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ContentsCouncil Report.............................................................................................................................................2

Trustees.......................................................................................................................................................3

Tech Report.................................................................................................................................................5

Personnel Committee..................................................................................................................................5

Nominating Committee...............................................................................................................................7

Lead Pastor..................................................................................................................................................8

Lead Pastor Sabbatical Report, January-April 2020.....................................................................................9

Worship Arts..............................................................................................................................................10

Children’s Ministry....................................................................................................................................12

Cradle Roll.................................................................................................................................................13

Baby Zone..................................................................................................................................................14

Mini Kid Zone.............................................................................................................................................14

Zone One2Four..........................................................................................................................................15

Zone 56......................................................................................................................................................16

Girls’ Club..................................................................................................................................................17

Music Committee......................................................................................................................................19

Caregivers..................................................................................................................................................19

Host Ministry.............................................................................................................................................21

Funeral Committee....................................................................................................................................23

Venture Next Door....................................................................................................................................23

English Conversation Class........................................................................................................................25

Library Committee.....................................................................................................................................26

Men’s Night...............................................................................................................................................26

Kitchen/ Social Committee........................................................................................................................27

Women’s Ministry.....................................................................................................................................27

Seniors’ Ministry........................................................................................................................................28

Adult Sunday School..................................................................................................................................29

Golden Door Ministry................................................................................................................................30

Donwood Manor.......................................................................................................................................31

Mennonite Disaster Service.......................................................................................................................33

Square One World Media..........................................................................................................................34

Simonhouse Bible Camp............................................................................................................................35

FGMB Church - Financial Update – April 30, 2020.....................................................................................36

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Council Report It has been a busy, productive, and unusual year for Council. The year began with an emphasis on planning and implementing changes resulting from the Direction-Setting efforts last year. In the Fall, three ‘action teams’ were formed with council, staff, and congregational members to concentrate on each of the three focus areas identified: Teaching & Spiritual Formation, Connection & Belonging, and Our Mission. We began to see new activities as early as February with the Missions Saturday event as part of the Missions weekend, with broad age-group participation. Then, in March, we began a month-long Lent series that completely re-imagined our Sunday mornings, allowing for flexibility to participate in a range of options during 35-minute timeslots throughout the church. Unfortunately, only two of the planned 5-Sunday series were carried out, as our church gatherings were shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Starting mid-March, staff (with the support of council) began to re-invent our experience of church to adapt to this new reality. Services were recorded and presented online, Zoom became part of our shared vocabulary as we started using that online platform for committee meetings, Life Group meetings, Kids and Youth gatherings, and as part of a Sunday morning virtual gathering. During this time, the theme of caring took centre stage as the normal modes of connecting with those in need of care were no longer available. I am very thankful for a dedicated and engaged staff team who, together with Caregivers and others, were able to transform our ministries, worship, and caring efforts in such a short period of time and so effectively.

Looking ahead, challenges remain. As the COVID-10 restrictions are eased, we will again have to tackle the challenge of transforming our collective experience of church at FG. Some modes, like recorded or livestreaming of services, may remain, while a slow movement towards physical gathering for worship and other ministries will have to be planned with extreme care and with flexibility as government direction changes.

Through it all, God is present, active, and sovereign. In our Direction Setting process we acknowledged that even though we need to respond to a world continuing to change - something that is no more true than in the last few months - the foundations of Scripture and our identity in Christ remain steadfast and sure. As we continue to navigate through uncharted waters these foundations will continue to guide us personally, and collectively through His church at Ft. Garry.

- Dave Sawatsky, Moderator

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TrusteesGreetings on behalf of the Trustees for FGMB. We hope everyone reading this is doing well on all fronts during this time and we are pleased to be able to update you on what has been happening at your church during the last few months.While this current season has been different and trying in many aspects of the facility and financial management, there have been many things which have been positive and uplifting about what is happening in the church and the people involved. God is at work all the time.

Financial update Dave Loewen will provide the financial report on behalf of the Treasurers and Trustees. Dave has once again been getting involved in the financial components of the church, as we look to address COVID-19 impacts and opportunities and consider our financial health before summer. Dave will also be taking over as Treasurer at the end of June. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Cindy Driedger for all of her time and effort as Lead Treasurer over the past term. Over these last two years there has been a great need for her expertise and input as we worked through a number of situations including staffing changes, policy reviews and regulation requirements. Thank-you, Cindy for your hard work on behalf of the church.

Facility Improvements for 2020At the February congregation meeting, the following improvements were approved for the budget:

- Ceiling Removal - $2,000o This is scheduled to begin shortly.

- West Foyer refresh and Parking Lot (potholes, lighting) items - $14,000o Some of these items have been completed, like the West Foyer window

unit replacement. Others are in the works, and still some others will be addressed during the summer during more favourable weather. The parking lot requires some filling, levelling and drainage work.

- Repair/replacement of the front stairs were identified as a project that should be looked at. A committee has been formed and are reviewing the repair or replacement with consideration of the overall look and function of the front of the church. Recommendations on options and expenditures will be brought to the congregation.

Rentals

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Rentals have ceased since the pandemic period in accordance with regulations and are anticipated to stay low during the summer period. This is a source of income for us, however less rentals mean lower operating costs, and the income is offset by the decrease in program spending due to COVID-19. 

Sanctuary RenovationThe Sanctuary Renovation Committee will provide an update to the work that has been done. During this time that we have been unable to gather, the sanctuary has been vacant allowing for the approved audio and video upgrades work to occur and be ready for us when we return to worship.

Other Updates

Rapid Transit/Hydro Update- The Bus Rapid Transit project is complete, per previous report, however we

are coordinating with the contractor for better drainage in the south-west corner of the parking lot to alleviate the issue of ponding and soft surface.

Update on status property next door- We continue to keep in touch and inquire with the property manager on this,

as well as the future plans for the carwash building and surrounding lot. The restaurant that was opened in building next door to the north has meant that we will likely not be able to park there Sunday mornings.

Technical Support Committee- The Technical Support Committee continues to coordinate the varying

aspects of IT into the building, ministries and future projects such as the Sanctuary renovation, computer hardware and software and other technology related items as they arise.

West Wing Leak- We have been in continual communication with Crane Construction regarding

some minor leaking in a couple of ceiling/wall areas within the west foyer. A condition inspection was recently performed with them to ensure that there were no apparent issues with trapped moisture or mold. Some roof repairs and preventative maintenance items were also performed recently in the link area.

Darryl

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- Darryl has used this time of a near-empty facility to work on a number of items including deep cleaning, re-organizing and a lot of painting. There has also been work toward updating and documenting operations and maintenance procedures.

Thank-you to the congregation for your continuous spiritual and financial support for this committee. I would also like to thank the Trustees group for their effort, input and desire to keep this facility running for the programs of FGMB in further God’s Kingdom.

- Submitted by Leighton Klassen, Chair, on behalf of the Trustees

Tech ReportSanctuary Overhaul - The A/V work with Golden West has taken up the bulk of our attention in recent months. The equipment has all been installed and tested and we’re into the final tweaking phase. Our install window was timely, though the circumstances were unfortunate; COVID-19 threw quite a wrench into the normal workflow but has allowed the installation to proceed in a way that lets us pay a lot more attention to detail as we go. We also have many more options available for distributing the service around the building with the new equipment in place, which will allow us to be very flexible as the situation evolves. We’re very excited to get working with the setup.

Equipment - Most equipment changes this year have been related to either supporting the new A/V system in some way, or increasing our recording capabilities. Much of this has been network-related, since we’ve greatly expanded in this area and this has significantly increased the load that the existing network has had to bear. We’re currently exploring options for increasing the wireless network capacity, both for general usage and to support the requirements of the new system. We’re also in the process of obtaining a high quality portable camera to work in conjunction with the installed camera for remote services moving forward.

Personnel - Not much has changed since last year in this regard. Our 7 current sound operators other than myself are Jodi Craigen, Eric Klassen, Nathan Driedger, Cailey Wieler, Wayne Wieler, Jordan Wieler, and Andrew Giesbrecht. Switching over to remote video services has meant incorporating several new roles into the workflow, and both Kevin Dyck and Al Kehler have been instrumental in getting this side of things up and running so quickly.

Moving Forward - The role of combined audio/video recording operator is one that most of us are unfamiliar with, so this will take some adjustment time as the team settles into new responsibilities. The new in-ear monitor systems will also take some getting used to, both on our end and by the musicians using them. Other projects

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we still hope to tackle this year are the foyer audio system expansion (carried over from last year) and an expanded sanctuary booth to comfortably accommodate the new equipment.

- Chris Craigen

Personnel Committee Personnel Committee focused on several key areas this past year.

One-On-One Meetings with Staff.  We believed it is important to establish regular communication channels with each of the staff to ensure they are supported by the Personnel Committee.  By the end of the church year we will have met with each staff individually at least twice.

Some significant items from this last year include:   Brooklyn completed her first full year as Office Administrator on February

26.   She has been a great additional to our staff team.

Pastor Carl's Sabbatical.  Carl requested and planned a 3-month sabbatical which was supported by Personnel Committee and approved by Council.  Carl was granted an additional three weeks to allow more time for renewal.    This was valuable time for Carl and we trust, despite the circumstances, he was refreshed and renewed.  Good to have you back, Carl!  

Youth Ministry Strategy.  Janessa returned from parental leave in October to resume leading the youth and C&C ministries while also adjusting to the role of working mom.  She had been developing a youth ministry strategy with a small team, however, this effort was put on hold when social distancing measures were implemented.  

Worship Arts Pastor.  Kristin is still not well enough to return to work.  She is currently on Long Term Disability and a return to work date is unknown. 

Worship Arts Coordinator.  Kevin Dyck has been filling in as 0.4 FTE Worship Arts Coordinator while Kristen is away.  He had to learn the role quickly and then also took on a 0.6 FTE Pastoral Assistant role while Carl was on Sabbatical.  Most recently Kevin has taken on leading the digital production of our Sunday Morning experience (both the worship service and the Zoom meetings).  Kevin's giftedness and adaptability has been a huge blessing to FGMB during these last few months. 

Staffing Strategy.  Personnel Committee developed a FGMB Staffing Strategy.  We engaged the staff to provide their perspective on the current roles, current congregation needs and future ministry opportunities.  The strategy contains several recommendations and was delivered to Council Exec just prior to COVID.  At the appropriate time, this work can be picked up and carried forward.  

