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NURTURE AND MEMBERSHIP CARE COMMITTEE

1. The Work Area of Worship

The Work Area of Worship shall aid the congregation to become increasingly aware of the meaning, purpose, and practice of worship. The committee shall co-operate with the pastor in planning and caring for worship, music, and the other arts , ushering, furnishings, appointments, and sacramental elements for congregational worship. It shall recommend standards for the placement in the church of memorial gifts as aids of worship. It shall promote adequate musical leadership in the church.

A. Responsibility of the Work Area

1. To co-ordinate, plan and carry out the congregations ministry in the areas of the Church School and other educational experiences, worship (including special services), higher education and campus ministry, stewardship education, recreation and fellowship activities.

2. To learn about the hopes and concerns of persons in the congregation and community.

B. Objectives

1. Find ways to facilitate all age-levels in participating in worship by the giving of oneself to God in praise with an attitude of prayer and honesty.

2. Encourage all age-levels to relate to the Nurture and Membership Care Committee the most meaningful aspects of worship.

3. To establish the needs of worship in our congregation and through creative and traditional means try to meet these needs for all age-levels.

C. Goals

1. To use of our children as the acolytes at the morning worship service, and to have a training workshop for this purpose.

2. To plan what special services to have for the special times during the year.

3. To continue the Children's Sermon during the morning worship service and develop more creative ways of using this time.

4. To instill more lay (adult, youth & children) participation in leading the congregation in worship. Youth will be in charge of services one Sunday morning each quarter.

5. To have those who are willing, give their personal testimony or word of encouragement as to how God is working in their lives.

D. Implementations

1. To have a special Holy Thursday Service on April 23-28, 2000.

2. To encourage each family to place Easter Lilies in the Sanctuary in honor or memory of a loved one on Easter Morning.

3. To honor and recognize our mothers on Mother's Day, May 14, 2000.

4. To have the laity of the church be in charge of the morning worship service on Laity Sunday, October 2000.

5. To encourage each family to place Poinsettias in the Sanctuary in honor or memory of a loved one on Christmas Sunday, December 2000.

II. The Work Area Of Education

The Work Area of Education shall design and organize the educational program of the church. It shall assure that all persons of all ages are provided with opportunities to study the Bible and the Christian Faith and life, and facilitate the use of resources approved by the church.

A. Responsibilities of the Work Area

1. To coordinate the planning and implementation of a comprehensive Christian education ministry for our congregation and community.

2. To nominate persons to the Administrative Council or Council on Ministries for election as division superintendents, as teachers, counselors, and officers of the Church School.

3. To be familiar with the overall goals the congregation has set for itself, how these goals influence its educational programs, and how these goals may be extended.

4. To facilitate the use of United Methodist curriculum resources based on plans that have been approved by the General Board of Discipleship.

5. To learn about the educational opportunities useful to persons of all ages, both in our congregation and in the neighboring community.

6. To link with organizations, persons, and resources in and beyond the congregation that are concerned for Christian education.

7. To assure that persons of all ages have opportunities to consider their vocation as Christian and their opportunities to express their vocation in careers and occupation.

B. Objectives

1. That each educational opportunity be biblically based with emphasis on gaining knowledge of God and His Son, Jesus Christ; of Christ's mission to the world; of the Holy Spirit's role in the life of each individual Christian; and the Christian's responsibility of sharing the knowledge of the Good News. (witnessing).

2. To emphasize that all age-levels have responsibility in developing their own spiritual life.

3. To provide experiences to help all constituents to grow in their Christian faith.

4. To establish a systematic way of providing educational materials and other needs for our teachers.

C. Goals

1. To use the Conference and District training opportunities provided for our teachers and leaders to better equip them for their ministry, so that they may gain confidence in their talents and abilities.

2. To have an updated list of individuals who are willing to be substitute teachers as well as teachers.

3. To have a recognition day for our teachers with a pot-luck supper.

4. To have greater participation from our present membership in the Sunday School and Church Service.

5. Develop the concept and method of class evangelism - more than just mere contact of absentees.

6. To have a Sunday designated as promotion Sunday. September, 2000.

7. That more members participate in personal Bible Study and prayer. To establish with all age-levels the importance of a time of daily Bible Study and prayer.

8. To encourage families to have a devotional and prayer time each day and to incorporate the use of the "Upper Room" as a devotional guide, as well as other materials.

9. To develop special study opportunities for our congregation with special emphasis.

10. To continue to have the JrUMYF and the UMYF each Sunday evening.

11. To have a Confirmation Class, if needed, conducted by the pastor.

D. Implementations

To have promotion Sunday to occur on Sunday, September 3, 2000, and a teacher recognition pot-luck supper on a Wednesday in September.

III. The Work Area of Stewardship

The Work Area of Stewardship shall interpret and encourage stewardship from the congregation. Stewardship shall have five components: (1) The use of God-given talents, (2) Personal financial management and life commitments, (3) Personal giving to the church, (4) Local church management of resources, and (5) The Christian steward's responsibility in God's world. This committee shall make plans for meeting the Church Budget. How are we going to do it?

