Mansfield church talks to community

BY GLORIA LaBOUNTY / SUN CHRONICLE STAFFFriday, February 22, 2008 2:16 PM EST
MANSFIELDIn its efforts to bring ministry into the community, members of Faith Fellowship United Methodist Church are hearing from the people who best know the needs.
In two meetings this week with community leaders and human service providers, Pastor David Arruda and several members of the congregation heard a range of ideas on what the church can do for the residents of the area, including seniors, youths, and families struggling financially.
Arruda said he would next gather with church members to assess the suggestions and determine what they could undertake more immediately and as a long-term goal."Some things may start right away," Arruda told the gathering. "I may be calling you and asking for help."The dozen people who attended the morning session suggested several directions the church could take.Debra Surprenant, assistant director of the Mansfield Council on Aging, said one of the greatest needs in the community is transportation to medical appointments in Boston and Providence for both seniors and non-seniors.Currently, she said, there is very little being provided, and now the Greater Attleboro-Taunton Transit Authority is planning cutbacks in public bus route services, which will worsen the situation.Lack of transportation notedThe lack of transportation opportunities, Surprenant said, is "limiting people to medical care in this general vicinity" when more specialized care may be available elsewhere.Diane Griffin of Mansfield, a member of Faith Fellowship church, said more affordable after-school programs also are needed, especially for youngsters at the vulnerable ages of 9 to 15. She suggested setting up a program that would draw in retired members of the community who may be willing to volunteer their time and share their skills and expertise with youngsters.She called the older segment of the community "a wonderful resource" that should be tapped.Cindy Phillips, Mansfield's community social worker, said the area needs more shelters for the homeless and more help for people who are one step away from becoming homeless, as well as support for people who have become unemployed yet have families to support and mortgages to pay.Yet those in attendance acknowledged that various organizations may already be filling some of the community's needs being described.Surprenant suggested that before embarking on any projects, the church members do a needs assessment to determine what is already being offered in the community.Arruda said that was the intent, and the community meetings were a first step.The congregation is trying to reach out into the community as part of a new approach to ministry.After its membership dwindled to about 20 regular worshippers, the congregation faced a decision last year on closing, and decided instead to stay open, but make changes in its organization, worship and ministry.Arruda called it "serving Christ by serving the community."The congregation already supports the local food pantry and soup kitchen, and operates its own clothing ministry called "Clothes to Go."The congregation has made minor alterations to the church's interior, but the limited parking and lack of accessibility make the building no longer suitable for the ministry the members have in mind, and they are now looking for a new location.If they build a new church, it will not look like a traditional one, Arruda said, but instead will be one based on "less mortar and more mission."GLORIA LaBOUNTY can be reached at 508-236-0333 or at glabounty@thesunchronicle.com.

Struggling Mansfield church works to turn things around BY GLORIA LaBOUNTY / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

Friday, February 15, 2008 3:48 PM EST
The Faith Fellowship Methodist Church in Mansfield. (Staff photo by MIKE GEORGE)MANSFIELD -- Less than a year ago, members of Faith Fellowship United Methodist Church faced a decision on closing or changing.They opted for change, and ever since have been moving through a transition that has transformed the way they worship and minister, and that has focused on looking outside the church instead of only within.They will take another step in that process next week with community meetings aimed at helping the congregation get more involved.On Tuesday, the congregation will host morning and evening gatherings at Jimmy's Pub Restaurant on North Main Street in Mansfield. About 200 invitations have been sent to community leaders, government officials and human service agencies in Mansfield and surrounding communities.Pastor David Arruda, who has been at the church since July, said the intent is to find out what needs are not being met in those towns, and what the church can do to help.

