SPRING IN THIS ISSUE - Wasilla Bible Church

WBC
NEWS
SPRING
2014
return for us. We ought say, “Thank you, Jesus.”
Again, “thank you” ought be said. Often. But it
is, simply, not enough to just say thank you. Our
study this year in the Gospel of John has also
made that very evident.
Jesus, we love you...
“Thank you” is simply not enough in our
relationship with Jesus. That does not mean that
“thank yous” need not be said. We should say
thank you to Jesus. Often. This year’s study in the
Gospel of John has made that evident.
We experience the presence of the Holy Spirit
within us because of him. Like an artesian well
deep within our soul the Helper, the Spirit
of Truth, refreshes and sustains us with the
grace needed for the day called today. Every
circumstance. Every condition. There is thirst.
Sometimes a desperate thirst. But always there
will be, even in the desert, water. We ought say,
“Thank you, Jesus.”
We rest with the peace of the Father’s keeping
upon us because of him. The prayer he prayed his
final night for his followers, both the first disciples
and all the disciples who have followed their same
path of faith, was simple: “Father keep them.” He
did not just pray that prayer. He went to the cross
the next day and did what was needed to insure
that his request would be answered. We ought
say, “Thank you, Jesus.”
We hope with the promise of his return before us
because of him. That promise is not driven by our
desperation. Neither is it demanded by command
of God. The promise of his return is rooted in
the deep desire of our Lord that we be with him
where he is to see him as he is. He loves us.
He wants us. He has given us his promise: he will
MAKING DISCIPLES AS WE…
Jesus turned water into wine. He healed the
child from afar. He raised the lame man to his feet.
He fed thousands in the wilderness. He gave sight
to the man born blind. He called Lazarus out of
the grave. He, himself, laid down his own life and
took it back up again - he rose from the dead.
The signs are there. He is the Christ, the Son of
God.
He, the Christ, the Son of God, has entered into
our lives with a foot washing, cross carrying love.
He does not back down in the face of demonic
betrayal. Neither does he walk away from the
reality of human failure. He loves us. That is his
heart for us personally and individually. We hear
it. We recognize it. We are drawn to it.
In answer to his great heart a “thank you” is not
enough. Our hearts know that it is not answer
enough. In fact our hearts want to say so much
more. We are just not sure what all to say or
how exactly how to say it. We need not make it
complicated. “Jesus, I love you,” will do.
We have been through a ministry year of rich
grace. You will see that in the articles that follow.
There are plans and preparations already being
made for the coming ministry year. You will also
see that in the articles that follow. We are excited
about those. But before we launch into them we
need stop and voice our appreciation for that rich
grace we have just experienced. And this year,
prompted by our time in the
Gospel of John, we will do
that with more than a “Thank
you, Jesus.” We will also say,
“Jesus, we love you.”
W O R S H I P TO G E T H E R .
IN THIS
ISSUE
Extended Ministries
Personal Connection p. 2
Women’s Ministries
Grow, Nurture, Extend, Revive
p. 3
Youth Ministries
Summer Trips p. 4
Music Ministries
Sabbatical and Summer
Internship p. 6
Children’s Ministries
Farewell p. 8
Resource
New Pastor p. 10
Benevolent
Deputize p. 11
WBC Life in Pictures
p. 12
AND MORE!
~Larry Kroon, Senior Pastor
L E A R N TO G E T H E R .
S E RV E TO G E T H E R .
EXTENDED
MINISTRIES
Extended Ministry
Going to the movies is not what I would consider a “good”
date. Think about it. You arrange to spend time with someone
you are interested in or even love and you sit quietly next
to them for 2 hours while someone you don’t even know
interacts with someone else. Wouldn’t it be better to hike the
Butte? I vote, “yes.”
We have been praying for and reading reports about our
Extended Ministries for years and I hope we continue to
faithfully do that. However, this past ministry year God
allowed us to spend quality time with many of our supported
ministries. In July we were blessed to spend many good days
hosting the Brubakers from Rwanda. Tim, Jessica and their
children, Thomas, Martin, Cecilia, and Eliza visited us as part
of their yearlong home assignment. Many in our family of faith
were able to sit at the table with the Brubakers and enjoy
times of fellowship. Among other things, they were taken to
Hatcher Pass to enjoy God’s creation, they got out to see
Moose Creek, and the guys even got an opportunity to shoot.
