Chapelgate Photos
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Role of the Adult Learner Materials
Some of you have been asking for the material we used for the role of the adult learner. You can find the word document here. Thanks.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Thoughts after Last Meeting
I appreciated the discussion we were able to have during our last missional community meeting. It's exciting for me to hear your openness to developing partnerships with local organizations and ministries. In some of our discussion this past Sunday, there was one area that I think we should consider more fully in our leadership teams, having to do with when and how we would decide on matters related to our identity. For instance, (1) what kinds of things do they need to decide before Sept. 21, (2) what kinds of things would need to be agreed upon as a missional community as a whole at the end of our first 6 week session, and (3) what things will develop over time within the first few months.
We also talked about key topics to be discussed during that first six week session. During the first week we will be together in the Fellowship Hall to allow each team to share about their groups and allow people to begin making decisions about which missional community they would like to join. During the next 5 weeks, I've listed several topics that will likely be of some importance to your groups. These include:
1. What is our identity—what is it that sets us apart from other groups (including age/stage characterstics, if any)?
2. Format of the Meetings and plans/designs for gatherings outside of your normal meeting time.
3. Partnerships you are developing both locally and globally.
4. Getting to know each other activities.
5. Overview of how the curriculum will work.
6. Transition Items (for those groups that already existed)—How can we help people through changes?
Some of these will be less relevant to your groups than others, and there may be other topics that you will find necessary to cover during this first 6 weeks. I would like to be able to help all of you process through these questions, particularly as they relate to missional partnerships and teaching opportunities. I don't want any of you to think that you are all on your own. And if you have any ideas that you think may be helpful to other groups, feel free to post them here.
Also, I've uploaded a Word document of our last meeting time for those of you who were unable to make it. Just click on the "missional community documents" link under Resources to the right.
We also talked about key topics to be discussed during that first six week session. During the first week we will be together in the Fellowship Hall to allow each team to share about their groups and allow people to begin making decisions about which missional community they would like to join. During the next 5 weeks, I've listed several topics that will likely be of some importance to your groups. These include:
1. What is our identity—what is it that sets us apart from other groups (including age/stage characterstics, if any)?
2. Format of the Meetings and plans/designs for gatherings outside of your normal meeting time.
3. Partnerships you are developing both locally and globally.
4. Getting to know each other activities.
5. Overview of how the curriculum will work.
6. Transition Items (for those groups that already existed)—How can we help people through changes?
Some of these will be less relevant to your groups than others, and there may be other topics that you will find necessary to cover during this first 6 weeks. I would like to be able to help all of you process through these questions, particularly as they relate to missional partnerships and teaching opportunities. I don't want any of you to think that you are all on your own. And if you have any ideas that you think may be helpful to other groups, feel free to post them here.
Also, I've uploaded a Word document of our last meeting time for those of you who were unable to make it. Just click on the "missional community documents" link under Resources to the right.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Missional Community Documents
I think with the new "MobileMe" software being released from Apple, it seems that the links on this blog are no longer active. So, I've moved them to a location where you can get them if you need them: http://public.me.com/scottjsimmons. I'm also updating the links below if you would like to just click on the document you want and download it. Sorry if this has caused you any inconvenience.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The "Missional" in Missional Communities
Our upcoming topic this Sunday will be on what we mean when we say that we're "missional." That word has been difficult for some--it seems like to some that it's a made up word. Really all we mean by it is that mission is more than just a piece of the church pie, like it is X percent of what the church ought to be doing. Instead, mission is woven into the fabric of our identity and is thus inextricable from it without tearing the whole thing apart.
Our hope is that each of our missional communities would see it as part of their identity that they would reach beyond their own boundaries to serve in the community and in the world. Really, we want to tear down those boundaries to reach out in love and service. There are many facets of what this will look like:
1. Hospitality: We want to create a welcoming environment in our meetings for visitors and those not familiar with church life. This includes limiting "church speak" and other language that doesn't really communicate to an un-churched world. It means that our "membership" ought always to be seen as rather loose and open in order to include people before they can firmly commit to our community.
