Three Things from the Elders Meeting

The Elders had their regularly scheduled meeting this past Sunday following the Membership Potluck.

As is our practices, here are "The Three Things" we want you to know from that meeting.

1. The Elders have made dozens of visits and contacts with our church members
   Our Elders are reaching out to the homebound and hospitalized members of our congregation on a regular basis. They are checking in with the members of their Shepherding Groups. They are extending the care and compassion of Christ. The reported number here ("dozens") is a bit loose, because they are still formalizing the total number of visits, cards, phone calls, and emails they have sent out...but know that your Elders are hard at work in their care-giving ministry!
   
   
2. They Cleaned-up Their Visitation Lists
   You probably don't know this, but the Elders keep a detailed list of our homebound members, those members in hospitals, those members recovering at rehab facilities, and members in need of prayer. We update those lists weekly via email correspondence, but at our Elders Meetings we walk through those lists, name by name to offer any further updates and discern who is missing from our lists and who has graduated off of them.
   
   
3. Prayers for our Baptismal Candidates
   I reported to the Elders on Sunday that we have three baptismal candidates this year: Jordan, Darren, and Henry. As they are completing their "Pastor's Class" with me in preparation for baptism on Easter Morning, I asked the Elders to please keep these three youth in their prayers. Jordan, Darren, and Henry are as excited to be baptized and fully welcomed into the membership of this congregation and the fellowship of the wider church as any baptismal candidates I have ever seen!

Three Things from the Elders

The Elders had their first meeting of 2017 this past Sunday. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1. Daily Email Devotions
Sandi DeFeo, as Chair of the Elders, is sending out Daily Prayer Devotions to our Elders over email in order to help our Spiritual Leaders continue to strengthen their personal faith life.

2. Teaming Up with Membership
The Elders will be working jointly with our Membership Team in order to care for our members and reach out to visitors and prospective members.

3. Upcoming Elders Retreat
The Elders will meet on 2/2/17 from 12:30 until 4:30 for an intentional time of retreat so that they can pray together, plan together, and work
together in service to the Lord!

Three Things from the Elders Meeting

The Elders had their regularly scheduled meeting on Sunday September 11 right after worship. Here are "The Three Things" that you need to know from that meeting!

1) AZ Regional Assembly
We discussed the upcoming Arizona Regional Assembly (November 4 and 5 hosted by East Mesa Christian Church). This will be a joint Assembly/Asamblea as the Regional Assembly and Hispanic Asamblea will be held jointly for the first time in several years. We discussed the opening festival on Friday night, the guest speakers, business resolutions, and the registration process. You can learn more about the Regional Assembly/Asamblea by visiting RA.AzDisciples.org and you can register in the church office.

2) Open Letter on Racism
While I was attending the Regional Ministers and Moderators Forum in Indianapolis we set aside our business-as-usual agenda in order to have a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led conversation about race in the United States and Canada. As a result of that discussion the Open Letter to the Church in North America was written and then distributed (you will find my signature on the letter). I invite all church members to read that letter and engage in the type of faithful conversation that is described therein. We'll be talking more about this in our September 25 worship service that will focus on the Reconciliation Special Mission Offering.

3) Dialogue Team at FCC Scottsdale
Speaking of Spirit-filled and Spirit-led conversations, the Elders were brought up to speed on work of the Dialogue Team here at FCC Scottsdale. You'll remember that in the wake of the horrific gun violence of this past summer I invited members of congregation to join me in engaging in serious, faithful conversations on what can be a controversial subject. I am pleased to say that the Dialogue Team has been meeting regularly and made significant headway in this project. They have constructed a "Civil Discourse Agreement" that helps guide their conversations, modeled faithful discussion and dialogue, researched the topic of gun violence, and taken steps leading to real action on the issue. One such action is the upcoming "Sing Along for Peace" that we will host at FCC Scottsdale on Sunday September 25 at 2PM as part of Faiths United Concerts Across America series.

