A New Beginnings Reflection
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This was our Fairgreen Church’s Call to Worship on June 19, 2011. I felt it then and I continue to sense it, now, as both an invitation and reasons to engage in the New Beginnings Study Groups which will start in September.
Members of the congregation, including Fred King, Patti Nordhoff, Joyce Koback, Pat Gibson and Cindy Smith, along with Pastor Pat have participated in a Presbytery training to lead groups through six weeks of Bible Study, prayer and conversation, seeking the Spirit’s vision for our church's future mission opportunities.
During these ―Cottage Meetings‖, we’ll look at what we have done and what we are doing. We’ll discuss what has worked, what might need to be altered or dismissed, what we hold in our dreams and what we hold in our hopes. We’ll do this as we look at an intensive study of our church facility, our finances, our congregation and the demographics of the immediate community in which Fairgreen is located. All group participants will be receiving a copy of this study.
As I see it, a real key to this program is all of you! The more each of us is willing to invest our time in a these ―Cottage Meetings‖ through our participation as we voice our ideas, praying for insight, share in the fellowship and listen with open minds, the more I am convinced this six-week process will hold on-going positive gifts for our congregation. I don’t know what will emerge from this study! I am personally trying hard to let God’s Spirit take the lead even though I have, what I think, are good ideas!
In response to that last sentence, the Leader’s Guide reminded me that this process is not ―about correcting the past or brainstorming for the future.‖ It is about naming the situation so that, by Session six, we’ll have a sense of God’s call for our future and be positioned to take the next steps on the path before us!! Let’s talk and explore, together, so that we can walk into the ―New Beginnings‖ future with shared hope and vision!
Members of the congregation, including Fred King, Patti Nordhoff, Joyce Koback, Pat Gibson and Cindy Smith, along with Pastor Pat have participated in a Presbytery training to lead groups through six weeks of Bible Study, prayer and conversation, seeking the Spirit’s vision for our church's future mission opportunities.
During these ―Cottage Meetings‖, we’ll look at what we have done and what we are doing. We’ll discuss what has worked, what might need to be altered or dismissed, what we hold in our dreams and what we hold in our hopes. We’ll do this as we look at an intensive study of our church facility, our finances, our congregation and the demographics of the immediate community in which Fairgreen is located. All group participants will be receiving a copy of this study.
As I see it, a real key to this program is all of you! The more each of us is willing to invest our time in a these ―Cottage Meetings‖ through our participation as we voice our ideas, praying for insight, share in the fellowship and listen with open minds, the more I am convinced this six-week process will hold on-going positive gifts for our congregation. I don’t know what will emerge from this study! I am personally trying hard to let God’s Spirit take the lead even though I have, what I think, are good ideas!
In response to that last sentence, the Leader’s Guide reminded me that this process is not ―about correcting the past or brainstorming for the future.‖ It is about naming the situation so that, by Session six, we’ll have a sense of God’s call for our future and be positioned to take the next steps on the path before us!! Let’s talk and explore, together, so that we can walk into the ―New Beginnings‖ future with shared hope and vision!
