Closing the back door

One of the greatest gifts of our new building is how it has truly opened the front door to so many more people in our community. We are so blessed that God is bringing new faces and new personalities to be a part of our church!

For me, the biggest challenge in our new reality is understanding how to welcome these new folks effectively and help them connect to our congregation. I've recently signed up for a coaching network with Nelson Searcy, lead pastor at Journey Church. Nelson has a great gift for teaching churches to structure for growth.

This month, our learning is about "assimilation" -- not necessarily my favorite word, but very descriptive. I'm learning that it is hardest to earn that first visit from a guest (also learning that we need to be intentional about welcoming them as we would welcome a guest in our home). The next hardest task is to earn a return visit. Then, you have to help them want to become a regular attender. At this point, they either get connected in a small group and form relationships -- or they don't. If they don't, it is nearly impossible to help them see the benefits of membership.

I'm learning about some specific ways we can welcome our guests and help them feel the love of Christ. What I've already known is that every person or family that visits our church has made a very important choice to be there. They have chosen NOT to do something else so they could join us -- that is just the reality of the world we live in. And -- most of them are seeking a touch from God, deliberately seeking. What a gift! I want to lead us to honor this gift more intentionally and nurture more people into a life-changing faith than ever before.

More on this as I learn...Charla

Fall Small Groups

I'm looking forward to a very short-term session of small groups this fall.

The mission planning team is working toward a BIG day on Oct. 11, a day of BEING the church instead of just going to church. They felt a four-week session of small groups would be a great way for the whole church to prepare for this great day.

I'm looking HARD for a few more small group leaders. If you would be one of them, please send me an email: pastor@choctawumc.com

Thanks!

Recovery update/small groups update

I did see my surgeon last Tuesday, Aug. 5, for a 6 week follow-up visit. He looked at my x-rays and said everything looks great. He can even see the beginning of bone growth, which I think is tremendous for 6 weeks after surgery. I talked with him about my pain and he said that my spine moves differently now that L4 & L5 are fused. It changes the way my hips, knees and even ankles move and feel pressure. He wasn't surprised by my pain levels and feels it is likely the pain will continue to decrease over time, but he doesn't know for sure. As he said, "I don't have a crystal ball."

Since the week of VBS, I have had times of breath-catching pain. It is not constant -- and I do get relief fairly quickly after the pain hits...but it can be present most of the day, and surprise me at the oddest times. I do find it difficult to sleep most nights because every time I move, the pain will wake me up. I still find I need pain medication and a muscle relaxer to be comfortable at night, but Tylenol seems to do the trick during the day.

Dr. Robertson prescribed physical therapy for me. I started this morning. They are helping me strengthen my core muscles so I will maintain good posture and protect the healing in my back. I will go three times a week for a while. Dr. Robertson also encouraged me to continue wearing my back brace for at least another six weeks. He showed me how to adjust it so I can sit more comfortably in it. He even asked me to wear it while driving -- so in case I'm in an accident, it will provide some protection. I guess his final word to me was, "You need to slow down some. You're only six weeks out from surgery and you're trying to go full steam. It's just not there yet."

As for the small groups, I had to report to the Ad Council last night that I am just not ready for a fall launch. We discerned together (thanks to Janice C.) that it will be possible for us to reach the point where we can be a church OF small groups, not just a church WITH small groups. This fall, with the help of some great and dedicated leaders, we will be launching ourselves into a full-blown mission project. We intend to work toward a short small group session of four weeks to accompany this project. This will be a good trial run to see how it might work for some of our current small groups to try a new method.

On Wednesday, I'll be giving a more in depth report on our mission emphasis for this fall. :-)

Six week recovery update

It has been six weeks ago today that I had surgery. In some ways, it feels like yesterday. In others, it feels like the longest six weeks of my life.

Yesterday, I had x-rays done of my back. I will take them to my six-week follow up visit next Tuesday with the neurosurgeon. I've been showing them off to anyone who will stand still long enough. You can see the plate the doctor used to keep the two vertebrae together -- while the bone is growing in between them. You can also see the four SCREWS used to attach it to the bone. OH MY!

As I looked at the x-rays, I was humbled. I understand better why I still hurt -- and why it is important for me to be careful about bending and lifting. The last couple of days have been painful, especially down my right leg. The best relief I've found is to lay down, so I'm learning to rest. After I've taken time to rest, the pain is much improved. That encourages me to do what I'm supposed to and make the time to rest.

I'm still praying about the direction God is leading our congregation in formulating small group opportunities. I welcome feedback and thoughts, either as a comment or send them to my email address: pastor@choctawumc.com. Peace!

Still IMAGINING how this will work!

I appreciate Julie's comment. Sorry Afton's comment didn't quite make it -- and sorry to everyone who is trying to comment. I assumed this would be an easy process. AARGH -- technology! We can't live without it, but it sure is frustrating when it doesn't work.

I wanted to post more thoughts after several conversations I've heard this week, and in response to Julie's comment.

