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How to Lead an Effective Meeting

Church ministry can lead to challenges and sometimes long, boring meetings. Yet it's possible to lead an effective meeting at church in just one hour! Learn how to run a one hour meeting, types of meetings, and the one question you should ask before any meeting.

Printable Handout

Part 1 - Introduction

Part 2 - Three Types of Meetings

Part 3 - Create an Action Plan

 

Outreach Task Force Update

This Spring, Outreach Task force worked on 4 objectives, each assigned to one of 4 different project groups. With God’s favor, each of these tasks was successful!                                                                                                                                                              

What We’ve Done

Outreach Training - April 22, 2017 we hosted an Outreach Training Session at St. John based on the book GodSpeaks.

Family Reunion Picnic - June 4, 2017 we hosted a Family Reunion Picnic and Outdoor worship, gathering family and friends.

Community Outreach with Pastor Hernandez – June 29-July 1, we hosted Pastor Carlos Hernandez with the Planting Gospel Seeds While Meeting Human Needs project from the LCMS Synod, in conjunction with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation Celebration. We hosted an open forum, Leadership Dinner, conducted 8 community agency interviews and 24 neighborhood interviews, and Pastor Hernandez preached on Sunday and led Bible class.

Improved Email Communication and Spiritual Gifts Assessment – We gathered member emails and invited members to participate in an online Spiritual Gifts Assessment. (You can take the Spiritual Gifts assessment here, or sign up for our email list here.)

What’s Next for Outreach

We are not slowing down! Building on what we’ve done so far and our overall goal to reach more people in the community with Jesus’ love, the Outreach Task Force has met and assigned new project groups for the next year.

New Project Groups are:

  1. Ministry to Community Seniors in Need
  2. Care & Communication with St John School Families from St. John Church
  3. Care for Visitors to St. John and St. John Members
  4. Community Events – Summer Fairs and Servant Events

How You Can Be Involved

  • Pray for St. John Outreach Ministry
  • Join a project group – we need additional volunteers! Contact Pastor Mike, 303-667-1350 for more information.
  • Watch for ways to help with specific events coming up soon.

 

The Great Deceiver Bible Study

Sunday Morning Bible Study

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Join us this Sunday, July 9, as we begin a 4-part video based Bible study about Satan. Led by Pastor Mike in the Meeting Room at 10:15 am Sundays at St John.

Is Satan a real being, or is he just an outdated representation of evil? The Bible speaks of him as a rebel angel leading his minions against God, the holy angels, and all God's children. But recent surveys suggest a majority of Christians in the United States don't believe Satan really exists.

In this video based Bible study, Rev. Mike Newman explores what the Bible has to say about our ancient foe with the help of seminary professor Dr. Joel Biermann and Dr. John Pless, as well as pastors and individuals who have experienced the deadly guile of the great deceiver.

 

Schedule: Planting Gospel Seeds in Our Community

St John is privileged to host Pastor Carlos Hernandez from the Synodical office of the Planting Gospel Seeds to Meet Human Needs program on June 28-July 1, 2017.

Click here to read more about the Planting Gospel Seeds to Meet Human Needs program.

YOU are an important part of his visit and the Outreach ministry we will be doing!

Here’s what the week looks like:

  • Wednesday, June 28 - Pastor Hernandez arrives
  • Thursday, June 29 – Pastor Hernandez and team from St John conduct 4-5 community agency interviews (schools, community organizations, social programs) in the Wheatfield area
  • Thursday, June 29 – 6:30 PM – Open Congregational Forum about Planting Gospel Seeds with Ice Cream Bar, hosted at St John
  • Friday, June 30 – Pastor Hernandez and team from St John conduct 4-5 more community agency interviews
  • Friday, June 30 – 6:00 PM Leadership Dinner with Pastor Hernandez with Council, Elders, and all Boards and their families at the Borgstede’s house, 121 William St in Tonawanda. (Casual.) Pastor Mike and Sara will provide main dish and drinks. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share.
  • Saturday, July 1 – 9:00 – 4:00 PM, Community Resident Interviews. Meet at St. John for training, neighborhood canvas (not scary – we promise!), and lunch.
  • Sunday, July 2 – Pastor Hernandez preaches

The Outreach Task Force has been hard at work on the many details required to make this program a success.

