Annual Report 2023-2024

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

This ministry year started off on a remarkably positive note with our Annual Pancake Breakfast serving an estimated 1200 people. It is wonderful to be able to serve our community on that long weekend and I am so grateful for all the people who volunteered to make it happen. As Cochrane continues to grow, events like Pancake Breakfast are increasingly important to let people know we exist and that we care about our community.

As we got back into the regular rhythm of church ministry life through the Fall, we did so without a worship pastor to oversee Sunday Services and worship teams. I want to thank the worship members and team leaders for their hard work and dedication to lead us so well in worship and carry a huge weight of responsibility.

Our search for a new pastor to oversee worship concluded with the hiring of Phil Morrow. Phil was hired to be the pastor of Worship and Discipleship. In addition to overseeing worship ministries and elements of special services and Sunday services, Phil will be working on creating discipleship materials and opportunities that will help people grow in their knowledge and maturity. From seekers and new believers to those who are seasoned in faith, we anticipate discipleship pathways that will be beneficial for everyone. Our whole staff team is thrilled to have Phil here and I know his wife Kjerstie and daughters Lucy and Annabella have been warmly welcomed by this church family.

At our AGM in September, the church voted, with an overwhelming majority, to accept the Board of Elders recommendation that serving on the board of elders would no longer be restricted to men. I want to thank the Board for their hard work and prayerful engagement with nearly a year-long study, prayer & discernment process. I also want to thank the church members for their diligence in engaging in the process at our Q&A night and for the respectful way we approached what can be a divisive topic. It became clear that our unity in Christ and our sense of spiritual family was in no way diminished through the process but was instead strengthened. It is beautiful to see unity within the body of Christ without demanding uniformity.

As the year progressed, we continued to see attendance numbers increase with many people being new to our church community or even new to faith. In particular, it was amazing to see that our Easter Sunday Service was one of the highest attended in our records with over 800 people in-person and just over 1000 including those watching online.

However, attendance numbers are never as significant as baptism numbers and we are so grateful to be a part of people’s Jesus stories when they get baptized in our church family. This year we celebrated with 20 individuals who were baptized. I know a lot of these individuals were returning to faith or new to faith and new to joining our church family and we praise God for the work He has done in their lives.

We continued to focus on hospitality this year as we seek to make sure people feel included in this spiritual family. I want to thank our hospitality & front door teams in helping us practice hospitality this year.

I always think potlucks are a great way to get to know your church family and practice hospitality. Our Sunday Service after Christmas this year was a potluck where many cinnamon buns were supplied and was a great way to get to know one another. We also had great turnouts for all our newcomer lunches this year and I am so grateful to Pastor Donna for facilitating these lunches and our food services volunteers for helping us put these lunches on. Also, a huge thank you to all the members of the church that make this church warm and welcoming for those looking for a church to call home.

Every year I am amazed at how robust our volunteers are. We have so many places to serve in the church and a constant need for volunteers. I have been so grateful to the hundreds of people who serve within this church in a variety of ways. Pastor Jason was able to streamline our volunteer application process and give clear information on all the areas where volunteers are needed. You can check out our Volunteer Hub board at the front doors to see all the areas where we have and need volunteers. 

Our desire as a church is to make sure our volunteers are equipped to do the work they were called to do and that we give opportunities for training and growing in gifting. Pastor Jason is continuing to work on developing resources and opportunities for volunteers to be encouraged and equipped as they help Cochrane Alliance serve one another and reach the Town of Cochrane. 

This year, we also had some new developments in our global missions efforts. There was a small setback in our plans to send a team of tradespeople to serve with the McIver family in Malaysia. Just one week after announcing the trip, the McIvers found out there was uncertainty about them keeping their workshop which would make a trip nearly useless. We had to cancel our plans for the tradesperson trip but, as a missions committee, we sent Brett and Sydney Hiebert to visit the McIvers, pray with them, serve with them and to discern our future there. Brett and Sydney were optimistic about a team going to Malaysia in the next couple of years.

In addition, we have signed a new partnership with Hungry For Life serving in Guatemala. There is a new church plant in the city of San Juan known as Asuncion Church whom we will be partnering with. In many ways this partnership is an extension of the partnership we’ve had with Jesús Viene Church and School in San Raymundo, Guatemala.

