Does everybody remember C.O.A.T.? It’s Allen Creek’s 4 point ministry initiative:
Community: becoming a culture of welcome and togetherness.
Outreach: sharing the good news of Jesus outside the church walls.
Accountability: ensuring that leadership structures work well, are responsive and communicative.
Transcendence: paying attention to the mystery of God’s Kingdom in our midst and experiencing that together.
Turning up the “heat” on OUTREACH
The Board, Staff and Elders of AC3 look at every task, endeavor, group and program through the C.O.A.T. lens to see where we can enhance our progress in all four areas.
E- Groups touch on all four of the points, but last summer we asked them to turn up the heat of OUTREACH by developing a “Group Mission”. Each group was asked to go through a process to uncover their individual gifts, passions, and resources, compare them as a group, see where they might intersect and pray about what God might be calling them to do.
The criteria was simply that their mission must focus beyond regular AC3 ministries, and that they could carry it out in the name of Jesus! Maybe it could be a reading buddy program for elementary school kids, picking up trash in a park, even organizing fundraisers for our international ministry partners. It could be almost anything!
Encouraging the “Encouragers”
I want to tell you about one group’s plan which is super cool. “The Vulnerables” E-Group (so called because these folks had to stay in lockdown the longest) chose to become a group of Community Encouragers. Once every quarter or so, they choose a group which needs and deserves an “Atta-Boy/Girl” and gives them goodies, cards and snacks. On their list are folks like teachers, first responders and health care workers. Earlier this month, they decided to bless the staff at The Salvation Army.
Imagine the staff’s surprise and joy when a group of smiling church-folk dropped off some food and goodies, but not for Salvation Army clients…this time it was for THEM!
You can have an impact too. If you’re already part of an E-Group, share with me what your Group Mission is? If you’re not part of a group…it’s easy! Just click HERE.
