GETTING UNDERWAY

Work is underway to prepare our church for my 3-month sabbatical that will begin in April 2013. There are several areas where advance work is needed. The most obvious area is planning for the Sundays between April 14 and July 14. We have most of the Sundays already accounted for, but a few need to be determined. Another area is "Shared Ministry Events." our synod staff members and a few other guest preachers are being organized to lead a series of "Renewal Days" on Saturdays before they preach at Hope. As a further reinforcement of the concept of sharing ministry, we will invite other churches to attend. This could create a form of "Leadership Community" that would support future activities and shared ministry projects between congregations. A third vital area is "Local Ministry Team Leadership." with the help of two coverage pastors our staff will be encouraged to relate differently in sharing ministry. The everyday challenges of parish ministry will be overseen in this area. Finally, we will be developing and re-vitalizing our Total Life Caring Ministry, and we will try to move incrementally toward fulfilling the vision that TLC represents. All of these areas will require participation from the staff and congregation, beyond the members of the sabbatical team that will be coordinating this work. This is a time for reflection and collaboration.