"It's an opportunity for the community to tell us what it needs, and an opportunity for us to tell the community that we are not the same as we were two years ago," Arruda said.He came to the Mansfield church as part of the "11th hour" church ministry he developed for the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church and first implemented at a church in Maine before coming to Mansfield.A licensed local pastor in the denomination, but not an ordained minister, Arruda's role is to guide churches through transition."My ministry is to turn churches around," he said.The North Main Street church, which used to be known as Mansfield United Methodist until a few years ago, has been plagued with the same problem of declining membership that is facing other churches in various mainline Protestant denominations.A contributing factor, Arruda said, is the emphasis that churches had been placing on organization and structure rather than on the ministry of Jesus, an emphasis that did not resonate with people who want to make a difference but do not have the time to get totally involved and attend a lot of meetings.A year ago, fewer than 20 people were participating in the Mansfield church, he said, but now about 50 people regularly attend worship.The turnaround resulted from some major changes in the church's organizational structure, interior layout, and worship style. The worship area was converted by removing several rows of back pews and installing round tables and chairs where people can sit with family and friends. The communion rail also was removed to open the space between the pulpit and the pews, and a large screen and projector were installed.Arruda's style matches the space. He wears no clerical robe and speaks not from the pulpit, but in the midst of people, conducting more of a discussion rather than offering a sermon. He encourages people to attend services comfortably dressed and tries to create a relaxed atmosphere.The only aspect of a church that should be sacred, he said, is Jesus Christ."The rest is up for grabs," he said, including the style of worship, the committees, the structure, and even the building.The church building itself has become optional. Members have authorized a search for a new location and the eventual sale of the building if another one is found that is more conducive to today's ministry. They are actively looking for either a new church or an existing one, and would like to remain in Mansfield, but would consider a neighboring town such as Foxboro.One of the reasons for renaming the church from Mansfield United Methodist to Faith Fellowship, he said, was to prepare it for a possible relocation that might take it to another community."Anything is possible," Arruda said. "Nothing is set in stone."The current church, which was built in 1878, has great character and lots of history, Arruda said, but no longer meets the needs of the congregation. Set close to the sidewalk and wedged between two other structures, the church is small, lacks parking, and cannot be made handicapped accessible because of the limited space on the property."We can keep it as a museum and not for ministry, or we can put ministry first and the museum second," Arruda said.They have opted for ministry, and for reaching out into the community. Members already sponsor a clothing center at the church, and participate in and support the local food pantry, Our Daily Bread, and the Tuesday evening Food 'n' Friends soup kitchen sponsored by the Attleboro Area Council of Churches and held at the nearby First Baptist Church.Now they are looking to get more involved, and will be looking to the community to show them the way."We will try to fulfill the needs," Arruda said. "We may not be able to meet every need, but if we meet one, we will be doing more than we are doing today."The meetings Tuesday will be held at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the restaurant at 141 North Main St.For more information about Faith Fellowship United Methodist Church, call 508-339-6040.GLORIA LaBOUNTY can be reached at 508-236-0333 or at glabounty@thesunchronicle.com

Kosovo! 1060 Feet! A Church! Mansfield Massachusetts!

What do all of these have in common? Believe it or not Shoes!! The news is filled with stories and pictures from Iraq and Afghanistan. But for nearly ten years we’ve been fighting another war. US troops serving thousands of miles from home for nearly ten years somehow we almost never hear about, for the most part we have forgotten them. However what is even sadder are the people of Kosovo that we have forgotten. Good news is that our service men and women haven’t forgotten the people of Kosovo especially the children

The YMCA of Norton connected local people with men and woman serving in Kosovo, through Adopt a Soldier Project, which connected Kim Whynacht of Norton Massachusetts and Faith Fellowship United Methodist Church of Mansfield Massachusetts. The idea of this project was to “help the service men and women deal with the separation by giving support to the soldiers and their families.” However! The soldiers had other ideas.

Kim Whynacht and Faith Fellowship United Methodist Church (FFUMC) adopted SPC Guido Alberoni Fermin, and family of Haverhill, MA. In addition to sending support items to Alberorni, Kim and the Church sent Birthday, & Christmas gifts to his four children and his wife, and sent out packages to his children on Holidays, (like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter etc). SPC Guido Alberoni Fermin is serving with Task Force PATRIOT

Things changed in the end of May, Alberoni emailed Kim “that the children of the village he was in needed shoes.” Kim rallied the Church in the first week of June and started to collect shoes for the children in Kosovo. Seeing that the need of the children overseas was urgent, Kim contacted the office of Rev. Gary Shaw. District Superintend of the Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts (RISEM) District of the United Methodist Church. The RISEM District office contacted the seventy United Methodist Churches in the district to help collect some shoes.

Shoes started to come in from all over the district, from Northern Rhode Island to the tip of Cape Cod. By the middle of July the first shipment of shoes was mailed. For the next two months the flow of shoes coming in never seemed to stop. In addition to the shoes and socks, the church also sent a couple of boxes of school supplies to the children, (the YMCA collected the supplies and sent them). Mid September was the cut off for collecting shoes, when the last box was packed and mailed the church had collected and mailed 530 pairs of shoes to one village in Kosovo. That’s 1060 Happy FEET!!!.

Reaching out is not hard, It just takes one step, “the first step”.

