AR 2015 for web

Dear Church:
This year’s annual congregational meeting is the seven-year mark for me as your
lead pastor. What a great seven years it has been and I look forward to at least seven
more!
The number seven figures prominently in the Old Testament. God created the heavens
and the earth and on the seventh day God rested. Every seven years Israel celebrated
a sabbatical year. The year of Jubilee followed seven cycles of sabbatical
years. The seventh day, the seventh year, and the year of Jubilee are creation
rhythms God established with Israel for rest, reflection, and renewal of covenant
vows.
Being our fiftieth anniversary, 2015 was a kind of “year of jubilee” for Clear Lake
Presbyterian Church (CLPC). It was a season to reflect on God’s past faithfulness, to
recognize God’s present blessings, and to dedicate ourselves to God’s future. Since
the founding of our church, the world has rapidly changed. Rather than viewing this
as a threat, however, we grasped this as God’s opportunity. While average worship
attendance and overall membership declined in 2015, more people than ever are
connecting with CLPC through social media, with over 14,000 hits on our sermon
podcasts. We launched the “Research and Development Initiative” to experiment
with being church in new places and in untraditional ways. We began being more
creative and intentional in the ways we care for one another and grow together
spiritually. Our mission partnerships remain stronger than ever.
These are just some of the ways we are pressing forward into God’s future. Enjoy
reading through this report. Listen to the story God reveals in these pages. Let us
lock arms together for what God has in store for the next seven, and seven times
seven years!
In the joy of Christ,
Steve