We were blessed by their company, preaching, involvement in
Bible studies, and many good reports from the Rwandan field.
Another blessed time of connection came when the Gortons
decided to “summer over” here in Wasilla. They were blessed
to house sit for one of our seasonal fishing families and we
were blessed with their involvement with preaching, teaching,
and great times of fellowship.
At the end of the summer Sasha and Natasha visited us from
our Sister Church in Vladivostok, Russia. We fed them well
and spent many hours talking, sharing, and enjoying learning
of God’s grace in both Good News Church and Wasilla
Bible Church. This was their first visit to Alaska. Many old
friendships were renewed and many new friendships within
Christ’s body were established.
PAGE 2
In January, sixteen of our folks from WBC traveled to
Rosarito, Mexico to fellowship with and work with our
brothers and sisters of Christ the King Church. Along with
establishing lasting connections we worked on installing
a floor in the sanctuary and a classroom as well as other
needed improvements. You may have seen the picture books
that illustrate this ministry opportunity. They are currently in
the coffee house at our church.
Throughout the year many from our family of faith visited
with the Kellers serving in the Philippines. Although these
visits were not “mission trips,” the net result was that our
missionaries on the front lines were encouraged and loved.
The 2013/14 ministry year also included connecting with our
three local Extended Ministries, HeartReach, Victory, and
Young Life. Each of these ministries held their yearly fundraiser dinner/banquet in our church. We are so blessed to be
able to host them in our facility. It is good to see what God is
doing within their areas of ministry.
The 2013/14 ministry year was a great time for supporting
and connecting with our Extended Ministries. The above
descriptions illustrate just a bit of what happened this year. It
was a good year. In fact, the connections established, support
offered, and people “going forth” is exactly the goal for our
coming ministry year. We hope and pray that God will allow
many of our WBC family members the opportunity to step
out of Alaska to make connections and offer
support to our Extended Ministries across
the globe.
~John Doak, Adult Ministries Pastor
SPRING 2014
WOMEN’S
MINISTRIES
Dear Women of WBC
WBC Women’s Ministry is on the move! It is so exciting to
reflect on the movement among the women of WBC this
past year. Our heartfelt prayer is that God’s glory has been
furthered by maturing women in their faith in Christ. Here is a
report of where we have seen this. These are Women’s Ministry
highlights in Grow, Nurture, Extend and Revive:
She needs to Grow as a disciple: As I reflect over the past year
of Bible study, I am excited about the reading plan five different
studies used. In the fall, this plan led us through Hebrews,
and this spring we’ve read through the minor prophets. I have
loved knowing that on any given week, 50 to 100 women in
our family were digging into the same passage of Scripture.
I’ve hoped that this unity would create opportunities for us
to participate, as a family, in one giant conversation. This
conversation began with the study leaders; six of us gathered
to pre-read and discuss Scripture. The conversation continued
and grew as the study leaders led women through the reading
plan, using the four color study method. As students of the
Word, we have grown in our knowledge of the One Who is
central to all of truth.
~Sarah Brown
She both gives and receives Nurture as a disciple: Nurture
has worked with Benevolent Ministry this year. In each instance,
individuals and families were helped with things like meals,
groceries, and moving. As a team, we have been building a
strong foundation for what our new Senior Sisters ministry
will be. We are working on making personal contact with our
WBC senior ladies. Cards and small gifts have been sent out
to individuals who have had a difficult time of life this year.
HomeHelpers is being revised and improved, and we hope to
have it running on the City by fall. Apples of Gold continued to
be an effective mentoring ministry in fall and spring.
~Sherry Beaulieu
As a disciple she will Extend herself to others: A highlight of
this year is the ease with which I was able to recruit women to
serve the teen moms at Burchell. Every week, I used the
Making Disciples As We...Worship Together, Learn Together, Serve Together.
list we generated from the November event to phone ladies.
The response to my call was overwhelmingly positive. I
especially loved having a teen mom/baby prayer request to
share with them. They prayed as they prepared food. It was
simply beautiful to see women serve in such a quiet, yet lifegiving way.
Another joy is my small group on Tuesday mornings. Since
January, we have cried and laughed together every week. God
has tightly knit our hearts together in the midst of our unique
struggles. Each one needed someone to “extend” to them…to
reach out and point them to Christ.
