After opening the meeting with prayer, the group began the session, 'STATING WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO.' The purpose of this session was to outline our mission design. Our focus was to plan where we are going and how we are going to get there.
The Bible verses for the evening were Proverbs 29: 18a, Philippians 3: 12-14, and Luke 9: 62. First, we answered the question about what God's vision means to us and how we see it applying to our congregation. We found God's vision to be the word of the Gospel, the core of our faith, our purpose, and our goal. For our congregation having God's vision means facing the vision with work, understanding our role, seeking God's word to know His will, and having a united single vision as we work together. The second question was about pressing toward the goal for the prize of the call of God in Christ Jesus. Always striving for new goals, personally and as the body of Christ; not letting the past hold us back, and learning from the past were some our thoughts on these passages. The third question dealt with what Jesus said about the importance of a mission design for our church. We found that looking forward, keeping the goal alive, learning lessons from the past, feeling the urgency to develop a plan, and looking to the future were part of our preparation for developing a mission design for our congregation.
Our work for the evening was to state actions we can take in order to be the body that carries on God's mission today. We broke into small groups, each taking one of the eight areas of mission activity and listing, and then reporting to the large group, statements of intent for each area, as follows:
MEMBER CARE
Nurture all ages by offering comfort, friendship, encouragement, and educational opportunities. To do this, we will:
Purchase a new van so we can use it for rides for all ages.
Identify visitors and encourage members to make them feel welcome after the service and at coffee hour
Call on members who are no longer attending.
Call on shut-ins and elderly who are not able to attend.
Offer support groups as requested/needed.
Find out why people have left the church and what we can do to include them again.
Have church suppers, movie nights, game nights, bridge groups, adult groups for singles, adult groups for couples.
Continue what currently works.
WORSHIP AND
CELEBRATION
Aim to greet as many people as possible before, during, and after the service. Have two coordinators set up and train a Greeter's Committee to serve three months on a rotating basis.
Have a mix of both traditional and contemporary hymns at each service. Meet with the worship committee to put this into action each week.
Have Worship Committee explore having people witness for Christ during worship.
Have Worship Committee market the special services during the year.
Have Greeters Committee encourage people to attend the celebrations.
Get ideas from other churches.
Have two services.
Have children's choirs and youth choirs.
Bring back old hymnals.
Continue to support the adult choirs.
Make sure everyone can hear.
EDUCATION
Make a commitment to hiring a dedicated Minister or Director of Christian Education.
Make a commitment to support said persons and all who lead on Education Committee.
Develop a lay leadership, such as needed for children's sermons and adult education classes.
Teach the teachers and lay leaders.
Meet and entice members of the congregation with fellowship, meals and by programs which tell 'what is going on' in Christian Education in the church.
Hold library activities, book discussions, etc. to involve all ages in knowing resources there.
Find a good home for Adult Education Sunday morning classes.
Form Adult Fellowship group(s).
Provide training for Youth Leaders
Provide lay leader training for Adult Education
Provide more Sunday Adult Education classes
Provide the Workshop Rotational Model to other Sunday school classes.
Create opportunities for continuing education for Deacons and Elders.
OUTREACH
Continue Food Pantry to provide food for the needy.
Support T.A.S.K. with funds and volunteers.
Support Bread Program- pick up bread from supermarkets and put in bags for pick up by needy persons.
Support Coffee Hours/Receptions.
Develop leadership for Seniors.
Support Holiday baskets-collect food items, fill and distribute
Participate in the General Mission PCUSA.
Develop a strong youth group
Create tutoring programs involving youth.
Provide local mission trips-USA.
Start a program of involvement with meals on Wheels.
Start an Interfaith Hospitality Network -homeless support.
Continue to provide transportation for those who need it.
Continue outreach program to Monroe Village and expand to nursing home and Meadow Lakes.
Continue to support Guatemala and Mexico trips.
Renew participation in Habitat for Humanity.
Renew participation in Heifer project.
Provide communion for shut-ins.
Continue participation in 30 Hour Famine.
Continue participation in Crop Walk.
Participate in Appalachian- Morris Fork Craft Show
Continue financial support for mission activities.
EVANGELISM
Record, track, and invite visitors to join us.
Sponsor all age social activities such as bingo, youth lock-ins, adult bus trips, theater trips, dinner groups, and weekend VBS type program, especially on weekends so working parents in the community can be included.
Make personal contact with back sliders.
Continue to recognize that CPNS provides Christian messages, Bible stories, songs, and prayer and involves families in Christian Celebrations and fellowship.
Welcome entire community in Vacation Bible School and involve parents as leaders.
Acknowledge new comers that move into the community by flyers, newspaper publicity and road signs.
Hold frequent Inquirers Classes with a member as a mentor for each family or person.
Make better use of Time/Talent Surveys to involve new people in specific jobs.
Witness our personal faith experiences.
Have a Family Ministry involving fellowship, education, etc.
Use the newsletter for statements of faith.
BUILDINGS AND
GROUNDS
Maintain and improve our property so that all who use it will find it to be a clean, safe place.
Have guidelines for facility use and clearly communicate them.
Improve and maintain Room 1.
Have Sexton improve regular maintenance.
Update/purchase furniture for Fellowship Hall to make it more user friendly.
Make the building handicapped accessible.
Have better lighting in chancel area.
Do not allow parking along side of church.
STEWARDSHIP AND
RESOURCES
Communicate where/why the money is needed.
Show visual communication
of progress to goal.
Specify needs to give a purpose for giving (as in the case of the organ, bells, pew cushions piano keys.)
Use endowments and memorial funds for specific needs.
Focus and make a few things work well.
Revise Time and Talent Survey to include smaller jobs.
Reevaluate Time and Talent follow-ups.
Make people aware of who to contact if they want to help in a particular area.
Make personal face-to-face communication to uncover talents/interests.
Create excitement to participate and enjoy fellowship.
Train volunteers.
Bring a buddy.
Educate the congregation about the importance of tithing.
Have an every member canvas.
Show the congregation what the church does with its finances.
Gather prayer groups to seek God's help for stewardship.
Create opportunities for use of people's talents.
Cultivate people's talents and actively match people with activities.
Develop a system for leadership training.
LEADERSHIP AND
ADMINISTRATION
Improve communication between church leaders (lay and ordained) and congregation.
Enhance leadership training to broaden understanding of Presbyterian policy, practical issues (e.g. Roberts Rules), spirituality and understanding your charge (Biblically and specific to this congregation.)
Make church communications (e.g. newsletter, bulletin, web site) more current, inviting, and personal.
Increase frequency of congregational meetings.
Support current office staff.
Use e-mail and teleconferences.
Recruit Associate Pastor.
We ended with worship and celebration.
Please join us on Thursday, February 19th for Mission Study Six-
DECIDING WHAT YOUR PRIORITIES ARE