Regional Conference Minister's Report
To the Fall 2006 Metro. Association Meeting

Regional Conference Minister's Report
To the Fall 2006 Metro. Association Meeting

Since last year, the life of this Association and my professional life have been very busy, in large part because of extra activity spawned by our commitment to a balanced budget, the consequent cutbacks made, and efficiencies sought after. But it must be also said that declining membership seems to be catching up with a number of our congregations, and that occasions significant extra work. As well, also related to the reality of our congregations facing an uncertain future, I have put an immense amount of time into a new discernment and spiritual growth initiative, "Casting Your Nets on the Other Side." All this is on top of the search committees, pastoral support, conflict mediation, leadership development, mission trips, visiting delegations, ordinations, installations and anniversaries that are part of conference ministry. Below is an outline of some of the major items we\I have worked on:

~Still Speaking: the Hearing Aids from Advent through Easter, and refresher training prior to the Lenten ad run of the second commercial.

~OCWM Presentation: I developed an OCWM PowerPoint and have presented it in as many churches as I have been able to get invited to. (It is still available for showing to governing bodies or whole congregations, in worship or in other settings.)

~Efficiencies needed to cut costs, for example internet communications and website advances. (Please note that the Metro. Association is communicating electronically almost exclusively at this point; instead of looking for hard mail from us, make sure we have the right e-mail contact information.) 

~Working towards getting UCC resources that are fallow into active ministry:

a) Money owed the Association from Grace Congregational, Hollis Avenue, St . Luke's         Community and 3 individuals; and

b) Property or assets of Christ Congregational|Woodhaven ; Christ Evangelical|East New York; Christava Tamil Koil|Middle Village; New Hyde Park Community Cong'l ; Union|Richmond Hill

c) 4 situational support consultations for congregations in significant conflict.

~Below is an   'Introduction to "Casting Your Nets on the Other Side."' A CYN pilot program began at Chatterton Hill in White Plains in September. And in 2007, we will be running a Demonstration Project with 12 congregations from across the NY Conference. If you want to be involved in this project or if you want your church to participate, please let me know...

Finally, I will be on sabbatical from late January through April 2007. I look forward to the break   and am already thankful for a setting for ministry that is committed to this benefit for its professional ministers. Susan Gibson will be working a few days a week as my sabbatical interim. The rest of my workload will be carried by Geoffrey, my RCM colleagues and Association leadership. More details on whom to contact for which needs will be provided as we get closer to the time of my leaving.  

As has become my custom in these reports, let me again say that I am honored to be serving among and alongside you. These are times that feel as if they are shaking the foundations of our church, but they also promise that we will sooner than we might like be a new creation. At least that's God promise, and in that I find great hope.

Faithfully yours,
Michael

Casting Your Nets on the Other Side

"Jesus called out to the Disciples in the boat, 'Friends, haven't you any fish?'
'No,' they answered.
Jesus responded, 'Throw your net on the [left] side of the boat, and you will find some.'
When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the huge number of fish."
John 21:5-6

Many of our North American neighbors, learning that everyone--'no matter who or where on life's journey'-- is welcome in the United Church of Christ, look to our denomination with hope. The Still Speaking Initiative helped us see that if more people are to receive the blessings of belonging and believing, our congregations must reflect-at least give people a glimpse of-- what God's love looks like . And UCC congregations can carry the message farther .to ' all the people' who, experiencing God's transforming love through our faith communities, may discover and share more abundant life.

UCC congregations, in good Reformation style, need to re-translate and evolve the best of their traditions for a generation no longer familiar with the Christian story or the church's faith and practice. Looking to God, our churches can move forward in faith.

Could your congregation come to better reflect God's promise, blessing and love?

Casting Your Nets on the Other Side is a discernment and spiritual growth ministry for 're -tooling' healthy churches- transforming leaders and mobilizing congregations to recognize what they have to offer and to recast it for a new day. It is a big undertaking, the step-by-step work of changing people and communities. Rather than a 'magic fix,' the initiative calls congregations to:

--Deepen their appreciation of how they enrich people's lives, and strengthen their corporate and personal relations to God and their neighbors;

--Discover that 'the need demands numbers:' net increases in mission, members,

and money are essential for bringing about a just and loving world.  

--Develop a hunger for and broad-based involvement in innovation and the evolution of our congregations' traditions to provide mission, fellowship, worship, generosity, invitation, and pastoral leadership with contemporary accessibility and import.   

--Diversify and publicize congregations' people, venues, service, styles and identities: making them more compelling messengers of God's love for increasingly diverse, modern constituencies.  

Casting Your Nets on the Other Side does not aim to make our congregations ' successful by worldly standards ;' to claim ' ours is the only way ;' or to ' turn back the clock .' Instead, this initiative calls congregations to update the ways they share God's love-to be more effective in a vastly changed society-- with the promise of growing faithfulness and service, resources and reach.    

United Church of Christ congregations need help redevelop themselves for people in our 'accelerated culture.'   And they deserve this much attention and love.

What does Casting Your Nets on the Other Side require of you?

1.) Come to an interactive, multi-media worship service in your local church, "A Sunday for Casting Your Nets on the Other Side," that will introduce you to this program and explain how it can help your church engage more people in transforming ministry.

2.) Commit, as a congregation, to 3 church-wide retreats:

I:          "Who Is Our Neighbor?"   ( mapping our 'service area')
II.         "Siloam: Why Did You Send Us? ( articulating our mission)
III.       "So We May Live, Increase and Enter the Land God Promises."
( ordering our steps to get there)    

3.) Commission 6 or more leaders, including your pastor, to be your congregation's ' Fishing Party ' that:

--Guides your congregation in developing, evaluating, revising and staying

hooked on its ' Action Plan .'

--Gathers in 6 different ' Fishing Schools ,' conference-wide learning communities, meeting 3 times a year, to train leaders:

. Equipping them to guide congregations through significant transformation , and

.Engaging them in an intentional, wider-church movement-a think tank for ecclesial evolution-in mission, fellowship, worship, generosity, invitation and pastoral leadership.

Choose people for your Fishing Party who love the church not only for what it has been, but also for what it can become; and who can talk easily and confidently about God acting in their lives.