LOOKING AGAIN

                                                                  AT THE PROPOSED VISION STATEMENT

Last November, 2010, the new Vision Statement was proposed by the Study Committee.  Many saw the Vision Statement again during the Roll-Out Sessions held by the Study Committee during September.  In November of this year the Study Committee will ask for formal adoption at the Annual Charge Conference.  This Vision will envelope and cloak our Missions, Discipleship and Worship for the coming years:


To create a growing and thriving community of loving disciples who assist each other in developing a vital relationship with Jesus Christ, equipping all for service and mission to boldly go forth having a transformational impact on the lives in the communities we serve.

During the Study Committee Vision discussion, the adverb, boldly, was questioned as to whether it was actually needed or not.  Some members fought hard for the word saying it gave the Vision more of an urgent, action orientation.  Perhaps an acrostic using boldly will display all the word could envision for Clarkston United Methodist Church:

B=Bright, Beyond the usual

O=Outside the box thinking

L=Love for the Lord

D=Determined, Deliberate, Decisive

L=Loud for the Lord

Y=You and Your involvement

-Sharon Galley Sherrow

For the past 18 months I have been serving on the CUMC Study Committee. As a newer member of the church, it has been exciting for me to match “famous” CUMC names with faces and learn more about the vital roles these individuals serve in our church.  My personal goal, when agreeing to serve on this committee, was to connect with others and help clarify the vision for the future of CUMC.

Currently, I am an active member of the Ed. 1 committee, help with Angels in Training and assist with many of the family events.  I have the opportunity to meet a lot of wonderful families and have made some lifelong friends along the way.  However, I have noticed that there are not a lot of opportunities to connect with other age groups within CUMC.   After reviewing our final vision for CUMC, I am confident that there will be endless opportunities to connect with a variety of individuals inside and outside of our church.  In fact, I have already seen some wonderful things happening. The mission work at Grace Centers of Hope was an awesome example of connecting people of all ages.    There are some wonderful small groups forming in the fall that will welcome members of CUMC as well as community members.  There will also be a family picnic coming up in August.  Many groups within the church will come together to help make this a successful event.

It has been a pleasure to serve on the CUMC Study Committee and I look forward to connecting with many more individuals in the years ahead. 

Tracy Wellman

Although I did not have an agenda when I first joined the Study Team, like most of us, there were some ideas in the back of my mind I dreamed would come to fruition.  As we embarked on the study of our demographics, and the history of the church, I realized that I needed to respond to reality.  One reality was that our church had a history of working with and serving the community.  Another reality was that our population was relatively homogeneous.

These two ideas spurred me to volunteer to participate in the Missions Subcommittee.  Initially, ideas of serving the homeless, sponsoring a food pantry for the people who did not qualify for other programs, a backpack program for the schools, and many more specific ideas motivated me, but I realized that much information was lacking, and we needed a broader perspective.  Many churches and service organizations try to meet critical needs, and research is essential to determine which ones are not addressed.

Involving non-church members in mission was another challenge.  We already have several programs, one of which is the “Trunk or Treat Trot”, that invite community participation.  The challenge was to invite them into the planning and organization as well

Keeping our mission statement, “Vitally connecting people to people and people to God”, in the forefront, the recommendation for the mission portion of the Study Team’s report was born.  It challenges those who are involved in mission to respond to identified needs on three levels: local, regional, and national/international.

Prayer, a great deal of discussion, and discernment brought forth the mission challenge we present to the congregation.  As we follow the example of Jesus, our hope is that we will bear fruit.

Jan Lewis

It was a pleasure to be a member of the Study Committee as this diverse group from the church continued the quest which was established a number of years ago, To vitally connect people to people and people to God.   Our charge was to look at where we were and where we needed to go to do an even better job of meeting God's expectations for us.  It was exciting to be immersed in a group focused on discerning what God's next steps were for our church family.

This sounds simple from a distance but there was no question that our prayers and those of the congregation allowed the Study Committee to work in a collegial fashion.  This allowed for much open and honest discussion (the Holy Spirit speaks through each of us if only we listen) and I believe that God and the congregation will be pleased with the outcome.   It will continue to move us toward God's purpose for us - loving Him, loving one another, bringing others to Him, and  growing closer to Him.

I look forward to working with ALL in the church as we continue on our mission to vitally connect people to people and people to God.

