2006 ANNUAL REPORT
MESSAGES FROM THE MINISTERS
Think for a minute about the Mission Statement you are about to read. Where does it come from? * We're all welcome You've probably seen it everyday, but it is one of those things that is so subtle that you may have a hard time pinpointing the origin, if you have noticed it at all. Sounds like a perfect mission statement for a church, doesn't it? Especially a United Church where the committee structure and governance offers a chance for many individuals to work together for the common good; to have input into the decision-making and discernment process; and to have enough enthusiasm for the organization that you want to share it with others. Some of you, no doubt, remembered where you saw these words before and you know that it is not the product of any visioning process in any particular church or denomination. The rest of you should go and have a look for those words anywhere you store those plastic grocery bags that you plan on recycling/reusing sometime. Dig down and find the ones from the Co-op. There, see it? It is the Co-op Difference and it is proudly displayed on every bag that gets carried out of the store. So for an even tougher question than the first, can you remember the Mission Statement for the Gander Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada? It is hanging above the coffee wicket in the Fraser Road Church Hall and is printed on every bulletin of each congregation in the charge. "At the call of Jesus Christ, we, the people of Fraser Road United Church, seek to: How do we measure up? The drafting of a mission statement and the visioning process that forms it is a worthwhile process, but only if it is reviewed and evaluated periodically, so take some time to reflect on your own experience of God and God’s people in this place. If you are brave enough, ask some of the new folks around the church what keeps them coming back? Engage them in conversation about their experiences of our congregation. See if we are meeting our objectives. In so doing, you will be living out our mission as the Body of Christ in this place. People will feel welcome, nurtured and cared for. They will know that all are equal and each opinion counts and they will feel more prepared to take ownership of the mission here and around the world. When people find God’s acceptance and love, they also find mission and purpose in sharing that acceptance and love with others. Our mission statement may not have the visibility that the Co-op has, but we ought to be able to be as effective in fulfilling it when we look to Jesus Christ as our pattern and guide. May it be so in the upcoming year! In Christ’s Service, Rev. Stephanie
As I sit contemplating this message, I listen to the wind howling outside, a sure sign that I’ll find snowdrifts of all sizes and shapes in the morning. I also reflect on a painting that sits over my desk entitled “Steve’s Place” painted by the Canadian artist Jack Reid. This painting depicts a winter snow scene that could represent one of my favorite places, Georgian Bay, Ontario. And isn’t that what each new year brings to us – twelve months of the unknown, twelve months of possibilities for joy, new challenges and for some of us sadness and disappointments. As this New Year begins, Arlene and I reflect upon the last year and the “so longs” we had to say. We also however both celebrate the “hello’s” and “welcomes” we have experienced since arriving which have been wonderful. Although only here for eight months, it in many ways feels much longer. I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have welcomed Arlene and I into your homes as friends and those of you who have welcomed me as your minister. I continue to be honored and humbled by the trust that many of you have placed in me when sharing your many and varied life stories. It is a privilege that I take very seriously to join with you wherever you may be on life’s journey and to walk side by side with you while hearing your stories filled with all of the elements of life including joy, excitement, sadness and grief. As we begin a new year together, may we all have the courage to step out into the unknown, leaning on and trusting the leading of God’s Spirit for courage, direction, strength and wisdom. To paraphrase the benediction “Go Now In Peace”, may we also in our stepping out, go in peace, never being afraid because God will go with us every hour of every day. May we step out in faith, steadfast and true, knowing God will guide us in all we do. May we step out in love, showing that we believe, reaching out to others so that all of the world can see, knowing that God will be there watching from above. Let each one of us step out in peace, in faith and in love and by doing so, may we all grow a little closer to becoming the people that God through the Living Christ calls us to be – people of faith, in turn helping fulfill the dream of Shalom that God has for our world. Blessings
MARRIAGES 2006
BAPTISMS
FIRST UNITED CHURCH
FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH CONFIRMATION
