2015 Asbury Leadership Handbook

Table of Contents Asbury Vision Statement & Asbury Map .............................................. 2 Asbury’s Model for Adult Community Leadership ................................... 3 Community Co-Presidents .............................................................. 4 Communications Person ................................................................ 5 Asbury Communications Department ................................................. 6 Spiritual Gifts Coordinator ............................................................. 7 Community Treasurer ................................................................... 8 Hospitality Team Leader .............................................................. 10 Hospitality: Member Care Coordinator .............................................. 11 Hospitality: Assimilation Coordinator ............................................... 13 Time of Need ............................................................................ 14 Hospital Visitation ...................................................................... 16 Community Bereavement Procedure ................................................ 18 Funeral/Memorial Service Policies ................................................... 20 Hospitality: Prayer Coordinator ...................................................... 22 Hospitality: Social Coordinator ....................................................... 24 Grow Team Leader ..................................................................... 25 Elective Teachings ..................................................................... 26 Resource Room.......................................................................... 35 Resource Request....................................................................... 41 Influence Team Leader ................................................................ 42 Influence: Missions Coordinator Global Outreach ................................. 43 Ways to Get Involved in Global Outreach ........................................... 44 VIM Schedule ............................................................................ 45 Influence: Missions Coordinator Local Outreach ................................... 46 Local Outreach Matching Funds Application ........................................ 47 1

Asbury’s Vision Statement: Developing all generations for significant lives in Christ

Asbury’s MAP (How we want people to engage at Asbury) The MAP answers the question for members and guests: “What do you want me to do?” It helps us deal with the three-fold problem of most churches:  There are simply too many options from which to choose.  The complexity is confusing, making it hard to know how to connect at Asbury.  Many, especially guests and new members cannot figure out what to do next.

Therefore, 50% of people never take a step beyond worship

Asbury’s MAP Worship Grow

Influence

Worship is the primary way we want people to engage with God at Asbury. It is our top priority for members and guests as we experience God together as an intergenerational church.

Worship is where we get a biblical foundation for our lives and celebrate what God is doing in and through Asbury.

Worship alone will not help us experience the abundant life God wants for us. In addition to worship, we call people to grow and develop their faith toward spiritual maturity, wholeness and wellness, and to influence others for Jesus Christ. This commitment requires individual responsibility to pursue life-long development toward a transformed life.

As people engage in worship and grow in their faith, we call members and guests to leverage who they are becoming in Christ so that they can meaningfully influence others. Serving at Asbury and beyond is not an end in itself. The goal is to positively influence those with whom we come into contact by sharing the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ. Our calling is to find ways to influence others at Asbury, at work, at home, in our neighborhoods, and in every area of our lives.

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Asbury Model for Adult Community Leadership

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Community Co-Presidents The Community Co-Presidents provide the leadership, vision and shepherding for the community while living out the Asbury vision of “Developing All Generations for Significant Lives in Christ.

Prayer is vital to the success of a community leader. Prayerfully commit your efforts to lead and guide your community to God’s agenda. Prayerfully look for opportunities to join the Lord as He works in the life of Asbury and your community.

Responsibilities 

Provide leadership, vision and shepherding for the community.

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Assist in recruiting the following team leaders: Treasurer, Hospitality, Grow, Communications and Influence Team Leaders. Provide guidance and leadership to the leadership team. Team leaders should all be Asbury members.

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In November, lead the task of recruiting new members for the community leadership team and insure that the completed form is returned to Asbury Adult Discipleship Staff.

Recommended spiritual gifts: pastor/shepherd, administration, leadership Practical Helps. 

Each Co-President serves a two year term and can be re-appointed/elected. The preferred method is for the Co-Presidents to serve overlapping terms to allow the experienced copresident to provide guidance and training to the incoming co-president. This ensures continuity and provides a natural training period.

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The Co-Presidents should understand the concept and duties of the Hospitality, Grow and Influence ministries (teams). The team ministries provide the framework for the growth and caring of the community and its individual members.

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Selection of the team leaders is an important task of the Co-Presidents, as is recruiting the right person for each ministry area. Review the spiritual gifts of those being considered for each leadership position to match the gifts needed.

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Then assist team leaders to obtain the help and/or resources they need. Have routine meetings and ongoing discussion with the leadership team. Quarterly meetings are recommended.

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Ensure all teaching reflects Asbury’s biblical worldview and our Methodist traditions.

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Facilitate weekly classroom activities. Establish a format for the meeting and strive to stick to the format. Time management is always a challenge; a balance of fellowship, sharing, administration announcements and teaching is very important to make the best use of time.

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Communications Person 

Set up an email distribution list or utilize myasburytulsa.org. Contact the Robin Brush, for login permissions and/or training.

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There is a wonderful communication tool is available for all communities on myasburytulsa.org. This is in the same area as where you mark your attendance online. You log in the same and choose options, such as: “send an email.” This tool is especially helpful because it accesses the most current list of people in your community with the most current contact information Asbury has, in real time. As you update your roster or as people update their own personal information, you have access to the most current information.

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Consider setting up a Facebook Group to communicate and promote your group activities, service projects and social events or meet-ups. Contact Robin to set up a Facebook page, for login permissions and/or training.

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You might choose to design and maintain a web page, which can be linked from the Asbury website. See the Asbury communications department guidelines. Work with Robin to link it to your community description at www.asburytulsa.org.

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Contact the Robin Brush to make any requests for the communications department.

Contacts Robin Brush, Adult Discipleship Associate

918.392.1133

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rbrush@asburytulsa.org

Asbury Communications Department Communications is more than just a logo or gimmick. It is the emotional connection people feel when they hear and see anything related to Asbury United Methodist Church.

Our goal is to have every piece be consistent and look like they are from the Asbury family. To make this happen, the communications department is now centralized to help each ministry with layout and web design, promotion and messaging.

Printed Materials The communications department is responsible for the look and feel of everything related to Asbury including postcards, flyers, brochures, nametags, banners, business cards, signs and newsletters. Please do not design your own materials or logos.

Pieces that need to be designed must be received by communications at least three weeks in advance. They are flexible with this time frame but just want adequate time to design the piece.

Work with your ministry leader (Adult Discipleship Associate) to fill out a project request (PR) form prior to the deadline for pieces needed.

The photography style for Asbury features up-close photography of interactions with children, youth, members and the different ministries. We want to capture the emotion and feeling in each photo from the events. If you have an event, please contact Kay Mains at 918.392.1140, so we can schedule a photographer.

Only two revisions per piece are allowed.

The time required for these projects is not charged out to the communities. The cost of producing these items is the responsibility of the individual community.

Web Design Communities may design and maintain their own websites, which can be linked from the Asbury website (www.asburytulsa.org)/ Discipleship Communities page.

Guidelines for community websites   

The community web pages should be of high quality.

The community web pages should not include personal information, such as phone number, addresses, prayer requests, unless there is password protection.

The community web pages should be updated regularly.

Facebook and social media If a community wishes to utilize Facebook, please contact Robin Brush, to coordinate with the webmaster to create your GROUP, not a page. Asbury has an official Facebook page.

Asbury groups are connected under the main Facebook page, and your page gets many promotional benefits from this association.

If you need assistance with printed materials or website information, please contact Robin Brush to assist you in this process.

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Spiritual Gifts Inventory The spiritual gifts inventory resource is available to help develop and implement strategies to encourage each member to discover members’ spiritual gifts. After having identified their spiritual gifts, each member can then serve your community in the manner which God has best equipped them, allowing a better understanding of who to seek out for a given service opportunity when volunteers are needed.

We have an instructor who can teach the class about spiritual gifts if you would like to devote a few class sessions to a deeper study.

Practical Helps/Suggestions  Members of your community may take the Spiritual Gifts Inventory online. Select the “Get Involved” tab on the Quick Links at www.asburytulsa.org. You then select the “Spiritual Gift” tab and follow the link to take the Spiritual Gifts Inventory online.  For those who do not have access to the internet, paper copies are available.  Teaching on spiritual gifts during your community time after members have taken the Spiritual Gifts Inventory may be taught by your regular teacher(s) or you may call on Dee Gibbs, who teaches a class on spiritual gifts (see information listed below.)

Contacts Michelle Rafferty, Membership Team Assoc.

Dee Gibbs, Spiritual gifts instructor

918.392.1135 918.640.9066

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mrafferty@asburytulsa.org ddeelyte@cox.net

Community Treasurers Treasurer The Treasurer oversees the accounting of all funds collected and provides an annual Community Financial Report and complies with all Asbury policies for community funds. The guidelines for Community Treasurers is included in the Additional Resources section of this handbook.

Bank Accounts Each community should have a bank account. Many communities have accounts already set up.

We encourage you to open a free checking account at a bank most convenient for your community treasurer. Please notify Dean Hatch, Controller, (see contact information below) when you begin the process of setting up an account. 

