Michelle Collins is a Lutheran Deacon who offers a workshop sponsored by the North American Deacon’s Conference.
With the transitions happening in our churches today, I was curious. The following is a synopsis of the workshop: As we move through life, there are special times that warrant celebration. These celebrations are important, not only in our communities, families, or educational institutions but also in our places of worship.
So, what might some of these milestones be? Baptism, confirmation, graduation, ordination, first job, first day of school. Or better put, anything that marks an important event in our lives.
Once every six months or a year we should gather to celebrate the milestones of those attending. The Deacons of this Church felt that going through the records of the past, opened opportunities for Pastoral care, targeting special milestones to be celebrated. As church we need to seek out partners outside the church building and listen for new voices. Prepare to visit people we may not have seen for a while and target the milestones in their lives, inviting them back to the Church.
A committee could be set up to go through information we have about some of these people and we could get in touch with them and invite them back to our church to celebrate these important events.
In the life of our Church, it might be a good time to reach out to the communities around us who may be interested in being a part of our vision as we work towards worshipping in an inclusive way.
