Community Groups 2008 Measures

For the month of December, I have been mulling over what’s next for PAC Community Groups in 2008. To begin with, Community Groups are most clearly about the quality of our relationships with God and other people. Secondly, Community Groups offer us an opportunity to grow in maturity towards how we behave with others (including God) based on God’s principles and promises in the Bible. Finally, Community Groups provide an opportunity to bring hope to our communities and beyond by serving the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of others.

An old adage is you get results based on what goals you choose to measure as long as you are accountable to those goals and measures. So I am starting with what measures we need to construct in 2008 to ensure Community Groups meet the goals of the vision of PAC. The broad areas of measurements that encompass Community Groups are:

1. Are we growing in our relationship with God?
2. Are we growing in our relationships with other followers of Christ?
3. Are we growing in our relationship with others who haven’t yet trusted Jesus?

2008 Community Groups - Vision Ideas:

The year 2008 will become a unity of Community Groups where people are passionately studying the Bible. A team of hosts and leaders is in place that is constantly trying to connect people to the life giving community of PAC. Together, we will strive to know God deeply, develop authentic community in every neighborhood and bring hope to the world through releasing leaders.

This ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit will be the rock on which the foundation of transformed lives is built. Leaders will begin to have vivid visions of what is to come in their lives and will be called to leave this place planting churches, ministering in the inner city and reaching different people in our culture.

This ministry will impact every ministry in our community. The power of the Holy Spirit will cause our people to undergo a mighty shift in priority causing a “missional” attitude to be present in the majority of people. Our people will engage the communities they live in and will begin to influence major highways of community culture they serve.

Community groups will not be a club atmosphere, but will be endlessly multiplying as they catalyze culture. We are called to let the world see our love as we bring healing to our communities. Matt 9:35, “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.”

Three current opportunities for us to grow in our relationships in 2008:

1. Growing in our relationship with God? - Attend the January 14, 2008, core class, “Discovering Community” at PAC. Enroll today by calling Alicia at PAC. (609-799-9000 ext 27)

2. Growing in our relationships with other followers of Christ? – Consider being available for the Visitation Ministry or the Prayer Ministry at PAC. Training will be January 13 and January 27 at PAC. Contact Alicia at PAC to sign up. (609-799-9000 ext 27)

3. Growing in our relationship with others who haven’t yet trusted Jesus? Learn more about some of the projects currently available at CAMA Services, http://www.camaservices.org/.

Onward We Go – CAMA Services

Last Christmas, Chloe and I found ourselves in St Paul, MN, spending holiday time with Chloe’s brother and wife. We are all fans of Garrison Keillor, whose PBS radio show heard nationally on Saturday nights, hales from St Paul. We had heard he was opening a new book store so we set out through the snow and cold to see what books he had for sale. We found the store in a trendy neighborhood section of St Paul and enjoyed browsing and buying his goods. At checkout, we were given a holiday card with a poem written by Garrison for Christmas 2006. I reread it this morning and it struck me its message captures the plight of all people around the world.

“A little girl is singing for the faithful to come ye
Joyful and Triumphant, a song she loves,
And also the partridge in a pear tree
And the golden rings and turtle doves.
In the dark streets, red lights and green and blue
Where the faithful live, some joyful, some troubled,
Enduring confusion, old age, and symptoms of the flu
While taking out the garbage and keeping the walk shoveled.
Not much triumph going on here – and yet
There is much we do not understand.
And my hopes and fears are met
In this small singer holding on to my hand.
Onward we go, faithful, hopeful into the dark
And are there angels hovering overhead? Hark.”
GK 12/2006

Two thousand years ago, three wise men said, “onward we go” as they set out into the dark to find the Messiah with angels hovering overhead. When they arrived they were filled with joy. They worshiped the Child and gave Him gifts from their treasure chests.

Today we can be filled with joy by opening our treasure chests to people through the services of Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA Services), http://www.camaservices.org/.

CAMA provides a variety of relief and development ministries that flesh out the good news of God’s love for people—body and soul. CAMA is associated with the Christian and Mission Alliance as an organization that focuses on specific projects meeting holistic needs of people.

Please visit CAMA’s webpage and then click on Projects at the top of the page. There you will find 15 projects (currently today) where you can provide specific needs to people in all parts of the world. Three projects to consider this Christmas 2007 are:

1. West African Flood Relief
2. Kindergarten Renovation (school renovations)
3. Church based Community Development (hpc development)

This is a great opportunity to go online and easily make a difference in someone’s life.

Onward we go! May you be overflowed with joy this Christmas 2007!