RECEIVED BY TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP Brenda Diane (Osmond) ANDERSON, Memorial UC, Grand Falls (omitted in 2005 report) TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP OUT Brian McLAREN, to Ontario MEMBERSHIP REMOVED BY DEATH The congregation of Fraser Road United Church met in the Church Hall following morning worship for coffee hour, followed by the annual meeting at 1 p.m. Rev. Heather Sandford, from the Wesleyville Pastoral Charge, opened the meeting with prayer, followed by an in memoriam service, for those members of our congregation who passed away during 2005. Candles were lit in honor of these people. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND SECRETARY APPROVAL OF AGENDA PASTORAL RELATIONS APPROVAL OF MINUTES BUSINESS ARISING CORRESPONDENCE - Nil Arnprior Assembly Annual Reports Acceptance of Reports Nominating Committee Report for 2006 The following members were nominated from the floor & accepted nominations: New Members for Session Financial Report & Budget for 2006 New Business PAR Program – John elaborated on this program & encouraged members to participate. It is operated through the National Church. We will start it on March 01, 2006. Claude Hender expressed appreciation to all those who give of their time, talent & resources for the life & work of our Church. Adjournment Rev. Heather Sandford ended the gathering with benediction at 3 P.M. _____________________ _______________________
MINUTES OF CONGREGATIONAL MEETING The congregation of Fraser Road United Church met in the Sanctuary of the Church immediately after the morning service on March 19, 2006. Meeting was called to order at 12:10 p.m. by Chairperson John Elliott & opened with prayer by Rev. Stephanie. The purpose of this meeting was to vote on same sex marriages. John explained the procedure for voting as well as the wording of the ballot. Roy Jenkins & Dave Hanrahan were nominated for scrutineers. Both accepted. Voting then proceeded by secret ballot. After counting the ballots, the scrutineers reported that the majority of voters disagree with marrying same sex couples in this congregation. It was moved by Frank Tibbo & seconded by Joe Cull that the ballots be destroyed. Motion Carried. The meeting closed with Benediction by Rev. Stephanie at approximately 12:38 P.M. ___________________________ ________________________
CHURCH COUNCIL
On behalf of your Church Council I extend sincere thanks for your support over the past year and send greetings and best wishes for the year ahead filled with many blessings. Many significant events occurred in 2006: · The Congregation approved the demolition of the Manse and work is currently underway. · Our Congregations voted not to allow same-sex marriages. · Our Student Minister, Ms. Sharon Earle-Marshall, completed her year with us in June and departed Gander to continue her studies. · The Rev. Steve Atkinson was settled on our Charge. Steve and his wife, Arlene, arrived early July. We were very pleased to have them join us and extend a warm welcome. · Our Charge continues to support various community activities by providing free space and many volunteers. Such activities include the Food Bank with their Christmas Hampers, meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous, a venue for the Kiwanis Music Festival, Sign Languages classes for children and adults, and the Parents ‘n Tots program. · It is also of interest to note that Fraser Road congregation was the beneficiary of an estate. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time that this has happened. However, we have been made aware of another bequest coming our way in the near future. This is an excellent way for people to ensure that God’s work continues after we are gone and we are very grateful for their thoughtfulness. I wish to thank all Council members for their dedication and work throughout the year. The exciting and vibrant life of this Charge would not take place without your contributions of time and talent. YOU ARE APPRECIATED. Last year I said that 2005 was a great year, well ....... 2006 was another great year ...... and we look forward to 2007. Let us continue to celebrate God’s presence with us as we worship and work together.
SESSION As in the past couple of years, Session meetings have been held in the evenings at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month except in July and August. The following changes have been made to our historic roll; 17 added through baptism, 7 youth and 4 adults through confirmation, 10 marriages, transferred in 8 and 2 transferred out. There were also 3 removed from the historic roll through death. Communion Services continue on the same schedule as in the past, with Communion being served on alternate months at Golden Legion Manor and Nightingale Manor. A decision to hold Communion Services in the summer months has been made by your Session. Lay visitation to the Seniors Homes and Hospital continues on the same schedule. We are happy to add to our list of Lay Visitors the Genesis Group of U.C.W. and some members of the Glenwood/Appleton congregation. We thank all those people sincerely. We are excited to report that we have an enquirer for Ministry from our congregation. Mr. Glenn Keefe asked us to sponsor him earlier in the year, now all the forms have been filed and his discernment team is in place. Members of his team are, from Session. Ms. Bonnie Adams, from the congregation, Ms. Beverly Burt and Glenn’s choice, Mr. Geoff Wells. West District Representatives are, Rev. Paul Vardy and Mrs. Marion Pond. As always there is a number of people that work behind the scenes and we extend our sincere thanks to them.
