Just Saying...

The common thread of conversation this week is the weather, which certainly is not a surprise considering the -45 windchill.  The new take on the weather is how balmy (I use that term loosely) today feels to folks.  Since when did 8 degrees become balmy weather! 

I realize I sometimes make the same assertions about my faith life.  Just like people feeling stuck inside due to the weather, some of us feel stuck in our spiritual journeys.  We are not quite sure how to get outside of our box.  While not satisfying to stay inside all day, getting stuck in our faith life is at least familiar to us.  We know what to expect, even if God does not seem relevant or particularly close.  Likewise, I am hearing stories within the congregation -- including myself at times-- that everything is just fine. I say things like my spiritual life is just balmy, when in all reality I know it isn't.  I am so grateful to be a part of a couple small groups that help keep me honest.  In a very real way, my small groups -- Covenant Group and Companions-- help me to stay discontented and engaged.  I don't want to be satisfied with a balmy spiritual life which is nice, safe and predictable.  I'm thankful the Spirit pushes and prods me into leaving the warm confines of what is known and comfortable to enter into a world that is hurting and lost.

Check out the new listings of small groups and classes.  Stretch your spiritual life this month.

On the journey,
Alecia 

A Look Back to Frame the Discussion Forward

A friend recommended on Facebook to look at a blog from Sojourners dealing with the 14 things the Church needs to do in 2014. (http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/01/01/14-things-church-needs-do-2014/ )  It caught my attention and I thought I would post the first couple of questions:

1. Review what happened in 2013: What worked?  What didn’t? Where did we spend our money? How did we touch people’s lives?  What one word would describe 2013? Take some time and objectively look at what transpired in 2013.

2. Honestly answer the question “Why in the world would anyone want to come to this church?”: I believe that this is the biggest question that every church must ask itself. How one answers this question affects the ministry, outlook, and mission of the church. If you answer this question honestly, the answer might surprise you and scare you all at the same time.

I think these are great questions for leadership to look at for our next retreat, but I thought I would take an initial stab at them.  The simplest answer for what worked is the laity.  The laity, particularly leadership, deepened in discipleship in a way we have not experienced for awhile.  The digging into scripture, the inviting of the Holy Spirit and the stepping up in ministry changed us at a core level.   In addition, staff worked hard in their individual areas and we are seeing transformed lives because of the effort.  In 2013 in regards to what didn't work as well as I would have hoped,  I would say that Josh and I felt like we were running to keep up with the current and new ministries and folks.  At times that caused us to misstep or to not offer our best effort.  

We spent 2013 and will continue to work with aligning our resources -- money and staff.  This is an important piece.  We funded our budget, which includes ministries, mission, and apportionments.  The on-going work of aligning our resources with our mission is critical. This year both North Liberty and New Horizons were on the receiving end of grants, which helped immensely in missional work, such as the Pantry, ELL, the Latino emerging ministry and staffing.

How did we touch people's lives?  The easiest to bear witness to would be in the area of children and youth ministry.  Both areas are seeing lives transformed spiritually.  The Pantry numbers speak for themselves as this ministry continues to serve more and more people.  The emerging ministry with Latinos has grown to such a degree that we are seeing individuals out of our bilingual worship offering their own gifts in ministries.  Of course each time I try to conclude this section, I think of another aspect.  The last one I will mention in this blog is small groups.  We are seeing people deepen in their walk with Jesus.

The one word to describe us is three:  deepening as disciples.  That discussion, as well as the second question is for another time.
Peace my friends,
Alecia