Notes: Pueblo/Canon City Church Cluster Meeting
September 13, 2007
Gary Weaver
Purpose:
All 5 churches in the Cluster were represented by a pastor and/or an elder gathering for two purposes: 1) to develop a process for evaluating the mission projects in the Cluster funded by presbytery for 2008; and 2) to consider other mission projects they might work on together in 2008.
Mission Evaluation Process:
It was decided that an Assessment Form would be designed and mailed to the Cluster representatives by Brad Munroe and that the final form would be mailed to the mission recipients with a cover letter informing them of their grant for 2008. They would be expected to mail in their self assessment by January 31, 2008 for consideration for 2009 funding. The Cluster will have their mission funding meeting on February 21, 2008, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Westminster PC. The Presbytery Office needs the name, address and contact person for the following missions: Loaves and Fishes; Manna House; Young Life, Canon City.
Covenant Projects:
We acknowledged that this new covenantal, connectional process is in the developing stage as we begin to shift the way we do planning from exclusively local congregation to thinking outward toward the sister churches in our Cluster. Minimally, two things are needed: 1) for Sessions to include the Cluster in their agenda at meetings; 2) for churches to communicate with each other at the earliest stage of new initiatives or plans for programs or mission projects. Also, the suggestion of the Presbytery Website including Cluster Communications would be helpful; Gary Weaver will check this out with Janet Thurston. Also, the Cluster Churches could exchange newsletters.
Two Projects were considered for Cluster covenants:
1. Mission Focus
2. Focus on Spiritual Gifts
It was noted that the Mission Focus could include Westminster hosting Sue Thomas, our mission worker with Border Ministry, during her itinerary in the Presbytery, Oct. 12-18, 2007; FPC hosting Karla Koll, our mission worker in Guatemala, as resident theologian in the spring of 2008; some initial planning of FPC for a mission team to Chihuahua that may include other churches; and perhaps a jointly planned “Evening With Mission Co-Workers.”
The Focus on Spiritual Gifts was more difficult to conceptualize but one suggestion was to have a season of focusing on spiritual gifts (i.e. during Lent or Advent or the time between Easter and Pentecost) that would include bible study, lay training, inventories, a commitment Sunday, etc. which the churches would plan together. A post-meeting idea was to have a Walk to Emmaus-like weekend to focus on spiritual gifts.