United in Faith Renewal Team

How comfortable and passionate are you talking about your faith? Not very? We thought so. If we are to be passionate about our spirituality, talking about our faith needs to be a more natural ability. How does this happen? Just as in the old joke, one answer is ‘practice, practice, practice’ and we are here to help. Each Sunday you will find a ‘Table Topic for Talking Faith’ at your table in Fellowship Hall as you gather for coffee. Spend a few minutes going around the table allowing each person to talk about the topic of the day. Take the time to hear about the faith of others and get to know them at a whole new level. Grow in your relationship to each other and to God.

In January Pastor Greg challenged us to see God at work in our lives and in the world by looking for God Sightings. We are to intentionally look for and recognize them - otherwise, they are easy to miss. Be aware, be open and be inviting to such sightings. God is moving in our lives. Having God Sightings is then a wonderful way to witness by telling others of the sightings. On Sunday mornings you will have that opportunity. See the world in a different way through God sightings and come and share your stories!

You may be asking yourself how this fits in to our Renewal efforts. As you recall the team has been working over the past year to strengthen our Passionate Spirituality. We learned that one component of Passionate Spirituality is seeing God in the world and aligning our lives with what God is up to. So God Sightings is the first step. Once we see what God is doing we can discern how our ministries can help. As we discovered in our study of Living the Lord’s Prayer, God has a dream - a mission - and the church is called to participate. The church doesn’t need a mission - it needs to discover how we are called to support God’s mission. God Sightings help us see God’s mission in the world.

To prepare us for this discernment of ministries, in March the Purpose and Guiding Principles team will bring the congregation together to discover God’s purpose for our church and the values God desires for us to use as guiding principles for our ministries. (See the Purpose and Guiding Principles Team report in this newsletter for more information.) It is indeed an exciting time to be at United in Faith!

We have good news to report! After a year of work directed at our Passionate Spirituality, our recent survey shows significant progress in this dimension as well as 4 additional traits of the 8 traits of the Natural Church Development process. This is not unexpected - work in one area almost always affects other areas. Increases were noted in: Passionate Spirituality, Inspiring Worship Service, Holistic Small Groups, Need Oriented Evangelism and Loving Relationships. Smaller decreases were noted in Empowering Leadership and Gift Based Ministry. Effective Structures remained the same. Our overall average also increased.

Our consultant, Dave Daubert, put these results in perspective, noting that the increases were very significant for our congregation considering the changes in leadership over the last year - Pastor Greg’s leave, an interim pastor, and an intern. He frankly was surprised at the improvement and credited the hard work and leadership of this team. The team is much appreciative of the service Dave has provided at no charge as his personal commitment to renewal in congregations. He is an extremely resourceful consultant and his (paid) services will be considered in the future.

So what is now our ‘weakest link’? It remains Passionate Spirituality. This too is not unexpected as this dimension is traditionally one of the weakest for Lutheran churches. We believe we have laid significant foundations in the last year and will continue our work in the next several months. In addition, the Vision and Values team, which is a spin off from the Renewal Team, will continue foundational work with a re-examination of our Vision and Values. We look forward to a year of continued renewal for United in Faith in 2010 and ask for your prayers, support and commitment as we explore what ‘God’s work. Our hands’ means for us here on the NW side of Chicago.

Gary Constantino, Rich Guzik, Julie O’Donnell Lozich, Pam Marino, Pr Greg Moser, Dave Quillin

The month of December is being anxiously awaited by the Renewal Team. Early in the month we will review the results of the recent survey taken by 30 of United in Faith's faithful. It will show us how far our work has raised the level of Passionate Spirituality and what dimension is our current weakest link. If Passionate Spirituality still needs work, the current Renewal Team will continue with their work. If another dimension is shown to be the weakest link, a new team will be formed to raise the level of that dimension. Some members of the current team will continue on to the new team for continuity purposes. Additional members will be sought. If asked, please prayerfully consider your participation.

The Vision and Values team which was formed to start looking at our vision and values in light of our study of Living the Lord's Prayer will be meeting for the second time early in the month also. Look for their recommendations and your participation in this process in the new year. Members of this team are: Denise Boyer, Marty Dippel, Jackie Good, Rich Guzik, Pam Marino, Pr Greg Moser, and Julie O'Donnell Lozich,

You are welcome to contact any member of the Renewal Team for further information on our activities or questions. We welcome your input and prayers.

