6-Month Report to the Congregation – December ’07
In July, I informed our congregation council president, Bob Slade, our interim pastor, Julia Hart, and the synod office of my intention to resign from Holy Spirit upon the calling of a new pastor. The congregation council received my formal letter of resignation several weeks ago. I believe the needs of the congregation will be better served if everyone (pastor & congregation) has a fresh start.
There is a generous amount of sadness that accompanies this decision. I love my job and I love this community. My children consider Holy Spirit their second home. Rebecca was only 5 days old the first time she accompanied me to the church office. However, I know this is the best thing I can do for our congregation. And I hope you know, in 13 years of service at Holy Spirit, my desire was always to do the best I could for our congregation.
Scripture tells us, There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. It’s time. Our congregation needs a fresh start. It’s also a good time in my life to make a move. Jimmy finishes high school this spring and Becca starts middle school next fall – a good time to move out of the area if I feel God is calling me to a new position. I am looking to either serve a church or work in the non-profit sector as a program coordinator or event planner. In the event I find a good match before a new pastor is called, I agreed to assist the congregation as the council desires and as I am able.
I give thanks to God for all he has given me through you, my church family. I ask God to bless and guide you in all that you do.
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 15:5-6
In Christ,
Joy O’Shea
Director of Music & Church Program
Church Newsletter – November ’07
Strategic Planning
As mentioned in last month’s Courier, it has been some time since we created and tweaked our strategic plan. It’s time to reassess our vision and identify measurable goals. On Saturday, November 3, Dennis Steiner is conducting a one-day work session with the congregation council and committee chairpersons to examine our congregation strengths (spiritual gifts are part of that consideration), and define a vision and goals for the next several years. Dennis has a lot of experience with conducting strategic planning sessions and we are grateful for his expertise.
My Visit to the Big Apple
Last week, I took my daughter to NYC for her birthday. For me, it was trip down memory lane. Becca wanted to see my old house in Woodside, Queens and we attended my old, family church – St. Jacobus Lutheran.
When you get out of Manhattan, and into the neighborhoods of NYC, you may encounter 4 or 5 different cultures within a 10-12 block distance. It’s almost like walking around the Epcot lake – first you’re in India, a few steps later, you’re in Korea, a couple of more steps and it’s Croatia, and so on. People tend to stick with “their own kind” along cultural and language lines. However, at my old church, it was different. There was a Korean lady in front of me, an Indian family (dad wore a turban) across the aisle, a Cuban family behind me, the Lector was Croation, and the Mexican family in the front included a little boy with a tambourine that he occasionally played along during the hymns. The worship style was traditional.
It was very encouraging – my family’s former church transcends cultural lines that seem so apparent in the neighborhoods. Now, I was only there 2 hours. I don’t know if this congregation has other divisive issues. It probably does – no church is immune to sin. But the picture of this congregation reminded me of an important truth: Christ transcends it all – culture, sin, pain, discourse, misunderstandings, ego, pride, reckless behavior,… etc. The love of Christ transcends it all.
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Church Newsletter – September ’07
Redefining Ourselves: Moving from being an Attractional Church toward being a Missional Church
Things have changed. When I first began as Director of Church Program 11 years ago, the primary focus was on coordinating events and programs for our members – to keep them involved and, hopefully, attract others to join us. Our committees have also worked within this framework, with similar objectives. For most of us, this is what we know about how to do church – provide programs that attract and we will prosper and grow. Church Growth gurus tell us that, at one time, this was a successful formula. In the good ol’ days, this worked when the church was at the center of our culture, being a Christian was the “norm,” and society held the church in high esteem and trusted its leaders. Sadly, we’ve lost our prevalence in society. The context has changed.
Growing Churches have changed the way they deliver ministry and have adopted a missional attitude – one that harkens to the Great Commission to “go and make disciples.” These churches understand that the work of the church needs to be focused outward. To do less neglects the mission God intends for us.