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COVID and FGMB StaffThe Personnel Committee has continued to work with the staff to ensure their safety and well-being during this time.   Some physical changes, especially around the office where Brooklyn works, have been made.

Carl, Ruth, and Kevin have been working in the office most days while Brooklyn and Janessa have been working from home.  Now that Manitoba is beginning to open some non-essential business, we are also looking at a transition plan to bring all staff back to the office.  The church has remained locked to others for the time being.

We are still monitoring staff workloads and together with Council Exec and FGMB Treasurer assessing our financial situation as it pertains to staffing.  We have worked with the FGMB Treasurer in determining our eligibility for government assistance. 

Although this has been trying for all our staff, they have been willing to take on responsibilities outside of their normal roles and adapt their ministries to comply with government social distancing requirements.

Looking Ahead It is difficult to make firm plans at this point without knowing when the restrictions will lift and what the new normal will be.  However, here are some things to consider: 

1. Possible changes and additions to the pastoral and staff roles that will come out of the Direction setting effort and the FGMB Staffing Strategy.  

2. Need for additional staff resources to assist with Pastoral Care.  This is a growing area of concern for the congregation specifically with the Seniors.  In the last number of years we have seen the size of this group at FGMB increase; we even see many new attenders and members in the Senior population.  This is a ‘new’ issue for FGMB and should be addressed by Council with Carl. 

3. Staff reviews and sabbaticals.  Janessa and Ruth are scheduled for performance reviews and are eligible for sabbaticals in the next year.  Personnel will need to work with Janessa and Ruth to determine how to approach these events.

It has been a delight to work with our staff for the past two years as Personnel Chair. Each of them is insightful, humble, and passionate about Christ.  We are blessed.

Respectfully,

Personnel Committee:Myron Koop (Chair)Wayne Wieler

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Alicia Penner

Nominating Committee It has been a great year of learning about people and processes, and I’m so thankful that Ian Mann was never too far away to lend a hand or give some advice. Two new members on the committee together with my being new to the chair role, meant that we did lose valuable experience and understanding. It also means that we can challenge paradigms, and aren’t bound by historical decision making.

Results from our efforts show that there were roles that people stepped up and volunteered for; roles that were very challenging to fill; and a small number of roles that we worked at all year to fill, and just weren’t able to. I’m so thankful for those individuals who have carried on serving in order to ensure effective programming and/or transition.

From September 2019 through February 2020, vacant spots were filled at a steady pace. Then came Covid and the recruitment campaign for 2020. Communication challenges became more of an issue as we waited for responses, and perhaps an attitude where individuals are not as ready to commit to volunteerism. The result is that there are a good number of open positions, or service opportunities that will need to be matched to people between now and fall. If you have a desire to serve, we’d love to talk to you about matching those abilities with a role that fits. By example, Caregivers Committee is need of people who have a strong sense of care for others, and Pastor Ruth needs people who share her vision and concern for Children’s ministry.

Back to Covid, the fact that we don’t meet together physically on Sunday mornings has impacted, but it is not deemed to be a barrier that cannot be overcome. We need to determine how we best communicate with the audience we are looking to connect with. The Nominating Committee meets by Zoom monthly and so Covid hasn’t hindered our ability to plan, review, and discuss. Over the longer term it may mean that we don’t meet face to face as often as we did previously. The importance of our work will remain, and we will need to be observant and sensitive as we look to support the needs of the church and programs as they shift and evolve due to the pandemic.

I’ve become so aware that our ability to serve God and the needs of FGMB, depends on our ability to work in concert with council, staff, and committee chairs. So many roles are filled with the help of someone outside of our committee and I’m so thankful for that. I’ve also grown to appreciate the many talents and willingness of our Nominating Committee members to serve. Thank you!

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Report by Committee chair: Keith Wiebe Committee members: Andrew Giesbrecht, Dion Wieler, Sarah Janzen, Brady Friesen (Council), Jon Wagner (Caregivers), Keith Wiebe 

Lead Pastor 2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.   2 Peter 1:2-3 (NLT)

This past ministry year at FGMB is one that has been filled with continual change and adjustments.  The most dramatic of these changes has been the impact of the pandemic on our worship and ministry gatherings in the past couple of months.  As we reflect on all that has taken place since fall of 2019 it is clear that God’s provident grace has been at work among us as we serve one another and the wider community in the name of Jesus Christ.

Staff and Pastoral Team:This has been a year of many transitions on our staff team at FGMB.  Over the summer months and into the fall, we invited Kevin Dyck to join our ministry team as Interim Worship Coordinator while Pastor Kristen is on medical leave.  In October we saw Tyson Gross complete his interim role with our Youth and Young Adults as we welcomed Pastor Janessa back following a one year maternity leave.  In November, Bruce Charney joined our team to cover a 6 week leave for Darryl Wylie.  In the New Year, Kevin extended his ministry role to include some administration responsibilities while I was away on a sabbatical leave.  During my sabbatical, Pastor Ruth and Pastor Janessa also took on some increased responsibilities related to Pastoral care and leadership.  With my return to the Lead Pastor role at the end of April, Kevin has returned to his primary role in worship coordination while also taking the lead on helping us shift to a video/online based worship gathering.  Throughout all of these changes and transitions, the ministries of the church have carried on well!   We are so thankful for all of the ministry and leadership gifts that the staff, leadership, and ministry volunteers have shared so faithfully during this past year.

Direction Setting and Ministry changes:A central focus in our leadership and pastoral conversations this past year has been on the continued work of ministry renewal through the Direction Setting process.  In our discernment process through 2019 and into the new year much effort was put

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into finding creative and effective responses to the ministry needs of the congregation and community.  The current pandemic restrictions have slowed these renewal efforts somewhat while also highlighting the need to reimagine some ministry approaches.  Our hope is that the three teams focused on implementing changes prompted by the Direction Setting process will be able to resume their efforts as we move into the coming fall ministry season.  

Ministry Focus:In the fall of 2019, our worship and teaching series was focused on a study of Genesis and how it is a formational text that shapes our worldview and understanding as a people of God. In November welcomed several new members through baptism and transfers.  We also offered a Mentorship seminar to encourage and equip people to enter into intentional discipleship conversations.  In late November, a number of our pastors and leaders attended the CCMBC EQUIP conference in Waterloo focused on how we read and understand scripture together and we hope to incorporate some of those practices into our ongoing ministry planning.  During my sabbatical leave there was a focus on our missional calling as we heard from a variety of ministry agencies and Conference leaders.

Pandemic Response and Ministry Changes:As highlighted in many of the annual ministry reports, the pandemic response has created a lot of uncertainty and change to our existing ministry plans and programs.  This uncertainty will likely continue well into the coming year.  It is my hope and prayer that these circumstances will serve only to strengthen our faith and resolve to be fully invested in kingdom living as the congregation of FGMB.  We know that God has blessed us richly with every gift that we need to accomplish our calling as His witnesses in our community, our city, and our world.  In these times of challenge it is more important than ever that we serve with our whole hearts offering our time, gifts, and devotion to the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And let us continue to be fervent in our prayers!

Lead Pastor Sabbatical Report, January-April 2020I am very thankful for this opportunity to have been granted this sabbatical leave in order to rest and be renewed both personally and spiritually as well as spend time in some professional development and study.  While I was able to fully accomplish some of these plans, there are others that were modified or just didn’t happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic changes which came about.

Professional Development: Audited two online courses through ACTS/MBBS at Trinity Western University

Theology of Power, Change and Conflict – Dr. Randy Wolff Theology II (Nature of God, Christology) – Dr. Brian Cooper

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HR Management Seminar – Leadership and Workplace Culture Achieve Centre for Leadership and Workplace Performance

Ministry Engagement: Led two days of Multiply TREK debriefing sessions (January 29-30) Volunteering with One88 Church drop in – Dave Ens (cancelled due to COVID-

19)

Rest and Personal Renewal: Met several times with another experienced pastor for mentoring and

personal support Had planned to do a prayer retreat with several other men (cancelled due to

COVID-19) Participated in worship at a number of local churches with different ministry

styles Worked on reading through my pile of books!

Personal Notes:January was quite busy as I worked on the professional development studies. Through February as I began to rest and let go of ministry concerns, I began to realize just how tired I was mentally and physically and how low my energy reserves had become.  At the beginning of March as I met with my pastoring mentor, it became very clear that I would need to ask for an extension of the sabbatical leave so that I would be able to return to ministry more adequately rested.  

At that same time, with the changes from the pandemic, my children and wife were also now all beginning to work and do their schooling at home – hardly a restful situation!  I had to adjust my expectations and plans just like most other people and adapt to the new reality.  It does mean that a few of the goals I had set for the sabbatical have not been met (prayer retreat and ministry volunteering) but on the whole I am doing well.  I hope to find ways over the coming months to be able to still go on a prayer retreat with a number of other men.  I am glad to be back at work and am looking forward to discerning how we will move forward as a congregation, staff, and leadership team into the new ministry season and context.

- Carl Heppner, Lead Pastor

Worship ArtsThe 2019-2020 worship ministry at FGMB has been interesting, diverse, and rich.  I began as the Interim Worship Coordinator in August, agreeing to help coordinate and plan worship in a temporary role until Kristen returned to health.  Almost one year later, still in the role, I find myself reflecting on how good God has been in

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leading us as a church for Worship.  I am thankful for over 100 volunteers that help to facilitate worship through music, word, tech, and visual arts in meaningful and significant ways week to week. And I am humbled in the ways that FGMB has been gracious to allow me to develop my leadership gifts in the area of worship. 

Our worship year began in the fall with a Genesis series planned by Pastor Carl.  Our Visual Arts Team created large, painted canvases for the front of the sanctuary that developed and changed week to week. We incorporated congregant participation to add artistic elements to the canvases throughout the series.  We even had a Sunday with Heidi Werner painting live on stage! For advent, I created a new festive stage vignette incorporating lit wooden Christmas trees and “stained glass” banners, using rented lighting to augment the effect.  It all came together with help from Bob Friesen and the members from the Visual Arts Committee to create a dynamic environment for worship over the Christmas season.  Over the weeks of advent we looked at the Christmas story “through the eyes” of several different biblical characters.  And on Christmas Eve, John Janzen conducted a 30 voice choir in an evening of song and biblical storytelling to share the story of Jesus’ birth. 

