What does eating in a pub once a week have to do with the mission of God? This is a presentation on how Cafechurch seeks to participate in the Missio Dei.
The document discusses becoming like Jesus through worship. It provides context on Jesus' worship from Luke 4:14-21, where He regularly attended synagogue. Worship is described as an active verb, honoring God through addressing Him, service, or gathering as a congregation. The conclusion emphasizes that worshipping like Jesus means focusing on offering worship to God, not ourselves, as an expression of knowing and living out His word.
The document discusses koinonia, or biblical community. It references several bible passages that describe the early church devoting themselves to fellowship and sharing with one another. Ecclesiastes is cited saying that striving together in community is safer, more supportive, and smarter. The document asks if the reader is practicing biblical community and cites Hebrews, encouraging maintaining fellowship with one another.
The document discusses how light powers our ability to see people and things around us. It notes that the world is rapidly contracting in terms of space and time due to technology and information available online. It argues that the solutions to life's challenges point to becoming a leader and embracing the season of Christmas as a time of enlightenment, inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who is described as the light of the world. The document encourages readers to let the Christmas lights remind them of Jesus' life and presence, and to shine their own light on others within their sphere of influence, just as light illuminates even the darkest of places.
This describes briefly the notion of a "spiritual growth horizon" which is the spectrum of how churches interact with people, both the churched and non-churched. It articulates how Mass Ignition broadens the spectrum.
The document discusses the impact of digital culture on the Catholic Church's efforts towards the New Evangelization. It notes that digital culture has fundamentally shifted communication patterns in a similar way as the printing press centuries ago, challenging established hierarchies and democratizing access to information. The Church must adapt to this new environment by fostering online relationships and embracing a "hyperlinked parish" model where community leaders act as connections between the Church and those interacting with it digitally.
As Authentic Christians, people ought to be able to see Jesus reflected in what we say and in what we do.
Listen to Linder Road Church of Christ Pastor Richard Sutton discuss how to be a genuine Christian.
What does eating in a pub once a week have to do with the mission of God? This is a presentation on how Cafechurch seeks to participate in the Missio Dei.
The document discusses becoming like Jesus through worship. It provides context on Jesus' worship from Luke 4:14-21, where He regularly attended synagogue. Worship is described as an active verb, honoring God through addressing Him, service, or gathering as a congregation. The conclusion emphasizes that worshipping like Jesus means focusing on offering worship to God, not ourselves, as an expression of knowing and living out His word.
The document discusses koinonia, or biblical community. It references several bible passages that describe the early church devoting themselves to fellowship and sharing with one another. Ecclesiastes is cited saying that striving together in community is safer, more supportive, and smarter. The document asks if the reader is practicing biblical community and cites Hebrews, encouraging maintaining fellowship with one another.
The document discusses how light powers our ability to see people and things around us. It notes that the world is rapidly contracting in terms of space and time due to technology and information available online. It argues that the solutions to life's challenges point to becoming a leader and embracing the season of Christmas as a time of enlightenment, inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who is described as the light of the world. The document encourages readers to let the Christmas lights remind them of Jesus' life and presence, and to shine their own light on others within their sphere of influence, just as light illuminates even the darkest of places.
This describes briefly the notion of a "spiritual growth horizon" which is the spectrum of how churches interact with people, both the churched and non-churched. It articulates how Mass Ignition broadens the spectrum.
The document discusses the impact of digital culture on the Catholic Church's efforts towards the New Evangelization. It notes that digital culture has fundamentally shifted communication patterns in a similar way as the printing press centuries ago, challenging established hierarchies and democratizing access to information. The Church must adapt to this new environment by fostering online relationships and embracing a "hyperlinked parish" model where community leaders act as connections between the Church and those interacting with it digitally.
As Authentic Christians, people ought to be able to see Jesus reflected in what we say and in what we do.
Listen to Linder Road Church of Christ Pastor Richard Sutton discuss how to be a genuine Christian.
St. Monica Parish outlined their vision as being called by God, committed to prayer, and driven to serve while abiding in hope. Their mission is to be a community that invites others to walk with them as they discover Jesus, understand their life's purpose, develop a relationship with Christ, enrich their local community, and impact the world.
