Hello Church,
New life is slowly being breathed into us. As I look around, I see the beginning edge of new engagement and I am excited about the possibilities....
- This past Sunday, Mckenzie and Kelsie Uhl got baptized. What is more, part of Kevin's story got told. The church engaged an entire family.
- Chad Ellis has a friend (who knew?). His name is Frank. Frank is going to revamp our website. The focus? Faith stories. We will engage the on-line community in a new way.
- Part of the worship team met Monday night to plan Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. It was a team effort. Not only was new engagement happening amidst a re-established ministry team, but Emmanuel will be engaging Amelia UMC during Holy Week.
- New leadership is being put into place. Engaging those who have the passion and desire and will to lead in different ways is refreshing!
- There is lots more! The new bulletin continues to evolve. Every Sunday there will be information for you to learn about regarding the various plans to engage one another and God.... and how you can be a part of it.
The new ramp-up is for Easter Sunday (Apr. 21). During the 10:30 worship service we will be celebrating resurrection.... not just of the Christ, but of the church... this church... Emmanuel is resurrecting. A new vision. A new focus. A new approach. A new life.
It isn't too late for you to get on-board. Ministry teams are not set yet. The doer list is not complete yet. Come Sunday and continue to hear about it.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Monday, March 18, 2019
From Yuckiness To Hopefulness: Tonight Is The Night!
The time of this writing is Monday morning. I am preparing for the Monday evening meeting that will relaunch the church into a new way of being the church......
Hello Church,
Tonight is the night...
Tonight's relaunch of Emmanuel's ministry approach is a culmination of so many things, personally and professionally.
Professionally, as a Pastor, I like to watch people love and fall in love with the church. I like to see renewed energy and enthusiasm. I like encouraging the birth of new ideas and watch them take shape. I like watching God work in people's lives. I like empowering others and giving them the tools to succeed. I got away from all that I liked about being a Pastor. It became like a job that I grinded out day-to-day, dreading the mundane tasks of this and that. Tonight, though, is a grand return to paying attention to what I like about my work. I can't wait.
Personally, it is refreshing as well. A year ago I was considering quitting the ministry. The discouragement, frustration and all the time I spent doing yucky church stuff was enough to drive me to do anything else. But Emmanuel let me rest and listen and re-hear my Call last Summer. It worked. I pushed the reset button on my heart and soul. God refreshed me. Mentally, I am back where I should be. My priorities are in place and my determination is pointed in the right direction.
Tonight is a culmination of getting through the yucky stuff. We had 6 fantastic years followed by 3 not-so-fantastic years. I invited them to rest, listen and re-hear their Call. The result? A new vision has brought new hope and new hope brings new focus and direction.
It all culminates tonight and then moving forward....
I hope you choose to be a part of it.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Hello Church,
Tonight is the night...
Tonight's relaunch of Emmanuel's ministry approach is a culmination of so many things, personally and professionally.
Professionally, as a Pastor, I like to watch people love and fall in love with the church. I like to see renewed energy and enthusiasm. I like encouraging the birth of new ideas and watch them take shape. I like watching God work in people's lives. I like empowering others and giving them the tools to succeed. I got away from all that I liked about being a Pastor. It became like a job that I grinded out day-to-day, dreading the mundane tasks of this and that. Tonight, though, is a grand return to paying attention to what I like about my work. I can't wait.
Personally, it is refreshing as well. A year ago I was considering quitting the ministry. The discouragement, frustration and all the time I spent doing yucky church stuff was enough to drive me to do anything else. But Emmanuel let me rest and listen and re-hear my Call last Summer. It worked. I pushed the reset button on my heart and soul. God refreshed me. Mentally, I am back where I should be. My priorities are in place and my determination is pointed in the right direction.
Tonight is a culmination of getting through the yucky stuff. We had 6 fantastic years followed by 3 not-so-fantastic years. I invited them to rest, listen and re-hear their Call. The result? A new vision has brought new hope and new hope brings new focus and direction.
It all culminates tonight and then moving forward....
I hope you choose to be a part of it.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Monday, March 11, 2019
The New Emmanuel in a Nutshell.....
Hello Church... March 18th... we are going to eat at 6:30 and then launch into a new thing.... I hope you consider being a part of this new church..... There is a place for you, whether you want to help in the planning of ministry or just make yourself available to serve.... or both.....
... do you perceive it yet?
For those of you still trying to catch up, let me give you a brief description Our new church will be made up of 4 new ministry teams (instead of the previous 9). Each team will have their own focus designed to help us and others be a disciple of Christ. They are:
Holy Worship Team - Focus: to help people prepare, participate and engage God - music, preaching, decorations, hospitality, technology, greeting, ushering, nursery, acolytes, follow-up.... anything that helps a person engage God in a worship setting will be the responsibility of this team.
Community Fellowship - Focus: building relationships between people - finding various ways for people to engage each other both inside the church and outside the church (meals, community events, small groups, networking with neighbors, etc). Anything that establishes, nurtures and strengthens human relationships will be the responsibility of this team.
Personal Discipleship - Focus: helping people with spiritual development - how do you become a better disciple tomorrow than yesterday? This team will provide opportunity to develop into a stronger, committed, passionate follower of Jesus. Bible Study, Sunday School and short-term studies are some examples.
Resource Management - Focus: empowering servant-leaders to be the church - it takes resources to do ministry: people, space, time and money. This team will seek to equip the other 3 teams so they can do their work. This might mean taking care of the building; finding and developing new leaders; managing the church calendar, facebook and the website; and overseeing the church budget.