January saw Pastor Carl leave for his 4 month sabbatical.  We developed a guest speaker series focused on “sending” in which several guest speakers from our MB community spoke and ministered to us. In March I developed a sermon series for Lent titled, Messy People, Merciful God.  Members of our congregation spoke to us about the way God’s mercy is demonstrated through the messy lives of people he has called to do His work. Also during Lent, our FGMB direction setting process led to the modification to what our Sunday morning looked like across all ministries.  I worked closely with the Connection and Belonging team to re-imagine the worship format allowing for people to spend more time fellowshipping and connecting with one another each Sunday.  The feedback about the new format was overwhelmingly positive over the first 3 weeks of Lent but, unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited us from gathering for worship together in person after March 15th.

After March 15th, due to COVID-1 restrictions on group gathering, we moved to an online delivery format for worship. This entailed recording and editing videos and then uploading them to YouTube.  This was challenging due to the fact that we had never used video as a means of ministry at FGMB.  We did not have the technology, the systems or the expertise to do ministry digitally.  Through the help of volunteers, like Al Kehler and Chris Craigen, and through the adaptability of our Fort Garry staff, our production value has improved weekly and I have heard from many congregants that they find the videos meaningful and significant. 

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At the time of this writing, it appears that the video format will be a key aspect for the Worship Ministry for the foreseeable future until it is deemed safe by health officials to gather in person in significant numbers again. I am developing a video team that will bring volunteers from FG together to develop new ways and involve more people to help with the ways that we share the gospel message to the people of the church and beyond.  Our sanctuary renovation will be completed by the end of May and it is exciting to think about the new ways that technology will contribute to our worship experience going forward.  And there will need to be creative worship planning to come up with ways we can worship as announcements are made by Mb Health to allow the gradual increases to numbers of people that are permitted to gather.  It will be interesting to develop ways to worship at FG when 50, 100, 200 can be together indoors.   

I acknowledge that there will be challenges to planning for the Worship Ministry going forward due to COVID-19.  But I know that we have incredibly gifted people who contribute and volunteer to make the worship rich and impactful at FGMB.  I am thankful for the many people who spend time preparing and sharing their time and their talents and I am hopeful for the new ways that God will lead us to worship in the coming months.   I am confident that despite the changes that will need to be made in the ways that we worship, God will still be present;  working and leading us into incredible experiences of His glory and majesty.

- Kevin Dyck, Interim Worship Coordinator

Children’s Ministry Our overall vision of children’s ministry is that Children would become fully devoted followers of Christ and those that are far from him would turn towards him.Our ministry to children in this place happens Sunday mornings, Tuesday evenings, family events, intergenerational worship, and in the home of each child. We believe the parent is the first teacher of their children and they are the ones responsible to pass along faith to them. We the church are here to walk alongside families in this important role, supporting them, loving them and being Jesus to them.We believe in providing a ministry to children where they can engage with the Bible in interesting ways, where they interact with leaders and peers in fun activities, where they are discovering that God’s story is their story and to help make their faith their own and to follow Jesus every day. The hope we have is that our children will have faith because of the efforts of the church community, their families and the relationships that are formed. I am so thankful for the 62 people who served in Children’s ministry weekly to occasionally. All have a part to play in leading children to Jesus and helping them

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become fully devoted followers of Christ. That’s what it means to be the church; walking alongside each other in the journey of faith. It's difficult to not finish the ministry year as we wanted with proper send offs and time together. Please read the ministry reports from the many areas of ministry and the coordinators that lead them.

Sunday Morning Kid Zone forming children of faith (Sept-May) Baby Zone: Sarah Klassen  Mini Kid Zone: Joy Perrott Zone one2four:   Zone 56: Dillon Poetker, Emily Unruh, Jason and Lacey Friesen

Tuesday Evening Kids Club where every child is known (Sept-April)  Girls Club: Chloe Thiessen and Tia Friesen Boys Club: Kris Driedger and Chris Thiessen.

Outside of our regular Sunday morning and Tuesday evening ministries there were:   Family events at Advent. These are times where parents and children come

together on a Sunday morning to take part in activities that relate to the season. We normally would have had a few weeks of activities around Easter too. 

Kids Christmas program on an Advent Sunday morning. The children did so well in serving us that morning.

VBS at the end of August. A new format focused on the children in our church community and those in our neighbourhood.  

Summer Kids Church for ages 2-grade 1.

It’s been difficult to be away from everyone. These past few months I have been sending emails to families each week with resources so parents can lead their family. There are lessons plus a video for preschoolers where I tell the Bible story and Sydney Gerbrandt sings a couple of songs. Thanks to Jordan Sawatsky for filming and producing those videos. I am thankful too for Twila Driedger for putting together Bible story videos each week. They are so well done, and kids look forward to them each week. 

In the first weeks of us stopping our in-person ministry I asked small group leaders to write notes to the kids in their small groups. All these notes went out by mail just before Easter. 

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When this big change happened, it felt like we all started new jobs and a completely new way of doing church. There was a lot to adjust to. We are still adjusting and changing regularly how we do things. I’m sure in the next few weeks things will look different again. In all these things though we are confident that God is still Lord and he knows the plans he has for us. We walk in confidence knowing that God walks with us and ahead of us. 

- Ruth Schellenberg, Children & Family Pastor

Cradle Roll In the past year, Fort Garry has been pleased to welcome: 

Remington Winston James, son of Samara and Stefan Fields, born June 7 Braeden David, son of Jackie and David Kukkonen, born June 29 Elena Holly, daughter of Antoinette and Eugene Rurangirua, born November

14  Having had the privilege of heading up this committee since 2009 (how time has flown!), I have decided to submit my resignation, effective immediately. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the team and making contact with the younger generation of Fort Garry.I have appreciated working with Anne Friesen and Elfrieda Peters this past year. Both have elected not to continue for another term and to pursue other interests. I encourage other church members to volunteer to be on this team.  I promise you it truly is a pleasant and rewarding job and requires little of your time.When a new committee is selected, I will be pleased to share my resources and answer any questions.

- Joyce Goerz

Baby ZoneThis past year was another busy year for Baby Zone with some new additions and a number of children continuing to grow into toddlerhood! We had a number of new youth who decided to volunteer this year as well as many returning volunteers, all of whom were very much appreciated. Our wonderful volunteers are Kathleen Penner, Anne Friesen, Candace and Anna Wylie, Rachel Kroeker, Amanda Klassen, Mattea Thiessen, and Dasha Reimer. On a typical Sunday there were as many as 5-8 little ones in the nursery and 2 - 3 volunteers. This year we started implementing

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the electronic sign-in system and are continuing to develop ways to help streamline the process. 

Covid-19 unfortunately ended our Baby Zone year a bit prematurely, as moving the church services into our homes has eliminated the possibility of providing childcare during the service. In the future when church services and Baby Zone resumes, we will be working on some changes to make the nursery area as safe as possible for our little ones. This will include things like temporarily removing toys that are not easily washable, washing toys after each Sunday morning, limiting the number of toys that are out on any given Sunday, as well as other measures reduce the chance of disease transmission.

- Sarah Klassen, Baby Zone Coordinator

Mini Kid ZoneWe changed our 3 rooms up a bit this year. We had a 2yr old room, (5 children) a 3-4 year old room, (8 children) and our 5 year old room (12 children). The change was due to a large number of 4-5 year olds, which would have made it very challenging to accommodate all in one group. These numbers tended to fluctuate significantly throughout the fall and winter. Due to changes in worship this year as well, we experimented with some different timing, and with the online check-in process. Both were quite successful. Children began the service with their families in the sanctuary, and then came and got checked in by an adult for a brief playtime/gathering. Then the large group occurred, where some singing, scripture, prayer and bible story were shared together, for the 3-5’s (2’s sometimes joined for singing and scripture, and sometimes stayed in their own room, as they have a different curriculum.) Then small groups reconvened for some activities to reinforce the story, and a prayer time. Large group was led by Ang or Joy, who were also available to support children or leaders during the small group time if necessary. Storytellers often came down to tell the story, and then small group leaders and helpers led the activities and small group prayer time. 

Our curriculum has a monthly theme, scripture memory verse and a “bottom line” or key thing to remember. They also provide parent resources to allow parents to help solidify what they learned through the week. 

During Lent this year, as the church tried out the block service model, we shifted to have a block where we would still gather. It was shortened, but continued to include the story - told in our small groups, and then our small group time. This seemed to be working, however we noticed a decline in numbers of children in attendance. Interestingly, we were also not able to see this model through, due to COVID-19 and the restrictions put on being able to gather together. That meant a shift to where

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Pastor Ruth provided resources that parents could continue with their children from home. Our leaders reached out to the children in their groups with a little note part what through that season. We would continue in this way, until we are all back together, and then would adjust to either of the models used earlier in the year, depending on what the church decides to do. 

Thank you so much to all those who served faithfully this past year: 

- Kindergarten (Kittens): Melissa Hamm, Amber Chalanchuk Heidi Andres, Sam Perrott - 3-4year olds (Bunnies): Kasia Peters, Adrienne Andres, Reuben Perrott, Emma ? - 2 year olds (Ducklings): Emilee Thiessen, Chloe Kornelsen, Kate Penner - Our Storytellers were: Candice Wylie, Sydney Gerbrandt, Kathy Heppner, Ruth Schellenberg - Our large group was led by Angela Klassen and Joy Perrott 

Thank you! - Submitted by Emilee Thiessen and Joy Perrot, Mini Kids Zone Co-Coordinators

Zone One2Four This year we didn’t have anyone as coordinator until beginning of February when we hired Bruce Charney for a term position to be on hand Sunday mornings and work a few hours during the week. His role of course ended after we cancelled our in-person services. But while he was with us it was a wonderful addition to our team. Our grade 1-4 ministry was blessed to have many fantastic people serving: Henry Neufeld served at our Welcome desk.Twila Driedger and Heidi Werner were our large group leaders.Amanda Foord and Kalie Peters served as small group leaders to the grades 1&2.Hilda Wiebe and Heidi Werner served as small group leaders to the grades 3&4.

