Shared Ministry

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 20^th and 21^st, 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.