At Allen Avenue, we believe in shared
ministry—every person has gifts to give and love to share, and from
this sharing a community of love is created. We seek to empower our
members to share their gifts to build a world of compassion,
equality, and freedom. One of the ways we do this is through our
Leadership and Ministry Program, called LAMP, for short. Every
second year, we offer a workshop called LAMP 101. It is our “basic
training” in lay ministry. We practice compassionate listening
skills, talk about the helping relationship, identify good boundaries
in helping, and practice finding the sacredness of each person. This
year, the workshop will be held October 20th and 21st,
Saturday and Sunday afternoons. It is open to everyone, but the
number is limited to 15, so please register beforehand.
This training is helpful for all kinds
of life situations, but we particularly use it for training members
of our Pastoral Care Team, and the Pastoral Visitors who regularly
visit our elders. So if you might be interested in being a part of
those ministries at our church, please sign up, or contact me for
further information. If you are a good listener, we'd love to have
you be a part of this. And if you are not a good listener, it is a
chance to improve that skill.
On October 14, our worship service (The
Elevator Speech) will be about how we talk about our church and our
faith. If you have ever described our church to your friends, family
or neighbors, would you be willing to send me what you said? I would
love to use some real examples in my sermon that day, and your
experience could help others. I am especially looking for statements
that are three sentences or less, but send me whatever you like!
After each service that day, there will be a short time for
discussion and practice creating your own elevator speech, and then
if you like, you can be part of a video we are creating about our
church. If you can't come that day, feel free to send a statement or
video anytime.
Finally, it came to my attention the
other day that folks may not know how to reach me, or when I am
available for appointments. I am generally in the office on Monday
and Wednesday, from about 11 a.m. until 5:30, and then I usually stay
through the evening for meetings, or appointments as needed. If
you'd like to have a chat, I encourage you to email me at
revmyke@a2u2.org,
or call 797-7240 ext. 13, to set up a time we can meet, because
Mondays and Wednesdays often fill up beforehand.
Are you curious about what a minister's
week looks like on days other than Sunday? Every minister has their
own best working mode, but here is mine. I am in the office on
Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday and Thursday I am working on
sermons, and other worship preparation, which I do at my home office.
Friday is my day off, and Saturdays are variable, with some special
events at church (in September, for example, Saturdays included a
board retreat, a memorial service and the everybody birthday party)
and some days off. I think of my regular work week as from Sunday to
Thursday, but you can always contact me for emergencies on any day.
If you are dealing with a serious illness or death in your family,
please feel free to call me at my home number, which can be found in the phone book. (And by the way, for routine church
matters, I do prefer that you call me at the church number or email.)
In our shared ministry, every member
can minister to others. But I am also eager to be there for you
during difficult times, so don't hesitate to contact me.