This document discusses strategies for effective adult faith formation programming in parishes. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs, concerns, and life stages of different age groups in the congregation. The document recommends assessing implicit and explicit faith needs rather than just interests, and providing a variety of programming options tailored to different generations to nourish a lively faith through word, sacrament and community. The goal is to form disciples who witness to their faith in daily life.
The document outlines the vision, mission, values, and areas of focus for Southwest Church. The vision is for the earth to be filled with God's glory. The mission is to make disciples of all nations. The values center around finding lost people, prayer, stewardship, God's word, mobilizing disciples, Holy Spirit empowerment, and faith-filled risks. The areas of focus are to connect with God through the gospel, God's word, prayer and the Holy Spirit; connect with others through life together, DNA groups and the unchurched; connect with the community through service and partnership; and connect with nations through risks and mobilizing disciples.
The document presents a vision statement for a religious community called Epiphany. It describes Epiphany as rooted in the Catholic tradition and on a pilgrimage of faith. It says the community seeks truth, experiences transformation through conversion, and embraces diversity while working for justice and peace. The vision is to be a manifestation of God in the present times.
The document discusses changing metaphors for Christian mission in a changing world. It describes how mission is viewed differently in a post-Christian era, with demands for authenticity, unity, and seeing mission as God's work rather than the church's. It also discusses new opportunities, such as transforming communities and families. Finally, it proposes changing metaphors for mission from warrior to gardener, retailer to wholesaler, and hero to human.
The document discusses enhancing communication by making the sharing of information, whether verbal or nonverbal, more productive and beneficial to one's spiritual family. It identifies four areas of communication to focus on: with God, family, church family, and those outside the church. Scripture passages are cited showing the importance of communication, and questions are posed about improving communication in each of the four areas. The document encourages the reader to begin enhancing their communication.
The document provides steps for establishing a missional mindset in a church, beginning with recognizing God's desire for all people to be saved. It recommends preaching God's word and inviting people to participate in missions. Specific suggestions include having weekly missionary moments, incorporating an Acts 1:8 missions plan focusing initially on the local community and expanding outwards, establishing an annual Passport Sunday, leading giving opportunities, planning a short-term mission trip, and celebrating missions through an international family day. The overall goal is to educate the congregation on the reasons for missions from Scripture and encourage participation.
Mission Shrewsbury is an informal association of local churches in Shrewsbury, England committed to working together to spread the gospel. They believe the Bible is God's word and profess the Trinity. Their vision is to equip members to evangelize the local area through unity, mutual support between church leaders, and coordinated mission initiatives. They encourage churches to work strategically together on outreach through events planned by a joint taskforce.
Spending time with Jesus and in His Word provides several benefits, including getting to know Jesus better, changes in spirit, attitudes and life, increased faith, renewal, and desire to do what Jesus shows. It also leads to new knowledge and understanding of God's word, committing scripture to memory, more love for Jesus and others, and exhibiting more of the fruits of the spirit.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? - Sharing Ministry with Other Congregations in Your...semnsynod
Presentation by Pam Vig at the 2012 Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly as part of a workshop on communication.
More on the workshops and the synod at http://semnsynod.org/assembly/workshops/
The document discusses Jesus' missional message, motive, and life as priorities for how the church thinks about and carries out its mission. It examines Jesus' message of the reign of God, including how the church lost and must recover this message. It also explores Jesus' motive as seen in several biblical passages and how his life was one of identification, incarnation, and embodiment of grace, love, and justice. The purpose was to establish a new community pointing to God's plan for the world through demonstrating and anticipating the future brought by Jesus Christ.
The document discusses the relationship between evangelism, social action, and mission. It argues that evangelism and social action should not be seen as separate but rather as both integral parts of mission. It also states that missiology, or the study of mission, should be determined by Christology, and that missiology then determines ecclesiology. The document questions whether in mission we are demonstrating authentic love, grace, mercy and offering a picture of wholeness as pointed to by Jesus, or just a weak portrayal of the church. It emphasizes the importance of reflecting on where God's influence is seen in our actions.
The document discusses the need for revival and the Holy Spirit's power in order to attract thousands to the Savior. It states that revival will only come through prayer, and that our greatest need is a revival of true godliness. Seeking this revival through prayer, confession, humility and repentance should be our first work, as God is willing to bestow blessings when we are prepared to receive them through fulfilling the necessary conditions.
1) The document discusses strategies for effective urban missions and evangelism in a changing world.