Please establish the new account under Asbury’s tax ID number (73-0728230). You should not be asked to supply your own social security number.

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Once you have spoken to the bank about getting the account established, contact Dean Hatch about the specific items the bank will need, and he will coordinate getting those items complete. They often need a corporate resolution from Asbury and the signature of a corporate officer to approve the check signers you have selected.

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The bank account should be stylized as follows: Community Name, Asbury United Methodist Church Both lines are important. It is important that your checks be stylized this way so that you may make tax-exempt purchases (see section below).

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The address on your bank account should be the address where you want the monthly statement to be mailed. This address could be the church address or the treasurer’s home address. The bank will allow you to change this information periodically as your treasurer changes. If you have it mailed to the church, it will be put in your community notebook.

Community Offering Most communities take up an offering on Sunday morning to support various mission efforts and to provide for class needs. The finance department is asked a variety of questions about these funds, so this is an attempt to address some of them.

1. Are we supposed to give a portion of our offering to Asbury? No. We do not expect you to tithe back to Asbury for 10 percent of offering each week. We consider this offering to be above and beyond what a member would give or tithe to Asbury. If you would like to give any portion back to Asbury, you may put it in the yellow offering envelope found in your community notebook. But, again, this is not expected.

2. Why don’t my contributions to the community appear on my giving (tax) statement?

Since your community has control over these funds, we cannot include any contributions to your community on a person’s tax statement from Asbury. The IRS allows for individuals to use canceled checks to substantiate gifts to charitable organizations. If a member of your 8

community writes a check to your community and feels the tax deduction is justified, they would have to use their canceled check as proof of the contribution. We get many phone calls in the finance office regarding this matter. If someone wants the donation to appear on their tax statement, the check must be written to Asbury for a purpose of one of Asbury’s established ministries. Please call the finance office before making any assumptions on this matter. We will clarify any questions you have.

Please note: As a result of the Pension Protection Act, beginning in January 2007, all contributions to charitable organizations must be substantiated by a bank record or by written statement from the charity in order for the donor to claim a tax deduction. Previously, donations less than $250 did not require any documentation. Both the donor and the community should be aware of this new rule. For those interested in the tax deduction, they will need to write a check for the contribution to your community. It will be left up to each community if they want to issue receipts for cash donation.

Tax Exempt Purchases Asbury is exempt from Oklahoma sales tax. Because your community is included under Asbury’s federal identification number, you are eligible to make purchases exempt from Oklahoma sales tax. If you are making large purchases for an event or missions project, you may want to use the tax-exempt card (provided by Dean Hatch) to make these purchases. Please contact him in advance to get more details.

Use of Asbury Vehicles When a group wishes to use a church vehicle, an approved driver must check with their desired ministry director to get approval. Note: There is a 75 mile, one way, mileage limit.

After the ministry director approves, they will contact the receptionist in the main office to schedule it on the Facility Scheduler and make arrangements to pick up keys.

The approved driver may should arrive 20-30 minutes before the event in case refueling the vehicle is required. Approved drivers will be responsible for having sufficient fuel in the vehicle to complete the event without running the risk of running out.

Please return the vehicle with the tank refilled to the level of the gas gauge was when vehicle was picked up.

Food Services If at any time your community makes arrangements with the kitchen for meals, payments for food or supplies should be coordinated with Virginia Huddleston.

Contact Information: Dean Hatch Controller, Asbury United Methodist Church Phone: 918.392.1136 Fax: 918.392.1101 Email: dhatch@asburytulsa.org

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Hospitality Team Leader The Hospitality team promotes ministry to and for the members of the community. The Hospitality team is focused on building relationships in a Christ-centered environment, from the reception of guests with warm hospitality and the assimilation of new members, to caring for current members and fostering the prayer and social life of the community.

Responsibilities The Hospitality Team Leader is responsible for coordinating the four primary components of the team: assimilation, member care, prayer and social. In larger communities, the Hospitality Team could have from 8-10 members, while in smaller communities the areas can be combined and covered by fewer people. The Team Leader is responsible for attending leadership meetings, both within the community and church-wide leadership training opportunities. 

The Assimilation Coordinator implements a system for greeting and acknowledging guests, including following up with potential new members and assimilating new members in the life of the community.

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The Member Care Coordinator mobilizes the community to support and encourage one another during the joys and trials of life. This includes acknowledging milestones and special events, care and support during times of need, and responding to member absences, inactivity or disengagement from the community.

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The Prayer Coordinator fosters a growing, vibrant prayer life both individually and within the community.

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The Social Coordinator plans and organizes opportunities for community fellowship outside the weekly community meeting time.

Recommended spiritual gifts: pastor/shepherd, mercy, serving, leadership, administration Practical Helps/Suggestions After prayerful consideration, the Hospitality Team Leader, recruits leaders for each of these areas from the membership of the community, then provides leadership and direction for the coordinators. Having each position filled divides the duties and allows greater participation from the membership. If positions are not filled, the responsibility falls to the team leader to cover those areas. The Team Leader should meet and get to know each member of the community, and to be generally aware of special needs within the community.

Contacts Charles Ryser, Pastor of Care 918.392.1125 Charlene Giles, Care & Marriage Ministry Director 918.392.1145

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cryser@asburytulsa.org cgiles@asburytulsa.org

Hospitality: Member Care Coordinator The purpose of the Community Member Care Coordinator is to create a team to assist with tracking attendance, contacting inactive members, and celebrating the significant events of life as well as being involved in the tough experiences of life. 

The Attendance Person: Reports weekly attendance for the community and return the community attendance folder to a Guest Services desk.

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The Absentee Person: Follows up with members who have been consistently absent to see how they are doing, find out how the community can help and if they wish to continue to be in membership.

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The Recognition Person: Tracks and recognizes significant milestones in the life of community members.

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The Time of Need Person: Coordinates community-sponsored support and help to members during times of need. This is the person who will be contacted by Asbury staff when a community member is hospitalized or a death has occurred.

The Community Attendance Folder Each community has a folder which is updated and maintained by volunteers. It is a key communication tool between Asbury staff and the communities. It contains an attendance roster, Community Chat, mail, guest/new member registration form, etc. and a name tag order form w/envelope. It will be placed in the classroom every Sunday. We ask that the folder be dropped off in a blue crate at any Guest Services desk before 12:30 pm each Sunday.

Name Tags Nametags may be ordered using the envelope and name tag request form located in the binder.

Follow instructions on the name tag order form. Please place the envelope in the slot at the south Guest Services Desk with money for each name tag. Please do not put back in the community folder as it may not be noticed.

Class Cancellation: Please notify us by Thursday if your community is not meeting on Sunday so that we can communicate with the Guest Services team to avoid sending guests to an empty room when you aren’t meeting. Simply email rbrush@asburytulsa.org. myAsburytulsa.org: Let us help you. Using this wonderful online tool we simplify your work and ours at the same time.  Capabilities: Record weekly attendance, track past attendance, direct mass email communication to your community and even download into an excel spreadsheet anytime you need. Simply log in to myasburytulsa.org, if you have the correct permissions assigned to you.  If you need to upgrade your permissions to access this information for your community, contact the Robin Brush.

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Online Attendance: We require all communities to report attendance online. This can be submitted through any smart phone, smart device, laptop or home computer. Each community should identify 2-3 different people who can and will take attendance online so that the absence of one person does not affect the reporting process.

All attendance should be reported on Sunday, so that our attendance department can run the reports and submit them on time to the pastor and church leaders every Monday morning.

How to add/drop people from your roster: When guests are ready to join or members leave your community, here are three different ways to update your roster. Choose one method to use for any particular communication:  Online attendance form: Send their information to us in the “visitor” box in with a note specifying add or drop those people.  Email updates to Robin Brush at rbrush@asburytulsa.org.  ‘Guest/ New Member Registration’ Form: If you prefer to communicate through attendance folder, please understand that these updates are made to your roster about once a month, ideally before new rosters are printed but not always. The other two methods are more efficient. Feel free to use this form for your own purposes.

Absentees When a member has missed 3-5 consecutive meetings, the absentee person should call or send a card, letting them know they have been missed. You can see who these people are on myAsburytulsa.org. Those who are consistently absent should be contacted quarterly to express interest and care, to inquire about special needs, or to find out if they would like to be removed from the community roster.

Recognition and Celebration of Milestones You may compile a list of member birthdays from myAsburytulsa.org to recognize in class or send birthday cards.

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Hospitality: Assimilation Coordinator The Assimilation Coordinator seeks to create an environment of love and care that communicates to each guest that they are welcome to join the community. He/she should be a hospitable person who empowers the community to welcome all guests and leads in hospitality practices. He/she is the point of contact to receive referrals from pastors/staff and is the initial contact who initially welcomes new guests into the community.