Zone 56The Zone 56 Sunday school class has been meeting weekly, averaging about 10-12 kids each week. This year classes were taught by Emily Unrau and Dillon Poetker as well as Jason and Lacey Friesen. The class was often inquisitive and enthusiastic to learn about Paul's missionary journey through skits and discussion. Zone 56 also helped tell the Bible story to the younger kids on several occasions. COVID-19 seriously altered the ministry and we were forced to take a bit of a hiatus from meeting. Upon seeing that many of the kids were missing Sunday school, we have started meeting again via Zoom calls on a biweekly basis. Zone 56 has been looking

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forward in anticipation to a post-COVID reality and the things that will make this ministry remain successful and viable. A hand sanitizer station would likely be a good thing to have in the room, though we have a sink as well. A favourite part for the kids is acting out the Bible story which may perhaps become an issue if distancing remains a concern. Otherwise we will likely still have the ability to sit around tables, as we have done, and participate in discussions. Perhaps we may require kids to bring their own Bibles, as opposed to providing for them. Depending on physical distancing requirements, we may need to consider splitting the group up as it would be quite difficult to fit 2m between each student in the classroom when everyone is present. Whatever measures that are necessary in the post-COVID reality will be embraced, as we feel it is meaningful to connect in person with our many youth and miss seeing them weekly.

- Submitted by Dillon Poetker, Emily Unrau, and Jason and Lacey Friesen

Youth Sunday SchoolYouth Sunday School was divided into Senior and Junior. Many thanks to Emma Janzen, Sarah Janzen, Elisa Suderman, and Jonathan Wagner, for their commitment, planning, and enthusiasm in sharing their gift of teaching. This year, Sr. High embarked on a homemade discussion series based on videos from The Bible Project.  The videos followed along with the themes of the Confession of Faith which was the general theme at Youth this year. The Bible Project is a nonprofit animation studio that produces short-form, fully animated Bible videos.  They believe that  page one to the final word, the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. This diverse collection of ancient books overflows with wisdom for our modern world. As we let the biblical story speak for itself, they believe the message of Jesus will transform individuals and entire communities.The Jr. High class followed a middle school specific curriculum from Explore the Bible (Life Way)  Lifeway is a team of pastors, small group leaders, church volunteers, and creatives—who also happen to be scholars, editors, writers, and designers. Their purpose is simple: to design resources that consistently guide people of all ages through God's Word in a manner that is: Practical enough for daily application, Sustainable in individual and group settings, and Age-appropriate. In the Fall the Junior Youth studied Ephesians and in the Winter they studied Numbers and Deuteronomy. Both groups were put on pause for the Lenten Messy People study and have yet to resume.- Submitted by Jeremy Perrott, coordinator

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Girls’ ClubThis year we had around 25 to 30 girls each week for Girls Club. We had 5 small groups divided by grade; the grade 3’s and 4’s were combined. We were very fortunate to have 5 committed leaders that were able to attend each week. The smaller groups give each child more of a chance to communicate with us on a one-to-one basis and grow in relationship that way. We would typically gather as a large group to start the evening, sing some songs, have a teaching time, break into small groups, and then come back together for an activity. We tried to surround our teachings around women in the Bible and their various roles.Some of the activities that the kids took part in included gym games, Wildlife Habitat, bowling, baking, crafting with Sarah Janzen, singing at Riverwood Square, tobogganing with Boys Club, science experiments with Heidi Werner, and, of course, the Late Night Party. The Party took place on a Friday in March and was a hit! We made bags out of t-shirts, played games, watched a movie (Wonder Park), and had some delicious snacks! Throughout the year we had parents bring snack and volunteer for various events, which was so appreciated. One of our goals through clubs is to engage the parents who we also see each week. It is always special when they stay and help out. The girls also love to have moms around! The end of this year has been a little anti-climactic…! We were unable to give the grade 6’s the farewell we would have liked. Normally we would have taken them to Starbucks and had a farewell dinner and games night. We have had a couple Zoom meetings as a large group, and Meagan Klassen (the grade 6 small group leader) brought our grade 6’s special care packages as an alternative ‘goodbye’. The Zoom gatherings have been quite fun! The chaos reigns, but it is quite clear how excited the girls are to see each other in this way, and to communicate in small groups together. We have shared tales of quarantine and this crazy and weird time, how school looks for them now, and played games! Meeting electronically has been working quite well for our group, especially because of the way we can do breakout groups. We will be continuing to meet monthly throughout the summer on Tuesday evenings. When we can gather again at the church in person, we shall be more vigilant about hand washing and snack, in particular. Those are situations in which we can limit germ transfer and within reason. It will be interesting to see how many girls join us again, whenever that is. We hope they all feel comfortable and safe to do so, as we keep clear communication about how FGMB is also dealing with the virus and its aftermath.Thank you to everyone who was involved in Clubs this year. It was a time of fun and learning and exploration and growth. Tuesday nights are a highlight of my week, especially spending time in small group. Thank you to Pastor Ruth who is always a good resource of information and support and encouragement. It has been a good year, despite how our regular year ‘ended’!

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Leaders: Meagan Klassen, Emily Hamm, Shannon Mansfield-Submitted by Tia Friesen and Chloe Thiessen, Girls Club coordinators

Boys’ ClubFor the 2019-2020 season we had approximately 22 boys registered in Boys Club, averaging 16 boys each night.  Our typical night began with small group time. We had three small groups; two groups with boys from Grades 1-4 and one group for the Grade 5 and 6 (aka Club 56). In our small groups we continued to use material that gave us insight into who God is (our loving God, our good God, our unchanging God). The material gave us time to ask questions and play games that illustrated the message.

After small group time, we gathered in the gym for various games (floor hockey, dodge ball, prisoner's base, wall-to-wall, etc.). The night finished up with snack time.

This year we participated in several joint events with Girls Club. Our kickoff event, games and a BBQ, was held at the church for greater accessibility for newcomers. Other joint events included bowling at Alpine Bowling Lanes and tobogganing at St. Vital Park.  This year we had Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre come in for an educational presentation of the work that they do to rehabilitate wild animals so they can return to nature. The kids enjoyed seeing an owl and a hawk up close.

Our year also included making personal pizzas with Joyce Poetker, Helmut Schuster leading the boys in assembling a tool box and the ever popular “Mission Impossible” in the church. We continued with the Friday night pizza party. The night was filled with games in the gym, video games, movies, and plenty of snacks.

Our year was abruptly cut short in March due to COVID-19, with our last gathering held on March 10. Our ministry simply could not continue with the restrictions in place and out of concern for everyone’s wellbeing. This meant that we could not finish our year with our Cub Car race. We are working to return the cars to the each boy so they can complete the car at home. We are also planning to gather in LaBarriere park to launch the rockets that the Club 56 boys made.

It is hard to predict where we will be at in Fall in terms of restrictions in gathering and if Boys Club can continue. Clear guidelines and direction will need to be in place.

Thank you to the parents for their encouraging words and for those that told us how much their son enjoys Boys Club (their son’s highlight of the week). Special thanks

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to the leaders for their energy, time and commitment to the program. Thanks as well to Pastor Ruth for her continued support and encouragement.

We pray that the boys who attended felt known and loved while attending Boys Club and that we can find a way to continue to minister to the boys of our church and in the community around us.

Leaders: Helmut Schuster, Dillon Poetker, Izzy Poetker, Adam Wieler, Mark Wieler, Tyler Klassen, Ryan Mack, Evan Mack, Jason Friesen, Declan Schuster

- Submitted by Coordinators: Chris Thiessen and Kris Driedger

Music CommitteeThe music committee’s main responsibility is to provide music for communion services, to arrange for any special music, and to plan, along with the worship pastor, the Christmas Eve service and the Good Friday service. We have been blessed this year with many musicians contributing to our worship services, including family instrumental groups, a flute trio, violin and piano, violin trio, solo piano and vocalists. John Janzen conducted a choir on Christmas Eve, with over 30 singers representing many generations. Jodi Craigen also conducted a choir with more contemporary gospel music drawing in younger singers. And Cynthia Buhler continues to serve with her double trio of young singers paired with more experienced ones and with her children’s choir at the Sunday School Christmas program. We have been fortunate to have several new people in the church who have offered to serve with their musical gifts. We have appreciated others directing us to musicians who are willing to serve and are always open to suggestions. A big thank you to all who have served us this year. We look forward to a renewal of our services together when we are able to utilize the gifts of those in our congregation.

- Submitted by Kathy Lenzmann

CaregiversVisitation: (Jon & Krisy Wagner, Shanon Wieler, Erica Wieler, Al Maronese, Stacey Boschmann for a portion of the year)    Meal Coordination: (Tejal Friesen beginning part way through the year)

The visitation team made 33 visits and 23 intentional contacts this year, as well as many unofficial connections with people within our church.  Visits are made due to illness, loss of a family member, or other difficult life circumstance.  Meals were provided when this was a helpful way to support someone through a difficult time,

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and 3 prayer quilts were given to individuals experiencing extreme health difficulties (eg. chemotherapy).   Since COVID-19 restrictions began in mid-March, all caregivers have been making regular phone calls to seniors within the church to connect with them.  Those contacts are not included in the 23 prior to mid-March. 

27 Christmas poinsettia visits were made by all caregivers.  Caregiver chairperson also coordinated various Life Groups to provide 7 Christmas hampers.  Thank you to those Life Groups who gave so generously!

Senior Visitation: (Ruth & John Janzen, Kathy & Ed Lenzman, Len & Lottie Goertzen, Henry & Susan Bergmann)

Visits continue to take place with seniors who are ill or unable to attend church services, experience a death in their immediate family, or are in need of a visit for a variety of other reasons. Additional support is given to those experiencing end of life issues. The Seniors' Visitation Team works in co-operation & conjunction with Caregivers and the pastor, responding to ongoing and developing needs.

Since COVID restrictions the team is doing their best to stay in touch through telephone calls and occasional “drive-by drop-offs” when indicated.

New Connections: (Candace Wylie, Heather Therrien, Carla Kehler.)