2) It emphasizes expressing faith through lifestyle and explaining faith through systematic teaching, using creative approaches like relational evangelism, integral missions, and evangelistic Bible studies.
3) Training is important to understand different cultures and contexts and explore new witnessing strategies so believers can fulfill Christ's command to make disciples of all nations.
The Missions Committee of RBCPC aims to lead the congregation in responding to Jesus' commission to spread the Good News of Christ. At an individual level, the committee fosters programs to raise awareness of and participation in local, regional, national, and international mission projects to promote spiritual growth through personal experience. At a corporate level, the committee identifies and supports mission projects led by congregants that meet its criteria and share the gospel.
SGRM is a ministry organization based in Ghana with the goal of helping the needy, poor, and elderly around the world. It operates several departments including a healing fellowship, deliverance ministry, prayer bible school, and orphanage. The mission is to preach the gospel globally through various outreach programs and share practical aid. The founder emphasizes serving people in need rather than profiting from religion.
Liturgy & Prayer: The Engine of Discipleship (Building a Better Disciple Part...Jonathan Sullivan
How do the graces received in the sacraments, liturgical celebrations, and personal prayer fuel our capacity for embracing the call to discipleship?
This webinar is the fourth in a series of adult faith formation sessions for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois' Catechist Formation Process
This document discusses jealousy through several biblical examples and provides lessons on how jealousy takes root and impacts relationships and spiritual life. It examines how jealousy originated with Satan's envy of God, how it destroyed the relationships between Cain and Abel, Jacob's sons and Joseph, and Saul and David. It also discusses how religious leaders' jealousy of Jesus blinded them and led them to decide to kill him. The document warns that jealousy can cloud one's ability to discern truth and urges readers to surrender with humility and faith to avoid eternal ruin.
Lesson 12 - The Blessed Hope: The Mark of the Christian.pptxCelso Napoleon
Lesson 12 - The Blessed Hope: The Mark of the Christian
SBS – Sunday Bible School
Adult Bible Lessons 2nd quarter 2024 CPAD
MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
Commentator: Pastor Osiel Gomes
Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
Renewed in Grace
The Vulnerabilities of Individuals Born Under Swati Nakshatra.pdfAstroAnuradha
Individuals born under Swati Nakshatra often exhibit a strong sense of independence and adaptability, yet they may also face vulnerabilities such as indecisiveness and a tendency to be easily swayed by external influences. Their quest for balance and harmony can sometimes lead to inner conflict and a lack of assertiveness. To know more visit: astroanuradha.com
St. Monica Parish outlined their vision as being called by God, committed to prayer, and driven to serve while abiding in hope. Their mission is to be a community that invites others to walk with them as they discover Jesus, understand their life's purpose, develop a relationship with Christ, enrich their local community, and impact the world.
This document discusses strategies for effective adult faith formation programming in parishes. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs, concerns, and life stages of different age groups in the congregation. The document recommends assessing implicit and explicit faith needs rather than just interests, and providing a variety of programming options tailored to different generations to nourish a lively faith through word, sacrament and community. The goal is to form disciples who witness to their faith in daily life.
The document outlines the vision, mission, values, and areas of focus for Southwest Church. The vision is for the earth to be filled with God's glory. The mission is to make disciples of all nations. The values center around finding lost people, prayer, stewardship, God's word, mobilizing disciples, Holy Spirit empowerment, and faith-filled risks. The areas of focus are to connect with God through the gospel, God's word, prayer and the Holy Spirit; connect with others through life together, DNA groups and the unchurched; connect with the community through service and partnership; and connect with nations through risks and mobilizing disciples.
The document presents a vision statement for a religious community called Epiphany. It describes Epiphany as rooted in the Catholic tradition and on a pilgrimage of faith. It says the community seeks truth, experiences transformation through conversion, and embraces diversity while working for justice and peace. The vision is to be a manifestation of God in the present times.
The document discusses changing metaphors for Christian mission in a changing world. It describes how mission is viewed differently in a post-Christian era, with demands for authenticity, unity, and seeing mission as God's work rather than the church's. It also discusses new opportunities, such as transforming communities and families. Finally, it proposes changing metaphors for mission from warrior to gardener, retailer to wholesaler, and hero to human.
