Living into our Mission One Prayer at a Time
Can you remember any of our 8 new Guiding Principles? Hint: Two of them are Building Relationships and Accompaniment.
In Dear Church, the book we'll be reading in our upcoming Discipleship Groups, Pastor Lenny Duncan says we "love the church and we have forgotten how to love one another. We are rediscovering it -- together."
Our Congregation Council is group of people who clearly love our church. For years, the 2-hour monthly Council meetings were, by and large, all about Advent business. Makes sense, right?
But in our visioning process we started asking, what is Advent? What are we building? Why do we exist? What does it mean to be church together? By listening to the faith stories of our members, we were reminded the importance of relationships, being known, and loving each other.
Midway through our visioning process, Council started trying something new at meetings: praying for each other.
No matter how busy the agenda, Council sets aside the first 15 minutes of each meeting to learn about what is happening in each others' lives and pray with one another. It might seem like a waste of time, perhaps tempting to skip "just this one time" when there is a full agenda.
But there is something fundamentally different about how the Council engages Advent's business when we have first been grounded in community, in knowing and caring about each other, and in experiencing God's love within the walls of our church. There is no longer business, it is all ministry. Because we are reminded of why we -- and all of this -- are here. We are reminded of God's most primary call: "Love one another."
It is a small, yet fundamental shift that makes our leaders more rooted in the reason God has gathered this community we call Advent together in the first place.
In this small way, Council is beginning to live into our mission of love, through our strategy of authentic community, by practicing accompaniment with each other.
That is what this renewed Mission & Vision can do. It can change the ways we lead, the ways we do ministry, the ways we interact on a fundamental level by reconnecting us to the central purpose God has called us to, not just as Advent Lutheran Church, but as Christians. Are you ready to try something new? Are you ready to feel more connected to your faith, this community, and God's call in your life than ever? Join us.
If you haven't yet, take a moment to read our Mission & Vision and 8 Guiding Principles that give it further definition. Then, I invite you to start getting involved in transforming our mission into action through the many, many opportunities below.
- Kevin Bowen, Communications Coordinator
Take 10 minutes to shape our Outreach Strategy
From our Mission & Vision, our Strategic Outreach Planning Team has produced a wealth of great outreach ideas! You can help by letting them know what is resonating with you. Complete the 10-min survey >
Our Mission, Your Voice
Write or speak about our Mission & Vision. If you're interested, please email Kevin >
Discipleship Groups
Explore our Mission & Vision with a small group alongside the book Dear Church by Pastor Lenny Duncan.
Over 5 group gatherings this fall, you'll be invited to explore core elements of our Mission & Vision alongside a call-to-action to our whole denomination: Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S.
In the sign up, you can indicate the day, time, and location that works best for you. We'll build the groups around peoples' schedules. Sign up >
Open Strategic Planning Workshops
Sundays in October | 10am, 12pm, and 1:30pm
Downstairs in the Community Hall (back half)
Join us for fun, interactive, faith-filled activities to unpack our Mission & Vision and contribute to our strategic planning process. All are welcome, and the group's input will be shared with our strategic planning teams. Come join us!
Sunday, October 20: Ministry Planning
Sunday, October 27: Ministry Planning