A. Objectives

1. To Make the people aware of the needs of the church and what we must do as the congregation to help meet these needs.

2. To make the congregation aware that stewardship involves more than simply giving of their financial resources, but that it also involves the giving of their time and talents to the church for the glory of God.

3. To have a greater number of individuals involved with the keeping of our grounds and our buildings.

B. Goals

1. To plan and conduct a pledge or estimate of giving campaign in the fall.

2. To have a greater percentage of our congregation pledging to give a tenth of their income to the DeKalb Circuit UMCs for its Missions and Work.

3. To have a stewardship emphasis during Lent and Advent with half going to some mission project beyond the local church.

4. To have a fall and spring work day for the purpose of cleaning, improving, and beautifying our church and it's grounds.

C. Implementing

1. To have a stewardship emphasis using the Easter folders during the Lenten Season beginning on Ash Wednesday, and during the Advent Season with the "Hanging of the Green" on the first Sunday of Advent 2000.

2. Instead of all the special offerings throughout the year, we will establish in our budget, Special Advance Giving, in hope to encourage our members and friends to begin tithing their income to the work and ministry of DeKalb Circuit UMCs.

3. To have clean-up days at the church in the Spring and Fall.

OUTREACH COMMITTEE

The Work area of Evangelism

Purpose: "The responsibilities and opportunities of the Work Area on Evangelism will include, but not be limited to, working with all organizations of the church to identify and reach out to persons who are neither members nor active in a church, helping persons share the good news of Jesus Christ, keeping a current prospect file, providing for visitation programs, setting growth goals, inviting persons to Christian discipleship in the worship services, planning specific evangelism events and mission, incorporating new members, and assisting in the possibilities of starting new congregations." The Book Of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, paragraph #261.

A. Objectives

1. To reach prospective and inactive members with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. To encourage regular attendance at all church services and express the importance of such attendance in the life of the church as well as their own lives.

3. To involve all our members in the life of the church by giving them responsibilities and encourage them to carry out their responsibilities.

4. To have all age-levels realize their particular responsibility of witnessing for Christ, and to experience the joy of leading at least one person to the Lord.

5. To have our constituents know what it means to relate to their peers in love and to accept their peers as individuals that God himself loves and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for.

6. To equip all age-levels with the ability to make a biblical defense of their Christian faith to their peers, so that they may win some person or persons to Jesus Christ, in other words, to come to an understanding of knowing why we believe what we believe.

B. Goals

1. To conduct a summer revival and Holy Week Services.

2. To encourage our laity to become active participants in visiting our shut-ins, inactive, prospective members, as well as some of our active members. We care ministry in action.

3. To have at least ten who are on our inactive list become regular attenders and active participants in other activities.

4. To have our membership increase by twenty-five percent at all services.

5. To have our membership grow by nine individuals.

C. Implementations

1. Conduct our summer revival beginning on Sunday evening and ending on Wednesday evening, with services held each day at 11:00 A. M. and 7:00 P.M.

2. Use five to ten minutes of our Sunday evening service to pray for specific individual we are trying to reach for Christ and for the specific needs of our congregation.

II. The Work Area of Missions and Social Concerns

The Work Area of Missions and Social Concerns (outreach) is responsible for the planning and implementation of programs to deal with the needs and concerns of persons beyond the congregation, relating the ministry of the local church to the needs of the world.

A. Responsibilities of the Work Area

To coordinate, plan, and evaluate the congregation's ministry in the areas of Christian unity and interreligious concerns, church and society, missions, religion and race, health and welfare ministries, and status and role of women.

1. To learn about the hopes and concerns of persons in the church and community.

2. To be familiar with the overall goals the congregation has set for itself, how these goals relate to outreach, and how the Work Area might extend these goals to the congregation.

3. To cooperate in ministries and programs with other United Methodist congregations and with congregations of other denominations.

4. To join with organizations, persons, and resources of the congregation and community that share hopes and concerns related to outreach.

B. Objectives

1. To educate and encourage our constituency the importance of being involved financially and in other ways, not only in home mission projects but in foreign missions as well.

2. To help the children and youth, as well as adults understand that missions and social concerns are also their responsibility as they give their time and financial help. To help them to learn the art of giving that they too may experience the joy and blessing one receives from sharing one-self with others.

3. To inform the church what it is doing in fulfilling its call to home and foreign missions, and to keep the church abreast of any particular needs that may arise.

4. To be made aware of and get actively involved in the issues (locally, nationally and internationally) that should be addressed by the church.

C. Goals

1. To urge our constituency to pray for local, national, and international events that occur, and to motivate them to become involved by writing letters to our State and National leaders; to out District Superintendents and Bishop concerning any issue that our church needs to address.

