Surveys, Interviews and Service

So apparently I don't know how to do a schedule post on Blogger as I wrote this 2 weeks ago.  Oh well, here it is now. 

A few weeks ago my congregation went out into the community on a Sunday morning to survey neighbors about the community.  You can read a little bit more about that experience here.

Those surveys were not one off experiences.  This past Sunday was the first in a three part series of interviewing some of the people who went into the neighborhood.  Why are we doing interviews?  To share the stories and the excitement.  Everyone who went out to do surveys came back to worship with a sense of excitement and ideas on how we can do ministry in and with the community.  And those stories were shared on that day with the other pairs and our cheerleaders who stayed back at the church building to get out lunch together.

Some stories have been shared in personal conversations but most of the congregation who were not in worship on our Survey Sunday have not heard the stories.  They have not heard the excitement and ideas about ministry.  They have not heard about how God is calling us as a congregation to work more intentionally in the community to make Georgetown and beyond a better place to live.

It is important to share these stories because soon that excitement and some of those ideas are going to be put into action.

On November 10, as part of our anniversary celebration, we will be going out into the community during our worship time and beyond.  The goal is to provide 105 cumulative hours of community service in order to celebrate our 105 anniversary.  We will be collecting food for a food drive, planting spring bulbs at the community center, picking up trash and sprucing up Main Street, cleaning the yard at the community center and making and sending Thanksgiving cards to the town's homebound members.

God is calling this congregation to do ministry in this community.