This past Saturday, the council retreat was held at Cross Roads. Once again, we met as a council to plan the new year. In the coming weeks, we want to share those plans will the whole congregation and invite your comments and suggestions. We will meet between services at the CEB to discuss the ministries of Zion. In anticipation of those conversations, I would like to lift up three areas in particular that were discussed at our retreat.
First, this will be a year of transition for Zion with my retirement at the end of June. The council spent time talking about expectations, retirement celebrations, and timetable. In particular, we talked about what I do behind the scenes and what information I have gathered over the years. For example, who knew that I dig the holes for the memorial garden? One of the Sunday conversations with the whole congregation will be focused on the transition. What do people want to know? What is the timetable? How will it unfold?
Second, we spent a good deal of time focused on evangelism. Evangelism tends to be a challenging area in almost every congregation. We have been blessed with people who have taken up the challenge, but we would like to expand the scope and participation in this vital ministry. We are renaming the evangelism committee to the communication committee. We already have a communication group that we plan to fold into this newly named committee. Evangelism doesn’t have to be scary. At the heart of evangelism is the idea of sharing the good news. The word communication better captures that idea for the world is which we live. We want to do a better job of communicating what we are doing for the sake of Christ (the Good News) both within our congregation and out into the world. Social media has opened so many new opportunities. Who would have thought my recent sermon before the snow storm would get a response from Japan? We also want people to understand that communicating the good news is about invitation more than conversion. As the disciples of old said, “Come and See”. Again, we will have a Sunday to talk about this area of our ministry.
Third, we want to build on the gains that have been made in youth and family ministry. As the council rated the ministries of Zion, it was in the areas of youth and education that we saw the biggest increase in effectiveness. We still have a ways to go, but the overall feeling is that we are headed in the right direction. As we celebrate what we have accomplished, we’re excited about where God will be taking us. In exploring those possibilities, we want to hear from the whole congregation. That conversation will be taking place during one of the upcoming Sunday meetings.
These are just three areas. There are many more. This is going to be both an exciting and challenging year for Zion. Keep an eye open for those Sunday conversations. Please plan to attend. We want to hear from everyone. And we certainly want everyone to participate. The ministry we do, we do together. May God continue to bless our congregation and the ministries we do in God’s name.
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