~Pam Smith
She must Revive with other women as a disciple: In
November Revive hosted “Come Together!” A three hour
event; dinner and dessert was served and Merry Doner spoke
to the attendees about the new direction of Women’s Ministry
at WBC. 240 women attended this event.
In March we hosted our second event of the year. The purpose
of this event was to encourage, inform, and equip participants
about the need to spiritually Revive. Friday night participants
were offered dessert, a time of worship, and learned about
Spiritual Rest. Saturday participants were offered breakfast
and lunch, a general session, and the choice of two of five
breakout sessions. This event had 10 position chair people;
most chair people had teams to assist them. 141 Women
attended this event.
~Alicia Mayer
Coming 2014/15
Grow: will resume with Bible studies September 9th and 10th.
Nurture: will continue to develop an effective, revised
HomeHelpers ministry (database of women available to assist
those in crisis with meals), Senior Sisters team (encouragement
to the senior women among us), and Apples of Gold (seasonal
mentoring ministry to young married women).
Extend: will continue to reach unwed teenage moms through
contact at YoungLives and Burchell. Extend will also again
facilitate the feeding of the host of volunteers for Valley
Blessing 2014.
Revive: will host two major women’s events
in the coming ministry year on November
8th and February 27th thru 28th.
~Merry Doner, Women’s Discipleship Director
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YOUTH
MINISTRIES
Youth Ministry Update
STUDENT CALENDAR
This Last Year: Allow me to start off by saying, it has been a great joy to
serve alongside the youth leaders this past year. I am extremely thankful
to the Lord for His provision of them and for the friendships that have
been built. It has also been my privilege to serve the youth and begin
building relationships with them. We spent the school year traveling
through the Gospel According to John and have intently gazed at the
person of Jesus each week. Our time together has been incredible!
High School (Crossfire)
May 17—Bondservant Workday
May 18—Senior Sunday
May 21—End of the Year BBQ
May 24—Bondservant Workday
May 31—Bondservant Workday
Jun 11—Summer Sensation
Jul 23—Summer Sensation
Aug 6—Summer Sensation
This Summer: Whether it’s contemplating the grandeur of Christ while
Camping in Kenai, studying and practicing to be missional in Fairbanks,
or seeking to hear from God through his Word while sea kayaking in
Canada, our summer trips are intended to seek the Holy Spirit’s work.
Please pray that our youth would “be filled with the knowledge of God’s
will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good
work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:9-10)
Middle School (Crosswalk)
May 18—Last Sunday School
May 20—End of the Year Party
This Fall: This next year the core and focus of our ministry will remain
the same. We will continue to engage students in small groups and
large group settings. We will invest ourselves in the lives of students and
in the truth of Scripture. We will continue to be devoted to our Core
Commitments. And we will actively pursue partnering with families to
make disciples of the next generation to the glory of Christ. Much will
remain the same. However, we will see one particular change about
which I am excited and hopeful. In order to better partner with families
and parents, we will be moving middle school and high school youth
group to the same night. Crosswalk and Crossfire will continue to be
separate programs meeting in different rooms, but next year they will
meet at the same time in the building. Families with youth will no longer
have two separate nights of the week to be involved in youth activities.
Moreover, in partnership with the Adult Ministries, Wednesday nights
will be a great opportunity for parents of youth to participate in dynamic
Bible studies while both their middle school and high school youth are
meeting. We are thankful for this past year, really excited for the summer
trips and looking forward next fall!
Colossians 2:6-7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and
established in the faith, just as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving.” (ESV)
~Josh O’Donnell, Youth Pastor
PAGE 4
SPRING 2014
YOUTH
MINISTRIES (Summer Trips)
Kenai Lake
June 15th - 20th
T
his year’s trip for the freshmen
class will be a fun-filled adventure
of camping and rafting on and around
Kenai Lake and River. This 5-day trip
will be packed with amazing scenery,
team building, great adventures on and
in the water, learning about servanthood, time with God, and awesome
memories with their friends.
Students Going On Gulkana: Hannah Lorenz, Talon Davila, Justus
Aiken, Mariah Shira, Terrik Toll, Dakota Young, Caleb Drumm,
Isabelle Faraci, Teagan Postishek, Levi Rintala, Mallory Bradford
Beyond Malibu
July 9th - 18th
T
he Junior year is, in many ways,
the pinnacle of our Summer Trip
Program. At Beyond Malibu, our 11th
grade young men and women will
be challenged to own their faith and
solidify their commitment to Christ as
they are spiritually and physically stretched to new limits while serving
one another. Our hope is that they will experience all of these things
and more while kayaking for 8 days along the beautiful, deep blue inlets
that are nestled among the spectacular Coastal Mountains of British
Columbia, Canada.
