2007 ANNUAL REPORT
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER A friend, while visiting Bath Abbey in England, chose for me a small book of quotes to include as part of my Christmas package. The book is entitled, "Words of Compassion" and it contains short, thought-provoking quotes that, when applied to life in small, practical ways, could make a difference to how we care and live with and for each other. Pleasing Others
Rev. Stephanie McClellan
MARRIAGES 2007
FIRST UNITED CHURCH
FIRST UNITED CHURCH Nil
BAPTISMS
BENTON
FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH CONFIRMATION RECEIVED BY TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP Marion BISHOP (Best) Wesleyville TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP OUT Beverly LYSENG (Green) to Riverbend UC, Edmonton, AB MEMBERSHIP REMOVED BY DEATH
GLENWOOD/APPLETON CONFIRMED REMOVED BY DEATH
BENTON CONFIRMED RECEIVED BY TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP
The congregation of Fraser Road United Church met in the church following morning worship for coffee break, followed by the annual meeting at 12:45 p.m. Rev. Stephanie McClellan opened the meeting with a prayer, followed by an in memoriam for those members of our congregation who passed away during 2006. Rev. Steve Atkinson read the names while candles were lit in their honor. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND SECRETARY 58 members were in attendance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was moved by Bill Burry and seconded by Joe Cull that the minutes of the congregational meeting held on March 19, 2006 be accepted as printed. Motion Carried BUSINESS ARISING Auditor ---Don Sweetapple has agreed to audit our books for 2006 in conjunction with Tony Foote. It was moved by Neville Burt and seconded by Jerry Clouter that we accept this. Motion Carried Financial Support---John Elliott informed everyone that our deficit is larger than we budgeted and unless we get more financial support we will have to make cuts somewhere PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance) Program: CORRESPONDENCE: ……..Nil……. ANNUAL REPORTS: There was a correction made on page 7 of the Annual Report. Scouting Group Committee Chair should have read Blair Sparkes and not Bruce Sparkes as printed. Very encouraging comments were made about our Scouting Programs, Sunday School and Youth Group. Congratulations for a job well done goes out to the leaders of those groups. A big thank you to our UCW groups was also in order. They are a very active group and their efforts are very much appreciated. Also congratulations goes out to Cal Lane for an excellent report. Cal said that we need a major fundraiser to do up the grounds once the manse is removed. Claude Hender commented that we have to be careful and conservative but if we want our groups to continue and new things to happen, with the increasing cost of things today, we have to challenge ourselves to do more. ACCEPTANCE OF REPORTS
NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2007 West District Representatives Rev. Stephanie McClellan Cemetery Representatives Max Bussey The following members were nominated from the floor and accepted nominations: NEW MEMBERS FOR SESSION FINANCIAL REPORT AND BUDGET FOR 2007 Juanita Andrews made an explanation concerning the $4,000.00 in the Annual Report that was given to the Guatemala Team. She said, in actual fact, it was their own money that they had put in and it was given to them before they left. It was moved by Cator Brown and seconded by Eric Simms that the Budget be accepted as presented. Motion Carried It was moved by Claude Hender and seconded by Cator Brown that Council be asked to look at ways by which we can increase our income by $50,000.00 a year. Motion Carried NEW BUSINESS Special Mentions: Maude Goulding----For doing our booklets for the Annual Report. It is a tremendous amount of work and we would like to thank her for this. Bouquets were thrown by Eric Murray to all the people who are doing a wonderful job e.g. ministers, choirs, directors, leaders, janitor, secretary, etc It was noted that the 50th anniversary of our church is in 2008 and we need volunteers. We need to get a committee going so we can make plans to celebrate this event. Layle Karsgaard is the only volunteer to date so if you are willing to help out call John Elliott or the church office. ADJOURNMENT
MINUTES OF CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
The congregation of Fraser Road United Church met in the sanctuary following morning worship. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR LETTERS OF RESIGNATION NOMINATIONS FOR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF COUNCIL Nominations were called for Vice Chair. Nominations were made but all declined. It was moved by Betty Hodder and seconded by Ted Northcott that nominations for Chair and Vice Chair be closed. Motion Carried NOMINATIONS FOR OTHER VACANT POSITIONS Chair of Outreach--Nominations were made, all declined It was suggested that we need to do up a job description of all vacant positions so people will know what would be required of them.