Practical Helps/Suggestions  You may ask guests to complete a “Visitor Card” to announce and welcome them. Asbury provides these if requested through Robin, rbrush@asburytulsa.org.  For adding people to your roster, provide their name correctly spelled with some sort of address, email, phone number so we add the correct “John Smith” to your community.  Either request access to myAsburytulsa.org or work with the Attendance Coordinator on this.

Joining Asbury Luncheon: For those guests interested in learning more about Asbury and church membership, invite them to attend the Joining Asbury luncheon which is usually the second Sunday of each month in the Community Life Center (CLC), 12:15 - 2:00 pm. Lunch is provided and child care is available to children six weeks to 6th grade.  Note: Watch for this event to change into a brunch sometime later this year. It will be held during church on a different rotation schedule.

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HOSPITALITY: Time of Need When a member of a community is facing one of life’s difficult challenges, the community is Asbury’s primary care provider. While some community members will individually choose to reach out and offer support, the Time of Need coordinator makes sure the community membership is aware of the need and conveys to the other members specific ways they can help.

Christian Counseling: Seeking Christian counselors? Care & Professional referrals Phone Line, call 918.392.1199, Ext. 270. Leave a message anytime, day or night. Calls returned next working day. Counselors do not work for Asbury but are screened by Asbury Care staff before being recommended.

Celebrate Recovery: It is a biblical and balanced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-up and habits. It is based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory. It was designed as a program to help those struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups by showing them the loving power of Jesus Christ through a recovery process.

Many folks claim no addictions to drugs, alcohol, pornography or gambling. But most of us are touched by bad divorces, abusive relationships, and periods of unemployment or grief from losing loved ones. Compulsive over-eating and depression is quite common. And while some people are free of these heavy burdens there remains a simple truth, many people have benefited from this process. For more information go to www.asburytulsa.org/AdultMinistries/CelebrateRecovery Stephen Ministers (SM) offer one-on-one listening and prayer support whenever an Asbury member or visitor needs extra support, for a few meetings or for several months. Contact the Referrals Coordinator, Adrena Mahu.

Congregational Care Ministry (CCM) are trained lay people in pastoral care to visit members in the hospital and after they are discharged. Also, some CCM’s visit those who are homebound or have an ongoing illness. For more information or a referral, contact Adrena Mahu.

Specific areas where the Time of Need person should be involved are: HOSPITAL – When a member of the discipleship community is hospitalized, a card and a visit from the Time of Need person is appropriate. This community representative should find out how the community can be of help, (meals, visits etc.) and keep the community informed of how recovery is proceeding.

WEEKEND HOSPITALIZATION OR LIFE & DEATH CRISIS - The after-hours pastoral emergency line can be reached by calling 918.492.1771, selecting option 2, and leaving a message for the pastor on call.

DEATH – Whenever there is a death in the community, the Funeral Coordinator office should be informed immediately (918.392.1113). The Time of Need person should call the family to 14

see how the community may be of assistance. Traditionally, the community offers to provide the meal for the family before or after the funeral/memorial service.

Available to those who are grieving: 

Asbury bear bags contain a cuddly bear and a coloring book about heaven (or a journal) and are located in the Care Ministry drawer in the south welcome center desk.  Care notes and scripture booklets are located in the Resource Area located in the main lobby. Specific grief care notes are located upstairs in hallway between upstairs administrative offices and music department, next to stairwell.  GriefShare groups are offered periodically. Check online under RoadMap listings. *Unless otherwise noted, contact Ruth Winn at 918.392.1146 for the resources listed above.

Available for other times as well:  Homemade lap quilts are available for those who are going through a serious illness.  Personalized encouragement cards are sent twice a month through the Care Card Ministry. To add someone to that list, call Ruth Winn at 918.392.1146.  Cancer patients or others who have lost their hair are welcome to receive a hat from the Healing Hats Ministry. Contact Sue Fisher at 918.455.2816.  Stephen Ministers offer one-on-one listening and prayer support whenever an Asbury member or visitor needs extra support, for a few meetings or for several months. Contact Adrena Mahu 918.392.1144.  A variety of support groups are available. Check online under Care Ministry.

Contacts Robin Brush, Adult Discipleship Victoria Williamson, Funeral Coordinator Charlene Giles, Director Care & Marriage Adrena Mahu, Parish Nurse, CCM, SM Tresa Johnson, Daily Hospital List Charles Ryser, Pastor of Care Glen Grusendorf, Director of Recovery Ministry Care & Professional Referrals Line

918.392.1133 918.392.1113 918.392.1145 918.392.1144 918.392.1143 918.392.1125 918.694.5277 918.392.1199

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rbrush@asburytulsa.org vwilliamson@asburytulsa.org cgiles@asburytulsa.org amahu@asburytulsa.org tjohnson@asburytulsa.org cryser@asburytulsa.org ggrusendorf@asburytulsa.org Ext. 270

Time of Need – Hospital Visitation Rev. Charles Ryser; Pastoral Care

2015

Thank you for being a Time of Need Representative for your community. Your role is a vital link to your community’s ministry and Asbury’s Pastoral Care Ministries.

Respecting a person’s desire for confidentiality is vital in our changing society. Many families, blended families, and individuals have reasons for protecting their medical privacy. While many don’t care who knows about their being in a hospital, some persons/families desire to maintain strict privacy or limit who has knowledge of their hospitalizations for various reasons. Help us as a staff by getting in the habit of asking their permission to share their presence in the hospital with their community and the Asbury pastors. This keeps pastors and your community members from potentially embarrassing moments at the time of a visit. A small statement such as: Do I have your permission to share this information with our community and our pastors that you are in the hospital? Such a simple request often empowers our members at a time when many feel that they’ve lost control and signals that we care about them during their hospital stay.

When making a hospital visit, follow these simple steps that will enable you to be an effective Time of Need minister: 

Do not wear perfume or colognes.

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Wear your church name badge so it is easy for the patient and hospital staff to see who you are and why you are present.

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Remember that you are a guest of any hospital you enter, so please follow all instructions and signage on doors or from the nurses and doctors.

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Wash your hands or use antibiotic foam or gel before and preferably after you have made a visit.

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Pray a brief prayer before you enter a room asking the Holy Spirit to help you listen and care as Christ would. Knock firmly on the door, then open the door partially, announcing who you are clearly and listening closely for permission before you enter.

Leave the door at least partially open. This should help you and the patient avoid a potentially embarrassing situation.

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Stay humble and don’t rush to the side of the bed. Instead, keep your distance until the patient invites you to come closer.

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Every person has his/her own comfort zone, or zone of intimacy, and he/she will convey this to you via words, hand or eye motions, or tone of voice. Follow their lead.

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It is important that you get enough medical information to understand their concerns.

However, it is more important that they know they have been heard and cared for.

Practice listening three times as much as you speak!

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Unless water or ice is noticeably available to the patient, seek a nurse’s permission to give them fluids if they request it.

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If family or friends are in the room, try not to talk over or around the patient. Focus on patient.

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Unless a patient signals to you a desire for a longer conversation, try to limit your time with them. Their rest and strength is essential for a good recovery.

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Do not assume you have to end a visit with a prayer. Instead, ask them if they would like for you to pray for or with them.

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As you get ready to exit, thank the patient for letting you visit him/her, then make sure you have permission to share this with the community and pastoral staff.

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Always ask if they would like their door left closed or partially open.

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If necessary, make any notes while in the hall. If you call the church to report about the patient, please make sure you have the person’s room number and the name of the correct hospital. If the situation is an emergency, call the church number at 918.492.1771 and follow the instructions. Speak slowly and clearly. If you are asking a pastor to make an emergency call, repeat your information and any phone numbers or room numbers several times. This will insure that we get to the right place as quickly as possible.

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Community Bereavement Procedure Purpose: To ensure that whenever a member of a discipleship community loses an immediate family member to death, a Time of Need/Member Care community representative will call the family within 24 hours to offer support, a listening ear, and to report to the Asbury staff any additional needs that exist.

PROCEDURE: 1. Whenever any community member learns of the death of a community member or their immediate family, please call Victoria Williamson at 918.392.1113 MondayThursday during office hours. After hours, on Fridays or on weekends, call Victoria at 918.250.7878 or 918.284.6383 (cell). When you call, please report the following information if you know it: name of person who died, where they lived, name and contact information for the related Asbury member, date of the death, information about the funeral/memorial services. Whenever appropriate, Victoria will follow up immediately with the family to learn of special needs.

2.

If the church office learns of a death related to your community, Victoria Williamson will contact the Time of Need/Member Care representative for your community. (If there is no Time of Need/Member Care person listed, she will contact the care leader.) Victoria will let you know the family’s desires about having a lunch served at the church. She will also tell you the number of people expected at the luncheon (immediate family). Sometimes the family requests a reception of cookies, tea and coffee, in which case it works to invite all who attend the service. If the meal/reception will be held at Asbury, Victoria will reserve a room. Your community will be expected to provide the food, the paper goods, the servers and people to clean up afterward. (Rarely is there no room available requiring the meal to be held at another location.) Note: meal or reception

3.

