Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations - Emmanuel

our fruitful congregation

 

In the spring of 2010 during the season of Lent Emmanuel, using Bishop Robert Schnase’s book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, explored how the five practices, highlighted below, could be better developed within our Congregation.  Each Sunday morning and each Wednesday evening our worship focused on the Five Practices and there were three Sundays that we gathered as a church in five groups to further explore the Five Practices.  At our Church Conference later that year we reorganized our Ministries Team and Administrative Council around the Five Practices.  What came out of our work during Lent 2009 and the time since is highlighted below.  It has been a fruitful exploration as we continue to listen for God’s call for the people called Emmanuel.

 

RADICAL HOSPITALITY: presenting the absolute utmost of ourselves, our creativity, and our abilities to offer the gracious invitation and welcome of Christ to others. 

 

¨ Continued training of greeters and ushers

· Based on a book by Gary McIntosh

· Lead by Deanna Gass and Janet McKee

· Progress: Greeter & Usher Training was held on 4-25-11 and another session is planned for the fall of 2011

 

¨ Continued worship emphasis on hospitality

· Progress: Pastor Mark preached “Welcoming Jesus” in the spring of 2010, a sermon about welcoming all in Jesus’ name and “Entertaining Angels” in August 2010, a sermon based on Hebrews 13, about how we are called to welcome the stranger.   There will be ongoing sermons on welcoming.

 

¨ Update and enhance the Meade Street entrance

· The entrance currently emphasizes only the Community Nursery School.  We would like to have a much stronger Emmanuel presence in this entryway

· Include a stronger church presence through signs

· Target Date:  pending Trustee’s schedule

 

 

PASSIONATE WORSHIP: an extraordinary eagerness to honor God with excellence and with an unusual clarity about the purpose of connecting people to God.

 

¨ Continue developing our Sunday morning welcome

· Expand greeters to four; pending 2010 training

· Encourage nametag use

 

¨ Explore possibilities for the opening of worship, including placement and duration of announcements

· Progress - done: A meditational time of “centering” has been added during the lighting of the candles; verbal announcements have been moved to end of worship to better send us out into the world as disciples so that we might better live out the third portion of our Emmanuel mission statement, “We witness.”

 

¨ Hang the projector

· Progress - done: The permanent ceiling mounted installation of our projectors was completed in October 2009. 

 

¨ Improve the Parent/Child area

· Progress: Gliders have been added to the family area immediately behind the sanctuary, a notice in the announcement powerpoint as well as in the bulletin was added alerting to families of this, and a sign indicating that the area is reserved for families with small children has been added.

· Audio to the Nursery—in process

· Perhaps with a glassed room behind the Sanctuary

· Consult Trustees

· Target date:  four years

 

¨ Adjust tight pew configuration

· Progress: done Pews have been respaced, two pews were shortened to accommodate two more places for walkers/wheelchairs, and new carpeting has been installed.

 

 

INTENTIONAL FAITH DEVELOPMENT: offering high quality, purposeful learning experiences for people of all ages and stages of faith.

 

¨ All-Church Fellowship Opportunities

· One event every other month to focus on faith development through fellowship

· Progress: 3 summer picnics, 2 golf outings, a movie night & more to come!

 

¨ On-site Bible Study for Seniors at their places of residence

· In need of leadership

 

¨  Wednesday Nite Summer Gatherings

· To be looked at for summer 2012

 

 

RISK-TAKING MISSION AND SERVICE: going out of our comfort zone in the projects, efforts, and work people do to make a positive difference in the lives of others for the purposes of Christ.

¨ Ministry & Service Booklet

· To detail ministries and list contact person

· Keep current

· Progress: was printed and distributed

 

¨ Monthly Mission Minutes

· To communicate projects

· Utilize a variety of presentation techniques

· In need of volunteers - Pastor Mark is currently doing this

 

¨ Grow and promote service programs

· Continue all current programs

· Increase involvement in ESTHER

· Promote local service projects and personally invite people to be involved

· Interview local leaders to learn about community needs

· In need of leadership

 

¨ Mission Trips

· Annual weeklong trips:  one for pre-teens, one for teens, and one VIM trip for adults

· Offer shorter, 1-3 day trips

· Progress: Currently recruiting for a VIM trips in 2012

 

¨ Investigate long term projects

· Planting a church in SE Appleton, Darboy, Town of Harrison, or Combined Locks

· Sponsoring a refugee family who needs to come to the US to escape political persecution or other reasons

· Planning mission trip outside the US

· Target date:  1-3 years

· In need of leadership

 

 

EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY—the unselfish willingness to share and give exceeding all expectations and extending to unexpected measures.

¨ During worship

· Monthly “Giving Moments” sharing the joy of giving and receiving

· Sermons on what God says about giving

 

 

¨ In Christian Education

· Progress: Sunday School class on giving; offer Financial Peace University 2x a year; continue the practice of Sunday School offering; emphasize giving during VBS

 

 

¨ In communications

· Provide more information and recognition of the impact of special collections and projects

· Progress: newsletter finance updates; quarterly giving statements; newsletter promotes the work of the Memorial Committee

 

Youth Session on the Five Practices

 

Passionate Worship

* Enthusiasm * John Wesley:“Sing lustily ...Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep.” * more  instrumentation * variety *  experiential *   interactive * youth musicians * human videos * Youth Sunday * space pews further apart* flexible pew arrangements *maximize the screen*  incorporate videos * set photos of Emmanuel to music

 

risk-taking Mission & Service

Continue monthly projects: Emergency Shelter * NEW Zoo * food pantry * OCC * IN-state mission trip every other year * All-church mission trip every other year * Youth Works trip out-of-state every other year * Non-summer trip opportunities to accommodate busy schedules

 

Intentional Faith development/ radical Hospitality

Human videos * youth lead worship * video lessons * relevant * issues youth face today *  Sunday School Bible lessons * fellowship time* Wednesday Nite hang * NAME the youth group * t-shirts * invite * GOAL-all church youth attending Youth group * encourage friends from school to come