Asuncion Church is a sister church of Jesús Viene Church and the close proximity makes it quite easy for the churches to work together. Teams from Cochrane will continue staying at Pastor Victor's house while working on projects with Asuncion Church alongside brothers and sisters from Jesús Viene Church.

Pastor Victor and Pastor Abraham from Jesús Viene Church have been providing pastoral support to Pastor Victoriano from Asuncion Church in San Juan for five years and now we have the opportunity to help with building projects as well as community outreach in the community of Chivoc in San Juan.

One of the more difficult moments of this past year was the lack of grant funding for our Right Hand Support program (RHS). In September, we received word that the government grant we were hoping for was not approved. Although I wrote a letter to our MLA we received no reply. We announced the potential closure of all RHS activities at a luncheon we hosted for all the different agencies in town (AHS, FCSS, Helping Hands). As the news was announced, it was both amazing and heartbreaking to see how all these community organizations had come to rely on the work RHS did. In only a few years, RHS had become a crucial part of our town's support network and we received some very nice letters of support for the work RHS did in the community.

Fortunately, a private donor from the community of Cochrane stepped in to help with the running of Right Hand Support. Unfortunately, they could only support the operations for a limited time. We made the difficult decision, in February of this year, to change the way RHS was structured so that they could continue to serve some of the most vulnerable people in the Town of Cochrane with a more limited budget. To that end, we have a fund that can be donated to – the RHS fund. This fund will help cover the cost of counselling as Robin and Jordan will continue seeing clients from our community of Cochrane who are in need of counselling services and cannot afford the full amount.

In addition, we will continue to support the mentors who were trained by RHS and volunteered to come alongside some of the people in need of community and support in our town. This next year we will see how this new format works, and we are hopeful RHS and the mentorship program will continue to bless the residents in the Town of Cochrane.

This last ministry year had some challenges, of course. However, we saw God’s kindness, goodness and provision poured out in abundance on us. As I reflect on the year we had, I am amazed at what God was doing through the work of our church. It was not by our might, nor by our power but surely by the Spirit of the Lord at work.

I pray that we would remain faithful to the work God has called us to do here in Cochrane and in our international partnerships. I would ask the church membership to keep the Board of Elders and the staff in prayer. Pray that we would follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and that we would receive the wisdom we need to make good decisions. Pray that our church would always represent the Jesus and the kingdom well, and that we would be a light of hope in our community.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:16-17

Brent Rushinka
Lead Pastor

It has been an amazing year! Some of it, I have been present for, and much of it before my time at Cochrane Alliance. I am so thankful that God has placed me in such a loving and growing church family. It is such an honour and privilege to join such an amazing group of dedicated and passionate worship and tech volunteers. In the almost full year between Pastor Randall and me on staff, so many of our people have stepped up in incredible ways to carry the load. To those who picked up extra duties and responsibilities, thank you so much for your leadership and commitment to our church family. You have been an inspiration to me and to our congregation. 

I look forward to being a part of equipping our worship teams to lead us in worship and helping lead the congregation in worship each Sunday.

There were some great learning opportunities this year for people to grow in knowledge and practice of faith. One day events like the Holy Spirit Encounter and the Gifts of the Spirit workshop helped to facilitate our goal of helping people grow deeper in knowledge and practice of faith.

Shortly after beginning my role here at Cochrane Alliance, I began working on a discipleship pathway to help people learn and grow in their faith. This has been a major part of my work here the last couple of months and I am excited to see it launch this fall.

I want to also thank the leaders of the Men’s and Women's ministries. Both ministries served so many of our people by providing community, friendship, prayer and teaching. I am so grateful to the leaders of these ministries and for their faithfulness to serve the men and women of our church. 

Finally, I would like to thank those who serve in our altar prayer ministry. These people took training with our altar prayer ministry lead and are ready and available every Sunday to pray with anyone for anything and I would encourage people to make use of our prayer teams as they have need. 

It’s been an exciting few months here at Cochrane Alliance and I look forward to what the future holds.

Phil Morrow
Pastor of Worship & Discipleship

As a church, it is our desire to help people engage in the life of the church and its mission by encouraging people to discover and use the extraordinary gifts and talents that God has placed within them. It has been a joy for me to start giving vision, thought and planning into how see this lived out. Over the past year, we have taken some initial steps to laying the groundwork for identifying and developing leaders throughout the church. As we plan to engage more people in serving and desire to see them grow as leaders, we are focused on three values: discover, develop and deepen.