Three Things from the Elders Meeting

The Elders had their regularly scheduled meeting on Sunday September 27. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1. Sharing BlessingsWe opened out meeting in a new way. I've been reading the Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer's terrific new book Beyond Resistance and in a section on leadership and vision he mentions that he likes to begin meetings with one simple question: "Since our last meeting, how have you been blessed by our church?"
   
   Isn't that a great question!
   
   So we opened the Elders Meeting that way and we shared some terrific stories -- from the Women's Retreat to the East Valley Lock-In, the Thank You! Event to the Work Day Crew. In fact, it was such a successful way to start our time together, that we are going to regularly use that question ("Since our last meeting, how have you been blessed by our church?") to open all of our Elders Meetings going forward!
   
2. Reflecting on the AZ Region's Elder Training Event
   On August 29 the Arizona Region hosted an Elder's Training Event in Casa Grande featuring the Rev. Dr. Dick Hamm (former General Minister and President of our Denomination) as our Keynote Speaker. It was a wonderful event with over 100 Elders from all over Arizona gathered together (note: we had six folks from our church in attendance). Learn more about the event by clicking here.
   
   Sandi put together an excellent recap of the event and we took the time at our Elders Meeting to not only catch everyone else up on the presentation, but to also reflect on some of the ideas and issues that were raised at the Training. So at the Elders Meeting this past Sunday we talked about the role of the Elders, best practices with our Shepherding Groups, Considering young people as Elders, how to appropriately address gossip, and what it means to have six generations alive and active in the church.
   
3. Recruiting New Elders
   The Nominating Process is starting back up at First Christian Church Scottsdale, and so we spent some intentional time lifting up those names that we would like to consider for the position of Elder in the future. We have so many wonderful members here at that church and so we brainstormed a list that will be shared with the Nominating Committee going forward. 

2015 Elders Training Event

Last Saturday a half-a-dozen of our Elders and I attended a Region-wide Elder Training Event in Casa Grande. 

And when I say Region-wide, I mean it. We had over a 100 Elders present at the event!

It was a wonderful opportunity for us to talk best practices, learn about the role of Elders in Disciples congregations, and hear from our special guest presenter the Rev. Dr. Dick Hamm.

For folks who do not know, Dick Hamm is the former General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He is a tremendous thinker, speaker, and faith leader for our denomination and I can think of no one better equipped lead our Elders Training. It was a great day!

Here are a few photos (with short captions) from the day:

Don't worry, my journal didn't stay empty for long.
By the end of the day I had 13 pages worth of notes from
 the event, and plenty of good ideas to bring back!

Our Regional Minister Denny Williams calling us to
order to start the day.

All told we had 105 Elders from 16 Disciples congregations
from  all over the great state of Arizona
present for the Elders Training.

The Rev. Dr. Dick Hamm (former General Minister
and President of our denomination) led the event.

After some A/C problems forced us to relocate to the Sanctuary,
the Rev. Isaac Varner (pastor at Capilla del Sol in Tucson)
led us in a conversation about "Best Practices for Elders"
at our congregations. 

The Rev. Dr. Dick Hamm leading a very important afternoon
session on everyone's least favorite topic: Conflict!

Three Things from the Elders Meeting

The Elders had their regularly scheduled meeting this past Sunday immediately following the Worship Service. Here are "The Three Things" you should know from that meeting:

1. New Responsibilities
   On Sunday mornings the Elder of the Day (i.e. that Elder who presides at the Lord's Table with me) will have some additional responsibilities. For starters, the Elder of the Day will also attend to one of the side doors leaving our sanctuary in order to offer greetings and blessings to folks on the way out. And on the First Sunday of the Month, the Elder of Day will attend our regular FCC Q&A Sessions to help welcome prospective new members and be available to answer any questions about who the Elders are and what they do.
   
