Growing Effective Churches – June 2019 Update
Intentionally taking steps to help propel Aldersgate into a Growing AND Effective Church, numerous Committees were formed about a year ago to seek out new ideas that would help us rethink how we do “church”. On Tuesday, May 21st, several Committees presented their recommendations for the Church Council to consider. At that time, approval was given unanimously for the Committees to press on, building on their current work in order to see it through to completion. Listed below are updates providing some of the details on each of the proposals.
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Worship Design Team:
David Jones presented the Worship Schedule shown below for approval based on the WDT’s recommendations. This plan took into consideration many elements of the Worship Evaluation Report, had input from staff members, had been prayed over, and was endorsed by Pastors Rick, Dale and George. The times presented below will continue to be a work in progress as we grow and determine the direction we need to take to create new disciples. Refer to the “It’s Time” article on the next page for more details. Thank you for your patience and prayers for our congregation as we move through this transition TOGETHER.
Below is the new schedule for Worship Services and Sunday School Classes beginning July 6th & 7th.
Saturday Evening Worship
6PM
Sunday Morning Worship and Sunday School:
8:15-8:55/9 ~ Informal Worship Service in the Chapel (40 to 45 minute service)
8:55-9:15 ~ Time of Fellowship
9:15 – 10:15 ~ Contemporary/Modern Worship Service – Adult Sunday School – Children’s Sunday School
10:15-10:45 ~ Time of Fellowship
10:45-11:45 ~ Traditional Worship Service in the Sanctuary – Adult Sunday School – Children’s Worship/Discovery Hour
The 5th Sunday of every month will be a Blended Worship Experience.
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Children’s Area/Pre-school Construction Project
Larry Raffensberger and Linda Jacob reported on behalf of the Trustees and a group of dedicated individuals who have worked with Core Design Group on a Proposal for the renovation of the children’s area. The design will provide secure, child friendly areas to implement the newly adopted Orange Curriculum with fidelity. This space includes large group and small group meeting areas, as well as, needed renovations to the Preschool rooms. This space will be located in the area below the Sanctuary where many of the children’s rooms and Preschool rooms are currently located. After discussions were held, the Church Council voted and approved for the Building Committee to continue on with this work. Currently, the Team is in the process of seeking Permits and needed construction estimates to move into full implementation.
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Intentional Faith Development
Denny Cathcart and Jan Bowden presented a final report to address what the Intentional Faith Development will look like when implemented. In short, the plan is based on scripture to help us Discover, Develop, and Deploy.
Discover – Discover Jesus and God’s calling/purpose.
Develop – Growth in faith, knowledge, and confidence; to build disciples.
Deploy – Turn disciples into shepherds who lead/mentor others in small groups or one-on-one relationships.
Discover and Develop correlate to “Know and Live Jesus”. Deploy correlates to “Share Jesus”.
A sample of course offerings were shared, providing a wide variety in order to meet each person where they
are, by fostering a closer relationship with Jesus whether the individual is a Seeker of the Truth, a new
Believer, or a mature Christian. Further details will be shared in the upcoming weeks.
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Branding Team
Todd Kurl reported on behalf of the Branding Team. He briefly shared information regarding the two firms that were interviewed, but focused on the one the Team endorsed to guide us through the process of reaching others. The Team recommended GRIT Marketing Group for the following reasons.
- They have worked with churches in the past and have a UMC Minister on staff.
- They came in below budget.
- Their roll-out plan was to develop a relationship with the church first in order to gain an understanding our church culture which will enable them to better determine and focus on our specific needs.
Church Council approved contracting the GRIT Marketing Group and who tasked them with the following:
- Discover what nearby churches are doing that is a draw to the community.
- Review our name and current logos/signs, etc. and give input and/or suggestions.
- Design logo options that can be used in multiple formats: stationary, signage, apparel, etc.
- Work on creating key branding and taglines to help us become better known in the community.
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As we embark on the next leg of this transformational journey together, may we step into the Jordan as the Israelites did, united and trusting in God’s Sovereignty. May we find ourselves exceedingly willing to offer our hearts and hands to God, to use however He desires, that HE may be intimately known to all.