Here is a little snapshot of how we have been and will continue to move these values forward.

Discover

How has God already been at work in my life. How is God currently calling me to serve.

• Volunteer Hub – Our new volunteer hub board and web page launched in June. The volunteer hub clearly shows and invites individuals into opportunities to serve within the church. 
• Sign up processes and applications have been simplified to make getting connected easier.

Develop

Equipping involves empowering leaders for their role. Emphasis is on knowledge and skills.

• Ministry Huddles - We have set up regular times with each ministry team to be encouraged and further relationship over a shared meal.  This will continue in the coming year as we believe a vibrant culture of leadership development is fueled by the power of relationships.  We want to invest, appreciate and celebrate those who serve with us often and well. 
• In September, I was certified as a Grip Birkman Coach, and I plan to use this training with teams in the coming year. Grip Birkman is an in-depth assessment that provides insight into how the natural behavior interacts with the supernatural empowerment of God. The focus of this assessment is how one can powerfully play their God-designed role in the Body of Christ most effectively. The assessment is useful for individual and team growth and development.   
• Leadership Summits will provide focused training in core competencies to carry out ministry responsibilities. We want to empower leaders for the task before them while rallying them around our vision and mission.

Deepen

Spiritual foundation and formation

• Grow Together - In the new year we want all leaders to engage with our church wide discipleship pathway by choosing to be part of one “grow together” opportunity.  Leaders need to be growing in their own spiritual maturity to effectively disciple others.

Jason Dimnik
Pastor of Youth & Leadership Development

2023-2024 has been a significant growth year for our church including JAM Kids Ministry. Just about every Sunday, we have experienced overflowing JAM classes. Many new volunteers have stepped up to serve and of course, we are always happy to welcome more…what a wonderful and challenging dilemma! This coming year we plan to open two more classrooms to accommodate our burgeoning numbers. Thank you to all of our JAM Volunteers!

A new initiative this past year was the introduction of a JAM Lead Team that worked collaboratively to lead ministry to kids and families and particularly, to coordinate the weekly Sunday JAM ministry. The Lead Team included four volunteer leaders who oversaw the various departments in JAM: Melanie Shaw (Nursery), Gwyn Butler (Preschool/Kindergarten), Amanda Chrabaszcz (Elementary) and Dan Clark (Check-in), and two staff members: Laura Nixon (JAM Administrator) and myself. Each Lead Team member was fantastic as coordinator, scheduler, leader and advisor.  Laura, too has been invaluable as a right-hand staff partner to manage our Safe Kids screening and all our curriculum needs among a host of other responsibilities. As a Lead Team, we kicked off our year with the Kidz Matter Conference in Nashville where five of us were immersed in all things ‘Kids Ministry’. We came back with some great ideas and inspiration, and good team connection to help us lead together, which we did throughout the year. One awesome idea that took off was the introduction of the “Action Team”. Under the leadership of Amanda & Colin Chrabaszcz, elementary kids learned and presented the actions for worship songs at “First Week Worship” and each week with a live band in Elementary. It was so great to see kids enthusiastically engage in worship and lean into the wonderful truths they are singing. I am so thankful for each member and the huge contribution they bring to our JAM ministry for kids and families at Cochrane Alliance.

Throughout the year, we had a variety of events. Summer 2023 was exciting with Backyard Kids Camp and Soccer Camp led largely by our Summer Student Coordinator, Logan Vlietstra. An equipping course called “Spiritual Parenting” was very well received. At Christmas, we had a very fun Live Nativity and  our kids presented a mini musical entitled “Jesus is…” directed by Amanda Chrabaszcz. We tried a new family event this year called “Cereality” which was a hands-on equipping time to encourage family spiritual conversations in the activity of life. And, in the Easter season we had a Seder Experience and Take-Home Easter Packets for families to connect with neighbors. By all accounts the events were a hit and aligned with our vision to ‘partner with parents’ as spiritual leaders in their families.

We have enjoyed a tremendous year in JAM Kids Ministry. We look forward to continued growth in JAM, to coming alongside parents as primary spiritual influencers, and to pointing kids to Jesus more and more.  

Donna Hernandez
Pastor of Children, Community & Connection

I had the privilege this year to lead our Community and Connection Ministry at Cochrane Alliance. This included giving oversight to our Small Groups, Hospitality Team (Welcome, Ushers and Greeters), Newcomers (luncheons, new baby visits), a couple of Community potlucks…and my favorite, dozens of 1:1 visits with people in our church. It’s been awesome! 

