Most everyone does some looking back and looking ahead at the end of a year and the beginning of a new. Our church needs to do the same. Monday, December 14, at our congregational meeting here’s some of the reflections I shared about our church from 2009:
Looking Back ~ 2009 was a challenging and fulfilling year of ministry in our church:
· We hosted the PCRT for the fourth time. We’re hosting again on March 19-21 with a strong lineup of speakers.
· We hosted our first marriage conference—Bill Mills spoke to about 25 couples on how to have a strong marriage.
· In 2009 we started two tracks in Adult Sunday School, along with a combined “after dinner dessert” on the first Sunday of the month. We’re now able to offer more topics for study.
· We now have 22 small groups. This ministry is vital for keeping us connected to each other.
· Our Kid’s Hope program is growing. We added 8 mentors this year bringing our total up to 24. That means 24 children are being touched and 48 members of our church participating either as a mentor or prayer partner.
· We’ve also seen an increase in Kid’s Hope kids and families getting connected to our church (four girls in GEMS, four boys in Cadets, a couple of families who have attended worship).
· We began our Wednesday Family Night this past fall. This has helped us build a bridge to some community families while giving us an opportunity to teach community kids about Jesus.
· In 2009 we grew from 1028 members to 1039. We currently have 264 families.
· We had 27 professions of faith this year. Praise God!
· On a more concerning note, in the second half of the year we’ve seen an increase in those who are unemployed. (This doesn’t include those who are underemployed.)
Looking ahead ~ We face some challenges and opportunities in the future:
· We’re kicking off a big effort in home discipleship—emphasizing the need for prayer, the reading of Scripture, and memorizing it as regular habits in our personal and home life. This is not a program for 2010 but a lifestyle we want to create in 2010 and beyond.
· We will be hosting a parenting conference on the morning of Saturday, February 27. Pastor Steve Elzinga will be our keynote speaker, talking about home discipleship and six workshops will be offered. This should be a great home-building time. Plan to come.
· Our 2010 vision statement and strategies are up for review and renewal. Some matters our church needs to think about are:
-Our structure—within the Council and between the Council and staff.
-Space in worship.
-How can we better use our member’s gifts and assimilate new members into the life of our church?
Pray for our church, staff, and ministries as we press forward in serving God.
Pastor Tom