Saturday, February 20, 2010

 

Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism

An Introduction to the Unbinding the Gospel process

Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian Church

1401 Meetinghouse Road, Warminster, PA 18974

9:00 to 4:00

 

 

 

What is Unbinding the Gospel?

 

Unbinding the Gospel is about untying the knots that keep us from living exciting lives in the Spirit. It's about unbinding the Good News that God adores us and everyone else that God has shown this to us through Jesus Christ. Unbinding the gospel is about Faith Sharing.

 

How did the Unbinding the Gospel come about?

The Mainline Evangelism Project was a four year research initiative funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment (2002-2006). This initiative was designed to identify and analyze highly effective examples of evangelism by congregations in seven mainline denominations. The project focused primarily on the motivations for mainline evangelism across a broad geographical, cultural and theological spectrum, as well as the means, structures and systemic realities that encourage evangelism.

The Project's architect and director, Martha Grace Reese, JD, MDiv., has published a practical book for congregational groups and pastors, Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism (Chalice Press, January 2007), as well as two more books to help with more intensive congregational adoption of the effective practices and habits of prayer and faith-sharing (Unbinding Your Heart and Unbinding Your Church, collectively known as the Real Life Evangelism Series, Chalice Press January 2008).

 

What is Evangelism?

Evangelism is anything you do to help another person move closer to a relationship with God, or into the Christian community.

 

 

Why DO Evangelism? Why is it the focus of the Officer Boot Camp?

 

Martha Grace Reese wrote in Unbinding the Gospel, " We found that most mainline Christians who are doing successful evangelism are motivated by two things: a love of their church and a living relationship with God. Now, many of us love our churches and have a living relationship with God. Why aren't we all doing significant evangelism? One reason is simple. We haven't focused on it for decades."

 

It is time to focus on Evangelism. What a better place to start than with the officers, pastors and leadership of our congregations. Invite your session members, elders and deacons, evangelism teams and pastors to be part of this introduction to doing Evangelism in our world today.

 

Leader for of the 2010 Officer Boot Camp

Nancy Wood

Nancy Wood engages in ministry as the founding pastor of Rock Dove, an emerging church combining music, song, dance, history, storytelling and scripture, and as the Chaplain of Cheshire Medical Center, both in Keene, NH. Nancy has co-authored, with Heather Kirk-Davidoff, two books, Dare to Dive In: Strategies and Resources for Involving Your Whole Church in Worship (Abingdon Press, 2006) and Talking Faith: An Eight-Part Study on Growing and Sharing Your Faith (Chalice Press, 2004), as well as several articles and numerous worship resources. She has led retreats and workshops in both local and national settings. She is a graduate of Smith College and Harvard Divinity School, and was ordained in the United Church of Christ.

 

 

 

Schedule for Day 

9:00 Registration and Gathering

 

9:30 Opening Worship, Welcome and Introductions (led by Presbytery staff or local church)

 

10:00  Introduction to the day and the process

            How I came to love evangelism.     

            Core concepts of the Unbinding the Gospel process

A story or two from Unbinding coaching.  How this has made a difference in the lives of congregations just like yours.

 

            10:30  Break 

 

            10:45  Prayer Exercise and discussion (Small Groups)

                        page 26 of HEART

                        What did you notice?

What would it be like to have your church be engaging in prayer and faith sharing in this way?  What might be different?

                         

            12:15  Lunch 

 

            1:00    Prayer Exercise and brief discussion

                        page 41 of HEART (page 129 of CHURCH)

 

            1:30 What does this process look like?  Nuts and bolts.

 

            2:00  Break

 

            2:15 Discussion within churches (Church Groups)

                        What inspires you about this process?

                        What feels scary?

                        How might this make a difference in your particular congregation?

 

            2:45 Call out answers.  Put on newsprint.

 

3:00 Prayer for the churches and the unchurched.  Prayers for inspiration and for what feels scary.

 

            3:30 - 4:00 Wrap up, evaluation & dismissal

 

 

 

 

COST - $5.00 for lunch payable at the Door

 

REGISTRATION

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR OFFICER BOOT CAMP.
BECAUSE OF SPACE WE WILL NOT BE ABLE
TO TAKE REGISTRATIONS AT THE DOOR

To Register: Please send your name, address, email and church to Cinthia Andujar at candujar@presbyphl.org or send it to 2200 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Registration Deadline is February 12