A message to elders and ministering shepherds

The fall and spring are prime time for church growth and service. The winter and summer seasons are periods for prayer and planning typically mark by a predictable decrease in attendance. I call it the summertime lull - we don't worry about it because we expect and encourage families to spend time together - summer time is vacation time. The winter lull tends to be shorter and varies from year to year depending on the severity of weather. But fall and spring are prime times for church growth. That's why we do a spring campaign that climaxes with friend day on Easter and a Fall campaign that leads up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have been praying and planing and preparing for this fall. Our 40 day journey begins on Oct 17 and runs 6 weeks - Thanksgiving will mark the end of our 40 day journey and the beginning of the Christmas season. Paul said "be prepared in season and out of season" - and that's what we've tried to do. The 40 day team has been preparing for Oct 17 since last spring and we believe that God will bless our church family - He's been leading us to this point and we want to do everything with excellence because that is what Jesus deserves - our very best! Our vision and strategy is to build stronger relationships with Jesus and people through small groups. We're asking, encouraging, persuading every member to join a small group for six weeks. Which brings me to the point of this email. Your role as an elder and ministering shepherd is so important. Please contact your partner and let's revive our shepherding groups. Let's make sure no one falls through the cracks from now until Christmas. Working together enables us to care for our church family - whenever any member misses two weeks in a row - please contact them. You're familiar with the plan because you've done it. Yes, during the recent past we seemed to have lost some momentum - but you continued to work the assembling, greeting, caring for people and serving them in so many ways. I love to see you shepherd. Let's kick off the fall campaign by contacting and communicating with our partners. Each month, please hand your sheet to Jeanie or me and you'll receive new care callers. This current list has not been updated but we will take care of that with your help - write down the names of new comers - communicate and work together and assume responsibility for them. That seems like the best way to update the list - rather than arbitrarily assigning people, the elders and ministering shepherds can decide how new people are assimilated - with your help we can complete the update in one month or less. I am excited about this fall - I hope you are too. Pray for me and I'll pray for you as we all serve Jesus together. Grace and peace, Jeff