We are in the process of reviewing our by-laws and hope to have them ready to put in place early 2007. We are still looking for new members to serve on this committee especially some of the male members of our congregation. If anyone is interested in joining our team please call Sylvia at 256-3000 or Cator at 651-2632. In closing I thank all members of Session and our Ministers for their help during the past year and I look forward to working with you all in the months ahead. Blessings Cator Brown
The M & P Committee convened for several meetings during 2006 as well as conducted staff interviews. The Committee was chaired by Bill West until the end of November when he resigned for personal reasons. We sincerely thank Bill for his dedicated service to Fraser Road United and pray that he will be richly blessed.
OUTREACH AND SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE As the old saying goes, “A woman’s work is never done”, in the same way God’s work is never done, therefore the work of the Outreach & Social Action Committee is never done ..... there is so much more that we could do but time and other resources just do not permit. We have continued to support the programs that we started here a few years ago - the Parents’ n Tots group, Time-Out for Women, Walk for Water, Tapes of Worship Services, etc. and they continue to be very successful. Our 3rd Walk for Water took place in early October. We raised approx. $1200 which is enough to provide at least one more well to a village in India where clean drinking water has not been available. When you see us with our sponsor sheets next year be sure to make a donation and/or join us on the Walk, this is a very worthwhile cause. We have continued to encourage support of our Food Bank with weekly donations as well as our main drive with the Reverse Offering in November/December. Our members also helped with the delivery of letters to businesses asking them to adopt a family at Christmas and with the packing of the groceries for the hampers. We made a donation of $250 to the School Breakfast Program in 2006. Please continue to drop off your Pop Tabs, your used postage stamps and your old eyeglasses in the boxes provided in the narthex of the church. Thank you for your support.
COMMUNICATION AND MEMBERSHIP The Communication and Membership Committee has had another productive year with three issues of the Fraser Road United Church Newsletter being produced. The newsletter is a valuable source of information for interesting happenings in our church family and we urge you to take advantage of it by submitting articles and ideas. Deliveries made in 2006 included two financial statements, the church envelopes and our three newsletters. Once again the Committee thanks all of our delivery people for their hard work over the past year as well as the many people who contribute their time in publishing the newsletter. Our church reporter, Marion Duffitt, who has moved on, did a great job preparing the articles for the newsletter. On behalf of our entire church family we wish Marion great success in the future. The Committee also thanks Diane Anstey, who uses her artistic skills in designing the layout of the newsletter, and of course, Reverend Stephanie, who uses her organizational skills to keep us all on track and the newsletters coming. We would also be remiss if we did not mention the long hours and hard work Jim Johnson contributes in keeping Fraser Road United Church’s web page up to date. Jim does a great job with the web page and if you haven’t already done so, be sure to check it out at: Respectfully submitted, Oswald Anstey
PROPERTY Property is not unlike a human body - Born healthy to good and loving parents, cherished and nourished to a sturdy youth. From there it is mainly on its own. Should neglect and abuse set in it soon becomes high maintenance - Prescribed medications, prescription eye-glasses, hearing aid and dentures. That's just to keep up with aiding the body functions. Add a tailored hair-piece to try impressing strangers. Then there's progression into joint replacements, heart surgery, and transplants. Not a pretty prospect. However, barring heredity defects and fatalities, a youth of such caliber who continues to be protective of the body should live a long and fulfilling life. Caleb Lane
CHRISTIAN DEVELOPMENT Christian Development supports the various groups within the church through Christian leadership and education. These groups include the Sunday School, Youth Group, Scouting, the United Church Women, Men's Fellowship Group, Sign Choirs, Guitar Group, Guatemala Mission Team, and Bible Study / Reading Group. This year has been particularly eventful, with the focus being on our youth programming. We have been pleased to have two new youth members, Jessica Roberts and Ryan Elliott. They have been active and enthusiastic participants and have provided invaluable input.