Gary Constantino, Rich Guzik, Julie O'Donnell Lozich, Pam Marino, Pr Greg Moser, Dave Quillin

This year has focused on increasing our Passionate Spirituality. We learned it is based on the word of God but directed by the Holy Spirit through prayer and focused outward in the world. We do many of its elements as a congregation during worship or in church groups. But Passionate Spirituality is also lived and practiced in our every day world, both in our hearts and out to our world. Have we made any progress? Take a few minutes to reflect on how these elements have changed for United in Faith, and for you, over the year.

Bible Study and devotional reading (Are we/Am I) picking up (our/my) Bible more often for study and devotion?
Generosity Is (our/my) stewardship a heart felt way of life?
Ability to see God at work in the world Do (we/I) recognize God's work around us? Do (we/I) see how (our/my) hands can do this work too? Have (we/I) given thanks for God's work - both to God and his many hands?
Naturally share our faith story with enthusiasm (Are we/Am I) telling the story of God's work in (our/my) life? Have (we/I) practiced this and has it becomes easier?
Compassion and concern for others Is (our/my) love of God expanding to love of neighbor? How has this love of neighbor been shown in a desire for justice, mercy and service?

Now think how Passionate Spirituality might be further enhanced. Here are some ideas.

         Start your meetings/meals with devotions and prayer.
         Be bold, enthusiastic, respectful and positive about your church - its people and its building.
         Be appreciative.
         In your small groups, share ideas and concerns for doing God's work.
         Learn the fundamentals of faith by attending faith development offerings.

Each of us in our own ways can ignite our own Passionate Spirituality as well as United in Faith's! What works for you?

It has been a year since thirty people in the congregation had taken a survey to determine where United in Faith stood on eight traits as defined by the Natural Church Development process. Those traits are: Empowering Leadership; Gift-oriented Ministry; Passionate Spirituality; Functional Structures; Inspiring Worship Service; Holistic Small Groups; Need-oriented Evangelism; and Loving Relationships. The survey results indicated that our overall score as a congregation was a bit below the average for all ELCA congregations, with our weakest trait being Passionate Spirituality.

During this past year, the Renewal Team has worked with the congregation to ignite a spark to improve our weakest link, Passionate Spirituality, by:

> exploring the Lord’s Prayer in a new context and through several different forums; > holding a Women’s Prayer retreat;

> holding a congregational retreat titled ‘Your 2 cents worth Is our future’ which explored strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to passionate spirituality; > raising consciousness of God’s Work/Our Hands and what it means to United in Faith;

Now is the time to see how United in Faith has progressed. Gary Constantino, from the Renewal Team, distributed new surveys to thirty active participants of the congregation. If you were asked to complete a survey, we ask that you seriously consider participating and complete the survey in the 2-week allotted time period. We can only distribute thirty surveys, so if you are not asked, please pray for those that were. We will review and publish the results in December. Like you, we anxiously wait to see where we stand on those eight traits. If a new trait is shown to be our weakest link, this phase of our work will be completed and a team will be formed to address the new weakest link. If the survey shows we still have work to be done on Passionate Spirituality, we will continue to address this.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with our work, we will start a group to review our vision and values in light of what we have discerned from our study of the Lord’s Prayer. God has a dream and we are part of it. God invites us into the work “God’s church does not have a mission - God’s mission has a church.’ This group will try to answer how United in Faith can fulfill God’s mission in our neighborhood. Look for their recommendations in the coming months.

You are welcome to contact any member of the Renewal Team for further information on our activities or questions. We welcome your input and prayers.

Exploring Our Passionate Spirituality by Exploring the Lord’s Prayer

What does it mean to be the church? Why are we here, in this place, called to be God’s church? If you had the opportunity to participate in any of the Renewal Teams activities around Living the Lord’s Prayer in June and July, you learned that God has a dream and we are in it! “God’s church does not have a mission - God’s mission has the church.” You then went on to explore why God has United in Faith. These ideas will help us to know what we are to be passionately spiritual about.