MINUTES OF CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
The congregation of Fraser Road United Church met in the sanctuary of the church at 7:00 p.m. on November 13, 2007. The purpose of the meeting was for West District to read the Pastoral Relations Committee Report and explain the Conflict Resolution Process. Rev. Heather Sanford was present to do this. There was also to be an election of officers for seats that were now vacant on committees. Bonnie Adams welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming then Rev. Stephanie did devotion. Bonnie Adams then opened the floor for nominations for someone to chair this meeting. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND SECRETARY ELECTION OF OFFICERS FINANCIAL UPDATE FROM TREASURER WEST DISTRICT Many questions were put forward about this process and Heather did a wonderful job of answering them. She left us with this---You will only get out of this what you are willing to put into it. She informed us that the process of getting a second minister will be put on hold until the Resolution Process is finished. She was asked if it would be possible for us to get a minister for 15 hrs per week to help take some of the load off Rev. Stephanie. She said she would check this out and get back to us. Claude thanked Heather for the time and work she has put into this for us. Thank you Rev. Heather. Claude wished Cator Brown and his Council all the best. He encouraged all present to use the resource of their council. Help them out by bringing your concerns to them. ADJOURNMENT CLOSING
REPORT FOR THE GANDER PASTORAL CHARGE This report is a compilation of assessments from meetings with Reverend Stephanie McClellan and Reverend Steven Atkinson, a meeting with the Pastoral Charge and various phone calls and letters that were received. In late October Rev. Steven Atkinson contacted Rev. Faith March McCuish (Conference Personnel Minister) and Rev. Heather Sanford (Chair of Pastoral Relations) to talk about the fact that the team was not working well. This unrest seemed to centre on the job description that they were trying to work through. In response to this, Rev. Faith March-McCuish and Rev. Heather Sanford met with Rev. Steven and Rev. Stephanie to talk about their ministry team. It was clear at that meeting that outside help would be needed to sort out the job descriptions and help them work through some communication troubles. At that time a mediator was named, (Rev. Roger Janes) to assist this process. In late February the Pastoral Relations Committee was made aware that mediation talks had broken down and communication between Rev. Stephanie and Rev. Steven was non-existent. After Rev. Steven requested a change in Pastoral Relations the Pastoral relations Committee decided to do an exit interview with him and interview Rev. Stephanie at the same time. From those interviews, the Pastoral Relations Committee decided that we would meet with the whole Pastoral Charge. A meeting was set up to allow the congregation to speak to any issue they wanted us to know about. After the congregation met with the Pastoral Relations Committee, the ministry personnel were asked to return and were given a summary of the points raised in the meeting and given an opportunity to speak to anything they heard. In addition to the meetings and interviews the committee held, there was also a large number of telephone calls from individuals wishing to share grievances in regards to the operation of the Pastoral Charge, the relationship between the two ministry personnel and the relationship between the ministry personnel and the congregation. From all that the Pastoral Relations Committee had heard, the following observations were made:
CHURCH COUNCIL
Some other problems surfaced and West District was asked to call a meeting to see what could be done in the way of resolution. Another attempt was made to fill the vacancies but to no avail. Following a couple of meetings with West District Pastoral Relations Committee, it was their recommendation that we engage the services of a conflict resolution expert, which has been done. Conference Office engaged the services of Evans to do an assessment of our situation and it was decided that our problems could be resolved. This process is in motion. At a Congregational meeting on November 13, 2007 Cator Brown was elected Chair of Council, Bonnie Adams was elected Vice-Chair and Claude Hender as Chair of Finance. There are other positions that have to be filled. We ask that you give some thought to volunteering to be part of your Church’s team as we work together to make it the place we would want to worship. We look forward to celebrating God’s presence as we work and worship together in 2008. May God’s Blessing be with us all. Cator Brown
