ANNUAL REPORT

2021

INDEX
Annual Congregational Meeting of Crosslake Presbyterian Church
14444 Daggett Pine Road, Crosslake, Minnesota 56442

Meeting held on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 4:00 PM_________________________________________________________________
www.crosslakepres.org

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Item

(218) 692-4769

Page

•

Agenda1•

CPC 2021 Year in Review

2•

Moderator’s Report3•

Committee Reports:
Building and Grounds

4

Fellowship4

Clerk of Session

5

Deacons

6

Missions

7

Finance & Stewardship
Endowment Account•

10

Gifts & Memorials

10

Nominating

11

Spiritual Growth11

Personnel

12

Vision & Strategy Task Force

•

8, 9

13, 14

Worship

14

2022 Budget
Page 1Page 215
16

Installation Service

17

AGENDA•

Opening Prayer Pastor Mark Ford, Moderator•

Quorum Validation•

Approval of the Agenda•

Written & Oral Reports of Committees
Nominating Committee Written Report(submitted with annual report)
 Bonnie Miller Chairperson

Installation of Elected Session and Deacon Members

Election to 2022 Nominating Committee (3 members)
 Two members from the congregation, one from Session•

2022 Budget Presentation
 Steven Anderson, Treasurer•

Old Business•

New Business•

Adjourn•

Closing Prayer Pastor Mark Ford, Moderator

Page 1CPC 2021 YEAR IN REVIEWAs we review this past year at Crosslake Presbyterian Church we have many reasons to rejoicein our small and large triumphs!
One of our great accomplishments was that we were able to worship in person for the wholeyear despite the continuing pandemic. We offered Zoom for the first 8 months and live streaming
for the last two which enabled all those who were unable to join us in person to not miss a thing.
Many thanks to those who made this all possible – Arleen Steele as head of Worship fororganizing pulpit supply; Ginny and Steve Anderson, Gail and Jerry Peterson, Brad Kohl, Austin
Nelson, and Rev. Ray Larson for leading worship services and holding communion on occasion.
Our thanks to these folks are immeasurable.
In the spring we were able to begin fellowship hour after service as we all slowly received ourshots and begin to feel more comfortable enjoy social time together. More social times together
included several Sunday Funday potluck events – a cook-out in July, a Luau in August, and a
Holyween Spooktacular in October. Thank you to Patty Norgaard and the fellowship committee
for organizing these special events! We also enjoyed a Christmas Party at the Riverside Inn inDecember to celebrate the season.
The Vision and Strategy Taskforce were forever diligent working to ensure a positive future for
CPC. They organized a leadership Plan of Action day in May and shared the results with thecongregation in June. V&S also organized a Survey of Priorities in June in an effort to enable us
to visualize our future. V&S also organized a potluck luncheon in November to give an update of
the shared ministry with Lakes Area Presbyterian Church. (Please see their full report on pages
13 and 14).
Another highlighted accomplishment for the year was the Monster Sale held in September. So
many people spent many hours donating, gathering, and organizing to make this another big
fundraiser for the church.
As with triumphs, we had our losses too. Sadly, in February we lost Earl Angell and held aCelebration of his life in July. We also lost long time member of CPC Don Hoger in May.
Thank you to all the committees and their leaders who were working diligently all year long tokeep us operating well and efficiently. Thank you also to the Session members for leading us
into a shared ministry position with Lakes Area Presbyterian Church in Baxter.