Your community Time of Need/Member Care representative is encouraged to pick up suitable care notes UPSTAIRS in the bookcase in the hallway between the upstairs administrative offices and the music department. They may also put together a “bear bag” for adults or children involved. (Bears and bags are upstairs in the cabinet under the care notes. Pre-assembled bear bags are also available at the downstairs south Guest Services desk.) There is also a GriefShare class available each semester through Asbury RoadMap. This is listed on the website and in RoadMap brochures.

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Other services your community may desire to offer:

5.

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“Are there people you would like me to notify for you?”

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“Would you like someone to go with you to make funeral arrangements?”

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“Do people in your family need child care during the service?” (Child care is not available through the church, but your community may want to provide it at a home.)

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“Would you like to have someone from Stephen Ministry call and tell you about this special one-on-one ministry that is available for extra support during times of grief?” (If so, connect them with Adrena Mahu, Stephen Ministry referrals coordinator, at 918.392.1144.)

You may want to keep a record of which deaths occur on which dates. Then next year you can send a special note to the family on the anniversary date of the death. (Tom Harrison and the care ministry also send letters during the anniversary month, a year 18

after the death. In addition, the care ministry sends a series of four booklets throughout the year after the death of a spouse, child or grandchild.)

6.

If there are any unusual or difficult situations that arise, please contact Charlene Giles, director of care ministry) at 918.392.1145. We would be happy to provide a teacher for your community about God’s plan for grief and healing from the losses of life.

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Funeral/Memorial Service Policies Death of Members of Asbury: It is Asbury’s policy to have the memorial service after the graveside service. This was originated

by Pastor William C. (Bill) Mason several years ago. We have found that this is much more comforting for the family and all who attend, because it is actually a memorial service celebrating the life of the deceased. Once the family and friends say goodbye to their loved one at the graveside, they can come back to church and celebrate the life of the loved one. This is a wonderful way to remember the deceased – at a “celebration of their life.”

Cremation has become much more widely accepted. In the case of a cremation, if there is no funeral home involved, and the family wants a memorial service, Asbury will accommodate the family by making all arrangements for the memorial service. However, if a funeral home is involved, Asbury will work with the funeral home to make arrangements for the service. The first phase of the columbarium was completed in May 2009, and services for committal of the ashes are also available.

Ministries Available to the Family of Deceased: (The following ministries are offered to Asbury members) 

Meal Ministry: If the deceased is a member or relative of an Asbury member, a meal is offered to the immediate family prior to or following the memorial service. The member’s community (Sunday school class) offers the meal. If the deceased is not a member of a community (Sunday school class), the volunteer ministry provides the meal for immediate family only. The meal will be served in the Parlor, which accommodates up to 50 people or in the Family Room if more space is needed.



Reception: Some families prefer not to have a meal but would rather have a reception following the service in order to include all guests who attend the service. In this case, the community involved or the meal ministry volunteers will provide this.

Please note – EITHER a meal OR a reception is offered to the family.



Flower Ministry: Asbury’s flower ministry will deliver flowers left from the funeral to hospitals or nursing homes if the family desires to leave the flowers.



Child Care: Child care is not available through the church.

Video Presentation: Many families are requesting a video presentation of the deceased to be shown at the memorial service. The family may choose to have either the funeral home or Asbury’s media team to produce this presentation. Asbury’s team requires at least 48-72 hours prior notice, with the family supplying all the pictures. Cost to produce a video is $250.00. The presentation must be approximately eight minutes and no longer than ten minutes in length. The contents must always meet the approval of Asbury prior to memorial service. If the video is produced by an outside source, we must receive it at least 24 hours prior to service for previewing and approval. Videos produced by outside sources often require reformatting in order 20

to work with Asbury’s equipment, which will incur an additional charge. An audio CD of the memorial service will be provided to the family, which is included in the fee for soundman.

Death of Non-Members of Asbury: Due to the amount of requests to use Asbury’s facility for non-members services, effective February 1, 2005, the following usage fees will apply.

EVENT

Funeral / Chapel

Member Use Charge

Non-Member

Outside Core

Use Charge

Hours Charge

No Charge

$500.00 or $250.00 if for close relative of church member $1000.00

$30/hr plus $15/hr for each Additional guard required.

Funeral/Sanctuary No Charge

If you have any questions, please call Victoria Williamson, funeral coordinator, at 918.392.1113 or vwilliamson@asburytulsa.org.

Submitted by: Victoria D. Williamson February 2015

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Hospitality: Prayer Coordinator Asbury’s prayer ministry’s mission/vision is:  “Every member devoted to prayer.”  To become a prayer-saturated church by assisting every believer in experiencing an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ expressed through a life devoted to believing prayer, both individually and corporately.

Responsibilities 

Receive and make available to the community requests for prayer and offerings of praise for answered prayer.



Raise the level of awareness of opportunities for community members to pray for the numerous ministries of Asbury locally, regionally and globally.



Facilitate and inspire community members beyond their present experience/practice of prayer into a dynamic, ever-expanding vision and involvement in effectual, fervent prayers that accomplish real results. Broaden the understanding and vision of prayer to include listening as an active and integral part of prayer.



Encourage community members to become more involved in regularly praying for all areas of community life, and the ministry activities of Asbury by developing prayer strategies, such as prayer calendars, adoption of ministry and/or missionary, etc.



Keep the community apprised of specific prayer initiatives and concerns that might arise from time to time.



Provide the necessary information updates necessary to help those praying to be able to pray more specifically and effectively.

Practical Helps/Suggestions 

Take time to pray during community meeting time for requests and give praise for answered prayers. The prayer leader is not expected to be the only member to offer corporate prayer. Encourage all members to participate.



Welcome prayer requests and praises during community meeting times and/or during the week by phone or email.



Promote and invite participation in specific prayer initiatives during the church year.

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Provide prayer calendars to facilitate involvement in prayer for the various ministries and missions of Asbury.



Encourage teaching on prayer once a year.

Ways to submit prayer requests to the church prayer teams:  Complete a prayer request card located in the pews during Sunday services.  Call 918.392.1142 and leave a voicemail request.

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

Click on the prayer ministry page at www.asburytulsa.org to submit a request on the internet.

Prayer Rooms Main Prayer Room Sunday, 12:30 to 9:00 pm Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 9:00 pm Saturday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Mason Chapel and Venue Prayer Rooms (exterior doors*) Sunday, 12:30 – 9:00 pm Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 9:00 pm Saturday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Mason Chapel and Venue Prayer Rooms (interior doors) Sunday, 7:00 am – 12:30 pm *The Venue and Mason Chapel exterior doors into the prayer rooms require a door code available from the adult ministry coordinator (918.392.4589).

In addition, the prayer rooms may be reserved through the adult ministries coordinator, 918.392.4589, if your community would like to gather for group prayer.

Current Asbury Prayer Opportunities  Acts 29 prayer team - Pray daily at home for Asbury, its pastors, staff and ministries, using a provided 40-day prayer guide.  Pray for All prayer team - Pray at home for assigned individuals/families who are Asbury members. New assignments are made annually.  Intercessory prayer team - Pray at home for the prayer requests submitted in the Sunday worship services. List is distributed weekly.  Email prayer team – Pray at home for the requests submitted from the Asbury web page or 24-hour prayer line. List is emailed 2-3 times a week.  Local Outreach- Join prayer van each 2nd Saturday to pray on location for each 2nd Saturday partnered ministry or organization.  Global Outreach – Pray at home for the needs of Asbury’s missionaries and highlighted global concerns.

To serve Asbury through volunteering for one of these prayer teams or to get involved, please email Cheryl Steffen at csteffen27@cox.net.

Contacts Asbury Prayer Line Pam Wallace, Adult Ministry Coordinator Cheryl Steffen, Prayer Ministry Lay Leader Beverlyn Summers, Acts 29 Coordinator

918.392.1142 918.392.4589 918.627.9538 23

pwallace@asburytulsa.org csteffen27@cox.net act29asbury@aol.com

Hospitality: Social Coordinator The social aspect of community life gives the members opportunities to connect in casual settings apart from the weekly class meeting. The fellowship during these social times builds friendships among the members as we spend time together and get to know one another. The Social Coordinator makes sure the community is having regularly scheduled events outside the weekly class meeting time. The Social Coordinator should recruit others to help plan, organize, and host a variety of events.

Policies  It is inappropriate for alcoholic beverages to be served or consumed at community events.  To reserve a room at Asbury for a community social event, call Robin in Adult Discipleship at 918.392.1133.  All people who use the kitchen for any and all events should attend a volunteer food handlers class hosted by Virginia in the CLC on a regular basis.  M&M Catering offers food for special events at Asbury. Contact Virginia Huddleston for more information. You must reserve a room separately - Virginia does not handle room reservations.

