Registration Reminder for the April Cluster Event

We need your registrations by this Friday for the April 18-19 PMC Cluster Event – so far only three churches have called their numbers in. Please include in your registration numbers: Pastor, Coach, Steering Team Members, MET members, and Session members. We are including Session members in this invitation because this Cluster Event will be the transitional event to year 3 of the cluster. We want to make sure that Sessions are “on board” as you re-commit to the project for the 3rd year.

Please e-mail your numbers to Autumn at office@shenango.org by this Friday (include names if you would like prepared nametags). Registration costs can be paid at the event – Pastors/Coaches $30 (Friday lunch and supper, Saturday lunch), everyone else $20 (Friday supper and Saturday lunch).



Registrations received as of 4/9 (AM):
Hanover
North Warren
Bell Memorial
Rev. Ray Hylton
Rev. Andrew Jilllson
Rev. Teresa Kendall
Rev. David Oyler
Rev. Doug Holben
Rev. Ken White
Randi Henderson
Sue Blank
Rev. Tom Gomola
Rev. Vera White

PMC Cluster Update and Registration Reminder

PMC leaders, pastors and coaches,

Last week Conrad, Jannie, Autumn and I had a conference call to work on the agenda for the 6th Cluster (April 18 – 19). This is an important gathering to continue the hard work of identifying, refining and engaging a “missional challenge.” We anticipate the following key elements:

Dwelling in the Word
Telling the story of your PMC work to date (up to 10 minutes)
Individual work with each team on the challenges and struggles that you are facing

I would like to suggest this particular spiritual discipline as you prepare: Consider your missional challenge, praying for individuals or an identifiable group of those outside the church to which you are directing your plunge. Pray for that person or group each day from now until April 18.

We are also now collecting registrations for the April Cluster Event. Please let Autumn (office@shenango.org) know how many from your church (pastor, coach, steering team, MET) will be attending (along with names if you would like prepared name tags). Checks can be made payable to “The Presbytery of Shenango” and mailed to the office at 4197 New Castle Road, Pulaski, PA 16143 or brought with you to the event on the 18th. Meals are still $10.00 each ($30 for pastors and coaches, $20 for everyone else), but as prices have gone up for our food costs at Westminster College we may be increasing your cost by a dollar or two per meal at the next cluster.

Good News from the Churches

At each of our Presbytery meeting in Shenango Presbytery we feature "Good News from the Churches" during the Evangelism Committee's report. This year that "Good News" will feature the churches involved in the Missional Church process. Bell Memorial presented at the November meeting, and their report appears below.

Presentation to Shenango Presbytery Gathering ----Tues. Nov. 13
Bell Memorial Presbyterian Church
“ An Experience “
Becoming a Missional Church

“ Our Situation “

Most of our mission work at Bell Memorial Church has been low risk and traditional .

However , through the encouragement of Pastor Derek and our participation in the

Missional Church program , we hope to change that .

“ Our Challenge “

Recently we were confronted with a complex mission opportunity. A young single

mother with three children , surviving day by day , living in one basement room of a

relative , out of suitcases and were soon to be homeless.There were complicating

problems involving finances ,health ,emotional issues and parenting . Furthermore we

had practically no experience in dealing with Social Services areas of government.



“ Our Leap “

Our leadership from the Mission Team and Session felt we must respond in some way.

The decision was to open our vacant manse to this struggling family , including

expenses , such as utilities etc.This decision , I believe , was not only pleasing to God

but a little sign of missional thinking. Our operating budget is very tight and we had

contracted with a realtor to manage the rental of the manse , producing several hundred

dollars per month. Our leaders saw the manse through the eyes of Jesus Christ ,as a gift

from God to be used for His kingdom and in His time. Folks in and outside of Bell

Memorial quickly provided the necessary furniture and all of the other basic needs .

A volunteer partnering group was quickly formed , and began laying out the needs and

the actions we would take on behalf of this mother and family.

“ The Results “

Great ?? Not really, success seemed to end with the provision of a home , Almost all of

the other actions ran into dead ends . Frustrated , Pastor Derek and our volunteers stepped

back and reviewed the situation . Praying for guidance , having open and honest

discussion and truly listening to each other , we concluded we were not partners , with

the family , seeking God’s will and power ! We were people acting on our own

assumptions , that we could fix this families problems .God showed us that we needed

to join together, with this young mother , in prayer , both with and for each other in

seeking mutual understanding of each others needs and goals and agreeing to join

together in seeking God’s will and guidance . We are only now beginning to develop a

relationship with this family , based on God’s wisdom and direction instead of

attempting to fix things through our own strengyh and wisdom.