Respectfully submitted,
Judy Regan, Office Administrator

Page 2

MODERATORS REPORTA New Year, a New BeginningThis is probably truer for Crosslake Presbyterian Church than most years. For one, I will nolonger be your Moderator. Hopefully, by the time of this congregational meeting, Mark Ford will
be in place as your pastor, and my services will no longer be needed. I have enjoyed my time atyour church, and It has been a privilege get to know the people of Crosslake Presbyterian
Church. I wish I would have had more time to get to know more of you.
In many ways, I was merely an observer this year of transition. Although the pandemic is not yet
behind us, the church was able to resume in-person worship and has developed an effective
online presence. The Presbytery’s Administrative Commission agreed that their oversite was nolonger needed, and strong leadership has emerged. I also believe there has been healing andreconciliation within the congregation.
There has been had a few ups and downs, but I believe as a congregation you are entering thisnew year with a renewed energy and an emerging vision for the future – and a new pastor. Markis a superb worship leader and preacher. He will provide pastoral care for the sick andhomebound, administrative leadership and much need stability.
Too often, when a church has been without a pastor for lengthy time, there is a tendency forleaders to step back, to feel they need a break. However, for Crosslake to continue to move
forward, instead of stepping back, people need to step up. Remember, it was after the storm that
Jesus called Peter to step out of the boat. Like Peter, you might stumble a little, but it is time for
Crosslake to focus on where Jesus is leading you in 2022.
In peace,
Michael Hartwell

Page 3

BUILDING & GROUNDS COMMITTEE

2021 Members:
Jack Becker, chairman; Steve Anderson, and Loyal Meech.
We held two meetings in 2021.
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Had pavers placed around the entire church.
Painted the storage shed and cleaned the inside.
Repair work completed on one of the heat pumps.
Hidden Pines was contracted to plow the snow for 2021 and 2022.
Church sprayed on the interior and exterior for bugs.
Yearly budget completed for 2022.
Church sign: repair or replace? Tabled until 2022.
Building and Grounds helped with the ordering and scheduling of installationof the canopy on the patio.

Respectfully submitted,
Jack Becker, Chairperson

FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE

Committee Members:
Bonnie Miller, Chair, Jane Milliman, Shari Ochs, Marge Angell, Judie Larson, Barb Kohl
Due to Covid-19 this has been a quiet year for activities hosted by the Fellowship
Committee. We have drastically reduced the number of Women’s Lunches and potluck
dinners during this past year.
In July the committee helped with the lunch following Earl Angell’s memorial service.
We ended the year hosting a Christmas party at the Riverside Inn Restaurant.
Respectfully submitted,
Bonnie Miller, Chairperson

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CLERK OF SESSION REPORT
Session Members: Steve Anderson, Amy Bloch, Mary Clement, Bonnie Miller and Karen Butler
Clerk: Arleen Steele
We were without a Pastor from October 4, 2020 thru all of 2021. Due to the efforts of Brad Kohl in
implementing Zoom, we were able to able to start having in-person services in the building andconnecting with members and visitors unable to attend in-person with streaming the service. We
had several of our members that conducted the services on a regular basis and two from outsidethat helped when we needed them. Our members were Brad Kohl, Steve and Ginny Anderson,
Ray Larson, and Gail Peterson. The outside supply was Austin Nelson and Richard Lawrence.
Session purchased some new cameras and computer equipment for live streaming our services
and Steve Anderson worked with the person who helped set it all up and got it going. We wereable to get a grant for part of the expense.
Session met 11 times during the year and there were 2 congregational meetings.
Communion was celebrated 8 times during the year with Ray Larson administering 6 times andSteve Anderson and Richard Lawrence administering the other 2 times.
We lost two of our very faithful members in 2021, Earl Angell and Don Hoger.
Amy Bloch and Karen Butler resigned their posts on Session. Bonnie Miller is extending her term
to cover the last year of Karen Butler’s term.
Brenda Brittan was hired to replace Amy Bloch as custodian. Amy resigned her custodian job.
The session members for 2022 will be Bonnie Miller, Mary Clement, Steve Anderson and Dewey
Krueger.

