2022 Annual Report

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Annual Report 2022

Our mission at Grace is:

To teach the inspired and inerrant Word of God,

To proclaim that Jesus Christ is the crucied and risen Savior of the world, and

To nurture believers for lives of Christian service.

2022 Annual Report

Pastor Koehler

Yes, I will proclaim the name of the L . Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock! Perfect is his work. Indeed all of his ways are justice. He is a faithful God. Deuteronomy 32:3-4a

2022 was a year full of blessings like baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and members reaching the goal of their faith as they were called home to heaven. It was also a year of faithfulness from our God as he came to us week after week with his Spirit-powered Word and with the body and blood of Christ in the Sacrament. These things rank as the most valuable for us, but God gave us even more! We were blessed with meaningful Christian relationships that brought joy and support and encouragement when needed. God gave us many opportunities to serve others individually, in groups, and in worship or at events. A grateful Christian gives joyful, generous, and regular offerings to God, and God used those to serve members with the gospel every day of the year and to reach out to others with the good news of forgiveness and salvation by faith in Jesus. God’s was faithful, and his works were perfect among us...all year.

ADMINISTRATION

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Set things in order. Be encouraged. Agree with one another. Be at peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11

Pastors at Grace-Tucson

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Pastor Kassulke served as Grace-Tucson’s Lead Pastor. His volunteer responsibilities outside of Grace included: Circuit Pastor for the Saguaro Circuit (Southern AZ, including the Tucson area, Sahuarita, Vail, Benson, Safford, and Sierra Vista) and Vice-Chairman of the Arizona Pastors’ Conference.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Pastor Patoka served as Grace-Tucson’s pastor for Youth and Family, as well as Campus Ministry. Outside of his Grace work, he served as Pastoral Advisor for Mission to the Children and as a member of the WELS Campus Ministry Committee.

Pastor Ron Koehler

Pastor Koehler served as Grace’s Administrative Pastor, along with daily ministry responsibilities at Grace-Tucson. His volunteer work outside of Grace included serving as the Northwestern Publishing House Contact for the pastors of our our area. He concluded his second of three years as a mentor to a new pastor, a 2020 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, as part of the WELS Pastor Partners Mentoring Program.

Pastor at Grace-Benson and Grace-Vail

Pastor Seth Scheuerlein In 2022, Pastor Scheuerlein completed his first full year as pastor at Benson and Vail after being installed as one of Grace’s mission pastors on September 12, 2021.

Pastor Ryan Heiman

Pastor at Grace-Sahuarita

Pastor Heiman continued to serve as Grace’s mission pastor at Sahuarita. In addition to his work at Grace, he completed his work as a mentor to young pastor in our district, a 2019 Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary graduate. This is part of the WELS Pastor Partners Mentoring Program.

Grace’s pastors reserved Tuesday mornings for meetings made up of three important things. The first was study, the opportunity to discuss God’s Word and how we serve as pastors. This typically means a discussion of reading that is done in advance of the meeting. In 2022, we read ChristCentered Preaching in order to discuss preaching in general and to improve our preaching skills. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell was next. We learned leadership principles and how to apply them for ourselves and for sharing with others serving in the congregation. This was a recommendation from Eric Roecker, the WELS Director for the Commission on Evangelism and one of the developers of Everyone Outreach. The second part of weekly meetings was a sharing of the previous week’s ministry for each pastor. This helped to keep each informed on the overall ministry of the congregation and to offer encouragement or direction to each other. The third thing was the opportunity to do cooperative work with things like scheduling, events, worship, etc.

The pastors enjoyed opportunities for continued education and spiritual growth as they attended monthly meetings of the Saguaro Circuit (Tucson, Sahuarita, Vail, Benson, Safford, Sierra Vista) and pastoral conferences. 2022 was an exceptional year because Grace hosted both of the annual pastors’ conferences. Grace-Sahuarita was the location for the Arizona Pastors’ Conference in May. Grace-Tucson hosted the AZ-CA District Pastors’ Conference in October. What a privilege it was for Grace’s members to serve others and support the pastors who faithfully serve God’s people throughout our district!

Grace Central Office Staff

Debbie Koehler

Administrative Assistant

Debbie was responsible for the operation of Grace’s Central Office. She managed information and communication for all sites while assisting the pastors with many day-to-day things, helping them to manage site-specific items, membership and ministry tasks, along with multi-site efforts. It was common to see her go beyond the expectations of the position.

Beth Kassulke

Worship Coordinator

Beth continued to faithfully serve in this vital position for our congregation. Once again, she did an excellent job with the incredible amount of communication and planning required. Every week she did service planning for worship at all sites, handled the coordination of accompanists, instrumentalists, those singing in worship, and copyright compliance for all worship folders and streamed services. She created the worship folders for every service and the slides for streamed services. Beth’s work was invaluable for the pastors, as it allowed them to focus their efforts on other areas of ministry.

Cora Stuhr

Office Assistant

Once again, Cora served by working remotely on larger publications like the monthly newsletter, quarterly report booklets, and the congregation’s annual report. Her work was not only a benefit for the congregation, but also for the pastors and those who work in the office.

Cinda Drescher

Grace Bible-based Counselor

Our congregation continued to be blessed by having Cinda on Grace’s staff. Anyone seeking Bible-based counseling from a professional counselor was able to see her at no cost to them. As a result, her work was a blessing for Grace members, WELS members from other congregations, and others from the community. The pastors were grateful for her service and for the ability to occasionally partner with her in counseling.

Service by Grace’s Members

Instead whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28

The gospel ministry of any congregation requires the work of God’s people motivated by the love of Christ for them. The grace of God inspires them to serve God and others with their talents and their spiritual gifts. This annual report contains the faithful work of Grace’s members. Every area of ministry at every site depended on members with servant hearts. Consider all the people needed to carry out the spiritual teaching of children, young people, and adults. Think of all those who welcomed winter visitors, greeted college students, and made guests feel at home. How many people did it take to put on all of the outreach events, fellowship events, service projects, and conferences? How many more to serve you in worship areas like technology, ushering, greeting, communion and altar prep, accompanists, instrumentalists, singers, directors? Some served as planners, organizers, “worker bees.” The ways that people served are too many to list. How much more the number of individuals who served! Love for Christ and love for each other is what motivated you. Thank you for your service in Grace’s ministry!

Membership

The chart below shows the membership history of Grace since it became a multisite congregation with four locations. Though Grace is one congregation, each member has a primary place of worship. That is reflected in the chart. The notes provide insight into some of the challenges and blessings over those nine years. The numbers at each location also reflect the movement of some of our members as they have changed their primary place of worship from one site to another. The continued growth at Sahuarita is a joy to see. All members called home to heaven in 2022 were from Tucson. Despite ongoing efforts to encourage a number of members to return to worship and congregational life at Tucson, the membership action list in this annual report shows that many did not and were released or removed from membership.

In addition to its members, Grace is blessed with the opportunity to serve many others. GraceSahuarita has contact every day with non-member families through the Child Learning Center. That location typically also sees the highest number of winter visitors of any of our sites. Tucson’s established outreach programs WELS Tucson Campus Ministry and English Classes put them in contact with a large number of people. The church’s proximity to the University of Arizona allows them to serve upwards of 100 students during the course of a typical year with worship, Bible study, and student parking. The same is true for English Classes, which normally allows them to serve about another 60 non-members. After the more difficult COVID times, 2022 saw a gradual increase in the direction of those numbers.

Thrivent Action Teams

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10

Members of our congregation and many other people benefitted from Grace members assembling Thrivent Action Teams in 2022. Thrivent Financial offers awards of $250 dollars (either one or two per year) to their members so that they can assemble a team of volunteers to serve others. Many programs and events at Grace met the criteria for these awards. In the last year, Grace members were able to make a difference in our communities and in people’s lives in many ways, in fact, more than ever! The number of teams assembled and awards used were the highest since we began making use of them in 2017. We finished the year with $18,500 in Action Team funds! That’s 74 teams and ministry events that received full or partial funding. What a blessing for our ministry! Thank you to all who helped by forming an Action Team and thank you to Thrivent for making these funds available!

ADULT SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Blessed are you, O L ! Teach me your statutes. With my lips I tell about all the judgments that come from your mouth. I rejoice in the way that is taught by your testimonies as much as I delight in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts, and I will consider your paths.

In your statutes I delight. I will not forget your words. Psalm 119:12-16

Like the psalmist, who expressed his understanding of the importance of learning God’s Word and his desire to do so, Christians today want to study God’s Word. It is always a blessing for those who are involved in a Bible study with fellow Christians in addition to their personal devotional life. This allows them to benefit from the insight of fellow Christians and the instruction of trained pastors. The classes listed below were held on Sundays and during the week so that those eager to examine the Scriptures could do so. We were once again able to stream the Sunday morning Bible study from Tucson.

Benson Galatians, Gospel in the Psalms, Large Catechism, 1 Corinthians (Pastor Scheuerlein taught the midweek class. Thank you to Bill Warskow for teaching the Sunday morning classes!)

Sahuarita Book of Judges, Philippians, Revelation, The Precious Position of a Woman of God, 10 Lies About God, Large Catechism, The Bible Project

Tucson Here We Stand, History of the Christian Church, The Precious Position of a Woman of God, Grow in Grace (part), Prepared to Answer, 10 Lies About God, God and the Government

Vail Genesis, Lord’s Prayer, Means of Grace, Gospel Gems from Isaiah, Augsburg Confession, Male and Female He Created Them, 10 Lies About God, Grow in Grace Course

Grace’s pastors taught a number of Grow in Grace classes during the year also. These classes teach the basics of Scripture and prepare people for membership in the congregation.

Adult Bible Study Average Attendances

The number of the Lord’s people who delighted in his Word by joining to study it with others jumped again in 2022 as it did the year before. The number of classes increased as well.

It is encouraging to see that the Sunday morning Bible study attendances at Sahuarita, Tucson, and Vail all increased, as did Tucson’s Wednesday evening class, and Vail’s midweek study. Others maintained their typical numbers. A Benson midweek class was added also.

2022

Typical Sunday mornings at each site:

Multi-Site Ministry

Each year it is a pleasure to share Grace’s experiences, blessings, and challenges as a multi-site congregation with pastors and congregations around the country. We were able to do so with churches in Wisconsin and Idaho during the year. Churches are often interested in how we became a multi-site congregation, our philosophy and approach to ministry, constitution and bylaws, and ministry structure.