Some main changes that you may not immediately notice:
- There is no longer an Outreach Team. This is because each team will be responsible for their own outreach. There will be a effort to do internal (inside the church) and external (outside the church) ministries.
- There is no longer a Hospitality Team. This is because each team will be responsible for their own hospitality, depending on their needs.
- Where is Finance? SPRC? Nominations? Trustees? This background work is combined into one team so that we can put more of our people power on the front lines of 'engagement'.
- a subtle shift will be made to better focus on faith stories. How people are impacted by the Faith will be the headlines. This will be reflected by what you see on social media; hear at worship; and how we communicate to our community as a whole.
March 18th.... something new... I hope you come and be a part.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
... do you perceive it yet?
For those of you still trying to catch up, let me give you a brief description Our new church will be made up of 4 new ministry teams (instead of the previous 9). Each team will have their own focus designed to help us and others be a disciple of Christ. They are:
Holy Worship Team - Focus: to help people prepare, participate and engage God - music, preaching, decorations, hospitality, technology, greeting, ushering, nursery, acolytes, follow-up.... anything that helps a person engage God in a worship setting will be the responsibility of this team.
Community Fellowship - Focus: building relationships between people - finding various ways for people to engage each other both inside the church and outside the church (meals, community events, small groups, networking with neighbors, etc). Anything that establishes, nurtures and strengthens human relationships will be the responsibility of this team.
Personal Discipleship - Focus: helping people with spiritual development - how do you become a better disciple tomorrow than yesterday? This team will provide opportunity to develop into a stronger, committed, passionate follower of Jesus. Bible Study, Sunday School and short-term studies are some examples.
Resource Management - Focus: empowering servant-leaders to be the church - it takes resources to do ministry: people, space, time and money. This team will seek to equip the other 3 teams so they can do their work. This might mean taking care of the building; finding and developing new leaders; managing the church calendar, facebook and the website; and overseeing the church budget.
Some main changes that you may not immediately notice:
- There is no longer an Outreach Team. This is because each team will be responsible for their own outreach. There will be a effort to do internal (inside the church) and external (outside the church) ministries.
- There is no longer a Hospitality Team. This is because each team will be responsible for their own hospitality, depending on their needs.
- Where is Finance? SPRC? Nominations? Trustees? This background work is combined into one team so that we can put more of our people power on the front lines of 'engagement'.
- a subtle shift will be made to better focus on faith stories. How people are impacted by the Faith will be the headlines. This will be reflected by what you see on social media; hear at worship; and how we communicate to our community as a whole.
March 18th.... something new... I hope you come and be a part.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Monday, March 4, 2019
We Are All Talk.....
..... so far.....
Hi Church,
I am so happy to be enthused. Even a little enthusiasm at this point is glorious after having a rough 2018. Not only am I happy to be enthused, but it is so refreshing to see renewed enthusiasm in some of you. I feel like we are building a little momentum for Jesus.
A new vision for Emmanuel is being born. Our focus is shifting. Engaging people will be the order of the day.... engage, engage, engage.... A refreshed take on Community Fellowship; a renewed effort on Personal Discipleship; a constant effort at Holy Worship. I am not sure where this will take us. In order to find out, we need to keep the ball rolling.
As important as the quiet time was (October-November) and as important as the church retreat was on Feb. 9th (phase 1) and as important as the introduction of the vision was on Feb. 18th (phase 2), the March 18th meeting (phase 3) is just as important. We will have dinner at 6:30 (my lovely wife is fixing pulled pork!) and then building more enthusiasm after. We will launch the newness with energy.
However, we will need to eventually get out of the meetings and into action. So far it has been almost all talk. The cynic would be quick to point this out. The cynic wouldn't be wrong. We still have a lot to prove to ourselves and to God (not sure if I care about the cynic.... unless it's you... in which case I offer you a continuous open invitation to get on board).
A new approach to ministry; new, enthusiastic leadership; new ideas; a different kind of action..... all inspired by the same old Holy Spirit who wants His church to thrive and be alive. We are about to pivot. I hope you will be ready. If not, there are many of us who can help.
I am so happy to be enthused.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Hi Church,
I am so happy to be enthused. Even a little enthusiasm at this point is glorious after having a rough 2018. Not only am I happy to be enthused, but it is so refreshing to see renewed enthusiasm in some of you. I feel like we are building a little momentum for Jesus.
A new vision for Emmanuel is being born. Our focus is shifting. Engaging people will be the order of the day.... engage, engage, engage.... A refreshed take on Community Fellowship; a renewed effort on Personal Discipleship; a constant effort at Holy Worship. I am not sure where this will take us. In order to find out, we need to keep the ball rolling.
As important as the quiet time was (October-November) and as important as the church retreat was on Feb. 9th (phase 1) and as important as the introduction of the vision was on Feb. 18th (phase 2), the March 18th meeting (phase 3) is just as important. We will have dinner at 6:30 (my lovely wife is fixing pulled pork!) and then building more enthusiasm after. We will launch the newness with energy.
However, we will need to eventually get out of the meetings and into action. So far it has been almost all talk. The cynic would be quick to point this out. The cynic wouldn't be wrong. We still have a lot to prove to ourselves and to God (not sure if I care about the cynic.... unless it's you... in which case I offer you a continuous open invitation to get on board).
A new approach to ministry; new, enthusiastic leadership; new ideas; a different kind of action..... all inspired by the same old Holy Spirit who wants His church to thrive and be alive. We are about to pivot. I hope you will be ready. If not, there are many of us who can help.
I am so happy to be enthused.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
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