Contacts Robin Brush, Adult Discipleship Associate Virginia Huddleston, Asbury Food Services/M&M

918.392.1122 918.392.1132

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rbrush@asburytulsa.org vhuddleston@asburytulsa.org

Grow Team Leader The Grow Team seeks to glorify God by providing the discipleship community with high quality, Bible-based teaching which emphasizes the need for salvation through Jesus Christ and teaches members to grow in discipleship as they apply the truths of God’s Word.

Responsibilities  Oversee the community’s biblical literacy/educational program, ensuring that teaching is consistent with the Asbury’s theological views and the Methodist traditions.  Provide teachers for the annual teaching plan. Instructors for Asbury communities must be approved by Asbury pastor or staff.

Recommended Spiritual Gifts: teaching, leadership, administration, exhortation, prophecy Practical Helps/Suggestions  Learn how to set up and use media (DVD, sound, screens, etc.) If you need extra help to become comfortable with the media equipment for a specific event, please call Robin to set up a time to meet.  Recruit teachers from the 2015 Elective Teaching List.  Video teaching materials available from the church’s resource room. Contact Robin for access to materials.  Have backup plan in the event a teacher cancels at the last minute. Some suggestions are: o Personal testimonies. o Dedicated time of prayer for community member prayer requests. o Extend time of music/worship.

Contacts Robin Brush, Adult Discipleship Associate

918.392.1133

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rbrush@asburytulsa.org

2015 Elective Teachings The following is a list from which all of our communities may draw when they have an opening in their teaching schedule that needs to be filled. There is a wide variety of teachers and topics, as well as number of sessions required for the teaching. Most teachers will teach on other topics as well, if you ask. These teachers are all approved for Grow Leaders to contact regarding teaching in the communities on other topics as well, and the list below is not intended to be all-inclusive of their offerings. Use their contact info to make arrangements with them directly.

General Substitutes: Don Herrold Debra Stephens

debra@mktins.com

Colleen Rinehart Jackie Carter

918.369.1776(H)

918.760.8876(C)

918.369.4080(H)

918.504.5302(C)

918.938.6832 (H) jacar@cox.net

918-636-6292

Jim Asbury jim.asbury@auxsable.com 918.625.0303 (C) Exodus (1-2 Sessions) -“Pharaoh & Me: 2 Hard Hearts” and “Grumblers & God: Who Do You Want to Drive?” Both lessons help make an Old Testament story relevant for today.

Relationship Principles of Jesus (4 sessions) - This book written by Thomas Holliday is a 40- day journey book on how Jesus Christ approached relationships. The four sessions will only be a taste of doing a 40-day journey on relationships. Call to get an outline of the lesson plan.

Nancy Baxter nbaxter@sbcglobal.net 918.688.1852 (C) Revelation 1-3 - Through studying Jesus’ letters to the churches which include us today, we learn to live the way He wants us to. His teaching causes us to really examine ourselves and where we are in our faith walk. God is revealing in Revelation a vision of the glory of Christ! He is preparing us for His coming.

Nancy has lessons for Daniel (8 weeks) or Joshua (4 weeks) as well.

The Beatitudes - This is a beautiful study of God defining the heart of a true believer.

Melanie Burdick, Global Outreach melanieburdick@gmail.com 918.493.2420 Missions: Why We G.O. (3 or 4 Sessions) - Have you ever wondered why Asbury is so committed to global outreach? Learn about the three topics that guide Asbury’s mission vision: 1. What God’s Word teaches us about His heart for the world?

2. What God’s world currently looks like?

3. How we participate in God’s work. Includes PowerPoint presentation and handouts.

Missions: We've a Story to Tell (1 session) - Hear first-hand accounts and heartwarming stories from Asburians who have recently been to the mission field or missionaries home on furlough or family members of missionaries. The sights, sounds and pictures of ministering Christ's love in another culture will fascinate and inspire you. Teachers vary with subject matter, some available on short notice.

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Pat Calhoun

pat@drsarge.com

918-694-6533

Can teach from any of a number of books or topics but his recent focus has been studies in apologetics as well as a study in Colossians.

Jackie Carter

jacar@cox.net

918-636-6292

Note: I do single classes on various subjects and would be happy to fill in for classes if they need some individual Sundays.

Developing Your Prayer Life (4 sessions) – Based on the book How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life by Gregory Frizzell, which was written to lead you on a relationship prayer journey with God. God is going to challenge you and call you to a far deeper relationship with Him through prayer. This teaching series includes foundations of prayer, basic prayer types, guidelines to effective praying and many practical helps for building an effective prayer journey.

Ron Carter 918.251-6665 (H) Financial Seminar (1 session) - This class is an overview of all the financial classes offered at Asbury. Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, The Legacy Journey, and Christian Estate and Legacy Planning. This overview will explain the difference in each of these classes offered at Asbury and how you can use them to manage your personal financial journey a biblical way.

Jim Davis, Global Outreach jdavis@asburytulsa.org 918.392.1117 Missions (1 or 2 sessions) – Hear from Asbury’s Director of Global Outreach on a variety of topics, including the biblical mandate for missions, a missions tour around the world, Asbury’s global missions program, or how God called Jim from an engineering career in Tennessee to Asbury staff in Tulsa.

Dee Gibbs ddeelyte@cox.net 918.640.9066 Spiritual Gifts (1 to 8 sessions) What? When? How? Where? Why? How does personality affect/personalize gifts?

Armor of God/Spiritual Warfare (1 to 8 sessions) Look at what the armor actually is and how to use it in practice.

Experiencing the Holy Spirit (1 to 8 sessions) Hearing the voice, heeding the voice, healing from the voice.

Emotions: God-Given (1 to 8 sessions) Reasons, roles and how to process them.

Conflict Resolution (1 to 8 sessions) The "heart" of the matter, communication skills, tips for effective conversations.

Codependency vs Healthy Love (1 to 8 sessions) What is codependency, and how does it affect our relationships?

Grief (1 to 8 sessions) What unprocessed grief looks like and why many of us struggle with it without knowing it.

Hole in the Gospel (1 to 8 sessions) by Richard Stearns (video series). Who is YOUR neighbor?

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Love and Respect (1 to 8 sessions) by Emerson Eggerichs. Men vs. women's needs in relationships, especially dating or marriage relationships.

Christian Atheist (1 to 8 sessions) by Craig Groeschel. What areas of your life are uncommitted?

Boundaries (1to 8 sessions) How to maintain your God-given identity in a friendship/relationship.

Dating and the Single Christian (1 to 8 sessions) Receiving God's best in your life.

Change and Growth (1 to 8 sessions) How programs like Celebrate Recovery truly work.

Charlene Giles cgiles@asburytulsa.org 918.392.1145 Director of Care and Marriage Ministries When Things Don’t Go the Way You Planned (1 or 2 weeks) How do we react when we hit a roadblock in life? How do we as Christians align our feelings, thoughts and behaviors with our beliefs? What makes that so hard?

Who to Help When? (1 or 2 weeks) - Some Christians help too much, some too little. How can we find the godly balance?

Speaking the Truth in Love: How to Be an Assertive Christian (1 or 2 weeks) - Does God truly desire for us to be assertive? How can we identify passive, assertive and aggressive behaviors?

When others act inappropriately, how can we redeem the situation?

Marriage is not a manmade convenience; marriage is to reflect Christ and his relationship to the Church. Learn basics about healthy conflict resolution, in-law relationships, the importance of money in marriage, and prayer in marriage. Each topic stands alone and includes group participation and personal life application. Available for one to four week options. Teachers will be members of Asbury Marriage Council. To arrange, contact Charlene Giles at cgiles@asburytulsa.org Relationships are important to God. In order to bridge the gap between one another, we need some tools. Learn basics about listening, helping those who are depressed, understanding the importance of boundaries, and helping those who are grieving. Each topic stands alone and includes group participation and personal life application. Available for one to four week options. Teachers will be Stephen Ministry Leaders. To arrange, contact Charlene Giles at cgiles@asburytulsa.org Rod Giles rgiles21@msn.com Change Your Questions, Change Your Lives What Has God Been Teaching You Lately? Interactive group presentation Reaching the Youth with Apologetics Why on earth did God put me here for? (2 Sessions) Change your questions, change your life. (2 sessions) Important life lessons from the garden. (1 session) 28

918.740.4393

Betty Higgins bhiggins@asburytulsa.org 918.495.1345 Parenting: “What I Learned about parenting in Israel” There are many things to learn from the Holy Land about parenting your child. This class is interactive and fun!

