Rio Verde Community Church April 2010

Celebration Sunday!

On February 14th we had the pleasure and privilege of celebrating five years of dedicated ministry and service to our church by Dr. Kevin C. Brown. In the pulpit we were honored to have the Reverend Michael Livingston, Executive Director of the International Council of Community Churches and past Presi-

dent of the National Council of Churches. His message was timely, challenging and very well received. We had a prayerful laying on of hands in gratitude for Kevin's life among us. Following the service we recessed to Founders Hall for

cake and a delightful mu-sical tribute by Deb & Tom Wojtas, assisted by some members of the Board of Trustees! A to-ken gift was given to

Kevin and flowers were presented to Belinda. It was a great day for our Church and our Pastor!

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PRESIDENT Gene Knorr

Seasons come and go, and with the warming of Spring in the Verdes and the coming of Easter, there is profound joy about the busy winter season that has come and gone so quickly, yet eager anticipation of transitions for so many members in our Rio Verde Community Church as they head to other homes for the summer.

The Annual Meeting reflected a successful 2009 year for the mission, minis-try and management of the Church, and there are a multitude of people on various committees and working groups that made that success possible. I want to again thank Marilyn Creason, Dave Ramsey and Karol Williamson for their solid, valuable and highly professional contributions to the Board of Trustees over the past three years. Many of the programs and efforts you find in this edition of the newsletter show their fine handiwork. Their leadership and participation was outstanding. We are pleased that Nell Big-ley, Cathy Eggebraten, and Ron Wax were elected to three year terms on the board of Trustees, and they have already begun their work on the Board and with the committees they now head.

The Board also wishes to thank Elmer Schindel for his leadership on the En-dowment Committee of the church. His judgment and leadership were im-portant during a time of market volatility. John Zicarelli has been appointed to head the Endowment Committee and we look forward to his leadership as we strive to increase the Endowment funds.

The Annual Report prepared for the Annual Meeting this month detailed the finances of the church, and the Board wishes to again thank the mem-bers of the Congregation that were steadfast in their contributions—contributions that enabled us to conclude the year with a surplus of funds. The Community Church is truly blessed with a committed membership to the programs and financial soundness of this community of faith. Those continuing commitments make our 2010-2011 programs possible and the Board is grateful for your support.

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President, continued:

Please take a look at the numerous programs and activities yet unfolding this Spring, as well as those planned for the coming Winter Season. It is an exciting time to be in the Verdes, and we’ll make sure that the Church website is up to date during the Summer so you can stay in contact. Have a wonderful summer, and we'll keep the tower bells ringing just awaiting your return in the fall!

TREASURER Bonnie Svensson

It’s always nice to end the fiscal year with good news. The congregation’s gen-erous contributions in December made that happen. The Church finished the year with a surplus of over $43,000! The good management of expenses by the members of the Church, the Board of Trustees and the Pastor also was a contributing factor. The surplus from 2009 will be combined with the “Reserve for Facilities Opera-tions” of $25,000 from 2008 to pay for the completion of the needed roof re-pairs. The Board of Trustees also decided this year to have the Church financial re-cords reviewed by an outside accounting firm. This will take place after May 1st in order to reduce the accounting charge. As part of that review, I am in the process of reviewing old financial documents to determine the original cost, purchase date, estimated life and description of the fixed assets of the church. I would again like to thank Dave Bakke for his many hours of volunteering as the bookkeeper of the Church. His assistance is much appreciated! To all of the “winter residents”—please remember that the Community Church has expenses to pay during the summer while you are away!

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BENEVOLENCE & OUTREACH Chuck Ingwalson

The committee has completed its work for the 2009-10 program year. In mid-January we visited and evaluated four of the seven agencies we have supported in the past and were impressed by the amount of good work these dedicated organizations and their staff do here in the Valley. February saw the beginning of our annual fund raising drive and thanks to the generosity of 130 of our member families we were able to raise $40,000. This amount plus funds remaining in reserve from the previous year enable the committee to distribute a total of $48,000 to six agencies here in the Valley of the Sun. These agencies and amounts are:

The Bridge: $12,000 Unlimited Potential: $12,000 Save the Family: $5,000 Friends of the Orphans: $6,000 Ecumenical Chaplaincy: $7,000 Extended Hands Food Bank: $6,000

During this past year the committee also delivered a substantial amount of food products to the Extended Hands Food Bank in Fountain Hills. This food, which is generosity donated by our members, is collected every week in the narthex. Your church, in concert with the Rio Verde Commu-nity Association, has also sponsored spring fruit collections in the commu-nity on behalf of Extended Hands. This not only benefits the food bank but also helps keep our community free of unwanted fruit, which becomes a food source for various wild animals. Once again we would like to express our gratitude to those members who contributed so generously to our annual fund drive. We sincerely believe that with our giving, we are following the tenets of our Mission Statement “to be disciples of Jesus Christ as we serve others here and in the world.”