In the fall the team met to imagine a new approach for New Connections as newcomer coffee times were not meeting the need as effectively as was hoped.  As they deliberated about starting a new approach, they hosted one final Newcomers Coffee in the gym on Sunday, Nov. 10.  After discussing options and consulting with Hospitality Committee reps, pastors, and gathering some ideas regarding design/decorating, Sunday, Dec. 1 was the first day for the new  'Welcome Corner.'  They decided to move forward and start in the West Foyer with a simple table tended by two people each week, offering coffee, brochures, and email sign-up sheet.  It was agreed that the “Welcome Corner” would begin as a work in progress until a finalized plan was determined.  A few people visited, however, the team realized that a major benefit was that tending the Welcome Corner made them more aware of those who are new or who may be on the edges and could be welcomed to connect in some way.  The team would like to continue with the Welcome Corner when services resume  with the ongoing intent of seeking a better way to connect with new attenders and to help them to integrate into our church family.

Life Groups: (Bruce Charney, Irma Charney, Sonia Pankratz-Wieler)The ongoing challenge for the team coordinating life groups is to create opportunities and spaces for new people to attend a life group.   In the past The

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Bridge (a 6-8 week open bible study/life group) has run to allow opportunity for those not in a life group yet to be able to connect with others in a small group setting.  This ran in the fall with 6 people attending plus 2 leaders.  It was offered again in the spring but did not meet due to minimal response.  

There are currently 19 Life Groups meeting which is an increase of 2.  There are also 9 College & Career groups which meet regularly through the year as a part of the C&C ministry.  There are only 2 people who are in the process of being placed in a life group.  

A survey of the groups was made this spring to understand how the COVID-19 situation has impacted their activity.  Most of the groups have increased their frequency of meeting to weekly.  The use of ZOOM to stay connected virtually has also been incorporated by most groups.  The remaining groups stay in touch by phone.  Most continue to include some form of learning content such as a devotional, or video and a time for prayer requests.  All groups have found it a blessing to have people in contact on a regular basis to ensure all members are cared for.

Prayer: Prayer requests are placed in a box on the Church Life Center and are received by a caregiver each Sunday.  This prayer request is then responded to as requested (for that caregiver only to pray about, for the team to pray about, or to be placed on the church prayer chain).  This year there has also been a new prayer opportunity on the 4th Sunday of the month.  Two people have been available in the prayer room after each service to pray with anyone who would like to receive prayer.  These 2 people also spent time praying for the church during the second service (to which anyone was invited to join in).   A prayer walk was also organized in February where a group gathered to walk around the church and pray for the church as a whole, the pastoral team, and individual needs within the church. The times of praying for our church have been meaningful as prayer is always meaningful, however there has been little response from the congregation in requesting individual prayer or joining in during the second service prayer time on  the 4th Sunday of the month.  

Recovery of Hope:  FGMB continues to partner with Recovery of Hope by covering the majority of the cost of counselling for those who would otherwise not be able to afford it.

For a variety of reasons, a number of caregivers (including myself as chair) are planning to move on to other things after completing their term this June.  It has been challenging to find other church members willing to take on these roles within our church family.  For this reason, those caregivers planning to step down have agreed to continue in their role until fall 2020.

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It has been meaningful for me to watch the caregiver team care for our church family in such significant ways over the years.  I have learned a lot in my role as chair and have come to appreciate FGMB in new ways.   Our church family is vast in its variety, but beautiful.

Brenda WalkerCaregivers Chairperson

Host Ministry(Ushers, Greeters, Church Life Center, Coffee, Parking)

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

The mission of the Host Ministry is to provide a warm, friendly and inviting atmosphere every Sunday morning. We are filled with gratitude for the many individuals who are using their gifts of hospitality to be the first face our guests and congregational members see each Sunday morning.

The 2019-2020 year was moving along really well until the Covid-19 hit. We had some people leave their roles, and new people stepped in. Some of the people we welcomed in are Margaret Kasak, Jessica Pearce, Nasrin S & Medya M , Trish Bobrowski.

We are still looking to fill some greeter and Usher spots so if anyone is interested please contact Ryan or Sharon and we'll slot you in.

We tried out a new parking scheme to help with the lost spots due to the rapid transit corridor. People were adapting to this pretty quick for the few months since implementation. We want to thank Darryl Wylie and others who provided parking guidance on the busy Sunday mornings. COVID impact:

1. We normally plan a appreciation lunch for all our volunteers to express thanks for dedication and enthusiasm for the work they do on Sunday mornings. However this will have to be postponed till the time is right.

2. With Sunday morning activities at 1771 Pembina Hwy halted, there has been no parking issues,  no Sunday morning greeting (not even with elbow bumps),  no ushering & counting Sunday morning offering. and no

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questions at the Church life center, and nobody had to come in early to make the coffee.

3. With no large meetings allowed, there has been no funerals to find ushers for.

4. There has been no membership meetings to ask ushers to help with handing out ballots and tabulate votes. 

Modifications

1. I am sure when we are allowed to meet at our building again there will be some changes in the way we interact. 

2. We will have to be intentional about limiting contact.3. There will have to be extra hand sanitizer stations available. 4. We may also have to give up the morning bulletin for a while until there is a

vaccine and it is safe to increase our contact again. (we may want to make use of email and the new screens at church to project the bulletin items) 

5. We may also want to have blank donation envelopes inserted into peoples mail slots, so that people can know that only one person wearing gloves has handled that envelope.

6. We may learn of other modifications we have to make as time goes on...

- Submitted by Ryan Poetker and Sharon Klassen, Co-chairs on behalf of the Host Committee; Chris Thiessen, Murray Bobrowski, Rod Epp, and Bob Friesen 

Funeral CommitteeOn behalf of the FGMB staff team and leadership, we would like to say “Thank you!” to this unofficial “committee" of volunteers that have served FGMB for many years by taking care of all the arrangements and food for funeral receptions at the church. This faithful group of volunteers has recently let us know that they have made the decision to step away from this ministry at this time.  Although this decision has been in discussion for some time, it was felt that with the current restrictions on gathering in place, the timing was right to make this move.  In the coming months our staff and leadership will be considering how to best accommodate funeral receptions here at FGMB.  Those who served regularly as part of the FGMB funeral “committee” are:Nick and Irene Janzen (coordinator)Clarence and Evelin NeufeldHenry and Helen BergenDave and  Linda BoschmannHarvey and MaryAnne Unrau

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Venture Next Door

A brief recap of their ministry happenings the past year

It was exciting last fall to see how our church was getting more involved with welcoming our neighbors into our church events. Our “neighbors” broadened to not only people from the apartments, but their friends and others attending our church English class and Mosaic government class who rents our lower level. As we invited these groups to join us, they responded with wanting to know more about what was happening at our church for regular activities, including church services, and special events. We had someone come to our Christmas Eve service and another mom who came every Sunday morning between the services so her children could play in the gym. When our visioning team did the Missions project at the church, we had some neighbors come to participate. This is key to this ministry for Fort Garry to open our church activities to our neighbors so they can become part of our community if they feel comfortable.

One of our desires this year was to not only open our hearts, but also our lives as we connected with our neighbors. We became aware of a need and were able to supply a bit of furniture to a couple of families in the apartments. These families were also invited into the homes of people from Fort Garry for meals and fellowship. This was done on a small scale with amazing results and new friendships formed – can you imagine if more of us at Fort Garry would initiate these times together with our neighbors?

Thanksgiving Lunch – Oct 20, 2019 – this was a wonderful joint event for our neighbors and Fort Garry church family. The atmosphere was buzzing with friendliness as we mingled and shared our Thanksgiving meal together. Thanks to Neena and Nanthini for their planning to include delicious food in addition to the traditional turkey dinner.

Candy Land Party, Oct. 31, 2019 – another annual event with our neighbors (3rd year!) This year we had 67 children and 51 adults where neighbors invited their friends. Thanks again to Kristin, Rudy & Maislyn Harder for organizing the party. We loved having the C&C there to help and mingle with our guests.

Christmas Party, Dec 14, 2019 – many of our neighbors were able to get involved in our party this year by helping with crafts. 41 children and 34 adults participated as we celebrated the Christmas story together led by Candace Wylie. Thanks to Linda Boschman for her support and help with the party this year.

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C.H.A.T. time (C – Connect with others H – Help when needed A – Ask questions T = Together!) - Nov 2019 – March 2020

This new weekly time was designed so we could get to know our neighbors on more of a personal basis. Events are a good way to get people to come to our church, but it is hard to develop a deeper friendship when we just see them at the event. Alvina Pankratz was our consistent person to come to church faithfully every Thursday morning armed with cream and muffins ready to “chat” with whoever might show up on that particular day. Debbie, Candace or others who could drop in on a particular Thursday would join in on the conversations ranging from explaining English terms, to childcare and gardening. About five different people came over the months to practice English, get advice and enjoy talking with one another. Our Core group team of four (Debbie, Neena, Carole & Cailey) has not met since the fall of 2019 as Neena joined one of the visioning teams and Cailey could not make it due to personal reasons. Thank you to our Prayer team and those who have been involved with Venture Next Door this year in many different ways.

How has COVID altered the ministry?

We were just wrapping up our CHAT time when the pandemic hit. Since SOAR was going to be using our church building this year over Spring Break, we did not have anything planned for the neighbor children. As we were winding down already, we were not greatly impacted other than our building was not available to open up for the neighbors if we did decide to pursue an activity.

What modifications are anticipated to be needed in the way ministry happens in your area when it resumes post COVID.

The challenges will come in the restrictions in place for physical distancing, especially as we interact with children and having to limit how many are in our spaces at one time. We would love to see summer programs for the children but with more volunteer involvement from our church family. Our summer intern always does a great job but needs more of us to be involved when so many children come to our program. To move forward we will need to figure out how to integrate this ministry into the existing ministries of the church so that our neighbors next door will feel welcomed as we get to know each other better and as they explore what a Christian community looks like. We have made some good progress, but we still have many areas we need to grow in and develop to really make an impact. Another area to consider is the overlap of Venture Next Door and our church English class as some of our apartment neighbors also want attend to improve their English. As that class is growing, we want to support and coordinate with them as much as possible.

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- Submitted by Debbie Neufeld, on behalf of the Venture Next Door Core Group - Neena Huebert, Cailey Wieler, Carole Clarke, Debbie Neufeld

English Conversation Class The English Conversation class met on Thursday afternoons in the Heritage Room: - The majority of students come from China although students from 18 countries attended the class. - The average weekly attendance was 27 students. - Thirteen volunteers from our church assisted as small group leaders. 