Discussions were held after the worship service on four Sunday mornings, at the Main Pub & Grill on two Thursday evenings, at the J Bean Coffee & Café on two Wednesday mornings and online on our new online social network, www.unitedinfaith.ning.com. In addition, posters were placed in the Fellowship Hall for anyone to write their comments and opinions. There was an opportunity for almost everyone to participate regardless of his or her busy summer schedule. While the participation was not overwhelming it was encouraging. There were about 40 different participants in the various venues, approximately the same number that participated in the retreat sponsored by the Renewal Team in March. We see this as a good base to build upon.

The meetings after the Sunday worship service offered those who attended worship an opportunity in our conventional environment. The meetings at the pub and at the coffee shop offered settings outside of church during the week. Attendance was small at these meetings, but the participants enjoyed the relaxed environments. Similar settings will be kept in mind for the future. The new social network offered an opportunity for those with Internet access to participate when it was convenient for them, any day of the week, day or night. 22 people joined the social network with eight joining in on the discussions. We will anticipate using our online social network for future renewal activities, bible studies and other endeavors. Last but not least the posters collected thoughts and comments in a conventional way. 20 comments were added to the posters.

We thank all who participated, either through discussions or personal reflection on the materials, in this phase of the Renewal Team’s quest to re-ignite the passionate spirituality in each and every one who is “touched” by United in Faith. This being our first renewal journey, we are especially thankful for your participation and support. We trust that those who did not participate with feedback have read our materials and used them for their personal reflection.

As this activity of our journey is completed, we are planning our next steps. Together we will find new meaning in “being the church” and explore “Why are we here, in this place, called to be God’s church.”

Living the Lord’s Prayer

We are a church hoping to renew our passionate spirituality, longing for a closer relationship with our God. The Renewal Team has been working to begin a process that will help us rekindle our spirituality. As such, we are inviting you to join us as we begin a month of study, considering what it means to be Living the Lord’s Prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer is so very dear to us, likely it was one of the first things you ever memorized. But for many of us, we have said this prayer so much that its meaning has been lost in the rhythm of familiar words. In these coming weeks, we will gather to embrace this prayer anew, hoping to hear a new word to us in this prayer that has worn a groove into our hearts.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.

On that day when the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray, they were asking, “what shall we hope for?” They were asking Jesus what God willed for the earth. The answer comes back clearly: we are to hope for heaven here on earth, we are to hope for God’s reign throughout the universe. Indeed, this is our calling as the church, the gathered people of God, to hope for God’s rule on earth as in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

As we live into the Lord’s prayer, this fervent prayer for heaven to break open here on earth, we are called to ask for daily bread. Such a simple request, that each of us have bread to eat. But, the reality of our present world is that many of us live without such basic necessities. Many of us long to have our simplest needs met. God’s hope for the world is that we might all have enough. How will we live into this hope, allowing ourselves to be God’s hands in the world?

Forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

This next request, that we might forgive others as we are forgiven, tells us that God hopes for right relationship. Wouldn’t it be simpler if this petition merely asked that we might be forgiven? But we are not let off so easily. God calls us to forgive each other; God calls us to reconcile with each other. Certainly, God is calling us to reconcile not only with individuals, but with races, nationalities, indeed with all of creation. As heaven breaks in here on earth, God’s glory is shown in each relationship that is healed, each act of forgiveness that bring wholeness. How will we, as the church, God’s holy people, allow our hands to be used to bring about such healing?

Save us from the time of trial

This petition can be difficult to understand, as at first glance it may seem that God may tempt us toward sin. But, Martin Luther reminds us in the Small Catechism that “God tempts no one.” We are asking that God preserve us, that we may make good choices in the times of trial that will inevitably come. Good choices are often hard to make, as our choices are rarely clear and obvious. How will we, as the church, God’s chosen people, help ourselves and others make good choices in the midst of life difficult trials?

and deliver us from evil.

In this final petition, we ask that God will set us free from all that is evil. We ask that God will grant us the freedom to live beyond fear, to live in the solid hope of the resurrection. In Christ, we have all been set free. In his book, Freedom of a Christian, Martin Luther reminds us of this when he said:

A Christian is a free lord, subject to none.
A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all.

This seemingly paradoxical statement, reminds us that in Christ we are no longer bound to the things that are evil in this world. We are set free. Being set free, we are now able to serve one another through the transformational love of Christ.

