 Sunday, January 28, 2007 |
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On this annual
Morehouse Sunday we welcome to our pulpit today the
Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, Pastor of the
Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York.
We are building God's
Village! In next week's Spirit we will run the village
structure and the list of the leaders who will be working
in each area. We praise God for the excitement and
enthusiasm these new leaders display. We are calling the
leaders of the various areas the Village Council. We have
covenanted to meet every 2nd and 4th Saturday to shape
our plans and goals.
In addition to scripture, Jim Collins' book Good
to Great is mentoring us in organizational
practice. This book is a wonderful tool for understanding
the methods a number of successful organizations utilized
to get off the plateau and achieve true and lasting
greatness. An insight that Collins offers is that the
first step to achieving an organization's potential is to
get the right people on the bus and in the right seats.
The Village Council is a group of the right people on the
bus. They are all faithful, exuberant and committed to
the growth and development of Shiloh.
In addition to working with the overall council, along
with the ministerial staff I will meet with each of the
components of the Council (education, worship, etc.) to
determine a vision and scriptural focus for each area.
At the next meeting we will determine our brand and
raise the question, "What can Shiloh do to build
God's Kingdom that is better than any other church in the
world?" This may sound ambitious, and it is.
However, as the poet said, Ah, but a person's
reach should exceed their grasp or what is heaven for.
Jesus put it this way, You have not because you ask
not. The church of the first century was known for
its Holy boldness. That is the spirit with which we go
forward in the coming years. Please pray God's continued
guidance for our work.
Readings for February 4,
2007: Isaiah 6:1-13; Psalm 138; I
Corintians 15 1-11; Luke 5: 1-11
***
OUR PURPOSE
Building the Village by Caring
Concept: Our pastor, the Reverend Wallace Charles Smith, envisions a holistic Ministry of Building by Caring, which includes a 3-tier approach - Care for Ourselves (spiritually), Care for Our Relations (family, friends and members), and Care for Our Community (outreach). In building our capacity to care we will also create an atmosphere that will increase our church's membership, winning more souls to Christ; they will know we are Christians by our love;.