Students Going On Beyond: Victoria Parsons, Amber Pell, Ashton
Lund, Carson Dodd, Kathryn DuHadway, Harrison Menard, Kessler
VanSickle, M.E. Meyerhofer, Trenton Drumm, Zachary Zmuda,
KayLynn Thompson, Ariel Hasse
youth workers
wanted for
hazardous
journey.
No wages, fear of mutiny from ruffians,
long months of complete darkness,
constant danger, safe return doubtful,
honor and recognition in case of success.
G.R.I.M.E.
July 6th - 13th
G
.R.I.M.E.: Grace Received
& Imparted thru Ministry
Extended. Our sophomore class will
be spending 5 full days (3 extra travel
and adventure days makes 8 total)
extending grace at Camp Li-Wa in
Fairbanks, Alaska. These days will be slam-packed full of fun, service,
growing in their walk with God, and making memories with their friends
and leaders. The students will be extending God’s love to his people.
Students Going on G.R.I.M.E.: Kiara Fleckenstein, Alex Armstrong,
Noah Sessom, Blake Smith, Vince Sanderson, Micah Maffe, Faith
Colley, Peyton Murphy, Kea Bekkedahl, Andrew Bydlon, Lacy Smith
Senior Getaway
May 23rd - 25th
O
ur Seniors will be spending a
long weekend together with
their leaders, encouraging one another
to run hard after God. We plan on
spending this 3-day weekend at the
base of Alyeska laughing together,
remembering the fun times, and encouraging one another to run hard
after God. This weekend will be a culmination of the past few years and
a transition into the next.
Students Going On The Senior Getaway: Ruby Acord, Cheyenne
Drumm, Tia Shira, Cole Anderson, Thomas Doak, Aaron Inks,
Daniel Morse, Malcolm Toll, Ben Winter, Sterling Maffe, Riana
Sather, Sierra Bydlon, Grace Mullins, Tristan Denny
A
s we prepare for next fall we are looking for
those brave souls out there willing to take on the
challenge of being a middle school or high school youth
leader. If you are interested in seeing if you have what it
takes and want to volunteer to be an important part of
the lives of our students, please contact Josh O’Donnell
at [email protected] or Brittney Kroon at
[email protected].
*Paraphrase of Ernest Shackleton
Making Disciples As We...Worship Together, Learn Together, Serve Together.
PAGE 5
MUSIC
MINISTRIES
Looking back: Gratitude
Over this past quarter the worship ministry had 68 volunteers
regularly serving in 98 different ministry positions. This doesn’t
even include ensembles formed for special occasions, such as
the choir that formed for Christmas and Easter, the worship
team for the women’s Revive event, or the Good Friday
chamber orchestra. When I think back over this past year, what
astounds me most is not the number of people involved in the
Worship Ministry, but the people themselves. We are blessed
with godly volunteers committed to seeing Jesus exalted and
his people encouraged and edified. I am extremely grateful
for the people God has placed in this ministry. I am grateful
for the ways that he has gifted them in the fields of music and
technology, for how he uses them to encourage each other, for
the heart that he has given them for his Son, for the passion
that he has given them for his Word, and for the ways that he
ministers through them to all of WBC.
Looking ahead: Sabbatical
This coming September, I will have completed twelve years
on staff at WBC. Sometime around year seven, Pastor Larry
started talking to me about taking a sabbatical. Last annual
meeting the congregation voted for me to have sabbatical
time this summer. Thank you, I am grateful for this opportunity.
Over the past month, I have frequently been asked about my
sabbatical. How long will it be? What will it consist of? Will my
family be traveling anywhere? Who will fill in for
me on staff? I’d like to respond to these questions here.
My sabbatical will be eleven weeks long, May 26 through
August 11. During this time I will have a Sabbath, a rest, from my
regular work responsibilities of leading worship, administrating
the Worship Ministry, teaching, etc. The goal of the sabbatical
is rest, guided by the quality commitments of spiritual renewal,
professional growth, and ministry direction.