2022 Official Acts and Membership Changes

Births (5)

Piper Angel GT

Maeve Deitering GT

Raylen Goldie GT

Finley Dins GT

Addison Silman GS

Child Baptisms (13)

Violet Kassulke GT

Piper Angel GT

Christian Miles GT

Iker Sanchez GS

Rheyden Hammer GS

Brynlee Hammer GS

Maeve Deitering GT

Finley Dins GT

Leovanni Lopez GS

Railey Jean Riddle (in TN)

Savannah Dugan GS

Peyton Probst GS

Juniper Godino GS

Adult Baptism (3)

Eva Miles GT

Chris Hammer GS

Sarah Dugan GS

Youth Confirmations (2)

Colby Heinz GT

Dakota Wheeler GT

Marriage (3)

Nicole Peterson & Doug Velasco GT

Brianna Mork & Darin Colton GT

Nicole Weinstein & Seth Scheuerlein GT

Adult Confirmations (9)

Kenneth Acevedo & Shawna McNeill GS (Ryan Acevedo, Jordanne & Kyleigh Heathcock)

Ann Strickler GS

Jeromy Zwiers GS

Chris & Sarah Hammer GS (Rheyden & Brynlee)

Peter Hollins GT

Mary Muljadi GT

Sarah Dugan GS

Released to other Christian Church (4)

Annie Kennaugh GS

Cade Johnson GT

Denise Hansen GT

Grace Hansen GT

Removed from Membership (2) (Inactive and no communication)

Adam Olander GT

Theresa Freimark GS

Released from Membership (11) (Self-exclusion or requested release)

Steve Kolbow GV

Ron Stevens (Lucy) GT

Lynette Rentschler GT

Josiah Weinstein GT

Jacob Hansen GT

Christina Griffin GT

Dione Heer GT

Jay & Britney Huggins GT

Jerry & Cari Fedorenko GT

Transfers In (12)

Larry & Pat Buske GS

Leon & Jean Roske GS

David & Jane Neujahr GS

Chad & Jennifer Rickling GS

Matthew Blank GS

James Clark GS

Elton & Phyllis Zuehlke GS

Transfers Out (10)

Sue Sargent-McEwen GV

Dolores Pettit GS

Matt & Jessica Goldie (Noah, Raylen) GS

Jeremy & Alex Maas (Ollie, Theo, Mia) GS

Eric, Julie, Rachel Prigge GV

Reagan Lane (Asher, Eden) GT

Called Home to Heaven (7)

Paul Wismer GT

John Colton GT

Jo Davis GT

Ray Bondy GT

Jon Guenther GT

Bernice Marsala GT

Pat Nielsen GT

Sahuarita Site Pastor Report

Rev. Ryan Heiman

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Grace Sahuarita enjoyed another year of growth and challenges. It truly was a year blessed by God again beyond our expectations. We were able to grow our membership and the number of students in our Child Learning Center. We continue to enjoy the blessings of our multisite ministry as we support each other in the work toward the growth of God’s kingdom.

Worship: We continued the upward trend in worship attendance this year. We welcomed more souls into the kingdom of God through the waters of baptism and grew the congregation with new members via adult confirmation. Our average attendance of members continues to grow while we have noticed a slight downward trend in winter visitors. Visitors filled our sanctuary on Palm Sunday, Preschool Graduation, Sahuarita Children’s Choir Sunday, and Christmas Eve. Monday night worship (January-April) served as an alternative service for those who preferred evening worship over morning worship. The Sahuarita Choir served by not only introducing new musical settings but also gave beautiful glory to God through music.

Education: We were blessed with increased attendance in our Sunday School and Children’s Church. Adults grew in faith and knowledge through our two Bible Studies each week on Sundays and Wednesdays. Our study on the book of Revelation proved to very popular with our members.

CLC: We celebrated year 2 of the CLC operating in Sahuarita. It was amazing to watch God grow our enrollment even more in 2022. We did have 3 teachers resign during 2022, but have already filled 2 of those calls with new teachers. The children continue to be cared for by our dedicated staff of called workers and assistant teachers.

Fellowship: After worship, fellowship continued to be well attended and served as a great opportunity for members to interact as well as time to welcome guests and visitors. We also hosted additional fellowship meals with Voters’ Meetings, pot-luck lunch, and even hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 240 people, including members and CLC families. We also began installing a picture wall in the entryway of the church to allow members to recognize the many new members and winter visitors.

It Takes The Community Scholarship Fund: We hosted our third golf charity event which, paired with a couple restaurant fund raisers, added $7,000 to the fund. Over $10,000 from the fund was used to support child care needs in our community in 2022.

Outreach: Most of our outreach efforts were centered around the CLC. Every family goes through a parent orientation which has opened doors to share the gospel. We had numerous baptisms, and I was able to teach multiple Grow in Grace classes throughout the year. It was a joy to be part of what God is doing in Sahuarita through his Word. We had a mission trip team from St. Croix Lutheran High School which brought 11 high school students to help do outreach in Sahuarita (and Vail). We also hosted Everyone Outreach which led to numerous good ideas, one of which is greeting during worship. We had a booth at Fiesta Sahuarita, and had a float (which won 3rd place) in the Sahuarita Christmas Parade. We are also hosting our “parties with a purpose” as part of the harvest strategy each month.

Church and CLC Buildings: While the majority of the construction was completed in 2020, throughout 2022 we continued to finish small projects, repair mistakes, and even ended up in legal negotiations to complete the contract of our building project. We have been blessed to worship and teach in our buildings which continue to be recognized in our community. We finally completed the design of the Art/Nature garden next to the CLC building and hope that 2023 will bring the completion of the construction of this project funded by the Freeport/McMoran mines.

Tucson Youth & Family Pastor Report Rev. Tim Patoka

Little Lambs

Description: Little Lambs is a ministry for Grace-Tucson’s (GT) members ages 0-2 and their parents. Little Lambs is intended to encourage these young families to connect with each other and develop good habits around God’s Word on Sunday mornings between worship services.

Report: Little Lambs met monthly during the spring with one child in attendance on average. Little Lambs was discontinued for the rest of the year.

Thanks to Jenna Dietrich for teaching and to Beth Kassulke for coordinating.

Children’s Bible Hour

Description: Children’s Bible Hour (CBH) is GT’s ministry for children in preschool through grade 8 on Sunday mornings in the Education Building between worship services. Because this ministry follows the school year, its annual activity is broken down by the semester.

Spring Semester (January through May): Children began together to celebrate baptisms and birthdays, sing Bible songs, and hear an opening devotion. Children were then divided up into classrooms according to their grades: preschool through grade 5 finished their overview of the New Testament and grades 6-8 studied the Catechism’s chief parts of the Creed and Lord’s Prayer. Grace was blessed to confirm youth members Dakota Wheeler and Colby Heinz. There was a weekly average attendance of 19 children.

Thanks to Beth Kassulke for leading the songs and coordinating, to Steph Weinstein and Jay Wiechmann for Thrivent Action Team funding, and to Amy Rudd, Missy Wiechmann, Lisa Deitering, Danielle Stevens, Phil Holden, Lori Cole, and Jenn Miller for teaching.

Summer Semester (June through August 7): GT did a summer unit that combined all the children for a video-based unit called “Faith Case: Fruit of the Spirit.” Children followed the investigative antics of Adam Apple as he set out on missions to discover the sevenfold fruit of the Spirit. Children also heard Bible lessons and participated in activities that reinforced the lesson’s teachings. There was a weekly average attendance of 12 children.

Thanks to Beth Kassulke for leading, coordinating, and teaching.

Fall Semester (August 14 through December): CBH resumed its typical schedule during the school year with children starting off together before dividing up into their classrooms. Children in preschool through grade 5 began a yearlong overview of the entire Bible. Children in grades 6-8 looked at the Catechism’s units on the Word of God, the First Article, and the Second Article. There was a weekly average attendance of 15 children.

Thanks to Beth Kassulke for leading the songs and coordinating, and to Amy Rudd, Missy Wiechmann, Nicole Scheuerlein, Emma Rautenberg, Jenn Miller, and Lori Cole for teaching.

Children’s Outreach Events

Description: GT was blessed to host three children’s outreach events: Easter for Kids, Summer Bible Camp, and Christmas For Kids. They are described as follows.

Easter For Kids (E4K): E4K was held on April 9. Children in preschool through grade 5 were invited to learn about our risen Savior. Approximately 45 children attended. An additional 15 registered but did not attend. Each non-Grace household received a thank you gift bag. Though no guests came the following day to worship, one E4K household attended GT’s Easter Sunrise service.

Thanks to Gary Kojo for graphic art design and printing, to Katie Patoka, Emma Rautenberg, Danielle Stevens, Paul Kassulke, Sandy Weir, Nadine Rentschler, Jeannette O’Donald, Cora Stuhr, Evelyn Rohloff, Hailey Brandt, Cade Burrow, Lori Cole, Jacob Cole, David Farley, and Logan Farley for helping at E4K, and to Cindi Breitkreitz and Chris Stuhr for Thrivent Action Team funding.

Summer Bible Camp (SBC): SBC was a rebranded Vacation Bible School. Children in preschool through grade 5 were invited to GT on July 18-22 for “Road Trip Route 3:16” to visit five popular destinations and learn the Bible’s truths behind them. There was a daily average of 15 children with 16 who attended at least once. There were an additional 10 who registered but never attended. Each non-Grace household received a thank you gift bag. SBC held its closing service and picnic on Sunday, July 24.

Thanks to Lori Cole for coordinating and decorating, to Molly Farley, Leah Wiechmann, Nicole Scheuerlein, Connor Farley, Cora Stuhr, Lori Cole, Logan Farley, Audrey Nessinger, Jacob Cole, Emma Miller, Rylie Follendorf, Ryan Horn, Erin Long, Sally Littau, Zach Miller, Trevor Horn, Colby Heinz, and Carson Heinz for helping to put SBC on, to Gary Kojo for graphic design and printing, to Katie Patoka and Jeremy Snavely for putting on SBC’s closing service, to the Miller family (DJ, Jenn, Jon, Jacob, Emma, and Zach), Jeff and Steph Weinstein, Trevor Horn, Debbie Koehler, and Katie Patoka for putting on SBC’s picnic, and to Karen Grorud and Chris Stuhr for Thrivent Action Team funding.

Christmas For Kids (C4K): GT held C4K on December 10 and invited children in preschool through grade 5 to learn about their newborn Savior. 17 children attended (5 not from Grace) and were invited to sing the song they learned in GT’s 10am worship service on December 11. Sadly, no nonGrace households attended Grace after C4K.

Thanks to Lori Cole and Jenn Miller for decorating, to Katie Patoka, Cora Stuhr, Lori Cole, Deb Bakken, Jim Bakken, Sally Littau, Hailey Brandt, Evelyn Rohloff, Connor Farley, Logan Farley, Emma Miller, Molly Farley, Zach Miller, and Trevor Horn for helping put C4K on, to Gary Kojo for graphic art design and printing, and to Jay Wiechmann for Thrivent Action Team funding.

Lifeliners

Description: Lifeliners is a ministry for Grace’s members in grades 9-12. They discuss biblical truths in small-group Bible study, strengthen friendships with each other, and participate in special events. These activities are all designed to help them mature in their faith and find good influences as they become young adults. Because this ministry follows the school year, its annual activity will be broken down by the semester.

Spring Semester (January through May): GT’s Lifeliners began their Sunday morning Bible study unit on 1 & 2 Corinthians with a weekly average of 3 high schoolers in attendance. They raised $830 from their 2021 calendar fundraiser and $625 from their Chupala lunch fundraiser.

Thanks to David Farley and Jake Kassulke for teaching and to Deb Sloyan for Thrivent Action Team funding.

Summer Semester (June through August 7): GT’s Lifeliners finished their Sunday morning Bible study unit on 1 & 2 Corinthians and began a unit on James. There was a weekly average of 2 high schoolers in attendance. 4 of Grace’s Lifeliners went to the Youth Rally in Knoxville, TN from June 28 through July 1. Teenagers grew in faith with their peers under the theme “Royal People, Momentous Purpose” from the book of Esther. Grace’s Lifeliners were also invited to its F3 summer ministry where teens gathered four times at GT for an evening of food, faith, and fun. An average of 7 teenagers participated in F3.

