Meeting March 22, 2009 - Steering Team Minutes

In attendance- Jim, Jon, Becky, Mike, Maria Byrd, Connie Greer

Maria and Connie were invited to become a part of the steering team. After discussion, seemed logical to include spouses as part of the functioning steering team.

Discussion around Plungers and Plunging activity...

Hidden Creek Elementary is target. Hidden Creek's catchment area for students extends to Salmonberry. Building appears to be ideally located for this group.

Role of the Plunger is to; Experience other's hospitality, build relationships, make contact where trust can grow.

Plungers to be invited for Training and Commissioning:
Gene (Laura) Gerard- Greers invite
Sarah Benjamin- Mike invite
Kortney & Sean Farrell- Becky invite
Josh Bedford, Carrie Duffy, Jarod Coley, Sarah Blair- Jon invite

Steering Team will train and help coordinate Plungers as well as facilitate reflection.
Need "Plunging Activity" from MET.

Next meeting April 5th after church. Steering team will provide food. Plungers will be invited. Lisa Bratcher will attend to clarify plunging activity(ies).

God's Work?

The LORD won't leave his people nor give up his children.
Psalm 94:14 (NCV)

What is the work of God? Accepting people....Caring before condemning.

From: Everyday Blessings
Copyright (J. Countryman, 2004)
Max Lucado

Sometimes it seems so obvious, but not simple. If we want to participate in God's mission here on earth, we need to care about the things that God cares about! God cares about people. We need to care about people. Can we care before we condemn?

(I want too! May Jesus help me love without judgment, so I can be a part of God's mission!)

Thoughts about Missional Church

“Influencing our neighborhood and our world”

The outline below is from a YouTube video that Pastor Dove at the Mt Albert Baptist Church in New Zealand. His message has continued to haunt me for over a year now. (Jon Powless found it when he was researching "Missional Church". )

Why does it seem so precise and confident? Why does it seem so obvious, but doesn’t appear to be something easily grasped? We are doing the PMC thing, but isn’t it already obvious?

Sometimes I think that what we are doing, (PMC) is not really what we are doing. (I’m not so intuitive.) I have so many questions for Him! What do You want from us, me? What should I be doing and who should I be doing it with or too? How do I love all people without constantly judging them (or me for that matter)?

Intentional! Pastor Dove says that a lot. (Synonyms: designed, planned, deliberate.) Maybe that’s the part we are working on. I don’t really know!

What I do know is that I feel like our congregation is going many different directions, un-united. (And no one can argue with me on this point because I said “feel”. It’s what I feel like…) Ha!

Re-Imagine: A Missional Church

1. People who do not know Christ
   a. Are suspicious of churches and Christians in general
   b. See Christians as weird, doing odd practices

2. We should live the gospel, talk the gospel
   a. Build trust – engaging in the issues that surround our community
   b. Work with community leaders
   c. Engage in practical/loving projects

3. We should be local missionaries
   a. Be intentional about being with people
   b. Be with people in schools, sports fields, malls, on the street
   c. Move out of our safe zones
   d. Take a risk to engage in conversations about God

4. Cut back on church activities and programs
   a. Fulfill responsibilities as civilians in society
   b. Be intentional about building relationships

5. Build genuine relationships
   a. Get to know neighbors, work mates
   b. Have them in our homes
   c. Go out together as friends

6. People matter to God, so people should matter to us!

7. Emphasize process over programs
   a. We have a bunch of good programs
   b. Linkage between programs to big from one to the other
   c. Provide helpful levels where they can:
      i. Connect in relationships
      ii. Hear the relevance of Christianity
      iii. Engage with the gospel and acclaims of Christ

8. Provide a safe place for people to explore Christianity
   a. Safe to ask questions
   b. No question is off limits
   c. A place to read and engage the Gospels

9. Global mission support
   a. Continued support
   b. Prayer
   c. Extended geography

We dream of being a missional church that influences our neighborhood and our world! Imagine what that might look like!

Thought for the Day from Lisa Bratcher

"I have to realize that whatever I do has meaning only if I ask that it serves His purpose, I believe that in my present undertaking, whatever the outcome, it will be His doing. I will pray for understanding of what it is He would have me do."

Ronald Regan, 1976

Info regarding the next Cluster Meeting

Dear PMC Partners,
I wanted to pass on a brief reminder about the location and dates of our next cluster event, so you and your congregation can begin making plans to attend, if you haven't already.

We'll be meeting at the East County Church of Christ in Gresham, OR [Map] on April 3-4, 2009. I haven't seen the exact schedule yet, but we'll be following the typical pattern where Friday morning and afternoon is for Elders and Ministry Staff, Friday evenings is for everyone, and then additional training for everyone on Saturday. We'll most likely be going from 8:30-9:00am until 4:00pm or so on both days.

According to Google Maps, there are roughly 10 hotels within a 10 minute drive of the church building, and lots of restaurant options, so we should all be covered in terms of lodging and food.

More details about the agenda will be forthcoming, and I hope you will all make plans to be there for this important event.

Peace,
Greg KB
==============
Greg Kendall-Ball
325.201.3178
greg.kendallball@acu.edu

March 1st-All Hands Meeting

Elders, MET and Steering Team was present.
-Mike demonstrated this blog and its basic functionality as a communication tool.

-Ray opened the remainder of the meeting with a prayer.

-Becky facilitated dwelling in the word. Many thoughts were shared about our human limitations (clay pots) and that God chooses to use us in spite of our ourselves. It is only by "His mercy that we have this ministry."

-Chad shared some brief training on the five levels of leadership as taken from the John Maxwell, a leading business trainer and previous church pasture for 25 years.

-Chad shared some exiting ideas around video technology. He will take a leading role in developing the resources and skills to better embrace video as a tool we will use in our worship and church gatherings.

-Lisa updated us on the METs latest ideas. Current target group for the first plunging experiment is Hidden Creek Elementary. The MET has lots of exiting ideas and will continued to build upon them and fully support the leadership of the steering team and elders.

-Jon gave the back ground of PMC as it came to this church, POCOC. A detailed article about this can be found on this blog titled, "Missional-A Brief Description."

-Mike shared a compelling case study that he was recently involved with targeting a neglected community in Federal Way. This included Capitol One, Sheriff's Department, Franciscan Health Organization, Mayor's Office, Local Pastoral Organization, Boy's and Girl's Club, etc...

-Jon shared the basic framework of our next few months. Together the whole group tentatively agreed to the following target dates: (These are just dates to shoot for, not set in stone.)

• March 22 MET will deliver a framework of the first plunging exercise/experiment
• April 3-4 Next Cluster meeting
• April 5 Steering will have Plungers recruited, trained, and commissioned for the first plunge
• April 19 First plunge will be completed
• April 26 Initial feedback from plungers will be distributed (via email, blog, etc...)
• May 1 All hands meeting to reflect upon first plunge and setup next plunge

-Connie reviewed Hospitality training and how it has gone thus far in the Byrd/Switzer small group. It makes you think more about hospitality and appreciate it more. The Tulley's group will consider using the same hospitality curriculum too.

-Jon reviewed the Adaptive Challenge and encouraged the MET to openly discuss it and any proposed modifications they might have. The MET led by Lisa requested that we continue with the current wording until after the plunge.

-Melvin closed the meeting with a prayer.