Following Pastor Larry’s recommendation, my sabbatical will
begin with a two-week trip to Israel with my wife Naomi. Our
good friends Igor and Tanya Galakhov will be joining us on this
trip. My parents have friends, David and Lisa Loden, who have
lived in Israel for decades and have been very involved in the
church there, particularly in the area of worship leading. The
Lodens put us in contact with a local Christian guide whom we
have hired for our trip. We are looking forward of course to
seeing the historical sites, but we are also very excited to spend
PAGE 6
time with living stones there, that is with David and Lisa, as well
as with Tony our guide and the other Christians we meet. We
would appreciate prayer for our travels, our time there, and
especially for our kids, who will stay here with Naomi’s parents
and sister.
After our time in Israel, I will have seven weeks of study time
here at home. It will be an opportunity to spend extended time
in the Word, as well as time practicing my instruments, writings
songs, reading theology, and working on Biblical Hebrew.
During this time I will be meeting once a week with Wes
Tegeler, one of our Elders, to talk about what I am learning.
While I will take advantage of this time to visit a couple other
local churches to see how they do Worship Ministry, my
intention is not to disconnect from WBC. I will be taking a
break from my regular job responsibilities, not from my spiritual
family. You will still see me at WBC, only I will be arriving at
9:30 on Sunday mornings with my family for worship instead of
at 7:30 to setup for practice.
Finally, the last two weeks of the sabbatical will be a family trip
to visit extended family in the Lower 48. We will spend a week
with my family in Illinois and Michigan, and then a week with
Naomi’s family in Washington and Oregon.
During my sabbatical time, Sean Tracy will work as a Worship
Ministry Intern here at WBC and oversee the Worship Ministry.
Having worked closely with Sean in the Worship Ministry over
the years, I am excited for him to have this opportunity. (You
can read more about Sean on the following page.) Sean will
be supported by Cathy Winter, our Worship
Ministry Assistant, as well as by our excellent
volunteers. I am confident in the Lord that the
Worship Ministry will continue to thrive this
summer.
~Joel Stamoolis, Worship Pastor
SPRING 2014
MUSIC
MINISTRIES CONT.
WORSHIP INTERN PROFILE: Sean Tracy
appears three times in succession—also in verses 15 and 17.
What are some of your favorite hymns or worship songs?
My favorite worship songs are something that is constantly
changing depending on my phase of life, but some of my
consistent favorites that I often go back to are: “Before the
Throne of God Above”, “Be Thou My Vision”, and “May the
Mind of Christ My Savior”. Also, there is another hymn that I
recently discovered that has had great significance to me lately,
and that is the hymn “Complete in Thee”.
What excites you most about working at WBC this summer?
How did you get started in music and in music ministry?
I have always loved music, and probably have never gone a
day without singing since I was a small child, but it wasn’t until
my junior year of high school that I actually started any sort of
musical training and began cultivating my passion for music. I
started on the guitar, with Josh Doak as my teacher, and later
came under Joel’s tutelage. At first, I began playing on the
high school youth group worship team, and later moved on to
serve through music in other areas such as Fishing Crew and
later, with Joel’s guidance and encouragement, during Sunday
morning worship services.
While I very much look forward to just being a part of the
Worship Ministry itself and serving the church in that way, even
more than this I am excited to reconnect and worship with
WBC on a deeper level again after a few years away and to
reestablish many old relationships as well as well as form new
ones. Ultimately, I don’t know what all God has in store for the
summer, but I am excited to see Him at work!
What degree are you working on and what do you hope to do
after graduation?
I am currently studying at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago
and working on a B.A. in Worship Ministry with an emphasis
in Classical Guitar Performance, but hope to pursue a M.A.
in Pastoral Counseling after finishing my degree at Moody—to
one day serve as a supporting pastor at a church, focusing on
worship ministry, relational ministry, and pastoral counseling.
What is one of your favorite Scripture passages related to
worship and why?
Specifically speaking to the role of music within worship, I love
Colossians 3:16, which says: “Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all
wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with
thankfulness in your hearts to God.” The music that we sing
corporately as a church is a powerful way in which the Word
of God is made alive and active in our midst and that the Body
is built up and instructed. Also, all worship should be rooted in
gratitude, for that is what the Lord desires of us in our worship
(Psalm 50)! This point is emphasized in this chapter as it
Making Disciples As We...Worship Together, Learn Together, Serve Together.