Respectfully submitted,
Arleen Steele, Clerk of Session

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DEACONS COMMITTEE
2021 Members: Jack Becker, Becky Bury, Joan Krueger, (retiring member) Judie Larson, Jane
Milliman (retiring member) Gail Peterson
New members in 2022: Marge Angell and Shari Ochs
The Deacons met eight times during the year on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 11:00 AM.
Our main mission is to keep in contact with our members by phone calls, home visits, andsending of cards for different occasions. As we had no full time pastor for the year it was very
important that we tried to reach out to all those with needs. We tried to keep the church office
informed of those persons so they could be included in our church’s weekly email for prayers andconcerns.
After the first of the year the Mission and Deacons committee split back to their individualcommittees.
The Deacons Committee was in charge of distributing the Mary Lou Memorial Fund. The balanceat the first of the year was $1,336.54 and te Deacons Fund balance was $685.08. At the end of
the year Mary Lou’s Fund was zero and the Deacon’s Fund is $650.16. Expenditures during theyear were:• Mother’s and Father’s Day gift baskets for residents of Golden Horizon Home• School supplies for Crosslake Community School and Pequot Lakes Schools• Christmas for Kids
• Gift Card
• Money at Christmas time for our three college church members.
Balance of Mary Lou’s fund at the end of the war $436.54 which was gifted to Camp Knutson’s
Canteen Fund for campers. We feel that Mary Lou would be grateful that her memorial gift ofmoney went to help many children.
As we had no full or part-time pastor for the year we reviewed and updated our Deacons Funeral
duties. We assisted with Earl Angell’s funeral in July wherever we were needed.
Our Emergency Contact information was updated for church members. This list will be kept in the
church office in the Deacon’s cabinet.
We wish to encourage our members and friends to contact us when you have a need for afriendly visitor, prayer request, transportation or whatever your need may be.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane Milliman, Chairperson

Page 6MISSIONS COMMITTEE
2021 Members:
Shari Ochs, Chairperson; Steve Anderson, and Joan Krueger.
The committee meets several times a year, and sets the Mission Giving for the year.
Our mission giving for 2021 is listed below.
Respectfully submitted,
Shari Ochs, Chairperson

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FINANCE & STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE
Committee Members: Steve Anderson, Treasurer, Brenda Brittan, Financial Secretary, Dewey
Krueger, Patty Norgaard, Jan Lallman, and Loyal Meech, Chairperson.
Louis Smith oversees our Stock Market Investments and the Endowment Fund.
Gifts and Memorials sub-committee members include Brenda Brittan, Dewey Krueger, ShariOchs, and Marge Angell, Chairman.
2021 has been a very good year financially. The financial position of the church is the best it has
been for the last three years. The committee has met regularly and a total of 9 meetings were
held in-person or via Zoom throughout the year. A budget of $125,230 was established andapproved by Session and the Congregation. Operating expenses were held to more than
$47,000 under the original budget. This was primarily due to the fact that the original budget
contained funds to replace one of the four heat pumps should one fail and the fact that
personnel costs were less than budgeted. Giving during the year has been amazing. The
original 26 Pledges were for $84,900, but the actual contributions received were $101,529. This
meant that the original budget which projected the church would have to use reserves to meet
obligations did not require reserve funding.

With designated donations, the landscape edging around the exterior of the church building was
replaced. A new church sign was expected to be installed 2021. Thanks to Steve and his son,the old sign has been stabilized for the present time. Steve has moved funds to the Capital
Improvement Fund in anticipation of expenses for a new sign and the possibility of a heat pump
failure, Steve also secured a PPP loan in the amount of $23,700 which was used to pay salaries
for the staff. The loan has now been forgiven. An awning for the patio was installed with funds
from Gifts and Memorials. A laptop computer for the Friendship Hall was purchased with atechnology grant. The technology in the sanctuary was upgraded with funds from Gifts andMemorials. Crosslake Communications connected the church to Fiber Optics. This has madelive streaming of our worship services possible. The committee decided to provide a “Joy of
Giving” Christmas gift for the staff and others making a significant contribution during 2021.
The church held a Monster Sale during Crosslake Days and a net total of $5,385 was made. As
in the past, ten percent was designated for missions. Thank you, Amy Bloch and Tom
McCormack for leading this and to Jane Milliman with lots of help from the women of the church
for pricing items. Also, a special thank you to Dave Eiler, Dewey Krueger and Jack Becker forhandling all the outside activities. It was an outreach to the community and I thank all themembers and friends who worked so diligently to make the sale successful. Patty, Louis, andMary Kay Smith also made our church visible to the community at Senior Expo and the Chili
Cook-off held at the Log Church. In addition to serving chili, grab bags containing gifts andinformation about CPC were distributed.

