A YEAR TO FORGET OR A YEAR TO REMEMBER?

Many have said they are glad to see this year come to an end. We’ve had many challenges affecting all of us: election divisiveness, social unrest, economic uncertainty, and a global pandemic. On a personal level, people have lost jobs, suffered physical and emotional struggles, our children attended school online, and we’ve lived in isolation from family, friends, and our church family.

Yet amid these hardships, God remains faithful and has opened new opportunities for His church. We the church are not limited by pandemic restrictions or a changing culture. We are reminded that the heart of our mission is not centered on a building, a program, or a person other than the person of Jesus Christ. As we made the transition to online ministry, we’ve stayed together as a church community. Our methods may have changed, but our call remains the same: to love God passionately, love others deeply, and bless the world radically.

We, the church! I am extremely grateful for the way this community has walked together this year. You’ve shown agility and grace as we transitioned as a church to online worship, prayer meetings, and Life Groups. As a congregation you’ve continue to give, to serve, and to love others with deep compassion. Thank you for your commitment to the mission of Jesus through Pine Lake Covenant Church.

We, the church—our leaders have blessed us as they have adjusted to new realities with strong faith. Later in this report, you will find a list of these servant leaders. I am honored to serve alongside a committed Leadership Team and talented staff.

Finally, 2020 saw the retirement of Mark Meredith. Mark served as lead pastor of Pine Lake Covenant Church for eight years. Mark led the church through initial adjustments to pandemic restrictions and paved the way for a healthy future. We wish him and his wife, Patty, happiness in their retirement.

As we move into a new year, we do so with gratitude for God’s faithfulness and in confidence and hope that He will lead us into His purposes.

SHARON ANDERSON
Interim Lead Pastor

STAFF

Sharon Anderson, Interim Lead Pastor
Scott Jones, Communications Specialist
Amy Quinn, Director of Ministry Support
Nancy de Jong, Pastor of Children & Families
Kim Strobaugh, Ministries Coordinator
Mark Neely, Pastor of Student Ministries
Jedidiah Kim, Pastor of Worship Ministries

• In March, we shifted ministry online, including worship services, group connections, and the weekly prayer time.
• In April, we added daily pastoral reflection videos.
• In May, we walked and ran in the World Vision Global 6K and the 7-Day 6K, raising funds to provide clean water for more than 300 children.
• In June, we purchased and delivered more than 200 meals to frontline workers at Swedish Hospital.
• In June, we celebrated the completion of the Accelerate the Vision campaign. More than $1,445,000 was given through your generosity to position our church for future ministry.
• In June, we also joined other area churches to march in commitment to biblical justice.
• In July, we said goodbye to Mark and Patty Meredith and honored eight years of faithful ministry.
• In August, we hosted a backyard sports camp, delivering supplies to families in our community.
• In August, the leadership team held the Annual Meeting via Zoom. We elected new leaders and launched a lead pastor search process.
• In September, we began hosting a monthly Drive-Thru Communion in the church parking lot.
• In October, we joined with leaders from seven other Sammamish churches in the Prayer for our Nation online event to unify in prayer for the many concerns facing our nation.
• In October, we provided resources for 35 families connected to Young Life Capernaum.
• In October, we also hosted a Drive-Thru Harvest Hop for children of all ages.
• In December, we packaged over 20,000 meals—at home—for children in Sierra Leone.
• In December, we also sang together at Cocoa & Carols, using an FM transmitter to broadcast the music into our cars.

LEAD PASTOR SEARCH TEAM

Commissioned by the Leadership Team, the search team is charged with bringing to the congregation their recommendation for a new lead pastor. The team: Ralph Aye, Karin Jones, Jen Lescher, Julie Guse, Marisa Loper, Emmanuel Daniel, and Gary Brock (Chair)

LEADERSHIP TEAM REPORT
by Ivan Judson, Chair

As the year comes to a close, it’s a time of reflection and a time to look ahead. In 2021, the Leadership Team will begin the process of planning for a post-pandemic reality where we can be a church that serves our community.

Among the changes we managed during 2020…

• Pastor Mark Meredith’s retirement
• Appointing Pastor Sharon Anderson as Interim Lead Pastor
• The sale of one rental home
• Preparing to sell the second rental home
• A pandemic requiring us to stop meeting in person and affected our entire church family
• Ongoing budgetary challenges made worse by the pandemic.

Financially, we are ending 2020 on solid ground:

• We sold the first home
• We paid down the mortgage
• We replenished our emergency fund
• We reviewed staff compensation for those who depended on the rental homes
• We still have one more home to sell.

The Accelerate the Vision capital campaign funded renovations in the sanctuary. The mortgage was reduced significantly and created funds for outreach. We are hopeful we can find the funds to continue the Vision Action Team’s plans to renovate the main building’s lower level.

PLCC is a faithful community—faithful to God and faithful to one another. No need has gone unmet. During this season of reflection, please prayerfully consider what PLCC can look like as the pandemic subsides and we create a new normal. “Still, we should look for new ways to express (or extend) the love of God to include as many people as possible to be part of this community.”

The Leadership Team is only one part of what keeps PLCC functioning, and I want to thank all the members of our Missions, Finance, Home Sales teams, and the Vision Action Team. Please consider serving on these teams or elsewhere in the church.

We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Contact us at leadershipteam@plcc.org.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Ivan Judson (Chair), Nici Baughman, Suman Chakrabarti, Jen Lescher, Tony Pound, Curtis Repp, Corina Shemanski, Pastor Sharon Anderson (Ex officio)

FINANCIAL PICTURE
by Tony Pound, Finance Team Officer

Our fiscal year is September 2019 through August 2020. Last year we had a $99,000 deficit budget. PLCC had $1.2 million expenses vs. $1.1 million in tithes and income. We finished the year at a deficit of $128,000 when excluding the sale of one of the two rental houses. Including the gains from the sale of the rental house we finished the year at a surplus of $163,000. We continued to reduce debt and improve our balance sheet.

At our annual meeting this year we voted on and approved a balanced budget. We are just a few months into our fiscal year and we are off to a good start. Thank you for your giving!

The end of the year is a time of looking back and counting blessings as well as looking to the new year. We thank all the people involved in serving despite the pandemic. We pray that 2021 will provide opportunities for more people to become involved in life at Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Below is just a partial list of those who have served at Pine Lake Covenant Church.