The
Shepherd
A
Bimonthly Newsletter of Shalom Community Church
Enjoy
nature and Autumn leaves at the Au Sable Retreat, October 13-15.This
adults-only retreat focuses on environmental stewardship and appreciation
in the intimate and rustic setting of the Au Sable Environmental Institute.
Dave Mahan of Au Sable will provide spiritual input. The weekend also includes
time for fellowship and recreational activities such as nature walks, biking
and canoeing. Please sign up for the weekend by Sept. 17; a minimum commitment
of 17 persons is needed. Contact Titus K. or Maria W.R. if interested.
Au
Sable
Environmental
Retreat
–Sign Up By Sept. 17Apple
butter-Making Day
Habitat
for Humanity is the focus for the fall. In
September we will be working with Western Wayne Habitat on Sat., Sept.
16 and with Huron Valley Habitat on Nov. 4. This is a great opportunity
for all individuals 16 and older. No specific construction skills are needed,
only a willingness to try. As part of an ongoing effort to tie Shalom contributions
to service, the service committee has designated $500 to both IHN and Habitat.
In addition, $750 dollars was given to Huron Valley Habitat from our Sunday
morning fund raising in connection with the informational speaker.Service
has clearly been identified as a goal of Shalom. The service committee
is ready, willing and perhaps able to assist in developing any service
project that you have a passion for. Test us, contact us and tell us what
you would like to do, hopefully with others from Shalom. Call or e-mail
committee members Leland R., Daron S., Cindy S., Burdette G., Priscilla
C. and Derek Y. with suggestions.
—
Article submitted by Leland R.
Time for Service
- Come and join us!
Interfaith
Hospitality Network (IHN) and the family emergency housing program has
been the focus for service at Shalom this summer. A garage sale fund raiser
for IHN raised $655 dollars. Gertrude W. said that there were plenty of
people to assist and contributions for the sale were good.
Shalom
again hosted families at the University of Michigan Oxford Housing. Gertrude
spent the week sleeping in a strange bed as the overnight host but reports
that all meals and evening hosting went well. Daron and Leland noted that
their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches went well but the beef stew and
homemade chocolate chip cookies were a bit foreign. However Daron promptly
finished off the cookies over the next few days. Dylan Polley came one
evening and played with one of the young boys. This is a great opportunity
for families and mentor - youth pairs in the future.
“Service
has clearly been identified as a goal of Shalom.”
PASTORAL
PONDERINGS
—
Pastor Kathy Neufeld Dunn
—
Integration--Who Cares?
I’ve
heard several Shalom regulars say, “I don’t care about Integration.”“I
don’t really see how this will affect us.”The
implication being, I don’t see how this will affect our congregation.True,
integration/transformation is happening at the denominational and regional
levels.There are many things that
will have little bearing on how we “do church” here at Shalom.There
are also some new ways of doing and being at both the denominational and
regional levels that just might be of interest to some of us.Here
are just a few of them for you to consider:
1.Currently,
there is no well-articulated “grounding principle” that informs our lives
as congregations in a region.With
the birthing of the Great Lakes Conference, mission will be the reason
we work and worship together.(And
mission is being defined BROADLY, including evangelism and peace and justice
work.That sounds like good news!
2.The
giving model being proposed looks like a radical step in the right direction.It’s
not a fully unified budget (with all monies going to a general fund); those
ministries not included in the general fund are those ministries we like
to feel connected to, anyway--missions, relief work, and church planting
projects (among others).It’s truly
a fresh way of dong funding that may inspire us to give.
3.Ministerial
resources will be closer” at hand:There
will be regional pastors offering counsel and resourcing to only 15-40
churches (which is a big switch from upwards of 50-60).Our
conference ministers/district executives can be more that just “fire fighters”
now.
4.Camps,
colleges, and publishing houses will be allowed the freedom to raise funds
as they deem best.They are all on
a “fee for service” basis in the new funding model.
5.Discipling
and discipline will arise out of mutually supportive relationships with
a small group of congregations, i.e. those who know us best.This
sounds more like how we hold one another accountable in our own congregation.This
brings me hope.