2. Shepherding Letters Going Out
   At our Elders Retreat in February our Elders received their Shepherding Lists. The Elders discussed how best to notify folks that they are the assigned Elder for their Shepherding Group, and in the days and weeks to come the Elders will be reaching out to the members of their Shepherding Group via cards, emails, letters, or phone calls.
   
3. Fellowship Luncheon on May 24
   The Elders will be sponsoring a Fellowship Luncheon after church in the Fellowship Hall on May 24. More details to come!

Three Things: Elders

The Elders had their first meeting of the new year this past Sunday immediately following the Worship Service. Here are "The Three Things" that you should know from that meeting:

1. This calendar year has 15 Elders listed in service for this congregation; last year there were 11. The increase in number is in part to a new partnership we are trying in two husband/wife teams. Charlie Atkinson and Jeanne Thompson are returning Elders this year but their spouses, Jan and Bob, are joining the Elders as ‘non-public speaking’ Elders. Both are Elders serving in full capacity on our Elder team, but both wished not to get up in front of the church to do the Sunday Elder Prayers. We are excited to have this partnership on our Elder Team and the increase numbers will give our congregation better coverage for continued visitations and prayers.
2. Sunday's meeting was a regularly scheduled business session for the Elders, but we also like to begin the year with an Annual Elders Retreat. This is an opportunity for the Elders to spend some time in prayer and conversation -- learning best practices from one another, reflecting on what it means to be a "spiritual leader" of the congregation, and seeking God's guidance and blessing in the work that we do. The Elders Retreat will be held at the church on Saturday February 21 starting at 8:30AM.
3. Beginning this year the Elders will be adapting a program from our sister church in Tucson, Saguaro Christian Church, called the “Weekly Elder Blast.” Once a week the Elders will be notified by email on visits that have been made, visits that need to be made, prayer requests, hospital visits, etc. This will help us know where the needs are and how we can continue to serve.

Three Things from the Elders

The Elders had their regularly scheduled meeting on Sunday September 7 after the worship service. Here are The Three Things you should know from that meeting!

1. We spent a good portion of the meeting prayerfully discerning who should be nominated to serve as Elders beginning in 2015. It was a fruitful, spirit led conversation that will lead to good things for the spiritual leadership of FCC Scottsdale. In the coming days and weeks individual Elders will be approaching members of the congregation to ask them to consider serving as an Elder at FCC Scottsdale.
   
2. Regional Assembly is coming October 23-24 at First Christian Church in Tucson. You can read more about Regional Assembly on the Blog by clicking here, or you can go straight to the source and visit the Regional Assembly Website by clicking here.
   
3. Speaking of Regional Assembly, I have been nominated to serve as Vice Moderator for the Arizona Region! I spoke with the Elders about the responsibilities and opportunities that come with this position, and they enthusiastically offered their support. 

Three Things: Elders

The Elders had their first meeting of the New Year on Tuesday evening January 28, 2014. Here are "The Three Things!" you need to know from that meeting:

1) New Elder Co-Chairs! Charlie Atkinson and Jeanne Thompson were unanimously elected as the Elder Co-Chairs for 2014. Please keep Charlie and Jeanne in your prayers this year as they assume this position of leadership among the spiritual leaders of our church.

2) Elder Recruitment. The Elders will be putting a special emphasis on recruitment this year. We have an unusually high number of Elders who will be finishing their terms of service at the end of this year, and so we want to proactive in identifying and training up folks to serve as the spiritual leaders of the church. Do not be surprised if an Elder approaches you to talk about what it means to serve in this capacity and what spiritual gifts they see at work in you.

3) The Elders Retreat is coming! Our Elders will gather for a time a Retreat in March (most likely March 8, but we are still ironing out the details). It will be a time for the Elders to deepen their faith, learn from one another's perspectives,and set up some of the practices that will help them to be successful in 2014. 

