PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE FOR FEBRUARY
As the newly elected president of our congregation’s council, I am thankful for this opportunity to represent you in our commitment to serving God’s people and strengthening our family of faith. For 2012, we welcome new council members Leah Monger, Bette Jo Brown, and Bill Saunders. Carol Zimmerman has been elected to a second three year term. We are in the process of assigning council members to serve as liaisons to our various committees and teams and the following officers were elected at our January meeting for 2012:
President – Chris Harkness
Vice President – Position not filled at this time
Secretary – Deborah Snider
Treasurer – Joe Harkness
On a personal note, I’d like to introduce myself. My husband Joe and I joined Immanuel in September 2008. In addition to serving on council, I work on the church life committee and Joe and I are ushers and greeters. I also serve as one of our lectors. I lead the Faithfully Fit class on Wednesdays and Fridays which is one of my greatest pleasures. I enjoy this ministry as much for the exercise as the friendships I’ve formed. Although disappointed in the outcome of our season, I am an enthusiastic member of Lambeau Lutherans. I work full time as a Speech Pathologist at Spectrum Reed City. Joe and I have three adult children and although empty nesters, our two golden retrievers keep us busy.
The new Council will be installed at both services on January 29. Also on January 29, we will have a congregational conversation between services to review the accomplishments of 2011 and the opportunities for 2012. We look forward to seeing everyone at this important meeting.
Immanuel’s giving and expenses through December 2011 are as follows: our year-to-date giving to the Ministry Fund is $ 979 LESS than our expenses, and the year-to-date giving to the Building Fund is $ 15,301 LESS than our loan payments. Our year-to-date shortfall for the Ministry fund and Building Fund combined is $ 16,280. Our Ministry Fund expenses for 2011 are 21% under budget.
We welcome your input on this and any other areas of interest. Please feel free to share your comments, questions, or concerns with me or any of your council representatives. I can be reached at 823-2830 or by e-mail at cjharkness@dishmail.net. Here’s to a great year!
Chris Harkness - Council President
“Don’t waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin and inspiration will find you.”
