TASK FORCE

Approved at the February 23, 2009 meeting of the CUMC Administrative Council:

 

January 5, 2009

 

Dear CUMC Member,

The call to action is clear; to come together as one church and worship in one place. The statistics tell the story; based on weekly attendance for 2008, we must continue with three services; including both traditional and contemporary worship services.

 

Christian stewardship takes many forms and comes to bless us in many ways.  When we think of stewardship, we typically think of financial support and maybe the giving of our personal time. We might not consider its relationship to worship.  Given the call to action this summer and current circumstances, the pastors put together a Worship Task Force to be good stewards in serving our church and our community as we move forward with our worship as a church in 2009.

 
The move to the Spruce Run site was predicated on the need for space for worship and Church School classes for an interim period of three years.  This was done while land was sought so our church could continue to meet our needs and serve the community.  Although land has been secured, building on this new land is still several years away and we must move forward as a church. 

We have exceeded our three-year commitment and are now in our fourth year of holding services at Spruce Run. Those who have dedicated their time to setting up the Spruce Run site for worship each week are well beyond their commitment and are borderline exhausted.  In addition, with weekly wear, a lot of the equipment to support this service will require replacement in the near future, adding costs to our ongoing expenses for renting this facility.

 

Our present worship schedule forces our pastoral team to be divided each Sunday as they split their attention between two sites and the respective sections of the congregation. Preaching schedules, direct contact with members, and a separation of pastoral staff are not helpful to a congregation seeking a sense of unity and strong pastoral relationships.   

All this has led us to explore new worship schedules and the need to worship in one place in 2009.  No changes in any service are anticipated until the end of March.  The task force will bring recommendations to the Church's Ad Council regarding how our worship schedule may look in 2009. 

 

As we progress together through this process, the task force will communicate regularly with the congregation.  Please look for updates in the bulletin, during our services, and in our church's newsletter. If you have any questions or suggestions along the way, please speak to any one of us listed below. We look forward to hearing from you!  

 

Yours in Christ,

 

The Worship Task Force for 2009