We have experienced another exciting and challenging year within the Sincerely, Paula Waterman
FIRST UNITED SCOUTING 2006 was a great year for Scouting at 1st United. Once again numbers were up in all three sections…Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts. This is no doubt due in part to the countless hours put in by the volunteers that make the program possible. With that in mind I would like to take this opportunity to thank all these people. Whether it be as a leader, serving on Group Committee, or helping out during the many events that take place during the year, Scouting would not be possible without your help. It was a busy year for the Beaver group. In the spring of 2006, we ended our year working on a Beach Theme. We had a Beach Party in the Church Hall and a Beach Cleanup around a local school. We had our first sleepover at camp Hancock which was a great success. We ended the year with a year end party, the 1st United Scouting Group swim up and a Year End Banquet. In Cubs, we started out 2006 designing and building our Cub cars which were raced during Scout Guide week. As part of the purple star badge we held a UN night where each Cub had to research and report on a different country. Winter camp was held at Camp Hancock where the highlight was constructing emergency shelters in the woods. As well during the Spring we went curling, participated in tree planting and had Reverend Steph visit and complete the World Religion badge. For Summer camp we returned to the provincial campsite at Camp Nor’ Wes. Everybody had a wonderful time. This past September we registered 21 Cubs and 5 leaders. We started out the year by participating in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. We also held our investiture for the new Cubs and had a Fall camp in November where the Cubs completed the requirements for their green stars. In December we had a weekend trip to St. John’s where we went wall climbing, attended a St. John’s Fog Devils hockey game and stayed at and toured the Newfoundland Science Centre. In March of 2006 Scouts had their winter camp on the back of Deadman's Pond and enjoyed a great weekend camping in the snow and constructing tables for pioneer projects. In June we took our canoes on our biggest adventure so far by canoeing North West Gander River for a two night trip which our group described as the trip of a lifetime. Sure we had our mishaps and we lost a few things like boots, cameras, batteries, and sweaters. And we won't forget the full case of Root Beer that Scouter Paul didn't seem to mind parting with. Sure we got wet but that was all part of the adventure. The kids will remember next time that getting wet is not always a good thing. Our camp near the mouth of the Great Gull River was probably the most serene we’ve ever encountered. The 60 km canoe trip will last in all of minds as our greatest adventure. This September in Scouts our group has grown to 15 boys and 7 leaders. This year we are working on the orienteering theme. In October we hiked to the site of the Sabena crash in which the boys learned all the history and the events that led up to that tragic day back in 1946. Frank Tibbo had been in previous to our hike and told the boys of the story and showed them pictures of the crash site then and now. 2007 marks the 100th Anniversary of Scouting worldwide and right now we are in the middle of fundraising to attend the 11th National Canadian Jamboree just north of Montreal from July 25th to August 2nd at Camp Tamaracouta. Our 14 Scouts and 6 leaders will be joined by 8000 of our scouting friends from all over Canada and the United States to celebrate a century of Scouting. Yours in Scouting, Blair Sparkes
The Fraser Road United Church Guitar Group continues to meet in the choir room every Thursday at 7:30 to 8:30 pm. It’s nice to see that all members of the Group are continuing to show interest in the Guitar Group meetings and attending the functions. This year, I decided to take a break from the leadership of the guitar group. Peter Winter has been filling in as leader and I thank Peter for so gracefully taking on this responsibility. I intend to return as leader of the Guitar Group in September. Until that time, continue to enjoy what the Guitar Group has to offer since they have a variety of music selections from which they can choose to entertain you with. It is nice to see that Session has seen fit to invite the Guitar Group to do the Old Fashion Hymn Sings. This of course is some fruit for labor that no doubt makes the group feel that they are adding to the musical part of worship at Fraser Road. I sincerely thank Session for this decision. May God richly Bless you All, Yours in continued Song Ken Slaney
The Group held the first meeting of the season on 28 September 2006. Peter Winters volunteered to assume leadership of the group, in place of Ken Slaney who had established the group and led it for the past three years. Our hats are off to you, Ken. The Group continues to meet on Thursday evening at 7 p.m to 8 p.m. We currently have a membership of 15 persons. New members are welcome. Just a basic ability with the instrument is all that is required as we try to keep everything simple, so if you have a guitar, an hour and the interest, feel free to join us. The Group has participated in the church's old fashioned hymn sing evening, hosting the hymn sing for the evening of November 19, 2006. We have been scheduled to host the hymn sing for March as well. We also performed at the Boy Scout desert evening fund raiser held at Fraser Rd United on 1 December 2006 I wish to take this opportunity to thank all the members for the time, interest and effort that they have put into the Group. Peter Winters