Three Things: Elders Meeting

The Elders met yesterday evening for their regularly scheduled summer meeting. Here are the "Three Things You Should Know" from their time together:

1. After much preparation, discernment, and study our very own Al Beasley has been formally approved for Commissioned Ministry by the Arizona Commission on Ministry. This is a HUGE deal and we are very proud of Al for his hard work, commitment, and faithfulness. As a congregation we will have the opportunity to formally affirm Al as our Commissioned Minister of Visitation at an upcoming, special Congregational Meeting on August 11. Lot more details to come!
   
2. As is our practice we reviewed our visitation list, discussed the visits, phone calls, cards and letters that we have sent out and spent an intentional time in prayer for our church members.
   
3. Rev. Brian went over his travel schedule for the coming weeks which includes a trip to Orlando for General Assembly (7/13 to 7/18) and a trip to Barcelona for vacation (7/22 to 8/5). 

Three Things: Elders Meeting

The Elders had their first meeting of 2013 on Thursday January 17. Here are "The Three Things" we want you to know from that meeting:

1. We welcomed our new Elders aboard!
   I am delighted to share that we have a full slate of Elders this year -- 12 in all! Our newest Elders are Bob Bruns, Curt McCormick, Jean Decker, and Marilyn White who join Sue Travis (Chair), Carrie Phillips, Marilyn Lagesse, Patty Shaffer, Al Beasley, Julie Erickson, Charlie Atkinson, and Scott Eubanks. What a great group!
   
2. We reviewd the 2013 Elder Visitation List
   The Elders are the Spiritual Leaders of our church and an important part of their work is their visitation ministry with our members. In order to keep up with each other's visits and keep up with the needs of our church we use email and an online Visitation List. At each meeting we touch base about the needs the members and the prayer concerns we have to lift up.
   
3. We are planning our 2013 Elders Retreat
   At the beginning of the year the Elders spend a Saturday together on retreat. It is a time of prayer, community building, and sharing best practices with one another so that we can best serve this community. We are still negotiating calendars in order to find a date for that Retreat. 

Three Things from the Elders

The Elders met on Wednesday evening at 5:30 in the library for their regularly scheduled meeting. Here are the three things you need to know from the Elders:

1. The worship service will be slightly tweaked this coming Sunday. Same for the printed bulletin on Sunday morning. Nothing major, just a few small changes here and there. For starters, we'll be reintroducing the prayer of dedication for the offering. We'll also be introducing a "take home page" in the Sunday Bulletin. To put it together we've shuffled a couple of items in the Bulletin, but hopefully it makes the whole thing more readable for everyone, more usable for our members, and more inviting to our guests and visitors!
   
2. My Installation Service is fast approaching! In fact, several significant announcements on that front: The Rev. Eric Smith (one of my best friends and closest colleagues) has agreed to come in as our guest preacher for the Installation. Eric is a PhD student at the Illiff School of Theology in Denver, the Associate Minister at Plymouth Congregational Church (a large UCC congregation), an ordained Disciples pastor, and a great preacher! I'm thrilled that he'll be with us. We also have a set time for the Installation, so please plan on joining us Sunday October 3 at 4PM in the Sanctuary with a reception to follow (that is the other big news, the menu has been set for the reception and it is going to be delicious!).
   
3. In celebration of the 200+ prayer shawls that our ladies have knitted and given away we are dedicating Sunday September 19 as Prayer Shawl Sunday! Please plan on joining us for worship that morning, and if you have received a prayer shawl then bring it with you! We'll rededicate all of the prayer shawls, celebrate this vibrant ministry in our church, and give God thanks for the holy gift of prayer. And don't forget to bring a gift bag to donate to the ministry, so that your gifts can literally carry the prayers of our congregation to those folks who need them the most.

We're cheating a little bit here, but if I don't number it then it doesn't have to count as a "Fourth Thing" in our "Three Things from the Elders". We want everyone to know that we looking for new Elders! We will have four openings available starting in 2011 and have already started to review names. If you are interested, or if you have somebody in mind who you think fits the role as a spiritual leader in our congregation then let us know!