Thanks to David Farley for teaching Lifeliners Bible study and to Katie Patoka for helping prepare F3’s food.

Fall Semester (August 14 through December): GT’s finished their Sunday morning Bible study unit on the book of James and began a new unit called “Do I Have to Make A Choice?” that explored making God-pleasing decisions in a variety of topics. There was an average attendance of 5 high schoolers per week. Lifeliners began monthly fellowship outings in September that included an escape room, selfie scavenger hunt, mini golf, and campfire. 5 high schoolers participated on average. Grace’s Lifeliners were also invited to a new teen ministry event called Youth Night. Youth Night is designed to take place once per semester during the school year and gather teenagers from the greater Tucson area for an evening of worship, biblical presentation, small-group discussion, fun,

and food. 5 of Grace’s Lifeliners attended the first Youth Night that GT hosted on October 1 titled “How to Use the Power of God.” Grace’s Lifeliners began their 2022 calendar fundraiser and raised $620 through December 31.

Thanks to David Farley for teaching Lifeliners Bible study, to Katie Patoka, Hailey Brandt, Emma Rautenberg, August Weinstein, and Vicar and Christina Otto for helping put on Youth Night, and to Paul Kassulke and Katie Patoka for Thrivent Action Team funding.

Grace Members at WELS Schools

Grace is blessed to have WELS schools for its members to attend. These schools provide ample opportunity for the students to develop friendships with fellow Christians. They also help parents fulfill their God-given calling to raise these precious souls in the light of the Lord so that they remain children of God in body, mind, and soul for all their lives.

Grace finished 2022 with 19 members at WELS schools, 13 at Redeemer Lutheran School (K-8) in Tucson, 4 at Arizona Lutheran Academy (9-12) in Phoenix, and 2 (studying to be pastors) at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. Grace offered a scholarship to these students whose parents requested it after receiving other forms of financial aid.

Grace provided educational resources to its members to encourage them to support the Christian education that 17 of our children receive at WELS schools in Arizona. These resources highlighted organizations like Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization that help Arizona taxpayers support Christian education at no additional cost to them. Grace also informed school-aged parents of the Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) option that became available on September 30 to help parents fund their children’s tuition at WELS schools in Arizona.

WELS Tucson Campus Ministry

Description: WELS Tucson Campus Ministry (TCM) is a ministry at GT for those ages 18-24 that seeks to strengthen the faithful, retain the straying, and enlighten the lost. The large majority of TCM’s participants are full-time students at the University of Arizona (UA). Because TCM follows the school year, its annual activity is broken down by the semester.

Spring Semester (January through May): TCM’s participants grew their faith in Christ through a weekly Bible study on Sunday evenings. The topics were primarily based on Matthew’s Gospel and saw a weekly average of 10 college-aged adults in attendance. TCM’s participants also grew in friendship with each other during paintballing, hiking, and campfire outings. For the first time in years, TCM hosted a midweek Lenten supper to say thanks to Grace’s members for all their support. An average of 5 college-aged adults attended its outings and served supper. Altogether, TCM had the privilege to serve 35 different college-aged individuals, many of whom had no church home.

Thanks to Emma Rautenberg and Hailey Brandt for their work as Student Assistants, to Bryan Wright and Greg Grorud for Thrivent Action Team funding, and to WELS Campus Ministry for subsidizing Student Assistant payroll and TCM’s online advertising.

Summer Semester (June through July): TCM accomplished one of its long-term goals: become a UA recognized student club. This is instrumental in TCM’s continual aim to reach the college-aged community as it opens doors for TCM to increase its on-campus presence and serve those UA students who would not otherwise leave campus. TCM also secured its 2022-2023 subsidy from WELS Campus Ministry to pay for Student Assistant payroll and its online advertising.

Thanks to Emma Rautenberg for serving as TCM’s club president, to Hailey Brandt as TCM’s club secretary, to Maren Steffen as TCM’s club treasurer, and to Professor Matt Gilbert (member at Shepherd of the Hills) as TCM’s faculty advisor.

Fall Semester (August through December): The fall semester saw a number of firsts in addition to TCM’s usual activities. Its usual activities were the weekly Sunday evening Bible study (8 on average for a lesson on the book of James), and monthly events (7 on average for game night, ax throwing, homeless care bag stuffing, serving midweek Advent dinner, start and end of semester parties). A sizeable minority of college-aged adults had no church home. Its firsts were a table at

UA’s Bash at the REC event and Student Club Fair. TCM also began a midweek Bible study on the UA campus that read and discussed John Jeske’s book “Connecting Sinai to Calvary.” An average of 5 college-age adults attended. TCM had the privilege to serve 43 different college-aged individuals at least once during the fall semester.

Thanks to Student Assistants: Emma Rautenberg and Hailey Brandt, to Student Club Officers: Emma Rautenberg, Hailey Brandt, and Maren Steffen, to Faculty Advisor: Professor Matt Gilbert, to Thrivent Action Team funders: Greg Grorud, Bryan and Miriam Wright, and to WELS Campus Ministry for subsidizing Student Assistant payroll and TCM’s online advertising.

GT Parking Lot

Description: GT has been blessed with a large parking lot in a location where parking is at a premium. This offers an opportunity to create outreach contacts through TCM’s parking privileges, to serve the community with convenient parking, and to raise additional funds for Grace’s ministry. However, there is also a need to monitor the parking lot to ensure Grace’s members and guests have places to park. Grace has used a third party to manage the parking lot since 2019 and designated the TCM Campus Pastor as the primary liaison.

Summary: GT switched from AirGarage to Parking Management Company (PMC) to manage its parking lot on September 1. This switch was primarily done for PMC’s ability to provide local attention to GT’s commitment to prioritize parking for its guests, members, and staff while meeting community needs for parking. Though there were some headaches during the transition (as expected), operations have become much smoother for the Grace Central Office staff.

Thanks to Debbie Koehler for her quick and consistent updates to PMC and to Kevin Tracy (Grace’s PMC representative) for his quick attention and Grace-first mentality when problems came up.

Tucson Festival of Books

Description: The Tucson Festival of Books (TFoB) is one of the largest book festivals in the US and draws 135,000+ visitors. A number of these visitors are from the greater Tucson area and able to be served by Grace or our sister churches in Tucson. TFoB is held on the UA campus in early March.

Summary: Grace staffed its inaugural booth at TFoB on March 12-13 with four book basket raffles, many religious and children’s giveaways, and information about Grace and our sister churches in Tucson. The Lord blessed this outreach event with 187 names through the raffle, 94 direct mailings to invite to Grace’s worship services, and hundreds of conversations at the table.

Thanks to Holly Vaden and Debbie Koehler for coordinating and planning, to Deb Bakken, Eric Hanson, Erika Hanson, Paul Kassulke, Naomi Kassulke, Debbie Koehler, Sally Littau, Donna Malchow, Jenn Miller, Audrey Nessinger, Katie Patoka, Delene Sabol, Lois Thornton, Holly Vaden, Gary Warner, and Steph Weinstein for staffing the booth, and to Mark Hallemeyer, Bill Warskow, and Missy Wiechmann for Thrivent Action Team funding.

English Classes

Description: English Classes is an outreach ministry at GT that offers free English classes at multiple levels, childcare, and a Bible study on Jesus’ life, along with snacks. English Classes meet on weekday evenings during the school year.

Spring Semester (January through May): English Classes were offered on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:00 PM. The semester saw a rough start as many students from the fall semester did not return after Christmas break. COVID’s Omicron variant also severely dampened our student turnout early on. However, the Lord blessed English Classes by sending a slow yet continual stream of new students from Spanish-speaking countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and Colombia. Grace was blessed to serve an average of 7 students in classes and 13 souls in Bible study per night, 9 different non-WELS guests per week, and approximately 20 non-WELS guests at least once in the spring semester.

Thanks to Joyce Long for coordinating and teaching, to Amy Morris, Beth Johnson, Kathy Silver, Ron Silver and Gary Spessard for teaching, to Sally Littau, Emma Rautenberg, and Hannah Hartzell for serving snacks, to Nadine Rentschler, Lois Thornton, and Katie Patoka for playing with children,

and to Katie Patoka and Sally Littau for Thrivent Action Team funding.

Fall Semester (September through December): English Classes were offered on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 PM. This semester was most unique in that no childcare was needed and only one student regularly came in the first quarter. (Typically, childcare is needed by a few families and student enrollment starts off high before slowly dwindling down to our core group.) Thankfully, the Lord blessed our usual promotional avenues (parking lot banner, Facebook page, word-of-mouth, flyers at area libraries) in November so we ended the semester in a more familiar way. Altogether, Grace was blessed to serve each week an average of 5 students in English classes and 10 souls in Bible study. We were also blessed to meet approximately 19 non-WELS guests in the fall semester who all came from Spanish-speaking countries.

Thanks to Joyce Long for coordinating and teaching, to Beth Johnson, Doug Lemke, Ron Silver, Kathy Silver, and Gary Spessard for teaching, to Sally Littau for serving snacks, and to Dorothy Lietha for Thrivent Action Team funding.

Spanish Pastor’s Conference

On January 11-13, GT hosted a Spanish Pastor’s Conference for Spanish-speaking pastors in WELS and sister synods. 18 pastors (all were WELS) attended from across the US. They received synodical updates on carrying out Spanish-language ministry, discussed an essay on how Hispanic cultures in the US view a Christian’s understanding of masculinity and femininity, and networked with each other.

Divine Call

I was blessed to deliberate between two good opportunities to serve God when Peace Lutheran in King of Prussia, PA called me to be their pastor on May 7. I returned the Call on June 16 and continued serving as one of Grace’s pastors.

WELS Campus Ministry

Description: WELS Campus Ministry is part of WELS Board of Home Missions with a specific focus on serving WELS college students and reaching out to non-WELS college students. I serve on the WELS Campus Ministry Committee (CMC) that seeks to equip and encourage campus ministries throughout the synod (TCM is one of 40-plus active campus ministries.).

Summary: I attended all four of the CMC’s meetings (February’s meeting here at Grace, May’s meeting at Christ Lutheran Church in Pewaukee, WI, August’s virtual meeting, and November’s meeting at our campus ministry in East Lansing, MI). I preached and presented for a Campus Ministry Sunday in February at Calvary Lutheran Church in Chandler, AZ and in November at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor, MI. I visited Arizona Lutheran Academy to give a campus ministry presentation to the seniors in May, to the sophomores in November, and to preach a campus ministry devotion for a chapel service in November. I also gained valuable experience in planning and hosting the Campus Ministry Staff Conference in May.

Mission to the Children

Description: Mission to the Children (MttC) is an independent, lay-lead organization that partners with WELS and the IELC (our sister Mexican synod Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Confesional) to provide gospel and humanitarian support for hundreds of families in impoverished villages throughout northern Sonora, Mexico. I served as MttC’s Spiritual Advisor.

Summary: MttC was unable to do much of its traditional ministry due to safety concerns in Sonora and a continued pastoral vacancy in the IELC’s churches in Áltar and Sásabe. When safety concerns returned to normal in the fall, MttC was able to deliver belated back-to-school materials and on-time Christmas posadas (village-wide events that included a Christmas devotion, songs, and gifts for each household. Thanks to Pastors Buchholz and Moldenhauer for providing the devotional portion.). MttC’s Board also saw change when long-time president Ruth Schaller stepped down to secretary and John Kramer assumed presidential duties. MttC also began exploring how to provide digital resources to its families in Sonora and if its traditional ministry should also be done in Tucson.