Advent - Preparing for the Coming Baby Do you ever get two weeks into Advent before you realize it's here? Your class can be right on time with this four-week series on Advent starting, naturally, on the first week of Advent. We make advent wreaths, do other crafts and talk about how to prepare our hearts and homes for this season of miracles. (Available at 9:15 during Advent) Parenting - WWJDAAP (What Would Jesus Do as a Parent?)

Ever wondered what Jesus would have done with a toddler throwing a temper tantrum? What would He say to a teenager who comes home two hours late? What does Jesus' life teach us about parenting? Learn how Jesus interacted with His disciples, what He said about children, how we can avoid giving our children stones when they ask for bread, and many more examples Jesus teaches us about parenting. (Available at 9:15 - call for available dates) Dave Hurd dave.hurd@yahoo.com 918.740.5740 Psalms of Ascent Highly interactive class exploring the Psalms traditionally sung as the Jews traveled to Jerusalem for the major festivals.

Creeds, Confessions & Personal Statements of Faith Having a difficult time articulating what you believe? We’ll explore how the Church has used creeds and statements of faith to express its relationship to God, fellow believers, and society.

In four weeks, we’ll explore creeds and statements of faith in the Bible and throughout church history. The class will culminate with each person writing his/her own personal statement of faith.

I Peter (4 or 8 sessions) It has been said that I Peter is one of the most theological books in the New Testament. Peter writes about the “now” and “not yet” aspect of salvation and the relationship of Christians to each other and to their savior. In eight weeks, we will discuss this beautiful discourse on salvation – its mechanics and nuances. Also includes discussion of personal and communal relationships. The study of I Peter will transform your spiritual life and broaden your view of salvation.

Esther The book of Esther has received media attention – a major motion picture and a cute VeggieTales cartoon. Learn the theological and spiritual lessons from the only book in the Bible that doesn’t mention the name of God. In the end, you, too, will love the orphan girl who became queen.

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Diane King dthomking@yahoo.com 918.361.2154 The Best Royal Wedding (1 session) Using the wedding of the British monarchs as a springboard, we see how the Hebrew wedding traditions spoken of in the Bible compare to the wedding of the Bride of Christ. Can be presented by Queen Elizabeth herself if you choose!

Covenant: The Crimson Thread through the Bible (1 – 4 sessions) Based on the Precept Upon Precept Bible study Covenant, we will examine several biblical covenants, discover the elements and the symbolism involved, ponder God’s view of covenant, and understand how the New Covenant can transform our lives today.

A Joy-Full Heart (1 session) What does the Bible say about this important, yet often ignored, fruit of the Holy Spirit? We will take a closer look and dive in to joy. Guaranteed to leave you smiling!

The Dangerous Duty of Delight (1 session) Based on the book of the same name by John Piper, this overview examines scripture to show that pursuing our happiness in Christ and finding ultimate satisfaction in Him is not optional, but essential.

Rev. Jim Lenderman 918.492.1771 Parable of the Sower by SOAP (4 sessions) Will teach class members how to use the S.O.A.P. method for reading and studying the Bible so God can speak through it. We will study the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13:18-23.

Parable of the Vine by SOAP (4 sessions) Will teach class members how to use the S.O.A.P. method for reading and studying the Bible so God can speak through it. We will study the Parable of the Vine found in John 15:11-14.

Renewing Your Mind (2 sessions) Most people struggle with some negative thoughts. We will learn how to identify thoughts that don’t lead to life and peace, as well as discover how to renew our minds using scripture.

Prayer (1 session) Very practical ideas on how to grow in your prayer life, including “prayer ushering,” “praying scripture,” and “making mention” of people in your prayers.

Jim Logan 918.760.3736 The Book of Revelation (8 sessions) – Outline, chronology, and events described. Examining the messages Jesus wants all believers to understand.

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Four Basics: God, Heaven, Hell, Judgment (4 or 8 sessions) The Character of God; Things we can know about Heaven; All about Hell; How will God judge the world?

How to understand the Bible (4 or 8 sessions) Rules of Bible interpretation (hermeneutics and exegesis). We will explore clear steps and rules to be able to have confidence in our abilities to correctly understand God’s message to us. Basic differences in various denominations and how their leaders came to their particular beliefs.

Ephraim as portrayed in the book of Hosea (4 sessions) Interesting personifications of the tribe of Ephraim throughout the book of Hosea reveal insights into our own nature and how God deals with us.

The Cherubim (from Genesis to Revelation) (4 sessions) The cherub is found throughout the Bible, yet we know very little about it. We will look at descriptions from the whole of the Scripture and draw some comparisons between the cherubim and the four synoptic Gospels.

End Time Events (4 sessions) Eschatology from the dispensationalists’ (pre-millennial) viewpoint. A look at possible distinctions between the rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ. We will also look at various judgments, the tribulation period, the abomination that makes desolate, etc.

The Temptations of Christ (4 sessions) Christ has left us a pattern that we should “follow in His footsteps.” Christ’s pattern for us is clearly presented in the nature of the temptations He suffered and the details of how He (as a human being) dealt with His tests.

Eight Distinct Aspects of the Law (4 sessions) Psalm 119 describes various aspects and qualities of the “law” or the “word” throughout the 176 verses using eight distinctly different variations such as: “Your laws,” “Your testimonies,” “Your judgments,” “Your precepts,” etc. We define each aspect and look at its particular bearing on our lives.

How Christians Grow (4 sessions) A study of different methods of growth, including growth patterns, examples from the life of Christ Jesus, and various Bible character cameos. We will move toward the peace of true understanding and away from popular misconceptions which actually hinder our growth as believers.

Book of Zechariah (4 sessions) Unlocking the secrets of the book of Zechariah, insights into the writings of the prophet, bringing clarity to many doctrines as well as keys to interpretation of Revelation, clear prophecies of Christ’s first advent, and End Time prophecies.

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The Feasts of Israel (4 to 8 Sessions) Understanding the Seven Feasts of Israel, detailing each feast to understand the revelation of who God is and insight into God’s heart, developing the doctrinal and prophetic meanings of each feast, and the distinctiveness of the three yearly events in that time period as well as the personally applicable principles.

The Sacrifices of Israel (4 sessions) Detailing the various sacrifices God instituted for Israel, defining each and understanding their value at that time, but more importantly, their value to us today. Goal: To enrich our lives with doctrinal insight and personal application of the divine principles.

The Book of Revelation (8 sessions) Outline, chronology, and events described. Examining the messages Jesus wants all believers to understand.

Four Basics: God, Heaven, Hell, Judgment (4 or 8 sessions) The character of God; things we can know about heaven; all about hell; how will God judge the world?

How to understand the Bible (4 or 8 sessions) Rules of Bible interpretation (hermeneutics and exegesis). We will explore clear steps and rules to be able to have confidence in our abilities to correctly understand God’s message to us. Basic differences in various denominations and how their leaders came to their particular beliefs.

L. Dewey Sherbon 918.252.5135 Life’s Applications from Asbury’s Sermon Journal A review of the scriptures each week and their application to our lives today. Tom picks scriptures each week which line up with his planned direction for his messages, and there are opportunities for community application and discussion. Let’s review them together and see how they apply to our daily living.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers lived from 1874 to 1917. His writings/sermons regarding Christian living and their application to our lives are as valid today as when he developed them over his short ministry. Christians are called to be totally committed to their belief in Jesus, and Oswald Chambers demonstrates in a straightforward manner why that is the case. His writings/sermons are all based upon and referenced to scripture.

James - Faith Without Works Is Dead Jesus' half-brother was a disciple, but he had his doubts about his brother's authenticity until after Jesus' resurrection. James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem after the resurrection and emphasized the absolute essential tie between faith and works. He provides answers to practical situations in life including the dangers of the "tongue." He underscores the power of prayer. (The Book of James) 32

Understanding Cultural Christianity How are our lives influenced by the culture we live in? How does the 21st century compare with history? Does relevance change over time in regard to our Christian faith and its application to our daily living? (Matthew 7:1-6, 16-23; Matthew 23; John 14:21; Romans 2:1; Romans 8:33-39; Proverbs 4:23; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 3:16) Chrissy Thorpe clthorpe53@yahoo.com 918.779.7523 Does presentations on topics such as spiritual growth, counseling, building a solid Christian life, marriage and family issues.

Dr. Samuel Thorpe rst1949@yahoo.com 918.779.7523 Apologetics, Philosophy, and Theology (a variety of topics) Dr. Thorpe is professor of philosophy and theological studies at ORU. He loves to teach and feels it is his calling. He enjoys teaching on various topics such as specific biblical books, and subjects like raising children, working in professional ministry and church history. He enjoys helping Christians to think through their faith and know how to answer philosophical questioning.

Bill Webb Psalm 23 (2 sessions) This special lesson is on Psalm 23 from the standpoint of the shepherd.