So, how will we as the church, God’s beloved people, set about freeing people from the bondage of evil? How will we embody God’s hope for the world?

This is surely going to be a lively discussion. Come, join us as we struggle together to hear God’s word anew in our lives. We want you to be a part of this conversation so much that we have provided a multitude of opportunities. Please take a look at the calendar and find a time and place that seems right for you. All are welcome and encouraged to join in this important conversation.

What does it mean to be the church?
Why are we here, in this place, called to be God’s church?

In last month’s newsletter Intern Julie gave you an update on our work on Passionate Spirituality and how it has led us to ask the question ‘What does it mean to be the church?’ To ignite our passionate spirituality we have to go back to this very basic question. We expect your answers to be many and varied. We’d also like to present another way of approaching it. God has a dream and we dream it too. In fact, we pray for it at least weekly, if not daily, in the Lord’s Prayer - ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.’ The prayer even goes on to tell us what the dream looks like: daily bread, forgiveness and reconciliation, making good choices and setting people free. So how do we make it happen if it really is ‘God’s work. Our hands.’?

This summer we are offering a variety of dates and places for us to gather to explore these questions in our 5-part series on Living the Lord’s Prayer. We invite you to participate and to mix and match the opportunities to suit your schedule and fancy. You will be welcomed.

Thursdays: July 9 (Part 1,2,3) and July 23 (Part 4,5) 7:00 PM

Wednesdays: July 15 (Part 1,2,3) and July 29 (Part 4,5) 10:00 AM

Sundays: June 28 (Part 1), July 5 (Part 2), July 12 (Part 3) and July 19 (Part 4,5) 10:45 AM

Everyday through July (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Bulletin Boards will be positioned along the east wall of Fellowship Hall to receive your written input to the material that is available as handouts on a weekly basis for the 5 parts of the series. Feel free to utilize these boards for your comments.

United in Faith Networking Website Forums will be started each week for each of the 5 parts of the series with information posted and opportunities to provide input. If you are not already a member of this site, contact Rich Guzik at reguzik@ameritech.net or 773.282.0979.

Invitation to join UiF's social network

The Renewal Team has created a new website to facilitate interaction and communication in our community of faith. There will be online bible discussions, small group interactions, opportunities to share your thoughts on sermons and to provide a forum for group discussions on any topic. In terms of today’s technology, we have created a “social network” for United in Faith. In today’s busy world, this will enable you to participate whenever you have the time or the inclination. The network’s Internet address is http://unitedinfaith.ning.com.

Participation in this network is by invitation and invitations are being sent to all email addresses that the church office has. Your invitation will arrive in a separate email. If you haven’t yet given United in Faith your email address, please share it with Dana. Once you receive the email invitation, you can join the network by clicking on “Click to Join” in the email which will take you to the website. Once there you will enter your email address and a password of your choice and complete a personal profile (a picture of yourself is optional). With that done, you are now a member and can participate in any forum (discussion) already created or start a new one You can also create a small group to discuss a topic of your choice, invite anyone else to join the network or your group, or just participate in the existing discussions. When you view a discussion already in progress, you have the option of receiving an email whenever someone adds a comment to the discussion. As discussions are completed, they will be closed and then eventually deleted.

1. “Why Study the Bible? – sharing why you think people should read the bible; and

2. “Living the Lord’s Prayer”- There will be five discussions on “Living the Lord’s Prayer” created by the Renewal Team to help the congregation think about their own passionate spirituality. More information on this will be coming soon.

If you want to have someone help you to get started or to walk you through the network and its capabilities, you can contact: Gary Constantino at (773) 645-3088 / gatino425@sbcglobal.net; Richard Guzik at (773) 282-0979 / reguzik@ameritech.net; Pam Marino at (773) 763-0605 / pamjmar@aol.com; Dave Quillin (773 484-0862) / dgq003@gmail.com; and Lys Shradja at (773) 282-5678 / quiltist5@earthlink.net .

We have great expectations for our social network. It was created to encourage you to explore topics and discussions. Sign up now and join the discussion. We hope that it will become contagious.

What does it mean to be the church?