Small groups really took off this past year. Over summer 2023 a list of our small groups was established and organized, a few more groups were added, communication and resource ideas went out to leaders, and in the fall, we had 18 groups in place. Throughout the year, we continued to add more groups and connect people into small groups. We had groups for men, women, young adults, seniors, mixed age and stage, new believers (Alpha) and others. As I have had the opportunity to visit each small group, it is thrilling to see these small networks studying, praying and supporting one another. Small Groups are truly a great place to build deep friendships and grow together as believers in the body of Christ. It is happening at Cochrane Alliance. Thank you Small Group leaders for organizing, hosting and facilitating! 

Our Newcomer pathway often starts when new people first come through our doors and are warmly greeted and directed to Sunday Worship or JAM Kids. Those that fill out a “Connection Card” are met with a smile and welcome at our info desk, receive a little gift and can ask any questions they may have. Follow up happens by way of a friendly phone call to respond to interests/questions and an invitation to our “Newcomer Luncheon”.  Our “Newcomer Luncheon” is a great place to meet people and receive basic information about Cochrane Alliance and our programs. While we are still learning and growing in hospitality, it is encouraging to see more and more new people plugging into small groups, involved in JAM or serving in a ministry. 

Effective Community and Connection ministry can only happen when an amazing group of volunteers are using their gifts. Many thanks to our greeters, ushers, welcome team, coffee makers, food preparers, follow up callers and behind the scenes people. And thanks to Laura Nixon (our administrator) who has effectively communicated and coordinated with our volunteer teams.  Being a part of this ministry has been a fun and incredibly exciting year! Can’t wait to see what God will do in our church body this coming year!

Donna Hernandez
Pastor of Children, Community & Connection

Reflecting on my first year in this new role of Associate of Youth Ministries, I am first and foremost grateful for the grace and patience of our fantastic volunteer leaders who have been so kind and willing to “go with the flow” as we adjust to this new dynamic, as well as an influx of new students.

Despite being visited by all three emergency services this year, Youth Ministry at Cochrane Alliance has been a place where students feel that they belong, engaging in Meaningful Relationships and Experiencing Jesus. Students regularly participated in small groups, serving on Sunday mornings, and leading worship Wednesday evenings. They are hungry to learn more about Jesus and what it means to be a disciple. 

During the Winter Semester, I completed the required course, Alliance History & Thought, and am scheduled to complete my licensing interview in late October. Once that is completed, I will officially hold the title of Pastor!

This past year we were blessed to have Joshua Hilling as a ministry intern for 8 months. Joshua is attending Alberta Bible College and has been part of our church for many years. During his internship, Joshua primarily helped to give leadership in the youth ministry. Joshua was able to use his gift and passion for teaching God's word often in the youth ministry and he also preached twice on Sunday mornings. We are grateful for the dedication and integrity that Joshua served with during his internship.  

As we look forward to this next ministry year and our desire to see students become resilient, faithful disciples, some (small) changes are coming. We are looking forward to focusing more on forming and leading small groups, as well as equipping our students to be faithful leaders in our church, and our community. On top of that, we will be returning to Guatemala for the first time in several years for a Youth Missions trip in February of 2025. Your prayers are coveted that God would continue to provide us with leaders and mentors who love students, and long to see the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Stacey Morris
Associate of Youth Ministries

I have found my ministry in People Care to be both rewarding and challenging as I have assisted people in our church and community in receiving support and care in various ways.  I am grateful for a church who has given me opportunities to serve in a part-time way in offering counselling, support groups, ministries to our Seniors, chaplaincy in our long-term care facilities in Cochrane and Calgary, visitation in the four hospitals in Calgary, assisting in funerals and weddings as well as other people care related ministries. Here are some of the highlights of my ministry year. 

Our Heritage Seniors ministry continued to grow as we met together on a regular basis to enjoy fellowship, good food, singing together and enjoying some great gospel music artists via video.  We hosted five events this year including our Fall Supper, Christmas Supper, Christmas Tea (for residents of our Cochrane care facilities), a Resurrection Brunch and a Summer Barbecue. We also had a consultant from CRA conduct a workshop concerning taxation issues as well as protection against scammers. 

