A new set up for missions

On Monday night we began to explore what the future hold for our ministry. In particular we examined our plans for continued emphasis on mission and ministry in the community. We invited everyone to join the conversation but sent invitations to the mission committee, the missional church team and our short term missionaries.

The first thing we talked about was expanding the role of our Mission Committee. Currently they meet informally to promote the four special offerings of the ABCUSA and to come up with a mission and benevolence budget for the year. We are hoping they will provide the umbrella under which the mission trips and the missional church committee will function. That means they will begin meeting more regularly to discuss issues pertaining to these ministries.

We then talked about fundraising and did some brainstorming. Our goal is to raise between $5,000 - 10,000 dollars a year to fund the mission program above and beyond what is raised in the annual stewardship program. Ideas included a booth at Harbor Day or a local fair, more nights out at Friendlies or Papa Gino's and a host of other things. We will be sorting them to come up with the best ideas.

We finished the evening talking about our opportunities bank. We began the process of putting together a list of missional type jobs that could be done by individuals looking for a place to serve or as a church.

The meeting helped us get off to a good start. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.

Cal