April 2007
The most effective agents of change for God’s mission in today’s world are the members in their daily places.
Congregations that get this message are looking for member mission or something like it.
Is your congregation in this search?
This month
THREE STORIES
• Two missionaries in church life and worship
• Laity “preach” their daily missions
• Janice and her church “heal” their neighborhood
RESOURCES
• Peace and Safety in the Christian Home
• Baptism: the Event and the Adventure
• “How Big is Whatever?”: a sermon
• Workbook for When the Members are the Missionaries: Developing Our Road Maps for the Journey Ahead
• For all sermons listed in past Resources
FOR MEDITATION
• God’s use of Bible reading
STORIES
Two missionaries in church life and worship
Yvonne Kiddoe has been co-directress of an Altar Guild of fifteen members at St. James’ in Danbury, CT for ten years. How does she see God present in her Altar Guild work? “As I prepare the Lord’s table and church for services, I would like all people to feel God’s love and that they are welcomed in this worship service celebrating God.” How does God help her in her Altar Guild work? “God gives me the strength and vision. As I move around the church, I see others coming into church and feeling God’s presence in their lives too. My relationship with Him helps me.” Yvonne also serves as a Chalice Bearer and is in training as a Stephen’s Minister.
Ryan Beaudry serves the chalice, reads lessons, and plays the carillon at St. James’. How does he see God at work when he is serving the chalice? “I see everybody coming together at a single table in remembrance.” How does God help him to serve? “It’s a great way for me to help other people. Personally, giving the wine gives me that feeling that God is with us and present at that time.” Weekdays Ryan studies International Management and Finance at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY and is in his junior year.
Laity "preach" their daily missions
At a workshop in early February 2007, Trinity Church, Milford, MA (http://www.trinitychurchmilford.org) chose four ways to implement member mission. The first step was to use Lenten preaching to clarify member mission. Mac Murray, the minister, appointed lay members to describe one of their missions as part of the sermon. His opening comments on the Gospel led into the member's description of his or her mission. For an outline, the member used the eight questions for mission discernment (http://membermission.org/basictools3b_x.htm).
• The senior warden, Carol, told of seeing two women and a child leaving the food pantry with bags of food. She described how Trinity's work in the food pantry was critical to the community and called upon all to find ways to help their local community. (Mission in the local community)
• Jack, who had stepped away from his very active church life (Lay Eucharistic Minister, Property Committee, Vestry, …) when he was diagnosed with MS almost ten years ago, told of reinvesting himself at Trinity. He ran for the vestry and is planning to share in the responsibilities of Lay Eucharistic Ministry by reading the lessons and letting another LEM serve the chalice. He challenged the people to see what they might do in their church life. (Mission in one's church life)
• Steve came forward to ask if he could talk about youth ministry on Lent 3. Since Trinity was offering nothing for its fifty teens, he called for helpers to join him in developing a youth group. They have already had two meetings of the young people. (Mission in church with our older youth)
• Allan, who had lost his wife, told of how he was finding God in his work in the local school and how he was enlisting people to help him to build relationships. (Mission at work)
• Tracy, a young mother who had approached the Senior Warden a few weeks earlier with an interest in having a summer Vacation Bible School, described how Trinity could support its youngest children. She described her vision and asked for help with the development of a vacation Bible school for the summer. (Mission at church with our younger children)
Mac and the wardens had decided the February workshop needed to clarify just how these eight questions worked. So, the eight questions for mission discernment were in Sunday's bulletin. Mac gave a brief homily on the Gospel; related it to member mission; asked the people to pull the eight questions; and then introduced the speakers. The speakers told what led to this particular way to see God working in their lives and how they should respond. Then, they provided the details using the eight questions.
Trinity's member mission involvement began in the summer of 2005. The parish nurse had picked up an early draft of the workbook (see Resources below for the latest draft) at a provincial conference. With the then current minister's assent, she involved church leaders in the member mission vision during the summer. In the fall, she entered seminary and the minister accepted another call in that December. However the wardens and other key leaders had caught the vision and asked for a member mission workshop that was held in March 2006. The workshop led to the parish profile carrying the request for the next minister to continue to develop member mission at Trinity.