PAGE 7
CHILDREN’S
MINISTRIES
Children’s Ministry Summer 2014
What an awesome year we’ve had in Children’s Ministry! We want to
take a moment to thank our wonderful volunteers who have worked so
hard all school year long. It’s always my prayer on Sunday mornings that
we would welcome the kids in our church by name, have a safe place
for them to learn about Christ, and to love them well. We did this this
year. It is such a joy to see our kids walking in and feeling like they’re
home. Thank you, to our volunteers, for giving of your time, sleep, and
energy to lesson prep making this more than just a building. YOU make
this a home for our kids!
One of the biggest changes in FISHing Crew was implementing a point
system where the kids earn prizes for showing up, bringing their Bible,
knowing their verses and participating. Can I just say, “WOW!” The kids
grasped this system and took it over. For year one, this was a success.
We will continue to tweak and make changes as we learn what our kids
prefer and how to make it run seamlessly. As parents, are you seeing
this as helpful and positive? Let us know. We want this to work for the
families as well.
Every year we choose one of the Extended Ministries to support by
sending them either the money we raised in Children’s Ministry or by
purchasing something they were in need of and sending it over. This
year, we were excited to focus on our Sister Church in Russia. Last fall,
we were so blessed to have the kids actually meet with Pastor Sasha and
his wife Natasha and hear from them about their church and what our
money would be going towards. Their church is in need of an updated
sound system. Meeting Pastor Sasha and Natasha brought the project
to life for our kids. At this point, we’ve raised just over $750!
Summer is just around the corner. Can we hear an AMEN?!?! What
does this mean as parents at WBC? Normally we focus on VBS. We
will be running a VBS the week of July 28th to Aug. 1st and it will be
awesome. We will be focusing on salvation and how to share this with
your friends. Included will be a sports time, snacks and lots of fun. In
addition to VBS, we’re hoping to plan a few outings. We’d like to do a
picnic time where you bring your kids, food and come play. Sound fun?
Maybe rent out the pool? Or have a movie night at the church? We’ll be
posting these to the Children’s Ministry Parents’
page on The City. Don’t have an account yet?
Contact Tonya to get set up! You won’t want to
miss these!
Our Swan Song for Amy Fischer
After 3 years of serving on staff at Wasilla Bible Church, Amy is
stepping down to focus on her new position being a mom of 6
kids! Levi and Amy added 3 kiddos to their family through a foster
situation and are learning a new normal. We want to thank Amy for her
dedication to the kids at WBC and all the effort she has put in to making
Mid-Week what it is today. When Amy was first hired in Aug. 2011, she
was hired as a Child Care Coordinator. Her responsibilities were to find,
hire and maintain our child care workers. During the past 3 years her
position has morphed into an actual Mid-Week Children’s Ministry. She
was able to implement curriculum and better utilize the time that we had
with our kids. The mid-week kids at WBC are experiencing a time of
worship, a big group lesson and then a small group lesson. It has been a
really neat process to watch and participate in. Amy, thank you for your
dedication: to Scripture, to our kids, and to having a bigger purpose in
mind. Know that as you embark on this journey of faith, we love you and
will be praying for your family through this new adventure.
~Your WBC Family
~Tonya Jones, Assistant Children’s Ministry Director
PAGE 8
SPRING 2014
CHILDREN’S
MINISTRIES CONT.
Children’s Ministry in Pictures
Making Disciples As We...Worship Together, Learn Together, Serve Together.
PAGE 9
RESOURCE
Annual Resource Report
Over this past year within the Resource Office two main areas
emerged that defined and directed our efforts. Planning for a
future building expansion and maintaining our staffing plan took
much time and consistent effort to walk through to completion.
Last Annual Resource Report started like this “Many are the
plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord
that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21) As I look back over the
past year and see the purpose of the Lord, I do so with an
appreciation and gratitude that the Lord guides us in his
purpose one step at a time.
A major rock this past year was finding out that Pastor Jim
was going to retire due to the health effects of cancer. While
this was a blow to us emotionally, it also was a change in our
staff team that would be hard. Impossible to fill apart from the
work of our Lord. I would like to think that I am getting better
at trusting the Lord in times like this. When I first came on
staff and started walking through a hire process to replace a
position, I would always think, “How can we find someone that
could fill that position as the
previous person had?” It is
only in hindsight that I now
see fully what was unseen at
the start. Walking through
the hire process for a Care
Pastor was a process that,
while mechanical at times,
was full of rich provision
for the work at hand and
to come. I am excited to
welcome Mike Schwartz
PAGE 10
this coming summer to our staff and both Mike and Jan to our
congregational family. The Lord has blessed us with a man of
God that can build upon the faithful service of Jim. While I trust
God to provide for our work I never get tired of boasting in the
fullness of his very specific and caring answers to our prayers
and needs.