SESSION As in the past, 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. We had two of our members resigned in the past year and one new addition. We thank Lorraine and John for their contributions during their time of service, and offer our appreciation to Geoff Wells for volunteering to fill one of the vacancies. We are still in need of some new people to bring our members up to the required level. The resignation of the Rev. Steve was a little disappointing and left us with only one Minister to do the work. This also gave Session some extra work finding pulpit supply and the pager coverage for some of the times that Rev. Steph has to be away from the Pastoral Charge. Other changes that took place over the past year was in the historic roll; 17 added through confirmation, 17 through baptism, 3 marriages, 7 transferred in, and 3 transferred out, there was also 6 removed from the historic roll through death. Lay visitation to the Seniors Homes and Hospital continues on the same schedule. We thank all those who have volunteered to do this work and encourage others to join the group. Communion Services continued on the same schedule as in the past except for the addition of the summer months. We greatly appreciate the services of the Rev. Wes Oake and others who have helped with services during the past few months. We have had one other resignation, that of Cator Brown as Chair Person, we sincerely thank him for his work on Session. As always there is a number of people that work behind the scenes and we extend our sincere thanks to them: To our Musicians and all who have participated in our Ministry of music, a sincere thank you. In closing I thank all members of Session and our Minister for their help during the past year, and may everyone be richly blessed in 2008. Respectfully submitted Jean Brown STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE It was an interesting role, to take on the Chair of Stewardship for Fraser Road United Church. Since there was no active committee for a number of years, it seems like we had to start from the beginning. We met as regularly as we could, talking about what we as a committee needed, and wanted to do for our church. Our immediate goal was to look at the financial situation of the church, to make people aware of the need for gifts to the church to increase. In the end, we found ourselves in a bit of a bind, because when the Stewardship Committee was not active, the role of this committee got spread around to the other committees. Thank you for helping the spirit of stewardship not die at Fraser Road United Church. Struggling we pressed on, we talked about making our church a more friendly welcoming church, we talked about having members of the church who are musically inclined to offer their ministry of music before the service, we talked about our M&S Givings and having a special service on the M&S Sunday, and we talked about getting readers for the “Minutes for Missions”. We were very fortunate to have Rev. Roger Janes, West District Staff Associate, come and chat with us on April 3rd 2007. His talk was very informative and was centered around M&S Givings, he also talked about PAR and the importance of what it can do to help a church in the low seasons of the year. Roger is a great resource person, and was a great help to us. We are lucky to have him in the West District. Our church as all of you know has had a hard and challenging year. It was difficult for many of you, and it was difficult for us as a committee. We are a committee trying to seek out the talents and gifts of our church, and it seemed that we got stuck in a winter storm that would not let up. But, with dialogue, love, understanding and compassion we started to see the sun break through the clouds, we have weathered the storm. Now we are ready to take the challenge; to see what we have, as a church, to offer to each other, to the community and the world. This is what stewardship is about, looking after one another in this crazy mixed up world. Fraser Road United Church Stewardship Committee is seeking new members to sit on this committee. We need your voice, and your time to make this committee work, and to help make our church grow with faith and love. It was a learning year, and it was a growing year. We, as a committee, were happy to meet, and to share ideas, concerns, and give of our time, talents, and gifts. I would like to thank those members that came out and let the spirit of God shine through them. My prayer for this church is to love kindness, seek justice, and walk humbly with our God. Stewardship starts here with us, let it spread from you to others. Fraser Road United Church is full of potential, full of talent, full of love, full of good people, and most of all God’s Spirit is with us, let it be seen and shine through you. God Bless you all! Respectfully Submitted Glenn Keefe
OUTREACH AND SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE “Reaching out to others is part of how we define ourselves as Christians. “ Despite the fact that I felt it necessary to resign as Chair early in the year, most of the work of this Committee is being carried on. Unfortunately, the “Walk for Water” did not go ahead this year and new programs were not initiated. Tapes of worship services are still available for shut-ins and can be signed out through the church office. My prayer is that someone will come forward to Chair this Committee in the new year, bringing new life to our church and enabling us to live out our faith, a faith that points us onward to live out Christ’s mission in the world. Lorraine Elliott
MINISTRY & PERSONNEL The M & P Committee has been extremely busy this past year with numerous meetings in an attempt to deal with issues mainly regarding ministerial matters. It has been a trying year in attempting to micromanage ministry and personal matters without council input for a large part of the year. However, we have a positive outlook for the coming year. We do reiterate the importance of congregational input to our committee. If a concern or a problem arises with any member of the congregation, it certainly would be appropriate to present this in writing or attendance at one of our meetings throughout the year. We feel our committee needs to have continuing and if possible more input in early intervention in ministerial matters. We are very positive about the future of Fraser Road United Church.
