by Janis Greenbaum, Communications Coordinator
We’re taking the next steps to become a more welcoming church… and we want you to be a part of the journey!
A group of about 20 Grace Church members and staffers came together with The Rev. Todd McDowell Jan. 17 to discuss how to put lessons from November’s Magnetic Church Conference into action.
Our overall vision statement is:
Meeting disciples,
transforming lives,
in our journey with Christ.
We will work toward that vision through four focus groups: Marketing, Greeting, Communications and Managing Growth. Each group will develop its own mission and goals, working within the Magnetic Church guidelines. The groups will meet individually, setting immediate, short-term and long-range goals. All the groups will come together quarterly to share ideas and achievements.
All Grace members are encouraged to find an area of interest and get involved. Here is a brief description of each group and contacts for more information:
Marketing
Next Meeting: Sunday, March 11 at 11:30 a.m.
Contact: Jim Davis or Liz Allen
This group will work on new and better ways to present our church (inside and out), create community contacts and find advertising opportunities.
Greeters
Next Meeting (training session): Sunday, March 4 following the 8 a.m. service
Contact: Marty O’Leary or Chris Kurth
This group will build and train greeters to welcome visitors and newcomers to worship services, weddings and special events held at Grace. This team will also develop greeting schedules and help build awareness of ushers for greeting activities.
Communications
Next Meeting: Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.
Contact: Tim Cenova or Tom Petrie
This team will review our existing publications and determine our needs for the future. The group will also emphasize discipleship, ministry and mission in all communications and encourage all members of the congregation to share information in the life of our parish.
Managing Growth
Next Meeting: Thursday, Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Contact: Jan McMichael
This group will take over where the Greeters leave off, by integrating newcomers into the life of the parish after 3 months, 6 months and 9 months of their initial visit. They’ll also go a step further and re-connect with longer-term members and provide opportunities for them to get involved in the life of our parish.
All the groups will be working with other existing ministries within the church to achieve their ongoing goals. Each group will develop strategies to make our church more AWARE in all our evangelism efforts:
A TTRACT newcomers, so you can…
W ELCOME them in the name of God,
A FFIRM them as children of God,
R ESPOND to their spiritual needs and
E NGAGE them to become disciples.
Watch for monthly updates from our Magnetic Church groups on the website and in the Messenger newsletter. If you have any questions about the Magnetic Church initiative, please contact Fr. Todd.
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