2004 was the year of "Get Out The Vote" for many people and organizations around the country, and NOAH was no exception! This effort engaged nearly all NOAH congregations, and lasted through the summer and fall until Election Day. NOAH registered nearly 4,000 people to vote, had 250 people at the polls on Election Day to help protect the voting process, and contributed to an increase in voter turnout in Cuyahoga County of 21% - an extremely significant effort!!!

Four new congregations joined our ranks in the past year, were welcomed officially and with open arms on February 8, 2005 at NOAH's Annual Business Meeting. These congregations include Calvary Presbyterian in Cleveland, Church of the Covenant Presbyterian in Cleveland, Community of Faith Assemblies in Cleveland, and Shiloh Baptist Church in Cleveland. Welcome one and all! The pastors and leaders of these congregations are already becoming active and engaged in the work they joined NOAH to do.

There were 19 leaders and pastors who attended various National Training opportunities throughout 2004 offered by the Gamaliel Foundation with whom NOAH is affiliated. Leadership Training is a transformational experience for all who go through it ‚ the individual, their congregation, and NOAH are all transformed as a result. There are four National Weeklong Leadership Training opportunities remaining in 2005, as well as Clergy Training, Advanced Leadership Training, and Ntosake ‚ a training experience especially designed for women leaders and pastors. See the schedule on the Gamaliel pages of this book for dates and details, and contact the NOAH office to register!

NOAH's third public meeting held last fall on October 9, 2004 was successful. There were over 650 people who gathered at St. William's Catholic Church in Euclid, OH with a dozen legislators and public officials to take action on four ongoing policy campaigns in the areas of public school funding, day care voucher funding, gas tax distribution, and the civil rights of immigrants. Significant commitments were made that night by all officials present. Now is the time to hold them accountable to continue the good work we've started!

The NOAH Clergy Caucus decided that 2004 was the year to take their commitment to each other and the work of the Caucus to a new level. The Caucus has created a Covenant Statement about what it means to be part of the NOAH Clergy Caucus, and is taking their commitment to recruitment very seriously. They are looking forward to another big year in 2005! See their page in this book for more details and information.

The lay leaders of NOAH decided that it is time to create a Lay Caucus that can be dedicated to helping congregations build, strengthen and guide their core teams. The inaugural meeting of this body was held in March and will meet quarterly. Core teams are encouraged to meet monthly. See their page in this book for more details and information.

The 2005 NOAH Board was elected formally at the February 8 Annual Business Meeting and is already proving to be a very dynamic, committed, serious driving force. The Rev. David L. Hunter was elected President and is taking the challenges and excitement of chairing this team very seriously. For more details and information, see the President's Message and NOAH Board pages of this book.

Staffing changes are also afoot in NOAH. Office Manager, Jeanne Uram, after doing an extremely capable job of running the NOAH office and increasing our efficiency, has been promoted to Business Administrator where she will have increased responsibilities in the area of fundraising, grant-writing and database management. Sadly, NOAH's founding Executive Director, Ellen Chiuppi, will say goodbye to NOAH at this evening's event after four years of dedicated service to the organization. We will miss her and wish her and her family many blessings in their new endeavors in Detroit, Michigan. NOAH is currently discerning and calling new professional organizing staff, and regardless of staff transitions, the work will continue!

"Diversity, Faith, Unity and Power" is the theme of this year's banquet and work. It is because of NOAH's Diversity ‚ we are urban and suburban; black, white and brown; many religious traditions ‚ our Faith ‚ our work is based in the values we share which are rooted in our faith traditions ‚ our Unity ‚ we are the only organization in greater Cleveland that overcomes those false boundaries to work together for our common fate ‚ and our Power ‚ we have organized people and organized money to fulfill God's vision for us ‚ that we will continue to be successful together. So may we all continue to "pray as if everything depended on God, and act as if everything depended on you"!