918.808.7777

Glen Wellendorf

918.798.8326

glen@wellfam.net

Fundamentals of the Faith - Based on Chuck Colson’s book The Faith, these lessons examine the fundamentals of biblical Christianity that all Christians believe, why they believe them, and why it matters. 

Part 1 – Introduction, God Is, God Revealed, God is Truth, Right and Wrong (5 sessions)



Part 2 – A Quiet Invasion, God Above/Beside/Within, The Faith and The Life (4 sessions)

Forgiveness – The Heart of the Gospel - Based on John MacArthur’s book The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness, these lessons will challenge you learn what the Bible says about forgiveness and how we should apply it in our lives. 

Part 1 – Introduction, The Ground of All Forgiveness, Christ’s Dying Prayer, Confessing Our Sins (4 sessions)



Part 2 – The Forgiven Should Forgive, How and When to Forgive, The Blessings of Forgiveness (4 sessions)

Daniel – God’s Kingdom Now and Forever - A study of one of the major prophetic books in the Bible. Throughout this book the nature of Daniel’s God is revealed to us, including God’s plans for the future judgment on this world and His followers’ relationship with Him throughout these events. 

Part 1 – God’s Man for a Time of Crises, The Rise and Fall of the World, Uncompromising Faith in the Fiery Furnace (4 sessions)



Part 2 – Daniel in the Lion’s Den, The Coming Kingdom of Christ, False Messiahs (4 sessions) 33



Part 3 – Daniel’s Prayer-Israel’s Future, The Vision of Glory, The Reign of Rebellion, The Great Tribulation (4 sessions)

Worship – The Ultimate Priority - Based on the book by John MacArthur. Get ready to alter your priorities, aiming higher than entertaining worshipers on Sunday mornings. This study shows that your ultimate priority must always be to worship the true and living God, with a radically different type of living that seeks to worship Him continually. 

Part 1 – What the World Needs Now, How Shall We Then Worship, Worship Is a Way of Life, Saved to Worship, God: Is He?-Who Is He?, The Unchanging Omnipotent God (4 sessions)



Part 2 - The God Who is Everywhere and Knows Everything, Holy Holy Holy, A New Era Dawns, This Must Be the Place, Worship the Father, Worship in Spirit and In Truth, Glory to God in the Highest, How to Glorify God, Worship as It Was Meant to Be (4 sessions)

Romans – Righteousness from Heaven - Many Christians, pastors and laymen alike, consider the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Romans the richest lode of theological truth ever written. Its themes of justification by faith, abounding grace, freedom from sin and from the old nature, living sacrifices, God’s sovereignty/man’s responsibility, and much else have both challenged and nourished followers of Christ for centuries. 

Part 1 – Introduction, Condemnation, Judgment, God’s Rescue Plan (4 sessions)



Part 2 – Justification Expressed and Experienced, Righteousness Imparted (4 sessions)



Part 3 – Righteousness Rejected, Election, Redemption, Righteousness Practiced (4 sessions)

The Life of Christ – Time Had Fully Come 

Part 1 – Introducing Jesus, Two Divine Births, The Early Years, Do You Believe In Easter?, John the Baptist (5 sessions)



Part 2 – Christ in Galilee, The Sermon On The Mount, Parables, The Crucifixion and Resurrection (5 sessions)

Christianity 101 – The Way, The Truth, The Life - A practical study on living the Christian life day by day. 

Part 1 – Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How can I be sure of my faith? Why and how should I read the Bible? (4 sessions)



Part 2 – Why and how do I pray? How does God guide us? Who is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? (4 sessions)



Part 3 – How can I resist evil? Why and how should we tell others? What about the Church?

How can I make the most of the rest of my life? (4 sessions)

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Resource Room The Asbury Resource Room is a lending library of teaching materials available for check out to Asbury communities, small groups or individuals. Most of our materials are DVD kits.

Hours Available: Open most Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Or for appointment, contact Robin Brush during office hours, Monday–Thursday, 8:30 am 3:30 pm.

Contact: 918.392.1199 or email resource@asburytulsa.org.

Location: The Resource Room is upstairs in the media hall across from Room 2319.

The online resource library is open at your convenience 24 hours a day by clicking the "Find Curriculum" button below. Arrangements for particular materials can be made completely online or by email.

Requesting and checking out materials: o Fill out an online request form or send an email to resource@asburytulsa.org. o Online requests are automatically emailed to the librarian. Paper requests may be slipped under the Resource Room door. o You will be contacted when your request has been received and again when your resources have been located. o Arrangements will be made for when and where you can pick up your resources at your convenience (usually the resource box behind the south Guest Services desk).

Returning Materials: o Please make sure kits have ALL DVDs included before returning. You will be liable for any missing materials. o You may return resources in the Resource Box at the south Guest Services desk anytime the building is open.

Return items may be placed in the labeled bin just behind the south Guest Services desk, under one of the two chairs there. It is helpful if you attach a note with your name on it so we know who is returning these materials.

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Resource Room Web Search Instructions Step 1: Go to Asbury website homepage

www.asburytulsa.org Step 2: Click on Quick Links

Click on this

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Step 3: Find Curriculum

Click on Tththithit

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Step 4: Search

To see all resources, click here

Note: Do not check these boxes. It can narrow your search too much (if there are any misspellings or extra spaces, your search will not be found.)

If you want to search by title, author, subject, category (see next page), fill in the spaces

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Step 5: View Search Results

Asbury United Methodist Church

Step 5: View Search Results Your Search Found 3 Match(es) 1-3 of 3

Prev

Next

Result #1

Title

If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat : A Six-Session Journey on Learning to Trust God

Author

Ortberg, John

Category

Discipleship--Kits/Tapes

Subject

Notice the Resource types

Notes

Peter may have been the first one out of the boat, but Jesus' invitation to walk on water is for us all. This study helps your small group answer Christ's call to greater faith, power-filled deeds, and a new way of knowing him.

Through six sessions, participants will discover how to discern God's call, transcend fear, risk faith, manage failure, and trust God. 1 DVD, 6 sessions each about 15 minutes in length.

Resource Type

DVDs

Result #2

Notice the Resource types

Title

If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat - Leaders Guide

Author

Ortberg, John

Category

Discipleship--Kits/Tapes

Subject

1. Christian life & practice 2. Religion 3. Religion - Biblical Studies 4. Biblical Studies - Topical 5. Christian Life General 6. Religion / Christian Life 7. Spirituality General

Notes

Leader's guide to accompany DVD and participants guide.

Resource Type

Books

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Step 6: Fill out Request Form Click Here

Fill out Required Fields

Click “Send Request” button. You will receive an email con-firming your request.

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Resource Request Name_____________________________________________________________________________________ Phone #____________________________Email__________________________________________________ Materials needed for (small group, community) _________________________________________________ Materials needed by (date) ___________________Length of Time Needed___________________________

If you know the specific title or author, please fill out this section:

If you are unsure of the materials you want and are looking for a topic to study, fill out as much of this section as possible:

Title_______________________________________

Author_____________________________________

Topics of Interest______________________________________ Authors of Interest_____________________________________

Series______________________________________ Book of the Bible_______________________________________ Type of Resources wanted (check all that apply)

Character Study (who)?________________________

___Book

___________________________________________

___ DVD

Type of Resource (book, video, etc)_____________

___VHS

____________________________________________

___Participants guide or workbook

Length of Study______________________________

How many? _____

Please leave your completed request form in the box on the Resource Room door, or you may email resource@asburytulsa.org. They will send you a form to complete and email back. You will be contacted when your materials are ready.

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Influence Team Leader The Influence Team organizes the individual and collective resources of the discipleship community membership to apply those resources to outreach opportunities selected by the community. We encourage communities to choose to support ministries the outreach department has vetted and approved yearly with a detailed process. Those are listed on the outreach pages on the Asbury website.

Responsibilities The Influence Team promotes the growth of both the individual and the community within the body of Christ by assisting members’ involvement in local, regional and global outreach, determining in which areas of the church to serve and assisting members in assessing and applying their spiritual gifts.

In general, the Influence Leader provides leadership and oversight in the areas of evangelism, missions (global and local). Ideally, the Influence Leader will recruit members to take on one or more of these areas, but he/she may choose to take responsibility for some of them. The team leader is responsible for attending leadership meetings, both within the community and churchwide leadership training opportunities.

Recommended Spiritual Gifts: pastor/shepherd, serving, evangelism, leadership, administration How To Missions (Global and Local) Maintain an awareness of mission activity and look for opportunities to get your community plugged in, either through support or participation. Larger communities may have two people assigned to this area, one for global and one for local outreach.