COMMUNICATION AND MEMBERSHIP The Communication and membership Committee has continued working on the Fraser Road United Newsletter in 2007. Our Committee is again requesting that you take advantage of this newsletter by letting us know of any items of interest that you would like to see printed in the newsletter. Five deliveries were made in 2007 which included two financial statements, the church envelopes and our two newsletters. The Committee sends a big thank you to our delivery people for the excellent job they did last year and hopes their support can be counted on again for the coming year. A special thank you is extended to Jerry Clouter and Hiram Elliott for all their help in preparing our deliveries. Diane Anstey who designs the layout of the newsletter and Reverend Stephanie who keeps us all organized are also sent a big thank you! Last but certainly not least, once again we must thank Jim Johnson for the many hours he contributes in keeping our web page up to date. We have an interesting and informative website and if you haven’t done so already, be sure to check it out for church announcements, events, photos and more. Our web address is: www.unitedchurchgander.ca
PROPERTY The Committee met twice this year, which was below our mandate of four times. There being very little new or old business to consider it didn’t make much sense to meet. However, things were well monitored by Geoff, our Facilities Manager. There were only two projects carried out - the back-filling of the Manse excavation and an expansion to the parking lot. The expansion was not taken out of budget 2007. Payment was negotiated for 2008. Two projects we would like to start this winter as soon as we can figure out funding are: cushions for the pews and new lighting for the chancel. Those pews are getting pretty hard to sit on for us older folk (the majority) and it is about time we afforded ourselves some comfort while we are being TOLD. The lighting is the original and seems to be getting duller or is it our eyesight? whichever. Bulbs and shades are getting harder to replace because of time warp. There will have to be some redesign in the area where the Hand Bell Choir sets up. Lighting seems to be pretty bad there. Once we get it all figured out and the costing done, you will be hearing from us. I am sure you will like to give us your full support on those two projects. Geoff is still providing amazing service for all church users. He has quite a problem keeping the hall floors polished to the standard he has set. This is due to lack of proper equipment, namely a burnisher which can’t be rented in this man’s town. The cost of this equipment is in the vicinity of $5,000. Anyone out there willing to donate this so the man can do his work proudly? In the past when dinners are being served-up at the Hall there were many complaints about the sinks being too small for wash-ups, especially for the pots and pans. With the approval of Council the Social Club sponsored the installation of bigger, deeper sinks. The installation of the sinks also required replacement of the counter top. Not being able to acquire a matching top we went for a contrasting color and we extended the replacement along by the stoves as well. Now the Club is considering doing the remainder and costing is being done. WELL DONE Social Club, for such a small group you are having a positive impact on the welfare of our church. Actual budget 2007 for property was $36,342.29. This included the ever increasing cost of the NECESSITIES: Electricity, Heating, Janitorial Supplies, Snow-clearing and Insurance on our property. So what was left for maintenance and updating? $3,639.01 or about 10% of our budget, about 1.5% of our overall budget. A recent appraisal of our property set the replacement value of $1,500,000 which would mean the maintenance and updating ratio was 0.2426 of 1%. Now that I have done the math for you, what do you think? Isn’t it great we have such a low ratio? Does that mean we don’t need more money? Let’s get our heads out of the sand here. Let’s take a more enlightened look and see what will be happening a few years hence. I’m afraid we will be looking at far greater problems and costs if we are not carrying out due diligence as we go along year after year. So what’s your answer? Your Property Committee is alive and willing but without your support and funding is without HOPE. I want to thank the Committee members for their support and hope they will see fit to remain with us for 2008, and to Geoff for his “always there” support. I present this report with pleasure and hope for the future. Caleb Lane
CHRISTIAN DEVELOPMENT It has been another eventful year in our role as providing leadership for the Christian Development needs of our church community. Some of the highlights of 2007 include: * The Youth Group held a M&S project on Valentine’s Day, raising close to $350.00 by taking reservations to serenade people with love songs. * A “mini music festival” of our Kiwanis Music Festival participants was held in March. * Confirmation with 17 confirmands, 7 membership transfers, and 1 reaffirmation of faith, was held in April. * Youth Talk Back, in which special guests from our community were invited to our church on Sunday mornings to hold discussions on selected topics of interest to our older youth, was begun. * Bible in a Year was initiated by Rev. Steve Atkinson. * In May, members of our Youth Group attended Youth Forum for West District at Pasadena, NL. * The Sunday evening Gospel services have been very successful, with