Benson & Vail Site Pastor Report

Rev. Seth Scheuerlein

Benson Worship

We worshiped in the double digits all year, as our members continue to faithfully attend. We want to give a big thanks to Hailey Brandt and Deb Bakken for playing the piano for us regularly. Naomi Kassulke and Katie Patoka also served in this way. Live accompanists help beautify our worship. This past year we moved our midweek Advent and Lent services to 10am. This move for our midweek services helped boost our attendance. We will keep this time for Lent and Advent for 2023.

Bible Study

At the start of the year, we started a midweek Bible Study on Wednesdays, held at the church. We began by looking at The Gospel in the Psalms. Following that wonderful study of the Psalms, we began going through Luther’s Large Catechism. The discussions were wonderful.

On Sundays, our site elder Bill Warskow continued to lead members through studies. They finished up Galatians and then began working through 1 Corinthians.

Chili Cookoff

We sadly had to postpone our Chili Cookoff for the year but made plans to host it at the end of January 2023.

Fence

This year also saw the building of a fence around our church. It looks sharp, and has helped keep unwanted damage to the parking lot at a minimum.

Lights

Two new LED lights were put in the sanctuary. One replaced one of the fan-lights and the other was added to the back over the piano. We are looking for a way to brighten up the sanctuary even more. Adding lights is one of those ways.

Vail Worship

Average attendance at Vail was just under 27. Though the numbers continued to fluctuate between about 20-30 people, we averaged more than 40 unique souls attending each month. We had as many as 47 (twice), but also as low as 15. When we went through our low stretch, you could feel some anxiety, but our members met that time with renewed zeal.

Piano

Our new piano (thanks to Beth Kassulke for her research) is working very well. It has helped improve the music in our worship. A few details still needed to be worked out with the new instrument. Continued thanks to Hailey Brandt and Deb Bakken for enhancing our worship by playing for us.

Cushions

The seats at Esmond Station are not the most comfortable. We bought cushions for use during worship to add comfort for our members and guests. These have been very well received. They are easy to store and take out every Sunday.

Bible Study

Our midweek Bible Study in Civano finished Luther’s Large Catechism, continued with the reformers as we studied the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, worked through 10 Lies About God, and our

Grow in Grace Class (Bible Information Course). These were met with great questions and discussion. Attendance averaged around 10.

For our Sunday morning Bible class, we finished the Genesis study that Pastor Kassulke had begun. We dove into Gospel Gems from Isaiah. For our next study, we began Male and Female He Created Them

Outreach

High schoolers from St. Croix Lutheran Academy, West St. Paul, MN, came and helped us survey/ canvass along Mary Ann Cleveland in Vail. They knocked on almost 1200 doors. We are still gaining more information for what our community needs are, for how we can serve our community.

For Easter, we hosted an Easter Breakfast. It went very well. Special thanks to Barb Kiepke for her work in organizing and helping set it all up. We had 47 people who joined us for breakfast and worship.

I attended the Missionary Gathering held in Las Vegas, and was encouraged by the presenters and ideas given by those in attendance.

After our Everyone Outreach seminar in August, a group of us began getting together to talk about our “I will” statements and preparing and planning outreach events. We laid out a year of monthly events.

In preparation for Vailfest, our group got together multiple times. Vailfest went really well. The Photobooth that Laura Hodgson put together was a hit. Over 140 pictures taken, over 87 texts with those pictures and a Bible passage sent, over 50 raffles filled out, over 30 surveys done, and many meaningful discussions had as we try to build bridges in our community.

Our Caroling also went very well. We sang many Christmas songs and served cookies at Purple Heart Park in Rita Ranch on Saturday, December 17. We had walkers, skaters, and other guests stop by and join us. A special thanks to those who helped prepare, set up and play music for our event.

Tucson Lead Pastor Report

Rev. Nathan Kassulke

Worship

“Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name. Bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.”

(1 Chronicles 16:28–29)

Gathering for public worship remains a blessing we are consistently able to enjoy. Our previous annual report celebrated a return to in-person worship on a significant scale. We rejoiced throughout 2022 as attendance increased and as more members and guests were comfortable joining us to receive God’s blessings in this special way. .

Our regular weekend worship services saw an average of 260 worshipers, up from 249 in 2021. Some highlights from the area of worship at Grace in 2022:

· We celebrated the Festival of Epiphany on the first Sunday in January, January 2. This was the final week of a Christmas series called, “What Child Is This?”

· Throughout the Epiphany season, we followed a series called “Uncovered,” which dealt with how God uncovered or revealed to us what we know about Jesus as our Savior.

· Pastor Joel Naumann form the WELS Campus Ministry Committee preached at Tucson on February 20 for a Campus Ministry Sunday.

· Pastor Jim Mattek from Christian Family Solutions preached at Tucson on February 27 and also presented about Christian counseling from this WELS organization.

· The Columbarium at Grace-Tucson was also dedicated on February 27 in our worship services. On March 5, the first remains were inurned. The columbarium has been a blessing for several members and families already.

· Midweek Lenten services began on Ash Wednesday, March 2. The theme for our midweek services was “The Crucial Hours.” This theme came from a worship kit produced and sold by Northwestern Publishing House. Our midweek services saw a rotation of pastors, including Pastor Parsons from Holy Cross, at three Grace locations: Benson, Sahuarita, and Tucson.

· Sundays in Lent followed a series called “Crushed.” We were reminded that we ought to be crushed by the weight of our sin but are comforted by the fact that Christ crushed sin and death for us.

· Grace-Sahuarita held a special children’s service involving students from the CLC on Palm Sunday, April 10.

· Holy Week worship services included Maundy Thursday on April 14 and Good Friday on April 15. Against our general trends, attendance at these services declined from the previous year.

· Sunday, April 17 was Easter Sunday and featured several services and special activities across our sites. Attendance for Easter was up slightly from 2021.

· Our Easter season worship series was “Victorious.” Jesus was victorious over all his enemies, including death, and he shares his victory with us.

· Youth Confirmation Sunday at Grace-Tucson took place on May 1. Two young people from the congregation were confirmed that day.

· Holy Trinity Sunday was June 12. That Sunday we started a new worship series, “God’s Words Possess God’s Power.” That series ran through July 3.

· Early in the summer, Grace placed an order for Christian Worship Psalters. These books include several arrangements of all 150 Psalms and also contain some very useful tools for personal and family devotions. Grace members were given the opportunity to order these books or additional copies of the hymnal at a reduced cost because of shared shipping expenses.

· Sundays July 10 through August 7 followed a worship series called “Focused.” We were reminded how Jesus was focused on his mission to save and how our focus should be on him.

· Another series, “Hard Truth,” was conducted on Sundays from August 14 through the end of September.

· The first four Sundays of October were joined by a worship series called “Lord, Increase Our Faith.”

· Grace hosted our Area Reformation Service at the Tucson site and welcomed WELS AZ/CA District President Jon Buchholz (Emmanuel, Tempe) as our guest preacher. A joint choir made up of members from multiple Grace sites and other Tucson WELS churches participated, as did a similar joint instrumental ensemble.

· In November, we celebrated All Saints Day. This was new to Grace and was a suggestion from the materials included with the new Christian Worship hymnals.

· November 20 was an ALA Sunday at Grace-Tucson. Arizona Lutheran Academy’s A Cappella Choir sang in both our services, and ALA faculty member Pastor Brad Bode preached. Due to an illness, ALA’s choir director did not make the trip, but Grace’s Music Coordinator Beth Kassulke filled in to direct the choir. ALA Principal Kurt Rosenbaum shared information about ALA and assisted with some of the music in the services.

· A two-week series called “The Last Day” concluded our church year in November.

· Thanksgiving Eve Services took place at Sahuarita and Tucson on November 23.

· The Advent season of a new Church Year started on November 27. Sundays during Advent saw a worship theme of “Come, Lord Jesus!” Midweek Advent Services asked the question “O Lord, How Shall I Meet You?”

· Christmas Eve services took place at Sahuarita, Tucson, and Vail. Christmas Day fell on a Sunday, and Christmas Day services were held at all Grace sites. Almost all of our Christmas services saw an increase in attendance from the previous year. We concluded the year with an All-Site New Year’s Eve service at Grace-Tucson. The service included a remembrance of those members whom God had called home to heaven in the course of the year, and we received Holy Communion together as one congregation in one place.

Bible Study

“Therefore, dear friends, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you do not fall from your own firm position by being led astray through the error of the wicked. Instead grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:17–18)

Bible study in 2022 remained an important part of the life of our congregation. In addition to the opportunity to grow in faith together, Bible study brings members and guests together for mutual encouragement and fellowship. A side benefit is that we often discuss other activities happening around Grace and other timely topics.

I was the primary teacher of Sunday morning Adult Bible Study at Grace-Tucson in 2022. At the start of the year, we were considering the “Here We Stand” Bible study dealing with Scripture and Christian Vocation. We also looked at some sections of our “Grow In Grace” Class on Sunday mornings. At the end of the year, we were exploring “10 Lies About God” and the truth of the Bible that contradicts these lies.

Other Bible studies around Grace-Tucson included the Thursday Women’s Bible Study taught by Pastor Koehler as well as occasional Grow In Grace Classes. In addition, throughout the year I taught a Wednesday Bible Study on Church History. This class has been active outside of Advent and Lent for a number of years and continues to make slow progress through the various eras of Church History. In 2022, class learned about Pietism, Quakers, Baptists, and The Age of Enlightenment. This class met at 10:00 AM with an average attendance of 18 students and was repeated at 7:00 PM with an average of 15 in attendance. We met for a total of 29 lessons.

Fellowship

“Look, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

2022 included many opportunities for our members to gather for enjoyment and mutual support outside of worship and Bible study. The Ladies’ Fellowship Group met monthly throughout the year on Thursday mornings. Some additional fellowship opportunities are listed below. Most of the events listed are from Grace-Tucson since I worked more closely with fellowship activities there. Other examples may be found elsewhere in our Annual Report.

· February 19 Women of Grace Valentine Tea

· February 27 Lifeliners’ Chupala Lunch

· March 2 through April 6: Lenten Lunches and Suppers

· March 25 Mexican Dinner

· April 17 Easter Breakfasts

· July 1, July 15, July 29, August 12 “Summer Fun Nights”

· October 22 Spanferkelfest

· October 30 Area Reformation Service Fellowship

· November 23 Thanksgiving Pie Socials

· November 30, December 7 & 14 Advent Lunches and Suppers

· December 9 Carols in the Courtyard

· December 31 New Years’ Eve Service Fellowship

I am certain to have missed some events worth mentioning on this list. I am very thankful for the many opportunities we had in 2022 for fellowship together. Special thanks to all who provided treats after worship for fellowship. After-service fellowship also offers valuable time for greeting guests who attend worship with us.

Tucson Site

“But will God really dwell with man on the earth? Truly, the heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you! How much less this house which I have built!” (2 Chronicles 6:18)

Thank you to our Site Elder, Justin Harris and our Site Ministry Team (Facilities Coordinator Bryan Guenther, Member Ministry Coordinator Jenn Miller, Outreach Coordinator Holly Vaden, and Spiritual Needs Coordinator Jacob Kassulke) for their efforts and service in 2022.

