Celebration Dinner Meeting

Celebrating Who We Are, Exploring Where We’re Going

“For I know the plans I have for you…”

Discerning God’s plan for us

May 14, 2012 6 pm

In recent years our congregation has been more intentional in our team meetings about developing totally devoted disciples committed to Jesus Christ. One of the most noticeable ways is that we are more attentive to our spiritual journey – as individuals and as a faith community. We have purposefully sought to discover how and where God has been working in our lives, in the lives of our congregational family and in the communities where we live. While it is good to stop, breathe and reflect on these places of connection with God, it is equally important and necessary that we continue to pray and listen to scripture and to each other, as we discern where God is leading and calling us to join Him in His work now. To discern what God is doing in our midst we simply need to gather, add a little good food to the meeting and provide an opportunity for sharing. In this kind of meeting we will be blessed with the gifts of insight and vision that come from each of us – God’s children. I believe that strategic planning is integral for congregational spiritual health and growth. Further, I believe that we should not expect what we have planned to necessarily happen. I believe that if we follow God, we can expect something even better. I’ve always been most blessed when all of my best planning got nudged by God, I followed (sometimes with significant resistance), and something I never expected to happen did, with far better outcomes than my original plans.

It is for this reason I am asking you to join as leaders, members and friends of St. Paul’s on Monday, May 14th for a special dinner at 6 pm in the social room. Representatives from the Congregation Council and many of our Ministry Action Group teams will present what we are doing currently, what we have in planning stages, and then open the floor for your input and suggestions in every area of our congregation’s ministries.  We will conclude no later than 8:30 pm.  In the next few weeks I hope that you will join me in prayer as we seek to follow God’s will for the people of St. Paul’s, for our community and for our world.

It will be helpful for you to be thinking about both the recent and long-term history of our congregation.  As we look to our history we will need to claim its gifts, learn its lessons, heal its wounds, identify its values, strengthen its points of connection, honor its saints both departed and living, unmask its secrets, provide a launching pad for the future, and discern God’s vision to be the St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church God desires us to be.

It is my sincere desire that you understand this invitation to be personal.  Please make every effort to attend this meeting.  Please respond to the office (610-944-8388) or sign up on the kiosk no later than May 11th so that Mrs. Mohn’s Kitchen can plan appropriately for dinner.

Pastor Bob