Please mark your calendar now and plan to be part of this exciting ministry as we get out into the community to discover the needs of families who surround our church and how we can best meet those needs.  

 

How Spiritual Gifts Are Like Disney Princesses

By Sara Borgstede

Remember when magazine quizzes were popular?

Quizzes in Glamour and Cosmo Teen had quizzes like Which Type of Best Friend Are YOU? with questions like: When you call your best friend, do you:
  1. Complain about your teachers and homework.
  2. Talk about the lastest make-up and hair accessories.
  3. Make shopping plans.
  4. Gossip about which boys are the cutest.

Ten questions later, these quizzes guaranteed a new insights into your personality.

How Spiritual Gifts Are Like Disney Princesses

Today, we have Facebook and online quizzes that instantly give you the same gratification. If you don’t believe me, check out this link. Yes, it’s true, in a few questions you too can discover which Disney Princess matches you best!

Not only will these quizzes give you the answer to which Disney Princess you are most like, but you get to share the answer immediately on social media for everyone to review, and they too get to take the quiz.

You might think these quizzes are for kids, but plenty of adults know which Disney Princess most matches their personality.

For real.

What is it about these quizzes that appeals to us so much?

What Do You Know About Me That I Don’t?

Disney Princesses might seem a bit silly, but there is something alluring about diving deeper into our personality and perhaps discovering something about ourselves that other see yet we haven’t discovered ourselves.

Take this concept one step further and consider a personality assessment such as Meyers-Briggs or Strengths Finder. Learning more about how God created us and working smarter is using our talents wisely.

Most of us, by the time we are adults, have discovered some aspects of our personalities. We know if we are an introvert or an extrovert. We know if we work best individually or in groups.

Yet do you know your spiritual gifts and how best to use them for God’s kingdom?

What are Your Spiritual Gifts?

Now please don’t misunderstand. This is not in any way to diminish the incredible gift you have as a Christian who have been given gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Consider what is known from God’s Word about Spiritual gifts:

  • Spiritual Gifts are gifts of the Holy Spirit. You cannot create them or earn them. (Ephesian 2:10)
  • Spiritual Gifts are only given to Christians. (1 Corinthians 12:1-3)
  • All Christians have spiritual gifts. (1 Peter 4:10, 1 Corinthians 12:11)
  • Spiritual gifts are to be used to build up the church. (Romans 12:6-8)

Why would you want to take a Spiritual gifts assessment? Understanding your spiritual gifts is so much more important than anything you would learn from a simple magazine quiz or even a personality profile.

Consider this – how will you best use your Spiritual gifts if you don’t know what they are? A spiritual gifts assessment is a tool or guide to help you better define the gifts God has given you so that you can use them both inside and outside the church.

St. John has provided an excellent resource for members to better assess your spiritual gifts.

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You will be guided through a step-by-step quiz which takes about 10 minutes to complete. Then you will be given a personal assessment of your spiritual gifts, along with an explanation of insightful ways to use your gifts to serve God.

The St. John staff will receive a record of your quiz to best help you find ways to use your gifts within our church. Your personal information will not be shared with anyone else.

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Disney Princess tiara optional.

God Space Outreach Training Event

On April 22, 2017, St. John hosted an Outreach training event called God Space: Where Spiritual Conversations Happen Naturally, based on the book by the same name.

Kathy Wendt shares her experience,

I truly enjoyed the training session led by Pastor Mike and Sara Borgstede on Saturday, April 22. The time went by very quickly and who doesn't like delicious quiche, fruit, and chocolate chunk cookies. But just when I thought I was safe in my own little comfort zone, my wanton spirit was consumed by God's space.

We took a look at how welcoming or judgmental we are as a church body. Especially insightful were questions we answered about our individual witness and interactions with non-believers. As a group, we exercised our legs, as well as our hearts, to see how generous (or not) we are when it comes to meeting the needs of others. By the grace of God, may we all be encouraged to turn outward rather than inward and bear fruit in His kingdom.

To purchase the book God Space, click here.

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