Larry Hahn

     Saturday, on the weekend of the 4th of July, Connie and I were up at our place in Mt. Pleasant pruning apple trees.  Eighty of them all together!  Five and one-half hours of excruciating work on that, if you remember, 94 degree day.  I cannot remember the last time I worked so hard.  By the last few trees I could barely move a single muscle, but it had to be done.  We had waited over two years and if any of the trees were to bear “good” fruit they had to be pruned. 

     Since then I keep thinking that God does this all the time, 24/7!  All the time!  How absolutely mighty is that?  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:2.

     I don’t label or title myself as a member of the Study Committee.  With God as our gardener and Christ feeding us as our vine, CUMC has a much grander more glorious future then just bearing a dozen or so fruit from that Committee.  With the correct tools chosen for God’s work, with the vision to know where we are going and the passion to carry out the tasks He gives us, you can only imagine the bushels we can reap. 

     CUMC is very fortunate to have Pastor Rick Dake  as our trunk proactively feeding the branches for future growth.  The Study Committee is doing nothing more, or less, then working on a community plan to clearly focus all of us in God’s direction utilizing His directive.  It has been a long road so far.  Longer then I expected from the start.  Many times the Committee has found ourselves growing without allowing God to prune us.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11.  The rewards, however, have become and most certainly will be indescribable.   

     You know this!  When you go to pick an apple, you look for the freshest roundest ripest one you can find.  No worms and nice ‘n red.  You bite into it and the explosion of flavor is so pleasurable.  Imagine a whole tree of them. 

            -Jeff Smolek

We, as a Study Committee charged with the task of discerning a vision from God for the future of CUMC, understand that God is already present with us in our church and that He is with us as we reach out to be engaged in the culture surrounding us, locally and beyond.  In the year and a half of working toward the goals we feel He has for us, I have had mixed feelings of responsibility, anxiety, hope, humbleness, exhilaration, frustration, love and excitement.  The compelling Plan at which we have arrived, following this time of prayer, study, meetings and discernment, points us toward a radical shift in thinking to a new transformed life of individual growth in a relationship with Christ, to church growth displayed by renewed and new commitment to worship, and to missional living in sacrificial existence for God.  It is about being conformed to the image of God and we can observe a myriad of places where this is already happening – inspiring worship services, Vacation Bible School, service at funeral dinners, Righteous Mission, small group Bible studies.   We can only imagine the extent to which we can be fruitful for God – worship beyond our walls, partnership with organizations for relief, a tutoring program - as we anticipate a dazzling new dawn at CUMC!

            -Brenda DuPree

Right in the middle of this very steamy summer, the Study Committee met with the Ad Council to share the results of the Committee’s year and a half study. Committee members reviewed their journey to identify the current and future ministry and what is needed to accomplish it.  The Committee discussed the model for visioning, the vision and most especially fruitful ministries.

An important part of the meeting was to write about initial reactions to the report and then focus group discussion on four questions:

·         What excited you? What words, phrases, and ideas did you nod at and say, “Yes!”

·         What didn’t make sense?  What needs more explanation?  What don't you understand?                             

·         Think about your own involvement here at CUMC.  Where does all this fit?  How will you be able to use this in your area of ministry?

·         How can we roll this out to the congregation to gain their excitement and buy-in? 

It has been a long and sometimes difficult path, but the Study Committee is very excited to share all it has discerned and discovered.  Ad Council on July 13 will be the first church discussion.  Two little words, “so that” are really very big words forming important connective pieces.  Soon the whole church will be buzzing about them as well as Vision and Ministry Plans. 

There was an excited hum during the May Study Committee meeting. Through Pastor Dake’s leadership and more than a year of committee study, discussion, and discernment next steps for creating and continuing to craft the church’s ministry are coming together. Focusing on fruitful Ministry Plans for Mission, Worship and Discipleship the committee will seek in the coming months to communicate and share an action vision where ALL the congregation are “seeds” for

Connecting people to people and people to God.

As always seeking out a committee member to talk is encouraged.

The Study Committee continues to gather monthly as a large group. Three sub-committees have also been meeting individually to discern and work on large or overriding goals in Worship, Mission and Christian Connection/Discipleship. Amid much committee discussion we have also sought input from sources within the church who work specifically in the above areas.

We all seek to discern God's will as we identify the gifts and needs of our congregation and the community beyond our walls.

Our commitment to "connecting people to people and people to God" is vital and all goals will reflect that essential statement.