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CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & THE ARTS (Music & Education)

As a part of our Living Our Mission capital campaign funds were set aside for the development of the Center for Spirituality & the Arts, whose mission is to bring stimulating intellectual and performing arts programs to our com-munity. During the past three years we have been very successful in achiev-ing that mission, bringing in such notables as Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong, Ken Medema, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Imam Yahya Hendi, Dr. Tex Sample, Cantus, Al Staggs as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Late Nite Catchism.

This year continued that tradition as over 1400 people attended perform-ances by the Phoenix Symphony, the Swingtips, a John Denver Tribute and a Night of Gospel Jazz, as well as lectures by Bishop Sally Dyck, Dr. David Ny-gaard, Prof. Diana Butler Bass, and Dr. Linell Cady. Once again our ticket sales allowed us to cover the cost not just of the artistic performances but the lecture series as well.

The performing arts portion of the Center for Spirituality & the Arts 2010-11 season is in place with the following concerts: Phoenix Boys Choir December 10th performing a Holiday Concert. Wildcat Jass Band January 29th performing a Dixieland and New Orleans style concert. Al Raitano and Trio February 26th . A nationally acclaimed singer. This is a NOT TO MISS Concert Series. Place these dates in your calendar. Season tickets will be available in the church office and the cost will remain comparable to this years tickets.

In addition the service music at our church this winter has to be rated as THE BEST EVER. Our Chancel Choir and Bell Choir’s performances have been out-standing and added greatly to the Spirituality we experience in worship. We are grateful to the staff and volunteers who make our program so successful. David Lowell, Trustee

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FELLOWSHIP Karol Williamson

The Fellowship Committee would like to say “thank you” to all the members who have so generously helped with the Sunday Fellowship Coffee Hour. A special thanks to the committee members who make certain we have enough “goodies” each Sunday. The coffee hour is intended to provide the congrega-tion with an opportunity to join in fellowship with one another and have been very successful. We welcome all to sign up as either coffee hosts or goodies providers. You may sign up on the sign up sheet provided or call the church of-fice (471-7239).

Our Super Bowl Party was wonderful, with good food and lots of fun!

FACILITIES Don McGivern

The past year has been a time filled with the need to correct problems which have accumulated over time. Our HVAC system was in poor operating condi-tion and with the help of Stew LaRock a great deal has been improved. AC systems, particularly in our environment, will always require unexpected re-pairs, but with our preventive maintenance program we should be able to extend the life of our current equipment.

As most of you know, we replaced a significant portion of our Sanctuary roof, a huge and expensive undertaking. We are grateful to Steve Beavers for act-ing as project manager for the work during the heat of last Summer. Our plan is to finish the Sanctuary roofing this next Summer and if the level of fi-nancial giving at our church were to unexpectedly increase (hint-hint) we would also be able to work on the Chapel roof.

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Facilities, continued:

During the past few months we have added perimeter lighting for security and safety, and thanks to the guidance of Anne Carrier, Belinda Brown, and Connie McGivern an appropriate new carpet for the Narthex was selected and installed. In addition the tile in the Chancel has been cleaned and re-placed or repaired where needed.

Special thanks to Dale Newcomb and Lindsay Smith for all their assistance in the housekeeping of Founders Hall this Winter, and to Dave Lowell and his team of Jim Dietz, Ed Stammers, Dick Derby, Jim Urban, Bill Traub, and Dale Newcomb for their work on our landscaping needs. Their volunteer efforts have saved the church a large sum of money. It is these volunteers who give selflessly of their time and knowledge both in this church and in the wider community that makes the Verdes such a unique place to live and worship.

The Church is now in the process of assembling a “Tech Team” to operate our updated audio-visual equipment. If you are interested in being part of this ministry, please contact Pastor Brown. And of course a very special “Thank You” goes out to Tommy Wojtas who has faithfully volunteered each Sunday morning to make sure our sound and visuals were in top form!