“ The Lessions Learned “

We have learned Becoming a Missional Church is NOT an instant happening , as todays

culture desires . We have learned from this HIGH RISK outreach that we must expect to deal

with failures as well as successes , as we exceed our comfort zones , and we need God for

both conditions. We have learned we must devote more prayer time to build our relationship

with God and to teach others to seek God in good and bad times . We learned we must be

patient seeking God’s wisdom and will through His word , through the example of the life of

Jesus Christ and listening to Him through meditation and the voice of His Holy Spirit.

We learned we must act out of compassion and love , which are conditions of the heart.

Whether by coincidence or not , a statement from a recent Daily Bread stuck with me and

seems appropriate . It said “ our proper walk with Jesus Christ does not depend on our

legs but on our hearts. “ Isn’t that part of the difference between a congregation doing

mission and one seeking God’s will for their actions ?


Our journey at Bell Memorial has begun . Has yours ?? Hopefully sharing our

experience may be helpful and encouraging to others of you to seek lives of

missionality , both individually and for your congregation .


Speaking for :

Pastor Derek and the volunteer partners of

Bell Memorial Church I thank you for

this opportunity for sharing . . .

Missional Reading

If you really get the urge for some exhaustive discussion of the meaning of “missional church,” take a look at Ed Stetzer’s blog. He is a Southern Baptist who identifies himself as a “conservative evangelical” and he gives a very broad view of the theological spectrum as he discusses the historical and theological issues behind missional church. Do not be intimidated!! Just browse to get a feel for the expanse of the topic. http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/meaningsofmissional.html

Also, Vic Pentz, pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church (largest church in the PCUSA) in Atlanta said (paraphrase) something like the following at their presbytery meeting recently:

We are accustomed to the “cruise ship” model of church. Everyone is having a wonderful time and their every need is being met. There is good food and entertainment and wonderful views and good friends. What we need for a missional church is an “aircraft carrier” model of church. That kind of church exists to accomplish an important mission. The crew is there for service. All effort is mobilized to address the work to be done.

Blessings in your missional work. Pastors meet next on December 7.

Dave

A sample post from the Redstone Blog

The first link is to the blog entry regarding the "Reveal" survey (and book, video, etc.) from Willow Creek that I mentioned at the Coaches meeting. Out of Ur might be a little harsh (it's easy to be critical of a phenomena like Willow Creek), but what I thought was interesting was the apparent surprise when the notion that getting people involved in activity (read: "program") = deepening discipleship was found not to be particularly true. I'm hoping that would not surprise many of us, but it struck me that the penetration of that American business-consumerism ethic is deep in the culture, in our churches, in us? A real blind spot, it seems to me, especially when I read Bill Hybels' 'confession' -
"We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become 'self feeders.' We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own."
Self feeders?!? That does not give me warm and fuzzy feelings about helping people understand what it means for the faith community to be the "body of Christ" for the world. I don't remember a parable about being self feeders .
.
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2007/10/willow_creek_re.html

This second link is about Axis, which was Willow Creek's "seeker" gathering.
I thought it was interesting reading (it's not long), because it illuminates
(softly) just how subversive the task we are undertaking actually is . . .
happy reading, Randi
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2006/07/axis_denied_wha.html

Redstone Presbytery has a blog!

Randi Henderson e-mailed a week or so ago to say that Redstone Presbytery had started a Missional Church blog (sorry it took me so long to post it here!).

Here is the link: http://missionalredstone.blogspot.com.

Check it out!

PMC Summer Update

PMC Team Leaders, Pastors and Coaches,

We trust that in your summer comings and goings that you are finding rest and relaxation. When you do have occasion to check your e-mail, here are just a couple of reminders:

We have not heard from all of you regarding your Commitment for Year 2 of PMC. So far we have received commitments from:
Bell Memorial
Third
Clen Moore
Christ
Hanover
Vanport
Pleasant View

Please remember to send a note with your Missional Challenge(s) from the session retreat. So far we have heard from:
Riverview
Hanover
Clen Moore

Here is a summer quote from Lesslie Newbigin, to be remembered as you dwell in the Word: “Suppose instead of trying to understand the Gospel from the point of view of our culture, we tried to understand our culture from the point of view of the Gospel.”

Blessings, Dave