These questions seem like they should have obvious answers, but sometimes what should be simple can be terribly difficult. As many of you know, last fall the Renewal Team invited several members of our congregation to take a simple survey that helped us look at our congregation in new ways. The survey was scored by an outside agency, and the results showed us that we have a particular challenge with our passionate spirituality at United in Faith (for complete results go to www.unitedinfaith.org/ therenewalteam.html#L235). Since the fall, we have been assessing and exploring all the myriad issues around our passionate spirituality.

You have been tremendously helpful in providing information and insight as we have wrestled with this challenge. We have pages and pages of feedback from the people of United in Faith, telling us where you see our strengths, our weaknesses, our opportunities, and the things that threaten us. Many themes emerged from this information, but the most striking question for us was “What does it mean to be the church?”

As we looked at the vision and values of United in Faith, we wondered where the passion had gone. Where has our sense of purpose gone? The feedback we have received from you suggests that we have work to do to rekindle our sense of purpose, to reignite our passion for God in this place at this time.

So, in the coming months we will begin a process of listening, listening for God’s voice and call to us as a church. Throughout the summer we will do this in the form of Bible study. This will be a Bible study for everyone. We feel it is so important that you be involved, that we’re going to do everything we can to make it convenient and meaningful for you. We will offer day time, evening, and online options. We will make sure that the materials and times are open to everyone.

This is an important time in the life of United in Faith, an important time to be listening for God’s voice telling us what it means to be the church here in this time and this place. Please, open your ears, open your Bibles, and join us. God is most certainly calling.

An update from the Renewal Team

Hello, I wanted to give you a brief update on what the Renewal Team has been up to. We have spent the last few weeks compiling a list of the assets and needs of the church. This has been an enlightening process as we have discovered that there is much more to United in Faith than meets the eye. We are also coming up with a plan that will role all of these things together to help us rekindle our passionate spirituality.

When we first started looking at what the assets in our church were we divided them up into Individual Assets, Physical Assets, Associations, Institutions and Economic. We have by no means come up with a comprehensive list but we do have a start. We were amazed at just how many assets there are in our church that can be used by God for many different things.

We also looked at the needs of the church and found out that we do have some needs that need to be met. In meeting these needs we will better be able to focus on what God is doing in our lives, our church, our community and our world. We will also be able to focus on how we can help in this process. In other words we will be able to better answer the question, what is God up to and how can we help.

I know that I have not given any real specifics here and the reason for that is, we are still developing our plan. We are continuing to work with A Renewable Enterprise and by partnering with them we will be able to take all of this and come up with a plan that will help United in Faith rekindle our passionate spirituality. I am really excited about this and I pray that you are too.

Preliminary Results from the Retreat

We as a renewal team took a look at the data that you all provided at our leadership retreat in early March and analyzed it and came up with 5 areas of focus. Those areas are teaching, Bible study, faith sharing, small groups, justice and prayer. We noticed that prayer was not something that a lot of people said was strength or a weakness but it is something that we as a renewal team feel we should focus on.

There will be some changes coming and we are really excited about them. As these changes come about, and they will come about somewhat slowly, we will keep you informed.

THANK YOU to Those Who Attended
the Congregational Retreat with the Renewal Team

A personal THANK YOU from the Renewal Team goes to each and every member that invested a Saturday morning in the future of United in Faith. Your presence indicated your commitment to helping do God’s business in our faith community. There were 41 people present.

Was it successful? YES! All had an opportunity to share their input. All were heard. All are committed to United in Faith. All wanted to know -What is God doing at United in Faith and how can they help? All will have an opportunity to implement the plan developed to increase our “Passionate Spirituality.”

For those who could not make the meeting, its theme was “Your 2¢ Worth IS Our Future.” An outline of what happened at the Congregational Retreat is posted on our website and will appear in the next newsletter.

YOUR 2¢ WORTH IS OUR FUTURE
March 7, 2009

10:15 AM – 11:30 AM
PRAYER
WHAT WE PLAN TO DO TODAY?
    a.    split up into small groups
    b.    answer four questions regarding Your Passionate Spirituality
    c.    report your findings
    d.    summarize
Split into small groups of eight to ten – Facilitate SWOT

Are you starting to feel a little more comfortable about this renewal process? Last month you heard more about it at a congregational forum. You were also given the booklet ‘The ABC’s of Natural Church Development’. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, take a few minutes to do so. This month we are holding a retreat on March 7th to focus on our weakest of the 8 essential qualities of healthy congregations - Passionate Spirituality. As you might recall from last month’s newsletter article…

“Passionate spirituality asks whether Christians live committed lives and practice their faith with joy, passion, and excitement. It isn’t about a certain expression of passion. Passionate spirituality is based on the Word of God; directed by the Holy Spirit through prayer and focused outward on the world. The result is a congregation that grows deep in the relationship with God while going wide in its commitment to the world God loves.”