MEN’S CHOIR AND SENIOR CHOIR Another successful year has come and gone for the Men’s Choir and Senior Choir. We have learned lots of new music, relearned many of our favourite past anthems, and sang some popular old sacred tunes. This year I tried arranging a schedule that alternated between the Men’s, Senior, and Handbell Choirs for the most part; the change being that the ‘Mixed’ Choir (or the combined Men’s and Senior choirs) did not have a regularly scheduled Sunday, but rather filled in some gaps in the schedule due to long weekends or such things. During the summer months of June-July the Mixed Choir sang during the first Sunday of each month while soloists sang on the remaining Sundays. Currently the Men’s Choir has 16 members, with an average attendance of 13, and the Senior Choir has 7 men and 19 women, with an average attendance total of 21. Outside of our regular Sunday anthem commitments we also prepared for other special services. Every May or early June the choirs prepare anthems for the annual Choir Memorial Service, and in December we prepared anthems for the annual Choir Christmas Service. Also in December we represented our church at the Gander Ministerial Christmas Foodbank Service along with the Handbell Choir. We have a lot of fun at our rehearsals. The members work hard, listen well, and laugh lots. They are a dedicated group of people who are a joy to meet with every week. New members are always welcome to come along and join in the fun! Thanks to the ministers and all our committees for their support through the year. Thanks to Geof for picking up after us from time to time and for toting those hymnbooks up and down the stairs. And a special thanks to each and every choir member for your ongoing commitment to providing musical support and musical offerings to services of worship in Fraser Road United Church and beyond!
HANDBELL CHOIR The Fraser Road United Church Handbell Choir currently is made up of 12 members. It was approximately one year ago that this slight increase in members from previous years made it necessary to purchase new tables, which we were able to do because of a generous donation from the family of Jim Strong. The Choir ministers to the congregation on a rotating basis with the Senior, Men’s and Mixed Choirs. Our members include: This winter the Choir will participate in the Gander Kiwanis Festival Douglas Nevin
SOCIAL CLUB The Social Club is still very active and meets on the last Saturday of each month except July and August. The main purpose is to have fun and fellowship among our Church family. There are no fees to join the Club, so if you want an evening of fun and relaxation you are welcome aboard. Our annual Bean Supper is our only fund raiser and thanks to the support of the congregation is always a success. The proceeds go towards the purchase of anything needed for the church. Some of the things that kept our group interested are:
Keeping the above in mind, we would sure like to share the fun and fellowship with new members. Gerry and Oliver Foote
FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH WOMEN 2006 has ended and we are now into 2007 and it’s time to wish everyone a Happy New Year. This will be my final report, as I have now completed my term of office. My wish for my successor is that she will find it as challenging as I did. Hope our report for 2006 meets with approval and that you can focus on some of the important work of our Unit, and the help and support we provide to the Fraser Road Congregation. Fellowship Unit meets every third Tuesday of each month at 8:00 p.m., except for June, July and August. Average attendance is 28, and we are always open to new members. All women of the congregation are welcome to join us at any time. Our meetings begin with worship, followed by business and fun time, which could include games, presentations, guest speakers or videos. This is followed by the regular cup of tea. During the year we also have the opportunity to meet with other groups in the District by attending Rallies and/or District meetings, if you so desire. We presently have 50 members on our roll, which includes 25 Life Members. One Life Member, Doris Fiander, passed away in 2006. We welcomed three new members – Marilyn Boone, Betty Borziskowski and Sandra Knight. We are very happy with the increased membership. One of our members has moved to the St. John’s area and we wish her well. Also, Blessings to the members who had previously moved, and to members who cannot attend our meetings due to age or health problems. Programs at our Unit Meetings were as follows:
Thank you to all those in our congregation who so willingly helped during the year to make it the success it was. It makes everything so much easier when we all work together. Donations to our church and other charities can be seen in our Financial Statement. Thank you to everyone in advance for your continued support in 2007. God’s Blessings to you all, Betty Hodder
FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH WOMEN The Genesis Unit continues to meet on the first Tuesday of every month to provide an opportunity for women of the Fraser Road United Church to share in a time of fellowship and fun with each other. The average attendance has been 10 members. Some of the activities our group participated in during 2006 included:
We are looking forward to another year of fellowship, service and fun in 2007 and remember new members are always welcome to join us.