various guests participating, including the Guitar Group. * Sunday School Appreciation Night was held on June 21. * Sunday School has 60 children registered, with approximately 20 adult teacher helpers. The older youth also help out. In 2007, the program focused on the Old Testament stories. * In July, some members of our Boy Scouts attended a jamboree in Quebec. * Vacation Bible School, held at the end of June, was a resounding success. The theme was F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God). * Again this year, a camp for our older youth was held at Loon Bay Camp in August. The theme was Hide and Seek: Seeking God at Loon Bay Camp. *The Sunday School produced an inspiring Christmas concert in December. The recitations and singing, and the play “The Christmas Tree”, which showed the Christian significance of the various decorations we use, involved all of the children. It has been a challenging yet rewarding year for Christian Development. Respectfully Submitted, Paula Waterman
FIRST UNITED SCOUTING 2007 was a special year for Scouting worldwide as it marked our 100th anniversary. 100 years ago in 1907 Lord Baden Powell held his first Scout camp on Brownsea Island where 20 boys spend a week camping in the outdoors. There were several special activities which we took part in last year to mark the occasion. In addition, all 3 sections took part in 2 environmental projects, Trees for Canada in May and the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup in September. In the Fall we had our annual apple day fundraiser and also attended the Remembrance Day service on a rainy November 11th. The Beaver colony had a busy year. During the Spring they worked on their pirate and dinosaur themes including “party nights”. They also toured the weather office and organized a family skate for all sections. They finished off the year with a cleanup around Gander Academy and had their Spring camp at Camp Hancock. This September saw a huge increase in our Beaver number. With 40 kids registered we were left no option but to form 2 groups. The groups had a sleepover in the Fall and spent time preparing for investiture night. They also worked on the family theme and had a Christmas party which included a visit from Santa. For the Cub pack it has been a busy year as well. To finish off 2006-07 they completed the requirements for their blue stars, toured the new water treatment facility and weather office, as well as built and raced Cub cars. A Winter camp was held in March at Camp Hancock where they practiced lighting fires and building emergency shelters. The highlight of the year was attendance at the Centennial camp at Camp Nor Wes near Port Blandford in late June. Several hundred Cubs and Scouts from around the Island took part in this 3 day camp to celebrate 100 years of Scouting. Our 25 foot mobile flag pole with the Town of Gander flag on it was easily recognizable. The highlight for many Cubs was the Nor Wes idol competition. In September our group grew to 27 youth members. The Cubs completed their green star during the Fall and had a great Fall camp at Camp Hancock. There were a number of exciting events in Scouts this past year. During the Winter the boys worked on their Citizenship and Leadership badges. At the Winter camp they built their own lean-to’s and slept outside for the night. During the Spring they spent several nights doing compass work including an outdoor orienteering course. In June we had our Summer camp on Terra Nova river were the boys spent 2 days canoeing and hiking. By far the highlight of the year was our attendance at 11th Canadian Scout Jamboree (CJ07) in July. 16 Scouts and 7 Leaders travelled by bus to the Tamaracouta Scout reserve just north of Montreal. Once there we spent 8 days with some 8000 Scouts, Venturers, Leaders, and volunteers from around the world. There were too many fun and exciting activities to mention but one of the highlights was the sunrise ceremony on August 1st marking the 100th anniversary. Scouts in 155 countries worldwide marked the occasion at the same time. Our giant flagpole proudly flew the Town of Gander flag at this camp as well. I would like to take this opportunity to again thank the congregation for their support during our many fundraising activities which made this trip possible. In September, as with the other sections, we experienced growth in our numbers and now have 23 Scouts registered. During the Fall the boys worked on the Outdoor badge and had an overnight camp and hike on the tracks towards Glenwood among other things. As in previous reports I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who make this program possible. Every year we continue to attract more and more youth to our organization and I would argue that this is reflective of the In Scouting, Blair Sparkes
MEN’S CHOIR AND SENIOR CHOIR 2007 was another enjoyable year for the vocal choirs at Fraser Road United Church. We continued on with the same format we began last year for the choir schedule and it seemed to work quite well. Our numbers have basically remained the same, with a few members leaving, and sadly, some passing, but a few new members have come along to take part in the fun. We continue to broaden our horizons learning new and challenging music, and we have also brought back out of our library some previous anthems we enjoyed singing and which were received enthusiastically by the congregation. Being a member of a church choir is a fulfilling experience in many ways. Socially we have a great time, with (quiet!) chit chat and fun teasing. Aesthetically we experience life through music in the way only music can make you feel. And last but not least, you gain the knowledge that you have made a valuable contribution to the life and work of your church and to the people in it. New members are always welcome! Big “Thank-You s” to the congregation of Fraser Road United Church for your support and assistance, and to each and every choir member for your dedication and commitment! Karen Nevin