This project shows how simple we can change the world, make an impact, and most importantly share Jesus and His Teachings with the world.

For more information go to the following websites;
Task Force PATRIOT http://kfor8.com/

The Village in Kosovo http://afreditaschool.webeden.co.uk/
Faith Fellowship UMC http://www.gbgm-umc.org/faithfellowshipumc
11th Hour Church Ministry http://11thhourchurchturnaround.blogspot.com/
UMC of New England http://www.neumc.org/

A Christmas Pondering from Pastor David

A Christmas Pondering from Pastor David

Over the next few days we will be gathering with Family, Friends, Loved Ones, Neighbors and Strangers for the Christmas Holiday, Wishing everyone we meet a “Merry Christmas”.

But what is a “Merry Christmas”?

Is it just that time of year that we boost the Nation’s economy? Or perhaps giving expensive gifts to family and friends, trying to make up for the time we haven’t spent with them?

Is it just that time of year that we remember our childhoods? Or perhaps trying to fix our childhood wrongs?

Is it just that time of year that we are kind to strangers? Or perhaps justifying the times we did not the notice the stranger?

Is it just that time of year that we send food to the hungry? Or perhaps feeling guilty for all the times we never thought about their hunger?

Is it just that time of year that we remember a poor child in a make shift bed on a cold night? Or perhaps another time we forget about the homeless and fatherless children of the world?

Merry Christmas is really about, Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
It is that time of year that we realize that we too are Homeless and Fatherless, Hungry, a Stranger, a Sinner, and Forgotten. For without that Great Expensive Gift, “a poor child in a make shift bed on a cold night” there is no Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

Jesus is Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!
Pastor David A Arruda

Faith Fellowship the First Six Months

I can sum up my time here in just a few words; Spirit-filled, Rewarding, Uplifting, Loving, Fun, Exciting, Surprising and Challenging. Just think! That was only the first day.

July 1st was only a few months ago, but God has bless us so many times, with so many gifts that it seems that my time here has been much longer. Our God is Great!

I marvel at how the church has stepped up and embraced all the possibilities, changes and challenges that have been place before us. From accepting the “11th Hour Church Challenge” authorizing the selling of the organ, new worship opportunities, changing how we do church, starting new ministries, “Stepping UP & Stepping OUT” and “You Got It, Now Use It” to my crazy antics as I share God’s message.

This church is a “Living Body of Christ”.

As my time here in Mansfield goes by, the vision that God is placing before me is getting bigger. It is larger than I can sometimes fathom. When I came here, I had envisioned, within two years that Faith Fellowship would be able to reach the following goals:

Leave the church moving forward
Set in motions a vision and mission statement
A stronger laity base
Financially sound
At least six months of the pastor salary saved up, however the ultimate goal would be one year of salary
Larger percentage of church tithing
100% of mission shares
3% of Mansfield population in church with in 1 year
Action on the limitations of the current building

However; this is not what God has placed before me today. The vision that God has place on my heart for this church is much bigger. It is truly a “God Size Vision”.

What I believe God is putting before me is that Faith Fellowship UMC will be a resource for the local community, other churches, the conference, the denomination, the nation and the world. This will be accomplished by a variety of ministries and missions, both at the church and sent out from the church.

As part of that vision I believe this is what Faith Fellowship will look like in the future: a new multi-function building in a new location, Complete with a multi-function worship area (seating 700 or more), large kitchen, meeting rooms, warehouse, laundry facility, multiple showers, and daycare.

Just think what this will mean for our ministry for Christ! First a large worship area that is accessible by all. And that is just the beginning! That same worship area can be turned into a crisis/disaster center in times of natural/national emergencies. This is possible with the laundry, shower, kitchen and warehouse facilities. When these facilities are not being used for disasters, they can be used to help other churches and social agencies to fulfill their missions. Faith Fellowship is situated in the middle of many major cities and ministry areas. Thirty minutes in any direction will place you in or through cities such as Boston to Providence RI., Attleboro to Brocton, Franklin to Fall River. The needy in these places are under served. Other churches and agencies will be able to bring in the Homeless, Marginal, Displaced to take a shower, wash cloths, get a meal, watch a movie, have activities, and go to Worship. The warehouse will be use to store emergency equipment and supplies. It will also be a place where other UM Churches can help put together and store UMCOR supplies and Buckets.

The daycare will be place that the church can reach local children with the message of Christ during the week and Sunday school classrooms on weekends.

This is truly a God vision, A GOD SIZE VISION for Faith Fellowship.

