Thanks to Jeanne Dorr, Judy Dischinger, Diane Curry, and Pat Gordes, who helped Rev. Cook to prepare this program for the congregation. |
 These Brown Bag lunches during Spring 2011 helped our members to clarify our church's identity, define our church's direction and solidify our chruch's outreach into the community. This program for self-assessment and mission planning worked because we had participation and support from the whole congregation. The discussions resulted in a Action Plan for the Church. |
Daily prayer was essential to this program. We needed every person in the congregation praying for our insight and listening spirit. A suggested guide for daily prayer To involve as many members as possible, discussion materials were available be sent to shut-ins and people with schedule conflicts. Through this program, God's vision became OUR vision – what we hear God saying to us. |
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Claiming God's Vision schedule of discussions after worship during Spring 2011: |
Feb. 13: Who are we? Survey about the congregation, discussion of history and our core values. March 6: Results of the survey. Exploration of what makes DOC special, how we fit in that structure, what we claim as members of DOC. March 13: Exploration and recognition of our spiritual gifts. Who are we as Disciples of Christ? March 20: Where are we? Exploring our style of worship, our current programs, our building, and our relationships with other congregations (inside and outside the building). Looking at our neighboring communities – the needs, the potential, our interaction with the people around us. |
March 27: Where is God calling us to be and go? Exploring our Vision / Mission / Statement of Calling.April 3: Where is God calling us to be and go? Ministry Possibilities. April 10: How do we get there? Priority Issues and Ministry Goals April 17: How do we get there? Developing and implementing the ministry plan. April 24: Easter Celebration! Our new / renewed life takes flight! |
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 Even when we are not aware, God's spirit is with us. It takes time and practice to become inwardly quiet and open ourselves to the leading of God's Spirit. >Daily Prayer Guide (PDF) |
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To claim God's vision for our congregation, we responded to the question, "Who are we?", by completing a survey about our core values. We found that we have a strong sense of identity. |
To claim God's vision for our congregation, we learned about our heritage in the Stone-Campbell movement, which gave us our traditions of open communion, immersion baptism, congregational rule, and focus on the Bible. |