MEMBERSHIP Anne Carrier

On February 21 we welcomed twenty one new Members and Associate Mem-bers into our congregation. They reside in Fountain Hills, Tonto Verde and Rio Verde. They bring a variety of gifts which are already enhancing and enriching our church. The new members are; Mary Lou and Sherman Child, Gayle and Jerry Chlupach, Kendra and Joel Davidson, Carol and Lyle Dragoo, Kathryn and Wallace Hofstrom, Linda and Dale Humiston, Caro-lyn and John Pasnau, Pat and Dick Rowley, Margo and Norman Spencer, Joyce Weller, Ruthe and Guy Wellman. We are fortunate to have them among us.

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Membership, continued:

We have continued our first Sunday of the month brunches, following Commun-ion, at Rio Verde Country Club. They have been very well attended and enjoyed throughout the season. We plan to resume the brunches again in the fall.

Also in the fall we will seek and welcome those interested, into membership. We have many Associate Members....those who have church affiliations "back home". There is a welcoming place for you here at the Rio Verde Community Church!

LIVING OUR VISION Marilyn Creason

Our Vision Statement:

To create nurturing opportunities for inspiring people to serve the community.

To be present to the person standing beside us.

To be a welcoming and friendly Church perceived as a unifier and a “beacon of light” in the community.

To enable members to honor and serve Christ in meaningful ways according to their gifts.

To encourage an environment that empowers individuals and creates a passion-ate congregation.

To be vigilant that ministries are relevant to a wide range of ages.

To reward accomplishments and celebrate achievements.

To establish a permission-giving church structure which frees congregational imagination and creativity.

With the approval of this Vision Statement for the Church, the Board of Trustees has focused on ways to implement the Vision. One of the first steps was inviting church members to participate in discussion groups. On February 1, 30 church members took part in the event and discussed and identified ideas for imple-menting the Vision. Each participant was encouraged to be empowered to live out their faith and work together for the future of the Church.

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The group discussions were very productive and the Board of Trustees ap-preciates the time and energy devoted by the attendees. The feedback can be categorized into three groups:

Ideas on implementing the Vision Statement Comments on the content of the Vision Statement and General comments about the Church.

Over the next two months, the Board will analyze this valuable feedback and develop an action plan to incorporate the feedback into the mission and ministry of the Church.

Ideas on implementing the Vision Statement:

Communication:

1. Improve communication to the congregation. Utilize the website to con-nect with the community and the country club.

2. Provide information year round to the congregation. Especially impor-tant to those leaving for the summer.

3. Publish committee structure and members.

Empowerment and Recognition:

Encourage and empower congregation. Have recognition Sunday. Need to nurture and introduce new people in the congregation. Programs and People:

Need “to know the people” to determine what programs are needed. Perform a gift/talent search. Analyze effectiveness of current programs.

Recognition of History: 1. Recognize the history of the church and the community. 2. Analyze the history of the church and the community.

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Living our Vision (continued)

Other: 1. Embellish the interior of the church. Establish a liturgical art committee. 2. Develop job descriptions for those in leadership positions. Comments concerning the content of the Vision Statement: Wording seems centered on this community and thus less supportive of the

“outside” community. Outreach is directed to the “outside” community. Concern that “present” to the next person includes everyone we encounter. Change the order of the Vision Statement as follows:

To create…….. remains as number one To be present…..becomes number three To be a welcoming …….is moved to number two

General comments about the church:

1. Thrilled with the church. 2. Miss the church when away for the summer. 3. Thrilled that Protestants and Catholics partner. 4. Look forward to stimulating messages from the pastor that challenges us to grow.

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SCENES FROM OUR CHURCH LIFE! President Gene Knorr addresses the congregation at the Annual Meeting.

Folks listen to presentations at the An-nual Meeting. Bonnie Svensson, Treasurer delivers the good news about our budget!

Newly elected Trustees (from left):

Anne Carrier Kathy Eggebraten Ron Wax David Lowell Chuck Ingwaldson Gene Knorr (President) Don McGivern (VP) Bonnie Svensson (Treasurer) Nell Bigley

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Rio Verde Community Church 25603 N. Danny Lane Rio Verde, AZ. 85263-7239

Summer Church Office Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9:00am to 3:00pm Friday: Closed Phone: (480)-471-7239 Fax : (480)-471-0932 Pastor : The Rev. Dr. Kevin Brown Cell phone: (480)-766-3201 Email: kevin@verdefaith.org Bookkeeper: David Bakke Email: admin@verdefaith.org Resource Coordinator: Val Michel Email: val@verdefaith.org

Weekly Worship Service Sunday Mornings 8:30 am

2010 Spring Newsletter