PASTOR'S PEN
Looking to Discern the Steps of God’s Plan for Us (Part
2)
“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth…For we are Gods’ servants, working together…” I Corinthians 3:5-6, 9
In the last Pastor’s Pen (April), I began to share
with you the findings from our four scheduled town hall meetings at CUPC.
For the first two, the foci were on: 1. the seniors, and 2.
Nichigo/Japanese-speaking ministries. Here, I continue to share with you
the findings of our other two town hall meetings. (Please see the
previous issue for findings from the first two town hall meetings.)
Focus group: CUPC Youth (held on April 1,
2007)
Some recent thanksgivings were:
The
arrival of Rufus Zingkhai (Youth Worker) and family
Youth
have grown and have taken more responsibilities and leadership in the church
Increased
number of youth
Sense
of community at fellowship
Having
fun!
Question: What
are some of the needs of the CUPC youth that you hope to see tended to?
Some answers were:
Youth
connected more to Presbytery and Presbyterian events
More
program consistency throughout the year
Doing
more service/mission work
Work
in the community and with non-profits
Planning
meeting during the summer to capture the excitement and momentum for fall
Teaching
about faith through music
Worship:
more upbeat, more physical involvement, drama – more well-rehearsed,
please,
youth sermons
More
youth-led worship services
Retreat
opportunities
More
intergenerational gatherings
More
ways outside of Summer Camp to bring in youth
Do
more outreach to youth in the community and at different events
Have
youth group hold lunch fundraisers (4 time a year or so) so that church family
can have different settings to socialize and have fellowship
Focus group: Family Ministries - Young
Families, Families with Various Needs (held on April 29, 2007)
Some recent thanksgivings were:
Nursery
Play
area in Social Hall
More
young children
Young
children/youth participating in worship
Time
for our Young Disciples (on communion Sundays) seem to work well
Families
take care of each others’ children
Blessed
with good ideas
Question: What are some of the
needs of families that you hope to see tended to?
Some answers were:
More
Sunday School teachers/volunteers
Congregation
learning more about what are the kind of special needs, how to work with
parents/children with special needs
Family
activities and worship outside the church building
Respite
care for parents with children
Intergenerational/inter-familial
activities which expand the definition of ‘family’
Incorporate
the needs/schedules of ‘commuter families’ in the congregation
Now that we have finished all four of the town
hall meetings, session will take the findings and prayerfully discern, plan and
work to implement the ways in which our church can meet the needs of our
existing congregation as well as equip our members/friends. With God’s
guidance and help, we pray that this will enable our church to effectively ‘Go
Ye Therefore’ as stated in our Mission Statement in the next part of CUPC’s
journey. So, as you can see, the session has much work to do!
But please remember this: as shared in the last Pastor’s
Pen, we are all God’s servants (like Apollos and Paul in the
Bible passage above – who were both leaders in the early church) – which means
that while session takes the lead in doing the work, we are ALL a part
of the process and work. Whether through your continued various inputs or
helping with the ‘implementation’ of the work, we are ALL called to work
together in this discernment/planning/implementing process. We are called
and invited to work for and with God, and do God’s work together!
So, how do you feel lead to respond to this call
and invitation? What gift(s) is God calling you to bring to the
table? Would you come join in this wonderful adventure with us? – I
prayerfully hope that the answer is ‘YES’!!
DEACONS' REPORT
The Deacons had its quarterly meeting in
April. It’s amazing how quickly the quarterly meetings happen! Even
though we are not meeting monthly, we are continually doing God’s work by nurturing
and keeping in touch with members and friends of CUPC.
Just as Jesus is our Shepard and we are his
flock, each Deacon is a Shepard and has a flock. Do you know who your
flock leader is?? Since you probably don’t, we will be posting all the flock
lists on the bulletin board soon, so I encourage you to find out who your flock
leader is. If you have any concerns or needs, please contact your flock
leader.
We are also working on a new program called the
Pastoral Partnership Program. This program will replace our current flock
program. It provides training tools to help Deacons increase skills in
relating to members as a pastoral figure. Unlike our current flock list, which
is numerous in size, this program will work with smaller groups of about five
families. A pilot program is being implemented. If you have any
interest or questions, please contact one of us.
Also, during our meeting, some people shared a
little about their faith journey. Both testimonies were touching and
inspirational. It was a great way to know a little more about them.
Perhaps you can share your faith journey or ask someone about their journey
during coffee fellowship. It is a good way to know someone a little
better. We look forward to hearing other faith journeys in upcoming
meetings.
If you have any prayer request or needs, please
contact the church office.
Irene Woo, Vice Moderator