The document discusses enhancing communication by making the sharing of information, whether verbal or nonverbal, more productive and beneficial to one's spiritual family. It identifies four areas of communication to focus on: with God, family, church family, and those outside the church. Scripture passages are cited showing the importance of communication, and questions are posed about improving communication in each of the four areas. The document encourages the reader to begin enhancing their communication.
The document provides steps for establishing a missional mindset in a church, beginning with recognizing God's desire for all people to be saved. It recommends preaching God's word and inviting people to participate in missions. Specific suggestions include having weekly missionary moments, incorporating an Acts 1:8 missions plan focusing initially on the local community and expanding outwards, establishing an annual Passport Sunday, leading giving opportunities, planning a short-term mission trip, and celebrating missions through an international family day. The overall goal is to educate the congregation on the reasons for missions from Scripture and encourage participation.
Mission Shrewsbury is an informal association of local churches in Shrewsbury, England committed to working together to spread the gospel. They believe the Bible is God's word and profess the Trinity. Their vision is to equip members to evangelize the local area through unity, mutual support between church leaders, and coordinated mission initiatives. They encourage churches to work strategically together on outreach through events planned by a joint taskforce.
Spending time with Jesus and in His Word provides several benefits, including getting to know Jesus better, changes in spirit, attitudes and life, increased faith, renewal, and desire to do what Jesus shows. It also leads to new knowledge and understanding of God's word, committing scripture to memory, more love for Jesus and others, and exhibiting more of the fruits of the spirit.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? - Sharing Ministry with Other Congregations in Your...semnsynod
Presentation by Pam Vig at the 2012 Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly as part of a workshop on communication.
More on the workshops and the synod at http://semnsynod.org/assembly/workshops/
The document discusses Jesus' missional message, motive, and life as priorities for how the church thinks about and carries out its mission. It examines Jesus' message of the reign of God, including how the church lost and must recover this message. It also explores Jesus' motive as seen in several biblical passages and how his life was one of identification, incarnation, and embodiment of grace, love, and justice. The purpose was to establish a new community pointing to God's plan for the world through demonstrating and anticipating the future brought by Jesus Christ.
The document discusses the relationship between evangelism, social action, and mission. It argues that evangelism and social action should not be seen as separate but rather as both integral parts of mission. It also states that missiology, or the study of mission, should be determined by Christology, and that missiology then determines ecclesiology. The document questions whether in mission we are demonstrating authentic love, grace, mercy and offering a picture of wholeness as pointed to by Jesus, or just a weak portrayal of the church. It emphasizes the importance of reflecting on where God's influence is seen in our actions.
The document discusses the need for revival and the Holy Spirit's power in order to attract thousands to the Savior. It states that revival will only come through prayer, and that our greatest need is a revival of true godliness. Seeking this revival through prayer, confession, humility and repentance should be our first work, as God is willing to bestow blessings when we are prepared to receive them through fulfilling the necessary conditions.
1) The document discusses strategies for effective urban missions and evangelism in a changing world.
2) It emphasizes expressing faith through lifestyle and explaining faith through systematic teaching, using creative approaches like relational evangelism, integral missions, and evangelistic Bible studies.
3) Training is important to understand different cultures and contexts and explore new witnessing strategies so believers can fulfill Christ's command to make disciples of all nations.
The Missions Committee of RBCPC aims to lead the congregation in responding to Jesus' commission to spread the Good News of Christ. At an individual level, the committee fosters programs to raise awareness of and participation in local, regional, national, and international mission projects to promote spiritual growth through personal experience. At a corporate level, the committee identifies and supports mission projects led by congregants that meet its criteria and share the gospel.
SGRM is a ministry organization based in Ghana with the goal of helping the needy, poor, and elderly around the world. It operates several departments including a healing fellowship, deliverance ministry, prayer bible school, and orphanage. The mission is to preach the gospel globally through various outreach programs and share practical aid. The founder emphasizes serving people in need rather than profiting from religion.
Liturgy & Prayer: The Engine of Discipleship (Building a Better Disciple Part...Jonathan Sullivan
How do the graces received in the sacraments, liturgical celebrations, and personal prayer fuel our capacity for embracing the call to discipleship?
This webinar is the fourth in a series of adult faith formation sessions for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois' Catechist Formation Process
This document discusses jealousy through several biblical examples and provides lessons on how jealousy takes root and impacts relationships and spiritual life. It examines how jealousy originated with Satan's envy of God, how it destroyed the relationships between Cain and Abel, Jacob's sons and Joseph, and Saul and David. It also discusses how religious leaders' jealousy of Jesus blinded them and led them to decide to kill him. The document warns that jealousy can cloud one's ability to discern truth and urges readers to surrender with humility and faith to avoid eternal ruin.
