A Call to Revival

Some Final Reflections Any time we are introduced to something new that might affect our plans or habits, it is natural to react in a somewhat negative way. During our recent prayer series, I challenged us to not react to such things but exercise our prayer reflex, taking our reactions to God in prayer and seeking His wisdom. Some things you may want to lay before Him in prayer are: 1. How do I feel about this Revival/Fast opportunity?

2. Why am I feeling the way I do?

3. What are the things God might be wanting to show me during this time?

4. What are some of the things God might be want to do in the life of Aloma UMC during this time?

A Call to Revival Community Gatherings to Discuss the Revival/Fast Tuesday, May 8, 2012 10am & 7pm Please Plan to Attend

Background

who help lead us in worship to experience revival as well.

In July 2011, I received a call from our mortgage holder, the Bank of the West, asking me (Pastor Jim) to explain the drop in overall income between 2009 and 2010. While we had not missed any mortgage payments, they were concerned about whether or not we were headed in the right direction financially to pay off the balance of our mortgage.

As we looked at the 2011 numbers we discovered our revenue had declined even more. That phone call was a wakeup call for me. As we looked back over Aloma’s history for a number of years, this rate of decline has been happening consistently. In response to it, I called together an informal group of about 20 leaders to discuss the long-term future of Aloma United Methodist Church.

Sunday School classes will continue because we believe that these groups are perfect places for people to experience the tenants of revival that we have talked about. Each teacher, and class, will be encouraged to use these times together to press into the topics of rest, revival and relationships – both academically and practically. It is our hope that Sunday School classes increase during this time as people hunger for more of Jesus.

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Coupled with this call about our declining numbers there was a nagging sense that many of our ministry leaders were tired, that among some in the congregation there was a sense of apathy and recruiting new leaders was a significant challenge.

We discussed many things, but the one thing that seemed to emerge time and time again was the word “revival.” We talked about what that might mean for us at Aloma UMC. Certainly it was far more than a series of special meetings with guest speakers. True revival would involve a revolution of our hearts in which the love of God would spill over onto the community. The special speakers would be great, but the leaders agreed that the special meetings should lead to deep change not just a simple emotional high.

As we discussed things more fully, one person told of a church they had belonged to going into a “ministry fast” in which they voluntarily stopped most of their church activities to focus on prayer and revival. That idea seemed to capture the imagination of some of us and we began to imagine what that would look like for Aloma UMC. The informal group of leaders pre-

7. How are our ministry leaders responding to the idea of a fast?

In order to communicate well, our Pastoral team have been having conversations with some of the ministries that will be most affected by this season of fasting. We haven’t been able to get to everyone yet, but thought that we’d start with the groups that have the most intensive activity during this time. As these conversations have been shared we have been deeply blessed by the understanding, insight and questions that our ministry leaders have responded with. For some ministry leaders the idea of a fast has allowed them to take a deep breath and put a big smile on their face because of the anxiety that their ministry activity causes them. It is a testimony to the spiritual maturity of our leaders that they have thoughtfully and prayerfully embraced this idea.

One of our goals in talking to these ministry leaders is so that they can interpret their thoughts with those on their ministry teams as well as to empower them to begin discerning how they can use this time in enhance their impact, build their teams and renew their people. We are working on developing a tool that will help ministry teams make the most of this gift to them. We will not be telling any ministries what they need to do during this fast, but encouraging the teams to interpret the needs of their group and how God can revive them. The fast provides space for our ministries to think creatively, purposefully and most of all prayerfully.

Maybe, but possibly not. One of the purposes of this fast is to create some time to hear from God and let him shape the future of our beloved Church.

It is our hunch that as God speaks some ministries will decide to continue as they have done, others will continue in a different form having rediscovered a clearer purpose, and some will decide that while they have served faithfully in the past they may not be relevant in the future. What ministries decide to do depends on our collective ability to hear from God. The question right now is not, “What will our ministry look like a year from now” but “how can we experience revival, rest and stronger relationships so we can hear from God?” 5. We've been doing this for X years. Doesn't everyone understand that it’s important to us?

