hot off the epress from episcopal news services:
It's a movement, not a program.
Chances are those at General Convention attending any of the daily
25 legislative committee hearings will hear the term "20/20" as deputies
discuss hundreds of resolutions flowing through their hands.
That's just what the 20/20 Strategy Group from the Standing Commission
on Domestic Mission and Evangelism hoped would happen.
"This is a new vision, a movement to re-form the church for mission in
the 21st century. This is a paradigm shift bubbling up in the Episcopal
Church in a number of ways," said [diocal's own]Sarah Lawton, strategy group chair.
Lawton opened "Who Owns 20/20," one of five "conversations" drawing
hundreds to two-hour presentations on the opening evening of convention.
20/20 is challenging the church to look at itself in dynamic new ways.
Though including a goal of doubling churchwide attendance by 2020, the
movement is more concerned about proclaiming the Gospel in relevant
ways, relating to young people, and changing the culture of the church
as it rapidly engages and welcomes all people as the world's diversity
intermingles across oceans and continents.
About 110 people gathered for the conversation. They heard statistical
data from Kevin Martin of Plano, Texas, who said that if trends continue
the way they are now, "a 28-year-old living an average life span would
see the complete marginalization of Christianity during his lifetime."
One of six panelists, Martin noted "we are learning to be a missional
church in a secular society."
Panelist Kwasi Thornell of Cincinnati noted this will give the church
"something to say to these young people who feel they have no hope," and
colleague Winnie Varghese, chaplain at Columbia University, clearly
stated, "We are talking about a church we haven't seen. It hasn't
existed on the face of the planet."
After the one-hour panelist presentation, clergy and lay voices, from
teens to retirees, enthusiastically lined up at microphones to talk
about how new ideas and cutting-edge ministries were opening exciting
opportunities to spread the Gospel. They expressed a dynamic contagion
spreading throughout convention.
Angela Buckley, a 20-year-old from the Diocese of North Dakota, thanked
the church for "empowering teens to take leadership." Specifically
identifying church camp experience, Buckley said, "Give me a Bible and
let me preach. We are what you call spirit-filled children. One reason
why we're here is to learn from the past and take the church into the
future. We need to get the training we need. There is something in our
hearts drawing us to worship. It's happening in my culture. It's not
about growing up in the church. It's about what God can do."
Jack Hanstein of Sacramento, Calif., explained one way he experiences
bringing generations together. In a mentoring and leadership exchange in
his church, "old folks and young people" gather regularly. "Following
after school tutoring, children came back to teach old people to use
computers."
Twenty-six resolutions are weaving through convention in nine areas
touching on leadership, spirituality, prayer and worship, research, new
congregational development, vital congregations, the next generation,
communication, funding and reporting.
by Sarah T. Moore, ENS
We're praying for all the deputies, bishops, and other folks at General Convention: that's part of condev work, too! Amidst all the reports that you'll read, don't forget to listen for the work on "20/20" and other evangelism initiatives. And think of everything in light of bringing the good news to the world and the world to the church.
(which should be/is a part of everything we do.)
Someone recently passed on to me an article from Episcopal Life from a year or so ago called "Excellent Churches." They based it on interviews with Charles Fulton, Alice Mann, and William Sachs -- all condev gurus. Here's what they say about excellent churches...
Excellent churches:
Have grappled with the questions:
" Who are we before God, or at a faith level,"
"What is God's call to us now?" and
"Who is our neighbor, or to whom will we be neighbor?"
And
Are welcoming.
Are adaptable.
Are growing.
Baptize more adults than is typical.
Work with more than one ethnic group.
Connect outreach and evangelism: they don't just minister to people, but with them and invite them into the congregation.
Reflect their community's makeup in membership.
Have a strong, clear sense of purpose.
Connect the congregation's gifts with the community's needs.
Care for their sick, hurt, elederly, shut-ins.
Access the respources they need from within and without.
Have strong, broad-based, team leadership.
Develop lay leaders.
Run successful young adult ministries.
Offer strong Christian education and spiritual development for all ages.
Know how to speak to the individual spiritual search with the principles of Christian faith.
May offer various worshop experiences, including contemporary music.
Are responsible about money.
Can deal with conflict.
The Creative Ministry Fund, which was created by the Diocese of California as part of the Jubilate Deo initiative, has just announced the awarding of its first grants. Ten grants were awarded on June 25th, with a total funding of $84,250. Since Creative Ministry grants are matching funds, these awards represent some $170,000 in funding toward new and creative ministries in the Diocese.
The grants were awarded to congregations from throughout the Diocese, and included parishes and missions of every size. Grants ranged from $2,150 (for an innovative evangelism program at St. Alban’s, Brentwood) to $25,000 (to assist planning and implementation of a $3.9 million project to create a community learning center at St. James, San Francisco). Other creative ministries funded include the collaborative youth ministry formation program in the Contra Costa Deanery, the Fellowship of the Lord; new multilingual educational programs at True Sunshine, San Francisco; a children’s choir school at Our Saviour, Mill Valley; and a new multigenerational, interfaith-sensitive liturgy at St. Mark’s, Palo Alto.
These first awards represent the discernment and planning of scores of people from throughout the Diocese and beyond: When the committee met, they were joined spiritually by many people from throughout the Diocese who had prayed, planned, strategized, and dreamed about creativity ministry. Over 100 different people were directly involved in the site interviews alone. To have so many people in our diocese in conversation about new and creative ministries is itself a wonderful accomplishment during this Jubilate Deo time.
Committee members include Ms. Kathleen Crisp, Mr. Jim de Mersman, The Rev. Mary Moore Gaines, The Rev. Scott Hayashi, The Rev. Bob Honeychurch, and the Rev. Mark Stanley. In accordance with the committee’s commitment to transparency and fairness, no member was a part of any discussion or review of an application in which his or her congregation had an interest.
The next Creative Ministry grants will be made on October 26, 2003; the deadline for these fall grants is September 26, 2003. I am enclosing a copy of application form for the grant. For further information, please contact me at michaelb@diocal.org, visit the Congregational Development website at www.condev.diocal.org, or call 415-869-7825.
Jubilate Deo
June 2003 Creative Ministry Fund Grants
True Sunshine
San Francisco $15,000 Multilingual educational ministries
Fellowship of
The Lord $4,000 Collaborative youth formation program
St. Alban’s
Brentwood $2,150 Community evangelism program
Transfiguration
San Mateo $5,000 Creation of family teaching liturgy
St. James’
Fremont $10,000 Ministry to and with deaf community
Our Saviour
Mill Valley $3,600 Children’s choir school
St. Aidan’s
San Francisco $6,000 Appreciative Inquiry training to assist other in AI
St. James’
San Francisco $25,000 Planning for community learning center
Holy Innocents’
Corte Madera $3,500 New children’s education program
St. Mark’s
Palo Alto $10,000 New multigenerational, interfaith sensitive liturgy
One of the proposals before the upcoming general convention will be the funding of national showings of diocal's ad project
To learn more, and to streamview sample ads from the internet, click here