Lesson 12 - The Blessed Hope: The Mark of the Christian.pptxCelso Napoleon
Lesson 12 - The Blessed Hope: The Mark of the Christian
SBS – Sunday Bible School
Adult Bible Lessons 2nd quarter 2024 CPAD
MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
Commentator: Pastor Osiel Gomes
Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
Renewed in Grace
The Vulnerabilities of Individuals Born Under Swati Nakshatra.pdfAstroAnuradha
Individuals born under Swati Nakshatra often exhibit a strong sense of independence and adaptability, yet they may also face vulnerabilities such as indecisiveness and a tendency to be easily swayed by external influences. Their quest for balance and harmony can sometimes lead to inner conflict and a lack of assertiveness. To know more visit: astroanuradha.com
The Book of Samuel is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books that constitute a theological history of the Israelites and that aim to explain God's law for Israel under the guidance of the prophets.
Astronism, Cosmism and Cosmodeism: the space religions espousing the doctrine...Cometan
This lecture created by Brandon Taylorian (aka Cometan) specially for the CESNUR Conference held Bordeaux in June 2024 provides a brief introduction to the legacy of religious and philosophical thought that Astronism emerges from, namely the discourse on transcension started assuredly by the Cosmists in Russia in the mid-to-late nineteenth century and then carried on and developed by Mordecai Nessyahu in Cosmodeism in the twentieth century. Cometan also then provides some detail on his story in founding Astronism in the early twenty-first century from 2013 along with details on the central Astronist doctrine of transcension. Finally, the lecture concludes with some contributions made by space religions and space philosophy and their influences on various cultural facets in art, literature and film.
Heartfulness Magazine - June 2024 (Volume 9, Issue 6)heartfulness
Dear readers,
This month we continue with more inspiring talks from the Global Spirituality Mahotsav that was held from March 14 to 17, 2024, at Kanha Shanti Vanam.
We hear from Daaji on lifestyle and yoga in honor of International Day of Yoga, June 21, 2024. We also hear from Professor Bhavani Rao, Dean at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, on spirituality in action, the Venerable BhikkuSanghasena on how to be an ambassador for compassion, Dr. Tony Nader on the Maharishi Effect, Swami Mukundananda on the crossroads of modernization, Tejinder Kaur Basra on the purpose of work, the Venerable GesheDorjiDamdul on the psychology of peace, the Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, KC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on how we are all related, and world-renowned violinist KumareshRajagopalan on the uplifting mysteries of music.
Dr. Prasad Veluthanar shares an Ayurvedic perspective on treating autism, Dr. IchakAdizes helps us navigate disagreements at work, Sravan Banda celebrates World Environment Day by sharing some tips on land restoration, and Sara Bubber tells our children another inspiring story and challenges them with some fun facts and riddles.
Happy reading,
The editors
2nd issue of Volume 15. A magazine in urdu language mainly based on spiritual treatment and learning. Many topics on ISLAM, SUFISM, SOCIAL PROBLEMS, SELF HELP, PSYCHOLOGY, HEALTH, SPIRITUAL TREATMENT, Ruqya etc.A very useful magazine for everyone.
Trusting God's Providence | Verse: Romans 8: 28-31JL de Belen
Trusting God's Providence.
Providence - God’s active preservation and care over His creation. God is both the Creator and the Sustainer of all things Heb. 1:2-3; Col. 1:17
-God keep His promises.
-God’s general providence is toward all creation
- All things were made through Him
God’s special providence is toward His children.
We may suffer now, but joy can and will come
God can see what we cannot see
Lucid Dreaming: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
The ability to control one's dreams or for the dreamer to be aware that he or she is dreaming. This process, called lucid dreaming, has some potential risks as well as many fascinating benefits. However, many people are hesitant to try it initially for fear of the potential dangers. This article aims to clarify these concerns by exploring both the risks and benefits of lucid dreaming.
The Benefits of Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming allows a person to take control of their dream world, helping them overcome their fears and eliminate nightmares. This technique is particularly useful for mental health. By taking control of their dreams, individuals can face challenging scenarios in a controlled environment, which can help reduce anxiety and increase self-confidence.