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FINANCE & STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE$15,000 from earnings during previous years was transferred from the Endowment Fund for day
to day operations in anticipation of a budget shortfall. As the year progressed and we realizedthat our budget would be met, a total of $45,000 in reserves was reinvested. Return on
investments for 2021 was $13,320.83. Our investments in the Endowment Fund and Stock
Market are currently valued at $112,400. In addition, the reserve fund balance held at the bankis $116,228.
The budget for 2022 is expected to be approximately $151,600 pending Session andcongregational approval. To date we have received 18 pledges totaling $85,480. This shortfall
might force us to tap into our reserve funds. The church has already received $35,100 in funds
to be applied towards pledges for 2022.
During the year Jan Lallman has returned to the committee and we gladly welcome her. Late in
the year, Jane Milliman asked to be relieved as one of our two Financial Secretaries. Marge
Angell became the chair of the Gifts and Memorials sub-committee.
Arleen Steele volunteered to do a review of the church financial records for year 2020 but due tohealth reasons it is not yet completed. Arlene and Doug need our prayers.
Steve Anderson handled the duties of treasurer and Brenda Brittan served as financial secretaryfor 2021. Jan Lallman spearheaded the Pledge Drive for 2022 with help from Steve, Brenda, andJudy. I extend a big thank you to these individuals for their excellent work and for giving many,
many tireless hours in support of the finances for Crosslake Presbyterian Church.
Louis Smith carefully watches over the Endowment Fund and our investments in the Stock
Market. His report is attached. Marge Angell ably chaired the Gifts and Memorials subcommittee for 2021. The yearly report for Gifts and Memorials is also attached. My thanks toboth of these two individuals.
I also thank all the committee members listed at the beginning and throughout this report for
their service and dedication to overseeing CPC’s financial well-being. They are very able
members and our congregation is blessed to have them share their time and talent. And finally,
thanks to those of you in our church family for your contributions in underwriting our financial
needs so that ministry is possible.

Respectfully submitted,
Loyal Meech, Acting Chairperson

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GIFTS & MEMORIALS SUB-COMMITTEEThe Gifts & Memorials committee:
Marge Angell, Chair; Dewey Krueger, Shari Ochs and financial secretary Brenda Brittan
We meet as needed, either in person or by email. The beginning balance for 2021 was$14,851.60. Income was $3,435 in memorials for Earl Angell and Don Hoger. Expenditures were$12,520.42. Ending balance is $5,766.18.
The expenditures were:$496.40 for replacement of damaged paraments$500 to Camp Knutson and $500 to HART designated memorials for Earl Angell$4600 – awning for patio$370 – awning installation$5590.17 – live streaming equipment$463.85 – pre-lighted Christmas tree

Respectfully submitted,
Marge Angell, Chair
Page 10NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Committee Members: Bonnie Miller, Chairperson, Patty Norgaard, Ron Ochs and Joan Krueger
The Nominating committee filled three positions for the upcoming terms:
Nominated Session members are:•Dewey Krueger
Nominated Deacons are:•
Shari Ochs•
Marge Angell
Respectfully submitted,
Bonnie Miller, Chairperson

SPIRITUAL GROWTH & CHRISTIAN ED.

I am uncertain whether I am still officially responsible for spiritual growth and Christian education
at CPC, but as no one else seems to be taking that responsibility, it might be me.
I have not led classes or gatherings of any sort this past year, either in person or online. Any
attention I have given to the spiritual growth of our congregation has gone into the planning andleading of worship services. In 2021 Steve and I planned and led twenty worship services,
including giving the message at all those services except the Communion services where Pastor
Ray Larson gave the message.
As my attention will no longer be centered on preparing for and leading worship, I hope that I
can find other ways to help promote spiritual growth and Christian education in the future.
Respectfully submitted,
Ginny Anderson, Chairperson

Page 11PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
Committee Members: Mary Clement, Chairperson, Ron Ochs, Jack Becker, Arleen Steele,
Jerry Norgaard and Jan Lallman
The Personnel Committee was reorganized this year as required by the Administrative
Commission. The result was that the committee was set up per the Operations Manual as had
been done several years ago. That requirement was that there be a representative of any
committee responsible for hiring and working with an employee. Thus Building and Grounds(custodian), Worship (music team), church clerk ( office) F&S (budget) were all represented.
Additionally there were 2 at large members.