Many maintenance repairs and projects took place throughout the year on the church building and grounds. This included sealing roof leaks, dealing with Courtyard irrigation issues, and reducing cement tripping hazards.

The columbarium was dedicated in February and put into use in March.

We returned to our former practice of “table-style” rather than continuous Communion distribution. While there is nothing wrong with choosing a different approach, and continuous distribution served us well for a time, many appreciated returning to this process. Communing side-by-side with others emphasizes beautifully the fellowship and unity we enjoy with those alongside of whom we receive the sacrament.

The furnace replacement was completed late in the year. That left us with a few cold Sunday mornings before the work was done but not as many as the previous winter.

A Sanctuary Committee was formed to discuss a variety of issues related to the use and furnishings of our worship space. Their work was understood to be longer term than just the latter part of the year. No official recommendations had been made by the end of 2022.

A similar committee did some work regarding the columbarium and the area surrounding it. They intend to work on arranging some bench seating and installing a statue in that area, but no timeline had been determined. Some of the benches were seasonal items at local stores and could not be seen when the committee was meeting.

A committee was formed to assist the pastors with following up on those who have been absent from worship for several weeks. This committee began meeting about once a month to discuss these inactives and to make a plan for contacting and encouraging them.

Visitation

“I was lacking clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:36)

Along with Pastor Koehler, I had many opportunities to visit the homebound members of Grace and also to make visits to hospitals when our members were there. One challenge throughout the year was determining the best fit between the schedules of those who needed visiting and my schedules. The benefit of these visits was personalized care for our homebound members as well as an opportunity for me to get to know them better personally.

It was also a great blessing to have a formal program of lay visitation arranged by volunteers. This group visited our homebound members on a regular basis throughout the year. Both those making the visits and those being visited frequently mentioned how much they enjoyed this.

Women of Grace

“When he was in Galilee, they followed him and served him. Many other women also came up with him to Jerusalem.” (Mark 15:41)

Fellowship events hosted by the Women of Grace are detailed in a previous section of my report. In addition, an LWMS Circuit Rally was held in April in San Carlos, and a joint circuit retreat was held in October in Heber. Grace members were invited to participate, and several did. These opportunities beyond our congregation for fellowship, encouragement, and ministry support have been valuable and appreciated.

Odds and Ends

The first annual Men of His Word – Phoenix Conference took place in January. Several men from Grace attended, though none of the pastors were able to participate due to the schedule. Men of His Word conferences meet annually in the Appleton, WI area and in Rochester, MN. The first conference in Phoenix was well received and plans were in place for the next meeting (and men registered to participate) by the end of 2022.

Grace hosted two Pastors’ Conferences in 2022. The first took place in May at our Sahuarita site. This is the WELS AZ Pastors’ Conference which includes pastors from all over Arizona as well as New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Pastor Heiman and many volunteers helped make the conference run smoothly. I serve this conference as Vice-Chairman and was also heavily involved in the logistics and planning.

Grace’s Tucson site hosted the AZ/CA District Pastors’ Conference in October. In addition to the pastors of the AZ conference, this meeting includes pastors from California and Nevada. Our pastor in Hawaii is also a part of this conference, but I do not believe he made it for this meeting. Many volunteers helped make this conference possible, and the pastors were quite vocal in their praise for those who helped. We were able to reserve rooms in a hotel very nearby, so all that we needed was within walking distance. We also hosted a fellowship event (with snacks and drinks) for the pastors in the Grace-Tucson Fellowship Hall and Courtyard. The organizers of the conference indicated an interest in having Grace host future conferences. I am pleased that they were satisfied with our hosting efforts.

It has been a blessing to recount the events of 2022 and to recognize how richly God’s grace was evident in our congregation and ministry. I have no doubt overlooked some other examples that well deserve inclusion in this report. I am extremely thankful for all who have played a part in Grace’s activities and work.

Grace Counseling Report

Cinda

Drescher

As always, I cannot provide details on my counseling, however 2022 was a rewarding year. For example, I was pleased to see one person reading the Bible for themselves for the first time and another returning to worship at a WELS congregation. I thank you all for allowing me to serve.

Congregation President Report

Eric

Hanson

The year 2022 is now in the rear-view mirror, and we are staring 2023 straight ahead in the windshield. This brings me back to when my grandpa would tell me that the rear-view mirror was smaller than the windshield because the things behind us are not as important as the things in front of us. This is one time that I would have to disagree with my grandpa, because the blessings from 2022 are a reminder of the many blessings God has in store for Grace in 2023.

During 2022, we had a great number of outreach efforts, including a fantastic showing at the Tucson Festival of Books. This was the first time that I recall Grace having a presence at this event, and what a great opportunity this provided us. Having an event this size in our “neighborhood” enabled us to not only reach out to our community but also to the thousands of U of A students who attended the festival. Fiesta Sahuarita, Vail Fest, Spanferklefest, Carols in the Courtyard, and Carols in the Park are just a few outreach opportunities that Grace sites hosted. I continue to encourage as many Grace members as possible to attend and support these events. As we know, where there is a crowd, more people want to stop by and see what everyone is doing.

A struggle that we will reflect on is our furnace finally reaching the end of its usefulness. Many of the technicians who responded to provide an estimate for a replacement were amazed that our old system lasted as long as it did. The members of Grace-Tucson did endure some chilly Sunday worship services, but I can speak for myself that I really appreciate the warmth provided by the new system. Special thanks to everyone who worked tirelessly in making sure that we received the most efficient system possible while keeping in mind the cost to the church. I would also be remiss if I didn’t thank every one of you who put up with the chill to gather and worship together.

I continue to be amazing and thankful to our pastoral staff and lay leaders who diligently study and prepare Bible study opportunities at all the Grace sites. On a weekly basis I review the back portion of the worship folder which outlines all these opportunities and just smile. Here at Grace, we are so blessed to have so many opportunities to gather around God’s Word with fellow believers and learn about so many topics. Be it morning or evening, almost any day of the week, and encompassing all four sites, these opportunities are abundant, and I pray that we not only review this list, but also prayerfully consider attending a class or two each week.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all those who share their time and talents to beautify our worship services. The musical talents that are on display every week greatly add to our services and I’m certain guests and members alike share that feeling. Thanks again from the bottom of my heart as I try to sing the hymns at the top of my lungs.

In closing, I thank you all for the love and support you provide to our Lord, your church, and its members. I pray that God will continue to richly bless our efforts here at Grace and that our vision will never be clouded when it comes to seeing His great work being accomplished across southern Arizona.

Sahuarita Site Elder Report

Bob Breiler

During 2022 many facility items were done:

· Permanent power was installed for the pergola lights. They are now controlled by a light switch and no more extension cords. There was no cost to the church as the work was completed by a winter visitor and the supplies were donated by a church member.

· In preparation for Holy Week we had a site cleanup. We had seven volunteers participate. They performed removal of leftover building materials, pruned trees, and sprayed for weeds.

· Due to the large rainfall at the Sahuarita site this summer, the landscaping presented challenges. The mandated trees throughout the parking lot grew at a fast rate, and with the soft soil from the rain, the trees fell over pulling their wooden support poles with them. We pruned the trees and switched to steel fence posts which seemed to help in keeping the trees upright.

The Site Ministry Team put in action the following items in 2022:

· Easter Breakfast, which included an Easter Egg Hunt and Easter lilies for the church.

· The member picture directory was brought back, which was placed on the narthex wall.

· We reestablished the pie social for the Thanksgiving Eve service.

· We had a Thanksgiving Meal at the CLC, which included both church members and CLC families. A very large number of people attended.

· We established potlucks for after Sunday services to bolster fellowship among members and guests. A couple of these took place during the year and were well received by all.

Sahuarita members had the opportunity to volunteer their time for these events:

· Grace-Sahuarita participated in Fiesta Sahuarita. Volunteers gave out items with our Grace logo and information about our church. The booth was visited by many guests as the event had a high attendance.

· Grace-Sahuarita hosted the Arizona Pastor's Conference in May. This included pastors from Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso. We had several members volunteer to setup and serve lunch both days. Pastor Heiman set up audio/visual equipment so that the presentations went well.

The Sahuarita site was blessed to be able to host high school students from St Croix Lutheran Academy for a week:

· The students canvassed out in Vail.

· At Sahuarita they helped out in the CLC classrooms and did some yard work.

We reestablished greeting each other during the Sunday Service just before children's message is presented. This has been well received.

Due to the Site Elder being out of town for three months, there was a gap in some of the site reports.

SPIRITUAL MATTERS

Benson Site Elder Report Bill Warskow

By God's grace, we were privileged to regularly gather for worship and Bible study as planned throughout the year. While many of our members suffered with persistent medical issues that prevented their attendance as desired, our church attendance stayed up due to members from other Grace sites and several regular non-members. The after-service Bible study of Galatians led by Bill Warskow was completed and a study of 1 Corinthians was begun. A midweek Bible class led by Pastor Scheuerlein on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 AM was begun with a review of the Ten Commandments using Luther's Large Catechism. While attendance varied from week to week, those present were actively engaged in both classes.

Our worship services were enhanced with the frequent use of an electronic keyboard (in place of the computer) played by volunteers Naomi Kassulke, Hailey Brandt, Katie Patoka, or Deb Bakken who all so graciously got up early on Sunday mornings to travel an hour from Tucson to be at our 7:30 AM worship service.

PROPERTY MATTERS

The Benson property became more secured and visually enhanced in the late spring with the installation of a split-rail wooden fence and a steel locking gate. After that, we had no more parking lot vandalism. The extremely heavy summer rains significantly deepened the rill across the parking lot created by the previous vandalism to the lot.

The interior of the sanctuary was brightened with the addition of some large "solar" lights installed by Mike Lindquist. The well-used Christmas tree which had served us for so many years was replaced with a beautiful new lights-in-place tree thanks to Vicky Kramm and her sister, Marilyn.

FELLOWSHIP

The Benson Annual Chili Cook-off was not held in 2022 due to COVID-related issues. After-service fellowship was reinitiated to allow those not staying for Bible study to stay connected to the rest of the congregation.

OUTREACH

The Warskows were granted the opportunity to meet regularly from late November through December with two LDS Sister Missionaries. We pray that the seeds of the true Gospel planted during that time will grow in these two young women after we lose contact with them when they are moved to their new assignments.

Vail Site Elder Report Ron Silver

Site Ministry Team

Our Site Ministry Team (SMT) for 2022 was the following:

Site Elder

Outreach

Spiritual Needs

Facilities

Member Ministry

Ron Silver

Max Guthrie

Laura Hodgson

Jason Pigeon

Barb Kiepke

I am very grateful for the members of the SMT who worked so willingly throughout the past year.

We held Site Ministry Team meetings to discuss plans for our future outreach and how to incorporate what we learned from the Everyone Outreach seminar. We developed a plan to use a multi-pronged approach in order to reach people on different levels and different age groups. We are praying that God will help us in this effort so that we at Grace-Vail can fulfill our mission.

Vail held a Christmas Eve service and a Good Friday service which were both well attended. Also, Barb Kiepke, Member Ministry coordinator, organized an Easter potluck breakfast. Arrangements were made with Esmond Station school to set up special tables Friday night after the Good Friday service and leave them up for Sunday morning. These events will become part of our community outreach going forward. Barb Kiepke arranged Fifth Sunday potluck lunches to which we can invite visitors.