Just what does passionate spirituality look like? It means: having a vibrant prayer life; having a passionate love of scripture, including both study and devotional reading time; seeing God in the world and aligning our lives with what God is up to; naturally sharing our faith story with enthusiasm; and having a heart that is connected to Christ and has a natural compassion and concern for others. We can see some of this happening already in our ministries. Often these are practiced only in the corporate life of the congregation when people gather for worship, groups or other gatherings. As individuals we also must incorporate these practices into our personal lives. It is through individuals living their lives outside of the church that passionate spirituality finds its way into the world.

Our retreat will explore Passionate Spirituality from a United in Faith viewpoint - what it means to us, what it looks like, what it can do for us, what fosters it, what hampers it. In order to do that we need input from you. Come and share your thoughts and opinions in a fun and non-threatening process that let’s everyone share equally. The results of the input will be shared with the congregation after the retreat. Then the Renewal Team will process the input and develop a plan to be executed by the entire congregation. Be a part of this exciting process. See you at the retreat!

Your 2 Cents Worth IS Our Future

Saturday, March 7, 2009
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
UiF West Building
Lunch will be served

RSVP by March 2 to: Rich Guzik reguzik@ameritech.net 773 282 0979
Or Pam Marino pamjmar@aol.com 773 763 0605

A brief background of the Natural Church Development Team (Renewal Team) was given. It was explained that we took the NCD survey to determine what area we needed to work on. The results of the survey indicated that what we needed to work on Passionate Spirituality. "Passionate Spirituality asks whether Christians live committed lives and practice their faith with joy, passion, and excitement. It isn't about a certain expression of passion. Passionate spirituality is based on the Word of God; directed by the Holy Spirit through prayer and focused outward on the world. The result is a congregation that grows deep in the relationship with God while going wide in its commitment to the world God loves."

We will be having a more in depth look at this at our retreat on March 7, 2009 from 9 AM -1 PM.

The United in Faith Renewal Team Invites You to

Your 2 Cents Worth IS Our Future

A retreat to explore Passionate Spirituality - what it means, what it looks like, what it can do for us, what fosters it, what hampers it

Your input is a critical part of the Renewal process. Please join us!

Saturday, March 7, 2009
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
UiF West Building
Lunch will be served

RSVP by March 2 to: ~~~ Rich Guzik reguzik@ameritech.net 773 282 0979
or Pam Marino pamjmar@aol.com 773 763 0605

In the December 2008 newsletter, Pastoral Intern Julie introduced the Natural Church Development (NCD) process that we have started so that United in Faith can begin its renewal. Webster’s dictionary uses these words when defining renewal: make like new; restore to freshness or vigor; make new spiritually; restore to existence; begin again. After 10 years of existence and the numerous changes at United in Faith, we look forward to renewal and strength in our ministry.

NCD is designed to help us look critically at our congregation in light of 8 essential qualities of healthy congregations to determine our area of greatest weakness and to address that area. Because of the interaction between all 8 qualities improvement in the weakest link should cause improvement in the other 7 qualities. The process is reiterative so that when improvement is achieved we again take a snapshot of our congregation to determine our then current area of greatest weakness and proceed to address it specifically.

Several members of our congregation have filled out surveys to provide a current snapshot of our congregation on these 8 essential qualities with the following results:

The survey results indicate that our cumulative score (42) is a bit below the average for all ELCA congregations, with our weakest trait being Passionate Spirituality.

The Renewal Team will work with the entire congregation to determine how we can rekindle our passionate spirituality. On February 15, 2009 plan to attend a forum between services to further explain the NCD process and our survey results. Future workshops/small group meetings will seek input from the congregation. On March 7, 2009 a retreat for the leadership of the congregation will be held to help define the next steps. Once the Renewal Team has received and processed all input, we will develop a plan to be executed by the entire congregation. At the conclusion of the plan, we will again survey 30 involved members of the congregation to determine how successful we have been. It is estimated that the entire process for addressing passionate spirituality from the first survey to the final survey will take approximately 15 months.

