Discernment Team Update

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• Discernment Team Update
• 9/30/07

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(No Transcript)
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Team Formation

• Appointed by the Church Council in January, 2007
  to seek fresh discernment and articulation of
  Gods direction for Centennials future
  ministries, exercising dependent prayer, and
  relying on participation from as many as possible
  in the church family.
• Myrna Beblavi, Mark Bradley, Leslie Good, Jon
  Hardin, Becky Holmlund, Jim Reiner, Steve
  Thulson, Jeff Warren, Valerie Weyand

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Process

• Building trusting relationships and cultivating
  our listening to Christ through sharing our faith
  stories
• Identifying convergences of
• 1. Gods Word and mission for us
• 2. Gods gifts among us
• 3. Gods showing opportunities/weaknesses

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Centennial Conversations

• Summary of Responses

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What brought you to CCC?

• Connection with friends or family
• Outreach groups VBS, MOPs, Alpha, Youth
• Covenant Connection
• Gods leading
• Looking for something more deeper, place for
  healing, sense of the Spirit
• Size of church is attractive for relationships,
  opportunities to be involved
• Location close to home

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What keeps you here?

• Feeling welcomed and the friendliness of people
  were cited numerous times as important
  experiences when first visiting CCC and in
  deciding to continue attending.
• Sense of Gods presence
• Leaders authentic, humble, vulnerable, loving,
  mature, prayerful, caring
• Worship authentic, sharing, prayer, presence of
  the Holy Spirit, preaching
• Covenant Doctrine appreciation of focusing on
  essentials
• Christ-centered Teaching
• Relationships- small groups, youth group
• Opportunities to Serve - youth group, missions

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How do we see God at work?

• Jesus Christ is the Living Head of CCC.
• This is evidenced by reliance on dependent
  prayer, a desire to discern the leading of the
  Holy Spirit, the formation
• of the Discernment Team to seek God, not just
• form a strategic plan. The lives of the
• leaders reflect humility, vulnerability,
• and an authentic walk with God.

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How do we see God at work?

• CCC is a place where people can enter into
  heart-felt, God-centered worship.
• This is evidenced by a creative approach to
  worship with a variety of worship experiences
  (e.g., the life-sharing times in services the
  contemplative service the emphasis
• on prayer the variety of people who teach the
  Word)
• the quality of music but without drawing
  attention to
• the worship leaders people are hearing God speak
  
• through sermons and being challenged to grow.

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How do we see God at work?

• Many experience acceptance as a part of the
  community of Christians at CCC.
• This is evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in
  our congregation and demonstrated by newcomers
  (children, youth, adults) are genuinely welcomed,
  valued, and then included in the life of the
  church people are encouraged to share both
• their blessings and struggles a grace
  orientation the
• depth of ministry and relationships in small
  groups
• the fact that many have found CCC to be
• a place of spiritual healing.

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How do we see God at work?

• CCC is becoming a missional congregation.
• This is evidenced by a growing focus on outward
  ministry to our world (mission trips, Alpha,
  North Littleton, MOPS, VBS, Global Task Force
  ministries, church planting in new communities).
  As we participate in Gods mission, members
  (young and old) are growing in their faith,
  personal experience of Christ, and capacity to
  serve.

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How do we see God at work?

• CCC is a place where gifts of the family of
  believers are appreciated and developed.
• This is evidenced by the gifted people who have
  been led to this fellowship by church leaders
  who welcome participation and allow ministry to
  form around gifts
• and vision of lay people by willingness to share
  the
• pulpit ministry by the number of youth and
  adults
• who are serving in both inward and
• outward ministries of the church.

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How do we see God at work?

• CCC is Evangelical in its theology and practice.
• This is evidenced by faithful teaching of the
  Word embracing the Covenant denominations focus
  on essentials with freedom on nonessentials.

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Questions?
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Next Phase

• How is God showing us opportunities to grasp and
  weaknesses to deal with?

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• What embers of the Spirit is God showing us to
  fan into flame
• for igniting new initiatives (opportunities)?
• for refining hearts, perspectives, relationships,
  ministries, etc.?
• and for consuming sins, hurts, etc.
  (weaknesses)? 

Photo by Stephen Lyman
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Anticipated Settings for Prayer Dialogue
Groups for any kind of burden, hopes, dreams,
etc.
Open Forum(s) for people not in Groups or Teams
Ministry Teams perhaps clustering around
outreach, discipling, care, etc.
Individual Meetings if requested
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Discernment Team members are available for your
questions and suggestions about any parts of this
process.Thank you for your continued prayers as
we listen together for Gods leading.