Several of our members visited Vail area shut-ins. They invited other members to a game night and took some of the shut-ins out for lunch.

Laura Hodgson, Spiritual Needs Coordinator, arranged a Christmas caroling event which was held at Purple Heart Park in Rita Ranch. We had several visitors and passers-by so we are planning to do this again next year, possibly at a different location.

Students from St. Croix Lutheran Academy spent their spring break canvassing in the Sahuarita and Vail neighborhoods. They knocked on over a thousand doors and conducted surveys which we prayerfully analyzed. We will use these surveys to guide us in finding ways to serve the community and reach unchurched people.

Max Guthrie, Outreach Coordinator, has been preparing a plan to more effectively conduct interviews with those that we encounter during canvassing.

Grace-Vail had a double booth at VailFest in November. Laura Hodgson, Spiritual Needs Coordinator, set up a photo booth where people could have their photo taken against an autumn background. This proved very popular and provided us contact information from all those who were photographed. We also had help from Grace members at the other sites which we deeply appreciate.

We also conducted an informal survey at our booths to find out what area residents thought that a church could do to serve the community. This information will be used along with past surveys and a planned survey to help us with our outreach efforts.

Vail hosted the annual Voters Meeting on December 11.

We added seat cushions to be used on the benches that serve as pews. These benches are rather hard and become uncomfortable after an hour of sitting.

Vail received a monetary gift to use to improve our worship service. We used this gift to purchase a new cross and candles for the altar.

Grace bought a new piano and accessories for Vail. This included cases to help protect it during loading and unloading.

We held a work day to touch up some of the equipment in our Church-in-a-Box. We tightened screws, glued damaged areas, and rearranged the material in the boxes to make storage more efficient.

We are praying that Grace-Vail can continue to reach people in the Vail and Rita Ranch areas.

Secretary Report Jeremy Snavely

In 2022 I had the privilege of documenting the proceedings of 11 monthly Ministry Board meetings, two special Voters’ Meetings, and the Annual Meeting of our congregation. During these deliberations, we faced many decisions. Some may seem mundane, others concerned more significant matters. Despite the variety of challenges we encountered and navigated together in 2022, with the Lord’s guidance, one thing continues to stand out to me. God is using Grace and our members to spread the Good News that we have salvation because of Jesus Christ to an increasing number of people in Southern Arizona and beyond. I praise the Lord we are working together toward this fundamental mission that he has given us all.

Tucson Site Elder Report

Justin Harris

Site Ministry Team

The SMT consisted of the following members for 2022:

· Facilities Coordinator - Bryan Guenther

· Outreach Coordinator - Holly Vaden

· Spiritual Needs Coordinator - Jacob Kassulke

· Member Ministry Coordinator - Jenn Miller

Member Ministry Activity

· Jenn Miller and Holly Vaden set up a table in the courtyard and greeted church goers after services throughout the year. They handed out Site Ministry Team flyers that they made and several people signed up to volunteer in the areas of our Ministry Team

· Set up 3 bulletin boards (ALA students, Redeemer students, and Sunday School/Lifeliners) in the courtyard to focus attention on Grace’s amazing kids

· Worked with Pastor Patoka on collecting and putting together “Finals Survival Packs” for TCM for finals week. Bags included a bottle of water, an energy drink, candy, a granola bar, a protein bar, a bag of Chex trail mix, fruit snacks, a Starbucks instant coffee packet, a restful bedtime tea packet, and a handwritten card wishing them well on their finals and letting them know we are praying for their success on their finals

· Facilitated Easter Breakfast with the Lipkes which fed approximately 110 people

· Helped with the preparation for Confirmation Sunday which included ordering cakes and decorations

· Continued sending out thank you cards to those who assisted with Cookie Sundays, Easter breakfast, donating items for TCM bags, etc

· Worked with Pastor Patoka and Debbie Koehler to help with the preparations for Confirmation which included picking out color schemes and ordering cake and flowers

· Coordinated Summer Fun Nights which were very well-attended and very well-received

· Thank you very much to Jenn Miller for all her hard work and doing such a great job in her first year in the position!

Spiritual Needs Activity

· Altar Prep had 4 teams that served 3 months of the year and had 11 members

à January, May, September – Karen and Greg Grorud, Elaine Goldie, and Barb Tobiasson

à February, June, October – Audrey Nessinger and Jeanette O’Donald

à March, July, November – Erika Hanson and Kay Kassulke

à April, August, December – Sally Littau, Cynthia Breitkreitz, and Terry Kosanke

à Thank you to Pat Messer for polishing the vases and offering plates

à Nancy Miles stepped down from altar prep in order to focus on fellowship. We thank her for her work!

· Thank you to all the greeters!

· Thank you to our ushers, especially Ferdie Kramm, Rick Street and Jon Dongoske for being available on a consistent basis!

· Sam Kassulke learned the ropes of being a Sound/Video Technician thanks to the expertise of Jeremy Snavely and Danny Koehler

· Thank you to Jake Kassulke for coordinating all these different things throughout the year!

Facilities Activity

· Bryan Guenther served as Facilities Coordinator. While there are way too many items to list out in this report, Bryan oversaw countless repairs and updates to Grace-Tucson, a few highlights are listed below however. A big thank you to Bryan for ensuring our Church remains beautiful and intact!

· Set up two work days

à February 12 to remove the old furnaces which were both replaced

à May 21 and a team of 8 volunteers was able to clean the traffic island, basement stairwell, and parking lot

· A pile of old items was assembled in the basement and members were encouraged to come take whatever they wanted.

· Furnace was replaced near the end of the year

· Another major thank you to Gary Warner for assisting on so many of these tasks!

Outreach Activity

· Holly Vaden and Pastor Patoka headed up Grace-Tucson’s booth at the Festival of Books on 03/12 and 03/13. This served as a great way to get the word out about Grace as a whole.

· Holly represented Grace-Tucson at many of the West University Neighborhood Association (our neighborhood association) meetings which allowed her to get the word out about our Church to our entire neighborhood.

· Holly attended 2 webinars in March:

à “Encourage Conversation from Truth and Love Ministry” which looked at distinctions of righteousness from a Christian perspective versus a Mormon perspective

à “Biblical Leadership with Praise and Proclaim” was an interview of President Mark Schroeder and how he views leadership for called and lay workers

· Holly, Joyce Long, Nancy Miles, July Hallemeyer, and Pastor Patoka distributed invite cards for Easter for Kids to the libraries around town. Holly also distributed the cards to some of the parks in the area.

· Holly participated in Truth and Love Ministry witnessing in early June. Pastor Mark Parsons put together a short power point that discusses what occurred during this outreach event and Holly was able to present this to our members in November.

· Holly and Jenn Miller formed an Inactive Member Committee which followed up with inactive members. The following committee members included:

à Erika Hansen

à Sally Littau

à Jacob Miller

à Cora Stuhr

à Missy Wiechmann

· We had 38 people who signed up to help out with Spanferkelfest but at the end of the night we had many others who stepped forward to help with cleanup.

à We served 100 meals

à We had 11 guests, a couple of people from the neighborhood, and the rest from member invites

à We gave out 8 raffle prizes

à Sandy Weir volunteered to write thank you cards to our guests for attending the event

· Care Bags for the Homeless were assembled on November 19 with the help of six Grace members and six TCM students.

· These are just several highlights of the countless Outreach activities Holly Vaden coordinated throughout the year, a summary of other major events such as Everyone Outreach, Spanferkelfest, and Carols in the Courtyard can be found elsewhere in this Annual Report.

· It’s impossible to thank Holly enough for all of her hard work and dedication towards Outreach. Her endless passion should be motivation for us all to keep up the good work of spreading God’s word to all.

Thank you to everyone for allowing me to serve as your Site Elder for the past two years!

Vice President Report

Jeff Weinstein

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in it various form” (1 Peter 4:10).

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve as Vice President of Grace Lutheran Church of Southern AZ. The members of the church, the Called Workers, and my fellow Ministry Board members made serving a joy. I thank God for the time and ability to serve at Grace.

Every year the VP fills out the Non-Profit Exemption Renewal for the three properties that Grace owns. This was completed in early 2022.

Financial Review Committee: Thank you to Chris Stuhr, Danny Koehler, and Dylan Guenther for serving on this committee in 2022. These 3 men took on the task of reviewing warrants from 2021. With the addition of the CLC and its growth, the number of warrants grew in great number. The Financial Review Committee recommended that warrants be reviewed quarterly so that this task could be completed in a timely manner, and the Ministry Board agreed to this. So, in 2022 the committee reviewed all of 2021 and half of 2022.

Care Committee for Called Workers: Jim & Deb Bakken interviewed the Pastors of Grace for 2022. Paul & Kay Kassulke interviewed the Called Workers at the CLC. The CCCW is recommended by our Synod for all congregations. Grace has it in the constitution and by-laws that the Vice President heads this committee and makes sure it is completed with all the Called Workers at Grace every calendar year. Thank you to Jim, Deb, Paul, and Kay for their service in 2022.

Nomination Committee: This meeting was held on Saturday, September 24. The committee nominated 24 men for the 9 positions on the Ministry Board and CLC Chairman. The nominees were encouraged to prayerfully consider their nomination as well as reach out to the current member holding the position in order to understand the commitment for their service in 2023. At least 2 men were nominated for each position. 11 men stood for nomination for the 9 positions. The following were elected:

President: Eric Hanson

Vice President: Jeff Weinstein

Secretary: Jeremy Snavely

Financial Manager: Jay Wiechmann

Benson Site Elder: Bill Warskow

Sahuarita Site Elder: Bob Breiler

Tucson Site Elder: DJ Miller

Vail Site Elder: Ron Silver

CLC Chairman: Dave Neujahr

I also had the task of filling out many warrants each month so that the ministry of Grace continues as planned. On occasion I was asked to fill in for the President to run a meeting when he was unable to attend.

Director & CLC Chairman Report

Laura Heiman & Steve Hiles

“Then Jesus said, Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

We completed our second year serving our Lord by sharing him with the young children in our community. As our community has grown, so have we. We finished the year with 256 registered students, which is a 27% increase over the previous year, and tours for new students continued to come in. We averaged 146 children each day, a 39% increase versus a year ago. This year we completed our classroom expansion and every classroom is up and running!

We were blessed with 50 staff, including support staff and volunteers, that shared God’s Word to young souls every day. Three of our called teachers chose to pursue other interests. We sincerely thank Alex Maas, Shannon Farley, and Taylor Guenther for sharing their talents in opening the CLC and teaching God’s Word with their students and families. We wish them God’s blessings in their future endeavors! Two of those positions were filled and we look forward to Theresa and Christine joining us in the summer of 2023.

2022 also had its challenges starting with a classroom closure in January due to COVID. When there is a classroom closure due to illness, understandably some families from outside that classroom prefer to keep their children home during the closure. This resulted in lower-thanexpected attendance to start the year. The typical cold and flu season, as well as RSV and Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease continued to challenge attendance. Despite that, we continued to see daily student attendance grow.