The Fraser Road United Church Guitar Group continues to meet in the choir room every Thursday at 6:45 to 7:45 pm. Following our meeting the new accordion group begins their practice. The choir room is really sounding great on Thursday nights and it’s nice to see that all members of both Groups are continuing to show interest in the music side of our church life. The guitar group has 18 members at present with the possibility of two new members joining in this new year. Twenty members is realistically the maximum that the group can handle and I would tend to discourage any additional new members beyond twenty. We have three new members who joined recently and we are happy to welcome them along. We now have a new drummer for example who adds to our beat. The other new members are excellent singers and will add significantly to our already great vocals. We have played at all seniors’ homes in Gander, gone to Glenwood/Appleton to supply music for their service, have actually planned and conducted a service both at Fraser Road and Glenwood/Appleton, and have performed at the old fashioned hymn sings in our church. We do plan to visit other congregations (GFW for example) in our region to supply music for their service sometime in the near future. Also, since we have recently purchased a new sound system, we will be doing a mid winter music concert in the church hall sometime in the foreseeable future to help pay for our system. Stay posted for the announcement on this up and coming exciting musical event. Thank you all for your support in 2007 and we hope and pray for enriched church life in 2008. In appreciation for your support, we will entertain you and support our church services in every way we can. May God richly Bless you All, Yours in continued Song
THE ACCORDION BAND
The Accordion Band is a new feature in our church. It was started on April 2 with the idea of forming a group of people who liked accordion music. It was easier to find people who like accordion music than it was to find people who could actually play. I expressed a willingness to try to teach diatonic accordion to them and to that end it has been successful. We have 11 members of the band and of these, two could play proficiently, two could play a little and seven couldn’t play a note. I’m happy to say that these seven have now progressed to the point where they can play several tunes, both religious and secular. We have a second group of three beginners who are progressing to the point where they will soon be sufficiently proficient to be integrated with the Band. Our first public performance was on January 6 when we participated in the morning service at Gander and the evening service at Glenwood. The members of both groups are Bonnie Adams, Mackenzie Blake, Cater Brown, Sylvia Burry, Bram Freake, Melissa Kinden, Vicki Lear, Gerard Noseworthy, Joan Pike, Ester Scott, Carol Sturge, Edna Thorne, Ross Williams - and Ewart Tibbo on drums. Mackenzie also adds a nice variety to the band when he plays other instruments such as the tin whistle. We meet on Thursday evening in the Choir Room. Frank Tibbo
SOCIAL CLUB The members of the Social Club were very saddened in March past with the sudden passing of our President Oliver Foote. Oliver was a friend to all and is deeply missed. The Social Club is still very active and meets on the last Saturday of each month at 8:00 p.m. except July, August and September. The Social Club was formed approximately 25 years ago to raise funds for the purchase of the Grand Piano which is still in use in the sanctuary. Since that time the members of the Social Club with the support of the public have contributed to the financial picture of Fraser Road United Church on a yearly basis. The only fund raiser we have is our Bean Supper which is held as close to Valentine’s Day as possible and has always been a success. This past year funds were provided by the Social Club to install necessary renovations to the kitchen and to assist in making for a better Christmas for a needy family. Some of the activities of the Social Club are: 1. Programs organized by our members for each meeting We extend best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2008 to all members of our congregation. Veneta Anstey
FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH WOMEN The Fellowship Unit of Fraser Road United Church Women meets at the church hall at 8:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month with the exception of June, July and August. Each meeting begins with meaningful worship, followed by a business period. Program follows with occasional guest speaker, videos relating to our worship, games, quizzes and other interesting activities. We attend rallies and District meetings at which time we gather information regarding workings of other groups. As well we get to meet and mingle with some of our older U.C.W. friends as well as meeting new ones. We presently have 41 members on our roll call which includes 17 life members. One new member joined us in November. We were sorry to lose two of our members through death this year – namely Doris Fiander and Nellie Skiffington. Their names have been added to the eternal candle in memoriam. During June of 2007 we had the privilege of meeting and preparing lunch for three women from Zambia. One represented the United Church in Zambia, the other two from organizations representing the Mission and Service. Each spoke of her personal experience in her chosen field. On July 23-27 the United Church Women of Newfoundland and Labrador hosted the 45th U.C.W. National Convention at Corner Brook for the very first time. Women from all across Canada attended, as well as twelve of our own local U.C.W. members from Fraser Road. Our Zambia friends attended as well. Many new friends were made and a very enjoyable five days was experienced by all who attended – over 400 in all. Our Newfoundland and Labrador U.C.W. groups made large jean bags, decorated with Newfoundland tartan and a Newfoundland dog, as a gift, to each member who attended. Worship and programs presented from January 07 – December 07: Jan. 16 New Beginnings Mar. 20 Service – Guest Speaker – Desmond Dillon (President of Newfoundland and Labrador Red Cross) Community & Church 1. Visited sick and shut-ins with treats for Christmas Donations Made Church operating expenses Fund Raising Projects Three Afternoon Teas Time-out for women still ongoing on Mondays from 1:30 – 5:00 p.m. During this “time-out” the women attending knit and forwarded seven afghans for use at Cara House. Thanks from Cara House was expressed to them for this very worthwhile project. Our ladies continue to be active in different activities for the whole church family by way of visiting, servicing and friendship. We would welcome new members to come and enjoy meeting with us. We wish to thank all those of the congregation who continue to help us so generously in all our projects. We ask for your prayers and continued participation for the year ahead. Respectfully submitted, Ida M. Winter
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. At each meeting throughout the year members share in very inspiring and thought provoking times of worship. We were very excited to warmly welcome one new member who joined our group in 2007. Some of the activities our group participated in during 2007 included: Our current elected members include We are looking forward to another year of fellowship, service and fun in 2008 and remember new members are always welcome to join us. Blessing for health and happiness, Sherry Freake
GLENWOOD – APPLETON I would like to begin 2008 by wishing all a very Happy New Year. Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to help make this past year a success. First United Glenwood/Appleton has seen some changes in 2007. I would have to acknowledge the passing of Scott Thompson. Scott served as Chairperson of our Board of Management for years and was a very active member of our congregation. We miss him. We have welcomed three new board members this past year, Jim Thompson, Lillian Paul, and Tina Timmons. Nice to add younger spirit and ideas to our board. We have had a very busy year at First United. We participated again this year with our Christian Community, hiring a student for six weeks to serve all local denominations. This worked out very well for everybody. We received a Job Creation Program to renovate our church inside and out. We are very pleased with the results. We did use some of our own money to help with the renovations. We also have to gratefully acknowledge contributions from our UCW who generously shared their hard earned fundraising monies, making this renovation a joint effort by all members of our congregation. We are very proud to have started our Sunday School this fall. We have young families, therefore young children to add life, fun, and joy to our church. We have Sunday School at 11:00 a.m. every Sunday. We look forward to getting back on track with two ministers again soon and the possibility of our every other Sunday morning service to coincide with our Sunday School, making our children and their family part of our regular services. The First United Choir and Dianne are so very much appreciated for contributing their time and talent every Sunday and for adding so much to our church. It is wonderful to see them participate in services at Fraser Road and also to have members from Fraser Road participate at our services. Thank you to everybody who has helped me this past year. It has certainly been a very rewarding and learning experience!! Maxine Barbour
FIRST UNITED CHURCH There were a total of 18 church services for the year 2007. Church is every second and fourth Sunday of the month except for the summer months when it is once a month. There are fourteen families in our congregation and of these seven made financial contributions to the Church. Others helped with the fundraising. Thanks for your support during the past year. There were a total of seven fund raisers held during the year: five spaghetti suppers at the Dominion Community Centre, our Annual Walk-a-thon and a craft and bake sale. Cash register receipts were collected from the Dominion Store. This fundraiser is ongoing and will be collected again this year. Many thanks to all of you who save these cash register tapes for me and make each of our fundraiser a success. When the repairs were done to our Church we had to get two loans. The one from the United Church of Canada will be paid in full June 1, 2008 and the one from the TD Bank will be paid in full November 1, 2008. There is an outstanding amount left owing on materials to Gedko Enterprises of $2,375.00 and hopefully we can start on this bill. Many thanks to Diane and Glenn who play the organ for us when there are church services. We really appreciate your taking the time to play your music for us. Many thanks to the Glenwood Choir who came to share their music with us. Genny Osmond
