Our Life in the Garden

The Following is the Plan for Mission and Ministry the people in the Garden have worked hard to develop and organize over the past 6 months. It is a work in progress, and is not completed. As of this posting, in June, we are in the process of identifying goals and objectives to help us accomplish these ministries we value as our top priorities.

THE GETHSEMANE PLAN FOR MISSION & MINISTRY

PREFACE
The future of this Church depends on how intentionally, passionately and joyously we commit ourselves to participating in God’s mission. 

A recent study by an Ecumenical Group at Hartford Seminary found that churches with a plan which clarified their mission and ministry and “recruited”, welcomed and incorporated new members were growing, while those who only wished to grow, were not growing.  We will be intentional about discovering the gifts of those who call the Garden home, empowering people in their gifts and watching ministry and mission grow through the skills and talents of the people belonging to this faith community. 

We intend to grow The Garden into a vibrant, self sustaining parish once again. 

  • We must be intentional about our agreed upon goal to grow The Garden,

          Without purpose and intention to grow the garden we will not succeed in the   charge we have been given to grow The Garden into a vibrant parish.

  • There is no one formula we can subscribe to in order to achieve growth.  

      We must discover the skills, talents and gifts of our members and build upon our            strengths, rather than make assumptions about what might make us grow. 

  • We seek to participate in God’s mission, not create God’s mission.

      God calls us to God’s mission and ministry, we do not create opportunities for      God to participate in our mission and ministry.

The future of this old Church depends on imagining how we can spread the word of God to all who live and work in the neighborhoods around us and the skyscrapers above us.  The future of this Church depends on dreaming about preaching and sharing Christ to people who are seeking, desiring and longing for loving relationships. 
 
This plan will not tell us, it will guide us and allow us to dream about the future of the Garden and how we can be sowers in the Kingdom.

1st PRINCIPLES

A plan for mission and ministry is about spreading the Good News of God in Christ.  A plan for Mission and Ministry reveals our talents and ability to discover God’s redeeming grace and sanctification of all creation so that we may be empowered to discover the partnership we have with God.  Our intentions in imagining this work is based entirely in our hope for God’s creation, in our confidence of Christ’s redeeming love and the power of the Spirit blowing us all into the full participation in God’s mission for the world.

  1. A plan for mission and ministry is rooted in our WORSHIP, how we gather to pray and lift our voices to God. 

            As Christians we are called to participate in God’s mission for the world.  As          disciples we are able to manifest that call in many different ways.  As the Body of    Christ, the primary way we express our unity in the One Holy God is through our worship.  Worship is the core of all that we do at The Garden; our worship is the            source of our energy, our passion and our hope for all of God’s creation.

  1. A plan for mission and ministry is about revealing God’s call to us as a COMMUNITY, not as individuals, but as a COMMUNITY of faith. 

            Through discernment, listening and the discovery of the spiritual gifts of those   who call The Garden home, we will build a community that lives together, prays            together and does justice together.  Our vision will lead us to be a community   that is radically welcoming and hospitable, a community that is passionate about        learning, and a community empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

  1. A plan for mission and ministry is about responding to God’s call to us to do JUSTICE and walk humbly with our God in the world. 

            Our mission and ministry would not be complete if it did not include the necessary component of spreading the Good News to all who are able and willing to receive it.  Our response to God’s call to us as discerned in our worship     and shared in our community will require nothing short of singing to the world       the power of God’s love and how we as people of God have been transformed   by that love.  We must all witness to our faith, sharing the joy we have in being    part of God’s mission for the world.

COMPONENTS OF THE PLAN FOR GROWTH

When the Plan for Growth Team polled the congregation to discover what The Garden should make as its priorities over the next few years of the Gethsemane Plan, the results were clear:
1. Worship
2. Community
3. Justice/Outreach

Following are the narratives of each priority along with set goals, both short term achievable and long term visionary. 

#1. WORSHIP IN THE GARDEN
            Development of outstanding worship services is critical to the success of The Garden.  We must lavish as much attention as we are able upon all the worship we do at the Garden.  We have a beautiful ancient space in which to worship and we have a community that is enthusiastic about praying together.  It is necessary to find ways to make our worship services speak to people where they are today.  Our public worship is our most visible face; we must make it into something that both represents our community and also offers a compelling vision of God and God’s call to us.
            Our worship is the source of all that we do at the Garden.  Our worship must affect how we live our lives together.  We must be careful not to let worship and music become idols.  Our worship must be something that powerfully connects us to God and to each other as the community gathered; when it ceases to do that it must change.
            Music is an important part of what draws people to church.  Our music must be of the highest quality, both to glorify God and to grow the community.  By devoting our energy to making our worship and music of the highest quality, we demonstrate the role that God plays in our common life.  Outstanding worship and music is the key to growth at the Garden.  It must be powerful; we must lavish time on it, show imagination and have a passion for quality.

#2. COMMUNITY AT THE GARDEN
            A community is a group of people who interact and share things as a group; it can also refer to various collections of organisms sharing an environment, plant or animal. If a sense of community exists, freedom and security exist as well.  As people become free to share and secure enough to get along, the community takes on a life of its own.   
            Everything that happens in church, including worship, is community.  How the congregation welcomes guests from the moment they walk up our steps to the time they leave determines if this community of faith is one in which they want to belong.  The Garden must begin developing and creating a structure that enable old and new members to become deeply part of this community.  One sign that community has taken root and newcomers feel incorporated is when events and program ideas begin to emanate from the congregation itself.

            We have broken down Community formation into 3 areas, Small Group Ministries, deepening our community; Sunday to Sunday Hospitality, building our community; and Regular Education and Formation Programs, teaching and shaping our community.  Below are short lists under each topic that could work.  Input from the congregation is necessary to be sure we accomplish those things that are interesting, exciting and valuable to those who are present at The Garden.

#3. JUSTICE & OUTREACH
Our goals as we respond to the call of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our Justice and Outreach Ministry are as follows:

To spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ outside the walls of The Garden into the community surrounding us.

To gain full understanding of the organizational programs involved in the areas where we expect to be doing ministry.

To be prayerful as individuals and as a community to discern the guidance of the Holy Spirit among us. 

To expand our capacity to do Justice and Outreach Ministry by being open and welcoming to new ideas and insights from those member of the congregation who are called to join us in these ministries.