Yes! Absolutely. Aloma has a great history of innovation and activity that has done much to further the kingdom of God. The question that all ministries need to ask is not, “What was right and wrong with this?” but “Is this a tool that God wants to use to build his Church in the years ahead?”

The hymnist once penned the words, “We’ll praise him for all that is past and trust him for all that’s to come”. These words describe a key attitude as we look to this season of fasting.

6. What will this mean for our Sunday morning worship experience?

Sunday mornings are the vital connecting point for this community that we call the Church! It’s a time where we gather to worship, pray, learn and be inspired. Each of these things will still continue during Sunday’s mornings although from time to time during the Ministry Fast how we experience these purposes together may change a little. For example, in order to allow our worship teams to experience the “Three R’s” we may give them a few weeks off and invite worship teams from other groups to lead us. The Choir, who are continually preparing for each Sunday, may be encouraged to meet for their regular Wednesday evening rehearsal, but rather than practice they may spend time praying together or simply enjoying being together without the pressure of a task to complete.

The services will continue to be inspirational, challenging and of excellent quality – even though some of the elements of our service may change as we allow those

sented several reports about possible improvements to our evangelism, discipleship, and administrative strategies to Church Council in January 2012, but the idea that primarily seemed to emerge was a season of revival and fasting. The Church Council continued to consider the matter at its February and March meetings and finally decided to move forward with declaring a season of revival and ministry fast in the Fall of 2012. This booklet outlines some of the reasoning and implications of this season in our congregation’s life.

The Three R’s As we began to grapple with a radical move like a ministry fast, we thought it important to understand just what we hoped to accomplish by setting aside some of our current ministry efforts. Those dreams seemed to gravitate towards the ideas of revival, rest, and relationships.

Revival The main reason for calling a ministry fast is to allow the whole church to focus on revival (=the reenergizing of our spiritual lives). Aloma UMC has a strong spiritual history with a great track record of winning people to Christ and helping them transform into fully devoted followers of Christ, as our mission statement declares. However, the reality is not much of that is happening right now. Like all organizations, the busyness of life can sometimes diminish our focus on the things that are most important. Our culture has changed so much and we need to discover a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit as we seek to recapture our missionary DNA. We believe a ministry fast, combined with a time of intentional revival, will raise the spiritual temperature of the entire church.

We will begin this season of revival with a four or five night series of revival meetings with special guest speakers and ample time for prayer. That would be followed by weekly worship with a strong inspirational bent, focusing on building a stronger personal relationship with Christ. In addition, we would try to provide small group opportunities for everyone in the congregation so that we all have opportunities to grow in faith. We would close the season of ministry fast with another series of revival meetings with guest speakers, etc. to seal the gains we had been making during the time. One reason for linking revival with a ministry fast is to give

everyone time to focus on revival rather than the everyday tasks of ministry.

A great glimpse of what true revival looks like can be found in 2 Kings 22 & 23 and 2 Chronicles 7:12-16.

Rest

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn … I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at Aloma UMC was that we were trying to do the same amount of activity taken on by churches with twice the average attendance of ours. Of course, much of the ministry was forged at a time when attendance was twice what it is today. In my first year and a half I have tried to help us reduce the amount of activity and focus on doing fewer things well. I think this has provided some relief, especially for the 20% of the congregation who carries 80% of the workload. For example, we reduced the number of worship services to two. We pruned some of the ministries and combined others. Again, I think some people have found relief, but maybe not enough to replenish their souls. How can we be revived if we are dead on our feet?

There are indicators to me that we are still trying to do too much in certain areas.

The difficulty we have recruiting volunteers for our rummage sales and tree sales are just a couple examples of our overextension. The other problem with busyness is that it does not allow enough time to focus on the few things that will launch Aloma UMC into the next five years. We are so busy supporting what we have always done that we don’t have the time or energy to look at what will be most effective in the future. There is a season for everything and I think the season of ending has come for many of our activities. They are familiar and comforting but not as effective as they once were. They are also struggling to recruit new participants.