Addressing Common Concerns
Physical Harm in Dreams Lucid dreaming is fundamentally safe. In a lucid dream, everything is a creation of your mind. Therefore, nothing in the dream can physically harm you. Despite the vividness and realness of the dream experience, it remains entirely within your mental landscape, posing no physical danger.
Mental Health Risks Concerns about developing PTSD or other mental illnesses from lucid dreaming are unfounded. As soon as you wake up, it's clear that the events experienced in the dream were not real. On the contrary, lucid dreaming is often seen as a therapeutic tool for conditions like PTSD, as it allows individuals to reframe and manage their thoughts.
Potential Risks of Lucid Dreaming
While generally safe, lucid dreaming does come with a few risks as well:
Mixing Dream Memories with Reality Long-term lucid dreamers might occasionally confuse dream memories with real ones, creating false memories. This issue is rare and preventable by maintaining a dream journal and avoiding lucid dreaming about real-life people or places too frequently.
Escapism Using lucid dreaming to escape reality can be problematic if it interferes with your daily life. While it is sometimes beneficial to escape and relieve the stress of reality, relying on lucid dreaming for happiness can hinder personal growth and productivity.
Feeling Tired After Lucid Dreaming Some people report feeling tired after lucid dreaming. This tiredness is not due to the dreams themselves but often results from not getting enough sleep or using techniques that disrupt sleep patterns. Taking breaks and ensuring adequate sleep can prevent this.
Mental Exhaustion Lucid dreaming can be mentally taxing if practiced excessively without breaks. It’s important to balance lucid dreaming with regular sleep to avoid mental fatigue.
Lucid dreaming is safe and beneficial if done with caution. It has many benefits, such as overcoming fear and improving mental health, and minimal risks. There are many resources and tutorials available for those interested in trying it.
Sanatan Vastu | Experience Great Living | Vastu ExpertSanatan Vastu
Santan Vastu Provides Vedic astrology courses & Vastu remedies, If you are searching Vastu for home, Vastu for kitchen, Vastu for house, Vastu for Office & Factory. Best Vastu in Bahadurgarh. Best Vastu in Delhi NCR
Chandra Dev: Unveiling the Mystery of the Moon GodExotic India
Shining brightly in the sky, some days more than others, the Moon in popular culture is a symbol of love, romance, and beauty. The ancient Hindu texts, however, mention the Moon as an intriguing and powerful being, worshiped by sages as Chandra.
7. Vision
Presbyterians joyfully engaging in God’s mission
for the transformation of the world.
Mission
Inspire, equip and connect the PC(USA) in its
many expressions to serve Christ in the world
through new and existing communities of faith,
hope, love and witness.
A major storm causes devastation in the east coast.
Young people hear God’s call to serve – as they listen for God’s call on their lives.
Two pastors are inspired with a vision to create a new worshiping community.The church responds – These are but a few of the ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. Let me say more:
We have a new name6 years ago – GAC4 years ago added “mission” to our nameNow – a name that describes GA asked us to develop an identity – so now we have a new look.
We envision Presbyterians joyfully engaging in God’s transformation of the world.
And our role in that – role in the church is to inspire, equip and connect [mission]There is much to share in mission, and I’ll speak of three.
Who here has had PDA respond in their presbytery?Who has volunteered, or had volunteers from your congregation?PDA – certainly one of the church’s flagship ministries.
When tornado . . . shooting . . .We watch in horror. We can feel so helpless. What can I do?PDA is one way we do help. Sometimes, just knowing what is happening – so we can pray
Sometimes, contributing money – knowing it will be used wisely and wellSometimes volunteering
Since the beginning of this year, PDA has responded to disasters — both natural and human-caused —in 41 mid-councils in 28 states and has also responded to disasters in 13 countries internationally. In the U.S., More than 5,500 volunteers have contributed 200,632 hours of labor.
On October 31st, Hurricane Sandy devastated the east coast.The impact was broad. One of the largest storms ever recorded, which leaves behind wide-spread destruction and long-term recovery.
PDA immediately responded by deploying teams to New York City and New Jersey. Churches and camps have stepped up to help shelter disaster responders and feed the displaced.
We have created a place on the web site for people to share their stories.The response has been overwhelming, but inspiring.