Most students learn of our class from their friends or on the internet. Some locate the class through our church website while others hear about us through community EAL websites. Many of our students have been in Winnipeg for just a few weeks or months. Lessons focus on ‘settlement topics’ that are useful for adapting to life in Canada, such as health care and home remedies, preparing for winter, housing in Canada, jobs and employment, using English idioms, as well as holidays and special events. 

We divide into small groups to allow plenty of ‘talk time’ for each student and to promote more interaction between teacher and students. This year we tried a new approach to address the wide range of English skill levels among our students. We offered lesson materials from early beginner to more advanced levels so that teachers could choose materials most suitable for the English level of students in their group. 

Turnover is rapid as newcomers find their way into full-time English classes, employment and business ventures, or university studies. Other students relocate to other provinces or return to their home country after a short stay in Canada. 

Starting in later January, we monitored the news for information regarding Covid-19, since we are aware that many of our students travel back and forth between China and Canada. As of February 27, we no longer served coffee, tea or snacks during class. On March 12, we met for the final English conversation class. From March 19 - May 14, a weekly email was sent to students with online English learning suggestions. 

Because of the early finish of the class, we were unable to offer the end-of-the-year Bible study series that we have provided for the past two years. 

In September, we hope to resume weekly classes. If it is not advisable to meet together, we can keep in contact by email and suggest online learning options for students who wish to study English at home. Thankfully, there are many such resources available. 

Our objectives for the English class are as follows:- to show God’s love to our neighbours by offering hospitality and friendship.

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- to offer a place where newcomers to Canada can practice English skills in a Canadian context.

- to encourage community and belonging in Jesus’ name. 

Submitted by Carla Kehler

Library CommitteeRecap

The library has continued to update its inventory. We have received positive feedback about the new setup.We have added a new theme month whenever possible. Some examples of this are Heart and Stroke month in February, Mental health month, Alzheimer’s awareness, etc.Volunteers are being encouraged to spend more time in the library before and after the services to better help the congregation.Covid-19

As you can imagine Covid-19 has totally shut down the library. I have not spent any money in the library since the shutdown.Modifications needed:

We will definitely need sanitizer for volunteers and to wipe down books and movies. Disposable gloves would also be required. There will have to be only certain number of people allowed in at a time.- Kristin Harder, Library Committee Chair

Men’s Night

Men's night has a fair amount in the past year with the introduction of pickleball. Previously we would alternate began floor hockey, basketball, and volleyball, but attendance for floor hockey and basketball was sporadic at best. Pickleball has been a huge success with some nights having 25 men out to play from ages 18 - 80. Having such a diversity of age has really built a sense of community at men's night which has been great to see.

COVID has completely stopped Men's Night. We are looking forward to starting up again as I know many of us are a little too sedentary these days, and missing the community.

If 2 meter spacing is still required, we could start up pickleball by playing singles instead of double. The only contact would be through the ball, which could be wiped

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down with sanitizer between matches, and mandatory hand washing/sanitizer for participants before/after matches.- Submitted by Brock Martens and Brady Friesen, Men’s Night Coordinators

Kitchen/ Social CommitteeThis year we only served the lunch for the congregational meeting, which happened on the 22nd of February.

Suggestions Going Forward

1. To upgrade the kitchen equipment's.     Eg. Stove, Dishwasher etc.2. Replace some kitchen utensils.            Eg. Pots and Pans3. Replace some cutlery and crockery4. Need a deep cleaning5. Sanitizing equipment's6. Aprons, masks and gloves7. Before opening the kitchen get health inspectors advice and follow ups8. Health inspector certificates9. Display notices of kitchen uses procedure10.Reallocate the kitchen social committee 11.Mandatory of food handler certificate for kitchen social members and

whoever going to use the kitchen 12.Re-imbursement of the expenses related to the kitchen functions, has to be a

proper procedure (Eg. Set time frame)

- Submitted by Nanthini Theivendran

Women’s Ministry It has been a joy to work with this team over the past year: Jenelle Buhler, Irma Charney, Twila Driedger, Amanda Foord, Dorothy Klassen, Val Penner, & Leanne Olfert. I can say unreservedly that these women have served the women of FGMB with great energy and passion, bringing their many skills and talents to the work. Here is an overview of our year: 

MOMS Program- Two 8-10 week sessions- Fall and winter led by Jenelle Buhler (cut short by COVID-19)

The Circle - a time to connect and grow through prayer, twice a month on Sunday mornings. 

Women’s Fall Retreat at Camp Cedarwood (Oct 4-6), with Hilda Wiebe speaking on the topic of Daily Bread, God’s sustenance for every day, and Brooklyn Friesen leading worship. 

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Ladies Evening Bible Study, “Every Good Gift, Living Generously in a Self-Centred World” by Ann Voskamp through RightNow Media. (Jan 29- March 4) 

Lent Series, week 3 Women’s Ministry Block- Panel Discussion- cancelled due to COVID-19

Spring Event- cancelled due to COVID-19  Zoom Spring Event- Show & Share, May 25

Our desire at Women’s Ministry is for the women of FGMB to grow into deeper relationship with God and with one another, that we may be the church, faithfully walking alongside and doing life together, and also spurring one another on towards greater love and faithfulness to God and our neighbors. We deeply value time spent together with women of all generations and stages of life and are intentional in mixing up groups to allow us to know one another better and learn from one another. As the church began its direction setting, we also set aside time to talk and brainstorm about how our ministry could (or should) change; particularly how to welcome more women, and what mission (or outreach) could look like. These conversations will need to be ongoing.

COVID-19 impacted us directly. We had two significant events planned for spring 2020, and both were cancelled. Initially there was a sense that we had lost our momentum, with much uncertainty as to what to do, and of what was even possible. As the weeks stretched on, we held a Zoom meeting to brainstorm what could be done with the current restrictions and discuss what the coming year may hold. We were able to re-group and plan an online Spring event, held this past Monday, May 25, which was attended by a small group of women, giving us a starting point for further online events if needed. We recognize that for this coming fall and winter our emphasis should be on small group meetings and planning events that can be shifted (at short notice) from “in person” to “online”. So, come fall we will make all plans understanding that COVID-19 could re-appear, and focus on our ability to pivot to meet these changes. 

We are in transition as a team; 3 of us are leaving (Twila, Amanda & myself), which is making room for new leadership and team members. Dorothy Klassen will be assuming the Team Leader role, and we have been working to transition for several months now. I am deeply thankful for our church and the work of Women’s Ministry and know they will continue to serve wholeheartedly into this next year.

- Respectfully submitted, Laurel Wiebe

Seniors’ MinistryFort Garry M.B Seniors and friends meet once a month, from September to June, for fellowship, coffee, entertainment and learning. Events are typically over coffee on a Friday morning or sometimes over lunch at noon. Average attendance at each event is about 50 people. The events are not limited to congregational members so we also welcome visitors and friends of our members. Activities of the past year are summarized as follows:

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September : A late afternoon visit to Oak Hammock Marsh including a lunch, self-guided exploration of the Interpretive Centre, a Migration Presentation and a time watching geese coming in.

October : Speaker was Scott Koop, a pastor at Portage Avenue Church. He reported on his ministry as Chaplain to the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

November : Nick Janzen Jr. was the speaker. His topic: Educator’s trip to Ethiopia with the Canadian Food Grains Bank

December : Luncheon was catered by Sharon Steward and crew followed by a concert with Shawna Perron.

January : Timothy Engbrecht spoke on: The Wisdom of Weeds February : John Janzen interviewed Eugene and Antoinette to give us an

insight into their Incredible Faith Journey. March : Cherie Bright, former pastoral intern at FGMB, spoke on her current

ministry: Meeting Jesus in the North End. Attendance was down about 50% of our normal attendance because people were beginning to avoid group meetings.

Events had been scheduled for April and May as well as our spring luncheon at the beginning of June. Unfortunately these had to be cancelled due to recommendations concerning COVID-19. Later that day the government banned that all mass gatherings including church services. No further seniors events have taken place in the first half of 2020. Hopefully by fall normal programming can resume.One significant change to our committee was Alf and Linda choosing to step back from this committee. We welcome Carole Clark and Peter Engbrecht to our committee.- Submitted by the Planning Committee Ruth Neufeld, Carole Clarke, Peter

Engbrecht, Dave and Grace Loewen

Adult Sunday SchoolThe 2019 – 2020 academic year has been curtailed generally by the social distancing stipulations that Manitobans have had to observe, and in particular by the cancellation of congregational worship services since mid-March. Even so, our curriculum this year has been noteworthy for some excellent presentations, starting with a well-received presentation by Yuri Hooker of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Yuri has been conducting a series of events held at the U of Manitoba main campus which include a blend of scripture meditations and (Baroque and Classical) musical offerings; our inaugural session this year was a brief introduction by Yuri to this year’s series. Pastor Carl Heppner provided the class with some reflections on the Mennonite tradition of interpreting Scripture as a community. Pierre Gilbert packed the Heritage Room on January 12 and January 26th with a very

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engaging examination of the Psalms. Spiritual Rounds included interviews with Denny Smith, Salome Hiebert, Brian Loewen, Jodi Kristjanson and Kevin Dyck. In response to a request that came from the class at the close of last year’s program, we spent some of this season examining the Mennonite Brethren confession of faith. Herb Kopp started things off with two consecutive talks on the process by which our confession of faith was developed and articulated; a second series of talks which were to have been delivered by Jason Dyck of CMU was, unfortunately, precluded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sept 8 Yuri Hooker: Introduction to his upcoming 8 part Isaiah series at the U of M Chapel Sept 15 Denny Smith – Spiritual RoundsSept 22 Jake Epp- Following Christ in the Modern political arenaSept 29 Herb Kopp - Confessions of a Mennonite

Oct 6 Herb Kopp - Confessions of a MennoniteOct 13 ThanksgivingOct 20 Neil and Sharon Steward - Pioneer CampOct 27 Greg Wiens: Multiply (MB Mission)

Nov 3 Jim Pattison - Reliability of the ScripturesNov 10 Visioning Process - no Sunday school.Nov 17 Pastor Carl Heppner - a community hermeneuticNov 24 Salome Hiebert - Spiritual Rounds

Dec 1 Mark Kristjanson - Ontology and EschatologyDec 8 Brian Loewen - Spiritual RoundsDec 15 Mark Krisjanson - Ontology and EschatologyDec 22 Jodi Kristjanson - Spiritual RoundsDec 29 no Adult Sunday schoolJan 5 No adult Sunday school (a session on the Lectio Divina had been proposed but was not advertised in the bulletin; persons unknown placed a hand written sign on the Heritage Room door claiming there was no session)Jan 12 Pierre Gilbert - the PsalmsJan 19 no Adult Sunday schoolJan 26 Pierre Gilbert- The Psalms

Feb 9 Kevin Dyck – Spiritual RoundsFeb 16 Louis Riel DayFeb 23 Jim Pattison – Diabetic feet in Mexico – reflections from a podiatrist

March 1 special Lenten programmingMarch 8 special Lenten programmingThe remainder of this academic year’s sessions were precluded by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Golden Door Ministry

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The last Tuesday of each month, our group enters the Golden Door Nursing Home down the street, eager to “show and tell” the residents, staff & visitors, that God loves them.

