2024 Annual Report


Year in Review

  • 90 Average in-person attendance - ^25%
  • 47 First-time visitors
  • 65 Connection Cards filled out
  • 22 Kids in Sonshine Island each week
  • 4 Baptisms
  • 3 Child Dedications

Missional Impact

  • 30 children received Christmas gifts through our Angel Tree Ministry.
  • Teen mothers were ministered to every Tuesday night at 6:30.
  • We handed out 14 Turkeys to our community in partnership with our local Fire Department.
  • Thousands of pounds of food were handed out by the Cros Mobile Food Pantry in our parking lot on Saturday mornings from 8-10 a.m.
  • Hundreds of Blessings Bags were packed and donated to our homeless neighbors
  • Many families in our Church and community were assisted through our benevolence donations.

Teachings

You can watch all of our previous sermons at:  www.churchinthepalms.com/sermons

  • December 2023

    Christmas is a time to center our lives on four realities of Jesus: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.

  • January 2024

    All people are made in the image of God and we are called to live out that image in our daily lives.

  • February

    There are four Greek words for love in the New Testament and each brings a unique perspective.

  • March

    In this series, we looked at who Jesus chose to invite to his table and how that should influence us.

  • April

    Jonah is a reluctant prophet, but his life teaches us that God can work through our mistakes.

  • May

    God’s name isn’t mentioned in the book of Esther, but he is still working in her story and ours.

  • June-July

    A nine-week study focused on the greatest sermon ever preached by Jesus.

  • August

    A series on developing spiritual habits like prayer, service, worship and community.

  • September-October

    9 weeks on the book of Joshua and the importance of facing life with courage and boldness.

  • November

    A Thanksgiving study on the importance of gratitude and generosity in our lives.

Ministry Overview

  • Our annual Easter Egg hunt attracted over 60 kids, with more than 150 individuals joining us for worship.
  • Our Fall Festival Trunk-or-Treat event welcomed over 200 visitors to our property.
  • Under the leadership of Jacob and MaKayla Collins, we re-launched our Student Ministry on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. in room 114.
  • We celebrated and prayed for 30 students returning to school during our Promotion Sunday event.
  • Our graduating class of 2024 consisted of six students: Walker Allen, Renee Brown, Daniella Daniel, Siobhan DeFelice, Peichen Han “Hank” and Amber Kane.
  • This year we were blessed to be led in worship by many wonderful guest leaders, including Christy Sust, Nathan Taylor, Alex Gutherie, and Tori Walker.
  • We also had an amazing Night of Worship, a women's tea event with over 60 guests and our own Norbert Gaff led us in a beautiful ceremony honoring our veterans.

Our Team

Leadership Team

Evan Imel

Penny Barrett

Jan Mackowiak

Ashley Magaw

Theresa Todd


Operations Team

Evan Imel

Jim DeFelice

Jeff Deward

Susan Eby

Natalie Harper

Mirlande Jean Mary

Kathryn Remini




Our Staff

Evan Imel - Lead Pastor

Julius Sanna - Worship and Pastoral Care Pastor

Christy Saintsurin - Childrens Coordinator

Jenny Todd - Administrative Assistant

Linda Barnaby - Property Manager

Dale Eby - Financial Manager

Luz Benitez - Custodian

Jerry Zaffuto - Maintenance

Don Imel - Tenant Relations Manager

Faces we will Never Forget

Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one  

who believes in me will live, even though they die; and  

whoever lives by believing in me will never die.'


John 11:25-26

  • Jerry Dycus

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  • Justine Gaff

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  • Larry Rayside

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  • Kathryn Remini

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  • Judy Riegsecker

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  • Ruth Riegsecker

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Financial Highlights

Church in the Palms Highlights:

  • Giving to General Fund in 2024: $151,105.70*.
  • Budgeted to Receive in 2024: $164,075.03*.
  • -$303.03 Per week in expected giving.
  • Expenses*: $130,095.91 Budgeted: $166,015.97.
  • YTD Income: $28,431.63.
  • Giving to Benevolence needs: $6,458.22*.
  • Giving to Youth Ministry: $2210.51.



Community Life Center Highlights:

  • Rental income: $13,524.58* over Expected.
  • We have 14 Churches and nonprofits meeting in our building each week.
  • We added LED lights to the parking lot and east side of the building, resulting in our energy bill being $4000 less than projected.
  • We owe $758,000 on our mortgage. The payoff date is currently May 2034.


*Through October 2024



Conclusion

We are on pace to finish the year ahead financially in both the CITP and CLC accounts, while also hiring multiple new staff, making significant building improvements, and going above and beyond in our benevolence and missional giving.

Looking Ahead

As we close out 2024 and turn the page to 2025, I want to leave you with this thought: Jesus, though available to everyone, chose 12 people to be his closest followers—12 individuals he invested in, guided, and did life with daily.


But before there were 12, there was one. It all started with Jesus personally inviting each of the 12 disciples to "Follow me." Each one responded to that personal invitation and began a life devoted to Jesus.


As we move into 2025, I encourage you to ask yourself, "Who’s my one?" Who is the one person you will intentionally share your faith with this year? Who is the one person you will invite into your daily life? Who is the one person you will invest in spiritually, emotionally, and relationally?


Are you ready to reach out to a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or family member and invite them to follow Christ—just as you are following Him?


Pastor Evan