2020 Annual Report and 2021 Ministry Plan

times - one family at a time. Our beloved Advent
wreath making tradition continued via a drive
through distribution of candles and greens. Advent
wreath lighting at church took place outside each
week through a lighted display on the front lawn
crafted by Vicar Justin. We gathered gifts for school
children. Carol Rabideau and her team brought a live
nativity to our grounds and Bobby the camel quite
literally stopped traffic on Center Street. A delightful
day for sure and perhaps the start of a new annual
tradition here in the neighborhood. In the limited
numbers allowed for life transitions, we celebrated
the baptisms of our babies and the lives of saints
who were lost. We remained faithful in our offering,
exceeded our pledged financial contribution to the
work of the Greater Milwaukee Synod and, beyond
that, tithed our Payroll Protection grant to synodical
COVID relief efforts. Thank you, people of Mount
Carmel, for your continued commitment and
generous giving to our life together through your
finances, care and prayer. On a personal note, thank
you for your ongoing encouragement as pastors
scrambled to ‘do’ church in all kinds of new and
adapted ways.
This new year, 2021, will build on the work begun in
2020. Despite the challenges of a pandemic, the
Renovation Team continued to gather and
incorporate congregational input for plans to
enhance the space in Fellowship Hall. The proposed
plans include ADA compliant bathrooms, a gender
neutral/family friendly restroom, a ramp for
independent accessibility to the space, a labyrinth
for prayer and contemplation, improved hospitality
and efficiency in meal service, revamped storage,
upgraded audio/visual equipment, a fireplace and an
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extension of the visual elements of the Gathering
Space upstairs - at least according to the
architectural drawings. But what the plan truly offers
is an enhanced welcome and a tangible commitment
to expanded mission and connection with the world
around us. I thank this team and church leadership
for their thoughtful and creative vision of this
Welcome Place + Welcome Space.
Other elements of the work we have done together
in 2020 will also come to fruition in 2021 as two
members of our congregation, Vicar Justin Kierzek
and Jaime Larson-McLoone, graduate from seminary,
are ordained and assigned to their first calls in
parish ministry. Mount Carmel, there too you have
been faithful and generous, a welcoming and
affirming place for their gifts to be nurtured. And,
oh, how the mission of the church will be blessed
and strengthened as their talents and passions are
released to the world!
As Jaime left her position as Director of
Communications for parish internship, we welcomed
Amanda Shook to that role. Through the turmoil of
the unpredictable events of this year, I remain
impressed and thankful for the commitment,
creativity and steadiness of the entire church staff
and church leadership. As Jay Van Cleave concludes
his term as Council President, I am so very grateful
for the legacy he leaves us all from his time in that
role. Say it with me: God will provide! In these
unsettling times, God has provided and continues to
provide in ways beyond our knowing. As so many
aspects of our lives have changed, God remains
faithful in God’s love and care for the world.
Yesterday, today, always…in Christ. ~ Pastor Pam