2. To keep our congregation aware of local organizations and individuals to which we may offer some assistance whether it be financial, the giving of our time, or both.

3. To expand the ministry to shut-ins that will meet their particular needs to include the youth's evangelistic ministry.

4. To work toward the tithing of our budget for missions.

5. To search our possibilities of overseas missionaries to which we could offer some assistance and financial support.

6. To educate our constituency as to where our mission money which is given on the conference and district level goes.

7. To garner all mission support from the entire membership of our church. A special offering will be taken throughout the year for this purpose.

D. Implementations

1. During the two Stewardship Emphasis Campaigns (the Hanging of the Green" and the Lenten Folders), fifty percent of what is collected will go toward some mission project either home or abroad.

AGE-LEVEL AND FAMILY MINISTRIES

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COORDINATOR

1. To encourage extending the goals of the congregation to include children.

2. To help plan and carry out a varied and wide-ranging program with children, including worship, study, fellowship, and service opportunities.

3. To be a liaison with organizations, persons, and resources related to children.

4. To keep the congregation informed about the hopes and concerns of children in our community, the goals of children's ministry, and the resources available that will help all of us reach these goals.

I. Children's Ministries

A. Objectives

1. To gain an insight and understanding of the life of Christ.

2. To help the children to grow closer to each other and the church.

3. To provide opportunities for interaction between children in an atmosphere that is more Christ-like.

4. To help them understand how they can apply some Christian principles to their lives now.

5. To demonstrate ways for the children to lead Christian lives and still experience fun and games.

6. To help kindle an interest in Bible reading and to teach the children the importance the Bible should have in their daily lives.

7. To help develop and strengthen the children's prayer skills so they will feel at ease when asked to pray aloud.

B. Goals and implementations

1. To collect canned goods from September to Thanksgiving for Wesley House.

2. To have a Christmas party during December. To have a special project to help a needy family in our community.

3. To remember the elderly and shut-ins during the year.

4. An Easter Egg Hunt will be conducted on Saturday, April 22, 2000.

5. To take time on Sunday evenings to have Bible drills.

6. To continue the children's service during Sunday morning worship.

7. Have special programs for the Church, ie, Easter, Christmas.

II. Youth Ministries

A. Responsibilities of the coordinator

1. To encourage extending the goals of the congregation to include youth.

2. To help plan and carry out a varied and wide-ranging program with youth - including settings for worship, study, fellowship, and service.

3. To bring before the congregation Christian vocation as a calling to ministry in all spheres of life.

B. Objectives

1. To gain a deeper awareness of Christ's Spirit working within their lives.

2. To enable them to gain knowledge of the Christian faith, so they may be better examples to their peers in school.

3. To help them gain an understanding of what it means to be committed to Christ.

4. To help them become aware of other people's needs and desires, and the importance of trying to meet these needs for them.

5. To give them an environment that is more Christ-like when they experience the fun times in their lives.

6. To help them become more knowledgeable of the Bible.

7. To give them an opportunity to meet some of the needs of our mission work and help them realize the importance of missions in spreading God's Word.

8. To encourage our youth to be loyal to their local church with their time, talents and tithe.

C. Goals and Implementations

1. To conduct several fund-raiser projects during the course of the year:

(a) To have "Soup-Sunday" the last Sunday in January.

(b) To have a fund-raiser for Missions

(d) To have bake sales at different times during the year

2. To have certain service projects during the course of the year.

(a) The passing of Love Baskets of February 13, 2000.

(b) To make a visit in a nursing home in our community sometime during the year.

3. To have some activities during the course of the year.

(a) To have a swimming party sometime during the summer.

(b) To have a youth trip during the summer.

4. The youth will also pledge a weekly offering to go toward some service or mission project.

5. The youth will search out ways they can be of service.

6. To develop an evangelistic ministry.

III. ADULT AND FAMILY MINISTRIES

This committee shall develop a family ministry for the local church and be responsible for family life in the church. Plan family activities in the church and the home. To help plan and carry out a varied and wide-ranging program with families and for persons of all ages - including worship, study, fellowship, service opportunities, etc.

A. Objectives

1. To provide opportunities to promote the inner quality of each of our adults.

2. To encourage the setting of time aside for daily Bible reading and study, as well as prayer.

3. To encourage greater participation in the worship service.

4. To provide activities that will enhance the relationships within a family.

B. Goals and Implementations

1. To have a Church- wide picnic on a Sunday in October.

2. To have a luncheon several times during 2000 for fellowship for our senior citizens.

IV. Young Adult Ministries

A. Objectives

1. To keep in touch with non-attending members and encourage them to begin attending.

2. Become more active in lesson plans of the Sunday School.

3. Plan activities to help strengthen relationships and to enhance family fellowship.

B. Goals and implementations

1. Membership Drive: A project in which each person in the Sunday School will invite someone to join us.

2. Lesson Plan: A project in which everyone will try to be better prepared and participate more actively in the lesson.

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