Food Services Ministries

2021 was another year of Covid.  Another year of restrictions.  Another year of quiet. 

However, …

Youth and the kid’s groups still met in the building, and they were still having snacks, but everything had to be individually wrapped.  So much paper/plastic and to-go containers.  Every snack took twice as long to prepare simply because of the extra packaging.

Easter had an outside egg hunt for the community and snacks were given but all had to be wrapped up to take home.  I made Bunny Bait so the kids could attract the Easter bunny at home.  (hee hee)

Alpha also met and had their day away at the church.  Participants had a completely self-enclosed snack and lunch to avoid anyone getting up and social distancing as they ate. 

The Youth graduation was an online affair, but each grad family was gifted a small variety tray of snacks that they could enjoy as they watched from home.

In the summer, Day camp was kitchen-themed, and each child spent time in the kitchen in a small group cooking lesson.  We made bagels, apple tortilla pie, smores popcorn, whoopie pies and grilled cheese sandwiches with sun-dried tomato pesto.  😊  The kids really enjoyed the time in the kitchen and the variety of other games and activities.

Prepping cookies for our wonderful volunteers!

Over the summer, to acknowledge our awesome volunteers, staff made over 3000 pumpkin cookies which were packaged in groups of 12 to over 250 volunteers.  This was a huge labor of love, and all the staff took turns hand delivering these bags to our volunteers across the city (and even beyond.) 

Kick-off this year was planned as a chili cook-off.  However, due to illness, it had to be revamped as a smaller event.  A hotdog and donut food truck were brought in, and the different ministries set up tables around the gym to highlight what was going in and how to get involved. 

The Christmas season was once again kicked off with a Handmade Market.  Proceeds were given to the Jesus Project and the kitchen helped by hosting a homemade donut day and cookie trays were added to the market as a support. 

Journey to Bethlehem – A new event was added to our Christmas lineup instead of the Hayrides and Hotdogs.  This was an interactive event where each participant was escorted by Joseph through the Christmas story.  It ended with an escape to Egypt where the participants were given a lunch for their journey of hotdogs, cookies and hot chocolate and a hayride with a horse drawn cart.  We had many volunteers involved.  Hopefully, a new annual tradition!

-Karen Schlamp

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Furniture Ministries

2021 was a challenging but successful year for the Furniture Ministry. The volunteer team served the Lord and the community well with a determination and a desire to provide the comforts of home to those in need. Despite the obstacles of ever-changing restrictions and guidelines, the team pressed on and found ways to safely pack and deliver the much needed items. The Ministry was able to provide much-needed furniture and household items to 147 homes thanks to the generous donations to the Community Care Fund as well as furniture donations by 144 donors.

Due to the price of lumber and fuel, we faced a 65% increase in the cost of twin beds and 57% increase in double beds. We continue to work with the mattress company, accessing its “Beds for Kids” charity program and seeking other affordable options as well as creative means to raise funds to purchase the beds.

In 2020 we were focused on ways that we could connect deeper with the clients and had hoped to do a luncheon at the Church twice a year. We did host one successfully but then were not able to continue due to restrictions. We continue to search for other meaningful ways to connect and share the word of the Lord with them.

We have received cards of thanks and gratitude as well as phone calls from referral agencies expressing how moved their clients were by the items they received. One agency called saying that a gentleman who was in a very dire situation had become a volunteer with them as he was so touched by the food and care they provided to him. Once they found out that he had no furniture or basic necessities, they referred him to us. When he received his delivery, he began sobbing with gratitude. Another worker called to express how a pregnant single mom of a young child was moved to tears by the items she received.

I am moved by the compassion and dedication of the volunteers of this ministry. The team that cleans items as they come in and those who pack the orders show such concern for what they are doing. The joy that they show as they handpick certain items that they feel will bless the recipient is heartwarming! The delivery team is an incredibly stellar group of committed people who show up no matter how hot, cold, or windy it may be. They do the back breaking work of heavy lifting and maneuvering in less-than-ideal circumstances and then take time to pray with the client.

Thank you to Pastor Michael Deibert for his valuable guidance and support in the operating of the Furniture Ministry.

Thank you to all the volunteers and donors, past and present for ensuring that this valuable ministry is available to those in need in our community.

-Christy Wonnenberg

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Athletics Ministries

After a nearly two year hiatus, it was nice for all our athletics ministries to be able to meet together during the week. Our regular attendees have all gotten a little older, a little slower and a little busier, but the level of skill returned to where it left off.  Our weekday sports programs remain a strong outreach, with most of those attending having little to no prior relationship with the church allowing a low-pressure opportunity to get people through the door and involved even in a small way. There is always room for more people to join if you have an interest in volleyball, basketball, floor hockey or pickleball!

In 2021 we were asked by the local Special Olympics to use our gym for practices once a week.  They have continued to use our facility into 2022.

We are so thankful for the way the Lord has allowed us to use our gym facilities to open our doors on a weekly basis to the community.

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