We increased our fundraising activities to include more local restaurants, a cookie sale, and Fry’s Community Rewards program. Parents appreciated that proceeds from these types of activities went toward purchasing classroom items for their children. We also had the annual “It Takes the Community” golf tournament from which proceeds went towards the scholarship fund. We also received donations from Grace members in support of classroom expansion. In October DES contacted Laura regarding their CCSG program and granted us an additional $5,000 a month through June of 2023.

We started a program we call “Party with a Purpose.” This is part of our Harvest Strategy, and events are intended to connect our church and CLC families, building relationships and sharing the gospel. Our first event was our Thanksgiving Dinner on the Monday before Thanksgiving. We provided turkey and gravy and families brought the rest of the holiday meal. It was a huge success with 240+ in attendance!

In the Fall, we started a Children’s Choir with 20 children from the church and the CLC. In December they sang Christmas Carols at Chick-fil-A in Tucson, as well as at our Christmas Eve service with many of our CLC children.

Blessings, so many blessings, the list is endless. Our building, our staff, our growth, the support we continue to receive from our Grace family, but the greatest blessing is the fact that young children in our community are learning about our Savior every day! Thank you for your prayers, time, talents and donations.

Dear Grace Members,

I appreciated the opportunity to serve as the CLC chairman of the board for the last 3 years. It has been such a blessing to see the Sahuarita CLC and church grow literally from the ground up. Dave (Nooj) Neujahr is the new chairman and with his called worker experience as a former WELS teacher and principal, we look forward to great things to come.

Steve Hiles, Retired

Worship Coordinator Report

Beth Kassulke

Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary Praise him according to his abundant greatness Praise him with the harp and lyre. Praise him with hand drums and dancing. Praise him with the strings and the flute. Praise him with the sounding cymbals Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD (Psalm 150).

Throughout 2022, we were blessed to have many opportunities to gather together to worship and praise God. In addition to our regular Sunday services, midweek worship services were offered during Lent and Advent, and special services were held on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. An Area Reformation Service allowed us to worship together with other WELS members across the Tucson area and an All-Site Service was held on New Year’s Eve. Monday evening worship was available at Grace-Sahuarita from the beginning of the year through Easter weekend.

Online worship also remained available for members and friends to use when necessary. Most of the worship services from Tucson were streamed, and Sunday and holiday services from Sahuarita were also streamed. We thank those who worked hard to make these live-streams possible.

ALA (Arizona Lutheran Academy) Sunday was held at Grace-Tucson on November 20. Campus Pastor Brad Body led the service, and members of the Accapella Choir provided special music. Grace is a member of the ALA Federation of churches, and we are given the opportunity to host an ALA Sunday every 2-3 years.

Vocalists continued to be utilized in most worship services at Tucson to lead in the congregational singing as well as provide a voice to the congregational parts of the recordings (CD recordings and video live-stream). Vocalists were also used at times in Sahuarita and Vail. We thank all those who served in this way to help lead and enhance our worship.

The Adult Choir at Grace-Sahuarita provided and led special music throughout much of the year. We thank Teri Guenther for her leadership and those who served in this choir. The children of the Child Learning Center also provided special music in several of the worship services at Sahuarita over the course of the year. A new Children’s Choir was formed in the fall of the year at Grace-Sahuarita as an outreach effort. We thank Jane Neujahr and Laura Heiman for their work with the children of this group.

Worship Choir (under the leadership of Paul Kassulke and Jim Bakken) and Handbell Choir (directed by Beth Kassulke) served at Grace-Tucson in the spring (January-May) and fall (September-December). In addition to providing and leading music in our worship services, both of these groups also offered special music for the Easter Concert (in April) and Carols in the Courtyard (in December). We thank all those involved with these groups for their dedication and service. The children from Grace-Tucson also sang during worship a number of times throughout the year. We thank the children for their contributions to our worship services.

I had a number of opportunities throughout the year to attend webinars regarding Service Builder (the web-based program that allows us to use and access digital content for the new hymnals) and Zoom meetings and phone calls with specialists from OneLicense (one of our blanket copyright providers). I always find these opportunities beneficial in learning more about the programs I use on a weekly basis as Grace’s Worship Coordinator.

Throughout the year, we utilized content from the new hymnals (Christian Worship 2021) in our worship. This has provided us opportunities to try some new hymns, psalms, and liturgies. We thank our accompanists, vocalists, and choirs who have been instrumental in teaching some of these new elements to us.

Over the summer months, it became evident that we needed to replace the electric piano at GraceVail. I worked with Hachenberg Pianos to determine what options would be ideal for our situation at Vail. On September 16, a new Yamaha P-515 electronic piano was purchased from Hachenberg,

along with a foldable stand and bench. Shortly afterwards, high quality cases were purchased for this equipment to keep them protected during the set-up and take-down that happens each week at Vail. The new instrument was used for the first time in worship on October 23.

THOSE INVOLVED IN MUSIC AT GRACE:

I would like to acknowledge those who gave of their time and talents to serve the Lord musically this year. (Those who served in other capacities to aid in our worship are listed at the end of this booklet).

Sound Technicians: Sound and Recording technicians provide a great service to our congregation to ensure that the Word of God and music to his glory can be heard. Those who served regularly in 2022: Mike Lindquist (Benson), Jason Pigeon (Vail), Bob Breiler, Dylan Guenther, Taylor Guenther, Xander Heiman, Owen Heiman (Sahuarita), Jeremy Snavely, Danny Koehler, Sam Kassulke (Tucson). Sound Technicians at Benson and Vail also prepared and ran HymnSoft during the worship services to accompany the congregational singing at times during the year. Sound and Recording Technicians at Tucson and Sahuarita worked diligently throughout the year to ensure high-quality streaming of our online services.

Service Accompanists: Service accompanists faithfully provided music for our services throughout the year. We thank them for their dedication and service: Deb Bakken, Jim Bakken, Hailey Brandt, Teri Guenther, Laura Heiman, Beth Kassulke, Naomi Kassulke, Jane Neujahr, Kathy Parra, Katie Patoka, Tim Patoka, Caleb Prigge.

Directors: We thank those who led groups of musicians throughout the year: Teri Guenther (Adult Choir at Sahuarita), Beth Kassulke (Handbell Choir and Children at Tucson), Jim Bakken and Paul Kassulke (Worship Choir at Tucson), Jane Neujahr (Sahuarita Children’s Choir), CLC teachers (Children at Sahuarita).

Vocalists: We thank those who lent their voices to lead the singing during our worship services: Deb Bakken, Dylan Guenther, Chuck Johnson, Beth Kassulke, Naomi Kassulke, Katie Patoka, Tim Patoka, Nicole Peterson, Erin Pigeon, Jay Wiechmann, Missy Wiechmann, Jeff Weinstein.

Instrumentalists: We thank our instrumentalists who presented music to the glory of God throughout the year: Katie Patoka (flute), Beth Kassulke (clarinet), Missy Wiechmann (clarinet), Nathan Kassulke (trumpet), Tim Patoka (guitar and trombone), Danny Koehler (timpani), Larry Mytych (guitar), Jim Bakken (recorder), Deb Bakken (recorder) Donna Bakken (flute and recorder), Paul Kassulke (trumpet and percussion), Cora Stuhr (horn), Laura Heiman (percussion), Lee Neujahr (guitar), Connor Farley (clarinet), Hailey Brandt (horn).

Psalm 115: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory.

Financial Report

Jason Wiechmann & Mark Colton

Ministry Spending Plan (MSP) Results

Congregational expenses ended the year in line with the spending plan. Accompanists and music directors donated some of their time, and Thrivent Action Teams provided funding for some community activities, resulting in lower spending in Worship and Outreach. Administration and Maintenance expenses exceeded the MSP due to increased copier costs and an increase in workers’ compensation insurance premiums. The workers’ compensation increase comes from our higher employee base, and the new premium cost has been incorporated into the 2023 MSP.

Congregational offerings were a bit lower than anticipated but increased by $8,560 from 2021. Thank you for your offerings! Please continue to richly support our ministry at Grace in 2023 and ask God to bless our work.

CLC expenses ended the year nearly in line with the MSP. The discontinuation of the subsidized meal program resulted in about $35K of unplanned costs. The effect of this was absorbed by favorable utility costs and by releasing the $20K planned for a van purchase.

CLC income grew steadily during the year as attendance increased and the income trajectory closely followed the MSP. The closures of classrooms in January due to Covid and respiratory illnesses affected income early on, and reduced attendance during some summer and fall weeks also reduced income (these were not as impactful in 2021). There was a planned tuition rate increase in the fall.

The CLC ended the year with a net deficit of $79,918. The deficit will be offset by proceeds from the Child Care Stabilization Workforce Grant. $88,200 was received in 2022 through this program, which is set to conclude in June 2023.

Let us thank our God that he has chosen us to be his instruments, to carry the gospel message to others. We are grateful for the opportunities to do this in 2022 and ask him to bless us in 2023.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:20

Contributions and Income

Our giving shows the honor, love, and gratitude we have for what Christ has done for us. Generous giving is one of the ways that faith-filled hearts respond to the riches of Christ.

In addition to regular offerings, gifts were given to directly support the CLC Ministry. Special gifts also were given to the Building Fund, Christian Education Fund, CLC Scholarship Fund, and Outreach Fund. Other special gifts were given to the Automatic Door Fund, Columbarium, ESL, Flowers, G-Tech, Hymnals, Lifeliners, Music, TCM, WELS Missions, and WELS Relief.

Grace received $29,342 from the parking lot during 2022. Air Garage managed the parking lot during the first half of the year, then Grace switched to Parking Management Company (PMC) during the second half of the year. Proceeds from this are directed to the Parking Lot Fund to be used for future lot maintenance and repairs.

Other Earnings include Amazon Smiles receipts, Thrivent Choice dollars, investment proceeds, and recognition of the 2nd Paycheck Protection Program Loan of $174,724 which was fully forgiven in January.

PM Fund Disbursement

The Perpetual Memorial (PM) Fund consists of donations and bequests given by members to provide sources of funding for non-budgeted work of the Lord both at Grace and other places. The gifts are invested and only the earnings (interest, dividends) are made available for use. Donors to the fund can designate how the earnings are to be used, or they can be undesignated and then the PM Fund Committee will recommend uses, as approved by the congregation.

The accumulated earnings of 2022 are shown below, for designated categories and the undesignated earnings available for special, non-budgeted uses. Designated earnings are disbursed annually; the 2022 designated earnings below will be disbursed in 2023.

Vail Mission Subsidy

The WELS Board for Home Missions approved to renew subsidy funding for the Vail mission site for two years starting in July 2022. Funding of $54,000 was approved for FY 2022-2023 and $53,000 was approved for FY 2023-2024.

Subsidies are awarded typically two years at a time, and Grace may reapply for two more years of funding in 2024. We are thankful for our partnership with the Board for Home Missions and our District Mission Board. Pray that the Lord blesses our outreach!

Sahuarita Building Project Final Settlement

The Sahuarita Building Project contractual disagreement with the Grace Building Committee and the general contractor was settled in mediation in July, and the conclusion was for Grace to pay $54,918 to close out the construction contract. Grace also incurred $19,493 in legal fees. While it doesn’t seem right or fair based on Grace’s strong position according to the contract, the court process had even higher cost potential.

CLC Grant monies were used to offset the cost of the settlement.

CEF Building Loan

At the end of 2022, the CEF building loan balance was $4,857,438. The payments made during 2022 reduced the principal by $162,689 or 3.2%.