Contacts Jim Davis, Global Outreach Director Marilene Long, Volunteers in Missions Radhika Aussieker, Local Outreach Director

918.392.1117 918.392.1164 918.392.1116

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jdavis@asburytulsa.org mlong@asburytulsa.org raussieker@asburytulsa.org

Influence: Missions Coordinator Global Outreach The theology of global outreach is based on the directive Jesus gave His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything He commanded. The undergirding quality of our outreach is based on I John 3:16-18, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

Responsibilities Maintain an awareness of Asbury’s global outreach and look for opportunities to get your community involved, either through support or participation.

Practical Helps/Suggestions There are four primary focus areas outside of the U.S. which are supported through global outreach: 1. Central Asia 2. Latin America – Mexico, Ecuador and Guatemala 3. Tanzania – Kami people 4. Estonia Thirty-four families are supported under the Asbury global outreach budget. They are involved in various ministries and are in both our focus areas listed above and in Southeast Asia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Nigeria and Uganda. Several work in campus ministries here in the U.S., and several travel world-wide in their ministry endeavors. Thirteen Asbury missionary families grew up at Asbury or are currently members.

Practical Helps/Suggestions/Resources Global Outreach Communications – Under your “myasburytulsa.org” account, go to “Select Interests” and check Global Outreach to receive period emails of current news and opportunities.

Missionary Family Adoption – Communities are encouraged to link with at least one of our missionary families. This is for prayer support, communication and financial support, if desired.

Mission classes and VIM reports – Available to communities through the Grow Leaders’ teacher resource list or by contacting Melanie Burdick, GO Communications Chair.

Contacts Jim Davis, Global Outreach Marilene Long, Volunteers in Missions Melanie Burdick, GO Communications Chair

918.392.1117 918.392.1164 918.493.2420

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jdavis@asburytulsa.org mlong@asburytulsa.org melanieburdick@gmail.com

Ways to Get Involved In Global Outreach LEARN by Joining a Focus-Area Team 

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Caspian Ministry Team (Central Asia) – Join the team to help plan and implement ministry in this focus area along with praying for the effort. Working with college students in Englishlanguage school and working with students at a technical school are parts of the ministry.

New ministry opportunities for teaching are developing in a neighboring country.

Estonia Ministry Team – Join the team to plan, implement and pray for the ministry in Estonia. Involves children’s work, seminary education and youth work.

Kami People (Tanzania) Ministry Team – Be a part of planning and implementing pastoral education, medical work and water well drilling in Tanzania in the area. Help facilitate other ministry along with prayer.

Latin America Ministry Team – Help plan, pray for, and implement the ministry in Mexico, Ecuador and Guatemala. Children’s work, occupational therapy for handicapped children, medical work, construction, and seminary education are facets of the work.

PRAY for Missionaries and Projects  

Missionary/Ministry Adoption – Link with a missionary in the field to provide news, prayer support and friendship through emails and letters.

Prayer/Missionary Care Team – Join in prayer with others to support our missionaries and ministries in crisis times and for ongoing prayers needs around the world or be a part of the care team. The latter prepares “agape bags” for our short-term mission participants and supports our missionary families with holiday and birthday cards.

GIVE to Global Outreach o Financial Giving – Asbury’s general fund and designated giving to the global missions fund both help support global missions. o Missionary Host – Provide 1-3 nights of lodging for a visiting missionary or perspectives speakers. Some occasionally need transportation as well. o Recycle – Eyeglasses, hotel-size shampoo, soap and lotion are utilized on our medical missions. Campbell soup labels and labels for education help several different ministries.

GO

into the World  VIM (Volunteers in Mission) – Be part of a mission team as we serve those around the world in Central Asia, Estonia, Latin America and Tanzania. See a copy of our VIM team schedule for details.  Missionary Visitation – Visit an Asbury missionary while on a business trip or a tourist trip.  Career Missionary Service – Explore full-time ministry using your current business skills.

WELCOME 

the World to Tulsa International Student Ministry Team – Help with weekly luncheons at the University of Tulsa Wesley Foundation for international students or participate at English corner on Wednesday evenings. There are also special events that always need helpers. One time or on-going help needed.

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Volunteers in Mission 2015 Team Schedule From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Luke 12:48b

January 3-9 ................... Rio Bravo, Mexico, College Construction February 21-28 ............... Monterrey, Mexico, MBS & Construction March 15-23................... Central Asia, Relationship, Teaching & Light Construction Spring .......................... Cookson Hills, Oklahoma, Light Construction May 28-June 8 ................ Estonia, Tallinn, Lighthouse Ministry May 30-June 4 ................ Rio Bravo, Mexico, Youth Construction June 13-20 .................... Ecuador, MBS & Construction June 25-July 6 ................ Estonia, Camp Gideon, Youth Camp July 2-13 ...................... Estonia, Parnu, MBS & Light Construction July 18-26 ..................... Dominican Republic-One Nation One Day, Medical September 4-14 .............. Tanzania, East Africa, Construction Fall ............................. Cookson Hills, Oklahoma, Light Construction Fall ............................. Guatemala, Construction & Serving at Orphanage Fall ............................. Central Asia, Relationship, Teaching & Light Construction November 4-8 ................ Rio Bravo, Mexico, Medical Men’s Rio Bravo, Mexico construction teams are April 22-26 and November 11-15.* VIM Leader Training February 21. Additional dates will be added.

For more information about these exciting mission opportunities, contact Marilene Long at 918.392.1164 or mlong@asburytulsa.org. *For information about the men’s Rio Bravo, Mexico, opportunities, contact Jim Furman at jnlfurman@cox.net.

We also plan domestic teams in response to needs due to natural disasters.

There are additional VIM opportunities available through our OKVIM offices.

Some scholarships are available for most teams. We also encourage team members to share support letters with family and friends to enlist financial and prayer assistance.

Asbury United Methodist Church - 6767 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa, OK 74133 - 918.492.1771

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Influence: Missions Coordinator Local Outreach* Asbury Local Outreach (LO) encompasses the state of Oklahoma with mission endeavors reaching beyond the needs of our local congregation. The purpose of local outreach is to fulfill the Great Commission by proclaiming and developing an awareness of the Person and Gospel of Jesus Christ, making disciples and relating to the whole need of mankind, both spiritual and physical.

We are enabled through our gifts and service to missions to share in the work of the Church, the active body of Christ. With this directive, we all have the opportunity to become missionaries.

Jesus said, As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21 Responsibilities Engage the community in defining, organizing and implementing mission projects locally, regionally, and within the walls of Asbury. Work with the Asbury Local Outreach Department to plug into existing mission opportunities.

Practical Helps/Suggestions  

 

Team up with other communities for intergenerational and development-oriented mission opportunities.

Asbury supports 25 partners through LO. Communities are encouraged to seek out financial and mission opportunities within these partnerships. See partners on the Asbury Local Outreach web pages.

Invite LO partners to give a presentation about their respective organization or to give a testimony on how an Asburian(s) has made a difference “outside” of Asbury.

Email blast – Sign up through myasburytulsa.org (choose local outreach) to receive LO updates detailing current opportunities for involvement. This updated information can be accessed from the Local Outreach section of the Asbury website on an ongoing basis. o Go to: www.asburytulsa.org/missions/localoutreach.aspx

Contacts Radhika Aussieker, Local Outreach Director

918.392.1116

raussieker@asburytulsa.org

*Matching Gift Projects: To encourage communities to engage in "hands-on” projects with Asbury partners/2nd Saturday/Day of Service organizations, the Asbury Local Outreach Department will partner with your community by matching funds ($) raised for your project. Matching will be on a 1:1 basis up to $500.00 per project. Additional finances may be approved with Local Outreach Board of Directors approval. Application for a matching gift project is attached on the next page and must be submitted to the Asbury Local Outreach Department for approval along with corresponding receipts.

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Local Outreach Matching Funds Application Small group/community name _________________________________Date_____________________ Contact person___________________________________ Phone_______________________________ Description of proposed hands-on project: ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Funds contributed by the small group/community: ___________________________________________ Matching funds requested: ________________________________________________________________ Amount approved by Local Outreach Director/Board: _________________________________________ Asbury staff member who will initiate payment(s):____________________________________________ Disbursement to be made on the following date: _____________________________________________ Payable to (please choose one person): _____________________________________________________ Project report received by LOC stating general information about success of the project: __________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Project report received by partnering ministry about success of the project: _____________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ The purpose is to encourage small groups/communities to take on ‘hands-on’ projects with Asbury Partnered/2nd Sat/Day of Service organizations by defraying the cost of projects when needed by the use of Asbury Local Outreach matching funds. Matching will be on a 1:1 basis up to $500 per project. More finances may be approved w/ LO Board approval. Small groups/communities must complete a short application that will serve as the control document throughout the project.

The application will be provided by and managed by the Local Outreach Director. Funds will be distributed to the small group/community leader (one person preferably) or, if necessary, directly for the goods/services to be provided. The small group/community will provide the LO Director with a brief report about the success of the project. The LO Director will also contact the partnered organization requesting a brief report about the success of the hands-on project.

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