I know that “with God all things are possible” and the great news is that God is already supplying the things God needs to make God’s vision become a reality. A builder/developer has come forward and offered help Faith Fellowship to build a new building, a backup generator has been offered at nearly no cost based on its value. God is working to make this church a place that is really STEPPING UP & STEPPING OUT!!!

“The world is our parish”
John Wesley

Chapter Two of the 11th Hour Church. Faith Fellowship UMC Mansfield Massachusetts

FFUMC Updates as the Story unfolds!!

First 11th Hour Church, Cutler UMC, Cutler Maine

The Cutler Story:

“The Eleventh Hour”
Church Report

Pastor David A Arruda

A Brief Summary

The basic concept of “The Eleventh Hour” Church

“The Eleventh Hour” is a call from God, to step out of the boat and follow Jesus’ to take a church teetering on closing or in extreme decline and transform it in the name of Jesus Christ. The Eleventh Hour Church is not a program, is not a boxed system, it is not even a step by step practice; however it is bringing the simplest of terms and actions to action for the sake of our lord Jesus Christ.

I believe by following Christ and standing on our Wesleyan principles we can transform our faith communities, and we must try.

The Idea

Find a closing church in the New England Conference with a true passion to continue to be a living body of Christ and transform it. This passion only needs to be in a few of the folks in the congregation for transformation to take place. (“When two or more are gathered in My name “)

The Church

“The Eleventh Hour” church must be willing to do anything and everything to follow Jesus Christ. True transformation will come only when we (the church) are willing to put it all on the line for Jesus. “The Eleventh Hour” church must fully understand that major change will take place throughout the church.

This type of transformation may not be suited for every church, so care must be taken in choosing “The Eleventh Hour” church.

The Leadership

“The Eleventh Hour” leadership must be willing to work total outside of the box. Leading “The Eleventh Hour” church will require a form of leadership that is not usually found in our seminaries, and is far from traditional. The Eleventh Hour leader must have a “Burning Bush Experience” a passion to follow Christ, a strong personality, a very straightforward approach to problem solving, and second only to a passion for Christ, a Risk Taker. Note: Leadership is not just the Pastor but also key laity of the church. However the Pastor must be willing and able to release the control and power to the laity in their individual ministries.

The Plan

“The Eleventh Hour” Transformation plan is not set in stone, the overall plan is to stand firmly on the teachings of Christ and the example of the first century church found in Acts. For true transformation to occur, we must let God lead His Church. “The Eleventh Hour” plan can not be a cookie cutter plan; each church must have a unique plan. As a part of the body of Christ, “The Eleventh Hour” church must find its uniqueness and place in Christ’s body.


Other Thoughts

“The Eleventh Hour” Church will function under The Book of Discipline and be accountable to the District Superintendent.


Cutler United Methodist Church
Cutler, Maine

The church

The church as a whole felt they had little or no hope. They had little financial support or means. They were lost, forgotten by all, attendance was low, no outreach, unsure of the viability of the church. For most Christ was not a large part in their lives. There were a few strong faith filled people willing to do whatever it took to keep the church functioning. For most of the church “Faith was like out of season clothing, It had been stored away for awhile, they still had They just not wearing It. Some of the faithful people were looking to bring the church back to what it used to be, however this would not have been the body of Christ, suppers and church gatherings would be its Major focus. The church also thought that major effort, energy and resources should be used to bring back the folks “that left”. The church in general felt that the district and the conference had abandoned them. Their cries for help fell on deaf ears and only when they held back their money did the conference and district respond. Some strongly felt that the former pastor had been directed to slowly close the Cutler church, and was doing so under the direction of the district superintendent. Major conflict between small groups, individuals and the former Pastor in the church would be an understatement. The church was fragmented but with the few strong core members. A conference consultant had been called in to work with the church’s conflict issues and they’re view of themselves. A few of the members felt the consultant was helpful, but the majority felt it was a waste of time, effort and money. The majority also felt that the consultant was being guided by the former pastor.

The conference office had little accurate information about the Cutler church, other than its mission shares. Before July of 05, If you did a church search on the Conference Website for Cutler UMC, you would get “NO CHURCH FOUND”. The Northern Maine district database of churches did not have the Cutler church list. The little information about the Cutler church was incorporated into the information of the Jacksonville church.

I feel the district superintendent had originally been looking at the Cutler church based on reports from the former Pastor, which was in the middle of conflicts with a majority of the church, a conference consultant, and the District Congregational Development Committee. After spending some time with the people of the church, I believe she realized that this church could be turned around and its value in the community, district, and conference could be realized.

