General Information; Outreach Planning

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” — I Corinthians 12:4-7

As One Church… Paul reminds us in I Corinthians that it is important for those in the church to exhibit a variety of gifts. However, the presence of an assortment of gifts, services and activities is not just for variety’s sake. The same God is the giver of all these gifts, and their purpose is for the benefit of the whole body of Christ.

Let Us Rise Up and Build… This packet represents some of the ministries that benefit the whole body named the Church of the Brethren. As a leader in your congregation, share this information as widely as possible to increase awareness and understanding about these district and denominational gifts, services and activities.

Help congregation members understand that your congregation’s financial support of these ministries allows these Church of the Brethren agencies to live out Christ’s ministry. Below are several suggestions for ways you can do this.

Pray for a particular ministry each month, using a different one each month.
Distribute the materials to those responsible for planning your outreach budget (witness commission, stewards commission, church board, leadership team, etc.) and provide adequate time to discuss the ministries represented.
Create an outreach bulletin board and post the information about the various ministries.
Educate your congregation about the outreach ministries they support by highlighting one each month during a “ministry moment” in worship or through a Sunday school class.
Invite persons in your congregation who have direct contact with a particular ministry to share a “mission moment” during worship.
Summarize the information contained in this packet in your church newsletter with a commitment to talk about each ministry over time.
Invite an agency representative to visit your congregation and make a presentation.

For the Common Good… As your congregation plans its outreach budget for 2006, we ask you to prayerfully consider supporting the ministries of your denomination. The same Spirit who activates the gifts of the members of your congregation is manifested in these ministries. Together we can continue the work of Jesus for the common good.