Your participation and support is welcomed and needed as we work together to strengthen our church for proclaiming the Word of God. Glory be to God!

This verse tells us God alone gives growth to churches. If this is the case, what does it say about our efforts to grow United in Faith? How do we focus on bringing in new members and spreading the word of the Gospel? Natural Church Development (NCD) tells us our endeavors should be focused on releasing the divine growth forces by which God himself grows his church. We are to minimize the obstacles to growth that only God can produce. Think of it this way - we plant a seed, we water the ground every day, we have an influence on the upcoming harvest - but we do not make the seed grow. Only God can do that part. Conversely, we decrease the chances for that seed if we do not take care of it to eliminate the obstacles in the way of God’s growth.

NCD provides a way to determine the environment for growth here at United in Faith by looking at the quality of our church life as measured by 8 characteristics. Several members recently completed a survey and we now know what our environment looks like. We invite you to look for our article in the February newsletter for more information and the results of the survey. Also, plan to attend a forum between services on February 15 to learn even more about the process to renew our life here at United in Faith. Our future depends on it.

As many of you know, as an intern I am required to do a project during my time here with you. The guidelines give few specifics, other than that it must be something new in the life of the congregation, and it must involve lay leadership. Just before he left, Pastor Greg suggested that my project be working with the congregation in the process of Natural Church Development. After some investigation, and several conversations with colleagues, people in the congregation, and Pastor Sue, I realized that Pastor Greg was onto something really good and helpful, and so I’ve jumped in.

To give you some background, Natural Church Development is a process designed to help us look critically at our congregation and then move forward toward renewal and strength. The process has begun with several members of our congregation have filling out surveys that will help us assess which critical area of ministry we should focus on. The possibilities include: Empowering Leadership, Gift-based Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, Effective Structures, Inspiring Worship Service, Holistic Small Groups, Need-Oriented Evangelism, and Loving Relationships. We should have the results of those surveys this month.

In the meantime, a small team of lay leaders have formed. We’re calling ourselves the Renewal Team. We are a group of dedicated folks, passionate about the possibilities ahead. We firmly believe that God is on a mission here, and it is an exciting and wonderful thing to listen for that voice of God. Here’s what a couple of our team members have to say about this project in their own words:

“I join the NCD team to help take our church to the next level. We have the potential to do so much, we just to be open to where God wants to take us.” –Dave Quillin, Renewal Team Member.

“I was never one to get 100% on any test I took. I've always been told that there is always room for improvement. And so it goes in all I do. I look for ways to improve the current situation. Our Natural Church Development undertaking appears to be a proven way to help improve our church home environment - to help us do what Our Lord intends for us to do. I'm excited to delve into this endeavor and see what it can do for us.” –Rich Guzik, Renewal Team Member.

I strongly believe our team is excellent and excited, but the reality is that the work of renewal is the task of this entire congregation. It is not something that our little team could ever do on its own. We hope that you will be prepared to be partners with us in the work ahead as we listen together for what God is doing in this place, and how we can be a part of that. I cannot tell you at this moment exactly what this process will look like, but it will include asking you to help this church listen for the voice of God in our midst.

Please feel free and encouraged to talk to me, or any member of the Renewal Team if you have any questions, concerns, or hopes. The members are Rich Guzik, Pam Marino, Dave Quillin and Lys Shradeja. We are eagerly looking forward to the work ahead, and thank you for your prayers and support.

Indeed there is much for which to give God praise, and I delight in the idea that the sea monsters, the creeping things, and the mountains have already begun in singing their praises. This is a very good choir to join.

These days I am overjoyed to have joined the choir of praises being sung here at United In Faith.There are the praises sung by young children, as they delight in the waters of baptism; praises sung by our oldest members as they receive a warm handshake from a stranger; praises sung by this wonderful congregation as we take joy in all the good things God is doing here. Thousands of people are receiving much needed food from St. Cyprians, daily there is good fun and fellowship with the Golden Diners, and hourly I know that you are praying for the people of this congregationand the world. This is indeed a good place to be.

Thank you for your tender generosity. I do look forward to our continued ministry together.