Growing Beyond Today moves forward
The newly elected lay leadership of Coker UMC met for a training session on Saturday, January 10, facilitated by Mary Flanagan. The purpose for the day was to discern "What must we do to assure effective, dynamic and accountable lay leadership for Coker United Methodist Church in the coming year?" The council members of the new Church Council started the day singing "Here I Am, Lord" and received Holy Communion.
The previous Growing Beyond Today goals were reviewed and reaffirmed or modified.
Goals for 2009 are:
- Celebrate and capitalize on our strengths as we recommit ourselves to discipleship through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
- Enhance prayer life, worship opportunities, and music ministries.
- Build up small group ministries with emphasis on families, children, and young people.
- Expand and enhance mission outreach (locally and beyond) with every member in mission.
- Continue to develop and communicate health and wellness ministries for the congregation and community and exlore a partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries.
- Intentionally reach out, increase Coker UMC's visibility, and strengthen communications to offer Christ to all.
- Inspire all work area committees to embrace our vision, to effectively implement the new Church lay leadership structure, to set relevant and meaningful goals, and to implement work plans that help us to grow beyond today.
The five ministry clusters established as part of the reorganization adopted at the annual Church Conference met to build consensus on the purpose of each ministry cluster.
- Administrative Ministry Cluster: As a team, enable the ministries of Coker UMC to function effectively through the support of means, people, infrastructure, and resources.
- Outreach Ministry Cluster: Coordinate our efforts to reach out to all of God's people with love.
- Worship Ministry Cluster: To create individual and/or group opportunities for sacred experiences in which people are drawn closer to God and others.
- Education Ministry Cluster: Create a Christ-centered environment to promote and facilitate the education and spiritual growth of all members of the church community, ensuring that people of all age groups, phases, and ability levels have appropriate activities/programs to serve their needs.
- Congregational Life Cluster: Provide opportunities for individual involvement within the life of the Church to serve Christ by serving others.
What will it take to function effectively? Committment, focus, follow-through, patience, God, discernment of what to leave undone, prioritizing, "K.I.S.S.", courage to act, willingness to "front load", creativity, excellent communication, communicating the vision, prayer and obedience, trust, willingness to take the long view, flexibility, broadened perspective, everybody buy in, respect the past and focus on the future.
God has blessed us. The time is now. We are ready.