With the prelude beginning at 6:45, the residents are already lined up in their wheel chairs, with some family members or visitors joining them. They enjoy the music, some even beating time or clapping their hands. This prelude can be our Margaret on the accordion, Len on the harmonica, the Nelson family, or other young people from our own church. Our choir waits in the background, not to interrupt the attention of the residents.

With Joyce at the piano and Grace Martens' hearty welcome, the choir begins at 7:00. We sing hymns carefully chosen by Joyce - familiar hymns that bring back memories of their younger years. They listen in awe, humming along or tapping their feet.

Our group members alternate reading Scripture related to the theme, adding a few comments. We generally sing 9 or 10 hymns, closing with the Lord's Prayer, and the audience joins us. Mingling to greet the residents individually, we warmly shake their hands with, “We hope to see you again next month” waving as we leave.

We are then hosted by a member of the group, with coffee and refreshments. We share requests made by residents or family members, as well as other, and of course discuss the evening.What a lovely time we have had. It's “worth the trip”, “seniors ministering to seniors.”

Since COVID-19 pandemic we have not been able to be at Golden Door since February.  Not sure when we will get back to our regular Tuesday's at the end of month ministry.  We miss seeing our people at Golden Door and each other.  Blessings to all.

- Marg Kasak

Donwood ManorFort Garry's Support

The Donwood Board of Directors is composed of 2 Directors from each of the supporting congregations. Fort Garry is represented by John Janzen and Brian

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Loewen. In addition to Donwood Board responsibilities, John Janzen chairs the Donwood/Valhalla Cove Joint Board, and Brian Loewen chairs the Donwood Manor Foundation Board and Donwood Management Inc. Board. 

The Year-in-Review: CEO Report for 2019/20

It has been an outstanding year at Donwood shaped by the enthusiasm of the Board of Directors, Donwood leadership and staff. Across all of the Donwood entities, our focus has remained centred on our mission to care with compassion and excellence. With its reach across the continuum of health and housing services, the Donwood organization continues to implement its strategic plan of 2017-2020. The six priorities of this plan include: 

Providing quality service and clinical excellence Supporting and engaging staff Embracing innovation and expansion Collaborating and creating partnerships  Building and sustaining infrastructure Promoting organizational governance

and effectiveness. 

This strategic plan truly serves as a roadmap to the Board of Directors, leadership and staff in guiding our daily decisions and strategic priorities. It is also a reminder of our guiding verse from Proverbs 4:26 - Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 

This year, we welcomed a few new staff in key positions vacated by retirements. In particular, we are thankful for your prayer support as our Chaplain position was filled. Lisa Enns is getting to know many of the residents, tenants and families at Donwood and has begun enhancing some of our spiritual care supports and training. In particular, we are excited to host a spiritual caregiving series that has been extensively implemented by the Baptist Long-Term Care Association in BC. Lisa and I have also had the opportunity to visit several church congregations; we welcome opportunities to connect with you at your Sunday morning services, Sunday school classes and other informal events. 

Nativity Scene built by MBCI students

Over the year we have also sought opportunities to intentionally build relationships between younger and older generations. Over the summer months, we received Canada Summer Jobs grant funding for 12 young people who worked in a variety of roles in the Personal Care Home and our Elderly Persons Housing building. Their energy and enthusiasm was welcomed and enjoyed! Later in the Fall, we were delighted to collaborate with MBCI students who we approached with a request to build a new nativity scene for our courtyard. This project became a collaboration between woodworking and art students, and resulted in a stunning depiction of the

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nativity. When the students set up their handiwork, it was inspiring to see them interacting with the seniors and sharing the symbolism of their project. 

As we begin 2020, we are delighted to commence celebrating our 50th year of caregiving! When the doors of the Personal Care Home opened on July 17, 1.970 it marked the beginning of a vibrant, innovative, faith-centred organization. We invite you to join us in our celebrations, and in particular Donwood's 50th Anniversary banquet on April 27, 2020. We also are looking forward to hosting the Canadian Mennonite Health Assembly from November 4 6. This gathering of Mennonite health care providers from across Canada will take place at Donwood with a conference theme, Leading in Faith. Thank you for your continued support of Donwood. Each day this support is evident in your words of encouragement, gifts of volunteerism, financial contributions, prayers, and attendance at Donwood events. We are grateful for your congregation's involvement in Donwood. Should you be interested in learning more about Donwood's needs or opportunities to be involved please do not hesitate to contact me, speak with your congregation's Board Directors, or visit us at www . donwoodmanor.org  

Respectfully submitted, Nina Labun, RN, MN Chief Executive Officer 

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the preventative safety and health measures to protect our vulnerable seniors. We are very thankful for the support of our constituency to meet the extra associated costs. A recent virtual banquet 50th anniversary celebration of Donwood was well received and certainly will help provide quality services, including the additional services from our Chaplain, Lisa Enns. We thank all of our frontline caregivers for their exceptional commitment to keeping our seniors safe and healthy.More than ever we need your prayers and your support to keep us moving through this difficult time. This will be a long journey and we can not yet see the new normal emerging , but with your help we hope to able to ease some of our restrictive protocols in the future. 

- John Janzen, FGMB Donwood Rep.

Mennonite Disaster Service MDS made no request to FGMB for volunteers in the past year.  On average about 700 Canadians volunteer each year.  

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The following information is taken from the MDS website at www.mds.mennonite.net.   Please visit that website if you have any more questions or come talk to me.  Please note that because of the COVID-19 health crisis all projects are "on pause" and may be suspended until the fall.Mennonite Disaster Service is a volunteer network of Anabaptist churches that responds in Christian love to those affected by disasters in Canada and the United States.  While the main focus is on clean up, repair and rebuilding homes, this service touches lives and nurtures hope, faith and wholeness.  The core values are sustainability - as God's stewards we strive to incorporate quality materials and workmanship, and environmental awareness in providing safe, affordable and sustainable housing; integrity - we work in an ethical, honest, moral and legal manner; faith - as members of Anabaptist churches, we believe in and practice a life of service and proclamation founded on the Bible and modeled after the lie and teaching of Jesus Christ; service - we welcome all who are in our churches and others who share our values to join Christian service opportunities through volunteering, praying and giving; compassion - we practice servant leadership, compassion and cultural sensitivity with follow volunteers, constituents and those we serve; relationships - we engage all people, partners, and organizations with mutual respect, humility and accountability.

MDS is organized into five regions with Canada being region 5 which has six units and 716 congregations.  This region covers 2,180,101 square miles (5,646,426 square km).  During 2019 units worked in B.C. and Ontario.There are several volunteer programs in MDS.  - The Partnership Home Project (PHP) brings sponsor groups together with a

homeowner who lost their home because of a natural or manmade disaster to build a new quality home.  The sponsor groups are often churches but also MDS Unit, community groups, retirement home groups or others.  The groups not only build a house from start to finish but a relationship with the family or homeowner.  

- The MDS Summer Youth Program (SYP) is a week-long service experience designed for youth and their sponsors to put hands and feet to the gospel by serving others. 

- The MDS Family Program offers a weeklong summertime experience for the whole family to put hands and feet to the gospel. Organized by MDS Canada and MDS Units, the program takes place at a different location each year in Canada.  Rather than serving at an MDS project site where there was a disaster, families stay at a church camping facility where they volunteer their time in projects such as clean up, repair, and building at the camp, thereby furthering the ministry of the camp.  The experience allows even the youngest family member to participate in an MDS-like volunteer experience. The days are filled with a balance of family fun, work, good food, activities, campfires and spiritual

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growth.  This is a great way to introduce your children the work of MDS and the spirit of volunteerism.

- The MDS Recreational Vehicle (RV) program is a volunteer opportunity for 55+ adults who want to help cleanup, repair and rebuild after disaster and have fun doing it.  You bring your RV and MDS provides an RV site and meaningful projects to work on.  The MDS RV projects are often smaller in scale – usually 4-6 RV’s to a project for four weeks or more. The RV volunteers work four, six-hour days and have time to enjoy the area in their off time.  The program typically operates annually from the late fall until early spring.  In the past few years RV volunteers have served in the following locations: Conway, S.C., Corpus Christi, Texas, Andrews, S.C., Bastrop, Texas.

- MDS welcomes active, constituent pastors and their spouses to a hands-on MDS experience at an MDS project site in the US or Canada.   To encourage pastor participation Pastors to Projects program offers a travel reimbursement. 

Respectfully submitted,Jerry Friesen

Square One World MediaSquare One World Media (S1WM) shares the Good News of Jesus Christ with people around the world: in languages they can understand, in formats they can access, and with content that invites and challenges audiences of all ages. It is a ministry of our church in partnership with other member churches, doing together what we cannot do alone.

In the English language, there is Micah’s Super Vlog (MSV), an animated show with a fun and quirky cast of characters in real life situations. While using fun and adventure it provides relevant teaching to children on issues such as bullying, kindness, forgiveness and friendship. It’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. MSV has also published a book series targeting kids aged 8 and up. S1WM is no longer actively producing Beautiful Unique Girl, but continues to keep past recorded BUG videos on the web, which also include study curricula that are paired with the videos. This is a video series for girls ages 13 -17 on topics like self-image, bullying, addiction and dating.  A Skoop of Life is a podcast featuring personal stories and spiritual insights by Sherryl Koop accompanied by the music of Canadian artists. 

