Elevating the Message: Empowering Missions Through Christ
Discover the profound impact of lifting up Jesus in reaching all men, aligning missions with gospel teachings, and supporting missionary work within the church community. Explore the essence of Christian outreach and the call to serve others, emphasizing the high purpose of spreading the gospel.
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How to reach the masses, men of every birth, For an answer, Jesus gave the key: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, Will draw all men unto Me. Oh! the world is hungry for the Living Bread, Lift the Savior up for them to see; Trust Him, and do not doubt the words that He said, I ll draw all men unto Me. Lift Him up by living as a Christian ought, Let the world in you the Savior see; Then men will gladly follow Him Who once taught, I ll draw all men unto Me. Refrain: Lift Him up, lift Him up; Still He speaks from eternity: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, Will draw all men unto Me. 1 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Expanding our view of missions 2 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Agenda Why missionize How we think about Invitation to reframe/expand our thinking 3 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Why Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land. Deuteronomy 15:11 For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. Mark 14:7 the key to happiness is to spend a life helping others. Herald-Sun; Blake Strayhorn; 2/28/2016; 4 The Gathering 3/18/2016
it has been truly spoken that all Christians are, strictly speaking, the result of the disciples in mission It is therefore the high purpose of every church to follow in that tradition and to be a supportive community for the work of missions. We have the joy and the privilege of the gospel because of a missionary, ancient or modern. All Christians therefore have the obligation to ensure that others may receive the gospel. Hiscox Guide for Baptist (Goodwin, 1995); 174 5 The Gathering 3/18/2016
WHY 6 The Gathering 3/18/2016
How WE THEY 7 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Outreach Whenever I ask church people what comes to mind when they hear the word outreach, the first thing everyone says is soup kitchen. Why? Because the average person in the average pew is far away from the average person in the average soup kitchen. That person in the soup kitchen could never be me. Therefore, I never have to confront the needs of the kind of people I know, or even my own needs. I don t have to know how needy we all are. Source: Catherine A. Caimano Faith & Leadership https://www.faithandleadership.com/catherine-caimano-rethinking- outreach Accessed 3/14/2016 8 The Gathering 3/18/2016
One approach 9 The Gathering 3/18/2016
An alternate approach 36 Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? 37 He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-40 (NRSV) 10 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Community Garden 90 raised bed garden designed to serve seniors/disabled, youth and general public. Organization is in the process of renovating a house on the property into a learning center and installing a fruit orchard. Plans for expansion and a future garden to engage residents in agricultural entrepreneurship for economic development. Source:https://www.facebook.com/MtLevelCommunityH aven Accessed 3/15/2016 The Gathering 3/18/2016 11
Person County Missions Cake Medical Bus DJ Dance Ministry Children s Activity Table Lunch Homily 12 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Person County Missions 13 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Case Study: Metanoia Community Development Corp. MISSION: to attract investment to the quiet assets that already exist within these neighborhoods pushing forward into new relationships with God and one another to create strong communities. APPROACH: Asset Based Community driven Rooted in faith RESULTS: 57 houses built or renovated in the community INFLUENCE: Dr. Martin Luther King What are we willing to sacrifice? 700 pounds of food produced annually by the community garden Am I willing to speak out even at the risk of offending power? 65% reduction in violent crime on one street What is the aspirational ideal that drives you Source: http://pushingforward.org 14 The Gathering 3/18/2016
TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES Need Based Asset Based Service to meet needs driven by crises; short term intervention; start with the answer Connect; Contribute start with conversations Community members find out what people care about; what gifts do they have Consumers recruit people to implement the answer Program is the answer move to the next crisis People are the answers let people go to work! Source: Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) 15 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Dont serve the homeless, the hungry, or the poor. Instead . help a neighbor . get to know a neighbor . become a neighbor 16 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Final Words The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give. William Author Ward 17 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Questions / Comments 18 The Gathering 3/18/2016
Franciscan Blessing May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, & war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. And the Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you forever. Amen. 19 The Gathering 3/18/2016