2. Neighborhoods: We know most people in our missional communities are involved in a "worlds" outside of Chapelgate, whether it be the local PTA, the neighborhood, camera club, soccer league, whatever that may be. We would like to see missional communities become a place of support and encouragement for people to live as Christians in those "worlds."
3. Partnerships: We would like to see each community develop local and global partnership. For instance, one missional community may decide they want to partner with Acts4Youth (Kevin Good's ministry to a public school in Baltimore), and recruit volunteers to partner with Kevin and the school to provide tutoring, monthly clean-up activities on the school grounds, and other events that will benefit Kevin's ministry. Perhaps also this missional community will decide to participate in the orphanage and street children ministry in Acapulco, receiving updates on the construction of the new building and praying for the kids of Casa Hogar. The mission office would facilitate you developing those relational partnerships to make it easy for you to get involved.
More of course will be said, and we will be able to discuss this more this Sunday, but I thought posting this here might generate some helpful discussion for us as we begin to consider this together.
Thanks,
Scott
Our hope is that each of our missional communities would see it as part of their identity that they would reach beyond their own boundaries to serve in the community and in the world. Really, we want to tear down those boundaries to reach out in love and service. There are many facets of what this will look like:
1. Hospitality: We want to create a welcoming environment in our meetings for visitors and those not familiar with church life. This includes limiting "church speak" and other language that doesn't really communicate to an un-churched world. It means that our "membership" ought always to be seen as rather loose and open in order to include people before they can firmly commit to our community.
2. Neighborhoods: We know most people in our missional communities are involved in a "worlds" outside of Chapelgate, whether it be the local PTA, the neighborhood, camera club, soccer league, whatever that may be. We would like to see missional communities become a place of support and encouragement for people to live as Christians in those "worlds."
3. Partnerships: We would like to see each community develop local and global partnership. For instance, one missional community may decide they want to partner with Acts4Youth (Kevin Good's ministry to a public school in Baltimore), and recruit volunteers to partner with Kevin and the school to provide tutoring, monthly clean-up activities on the school grounds, and other events that will benefit Kevin's ministry. Perhaps also this missional community will decide to participate in the orphanage and street children ministry in Acapulco, receiving updates on the construction of the new building and praying for the kids of Casa Hogar. The mission office would facilitate you developing those relational partnerships to make it easy for you to get involved.
More of course will be said, and we will be able to discuss this more this Sunday, but I thought posting this here might generate some helpful discussion for us as we begin to consider this together.
Thanks,
Scott
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Follow up on our First Meeting
I want to thank you all for your contributions on this blog and during our first meeting this past Sunday and invite you to further discussion about the topics we covered last week. We want your feedback to help us avoid any roadblocks that we might encounter as we plan this thing. Unfortunately, I don't believe it is possible to grant general permission to post to this blog, but if you would like to post, send me your email and I can add you as an author. That way you won't be limited to commenting on other posts.
One of you let us know that there will be no picnic July 6th because of the 4th of July, so it may be best logistically to come up with other arrangements for that day. Steve Dallwig and I talked together and we think the best option is to give you all the day off that Sunday and use our optional Sunday on Aug. 17th as a makeup, so to speak. That way you don't have listen to you stomachs grumble while we meet. So, there will be no missional community meeting on July 6th.
Thanks,
Scott
One of you let us know that there will be no picnic July 6th because of the 4th of July, so it may be best logistically to come up with other arrangements for that day. Steve Dallwig and I talked together and we think the best option is to give you all the day off that Sunday and use our optional Sunday on Aug. 17th as a makeup, so to speak. That way you don't have listen to you stomachs grumble while we meet. So, there will be no missional community meeting on July 6th.
Thanks,
Scott
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Welcome
Welcome to our blog for missional communities at Chapelgate. This will be the internet hub for all information related to leading and teaching in our missional community ministries. To the right you can find a calendar of upcoming training events for community leaders and teachers. Below this, you can find links to resources that will be of assistance for missional communities as well as links to what others are writing about the subject. Announcements and updates will also be posted to this site.
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