DHPC Foundation

Foundation President: Eddie Smith

Foundation Board members: Woody Chamberlain, Shelly Core, Bob Kinderman (VP Finance), Marsha Lindquist, Lisa Loran (Secretary), Lynn Oates

Ex officio members: Jim Noble, DHPC Senior Pastor; and Oran Brown, DHPC Finance Elder

We are fortunate to have all of our current Board members returning for 2023.

Mission – (as stated in the bylaws) - The Foundation’s specific purpose is to fulfill the legacy of the Desert Hills Presbyterian Church by providing additional resources for the Church congregation to expand and strengthen the work of the Church.

2023 potential grants – On June 30, the date when the endowment grant was determined, the value of the endowment fund was $1,214,789 which, under our guidelines, would support a grant of about $60,000. In addition, there are non-endowment, restricted accounts that could provide grants for appropriate projects with as much as an additional $18,000. These combined potential grants will make possible many opportunities for the Church to undertake significant new initiatives and investments.

Past grant uses – Grants have been available to the Church for just over a year. During that time these grants have made possible the hiring of instrumentalists for Reformation Sunday and Christmas Eve services; in non-music areas, Foundation grants funded the future installation of permanent choir microphones, the Faith and

Fuel Filler Up outreach program, and the Grandparenting Program; as well as making a $10,000 contribution to support Arts in the Rocks and a $5,000 contribution to renew the BrainSavers license.

A major gift – Last spring, Peter and Carolyn Sturrus, long-time members and strong supporters of our Church, donated their Arizona home to the Foundation and DHPC. At their direction, the home was sold with the Foundation’s Endowment Fund receiving $1 million and DHPC receiving the remaining $365,215 of the net proceeds.

Fund investment – From the beginning, the Foundation’s endowment has been primarily invested with the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) in their Long Term Diversified Pool whose investments are managed by a team of highly qualified investment experts. It is the Board’s intention to continue our relationship with ACF.

Investment Performance - The year 2022 was very negative for both the stock and bond markets. For example, the S&P 500 index decreased 19.44% in 2022, while our investment with ACF performed much better having decreased only about 11%. Even better, we are time-averaging the investment of the $1 million Sturrus donation with ACF, which thus far has resulted in an even better return on that money. On December 31, 2022, (the latest date for which results are available at the time this report was prepared) the market value of our endowment was about $1.2 million.

The Foundation, which has been totally funded by members and friends of DHPC, is proving to be a greatly beneficial asset to our

Family & Student Ministries

Elder: Vicky Parker

Staff Liaison: Pastor Jim Noble

With all the refurbishment projects completed, we began our programs in 2022 with great amenities.

The youth met at their regular events, Wednesday Night LIVE at the HangOut 6-8pm and High School Small Groups at 2pm. Sunday evening youth meetings continued throughout the year until September when they were suspended to prepare for the new Worship Service program. The youth plan to resume meeting on Sunday evenings after the Family Worship Service.

The youth had an eventful year …. In March they went to Six Flags Magic Mountain and Santa Monica Beach, California. To help with costs for Summer Camp at Forest Home in Southern California there was a Bake Sale fundraiser and Trivia Night in the Fellowship Center. A Silent Auction was also held which was very successful. The Junior and High school youth were able to attend Summer Camp at Forest Home from June 5-10 with some of the costs offset including some scholarship opportunities. From mid-June through beginning of August, the Wednesday Night program did not meet at church but instead at various students’ homes for a swim night. They had food, fun and spent time enjoying fellowship with their friends.

In July we had a very successful Vacation Bible School. The theme was “Make Waves.”

We hosted a “Back to School Bash” on Friday August 19 for all students with food, games, competitions and a live music event. There were 20 students in attendance which was encouraging. We have identified the beginnings of both a worship band and drama team that have begun to serve at DHPC on Wednesday nights.

Chris Haidet started a joint youth group experience on the second Saturday of each month with our sister church in Leupp.

The Leupp students joined us at DHPC in October for a special Saturday Night HangOut with guests from Forest Home.

Students studied a series called “You Asked for It” which was answering the 10 most asked questions about the Bible and life. These questions were submitted by the students themselves and discussed in their group.

In October, Steve Russo did a presentation to the students on Identity. He has worked with Billy Graham and was the “Focus on the Families” teen call-in show host.

Small groups continued to meet every Sunday.

In October, Chris hosted and helped to run a “Rockin Worship Bootcamp” and a few of our students participated. It was a powerful event with musicians from all over the country. We hope to be able to host this event at DHPC in 2023.

Chris continued to help and speak at North Valley Christian Academy and has made significant inroads with parents and students there.

We also hosted a Christian Concert with a Band called “Disciple” for a second time in October. A concert for all ages, it was well attended by groups of people who follow the band.

Jingle Jam was held at the beginning of December with our students helping to serve and participate in this annual Children’s event. This event is a great opportunity for outreach to our community.

Winter Camp was held at Forest Home in Southern California from January 13-16, 2023. This is well attended taking 20 students plus volunteer staff this year. This camp is for Junior High (6-8 grade) and High School (9-12).

Respectfully submitted,

Vicky Parker Family & Student Ministries Elder