Asbury United Methodist Church

Vital Church Initiave Underway

Last Winter we at Asbury received some good news. We had been accepted into a program called Vital Church Initiative. This news was shared with church council and the council accepted the invitation with open arms. Since the Fall of 2011 we have been in full participation. Myself and six leaders of Asbury have been in training; reading books, attending monthly meetings, considering action steps favorable to our situation, and communicating, communicating, communicating.

What I believe makes the Vital Church Initiative stand out is that it is not another program to shelve after completion. The VCI consists of re-educating our leadership who then educate, assist, and encourage our members to fully understand and act on our purpose—To Make Disciples for Jesus Christ. We are called to invite, disciple, train, and build new leaders for Jesus Christ. We are to be a light to this community. All that we do is to help us accomplish this purpose. And it will take your commitment as well as mine.

 It was a Friday morning, I was walking Beau when I heard bells; our bells. The thought occurred to me, “Why bells? Why do they sound on the hour, every hour, 365 days a year?” I believe the answer to that question is that we desire people to know Asbury has a place in the community. Our bells are a witness. And yet, I wonder if our bells make sense today to a changing population and culture? Allow me to share what I believe does make sense in an ever changing world—Love and Caring.

 I close with a true-to-life story that is compelling and encouraging. The story comes from the book Shaped by God’s Heart. Matt Hannan and New Heights Church wanted to reach their community. There was a public school in the vicinity and they chose to find a creative way to reach educators. Read their story—

 “We made an appointment with one of the school principals. After introducing ourselves we said, ‘We are here on behalf of New Heights Church. Our folks value what you are doing in educating young people. Frankly we are here to ask you to do a favor. This is a checkbook and you will notice that the account is made out in your name. We have placed $1,000 in the account. We believe that you care for kids, and we care for kids. We want to unite on our common ground. So we are asking you to be our agent in this school. We know you have an educational foundation available for certain needs, but we also know it can take a month or longer for a pair of shoes for a child who needs them right now.’

 “So here is a $1,000 for you to use as needed. We are not asking you to account to us. You are a man of integrity. If you want to share that with us, that’s great, but it is not required. When the amount in the checkbook is getting low, if you will let us know, we will fill it back up again. We just want to help make it a little easier for you to do what you normally do.”

 “When we finished talking,” Hannan concluded, “there sat this big principal, just crying like a baby.”

 One result that emerged from their strategy was that 18 members from the school now attend New Heights, and initially most of them were not Christians. That is the kind of bells that people understand and need to see demonstrated by Our Church!

Serving with You,

Pastor Marty