Our Grief Share support group welcomed 18 registrants to our 13-week course where we sought to give positive, caring support to people who had lost loved ones in the past year.   These sessions led to several one-on-one counselling sessions for people dealing with complicated grief.  I also had the joy of speaking at the Cochrane Country Funeral Chapel Christmas Candle Vigil where I shared on the theme of “Surviving the Holidays”.  Each attendee lit a candle in memory of their loved ones.

It was a privilege to offer counselling to approximately 40 clients, most of whom are from the Cochrane community.  It was rewarding to offer help in such areas as depression, anxiety, marriage and family life, grief and loss, and spiritual life questions.  I am blessed to work with a church that sees counselling as an important ministry to those who need a listening ear and some practical guidance. 

I also served as a registered Religious Community Volunteer with Alberta Health Services, offering support to patients in the four Calgary hospitals, and making 55 hospital visits this past year. 

I have enjoyed serving as a part-time chaplain at Bethany Care Centre, Grand Avenue Village, Trinity Lodge (Calgary) and occasionally at The Hawthorne.  This ministry offers chapel service once a month to residents who would otherwise have no service available to them. It is a joy to see this community join in singing, prayer and short Biblical messages as we gathered for our monthly services. 

It was an honor to assist in two weddings and four Celebration of Life services. 
Each couple that I married received six hours of pre-marriage counselling.  It is our desire to see couples get off to a good start in their marriage. Celebration of Life services give me the opportunity to walk with people who are challenged as they begin their journey of grieving.   

Larry Charter
People Care

We exist to connect people with Jesus so the world thrives.

BELONG. GROW. SERVE.

Sunday September 22, 2024 | 1:30pm

1. Call to Order - Blaine Ellerby

2. Adoption of Agenda

3. Devotion and Opening Prayer - Brent Rushinka

4. Welcome to New Church Members

5. Adoption of the Minutes:

   • Annual General Meeting of September 24, 2023

6. Reports

   • Lead Pastor - Brent Rushinka

   • Board of Elders - Blaine Ellerby

7. Report of the Nominating Committee - Brent Rushinka

8. Election of Elders

9. Report of the Treasurer - Don Neufeld

   • 2023-2024 Financial Statements

   • 2024-2025 Budget

10. Results of Vote of the Election of Elders

    • Destroy Ballots

11. Closing Prayer - Doyle Peterson

12. Adjournment - Blaine Ellerby

We will have a time of concentrated prayer immediately following the official adjournment of the meeting.

Hello Cochrane Alliance members and attendees! Whether you‘ve been with us for many years, or just recently joined us, you are all welcome and we consider it a blessing that you are here.

Although I’ve been a member of many previous Cochrane Alliance Boards, this past year has been my first serving as Board Chair. It’s been a wonderful time of learning, and I am keenly looking forward to serving Pastor Brent, the Board, and you – the members of Cochrane Alliance in the upcoming year. 

In preparing for this year’s Annual General Meeting, I was reminded of the message that Pastor Jason brought to us on Volunteer Sunday near the end of June 2024. Pastor Jason meticulously spoke to us from Joshua 4, where the Lord told Joshua to ask one man from each tribe of Israel to collect a stone from Jordan River and lay it down to serve as a sign. Verses 6 and 7 say,

“In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off."

As Pastor Jason went on, he taught that the memorial of the stones at the Jordan River is so important in that it was meant to be a sign to future generations of the faithfulness and power of the living God. 

When I reflect over this past year, I remember and praise the Lord for many “stones”, and remember His faithfulness:

• I praise Him for the pastoral staff that we are blessed with. Pastor Brent’s dedication, and leadership of the team, Pastor Jason’s guidance in raising up others in leadership capacities and youth ministries, the new guy, Pastor Phil’s authentic worship leading and discipling, Pastor Donna’s caring for our kids, building community and connections, Stacey’s new role serving with youth, and Larry’s faithful service in caring for people. Thank you!
• I thank Him for the support staff that probably don’t get enough thanks for all the behind the scenes work that keeps the ship afloat. Daniel for the amazing work keeping our finances tight and in order, Wendy for the graphics, social media presence and website support, Nicqueline for coordinating maintenance, rentals, and admin work, Justin for the great video production work, and Laura for her admin work supporting kids and community. Thank you!
• I praise Him for the leadership and volunteers of all the ministries that support the work of the Lord: the finance committee, missions committee, prayer teams, worship teams, kids ministry teams, hospitality teams, youth leadership team, men’s and women’s ministries and more. Thank you!
• I thank Him for you, members of Cochrane Alliance Church. Without you and your faithful contributions, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do and serve the community of Cochrane, and, really, the world. Thank you!
• I praise Him for my fellow Board of Elders members: Brent, Doyle, Adam, Don, Dave, Tim, Cam, and Simon. I appreciate their dedication to service at Cochrane Alliance and their wisdom as we navigate church business. Together as a team, we uphold the prayer requests brought forward to the church. Thank you! As I look forward to the rest of 2024 and into 2025, I’m excited that we will welcome women onto the Board of Elders, a decision made by the Cochrane Alliance membership at last year’s Annual General Meeting.