First, I am still IMAGINING how this will work. I haven't decided that we will or won't adopt the small group format for all of our ministries -- and already formed groups. The truth is, I can't decide that anyway. The fear I've felt this past week in the conversations I've had is that I will impose this on already formed groups with schedules and routines that fit them. I say that to say -- I haven't perceived fear about the concept itself. I find that quite amazing! There is an excitement and buzz for those who've commented and talked to me about what might be possible with a new way of organizing our small groups and inviting new people to join us.

Second, I really honestly don't know if this is the right decision. A long time ago, a friend of mine from college heard me trying to persuade everyone that my idea was best and she asked me, "Charla, are you sure that's the Spirit, or is it just gas?" I've never forgotten the humbling lesson she taught me -- sometimes I think an idea is SO GREAT, only to find out later that it had nothing to do with God. It was just a wild hair I couldn't get rid of.

Those two things being said, I really do think there is a lot of potential to streamlining and organizing how we invite people -- especially our new friends and guests -- into the life of our congregation. If we truly do adopt a "semester system" for our small groups -- and include the groups that are already formed (choir, handbells, Tuesday Morning, Sunday School classes), it will force us to adopt a "church calendar" -- it will be easier for us to all be on the same schedule. It will help us build momentum toward two of the biggest holidays we celebrate in the church --> Christmas and Easter. It will give natural openings to invite, invite, invite people to participate in the deeper life of our congregation. It will encourage us to get to know new people every four months -- kind of like expanding some of the advantages that we discuss after Lenten Studies.

So, give me your thoughts and feedback about what kind of group you might like to participate in -- a special interest group. Jen Watson has suggested: cooking, young families & faith, foreign language, fishing, carpentry, gardening, educators, and even a motorcycle riding group. If it works, we could offer all kinds of groups that might draw our new friends closer into our fellowship and encourage them to grow deeper in their faith with us. Wouldn't that be great!?

Ideas from Executive Committee

I am working to refine a new small groups emphasis for Fall 09. Yesterday, the executive committee gave me feedback on the ideas I've been sharing with the blog. (The executive committee is composed of the following committee chairs: SPR, Finance, Trustees, Ad Council and the Lay Leader + Pastor. Yesterday, Kurt Gwartney met with us as the head of the Discipleship Task Force.)

The feedback I received from this group is that we don't want to ask the current Sunday School classes to adopt the semester/break schedule. So, we are proceeding with the main idea I've shared in previous blogs...but NOT including current Sunday School classes as small groups.

Thoughts shared yesterday included concerns that asking SS classes to take 4-6 weeks off in between semesters would interfere with their rhythm and even break up the classes. I agreed with this because the whole idea is to start a new group every semester, encouraging our guests (new attenders) to join. It is harder for our guests to join a group that has already been in existence for decades.

I do think it will be easier for the Sunday School classes NOT to participate in this semester time schedule and maintain their integrity as a class. I also think it will be harder to recruit those already attending a SS class to participate in another small group -- therefore, we miss the benefit of having our wisest disciples participating in small groups with our newest attenders. I think the final result will be that small groups will be for our guests and newest members -- and Sunday School classes will be for our established members.

I don't have a sense about whether this is positive or negative at this point. I would love your feedback. (I hope we've solved some of the problems that were making it hard for people to comment.)

I have asked Janice Callaway, Casey Warren, and Kurt Gwartney to serve with me in recruiting small group leaders, establishing our course catalog, and looking toward group leader training. We will be getting together soon to map out this agenda.

Loved Jen Watson's comment about how we might be able to provide some "special interest" groups -- in the very BEST sense of that phrase -- to encourage our guests to join in.

Just FYI -- I met with Mike Wiley, last week. Mike works for the OK United Methodist Foundation. They created a new staff position for Mike so he can work with churches like ours, in a position to grow -- considering our stewardship needs, both ongoing and capital. Mike said the giving curve definitely follows small group involvement -- NOT worship attendance. Regardless of how we do it, we MUST find a way to help all our new friends connect and identify with our congregation.

Give me your thoughts!

Thanks for the comments

Recovery report:

Wanted to give everyone a brief update -- recovery is going well! Each weekend since the surgery, I've tried to spend A LOT of time resting...seems to give me a jump start on the week. By Thursday, I wear down pretty quickly. But, each week is getting better.

My family returned from vacation on Saturday morning. Strangely, the pain I'd been having in my right leg disappeared. I feel like a piece of me is missing when they are gone. Seems my body thinks so too. Sunday evening, Kurt made a wonderful meal and I finally found myself hungry. I really can't remember the last time I actually WANTED to eat -- several weeks before surgery, for sure.

I am doing better, I feel like. I've learned more about my limits. I am staying within them better than I did at first -- and it is helping. I am REALLY looking forward to church on Sunday. Please understand if I can't receive all the greetings you have to give. It will come...

Now, on to the blog. I wanted to say thanks to Afton and Julie for posting their comments. I hope more people will tell me what they think. As I pray about this -- I know it will be a HUGE shift for our church. I think it holds much potential. Realizing the potential will take the buy-in of many in the congregation. So, I'd love to hear what you're thinking.

I have two of the books that outline the process still waiting to be read in my office. I'd be glad to get them to anyone interested in reading up. We'll be discussing the calendar in more detail at the executive committee meeting after church on Sunday. Then, I'll be posting some dates for us to consider.

Wonder how the Holy Spirit might work through us in this process?