If You Give a Church a Mission

The following post is from Tami Perriman from the Vista/Carlsbad, California congregation of Community of Christ.  I came across her article and liked it so requested her permission to re-post it here.  Her story mirrors the experience of her congregation in following Christ into mission.

Enjoy!

Carman Thompson

I must be inspired by an impending visit from my 18 month old granddaughter. One of our favorite books is If You Give s Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Joffe Numeroff.  I was thinking about the domino effect of mission in Community of Christ and feeling amazed, overwhelmed and blessed all at the same time.

If you give a church a mission, then the church might sell everything it possesses so that it can follow Jesus Christ. And if it sells everything, then it will need to find a new place to worship. If it finds a new place to worship, then the church is going to encounter new friends. If the church finds new friends, some of those new friends are going to be hungry and the church will want to feed them. If the church provides food, more friends will come. With more friends, come more needs, so the church will start giving away clothing, blankets, sleeping bags and personal hygiene supplies. If the church starts giving away stuff, they will need more stuff to give away. If they need more stuff, God will provide by calling on the community and other churches to help. If the community and other churches help, more people can be served!

This may seem a little simplified, but the truth is, the first step in mission is always divine encounter, and the willingness to allow yourself to be used by God. Leading Congregations in Mission encourages us to pray these words everyday, “God, where will your Spirit lead today? Help me be fully awake and ready to respond. Grant me courage to risk something new and become a blessing of your love and peace. Amen.”

It sounds similar to another prayer doesn’t it? "Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!" We are told that God blessed Jabez after he prayed this simple prayer. The Vista Community of Christ has seen God’s response to our prayer as well. In the children’s story, the author cautions against giving a mouse a cookie because of the never-ending cycle of events that happen. If you give a church a mission, prepare yourself for the same blossoming effects, and a never-ending cycle of blessings, for the church, the community, and for you personally as you respond to the call to be God’s hands, feet and heart in this kingdom.

Doctrine and Covenants 162:7a. There are many lives waiting to hear the redeeming words of the gospel, or to be lifted from hopelessness by the hands of loving servants. But they will be lost to you without the generous response of disciples who share from their own bounty that others may know the joys of the kingdom. 

Give a church a mission, share from your bounty.

Tami Perriman

Vista/Carlsbad Community of Christ

Freedom from Oppression

Wiarton Community of Christ

Today we begin a short series of articles written by a number of Community of Christ Evangelists in Canada East Mission.  We are pleased to offer the stories of these highly respected ministers for your reading.  It is our hope that their stories of faith will bring a blessing to your life.  Our first article is from Evangelist Alma Leeder of Wiarton, Ontario.

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“You who are my disciples must be found continuing in the forefront of those organizations and movements which are recognizing the worth of persons and are committed to bringing the ministry of my Son to bear on their lives.” D&C 151:9

This counsel given in 1974 reassured me that any service or effort expanded on behalf of individuals or groups experiencing hindrances to their well-being, was worthy of my support –even required. In 1951, at the age of 21 and still single, I was invited to become a Rotarian. I soon discovered that the Rotary motto “Service Above Self” would lead me into activity beyond club boundaries, in less formal circles, and church-related projects. One example occurred when a few friends decided to raise funds to send a buddy to a U.S. clinic to try to reverse his MS condition. In the end, it was not successful and we lost him, but we knew that no stone was left unturned in the attempt.

Before government health care was the norm in Canada, service clubs had to raise money for corrective surgeries. I recall going with a senior club member to visit a family. This member had been the mayor of the town, and had to use all his political talents to persuade the family to have corrective surgery to the son’s Achilles tendon to allow his heel to touch the floor when he walked or ran. It was done.

In 1964, two Rotarians spearheaded a plan to provide a place of learning for the community’s mentally retarded children and youth. Our Wiarton congregation provided the venue by sprucing up the church basement. From a small start-up budget and an initial enrollment of ten individuals,

the program has expanded geographically to service over a hundred clients with an annul budget of $1,250,000. Of greater significance, the organization has a new name- “Community Living”-to better reflect its mission.

Oppression is any condition which prevents individuals or groups from reaching a lifestyle free from the ravages of hunger, disease, and all forms of hopelessness. World-wide, polio is 98% eradicated-sometimes at cost of brave souls who go to hostile countries to administer the vaccine. But many of the needs are close to home; here on the Bruce Peninsula, it is a daunting task to supply the food banks and provide resources for home heating during cold winters.

I am grateful that as a church, we can link arms with other faith groups and anyone with an idea to bring wholeness to the lives of others. My father, a World War I soldier, always spoke highly of the kindness he received from the Salvation Army overseas. Our congregation supports their efforts to alleviate distress in our community, and we do it gladly. The late Elbert A. Smith once told our people that the Lord has many forces at work for good in the world, of which we are not aware. I believe it!

Alma J.V. Leeder

A Three Fold Model of Dynamic Congregations

I often find myself smiling as I experience the Holy Spirit bringing people and ideas together. As one of the co-pastors of Scarborough Congregation, I’ve been trying to help give some focus or direction to our membership. To that end, I’ve spent a great deal of this church school year talking about how we can grow in comfort with the ministry of invitation. Invitation is often overlooked, but I have come to appreciate of late, just how vitally important it is, along with two other concepts.


About once every month or so, I participate in a meeting of all the pastors of the GTA. And I’ve noticed that Alfredo Zelaya, pastor of GTA West, keeps talking about communities. Church communities. Building sacred communities.

I’ve also noticed that Matthew Swain, co-pastor of Barrie, keeps talking about relationships. The importance of, and basic need to form real, meaningful relationships with people.


Now, as I heard both of them talk about these things, which occurred on different occasions, and not at the same time, I heard them, as is so often the case, in isolation.

However, one day, I was thinking about the thing I’ve been talking about in Scarborough: the ministry and blessing of invitation. And then the Holy Spirit brought it all together. I suddenly recalled what Alfredo and Matt had mentioned, often just in passing, so many times at our meetings. And I realized that the three things that we have each been talking about separately form a three fold model. They go together.


Invitation will of course result in relationships being formed. Relationships, as they develop and multiply, will ensure that community building takes place. And as the community grows, the more potential there will be to have things to invite people to.


Which means of course, that there will be opportunities for new relationships to be formed; new connections between people being forged, in common desire to understand God; which then results in the community growing even larger (or new communities forming), as we grow in our shared desire to be united together on our spiritual journeys. Which means more opportunities for invitation… which means….which means… which means.

It is my belief that if we keep this three fold model in mind, and give it some focus in our congregations, we can truly become dynamic in what we offer our members, friends, seekers, and visitors. This I hope will also enable our congregations to be more sustainable.


Posted by guest blogger David Donoghue, co-pastor, Scarborough, Ontario