Those are just a few of the stones that come to mind as I write this report!

Please continue to uphold the pastoral staff, office staff, and Board of Elders as we faithfully serve the Lord and you at Cochrane Alliance Church in the year ahead.

Thank you and may God richly bless you,

Blaine Ellerby
Chair of the Board of Elders

Nominations for Board of Elders

3-year Term:    

Jamine Souza
Gwyn Butler

Current Members:     

Blaine Ellerby
Don Neufeld
Adam Braun
Dave Anger
Simon Ongom
Cam Hiebert

Nominations for Congregational Reps

Melanie Shaw
Brett Hiebert

From Constitution: 
Article XV – Elections 

…The Nominating Committee shall present and post, at least two Sundays prior to the annual meeting, one name for each office to be filled. Other nominations, if any, shall be made in writing, signed by two members in good standing, and filed with the chairman of the nominating committee for posting before the public services on the Sunday prior to the annual meeting.

From Bylaws of Cochrane Alliance Church: Article IV - Board of Elders 

Elders shall be elected to a term not exceeding three years. A three year term is defined as beginning at the AGM when the elder is elected and ending at the AGM three years hence.  An elder can serve on the board for a maximum of two consecutive terms after which they must step off the board for a minimum of one year.

Nominating Committee:

Brent Rushinka, Chairperson
Sharon Wicker, Congregational Rep
Danelle Schwab, Congregational Rep
Blaine Ellerby, Board of Elders Rep
Tim Heavenor, Board of Elders Rep

* Click links above to find out more about our current Elders and Nominees.

As we gather to reflect on the past year, it is with immense joy and gratitude that I present to you the financial report for Cochrane Alliance. We have experienced a remarkable year, and I am delighted to share the highlights with you.

First and foremost, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for your unwavering generosity and faithfulness in giving. Your continued support has been instrumental in ensuring that our church ministries and programs ran smoothly throughout the year. Your contributions have truly made a difference, and we are deeply grateful.

This year, we welcomed a new pastoral staff member, Phil Morrow. We’re deeply grateful God has sent him to us. The transition has gone exceptionally well, and since the hire was later in the year, we were able experience significant savings, effectively reducing our expenses. This, in effect, proved to be a blessing to the church on the financial management side of things.

One of the most exciting aspects of this year’s financial success is that our General Fund giving well exceeded the budget. This surplus will allow us to complete much-needed capital projects and improvements. Notably, the upgrading of our sanctuary sound system will take place in the fall, while the resurfacing of the church parking lot was already completed in the summer. Both will enhance our facilities for everyone’s benefit.

In addition to these improvements, we made two significant payments toward the principal on our debt, amounting to $72,000. These payments were over and above our regular monthly payment toward principal and interest of $20,000. As a result, we’re now on track with the initial projection of a 15-year amortization period with the Western Canadian District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. At this rate, our loan should be paid off within nine years, by 2033.

Looking ahead, once our indebtedness is fully paid, we potentially will have significant funds available for capital improvements or even, new ministry ventures. This prospect is incredibly exciting and opens up numerous possibilities for the future of Cochrane Alliance.

On the expense side, I want to acknowledge our staff’s exceptional management. Their diligence and careful budgeting have kept expenses well within the set parameters, contributing significantly to our overall financial health.

In closing, I rejoice in how God has provided for Cochrane Alliance this past year. We have much to celebrate, and I am confident that, with continued faith and stewardship, we will see even greater things in the years to come.

Thank you once again for your generosity and support. May we continue to work together for the glory of God and the growth of His kingdom.

With gratitude, 

Don Neufeld
Treasurer of the Board of Elders

Includes complete 2023/24 financial statements, 2024/2025 proposed budget and more.