During the ministry fast we want ministry teams to continue meeting for prayer and sharing and for envisioning their future so that they can grab hold of new models for doing ministry in our context. For example, the Finance Team would still continue to meet, but not to transact ordinary business. Rather they would meet to pray about how God can soften the hearts of the congregation to tithe. They might seek Him about how to help congregants organize their finances. They might pray about ways to manage our church’s money even more effectively. It is hard to do this when we are reviewing monthly figures. Of course the Finance Team would still be available to deal with extraordinary needs, but the usual business would be over-

While we will be fasting from our regular activity, we will be using the time freed by this to focus our energy and efforts on activities that bring spiritual revival, rest and relationships.

2. What about the funds raised from X ministry? "We raised $ last year and xyz needs that money" With thoughtful faith we have made a commitment to honor the promises that we have already made to groups and individuals that the Church supports. For example, a percentage of the money that we raise from the Rummage Sale goes to help our missionaries. From our financial reserves as a Church we will cover the cost of not having the income to ensure that our commitments are fulfilled.

Activities that raise money to support future projects that haven’t necessarily been determined yet (e.g. Pumpkin sales, Christmas Trees) will not have that income during the fall. Not having these fundraisers will not impact our operating budget as funds from these are used for special projects.

3. The community knows us as the Trees/pumpkins/rummage church. What will they think - what do we tell them?

This is the perfect opportunity for us share with those who ask the real purpose of the Church – it is not to sell stuff – but to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

We realize however that, for example, there are a few people who depend upon the rummage sale for their clothes, etc. For these people we will find a creative way to provide for their needs in other ways. For example, we may host a dinner for them to bless them (and build relationships with them) and give them some vouchers for a local thrift store. Not only will we fulfill our commitments to the community during this time we will ensure that we will continue to meet the needs of those who depend on us.

4. So does this mean we are taking a season off and then we will have all the X ministries back next year/season?

Tentative Schedule

seen by staff.

Pre-Fast Conversations with congregation, beginning Tuesday, May 8th, 10am and 7pm.

As this sort of resting is enjoyed by various teams throughout the church, there is not telling what God will call forth from us.

Work with Ministry leaders and teams to help them determine what the fasting season looks like for them.

In the Bible, God frequently commands His people to observe a Sabbath rest. This command is as much for our benefit as for God’s. He wants us to find ways to obtain renewal and refreshment. He also wants us to find time for realignment and re -visioning. These things are impossible when we are tired and depleted.

Duration Friday, September 7, 2012—Sunday, November 11, 2012 Special Dates  Saturday, September 8—Tuesday, September 11—Kickoff Revival Meetings with special speakers  Wednesday, September 26—Family Dinner  Sunday, October 7th—Evening Church Gathering for Teaching Video and Prayer  Wednesday, October 24—Family Dinner  Sunday, November 4—Evening Church Gathering for Teaching Video and Prayer  Thursday, November 8—Sunday, November 11—Concluding Revival Meeting.

FAQ’s

1 If X ministry is not happening in October/November/December - what I/ we/Aloma be doing it its place?

A Biblical fast does not mean doing nothing. It means intentionally not doing something so that you can purposefully pursue what God has for an individual or a community. During our season of fasting we will be using this time to stop some of our activity and focus on three crucial tenants of spiritual growth – Revival, Rest and Relationships. These three areas have been prayerfully discerned as being three primary needs within our church and for our church leaders and members.

So, during this time we will be challenging every ministry to ask themselves what Revival, Rest and Relationship looks like in their ministry area and teams. Corporately as a congregation we will be offering opportunities around these three topics. For instance, Family dinners may be increased as opportunities to build relationships, a Prayer gathering could begin to birth revival, etc.

