Last Sunday, our congregation organized an event called "Eat & Meet," where many members gathered to have lunch together and discuss our community's ministry areas. The purpose of this event was to provide a clear vision that can guide us into the next generation.

During the meeting, a brand-new purpose statement was revealed while everyone was still eating. The statement reads as follows: "We will come together through the Spirit in a peaceful manner to grow our faith in Christ, share our hope received through Christ, and serve others with the love exemplified by Christ."

After the meal, we divided into three groups based on ministry focus areas to discuss our individual thoughts. The three ministry groups were: 

1. Growth Ministry - focusing on areas of worship and education. 
2. Sharing Ministry - focusing on areas of benevolence and evangelism. 
3. Serving Ministry - focusing on areas of facilities and fellowship.

Each group was asked to target their discussion by answering two primary questions.

1. What advantages do we have here at Cumberland to facilitate this ministry (i.e., growth, sharing, serving)?
2. What challenges do we face here at Cumberland that could inhibit this ministry (i.e., growth, sharing, serving)?

Following that time of group discussion each ministry group shared with the entire room the results of their discussions. Below is the synopsis of each ministry.

Growth Ministry

As a community, we have a common goal of fostering spiritual growth in individuals of all ages. This shared mission has led us to have dedicated and closely-knit teachers who communicate effectively to ensure the best learning experience for our children. Our adult teachings are profound, delivered in an inspiring manner, and facilitate growth in our congregation members. However, we face challenges when it comes to reaching out to non-members due to the negative connotation associated with the name "churches of Christ" in our area. 

Our fears of sharing the truth and discussing it with love often hinder our outreach efforts. Additionally, we struggle with parental and volunteer involvement in our children and youth areas. While we do have sufficient facilities, some areas, particularly those in the children's section, require modernization to meet current standards.

Sharing Ministry

At Cumberland, we have a unique advantage that we often overlook. Our teachings and preaching are centered on God's Word, which sets us apart from many other places. We believe that watering down God's Word to make it more appealing is false hope but sharing the Truth of God's Word provides true hope. During our gatherings, we spend time in heartfelt prayer to share this hope with others. Our willingness to welcome and accept newcomers without judgment and with genuine love is another advantage. This helps us create an authentic, welcoming environment that is not too uptight. When newcomers become part of our family, our hope is renewed to be shared again with others.

Like many churches, we face the challenge of attracting the next generation. It is more difficult to share our hope when we have few young families. We must also address the challenge of embracing today's technologies, such as website development, social media presence, blogging, podcasting, and in-house audio/video presentations. While these may seem like subliminal demands of the next generation, they are crucial for attracting and engaging them. However, we must also ensure that we do not alienate our current and older generations. This is especially important for our elderly and shut-ins who need personal contact with others to find hope.

Serving Ministry

Our location and ample facilities provide us with great advantages to serve others with love. We have abundant parking, square footage, and property for potential expansion. However, our own limitations may hold us back from utilizing these resources to the fullest extent. Nevertheless, we are blessed with a multitude of talented individuals who have been gifted by God, and their willingness to serve others strengthens our abilities. But leading and following can be challenging, and we must navigate competing agendas, personal emotions, and self-motivation to stay on task. Additionally, our location and facilities can be overshadowed by our brotherhood's independent nature, which may convey an uncaring attitude to outsiders. While serving the youth is a fulfilling area of focus, our limited number of teenagers may make some feel restricted in their desire to serve.

The biggest challenge we face is not just thinking about these issues, but actually taking action to address them. However, we have an incredible advantage in that the Lord Jesus Christ is leading His Church, and as long as we are part of His Body and are obedient to Him, God's will cannot but prevail.