The second major rock that we worked through this past
year was with respect to possible future facility expansion.
The building committee has spent the past year working with
an architect on a proposed classroom expansion. We have
completed the work and now the Elders will be reviewing and
processing next steps with our facility and site development.
Our work now turns to a proposed savings plan for future use
in facilities expansion. More will be reported on this at the
annual meeting and within the proposed support budget.
A few areas not directly within the Resource responsibilities
that were encouraging to see move forward were the Starting
Point classes we ran and continued development of community
groups. Each class engaged people in the process of taking
the next step within congregational life including, baptism,
membership, community groups, service opportunities,
and connecting with others. Community groups have been
encouraging, both to be a part of one and to watch our family
of faith live out the 5 Core Commitments together. I look
forward to seeing more leaders launched into new groups to
extend the family of Wasilla Bible Church.
Looking at our Plan and His
Purpose
The plan for the year to come is always simpler from this
vantage. Just do X, Y, Z and 1, 2, 3 and we should end well at
the proposed finish line. While we will continue to proactively
plan our facilities, manage our finances, staff positions,
encourage our leaders, run the various ministries, and support
our volunteers we reactively respond to the path the Lord has
for each of us daily. My desire is that our proactive planning
allows us to reactively respond well to what the Lord has for us
each day. My prayer is that we would be able to, as a family of
faith, fully engage in the work the Lord puts before us each day
with a joyful heart. My encouragement to each of you is to not
look past today for the possible and looming work of tomorrow.
Today is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad
in it. May each of you enjoy the work and witness set before
you this day trusting in the Lord with all your heart, leaning not
SPRING 2014
RESOURCE CONT.
on your own understanding, in all of your ways acknowledging
him and he will make your path straight as you follow him. May
you be blessed in your plans and his purpose.
“Budgeting with a confident stewardship
through Discipline, Diligence, and Direction
as unto the Lord.”
~Jake Davies, Resource Manager
Benevolent Ministry
The 2013/14 Benevolent Ministry year can be summed up
in one word: Deputize. Perhaps an explanation is in order.
Our WBC Benevolent Ministries is made up of a Benevolent
Ministries Team who work to meet the basic needs of people
as we disciple them Godward. On a daily basis that translates
into responding to people in need. Often these people are first
encountered by staff as they contact WBC. However, we have
learned that developing a connection with one of our church
members is critical in making a real impact in people’s lives.
More than once this year a need was brought to the attention
of the Benevolent Ministries Team by someone from our family
of faith. Instead of taking over at this point we have learned
that the best course is to “deputize” the person from our family
who is closest to the situation and then provide support to and
through them.
Giving a neighbor a bag of groceries does help in the short
term. However, taking time to work with their budgeting needs,
helping them get better employment, or sharing with them
what God has shown you about stewardship does much to
make a longer, more supportive, impact on those in need. We
have been encouraged this past year as we saw this type of
help coming from our family of faith towards their neighbors.
Our prayer for the coming year is that this trend continues
and grows as God gives opportunity. Your
Benevolent Ministries Team is ready to
empower, equip, and yes, deputize you in
this very important ministry.
~John Doak, Adult Ministries Pastor
Working through the person “on the ground” keeps the natural
connections in place while providing all of the resources of the
Benevolent Ministry as a backup to the care of their neighbor.
In the story of the Good Samaritan Jesus defines neighbor as
someone God has put in our path who has a true need.
Making Disciples As We...Worship Together, Learn Together, Serve Together.
PAGE 11
WBC LIFE IN PICTURES
The five year old class on Palm Sunday.
Easter Sunrise Service at Hatcher Pass
The Ryans at the Chili Cook Off.
Belinda and Cassie O’Malley at the
Easter Tea.
The Doner clan at the Easter service.
PAGE 12
Slava Galakhov on Finger Lake.
Aaron Layman ice fishing on Finger Lake.
Josh and Alyssa Foss at the Chili Cook Off.
Making Disciples As We...Worship Together, Learn Together, Serve Together.