When the Regional Ministers go from church to church each week we tend to tell stories of what God is doing in the Association through some of our Home Mission grant aided churches. This seems to be the thing that congregations are always glad to hear. We like to tell the stories to emphasise that whether our church is large or small, growing or struggling, we are all partners in mission through our Home Mission giving. The Association is always looking for ways to make these stories more widely known and to help churches to connect with one another in a way that is healthy and encouraging.
For the first 12 weeks of 2012 we are inviting all our EBA churches to take up the challenge of “12 for 12”. From 1st January to 25th March 2012 we will have this “12 for 12” tab on the website. Each week we will try and have a new story of a church that is being helped in its mission for Jesus by Home Mission.
We will be sending out some postcard sized cards in January so that each church member can decide whether or not to take up the “12 for 12” challenge. Please give the cards out, they are no use to anyone if they sit on a table at the back of the church or stay in an envelope in someone’s house!
The beauty of “12 for 12” is that it is so flexible.
A church might decide to go for this in a big way, telling the weekly story each week in its news sheet or in the service, praying for the churches by name each week. Church visits might be arranged. On the other hand, a church may have decided a structured programme already for these weeks but individual church members can access the information on this website and can pray and hear the stories for themselves.
Here are the 12 ideas that will be printed on the postcards that are coming to you before too long ……. we are inviting you to choose one, 2, some or all of these ideas and connect with the mission of Jesus in the East of England.
1) Each week we will try our best to put a new “Home Mission church” story onto the website under the “12 for 12” heading. We’ll ask you to tell these stories in your church, to pray for them in your church or homegroup, or at home. Whatever works best in your situation. Maybe print off the stories for those who do not have internet access?
2) During these first 12 weeks of 2012, send a note or a card or an email to one of the Home Mission Grant supported churches just to encourage them. You could just send one card in these weeks or you could send a card to a different place in each of the 12 weeks or whatever God moves you to do
3) Give £1 a week for each of these 12 weeks to Home Mission, in addition to the contribution your church already makes to Home Mission
4) At 12 noon each day for the first 12 weeks of 2012, pause and pray for one of the Home Mission supported churches featured on the website.
5) Take a packed lunch to work on one day a week for each of the 12 weeks. Give the money you save on lunches to Home Mission
6) Send someone from your church to visit a Home Mission supported church one Sunday during the 12 weeks. Or visit more than one! Or visit 12 even! The aim will be to offer fellowship and prayer and encourage them
7) Arrange for your young people to meet up with some young people at a Home Mission supported church. Or, if you don’t have young people, host some youngsters from a Home Mission supported church for pizza or Sunday Tea.
8) Invite some friends from church, and some who don’t go to church, for a coffee or a buffet meal and tell them that you will have a collection dish for Home Mission at the end of the evening
9) Talk to a minister in a Home Mission supported church. Is there anything that their church can do for you? Host an awayday for you maybe, provide a crèche for a church event to free your members up, work alongside your members on a project or event? Smaller churches have lots to offer
10) Give people or groups in your church £12 (or a voucher for £12) and see how much they can turn that into during the first 12 weeks of 2012. Deduct the original £12 from the sum that’s raised then send the rest to the EBA for Home Mission
11) Look at the Mission Project Grants that have been awarded to EBA churches in the past few years. These should be on the website under the “12 for 12” tab. Is there anything here that inspires your church to take a risk with mission? If you are planning a new outreach is there an example here of a church you could talk to or take advice from? Use their experience, learn from their mistakes. Visit their project and use it to enhance yours.
12) Celebrate the final Sunday of “12 for 12”, Sunday 25th March 2012, as Home Mission Sunday. Show a Home Mission DVD, have a speaker from a Home Mission church, ask David or Sheila Martin for some bookmarks or other Home Mission resources. Focus on lives that have been changed, communities that have been transformed as a result of our being partners together in mission in the East of England
Look out for the postcards for individuals during January. Get connected. Be inspired. Celebrate what God is doing among us
