First United Methodist Church 64 Rebecca Street, Shinnston, WV 26431 Sunday Worship 10:45 a.m.                Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
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 What do people need from the church?
According to Bishop Robert Schnase in his book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations:

            “People need to know God loves them, that they are of supreme value, and that their life has significance. People need to know that they are not alone; that when they face life’s difficulties, they are surrounded by a community of grace; and that they do not have to figure out entirely for themselves how to cope with family tensions, self-doubts, periods of despair, economic reversal, and the temptations that hurt themselves or others. People need to know the peace that runs deeper than an absence of conflict, the hope that sustains them even through the most painful periods of grief, the sense of belonging that blesses them and stretches them and lifts them out of their own preoccupations. People need to learn how to offer and accept forgiveness and how to serve and be served. As a school for love, the church becomes a congregation where people learn from one another how to love. People need to know that life is not having something to live on but something to live for, that life comes not from taking for oneself but by giving of oneself. People need a sustaining sense of purpose. . . most people discover their need for God’s grace and for the love of Christ through the experience of receiving it.”

        Schnase makes the argument that fruitful congregations are marked by five specific practices that include:   Radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity.

         It is Bishop Schnase’s belief that “people are searching for a church shaped by these qualities.     "The presence and strength of these five practices demonstrate congregational health, vitality, and fruitfulness. By repeating and improving these practices, churches fulfill their mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

Over the next several months, we will be taking a closer look at each of these practices - asking ourselves the questions:

How would our church (First Church) look if our congregation committed to performing these five practices with excellence?

Grace and Peace,
 

Pastor Jody

First United Methodist Church Shinnston
64 Rebecca Street, Shinnston, WV 26431
304-592-0214
Pastor: Rev. Jody Carroll