The conference consultant view of the church was poor. The description of the community and the church was not accurate. Based on the report given by the consultant, I believe she had a preconceived idea about the community and the church. I feel that this preconceived idea was based on information gathered by others and not viable “hands on” research of the community and the church. I also feel that the church consultant entered into relationship with the church not as a neutral observer and objective listener but had a bias one sided view. The church and community that I found on my first visit to Cutler was in most part, the opposite of the description of the consultants. To summarize this theory I would like to quote the final statement of her report, “They are not in position to support a halftime preacher or accept one that would bring in new members, new ideas and any changes “


In the July 30, 2005 meeting I found a group of extremely angry, lost, confused, hopeless people. But I would have to say that as the meeting started “anger” would have been the greatest emotion in the room. (I felt I should have worn of flak jacket. Not that the bullets were aimed at me, but I was in the crossfire) After sometime and a lot of venting, things in the meeting started to change it was quite obvious that the Holy Spirit was moving in that room. As the district superintendent started to unfold the plan for my appointment a number of objections were raised. Based on these objections it was quite obvious that the hopelessness, defeat and uncertainty were quite real to this group. But as the district superintendent stepped up to the plate with both spiritual and financial support of the appointment and my willingness to step out in the faith, was enough to show the church we cared. This was something that they hadn’t seen or felt in a very long time. By the end of the meeting all of the objections to my appointment had been matched or exceeded.


The Agreement

They would accept the pastor with the following stipulations.

The district would pay fuel, tolls, and travel expenses for the First six months for the new pastor
The church members and attendees would feed the pastor when he was in town from the first meal of the day he arrived till the last meal of the day he left for the weekend.
The church would try to secure long-term housing for the Pastor on the weekends. In the interim the pastor would stay in a camper on the property of one of the church members.
The pastor would travel up each weekend for no salary.
The church would pay fuel, tolls and travel expenses for the last five months of the pastor’s appointment.
The church would tithe its collection plate each week to a needy church in the district.

The Rules of Transformation

Follow Our Lord Jesus Christ
If Not Sure What to Do Next, Revert Back to Rule One


The Approach to Transformation

Straight up honesty with all the church, at all times, is paramount for true transformation. What I mean is that there should be no soft sells, no coddling, no babying, just how things are perceived, where they are, where they have to go and whom we are following. However there must be understanding, compassion, empathy, and love.
Repeat!
There must be understanding, compassion, empathy, and love.

From my first day in Cutler I set out some very simple guidelines for my time there.

We will follow Jesus, right out of the boat. He calls we follow, that simple.
We will be the Hands and Feet of Christ
We will not do things as they had been done in the past.
The church was theirs, not mine
Change would happen every week.
The church will reach out to the community
Nothing was set in stone; everything was to remain very fluid.
I would only get my hands dirty, if they got their hands dirty first. ( if they weren’t willing to do the work, then neither was I)

The process

The approach

I approached the Cutler church with a very open ear; I would listen very carefully to all concerned, thoughts, opinions, and their feelings. With this approach I was able to ascertain the true issues at the church. It also allowed me to create connection and trust with the people. I have been told by a number of the people at the Cutler Church, the best thing I did was “I took time to listen to what they had to say” and in turn when I spoke they listened.

Based on the concerns and needs of the church I structured Sunday mornings messages to connect the church to the Bible passages and most importantly, with our lord Jesus Christ. First message was on the woman that had been bleeding for years. I connected that story of how this woman had gone to Physicians and others to be cured, and how she had spent all her money and no one could help. And she had to reach out, step out and reach for Jesus. And when her faith touches Jesus faith she was healed. The church saw its self as the woman, tried to get help, spend money and nothing happened. Now The church was stepping out In faith, Reaching for Jesus and things were happening, they started the healing process.

The second Sunday the message was based on last chapter of John. We’re Peter and the other fishermen tried to go back to what they did before. But without Jesus they were unsuccessful. When Jesus came to them and they follow his instructions they caught fish. The church was like Peter and the other apostles trying to do what they did before, but without Jesus they would not be successful. I explained that this is how the church was, tried and tried to do things to be the church without Jesus. It is the main reason that they have weathered such a storm. The all things that they had tried and tried over again will not work we must be made a new by Jesus Christ.

For the next eight weeks we’ve looked at the book acts, we covered from Acts 1 to Stevens’s execution. The idea here was to look at the rapid growth of the first church in just a few months. It was to send an example of what they could do with Jesus at their side.




