2004 Annual
Report
by Tom Hoegel
I’m pleased to say that we’ve made it a year and a half since my staff transition becoming an even greater split personality here at Bethel. JK J. All kidding aside, I would like you all to know that I am constantly amazed at how God continues to find new and challenging ways for me to serve Him, especially here at Bethel.
In the Youth Department: I feel that Pastor Rick and I have developed a valuable partnership as we work the transition between Jr & Sr High. It’s great to be able to concentrate on providing relevant ministry experiences for our Sr High youth and work with them to be powerful mentors to our Jr High kids. Some specific highlights for this past year include the refinement of The House Band (our youth worship team). It consists of youth from Jr High to College, and they are the regular worship leaders for our monthly Wednesday Night Worship. It was also a real treat to travel with them to Southern California as they led singing and worship for about 500 youth and adults at the So Cal JH Youth Gathering. You should all be proud of Bethel’s contribution to the greater church.
Along those lines, a dozen or so youth traveled to New York City this past summer and helped me staff the Region 7 Youth Gathering of the ELCA. It was a time filled with inspiration at the gathering, moving images of Ground Zero, and a whole lot of fun. Bethel’s youth being a positive witness to those in far away places once again! We also had a great Common Ground Tour (Turn This Life Around) to Southern California, a powerful work trip to Mexico in the spring, great discussions and learning opportunities, plus some awesome bonding in boats out on lakes around the state. What a great blessing it is to be allowed the honor of walking alongside our youth as they grapple with growing up, relationships, vocations, school, and their faith.
In the AV Department: Since we’ve had about a year to get the Visual Connection ministry up and running, we are at a great place to be able to develop this ministry more fully. We’ve expanded our core team of designers in the following way: We have a two-way job share (approximately 5 hours per week) of the Sunday AM Media Shout Designer. We also have a primary designer for our school chapel services on Wednesday. These three servants of the Lord have come to us at exactly the right time. If you are interested in becoming a Sunday morning volunteer operator, please let me know and we’ll get you involved.
Related to our video ministry, we have hired David Sandwisch
to work on videos as we support our various ministries and worship experiences.
Look for Bethel’s Video Services Menu laying out a variety of video
support services Bethel can offer. This coming year is going to be
awesome!
In the Welcome Zone Department:
Most of the physical improvements of the 2004 Welcome Zone Project have
been completed. It’s so exciting to see
the congregation using its facility to the glory of God. One personal highlight for me was having our
summer musical, Meshugga-Nuns,
performed out on our front patio.
Special thanks to all who gave so tirelessly in completing our
landscaping project. Now the
maintenance begins: I’d like to extend
an invitation to all Bethel members to join us this coming year at one of our Bethel
Church & School workdays. Brad Martinson, Yvonne Waters, and
I have been working to offer opportunities for our church and school family to
spend time working, sweating, eating, and laughing next to each other.
What a great opportunity to reach out and welcome our school families
into the greater Bethel community.
In the Future Department: As I just celebrated my 20th anniversary on staff here at Bethel, I am excited to see what the next 20 will bring (JK Rita J). I believe we are at an exciting crossroads: We’ve come out of a time of transition with great zeal for service to our Lord through Bethel. I look forward to working with Pastor Randy and the rest of the staff as we approach a huge milestone in Bethel’s life: our 50th Anniversary. I’m excited about working to redefine our Long Range Plan, evaluating our staffing and facility needs, and giving leadership to help our congregation move forward in our next 50 years of ministry with the same faith and boldness that God began in us almost a half century ago. God Bless Us All!
Peace, Tom Hoegel
Youth Director
AV Team Leader
Welcome Zone Team Leader