GLENWOOD – APPLETON Another year is just about to end and I am having a job to catch up. 2006 was a quiet year for this congregation regarding construction and repairs. We did have one student for six days mowing the church and cemetery lawns, and painting the church ramp. The two minister team is working good, and I am proud that the attendance is improved a little. Our financial situation is about the same as last year, and I think we will be in the black at years end. I take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped in any way to make this year a success. May you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Scott Thompson
FIRST UNITED CHURCH This is the second year since we reopened our Church. There are still some repairs left to be done. This year we finished a small room that is being used for storage. Many thanks to those who did the work on this room. Church services are still being held every second and fourth Sunday of the month except for the summer months when there is one service a month. We enjoy the services and prayers of both Ministers. Rev. Steve has done some home visits and the members really appreciate this, especially the elderly. There were eighteen services this year. There were several pot lucks during the year. One was to wish Sharon good luck in her new placement. One was to welcome Rev. Steve Atkinson and his wife to our Church. When there is pot luck we seem to have more people in attendance, There were eight fund raisers during the year. We will be saving Dominion cash register tapes again this year. Many thanks to those who saved their tapes for us and supported our other fund raisers. There are sixteen families in our congregation - of these there are ten that support the Church. Thank you for all your help in the things you do to make all the events that we have, successful. Many thanks to Diane and Glenn who play the organ for us every Sunday. I know it is difficult without a choir and we really appreciate your taking the time to play your music for us. Genny Osmond
FINANCE The Finance Committee, through the Church Council, is responsible to the Congregation for:
Our Church’s programs and activities have been very successful throughout the year, and attendance at services seems to be increasing steadily, including a refreshing number of younger people. However, the Church has been experiencing a slow, but significant decline in revenue throughout this and the previous five years. This trend, together with steadily increasing costs for labour, fuel and general maintenance resulted in a large increase in the Church’s deficit position and delays in payment of a number of invoices. It should be noted that the Hall debt has, in essence, been eliminated. However, as a result of ongoing maintenance projects, there remains a debt of $20,980.00 on Church facilities. Income from all sources totalled $256,718.00, short of the budgeted amount by $13,647.04 and of the actual expenses by $25,699.92. The total deficit now stands at $36,568.83. Priorities for 2007 will be elimination of the Church debt and securing increased contribution levels such that a balanced budget may be attained while reducing the deficit to a manageable level. Highlights
An accumulated deficit of approximately $70,000.00 - $75,000.00 is projected for this year if contribution rates continue as in the past several years. Once again, M&P costs are projected to increase significantly, due primarily to a programmed increase in ministerial salaries, the expiration of our cost sharing agreement with HRDC, and an increase in housing and education/book allowances. With little or no room to find offsetting savings in other budget areas, use of the Church’s Credit Line will be necessary to pay current bills, unless revenue is increased. Initial collections in 2007 indicate that the trend of the past several years has not been reversed. Though a balanced budget has not been achieved, the requirements have changed little, except as noted. The addition of several new families as contributors, increasing attendance and an aggressive education and fund raising campaign should reverse the trend of annual deficits. A commendation is extended to all Committee Members, the Church Secretary, the Recorder, Counters, and all the Volunteers who assisted in fund raising or other activities throughout the year. Don Curnew
IN MEMORIAM FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH
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