Our first order of business was a discussion of pastoral needs following which the committee
recommended to Session that Mark Ford be considered.
We lost one employee, Amy Bloch as custodian. Our thanks to Amy especially for her efforts in
keeping our building sanitized during Covid. Brenda Brittan was hired to be our new custodian.
Thank you Brenda for offering to minister to our congregation in this way (in addition to being
our financial secretary).
Each employee received a yearly evaluation. This was not a formal procedure but rather adiscussion of how things are going and how we as a church and an employee can work
effectively for the benefit of all. We are blessed to have wonderful and dedicated employees.

Christmas gifts were given to employees and to those who filled our pulpit since the Fall of
2020. Without these individuals, we could not have survived. Office administrator Judy Regan,custodians Amy Bloch and Brenda Brittan, keyboardist Glenda Meech, and all who provided
pulpit supply: Brad Kohl, Austin Nelson, Gail Peterson, Steve & Ginny Anderson. Thank you.
We have been blessed.
Those who answered the call and agreed to serve on the Personnel Committee were Jack
Becker (Buildings and Grounds), Arleen Steele (Worship and Clerk), Jan Lallman (Finance andStewardship), Jerry Norgaard and Ron Ochs at large. Thank you for sharing your time andtalent for this committee and this church. Also thank you to Patty Norgaard who coordinated theChristmas gifts in my absence.
As we look to our future, we will work with Pastor Ford, meeting with him on a regular basis tohear his vision for CPC and how we as a congregation can help so as to build a strong programof ministry for our members and our community.
On a personal note, I am most grateful to the members of this committee who tended to thework of the committee during my frequent absences the past 2 months. To know able people
were stepping in for me was so supportive and greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Clement

Page 12VISION & STRATEGY TASK FORCE REPORTIn October of 2021, the Vision and Strategy Task Force (V & S) was one year old. Over those past
twelve plus months, we met most every Thursday via Zoom at 2 P.M. Over that period, our agenda
always had at the top, “The Road to Recovery – Reflect – Revise – Revive”. Today we havestayed together as a church family. However, we are still on “The Road to Recovery.” We havelearned that we need to be flexible, have fun, and continue to build a strong foundation to survive.
We have been blessed!
As I reflect on the past year, communication was an important key to our survival this past year. In
early fall of 2020, we held a Zoom and in person meeting with the congregation. And it was rough,we weren’t proficient on Zoom yet and our church family was still a bit reluctant to “open up.” At thesame time, we needed to share the purpose of Vision and Strategy. Our goal was simple, to keep
this family together and, we learned along the way what we needed to do – communicate!
As we all know, in the spring Corona Virus curtailed many of our activities as a church - no choir, nofellowship after services, masks required and so on. During this time, V & S became a subcommittee of Session which allowed us to have a voice, make recommendations to the Session
members, however, with no vote. Our moderator at the time said, “every church should have a V &S.” We also met with Darin Seaman, head of the Minnesota Valley Presbytery Administrative
Commission (AC). With his guidance, we fulfilled the benchmarks required by the AC and were nolonger under their authority. That was a big moment in our Road to Recovery for our congregation.

Finally, on May 8th, we felt safe enough to hold a “Planning for Action” event in our friendship hall.
This was the first time we had been together as a congregation for a long time, and it was fun! We
opened with “Why are we here today?.” And followed it up with an ice breaker, and then breaking
into groups with specific exercises designed to discover and talk about out future. There wasserious conversation, interspersed with laughter and lunch!
In the meantime, based on what we learned on May 8 th, V & S decided a survey was needed tofurther understand the needs and wants of the CPC family. So, on June 18 th, after a Sunday
Funday, (coffee and doughnuts) a survey was handed out, completed and later compiled. We also
had our survey online for members who were not in attendance.
The results of the survey (Meeting our Future) were shared with the congregation on July 18 th. The
survey was a two-part survey – Order of Importance and Level of Importance. Inspiring Message
and pastor in place were highest on Level of Importance. Having a pastor in place was first in orderof importance followed by Inspiring Message. Also high on the level of importance are music,
fellowship and financial stability.
During this summer period, CPC was contacted by the Lakes Area Presbyterian Church (LAPC) in
Baxter to consider sharing a pastor – namely Mark Ford, and so we began conversations with them.
On August 22nd, V & S provided information to the church family regarding the process,expectations, challenges and priorities. While this seemed to be a perfect answer for us, Steve
Anderson advised us to pray and reflect before any decision be made. We continued to hold joint
meetings with LAPC to talk about shared ministry and on October 19, V & S along with Session
members held “Conversations with Pastor Mark Ford”. We felt that it was very important to learn
more about the potential new pastor for CPC.
Continued

