Several of us from Spirit of the Heartland attended an international consultation – "Living the Covenant" -- focused primarily on total ministry, as a way of living out our baptismal covenant. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from people who have been using the total ministry model, some for as long as 25 years. We learned a lot and you can expect to hear from those who attended the consultation in the next few newsletters.
By way of summary, from my point of view, for us right now the consultation offered both good news and bad news.
Good news! It was really encouraging to hear the stories of thriving churches and clusters of churches that are ministering together led by ministry teams. The Spirit is alive and well in them. The "survival mode" attitude is left behind. They grow in ministry and mission, in members and money. Each congregation is different, and every parish has had it's difficult moments, but they are all enthusiastic about this model of ministry. Based on their experiences, there are exciting and rewarding days ahead for our Spirit of the Heartland churches.
Bad news. We checked out many alternatives for preparing for total ministry and all of them take a real commitment of time and money. There's just no way to replace someone who spent three full years of full-time preparation without a significant investment of time and money. The programs for team training and formation take from two to five years or more and most expect around 12 hours a month from team members, initially in training/formation and later in ministry. Most programs cost around $300 per year per minister or more.
But then there's good news again. In our process of discernment we have discovered that there are many people with gifts for ministry in our churches. We have also discovered that there is money available to help, from grants and from the Episcopal Center. The really good news underlying all the total ministry stories we heard at "Living the Covenant" is that the Holy Spirit gives every congregation everything it needs to do the work God hopes for us to do.
In our Spirit of the Heartland congregations we have been blessed with many gifts. Now it's time for us to use those gifts to bless one another and our neighbors.
Peace!
EFM OPEN SESSION
Have you been wondering those EFM (Education for Ministry) Groups are really about? What's all this talk about study and spiritual seeking and about Christian community and ministry formation? Come and see! Visit an open EFM session at Our Saviour's in Little Falls on Thursday, July 29 at 7 pm. For more information, contact Johanna Morrigan.
PICTURE DIRECTORY CHANGES
So no one told us our ceilings were too low .... Sorry for the inconvenience for all. We are rescheduling our photo sessions for Our Saviours and Good Samaritan. Tentative dates below. Expect a call from your representative for location and to schedule your pictures.
Katie Bromen 352-2864 Tuesday, June 29, 4-8 pm, Sauk Centre
Elaine Vanderpool 243-3808 Wednesday, June 30, 4-8 pm, Paynesville
Debbie McCrudden 632-4479 Thursday, July 8, 3-9 pm, Little Falls
BISHOP'S VISIT
The Rt. Rev. Jim Jelinek will be visiting Spirit of the Heartland churches in July. Each congregation will have it's own meeting with the bishop during the week, and then all congregations will gather on Sunday for a Celebration of Holy Eucharist. Please save the dates:
VISIT TO TRINITY MINISTRY TEAM
Our visit to Hermantown to meet with an active Total Ministry team has been changed to Saturday, July 24. The Annual Meeting previously scheduled for that day is postponed. Please correct your calendar!
GODSPELL
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is sponsoring a major production of Godspell to raise money for Kosovo Refugee Relief. Mark your calendar for an evening performance July 28-31. Call Antonia Kehr 243-2258 for tickets, for more information, or to find out how you can help.
LEV TRAINING For those who are already licensed as LEMs – Lay Eucharistic Ministers – and interested in being prepared to take Communion to homebound or hospitalized members as Lay Eucharistic Visitors (LEMS). Sunday, July 18, at 2:00pm at St. John's, St. Cloud. Contact Priscilla at 320-393-4712 for more information.
SPIRIT OF THE HEARTLAND COUNCIL MEETING
Tuesday, July 13, at 7:00 pm at St. John's, St. Cloud. All meetings are open and everyone's input is welcome.
CALENDAR SUMMARY
June 29 and 30, July 8 – Picture Days
July 11 – Bishop's Visit Holy Eucharist, Sauk Centre
July 13 -- Spirit of the Heartland Council, St. Cloud
July 17 & 31 -- Ministry Discernment Retreats
July 18 -- LEV Training, St. Cloud
July 24 – Visit to Trinity, Hermantown
July 28-31 -- Godspell in Paynesville
July 29 -- Open EFM Session in Little Falls
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