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A ministry from January 2008 through
December 2008: Throughout
the last year I fulfilled the pastoral duties of my contract through preaching, serving communion, performing the Rites and
Sacraments of the Metropolitan Community Church on a local level, attending and moderating all board meetings, performing
the ministry through scheduled appointments in the office, attending and working social events and benefits. This has been the most wonderful year
for me because of the long term ministry I have served with the members. Although my life has changed in many ways, I want
to honor all the people who have served God through these 20 years. Thank you to those strong spirits who have crossed over
and help us now. I so love all the new faces and the way we are forming this body of believers. I love that we are multi-congregational
with former Unity Members, Community of Christ and the Quakers. God is Good! My vision for this church in the next year is to continue to offer our
ministry to those in the State of Montana, continue to find the resources to build our Hospice room here at the church for
those who like to die here instead of the nursing home. We are still dreaming about having a lift or elevator to let people
access our third floor and the Social Hall downstairs. May the Holy Spirit lead and teach us to be a culture of generosity in all areas of
our lives. May we fulfill the work that we will be a part of this next year in good standing with all our relations? May we
honor the present moment with the uniqueness that each moment contains? God bless you all! With Honor & Respect, Rev. Gina L. Hartung  Clerk
of the Board Report, 2008 Presented at Annual congregational Meeting February 15, 2009 This last year saw me recording each Board Meeting and transcribing these into minuets of the meetings. I was able to attend all Board Meetings and several functions of this church in a capacity of Board Member. I am currently working on the Annual Report to be sent to the Fellowship by the first of next month. I enjoy serving this church in the capacity of church Clerk. Respectively submitted Dan Miehle, Clerk of the Board for MCC-Montana 2008 Treasure's Report
Thank you, for your continued support your Treasure Kathleen M Asich
MCC-Montana
2008 Annual Report Administrator Asst./Member at Large: I have fulfilled all my duties as Administrator Asst. and Member at Large. This year for me has been the best year I have spent on the board and working more closely with the Pastor doing what I really like in the office. I know I have helped her tremendously and my goal was to lighten her work load. I really enjoy all the office work and all the book work. I could of not done this without my very special crew. I now have a maintenance crew a cleaning crew, and a yard crew. I want each and everyone of you to know how very proud I am to have such a loving and passionate crew. I commend all of you for all your hard work and the many hours you all spend making our church beautiful. So I want to say THANK YOU from my heart. I am proud to be able to serve on the board of directors and do hope I can continue this position for quite a few more years if you all will have me. May God bless us all and may we continue to keep growing and keep learning to love each other. With love and respectKathryn M. Vessels (Twitch)Lay Delegate Report 2008
This year was a somewhat disappointing one as Lay Delegate. We were unable to attend the Region 1 conference in Hawaii as
there were no monies available for plane fares or room and board. The pastor and I did, however, travel to Seattle, WA for the Sub-Regional Conference
earlier in the year. This was a very informative weekend and we gathered a lot of knowledge about such things as resources
available through the Fellowship, how to make a Labyrinth, that it is possible to get a degree in Labyrinth facilitation,
and we met new people in the region also. On the home front, we have started fund-raising to gather the needed funds to
let us attend General Conference in Acapulco, Mexico in 2010. I have tried to keep this congregation aware of just how global our denomination
is. See the Web site report for more detailed information about this. My sincere hope is that as this church expands and grows, we will be able to bring
more of a global awareness to this congregation. Respectively
submitted
Lay Delegate, MCC~Montana
Worship Report
February 9, 2009 Subject: Annual Music Report This past year we collectively made a joyful noise unto the Lord. Beyond that, we received
several donations which have served to enhance the music program tremendously. We received a new JVC Surround Sound system
which has proven to give truer and more acoustically balanced sound throughout the sanctuary. We also received a donated gift
of two condenser microphones and a Peavey Sanctuary Series 14 channel sound board which has given us a professional quality
system for performances both by local members and guests and visitors. We were treated to musical guests from other states who performed during our worship services as well as local talent who offered their gifts to us and they were very gratefully welcomed. As a result of obtaining the new upgraded sound system, it has been determined that in order to maximize the use of our new equipment, every member will be required to offer at least one solo performance during the coming year. We look forward to the coming year with excited anticipation as the music program continues to grow. Respectively
JERALD J. BROWNING 1424 4TH AVENUE SOUTH GREAT FALLS, MT 59405 (406) 899-3672 Web Site Report Presented at Annual Congregational Meeting February 15, 2009 The web site for MCC Montana is reaching far beyond this church, city and state. For the year 2008 we had 4,250 visits, 11,632 pages viewed and 38,101 hits. This is quite a lot of traffic, but there is still room for expansion. Pages have been added to the site with hopes of giving some international flavor to our site. These include Region 1 Elder-Share page, MCC Impact parts I and II, MCC Reach, and World Aids Day Reflections. These pages are sent out by the Fellowship and are of a global scale in the information they provide. The daily readings and current weeks sermon pages have been updated in a timely fashion, as has the new page for the monthly meditation of Angela's. Currently stalled are the wellness pages. No updates here for quite some time. All in all, the web site is a blessing to those who take the time to look at it. We are reaching areas of the world we as individuals could never reach. A partial list of foreign countries we have had visits from include: Canada, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Philippines, Ivory Coast, India, Romania, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Nigeria, Ukraine, Cambodia, Vietnam, France, Ireland, Poland, South Africa, Latvia, and many, many more. From this list we can see we are truly ministering to people all over the world. My hope for this next year is that the site would continue to grow both physically and in the numbers of people that visit the site. The world knows we are here, now let the ministry begin! Respectively Dan Miehle, Web Servant for MCC~Montana
Annual Maintenance Report I installed Electric Panel in the Social Hall so we could use more
electrical Appliances during social events. The next project we installed a new hot water heater in the native room restrooms.
I also put power strips for monitors in the sanctuary and for the monitors in front. Rev. Gina needed my help at her house
awhile back to install receptacles and underground wiring. I also reframed the crawl space to the entrance under the building.
To make it safe I put a plywood door to keep varmints out. I also did lawn maintenance and snow shoveling. If possible,
I would like to help Kathryn by taking over this very hard job. She really is not healthy enough anymore for this big task.
Respectively yours, Tom Taylor Wellness Report 2008 During 2008, I have had to revamp the department. Essentially, the Wellness Program, due to people leaving the area and/or changes in their lives, has become operated mainly by myself the nurse. Initially, I was certain I should DO SOMETHING! At the same time my health worsened and I had less time and energy to put into the type of program I had once envisioned. I prayed and prayed about the wellness program. As I prayed, many church people called or in some way approached me with health questions and still I prayed about the program. As time went on, I counseled with many on their health needs. some I counseled with were in the hospital or needed help in the community. Toward the end of 2008, Pastor gina approached me and in essence, asked if I could possibly see that what I was doing was actually "wellness ministry". Later, upon reflecting I accepted that indeed what I was doing was "The Wellness Program," Ot wasn't what I had initially thought it would be. In closing, the Wellness Program probably will always be in change and I now believe this is as it should be. Irene M Crawford Wellness Program Director, MCC~Montana |