When God ordained the Sabbath in the Old Testament (Exodus 20:8), he intended that people would dedicate a day of rest to Him for replenishment. The idea of Sabbath rest applied not only to one day a week, but to one year in 7, as described in Leviticus 25:5-6. God was so serious about this that when the Israelites disobeyed in the matter of the Sabbath, God forced them to take it in a way they did not prefer (see Leviticus 26:34) Relationships One of the things that distinguishes Aloma UMC’s history is the strength of interpersonal relationships. A relatively new person to Aloma’s contemporary service remarked that one of the things that drew him to stay was the genuine affection he saw the worshipers show one another. I have seen the tremendous pastoral care the members of the congregation have displayed towards each other. These are tremendous strengths. However, I have also noticed that it is sometimes difficult for newer people to become part of the “inner circle.”

We also have a ways to go in trusting each other cross-generationally, though Family Dinners have helped with that.

A ministry fast will allow us to focus on building even stronger relationships. For example, ministry teams could use the freed up business time to recruit new members to their teams or to hold “Matthew parties” for people outside the church.

Even more people could be freed to come to Family Dinners. Teams could hold picnics together. They could set aside time for team-building experiences and prayer. They could go on special retreats together. We could use this time to build on Aloma’s firm relational foundation. Not only would our relationship with Christ be revived, our relationships with each other could find new vitality. Andy has put it

this way, “We want to use the revival and fast to relate to each other around love rather than task.”

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At the very heart of God’s desire for the church was the founding of biblical community that actually built each other up: Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Ephesians 4:14-16

The Final Outcome

During our many discussions someone asked, “What do you really hope to gain through this season of revival and fasting?” Good question. I believe on the other side of this season of revival and fasting we will see a spiritually-renewed, excited congregation. We will see ministry teams growing in strength, purpose, and numbers. We will see the church as a whole focusing on what is most important to God: the saving of souls and the healing of people. We will see greater generosity with respect to time and money. We will see our church set free from some of the things that have kept us from reaching our full potential in the past. We will see new connections with our community and our world. We will see each other serving with greater joy and passion.

We don’t have a set agenda of programs which will drop into place immediately after Christmas. We think the season of prayer and fasting will help us all discern some of those specifics. However, I am certain God will give us new insights about how to reach into our surrounding neighborhoods with greater effectiveness.

What the Revival/Fast Will Look Like We will begin just after Labor Day with a four-day series of revival meetings. Then we will move into our season of ministry fast. What will that look like?

Let me begin by listing the things we will be doing:  We will meet weekly for inspirational worship services as we do now.  We will meet in Sunday School classes and small groups for fellowship, prayer, and Bible study on revival.

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We will meet monthly for our Family Dinner to encourage the growth of true fellowship among our people.

We will continue to offer children’s and youth gatherings, though their focus is likely to change during the time of the fast.

We will gather for special prayer meetings at least once a month.

We will continue to meet as teams, not to do ministry, but to enjoy fellowship, evaluate, and revision our future as ministry teams and as a church.

We will be offering a new small group opportunity to keep visitors and new folks connected and engaged.

The Pre-School will continue to operate as usual.

The Boy Scouts, as a semi-independent organization will determine its own schedule during this time.

Since a fast implies some sort of taking away, let me share with you some of the things that will not be happening:  We will not be holding fundraisers such as the rummage sale, pumpkin patch, or tree sales.  We will not be doing large, labor intensive events such as Fall Festival.  We will not be holding regular administrative meetings to conduct business, except in the case of extreme emergencies.  We will not be holding ALPHA.  We will not be opening new ministry opportunities until after the fast has concluded.

We realize that some of the activities we are suspending are long-term Aloma institutions which will be missed. However, we do believe that a fast will allow us to evaluate those events and help us begin to establish new ways of looking at funding things. We have talked with the leadership teams of the various projects and we are committed to fulfilling our obligations to the wider community wherever possible even when the projects themselves are not operating.

We can look at the fast in one of two ways: either as a loss or as a new opportunity. When Jesus fasted from food at the beginning of His ministry, Satan tried to tempt Him with the loss, but Jesus turned the fast into an opportunity, declaring that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Mathew 4:4).

People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4