2nd Paycheck Protection Program Loan

Grace’s application for forgiveness for the 2nd Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan was approved and the loan was fully forgiven in January 2022. The 1st PPP loan was forgiven in May 2021. Grace no longer carries any liability for PPP loans.

Financial Review Committee Report

During 2022, the Financial Review Committee reviewed Grace’s 2021 financial records and found them to be in good order. The members of this committee were Chris Stuhr, Dan Koehler and Dylan Guenther.

Charitable Distributions

A growing number of Grace members are making use of charitable distributions for their regular offerings. Charitable distributions are a direct transfer of funds from an IRA or other retirement account to a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization such as Grace.

A typical IRA distribution transfers funds to the account holder. If it is a taxable distribution, the funds are required to be received as income and are taxed.

The primary benefit of a charitable distribution is that the transfer doesn’t count as taxable income to the account holder.

Starting at age 72, the IRS requires traditional IRA owners to take annual income withdrawals, known as Required Minimum Distributions. If you are required to take annual distributions from an IRA or other retirement account and would like to know more about charitable distributions, please reach out to me (Jay Wiechmann).

Counting Committee

The offerings are counted by the members of the Counting Committee. The Counting Committee has several important tasks: (1) open and sort the offering envelopes; (2) sort and count cash; (3) endorse checks; (4) enter the offerings by designated fund into the church management software; (5) and prepare and deposit the offerings at the bank.

The members serving on the Counting Committee in 2022 were Mark Colton, Darin Colton, Jeff Kosanke, and Doug Lemke. I appreciate and thank them for their service.

Accounting and Tax Returns

We are blessed to have the professional assistance of Stephanie Weinstein. She prepares the monthly financial statements, quarterly tax returns, and processes the bi-monthly payroll. Even though Grace is a non-profit organization, it is required to file quarterly employer tax returns with the IRS and the Arizona Department of Revenue, and to submit annual W-2 forms. Stephanie’s financial expertise is much appreciated. Thank you, Stephanie.

Contact Jay Wiechmann (finance@gracelutheransaz.org or 520-429-6842) or Mark Colton (treasurer@gracelutheransaz.org or 520-663-1087) with questions about this Annual Report.

2022 Ministry Board

Grace’s Pastors serve as advisory members of the Ministry Board.

2022 Site Ministry Teams

Child Learning Center

CLC Board Steve Hiles (Chairman), Connie Hiles (Secretary), Laura Heiman, Ryan Heiman, Chris Silman, Judy Keintz, Kathy Silver, Jeff Weinstein

Director Laura Heiman

Teachers....... Alex Maas, Shannon Farley, Sam Anthon, Vicki Smith, Taylor Guenther, Katie Patoka

Teacher Assistants................... Tanya Breiler, Amara DeBoer, April Cole, Erin Foster, Ciara Mitchell, Janaya Boedecker, Angelica Peralta, Amy Velasquez, Alexander and Owen Heiman, Connor Farley, Adriana Granados, Amber Kane, Amie Rodgers, Amy Arrey, Ana Ruibal, Cailin Buckley, Dawn Alleman, Dianela Garcia, Dorothy Clough, Gemma Camp, Jeannette Haas, Barb Boedecker, Alex Alday, Kaley Johnson, Lauren Garza, Laurie-Ann Atkins, Vivian Blea, Adrianna Moreno, Michele Sanders, Erin Smith, Valerie Valentin, Jaida Willis, Arturo Ruibal, Lisa Silva, Rosa Willock, Serendipity Gerl, Teresa Valenzuela, Abigail Minchew, Ryan Gilvin

Volunteers.............Diana and Tim Holmes, Judy Keintz, Judy Griebler, Connie Hiles, Bonnie Patzer, Naomi Kassulke, Phyllis Kamrath, Kathy Silver, Pat Buske

Receptionist Jenna Dietrich, Jen Rickling, Shirley Zanotti, Vickie Bondy

Custodians.......................................................................Jonathan Diaz, Greg Klousia, Zane DeBoer

Kitchen Manager Rebecca Friedman

Children’s Bible Hour & Little Lambs Teachers

Sahuarita Laura Heiman

Tucson...................................................Lori Cole, Jay Wiechmann, Nicole Weinstein, Lisa Deitering, Emma Rautenberg, Beth Kassulke, Phil Holden, Danielle Stevens

Jenn Miller, Amy Rudd, Missy Wiechmann, Jenna Dietrich

Vail.....................................................................................................................................Kathy Silver

Children’s Church (Sahuarita)

Teachers

Sam Anthon, Shannon Farley, Taylor Guenther, Alex Maas, Vicki Smith, Katie Patoka, Laura Heiman

Assistants Logan & Connor Farley, Alexander & Owen Heiman, Emily Letwak, Dorothy Clough, Kaley Johnson

Lifeliner Bible Study (Tucson)

Leaders...................................................................... David Farley, Shannon Farley, Jacob Kassulke

WELS Tucson Campus Ministry (TCM)

Student Assistants

Club Officers ...........................................................

Emma Rautenberg, Hailey Brandt

Emma Rautenberg, Hailey Brandt, Maren Steffen

UA Faculty Advisor Professor Matt Gilbert

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Teachers Doug Lemke, Joyce Long, Kathy Silver, Ron Silver, Gary Spessard, Beth Johnson

Child Care........................................................Emma Rautenberg, Nadine Rentschler, Lois Thornton

Snacks................................................................................................................................ Sally Littau

Devotion Pastor Tim Patoka

ESL Directors......................................................................................................................Joyce Long

Women of Grace

Treasurer ............................................................................................................................ Sally Littau

Card Ministry (Tucson) Pat Messer

Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society Reporters ............................................Lynda Littau (Benson), Pat Dent (Sahuarita), Cynthia Breitkreitz (Tucson), Kathy Silver (Vail)

Altar Prep

Benson Sue Ann Arnold, Vicki Kramm

Sahuarita..........................Glenn & Lois Erdmann, Wayne & Elaine Gerdes, Clayton & Cheryl Spann, Shirley Zanotti, Scott & Kim Anthon, Phyllis Kamrath, Laura Heiman, Pat Dent, Jeff & Vicki Smith, Judy Griebler, Dave & Connie Rowe, Tim & Diana Holmes, Tucson Cindi Breitkreitz, Elaine Goldie, Karen Grorud, Erika Hanson, Terry Kosanke, Diane Kramm, Sally Littau, Nancy Miles, Audrey Nessinger, Patt Messer, Jeanette O’Donald, Barb Tobiasson, Kay Kassulke, Delene Sabol

Vail............................................................................................................................... Laura Hodgson

Greeters

Sahuarita........................................Elton & Phyllis Zuelke, Carl & Jean Bilitz, Glenn & Lois Erdmann, Don Hiles, Tim & Diana Holmes, Dave & Connie Rowe, Jeff & Vicki Smith, Valerie Valentine, Dylan & Taylor Guenther, Mike & Judy Keintz, Gerald & MaryAnn Logue, Tom Ducharme, Scott & Kim Anthon, Chris & Stephanie Silman, Steve & Connie Hiles, Chris & Jenna Dietrich, Dave & Jane Neujahr, Rodney & Whitney Davis, Rebecca Friedman, Larry & Pat Buske, Gary & Bonnie Patzer

Tucson Ray & Vickie Bondy, Jenn & DJ Miller, Jeanette O’Donald, Paul & Kay Kassulke, Jim & Elaine Goldie, Eric & Erika Hanson, Debbie Koehler, Joyce Long, Dorothy Lietha, Stephanie Weinstein, Nadine Rentschler, Bill & Lisa Toben, Holly Vaden, Delene Sabol

Music Directors

Sahuarita

CLC Students ...........................................................................................................CLC Teachers

Adult Choir Teri Guenther

Children’s Choir ..........................................................................................................Jane Neujahr

Tucson

Handbells Beth Kassulke

Children.....................................................................................................................Beth Kassulke

Worship Choir Jim Bakken, Paul Kassulke

Service Accompanists

Benson Hailey Brandt, Deb Bakken, Katie Patoka, Naomi Kassulke

Sahuarita...............................Teri Guenther, Laura Heiman, Katie Patoka, Jane Neujahr, Tim Patoka

Tucson Deb & Jim Bakken, Teri Guenther, Beth Kassulke, Naomi Kassulke, Kathy Parra, Katie Patoka

Vail....................................................................... Deb & Jim Bakken, Naomi Kassulke, Katie Patoka, Hailey Brandt, Caleb Prigge

Sound Technicians

Benson...........................................................................................................................Mike Lindquist

Sahuarita...................Bob Breiler, Owen Heiman, Xander Heiman, Dylan Guenther, Taylor Guenther

Tucson Danny Koehler, Jeremy Snavely, Sam Kassulke

Vail........................................................................................................Jason Pigeon, Laura Hodgson

Banner Committee (Tucson)

Members...................... Jeanette O’Donald, Amy Rudd, Nadine Rentschler, Sandy Weir, Emily Rudd

Counting Committee

Members Mark Colton, Darin Colton, Jeff Kosanke, Doug Lemke, Jason Wiechmann

Ushers

Benson............................................................................................................................. Bill Warskow

Sahuarita..................................... Elton Zuehlke, Carl Bilitz, Glenn Erdmann, Don Hiles, Tim Holmes, Jim Junkans, Walter Habel, Joe Groner, Dylan Guenther, Antonio Ambriz, Xander Heiman, Owen Heiman, Gerald Logue, Tom Ducharme, Scott Anthon, Jeff Smith, Chris Silman, Steve Hiles, Chris Dietrich, Dave Neujahr, Rodney Davis, Larry Buske, Gary Patzer

Tucson Jay Wiechmann, Jon Dongoske, Connor Farley, Lucas Guenther, Jake Kassulke, Ferdie Kramm, Rusty King, Jacob Miller, Jon Miller, Vic Thornton, Rick Street, Chris Dietrich, Danny Koehler, Emma Miller, Eric Hanson, Dylan Guenther, Brett Deitering, Sam Kassulke

Vail.............Charles Armstrong, Eric Prigge, Max Guthrie, Jason Pigeon, Ron Silver, Gary Spessard

Perpetual Memorial Fund Committee

Members.....................................................................................................Jeff Kosanke, Tom Phillips

Church Cleaning at Grace-Sahuarita

Sahuarita Jen & Erin Wisler, Valerie Valentin, Steve & Connie Hiles, David & Connie Rowe, Ron & Brenda Demulling, John & Kay Huebner, Alex & Jeremy Maas, Gary & Bonnie Patzer, Rodney & Whitney Davis, Don Hiles, David & Shannon Farley, Tim & Diana Holmes, Robin & Joe Groner, Laura Heiman, Bob & Chun Breiler, Taylor & Dylan Guenther, Sam Anthon, Rebecca Friedman, Jenna & Chris Dietrich, Chris & Stephanie Silman, Emily & Colby Letwak, Cheryl & Clayton Spann, Dorothy Clough, Jane & Dave Neujahr, Pat & Larry Buske, Leon & Jean Roske, Jen & Chad Rickling, Chris & Sarah Hammer

Thank you to all who contributed their time, skills, and talents in service to the Lord in these ways!

*If you notice any errors or omissions please let us know in the Grace Central Office (520-623-6633 or office@gracelutheransaz.org).