Who
cares about integration?It has
nothing to do with us.Or, maybe
it does.
The
Committee Quilt
Social
Members:
Betsy H., Arlene S.
This
summer the Social Committee organized a wedding shower at the Reedy home
for Rachel Hostetler and Scott Hochstetler. Rachel and Scott were married
in Archbold, OH on July 29.
ServiceOutreach
Members:
Priscilla C., Burdette G., Leland R., Daron S.,Cindy S.,Derek
Y.
Finance
Members:
Bev M., Mike K., Stan R., Marty S.
The
Finance Committee recently met and is in the process of budget planning
for the year 2001. The household commitment directions are being revised
and distributed by Sept. 10. We need the household annual budget commitment
returned by Oct . 1 to enable our committee to prepare for the Nov. congregational
meeting.
WORSHIP
Members:
Susie F., Dave P., Gertrude W., Laurie Y.
NuRture
Members:
Dan N., Janet R., Sonja K., Anna W.
The
Nurture Committee is busily working to contact members of the congregation
concerning several issues. We are working to update the share list and
will soon be seeking volunteers to sign up for the "Sunday Guest to Lunch"
outreach. It is time again to poll Shalom attendees to identify those interested
in joining a small group and to discern whether existing small groups would
be open to inviting new members to join them. We are in the process of
contacting parents of infants and toddlers and evaluating the need for
an Infant/Toddler Sunday School group for parents and their children. If
you have any questions or concerns related to any of the above issues,
please contact a member of the nurture committee (listed above).
Congregational
Life
Members:
Kathy B., Joe H., Kathy N.D., Nelson S.
The
summer has been a busy one for the Congregational Life Committee (CLC).
Per the congregational charge to CLC, a Transitional Strategy Group (TSG)
was convened to define and initiate steps to be taken in our pastoral leadership
transition, including discerning a search committee. The TSG consists of
Nelson, Kathy B, Joe, Roxanne, Evie, Betsy, Janis and Ruth and represents
the Moderator, Pastoral Review Committee, Discernment Committee and CLC.
The TSG first met June 1 and the following activities are in progress:
selection of a Pastoral Search Committee (members have been discerned by
TSG and are being contacted by the Discernment Committee); search for an
interim pastor (CLC is providing leadership for this activity, has made
contact with the three conferences with whom we affiliate, is exploring
availability of interim ministers and will discern whether this position
for our congregation would be optimally full or part time, clarify expenses,
etc.) We have been thankful for the input and wise counsel of SCC members
as we embark on our search for an intentional interim pastor and a permanent
pastor to continue Kathy's ministry at Shalom.
Our
work also continues with pastoral care, reviewing and prayerfully considering
current SCC Covenant and Membership documents, and serving as a sounding
board to provide response to the proposed Membership Guidelines for the
formation of Mennonite Church USA. We look forward to a full agenda this
Fall as we continue these activities and continue to request your prayers
and your input.
The
Next Newsletter will
arrive
in October. Please contact the editor, Maria Witmer-Rich, with
submissions,
e-mail, m_witmer_rich@hotmail.com.
Love
Feast:We
will celebrate this holy practice with footwashing, a simple meal, and
communion Sunday, November 5 at the Walden Hills Clubhouse (2114 Pauline
Blvd.), 5:30 p.m.Please bring table
service and a dish to pass.
—
Submitted by Janis M. on behalf of the Decision-making Task Force
IDEAS:
Of
note: when responsible for presenting an issue for a decision, you may
want to ask someone else to take on the role of offering a spoken spiritual
context for the issue. Shalom will be providing training for this role
by offering attendance for 1-2 people at a Workshop held annually.
Recognize/make
use of language from Shalom's decision-making model if you find it helpful
as a "shortcut" for expressing an idea that's been discussed at length
in other contexts: Example: stating a sense of "consolation" or "desolation"
about a decision. See the Shalom Decision-Making Brochure for other terms
that we can share.