, Learn, Connect, and Care.
• Update on Pastoral Call Process - Presentation by Chair Ellen De Vries
• We are in the process of aligning program staff with Worship, Learn, Connect, and Care initiatives. 
• All staff are being encouraged to focus their time and energy on programming that helps us live out Vision, Mission, and Initiatives 

Our Lay Leaders

• Leadership Teams 
• Highlights from first year
• Emphasis on Welcome Team, and Year of Welcome (2015-16) 

• Council 
• Steve Mueller, Angie Zielinski, and Ann Boekhoff have concluded their time on council, and were thanked for their years of service. 
• William (Bill) Bosch, Chad Dahlke, and Michael Kelly were presented as new candidates for council and were unanimously elected. 

Our Finances 

• Capital Campaign Update and strategy moving forward - Presentation by Scott Erickson, Campaign co-chair
• General and Building/Capital Budget - Presentation by Treasurer Troy Nelson
• Delegation of Expenditure Authority to Properties Team - Presentation by Ken Syverson
• Endowment Charter - Presentation by Chair David Kuhnau

Congregation votes on the budget, expenditure limit, and Endowment Charter all passed.

Treasurer Troy Nelson noted that although the 2015-16 budget is a deficit budget, the resolve of the Finance Committee is that next year’s budget (2016-17) will be balanced.


A motion was made to adjourn, and was seconded. 

SOTV Financials

Getting Ready for the Annual Meeting: Part 5 of 5

Balance

Paul Keller
Council Vice President

From a financial standpoint, SOTV isn’t that different from our own households. The Church relies on Giving to cover administrative expenses with the vision that the remaining dollars can be used to fund benevolence. Similarly, we have jobs that provide income to support our families and we have regular expenses like mortgage, car payments, gas, utilities, and just like SOTV gives back… we give to others in need. And at the end of the day, it’s all about balance – does the amount of income exceed the amount we spend? If it doesn’t, then we may be faced with tough choices. Can we afford the new phone or the new car? Should we cut the cord on cable or should we cancel the family vacation?

We don’t always think about it, but SOTV has tremendous financial obligations necessary to support a large, dynamic congregation. In fact, did you know that SOTV is one of the TOP 10 ECLA churches nationwide? This is why it is so critical for council to have a solid understanding of the giving we are blessed to receive to ensure we are being good financial stewards. Did you know that it costs about $2.5 million dollars in costs to support the worship and programs provided? These costs include our pastors, the support staff (finance, HR, facilities, communications), our adult and children’s education programs, administrative costs for mailings and so many others.

The past several years have been challenging for most congregations nationwide and SOTV has not been immune. As times have changed and family schedules have filled, the frequency of attendance… and therefore Giving… has fallen proportionately.

Unfortunately, the weekly bulletin doesn’t always tell the entire story of our financial picture. Although we are doing very well to our current budget (an approved deficit budget), we are still behind the prior year. Thankfully, our giving has been ahead of plan and so we have been fortunate to see only a small reduction in our general fund balance [see full year chart below]. We are preparing again for our annual congregational meeting this Sunday, June 7 at 12:30 p.m., where we will propose the new fiscal year budget. Please know that you are all invited, welcome and encouraged to attend this important event.

	Last Year	Budget	Actual+Forecast
Starting Balance	$953,788	$647,290	$647,290
Giving	$2,479,206	$2,340,899	$2,444,267
Fund Balance Transfer	$43,840	$30,000	$30,000
Expenses	($2,829,544)	($2,563,438)	($2,514,839)
Fund Balance Change	($306,498)	($192,539)	($40,572)
Ending Balance	$647,290	$454,751	$606,718

SOTV is a place that is always there for us. It is there for our major life celebrations like baptisms, communions, confirmations and weddings. It is there for the special holiday events like Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. It is there for the times when we need care and support for health issues, relationship issues and helping provide funeral services. No matter what, SOTV is there.

I will fully admit that our family doesn’t attend Church every week. We have crazy, busy lives with four active kids and we find ourselves sprinting from one thing to the next. But one thing we have done as a personal choice is to enroll in Simply Giving as a way to ensure that our Giving continues even when we are not there. SOTV has always been there for us… this is how we can be there for SOTV.
Blessings!

Paul Keller
Council Vice President