The “MOE” Team

What is a MOE? 

MOE is actually an umbrella covering three church committees, Membership, Outreach, and Evangelism.  I have worn a number of hats in my years at First Christian Church but these are all new ones for me.  At the end of 2009 there were two committees without a chairperson, namely Outreach and Evangelism.   I decided that since there were so many good and capable elders to take on the chair of that group that I would like to try something different.  Then, as I looked over our constitution and Bylaws, it became evident that the Evangelism and Membership committees are tied closely together.  Actually, according to the Bylaws Evangelism is charged with promoting new growth in church membership and attendance and Membership is responsible for promoting fellowship and assisting the Evangelism committee in orienting new members into the life and fellowship of the church.  In addition, Membership assists in promoting and providing publicity for the church.

So, how do we go about increasing and developing our membership?  Well, it really remains to be seen.  Are there people out there looking for a church?  You bet there are!  Every single day!  Are there people we can reach?  Absolutely!  Are there people you and I can bring to know Jesus Christ?  Certainly!  How do we get them through our doors and when we do get them through the doors, how do we keep them here? Simply, by the expressions of our faith, kindness, love, and commitment to Jesus Christ.

What works somewhere else may either be great or woefully inadequate for our needs at FCC. There are lots of good  promotional materials out there for purchase, literally thousands of ideas for dealing with Membership, Evangelism, and Outreach issues.  As a team we need to understand this; the church is not the same as it was 50, 25, or even 10 years ago. We need to think “Outside the Box”.  We must change our ways of thinking to get moving in a forward direction. For the past several years the number of members gained has not kept up with the members lost.   In the past seven years we have lost 38 members to death alone.  Others who have moved or transferred or are no longer coming account for some of the decline in attendance.  I am confident that we can turn the corner with an enthusiastic MOE with a vision for success of what we can be rather that what we currently are.   In recent years we have made many great improvements in the physical church.  Now it’s time to move forward with spiritual life improvements with the same (or more) enthusiasm.

Outreach speaks for itself.  Not only in the six special offerings we take over a year but in absolute compassion for those who have less than us and are unable to fend or defend themselves.  We have in recent years seen horrible devastation in lives, property, and natural resources in this country and around the world.  More recent events such as earthquakes remind us that even when we “think” we are in control there are other factors against which we find ourselves humbled and virtually powerless .

I have made my commitment as have several others by agreeing to be on this MOE team. Won’t you help us and make your commitment as well to help us move forward and give God the glory he so much deserves for sending His son to live and walk among us to show what true evangelism and compassion is really about?

The first meeting for the MOE team will be Tuesday, Jan.  26th @ 7 p.m.
Earl

Look to hear mo’ from the “The MOE Team”!

What is a MOE?
MOE is actually an umbrella covering three church committees,
Membership, Outreach, and Evangelism.
I have worn a number of hats in my years at First Christian
Church but these are all new ones for me. At the end of 2009
there were two committees without a chairperson, namely
Outreach and Evangelism. I decided that since there were so
many good and capable elders to take on the chair of that
group that I would like to try something different.
Then, as I looked over our constitution and Bylaws, it became
evident that the Evangelism and Membership committees are
tied closely together. Actually, according to the Bylaws Evangelism is charged with promoting new growth in church
membership and attendance and Membership is responsible for promoting fellowship and assisting the Evangelism committee
in orienting new members into the life and fellowship of the church. In addition, Membership assists in promoting
and providing publicity for the church.
So, how do we go about increasing and developing our membership? Well, it really remains to be seen. Are there people
out there looking for a church? You bet there are! Every single day! Are there people we can reach? Absolutely! Are
there people you and I can bring to know Jesus Christ? Certainly! How do we get them through our doors and when we
do get them through the doors, how do we keep them here? Simply, by the expressions of our faith, kindness, love, and
commitment to Jesus Christ.
What works somewhere else may either be great or woefully inadequate for our needs at FCC. There are lots of good promotional
materials out there for purchase, literally thousands of ideas for dealing with Membership, Evangelism, and
Outreach issues. As a team we need to understand this; the church is not the same as it was 50, 25, or even 10 years ago.
We need to think “Outside the Box”. We must change our ways of thinking to get moving in a forward direction. For the
past several years the number of members gained has not kept up with the members lost. In the past seven years we
have lost 38 members to death alone. Others who have moved or transferred or are no longer coming account for some
of the decline in attendance. I am confident that we can turn the corner with an enthusiastic MOE with a vision for success
of what we can be rather that what we currently are. In recent years we have made many great improvements in
the physical church. Now it’s time to move forward with spiritual life improvements with the same (or more) enthusiasm.
Outreach speaks for itself. Not only in the six special offerings we take over a year but in absolute compassion for those
who have less than us and are unable to fend or defend themselves. We have in recent years seen horrible devastation in
lives, property, and natural resources in this country and around the world. More recent events such as earthquakes remind
us that even when we “think” we are in control there are other factors against which we find ourselves humbled and
virtually powerless .
I have made my commitment as have several others by agreeing to be on this MOE team. Won’t you help us and make
your commitment as well to help us move forward and give God the glory he so much deserves for sending His son to live
and walk among us to show what true evangelism and compassion is really about?
The first meeting for the MOE team will be Tuesday, Jan. 26th @
7 p.m.
Earl
Look to hear mo’ from the “The MOE Team”!
“The MOE Team” Members:
Vicki Howsare, Calvin Mercer, Lora Rutter, Lynn Uraco, Kelly Dunlap,
Betty Burkett, Bill Campbell, Bud Clark, Helen Edge, Polly Warmuth,
Susan Richmond, Jeff Anderson, A.D. Rutter, John Young, Jeannie
Young, Sandy McCombs, and Earl Shaw

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