Transition Pastor’s Annual Report: January 2004

In his first letter, Paul tells the Christians of Corinth: ⁴ I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind--⁶ just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- ⁷ so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. ¹⁰ Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

My wife, Rosie and I have greatly appreciated the love we have received here among our new Bethel family. Your support and graciousness has been important to us. Thank you! I have been blessed!

I have enjoyed getting to know and working with our music, office and support staff. Thank you to all of the volunteers who have worked hard and accomplished much. A special thank you to the other members of the program team; Pastor Rick, Pastor Ken, Tom and Norita, Kaye, and Laura, you have been a joy to work with. Thank you to Yvonne and School staff who have accomplished so much with the students and families teaching about Jesus.

Brief highlights since coming on board December 15, 2003:

· The Christmas Eve and Day Services were very special times of joy.

· Working with the lay leaders on Council and in various ministries.

· Working with Chuck Couchman, sharing the teaching ministry of Crossways.

· Working with Pastor Ken Bancroft supporting our Stephen Ministry.

Looking Ahead:

Over the coming months, I will be placing special emphasis in two areas:

• This spring, I will be leading a special stewardship program, including cottage meetings. Cottage meetings are a small gathering of 8-12 members in a home, for the purpose of learning about what stewardship is, and how we can respond to God’s blessings. Also, there will be an opportunity to share about the financial goals for next year, and gathering feedback from the members of Bethel.
• Working to expand the cadre of persons who are lay leaders.

Thank you to the Staff, the Leaders, The People of Bethel Lutheran – your faith and commitment are a blessing!

Pastor Ken Anderson