Fall is nearly upon us! No matter how many prayers we say to ward it off or how long we plan on defiantly wearing our shorts and flip-flops, we can’t avoid it. Soon students and teachers will return to their classrooms, the sun will begin its evening retreat earlier and earlier, and those who have wandered away on summer adventures will find their way home. The good news is that, as a people of faith, we recognize that in every end there is the hope of a new beginning. With that in mind, perhaps our key to surviving the transition into fall is having something for which to look forward. Fortunately for us, because of our summer, we have quite a fall ahead.
What a summer! As evidenced by the highest summer worship attendance on record, much has been happening in the life of our congregation during the last couple of months. With the help of many members and a generous donation we rebuilt the ramp in front of the church. We started the Feed More Sheep Fund as a way to allow people to financially support our mission and have already raised close to $1,500. We continue to meet our goal of hearing from a different person each week in worship as to how he or she is responding to God’s call to “feed more sheep.” We sent two members down to Tennessee to help get a community running again after devastating tornadoes. But perhaps the biggest news of the summer is that we have been in conversations with the conference regarding a potential ministry partnership.
Looking around. During the last year, we have noticed that the fastest growing demographic in our congregation has been young adults. This makes our church somewhat unique as, statistically speaking, young adults are the least likely age group to be involved in the local church. Recognizing this, we have asked for the conference to support what has organically happened at Kingston so that we might be better equipped to be in ministry with young adults. Our proposal, which has thus far been very favorably received by the conference, is that we be designated as a teaching church that sees a major part of the way we “feed more sheep” as preparing young adults for intergenerational leadership.
This involves all of us. Part of what makes our proposal unique and what makes this partnership so exciting is that we are not throwing out the baby with the bath water. Many churches have attempted to reach out to young adults by focusing on young adults solely. One of the reasons young adults have become a part of Kingston, however, is the intergenerational community. To that end, every item that we have proposed within the five-year plan we outlined for the conference is inherently intergenerational. For example, we would not just start a small group for young adults, but for everyone in the church, with the leadership coming from young adults.
Looking toward the future. One of the ways we hope to ensure this mission of training young adults for leadership is in keeping our broader mission as a church to “feed more sheep,” is through a new committee called the “Vision Team.” The Vision Team will be an intergenerational committee, led by young adults, charged with overseeing this mission project. We are currently beginning the process of recruiting members for this team. If you are interested in being a part of it, please let me know.
More ahead. This project is still in its infancy and there is much yet to be worked out. Rest assured, the leadership of the church will be doing its best to keep everyone informed as we move forward with this partnership. In the meantime, there are still many other ways of getting involved in the life of the church. We have openings for Sunday school teachers, trustees, an annual conference rep, and committees like finance, publicity, worship and more. If you are interested in being involved with this congregation at a deeper level, we want to help you do that. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer!
Grace and Peace,
Stephen