So, how can we move toward being more missional? One way might be to look at our existing programs through a missional lens. For example let’s look at a program coming up – Rally Day.
Attractional Method
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Promote Rally Day with our members
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Choose a teaching objective theme for members to rally around.
- Plan activities & presentations to teach the objective and carry out the theme.
Decorate and create visual stimuli to tie in with theme.
Provided snacks.
Missional Method
- Pray – asking God to provide the wisdom, courage, and strength to do his will and glorify his name.
- Look for ways to make Rally Day a way to share the Gospel beyond our own 4 walls.
- Go to our neighbors and invite them to Rally Day.
- Conduct a neighborhood door to door campaign on 9/15.
- Provide a “block party” on 9/22 in our local residential neighborhood in order to share the Gospel and invite families to Sunday School.
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Provide a quality Rally Day Program (see “attractional” column) to kick off our new Sunday School year, giving thanks to God for letting us share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others.
So, you see, it’s not that big of a change – just a shift in priorities, putting the emphasis on going out to share the Gospel.
One of the best known church growth experts is Rev. Bill Easum. In a recent interview, Pastor Easum was asked:
What are the primary threats and opportunities churches face today? – And how do they compare to the challenges churches faced 45 years ago when you began your career as a pastor?
Bill Easum: When I began pastoring, you could still “build a church and they will come.” Today, you have to go to them. Forty-five years ago, people trusted clergy and the institutional church. Today, the public is cynical and skeptical, and you have to earn their trust. Perhaps the biggest challenge to established churches today is realizing that everything basic to today’s world has changed (except the Gospel) and to reach this new world, church leaders have to abandon the practices of the past and adapt to new ways to do ministry.
“Today, you have to go to them.” Today, we need to be more missional.
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Church Newsletter – July ’07
This happens to me all the time – I’ll come across a hymn text I’ve known for a long time, one that never really did much for me, and BAM! – it hits me like a ton of bricks. This usually happens when, by the grace of God, the text speaks directly to something I’ve been thinking about or struggling with.
This time, the hymn is “Hark the Voice of Jesus Calling,” a hymn I chose for July 8, because it ties in with our appointed Gospel reading. Here are the 1st & 4th verses:
Hark, the voice of Jesus calling,
“Who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvests waiting,
who will bear the sheaves away?”
Loud and long the master calls you;
rich reward he offers free.
Who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I. Send me, send me”?
Let none hear you idly saying,
“There is nothing I can do,”
while the multitudes are dying
and the master calls for you.
Take the task he gives you gladly;
let his work your pleasure be.
Answer quickly when he calls you,
“Here am I. Send me, send me!”
– Daniel March, 1816-1909
Why such an impact this time? It probably has to do with recent discussions and work with our congregational profile – the lengthy, highly detailed document we submit to the Bishop as part of the process for calling a new pastor. The profile is kind of like a mirror. It makes us look at our congregation’s strengths and weaknesses. The good news is, there is much strength in our congregation. However, there is certainly room for improvement.
One area of improvement might be in providing ministry in the local community. Aside from providing meeting space for some local organizations, we currently are not providing programming that serves our immediate community. It begs the question, How can we be servants of Christ by serving those around us?
To answer this, we first need to identify two things:
1. the needs of the community and
2. the special gifts and abilities God has given us, individually and corporately, to meet those needs.
Identifying these two things can be tricky and takes prayerful consideration. For example, we have a lot of people in our congregation who make great soup. But is it realistic to think our friends in the Woodsedge Community would benefit by providing a soup kitchen? Probably not. Think about it. Pray about it. Share your thoughts with me, Pastor Hart, or any of our chairpersons and council members. God will provide answers – we just need to ask. Take the task he gives you gladly;
let his work your pleasure be.
Answer quickly when he calls you,
“Here am I. Send me, send me!”In Service to Christ and His Church – Joy
Introducing Joy O\'Shea 