Feedback Needed

If you attended the preview service for PVUMC930 and didn't get a chance to provide feedback, here are several ways to contact us. Your opinion is so valuable because we aim to create a comfortable worship experience - a new place for new people.

Contact us by:

• comment on this blog post
• email or Facebook message the person who invited you
• email or Facebook message Pastor Nathan

Preview Sunday

Please join us this Sunday morning at 9:30 for a sneak peek at our new 9:30 worship.

• You can enjoy coffee and refreshments upon arrival. 
• You can wear jeans!
• Your kids can go to Sunday School or join you in worship.
• You'll be in on the refinement of our process.
• You can be a part of this exciting new adventure from the ground up!
• You are invited to tell us what you think - immediately following the 9:30 service.
• We need your participation to make this a relevant and authentic worship environment for people who haven't been to church in a while or are searching for a church home.

 Join us for worship and join in on the process.

Feedback

What will we want to know from the worshipers after our preview service on October 31st?
How will we collect the information?

Lost and Found

http://amzn.com/0805448780

 

This book has great statistics and research to back up their findings. Here's the application information that stood out to me. Young unchurched people value COMMUNITY, DEPTH, RESPONSIBILITY, and CONNECTION.  This means that a church who encourages young people to become part of the family, teaches them with depth, and shows through works that the church is responsible for taking care of others, might have what it takes to reach them. The book discusses our need as a society for a "third place." For many of us, our third place of connection, outside of work and home, is our church. These are things that PVUMC is already doing well. By intentionally making new places for new people, we can bring new people in to share in the experience. We can demonstrate that Christians care for one another and the world. They may be skeptical, but they are open to learning about Jesus.

I'm interested in your response. How might PVUMC play to its strengths? What ministries might we include that would more intentionally reach out to young, unchurched people?

Radical Hospitality

Are you praying for the church? Are you praying for those who are not yet here? Have you made a list of who you will invite October 31st to try out the service and give us feedback?


Sunday morning, we discussed shaping a new place for new people by focusing on the needs of others. Worshipers who are experiencing church for the first time, or the first time in a long time, may appreciate learning about the rituals of the church during the service. We also discussed how a multi-sensory approach to worship (using music and visuals) may be more relevant to younger church goers.


In Robert Schnase's book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, he describes Radical Hospitality "as a genuine love for others who are not yet part of the faith community, an outward focus, a reaching out to those not yet known, a love that motivates church members to openness and adaptability, a willingness to change behaviors in order to accommodate the needs and receive the talents of newcomers."


We have also been challenged to find people in our daily lives to extend an invitation to. Schnase also reminds us that "by God's grace, people may be more ready than we realize to accept the invitation and initiative of Christ that comes through gracious hospitality." And, that "God's grace activates an interest and eagerness for relationship." It is encouraging to know that God is already working in us to create a place for new people to connect to Him, and that God is already working in hearts of our friends and coworkers so that they might desire a relationship with Christ.


Pray for our church. Pray for the people God has placed in your path. And just invite them! Be encouraged that God has been working on them already.

Dreaming About Our Future Together

A team from PV spent Thursday evening and all day Friday learning together and being recharged at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection's Leadership Institute in Leawood, KS. Our learning focused around enriching lives, renewing the church, and transforming the world. By focusing on these, we began to picture the future of the church -- a church that would be relevant and active, in and for the world of the 21st century. This is a picture of hope! God is doing good things through the love and ministries of PVUMC. 

As we begin to intentionally plan to share His love with people who are not actively participating in a church family, what dreams for our future do you have? How might we ENRICH LIVES, RENEW HIS CHURCH, and TRANSFORM THE WORLD?

Covenant - how we agree to work together

The CORE group for PVUMC930 will:

• have fun and welcome others
• have a strong commitment (i.e. attendance) and accountability
• practice "open communication" and take risks
• use prayer-driven processing
• and participate and support a common purpose.

Our VISION is to create new places for new people to connect with one another and spiritually.


This is the big picture, so now what?

• engage the church (through work on committees)
• be the church
• engage new people / be invitational (stories = ministry)

Preview Sunday Announced

Preview Sunday - October 31 worship times:  8:15  9:30  11:00

The focus of our Mid Morning Worship is on families who still have children and youth at home.  The 9:30 worship hour provides an opportunity for families to worship and also have their children and youth connect in classes during that worship hour.  The adults 'intentional discipleship' may come in a Sunday school class at a later hour or they may meet in a weekday small group.  

Besides the hymns we sing from the United Methodist Hymnal and the Faith We Sing supplement, we will incorporate some other music that might come from current Chancel Choir members, some of our groups already formed (PV Sweetgrass Band - for instance) and some contemporary music straight from the radio.  Most of all, we want this service to be user-friendly to the unchurched or the de-churched family who hasn't spent years in a family of faith.  Taking the time to explain the traditions and the reasons why we do what we do will be part of this service as well. 

Please invite people from outside the current PVUMC family to attend this preview service. This worship service will be a practice run before the true launch date. We hope to gather feedback from those in attendance and have a few weeks to tweak the service and respond to the feedback before November 28th.