This is to clarify the purposes for our monthly Sunday night meetings this year. These meetings will be held generally on the evening of the second Sunday of the month. We will share a meal together then participate in various activities to accomplish the following goals.
Christian fellowship: One of our goals is to provide more fellowship time. It seems that our need is to relate to one another in a way that we learn about our mutual needs, cares, concerns and joys, cultivating close relationships of mutual support and encouragement. This can be accomplished in various ways: 1) taking meals together; 2) praying with one another; 3) sharing with one another in small groups; etc. Beyond the Sunday night gatherings we intend to continue our conversational meals in homes and have planned a church-wide retreat for April 26-28.
And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. (Acts 2.42, 46-47)
Equipping for ministry: A second goal is to provide more time for equipping and encouraging one another in ministry. Each of you has one or more gifts that should be discovered, strengthened and utilized for the good of the whole body – including those used in worship, education, evangelism, service, hospitality, counseling, communications, prayer, etc. We hope to accomplish this in various ways: 1) providing spiritual gifts assessments to discover and clarify individual spiritual gifts; 2) providing the means to help each person find an appropriate ministry opportunity that matches your gifts; 3) completing a ministry inventory to assess our church’s ministry capacity and identity; 4) having speakers or group or panel-discussions regarding potential evangelism opportunities and strategies; 5) having speakers or group or panel-discussions on best-practices for various ministries (what worked, what didn’t work); 6) providing preaching opportunities for those who are preachers-in-training; 7) learning new songs for worship, etc.
And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joints supplies, according to the working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Eph 4.11-12, 15-16)
Our agenda on February 10 will include: a covered dish meal beginning at 5:30 pm with fellowship around the tables; distribution and completion of an individual 75-question spiritual gifts assessment followed by a group discussion of the results to determine where our greatest strengths lie as a church; and, learning a few new songs for worship.