Glad Tidings for the Week of January 17, 2010

                                               RETHINK CHURCH!
WHAT IF WE RETHINK CHURCH, NOT IN TERMS OF WHAT IT IS, BUT WHAT IT COULD BE?
During January and part of February we are challenging our congregation to Rethink Church! For many persons, the word CHURCH is a noun. It is a building, a place we go. While that is certainly an important part of our being the church, Christ calls us to more than simply attending and listening. He calls us to action! In that sense CHURCH becomes a verb. CHURCH IS NOT SO MUCH A PLACE WE GO AS IT IS WHAT WE DO AND WHO WE ARE!
"Jesus Christ loved the church and gave himself for it" and for all who seek to follow him. During the next several weeks, we want to look together at what it really means to be the church. Here are the topics with which we will be dealing during our times of worship and in other settings:
JANUARY 10 - "Not a Place we go, but what we do and who we are" This past Sunday, we looked at Christ's invitation to be a part of His church. Luke 14:15-24
       Sanctuary Worship - Dr. Parr; Anchor Worship - Rev. Reese
JANUARY 17 - "Open, not an Adjective, but a Verb! We will share together a call to action. Matt. 25: 31-40. Sanctuary Worship -Rev. Reese; Anchor Worship- Rev. Procopio
JANUARY 24 - "Welcome: From the Inside Out and the Outside In" Acts 2:42-47
        Sanctuary Worship - Rev. Reese; Anchor Worship - Rev. Prevatt
JANUARY 31 - Sanctuary Worship - UMW Sunday - Kathleen Kilbourne, speaking
     Anchor Worship - "Reaching Those Within the Walls" Acts 6:1-7 - Rev. Reese
FEBRUARY 7 - HOLY COMMUNION "How We are known Depends on How We Connect" Matt. 9:9-13
    Sanctuary Worship - Rev. Reese; Anchor Worship - Dr. Parr
FEBRUARY 14 - "Every Church Has a Name - It May Not Be the one on the Sign"

Luke 18:35-43 Sanctuary Worship - Rev. Reese; Anchor Worship- Rev. Procopio

                                   LET'S RETHINK CHURCH, TOGETHER!

                                           CHURCH COUNCIL AND MIT
At our Church Council Retreat on January 9 we brought together the Council members and the members of the Ministry Improvement Team (MIT). For several months, the Ministry Improvement Team has been hard at work to enable us to "take our ministries at Isle of Hope UMC to the next level." Our goal is "Excellence in Ministry". That does not mean "perfection", but rather challenging one another, laity and clergy alike, to give our best efforts. The Council voted at our Charge Conference in November 2009 to merge the Council and the Ministry Improvement Team for the purpose of working and growing our ministries at a higher level. This took place at the Council Retreat and along with it we adopted a new "MISSION/VISION STATEMENT" for Isle of Hope United Methodist Church. It grew out of the statement which we have used since before "Vision 2000". The new one is easier to remember and our hope is that the members of the congregation will memorize it and apply it to all we do. The Statement reads:
LOVE, GROW, SERVE, SHARE! You will hear much more about this in the weeks to come.

Dick Reese

Isle of Hope UMC Now On Facebook

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