Contact: The Rev. Mac Murray, 17 Congress Street, Milford, MA 01757-4152; 508-473-8464; rector@trinitychurchmilford.org
Janice and her church “heal” their neighborhood
When the steel industry left Alabama, Fairfield, the model community steel had built in 1909, went into decline. Its District 2 has the highest murder rate in Alabama; 42% of its people are functionally illiterate; and 62% of its houses are owned by absentee landlords. Christ Church and its minister, Gates Shaw, began its revitalization. In 2003-4, Project S.O.A.R. (Successfully Achieving Academic Readiness) began an after school tutorial for eighth and ninth graders.
In 2005, CityWorks was formed to revitalize the physical, economic, spiritual, and cultural life of District 2. Rather than tear down 78 abandoned houses, CityWorks looked for ways to restore them to a high quality. Once restored, it seeks families to move in who are committed to building up the community. CityWorks finds fair lending rates; teaches skills of home repair; and leads participants in fixing breakfast for kids who have no other way to get it; working with literacy programs; and helping youth programs and the elderly.
Janice Seaman, Junior Warden at Christ Church and working in real estate, was an obvious choice to be the Executive Director of CityWorks. She recently told a reporter for the local paper, "We can really transform this neighborhood house by house, right person by right person." Asked where she sees God at work, Janice says, "Houses are just structures. It's in the people who live in them that God works. We call the people we place in these houses ‘strategic neighbors'. They are interested in joining hands with our community and making things better in whatever way they feel called to do. They help with the tutoring program, join the neighborhood association, or help with Neighborhood Watch. At a recent barbecue for the neighborhood, we supplied the main course and all the neighbors brought the rest of the dishes. A community garden has just been started." Asked how God helps her, Janice replies, "God directs me and gives me strength every day. Every day I run into someone I believe God puts in my way – just standing on the porch of one these houses and the story unfolds and the relationship starts."
RESOURCES
Peace and Safety in the Christian Home (PASCH): “The rate of abuse in Christian homes is exactly the same as in the general population,” says Catherine Clark Kroeger, cofounder of PASCH – an evangelical coalition of Christian researchers, scholars, and theologians who seek to “increase peace and safety in the Christian home and in the world it serves by addressing and decreasing domestic and sexual abuse in those homes.” See “Breaking the ‘Holy Hush’” at http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0701&article=070121; or the PASCH website at www.peaceandsafety.com for hotlines and resources for both the abused and for pastors.
Baptism: the Event and the Adventure: a collection of resources for baptism and baptismal living by J. Fletcher Lowe, Jr. to “enhance and enrich both the event of Baptism and the adventure of the Baptized in their daily lives.” Download an e-Resource for $49.95 at www.LeaderResources.org or phone the author at 800-941-2218.
“How Big is Whatever?”: a sermon by William D. Thompson on “let's look at the variety in the way we live our lives: doing business, living with the people around us, and using our spare time.” Preached in November at the evening vesper service in a retirement community where most of the residents are practicing Christians, the sermon met “a good response with people saying they hadn't heard a sermon like that before.” Go to membermission.org > Making the Vision Work > Sermons > “How Big . . . ”
Workbook for When the Members are the Missionaries: Developing Our Road Maps for the Journey Ahead by A. Wayne Schwab and Elizabeth S. Hall – a draft. Designed to introduce member mission into congregational life and user-friendly, it offers:
• Part One – Four Steps to Developing a Road Map for Life’s Journey: for Individuals and Small Groups
• Part Two – Six Steps to Member Mission: for Pastors and Church Leaders
For all sermons listed in past Resources: go to Sermons.
FOR MEDITATION
God’s use of Bible reading
A friend said: “The most important reason to read scripture is that God uses it for His mission in, through, and with you.”
* * *
* * *
All content on this website is copyright protected.
© Member Mission
www.membermission.org
10 Jubert Lane
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
PH/FAX 518-561-1184