There are stories of worshiping by candlelight, volunteers stepping forward with food and shelter, and small miracles of survival reveal the power of our connectedness -- a very present help in times of trouble.
PDA is an example of all parts of the church working together to do what no one part can do aloneNationalPresbyteryCongregationsOGHS
What else can you do?More help will be needed. Recovery will take a long time and that’s a hallmark of PDA – we are in it for the long term– pray, call volunteer line, keep up with updates on presbyterianmission.org/pda, GIVE – ACT - PRAY
So much need in the church and the world. How do we decide?Question we ask in determining where to focus our efforts, where to devote our resources – “what can we do best that the church most needs?” Just been through a comprehensive strategic planning – hundreds of conversations, focusing on a few key areas. One of those - Young Adults. Critical time of lifeHaven‘t held on Reviewing collegiate - UKIRKMany young want to serve
Young Adult Volunteer program provides options.Currently there are 55 young adults around the globe serving communities in need while living out their own faith journey.
We have a goal to triple that.Young adults are hungry to put their faith into action.We will encourage and connect 1000 worshiping communities to respond to that hunger by sponsoring young adultsin a season of service. This “season” can happen in a variety of ways (YAV, internships, PDA, camps & conference centers, etc). We also want to resource mid councils and congregations so they can more effectively engage in ministry with young adults.Developing a “toolkit” that will help those who are interested in engaging young adults articulate clearly “why” they want to and provide opportunities for connection.The church is in a time of reformation, and young adults are the ones to lead it.Share a video regarding young adult volunteers in Northern Ireland – A Ministry of Reconciliation.
Anyone hear about 1001?We didn’t initiate. Saw what God is doing – noticed NWC. Pittsburgh, Georgia (22 in 5 years), California, middle of the country – vibrant new ministries. Some unconventional. We put a name to it – General Assembly endorsed the challenged all to join the movement to start 1001, and we’ve been excited to see the enthusiasm grow.Synod Mid America – announced grant program - $600,000 for NWC. Pittsburgh Seminary + presbyteryOur Korean churches are meeting next week in So. California to discuss their involvement in 1001.The opportunity is huge.“The unchurched population in the US is so extensive that, if it were a nation it would be the 5th most populated nation on the planet. Thus, our unchurched population is the largest mission field in the English speaking world.” Clegg and Bird, Lost in America.Before I say more, we can’t have a strong movement of new without healthy established congregations.We do a lot with existing congregations – curriculum,Engage evangelism resource,help presbyteries with RE congregations and fellowshipsNew Beginnings – 50 congregationsNWCs help existing ones too – Vera White says…Church planting renews and revitalizes established churches because it connects them to the mission of God in their neighborhood, while fanning into the flame the missional Spirit of God in the local congregation. That excitement washes back into the life of the established church. NWCs are not competition or negation of established churches but an essential part of a healthy ministry. They provide an opportunity to explore new ways of being the church. Not everything worksbut much of what it learned through experimentation and innovation informs the way the church will look in the future. Presbyteries play an important role in this. Presbyteries can create some space for NWCs to grow by encouragement, connection, partnership, and by cutting through some of the bureaucracy in order to give them room to thrive.Also presbyteries should not be afraid to keep NWCs accountable. While experimentation is to be encouraged, new worshiping communities need clear accountability structures and high expectations. Anything does not go. Sound theology and good organizational practices are essential.We all have a role in this movement to inspire, equip and connect the church in the movement.
First, we brought Vera White onto our team. She has been traveling around.
Inspire and connect:We have already held 4 "get in the game events" (So Cal, Virginia, Chicago, Dubuque), and we have plans in the works to hold at least 3 more (Houston, Seattle, Puerto Rico) - with more requests coming in weekly.
Equip:Announced last week a new grant program, using funds that have been freed up fro this purpose: Grants - providing 3 stages of Grants (Seed of $7,500... Investment of $17,500... and Wow! of $25,000) to nwc's at various stages of their development.
Equipping Leadership - providing funds for training, internships, coaching, and company of new worshiping community shepherds)Debt forgiveness – Vocation has shifted Aid for Studies to Aid for Service, offering debt forgiveness for those who launch new ministry initiatives.Inspire:I want to show you a video – one of a dozen 1001 videosTogether – church serving Christ in the worldCompassionate disciples responding to disaster and needNurturing young peopleStarting new – reach unchurched, young, old, etc.Gather and sendLet’s watch