GANDER PASTORAL CHARGE Comments: 2007 was a year to be remembered in our church for many things. From the perspective of stewardship and financial support, we have much to give thanks as can be shown by examining the 2007 Actuals compared to budget. I draw your attention to the following: - Our support to the Mission and Support shows that our budget of $17,700.00 was surpassed to $18,063.20. This does not mean that we met our commitment of $21,500.00, but it is encouraging and an indication that our policy of making up the difference in actual M & S givings from general revenue should be reviewed with a challenge to our congregation to give serious consideration to supporting M&S. - Our committees are to be commended for holding the line on expenditures as can be shown by the fact that every committee operated below budget. - The outstanding loan to pay off capital expenditures has been reduced down to a little over $6,000.00 plus interest. At the present rate of payments, this debt will be eliminated in the first half of 2008. - The United Church Women’s group was budgeted for $6,000.00 in support of local church expenses and $2,000.00 for Mission and Service. This group provided $9,000.00 for local church expenses and $2,000.00 toward the Mission and Service fund. A true example for us all in stewardship! - Rentals of our Hall exceeded budget. This resulted in no small way to the efforts that our Caretaker-Manager has provided in support of scheduling our Hall to meet all of the demands of our active church family and the community at large. - It would seem that some people are looking ahead to 2008 as the year when Fraser Road will celebrate its 50th anniversary by offering $500.00 in honour of this event. We are all challenged to put forward a special effort in 2008 to give God thanks for 50 years of faithful service in our current location. Special Features of the 2008 Budget: Ministry and Personnel: You will note that this budget shows four columns. The first two show Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. It was impossible for us to budget for the Ministry and Personnel Committee because of the unknown outcome of our search for ministry personnel for 2008. - Scenario 1 supposes that we will have one ordained minister for the 2008 year. This scenario provides estimated salaries for one ordained full-time minister with some “accountable” support. - Scenario 2 supposes that we will have two ordained ministers effective July 1, 2008. - Approval of this budget means that either scenario will operate, or that a combination of both scenarios will be applied, depending on circumstances. - Our Church entered into an agreement with Human Resources Canada to hire a Caretaker/Manager in 2005. There was a trial period of 60 weeks that was paid 2/3 by Human Resources Canada. The understanding was that if this trial period proved successful, this church would hire the Caretaker/Manager full time. The trial period was indeed successful, and we hired our current manager in 2006, with a three-year salary scale as follows: $10.50 per at commencement; $11.00 the end of year one, $11.5 0 in year two and $12.00 in year three. This budget makes provisions for the Caretaker/Manager’s salary to be $11.00 per hour effective January 1, 2008, with the hope that further increases will apply yearly. - In the mid 1980’s our church entered into an agreement to supply chaplaincy services to all United Church persons who were hospitalized or are resident in long term care facilities in Gander. It was agreed that the payment for this service (supported by the M&S fund) was set at $7,500.00 per year. This represented roughly ¼ of an ordained minister’s salary at that time. No adjustments were made in this payment despite inflation and the increases in salary and benefits required to be paid to ordained ministers. We have requested $10,000.00 be paid for chaplaincy services this year, and we are very hopeful that this request will be granted. Our budget shows this amount. Property There are certain on-going projects that require patience, and our people have shown great patience over the years with the difficulties regarding inadequate parking, poor lighting in our sanctuary and uncomfortable pews. Fiftieth Anniversary This year marks fifty years since our brave pioneers founded this church building. We have certainly seen many changes over the years, but their dream of a practical and comfortable place of worship is ours to enjoy! It would be most fitting, I believe, if we could re-commit ourselves in the true spirit of these brave pioneers and offer a special gift to our church. It has been estimated that the cost of paving our parking lot would be approximately $80,000.00. Perhaps we should aim at $50,000.00 in this our anniversary year. This would represent $1,000.00 for each year; a fitting fiftieth anniversary gift to honour God’s faithfulness to us in this place! We already have $500.00 showing in this budget. Let’s make it grow! I hope that our Council will take up this challenge in stewardship. Respectfully submitted, Claude Hender,
IN MEMORIAM FRASER ROAD UNITED CHURCH
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