General notes

My goals for the Cutler church

Leave the church moving forward
Set in motions a vision and mission statement
A stronger laity base
Financially sound
At least six months of the past a salary saved up, however the ultimate goal would be one year of salary
Larger percentage of church tithing
100% of mission shares (06) paid before I leave.

Meeting rules
Pray before you speak.
Be ready to ask and answer hard questions
If you don’t want an answer to your question, don’t ask
If you do ask a question, be ready for an answer that may not be the one you like
Say what you feel
Keep praying.

“When I met the people of the Cutler United Methodist Church, they were struggling to keep the doors open. Now they are working to open their doors.”

Structure of Church

A church board structure was established to replace the over burdensome “Administration Council” and committee system. The Board Structure is set up to function as all the required committees and boards. The board is made up of 8-11 persons. Several board members facilitate the functions of the required areas.



11th Hour Church Structure

With an understanding of the current life of the 11th Hour church, three assumptions are made. First the church is small in attendance, and there are not enough people to cover all the positions on all the boards and committees, Second the church is in need of radical change, and Third there are persons that have held positions in the church for so long that they are holding back the church (what I call “the church terrorist). A Church Board will be created.

The church board will be made up of the pastor, eight to eleven lay persons (must be members in good standing, see membership requirements) one District representative. This will be the only board or committee the church will have. Board members will be responsible for the functions of the church. The Church board will meet each month to oversee the church functions and conduct all church business. Each board member will oversee a specific function of the church.
Such as;
1. Spiritual Life & Vision
2. Missions
3. Worship
4. Hospitality
5. Education
6. Church Personnel (paid & unpaid)
7. Finance
8. Buildings and Grounds

Example of the Church board:

1. Spiritual Life & Vision Pastor
2. Missions 2 Laypersons(1 local & 1 Global)
3. Worship 1 Layperson
4. Hospitality 1 Layperson
5. Education 1 Layperson
6. Church Personnel (paid & unpaid) 1 Layperson
7. Finance 1 Layperson & District representative
8. Buildings and Grounds 1 Layperson

The premise of this board structure is, each board member will be the contact for the area they oversee with the church body. As the board members only oversee these functions, they will lead others into the actual ministries of the church.

Example:
The Board member overseeing “Local Missions” would find a Lay Minister (layperson) to start an “Illness Support Ministry”. The board member will help train, mentor and represent that ministry to the board. The board members in no way are doing the work.
Leadership Requirements

The leaders must have the following attributes:

1. Passion for the work of Jesus
2. Strong Entrepreneurial Spirit
3. Vision Focused
4. Goal orientated
5. Hands OFF leadership style

Membership Requirements

All members will be required to attend an eight week membership class. This class is required for all to include transfers from other UM Churches.

After the eight week membership class each potential member must meet with the Membership Panel to insure they have a full understanding of what it means to be a member in the church.
(Membership Panel is overseen by a member of the board)

Each member must commit both in writing and verbally in public to these minimum requirements:

Devoting their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savoir.
Living a life that reflects their devotion to Jesus
Be actively involved in a small/cell group.
Be actively involved in a ministry of their choosing.
Attend church regularly (more than twice a month)
Tithe faithfully to the church or at least have a plan to start tithing within 12 months.

If any or all of these requirements are not met within six months, membership will be lost. Attendance and ministry involvement would continue.

Summary of the Cutler UMC

Cutler UMC January –July 2005


• Average Attendance less the 12
• No Sunday School
• Weekly Collections less than $250.00
• Nearly $20,000. in debt
• Less then 10% of 2005 Mission Shares paid
• Borrowed $5,000 to keep the church open.
• Thinking of closing the church

August –December 2005

• Tithing each Sundays collections
• Average Attendance Over 32
• 18 Children in Sunday School
• Weekly Collections averaging over $300.00
• All debts Paid in FULL
• 79% of 2005 Mission Shares paid
• $5,000 Loan paid off.
• Over $3,000 donated for fuel
• Planning for the FUTURE


January – August 2006

• Average Attendance Over 38
• 18 Children in Sunday School
• Weekly Collections averaging over $850.00
• Debt FREE
• 100% of 2006 Mission Shares paid by June 06
• Started process to buy a Parsonage
• 7 Baptisms

Little River Lighthouse, Cutler Maine

Learn more about Little River Lighthouse and the American Lighthouse Foundation at http://www.lighthousefoundation.org/alf_lights/littleriver/lr_info.htm

GodTube.com

GodTube.com