The Low German ministry provides radio, video and print material mostly for people in Latin America, including Health Talks with Nurse Irene. There are also the short and informative radio and video clips produced by locals in Bolivia, Ekj

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Ran (I Run), addressed to young people and Waut’s Dit (What’s This?), for children; and in Paraguay, The Sign Post for youth and Leet Von deWaakj (Song of the Week).  Jacob Funk retired from the Light of the Gospel at the end of 2019, but his 3,000 recorded programs continue to be available. 

In the Spanish language, there is the 30 minute TV program, 180 Grados (Degrees), an interview program that speaks of transformed lives; and the popular radio program, Encuentro (Encounter), a 15-minute, interview radio program that addresses life issues for people in Latin America. Encuentro is celebrating 25 years of ministry with Ernesto and Marina Pinto. Encuentro Familiar, is a Spanish radio talk show hosted by Marina Pinto using an interview and discussion format to offer counsel, prayer and encouragement. Realidad, is a Spanish radio program applying the wisdom of the Bible to real-life situations.

In the Arabic language, The New Eve is a video series designed to speak to the difficult issues faced by Arabic speaking women.

In the Farsi/Dari (Persian) language Shoaib Ebadi, the S1WM executive director, hosts a live TV program called Raze Zindagi (Secret of Life).

In the Russian language, they produce a highly popular children’s puppet show, Ella’s Backyard, portraying various Bible stories. These shows are picked up by private secular TV stations and are popular on Youtube throughout Russia. And in the Ukrainian language, the local team there produces The Bible Today, a radio and social media program bringing the hope of Jesus to people facing significant cultural and political challenges.  S1WM is our ministry. We support it (in part) in our budget. Let’s be encouraged to also support it individually through our interest, our prayers and our financial support. http://www.squareoneworldmedia.com

- Submitted by Eric Klassen, FGMB/S1WM Representative

Simonhouse Bible CampSimonhouse Bible Camp is a ministry in northern Manitoba dedicated to pointing lives to Jesus. In a place where very few Christian camps exist, Simonhouse has been a place of refuge, light, and love to the children and teens who attend each year. It is a small camp that sees about 30 staff members and up to 80 campers at a time.

The summer of 2019 saw 373 campers attend Simonhouse altogether. It was a great summer with an almost full staff team, and it was clear that God was working there. The camp has made new connections to two reserve communities - Deschambault Lake and Pukatawagon. The camp was broken into in the winter and

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had tools and motors stolen, but it resulted in a lot of community support which was encouraging. The camp had been gearing up for a few special projects, such as a new climbing wall and cabin, and donations have been steady.

- Jordan Sawatsky, FGMB Simonhouse Rep.Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision has been made to not run its usual summer programming for 2020. Although it is still unclear what rules will be in place by the time camp would be scheduled to start, it is unlikely that camp would be able to run effectively in this environment. Darrell, the executive director, is looking at ways to bring some of camp into the homes of campers, such as hosting video get-togethers with staff. Obviously these big changes will result in a loss, not just financially, but emotionally for the campers and staff who look forward to camp every year. We know that God will continue to provide for Simonhouse and its community during this season.

- Jordan Sawatsky, FGMB Simonhouse Rep.

FGMB Church - Financial Update – April 30, 2020Actual 2020 Actual 2019 % Change

Plan - prorated 249,175 225,217 10.6

Offerings 199,691 174,820 14.2

Children's, Youth, C & C 10,924 11,896 (8.2)Other Local Ministries 8,710 9,139 (4.7)Personnel 128,582 111,539 15.3 Outside Ministries 33,331 35,120 (5.1)Facilities 23,870 19,683 21.3 Mortgage 9,244

214,662 187,378 14.6

Comparisons early in a year can be very deceiving. Since our donation and expense patterns vary from year to year, these comparisons should be viewed as an overview of our finances.Offerings are about 14% above the same time in 2019. While this is encouraging, it should be noted that the bulk of the difference can be explained by some special donations that came early in 2020 but came later in 2019. One item of concern is that donations in March and April are well below that of a year ago, largely due to circumstances surrounding COVID-19.Expenses are also up and are about 15% above where they were at the same time in 2019. The increase comes from higher Personnel costs, Facilities, and Mortgage payments.As of April 30th, $167,660 has been expended on Sanctuary renovations.

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FGMB Income & Expense Comparisons - 2020 vs 2019Note: Income includes all sources of revenue except government subsidies

Income January February March April Jan - Apr2019 ~44K ~54K ~61K ~54K ~205K2020 ~49K ~85K ~42K ~49K ~227K

% Change 11.0 56.7 (31.9) (9.1) 10.8

Expense2019 ~44K ~54K ~72K ~51K ~227K2020 ~57K ~60K ~72K ~48K ~241K

Change 29.0 (10.3) 0.2 (6.0) 5.9

Dave Loewen

Committee or Position(Nomination person responsible)

Length of Term (yrs.)

Started July 1, 2019 – two year term

Term to start July 1, 2020

Adult Sunday School Chair 2 Mark Kristjanson**Herb Pauls**

Members (2) 2 Selena FriesenJim Pattison

Internal Audit

Members (3) 2 Perry Klassen Heather OlfertJosh Wiebe

Boys Club Coordinators (2)

2 Chris Thiessen**(need 1)

Caregivers Coordinator (on council)

2 Brenda Walker** (1 year – has agreed to stay on another 3 months to September 30, 2020)

(need 1)

Members (as needed)

2 Carla KehlerSonia Pankratz WielerHeather TherrienTejal Friesen(need 1)

Krisy WagnerJon Wagner(need 6)

College & Career Sponsors(4-6)

2 Nick & Janice JanzenBob & Janet Friesen

Conversation EAL Members (2) 2 Carla Kehler

Cradle Roll Coordinator 2 Joyce Goerz - resigning effective June 30, 2020

Joyce Kroeker

Members (2) 2 Grace Martens(need 1)

Council Moderator 2 Dave Sawatsky

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Committee or Position(Nomination person responsible)

Length of Term (yrs.)

Started July 1, 2019 – two year term

Term to start July 1, 2020

Council Personnel Chair (on council)

2 Jerry Friesen

Council Members (9) 2 Kennedy FroeseNick Janzen JrAl KehlerScott WalkerKelsey FriesenLaurel Wiebe

Brady FriesenBruce Charney(need 2)

Donwood Board Rep. (2) 3 John JanzenBrian Loewen

Drama Team Team Leader 2 (need 1)Members (3 to 5)

2 (need 3-5)

Girls Club Coordinators (2)

2 Tia FriesenChloe Thiessen**

Hosting (Ushers/Greeters)

Chair 2 Ryan Poetker Sharon Klassen

Members (4) 2 Murray BobrowskiChris Thiessen

Rod EppBob Friesen

Junior High Youth Coordinator 1 Caleb ToewsSponsors (8) 1 Sarah Janzen

Spencer KristjansonMarkus Stahl

New structure being developed.

Kid Zone one2four Coordinator 1 (need 1)Kid Zone one2four (Grades 1-4 Sunday School)

Team 2 Twila Driedger (large group)Heidi Werner (large group)

Library Chair 2 Kristen Harder**Members (2-3) 2 Sangita Kristjanson Elaine Enns

MDS Rep. (1) 2 Jerry Friesen

Mini Kid Zone (Pre-School SS)

Coordinator 2 Joy Perrot

Missions Chair (delegate on council)

2 Kevin Penner

Members(up to 4)

2 Merrill LoeppkyCam McNabbTracy Dyck

Murray Bobrowski

Music Ministry Team Leader 2 Kathy LenzmannMembers (4 to 6)

2 Rob Craigen (need 3-5)

Nominating Chair 2 Keith Wiebe Members (4) 2 Sarah Janzen Andrew Giesbrecht

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Committee or Position(Nomination person responsible)

Length of Term (yrs.)

Started July 1, 2019 – two year term

Term to start July 1, 2020

(plus delegate each from council and caregivers)

(need 1) (need 2)

Nursery (Baby Zone) Leader 2 Sarah Klassen

Senior High Youth Coordinator 1 Kennedy FroeseSponsors (5) 1 Nathan Driedger

Viktor PopoDaniela StahlTyson GrossStudent aid (need 1-2)

New structure being developed.

Social / Kitchen Chair 2 Nan TheivendranMembers (6-8) 2 Charlene Wieler

Kelly DriedgerPauline MackRick ShoreSteffan FieldsBeth WonneckMarianne BrittoDaniel Olano

Square One Media Rep. (1) 2 Eric Klassen

Simonhouse Bible Camp

Rep. (1) 2 Jordan Sawatsky

Technical Support Services

Coordinator 2 Kelly Driedger

Sound Coord. 2 Chris CraigenVPU Coord. 2 Ernie ThiessenWeb Coord. 2 Nathan Kroeker

Treasurers Treasurer 2 Dave LoewenAsst treasurer (2)

2 Marianne Britto(need 1)

Trustees Chair (delegate on council)

2 Leighton Klassen

Members (up to 4)

2 Josh Wiebe Ken KlassenDennis HeinrichsChris Thiessen(need 1)

Visual Worship (Sanctuary/Graphic Design)

Coordinator 2 (need 1)

Members (3-5) 2 Vivian EppHeidi Werner(need 1-3)

Women’s Ministry Coord. 2 Dorothy KlassenMembers (2) 2 Irma Charney

Leanne OlfertVal Penner

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Committee or Position(Nomination person responsible)

Length of Term (yrs.)

Started July 1, 2019 – two year term

Term to start July 1, 2020

Jenelle Buhler (Moms)

Youth Sunday School Coordinator 2 Jeremy Perrott

Zone 56 Team (4) 2 Emily UnrauDillon Poetker

(need 2)

** denotes individuals who have been a chairperson of a committee for more than two consecutive terms. Council has submitted their approval to continue with affirmation of these individuals in going over the two consecutive term limit.

Delegates attending Manitoba Assembly:Ruth SchellenburgKevin DyckDave SawatskyAl KehlerKennedy FroeseKen WiebeJonathan WagnerKrisy WagnerDave FroeseHarold FroeseMatt BraunKelsey Friesen - Not paid through FGMB