Page 13VISION & STRATEGY TASK FORCE REPORT...Continued
Based on past experiences we learned that resumes don’t always give us a complete picture of apastor and so V & S remained cautious and optimistic. At the November Session meeting, it wasvoted to enter into a Terms of Agreement with LAPC with a 4 month “trial period”. Pastor Mark Ford
will begin his ministry with CPC January 9th. The Vision and Strategy will continue to play a role in
the future of CPC. While we remain optimistic for our future, we also recognize the challenges/
opportunities that lay before us. I’m not sure we have completely identified our CPC purpose. Our
mission statement tells us who we are, however, not so much what we do. Membership growth will
also be an opportunity that we must meet. In the coming months, V & S will work closely with
Pastor Ford, members of session and the church family to identify our potential for growth,
outreach, and sustainability for the future of CPC.
Please THANK the Vision and Strategy Task Force who have spent countless hours this past year,
not only as a part of V & S but also for the many other committees they have served. Arlene Steele,
Clerk of Session; Mary Clement, Session Member; Steve Anderson, CPC Treasurer and Session
Member; Bonnie Miller, Session Member; and Judy Regan, CPC Office Administrator.
Respectfully Submitted,
Patty Norgaard

WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Members: Ginny Anderson, Mary Clement, Glenda Meech and Arleen Steele, Chairperson.
On October 4, 2020 and through 2021, we started in-person services with social distancing in the
church according to CDC guidelines and using Zoom for members who could not come to church.
These services have helped us keep our members in touch with each other and the attendancehas been more than wonderful. A big THANK YOU to Brad Kohl for his expertise in helping uswith Zoom transmissions. Also, a big thank you to Austin Nelson, Brad Kohl, Ray Larson, Gail
Peterson and Steve and Ginny Anderson for serving in our pulpit. We are so fortunate to havetheir help.
Fortunately, the Session of Crosslake Presbyterian and the Session of Lakes Area Presbyterian
have entered into an agreement to have Pastor Mark Ford administer to both Churches beginning
in January, 2022.
Thank you to Ray Larson for administering communion to us for the time he spends with us in thewarmer months. It was much appreciated. Thank you also to Glenda Meech for her beautiful
music and to Marge Angell who always made sure the correct paraments were in place for thedifferent seasons.
Thank you to Judy Regan, Administrator for keeping everything running smoothly and keeping
members informed with a weekly newsletter.
Respectfully submitted,
Arleen Steele, Chairperson

Page 14

2021 BUDGET (Page 1)

Page 15

2021 BUDGET (Page 2)

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ORDINATION AND INSTALLATION SERVICEORDINATION AND INSTALLATION SERVICE
There are different gifts
But it is the same Spirit who gives them.
There are different ways of serving God,
But it is the same Lord who is served.
God works through different people in different ways,
But it is the same God who achieves his purpose through them all.
Each one is given a gift by the Spirit,
To use it for the common good.
Together we are the body of Christ,

And individually members of him.
Though we have different gifts……………………….that person must be a slave to all people.”
Just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to set others free.
Affirmation by those Being Installed
Unison Prayer
God of Grace, who called us to a common ministry as ambassadors of Christ, trusting
us with the message of reconciliation: give us courage and discipline to follow where yourservants rightly lead us; that together we may declare your wonderful deeds and show
your love to the world; through Jesus Christ the Lord of All. Amen

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