A Year in Review at Faith United Church of Christ – 2016

Pastoral Report for Congregational Meeting Feb. 2017:

Rev. Julie Jane Capel

 

Centrality of the Word of God

-   Tuesday morning Bible Study: 1, 2, 3 John; Ezra & Nehemiah, Boundaries

-    Sermons Series: Healthy Missional Markers, Ruth, Isaiah 58, Jesus’ Parables, Advent, Judges,

1&2 Samuel

-   Advent Devotional

-   Guest preachers (including some from our congregation) give us a different perspective on Christian formation

 

Life Transforming Walk with Jesus

-   Thursday night Bible Study

-   New members

-   ConFunMation

-   Listening to the Holy Spirit photograph activity and dinner

-   Learning how to pray activities  

-   Sending students to Lake Geneva Bible Camp

 

Intentional Evangelism

-   Individual congregants taking an active steps to share their faith with friends

-   Two Public and Private Health seminars with the physicians from Mt. Sinai

-   Neighborhood Garage Sale selling hot dogs while talking to neighbors

-   Game night

 

Transforming Communities through Active Compassion, Mercy and Justice

-   Irving Park Food Pantry financial and volunteer support

§  Mission of the Month, school supplies drive and coat drive

-   Suicide Prevention Walk with AFSP

-   Hunger Walk with the Greater Chicago Food Depository

-   Packing Party for Refugee One in conjunction with NPTS

-   Engaging in the political arena by having district judges come and speak with us.

 

Global Perspective and Engagement

-   Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes

-   Commissioned missionaries to Ecuador - financial and prayerfully support

§  Chris, Jenny, Breck and Elsa Hoskins

-   Creation Care Night (on Earth Day) looking at faithful stewardship of the world God has entrusted us with – Lorax, painting and discussion

-   Clothing Exchange  

 

Heartfelt Worship

-   Summer Awakening evening services

-   Mentoring and encouragement from outside worship team

-   Communion Sundays in sanctuary (and Advent) to acknowledge the transcendence of God and use of auditorium for intimacy of worship

-   Traditional liturgy mixed with innovation: Celebration of season of Pentecost, All Saints Day, season Advent, Christmas Eve, Eve, Eve, Eve, season of Epiphany

 

Compelling Christian Community

-   Opened our doors to two groups staying at our church

§    Hospitality and long term relationship with Praying Pelican Missions

-   Inside Out movie night and discussion

-   Community dinners twice a month

-   Women’s Fall Retreat

-   Men’s Friday night Group

-   Using our space for: Craft Fairs, Girl Scouts, polling place, Rio’s worship space

-   “Good Coffee” Hospitality team

-   Holding funerals and supporting the grieving with families from the outside community

-   Congregational prepared for when children’s ministry/nursery need arises

 

Sacrificial and Generous Living and Giving

-   Missions of the Month

-   Weekly tithes and offering

-   Teaching on using our Time, Talents and Treasures

 

Culture of Godly Leadership

-   Leadership weekend retreat

-   Consensus leadership team model

-   Initiative to pray for each individual in the congregation

-   Invested in Pastor Julie going to workshops/training in congregational vitality, pastoral conferences and evangelism training

 

Fruitful Organizational Structures

-   Continued online presence: Facebook and website

-   Rally Day – evaluation on normal and natural

-   Approval of Relational Covenant of Grace (used in congregational gatherings)

-   Great Awakening: Church Revitalization workshops and Vitality Team led by outside consultant Peter Sjoblom

-   Adoption 10 Healthy Missional Markers as our guiding assessment tool

 

Measurable Goals that Pastor set for 2016

(the ones we still need to work on are bolded)

Spiritual

-   Preach on the Healthy Missional Markers

-   Who knows where the Spirit will lead us!

 

Missional

-   Non-Sunday morning focus on Evangelism and Discipleship training

-   Focus groups bring purpose/vision/mission directions to larger congregation… larger congregation starts working on identity “Who is Faith Church?”

-   Local or Global Partnership church trip (also known as a mission trip)

-   Push to invite your friends, neighbors, strangers and enemies to Faith Church… and more importantly share your personal testimony of how living for Jesus has redeemed you for good!

 

Strategic

-   Read and sign the Relational Covenant at Congregational Meeting

-   Radical redistribution of leadership roles and mentoring as the torches pass from one individual to the next

-   Go on a retreat with all the leaders at Faith Church

-   Evaluation of “programs” and “sacred space”

-   Present Mission and Vision direction at Rally Day 2016

-   Talk about the “sweet spots” of the crossing over of individual’s passions and giftings and our community and church’s needs.

 

 

Measurable Goals Pastor is setting for 2017

 

Spiritual

-   Continued sermon series on the Rise of the Monarchy - #kingsandcountrymen

-   Sermon series for Easter and Pentecost

-   Who knows where the Spirit will lead us for the rest of the year!

§    Invite congregants to help Pastor Julie discern what sermon series to preach and give feedback to her on those sermons

-   Invite congregation to give another round of personal testimonies

-   Invitation for more involvement in Sunday morning worship planning and execution: Prayer team, musicians, greeters, Scripture readers

-   Second round of Pastor meeting with each regular attendee (or in small groups) in 2017

 

 

Missional

-   Non-Sunday morning focus on Evangelism and Discipleship training – consultant?

-   Focus groups bring purpose/vision/mission directions to larger congregation… larger congregation starts working on identity “Who is Faith Church?”

-   Local or Global Partnership church trip

o   Partner with Praying Pelican for summer trip

-   Last weeks in June a Praying Pelican mission group will stay with us

-   Push to invite your friends, neighbors, strangers and enemies to Faith Church… and more importantly share your personal testimony of how living for Jesus has redeemed you for good!

-   Use the “paint and sip” as an evangelism outreach ever. Pastor Julie already has the canvas / supplies all ready to go.

 

Strategic

-   Present Mission and Vision direction at Rally Day 2017 à what is are particular impact for the Kingdom in our community and the world (plus marketing). Integrating our Purpose Statement that is found in our constitution:

 

We covenant one with another to seek and respond to the Word and the Will of God.  We propose to walk together in the ways of the Lord, made known and to be made known to us.  We hold it to be the mission of the church to witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in all the world, while worshiping God, and striving for truth, justice and peace.  We depend on the Holy Spirit to lead and empower us.  We pray for the coming of the kingdom of God, and we look with faith toward the triumph of righteousness and eternal life.

 

-   Use our logo more

-   Get T-shirts for current and future congregants

-   Create a membership pathway

-   Continue to talk about the “sweet spots” of the crossing over of individual’s passions and giftings and our community and church’s needs.