Introduction
I thought it might be nice to have an Introduction thread, where we can get to know each other, where we are from, a little about our Congregation and such.
So, I am Mary, from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Mo. I am presently serving on the Council, am Worship Team Chair and serve on the Altar Guild (Plus put on many other hats at times). Holy Trinity is 51 years young, and I have been there since the first day. I was a child then, but my grandparents help in starting the congregation and my mother served as church secretary for 37 years. I have seen Holy Trinity go through many phases, from almost 1,000 members and considered a Mega Church, to today when we have approximately 300 members, but only about 140 Family units.
We are currently without a Pastor and are in the process of finding an Interim, and then on to forming a Calling Team to find a new pastor, but I see this process taking us over a year to do. We are very lucky, in that we have a PMA as a member of our congregation and has been a big asset to us and who is willing to do anything to help the church.
Our membership and attendance has been dropping drastically since mid 2005, we have tried to figure out why, but there have been no definitive answers. Before our pastor left and went to another congregation (he was with us for almot 10 years), our average attendance was 125 - 130 a week, we have now dropped to below 100, probably closer to 80 or 85. We offer two services a week, one on Saturday night and one Sunday morning.
We seem to be very week in the Witness area and also the Stewardship area. Our strengths are our Worship services and our Sunday School and Adult Forums.
I was fortunate to be one of the delegates to the Central States Synod Assembly this year. It was an awesome experience. The one thing from the Assembly that I wanted to get our congregation involved in was the Book of Faith. As much as I try, it seems there is always something coming up, that we have to put it off. I strongly feel that if we were to get involved in the Book of Faith and to start the program, that we all might find that it will strengthen our congregation.
Anyway, that is pretty much my story and who I am. I look forward to learning more here and getting to know you all, and maybe get some ideas of how to get the Book of Faith going in our congregation.
Prayers and Peace To All,
Mary
So, I am Mary, from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Mo. I am presently serving on the Council, am Worship Team Chair and serve on the Altar Guild (Plus put on many other hats at times). Holy Trinity is 51 years young, and I have been there since the first day. I was a child then, but my grandparents help in starting the congregation and my mother served as church secretary for 37 years. I have seen Holy Trinity go through many phases, from almost 1,000 members and considered a Mega Church, to today when we have approximately 300 members, but only about 140 Family units.
We are currently without a Pastor and are in the process of finding an Interim, and then on to forming a Calling Team to find a new pastor, but I see this process taking us over a year to do. We are very lucky, in that we have a PMA as a member of our congregation and has been a big asset to us and who is willing to do anything to help the church.
Our membership and attendance has been dropping drastically since mid 2005, we have tried to figure out why, but there have been no definitive answers. Before our pastor left and went to another congregation (he was with us for almot 10 years), our average attendance was 125 - 130 a week, we have now dropped to below 100, probably closer to 80 or 85. We offer two services a week, one on Saturday night and one Sunday morning.
We seem to be very week in the Witness area and also the Stewardship area. Our strengths are our Worship services and our Sunday School and Adult Forums.
I was fortunate to be one of the delegates to the Central States Synod Assembly this year. It was an awesome experience. The one thing from the Assembly that I wanted to get our congregation involved in was the Book of Faith. As much as I try, it seems there is always something coming up, that we have to put it off. I strongly feel that if we were to get involved in the Book of Faith and to start the program, that we all might find that it will strengthen our congregation.
Anyway, that is pretty much my story and who I am. I look forward to learning more here and getting to know you all, and maybe get some ideas of how to get the Book of Faith going in our congregation.
Prayers and Peace To All,
Mary
- Attachments:
-
-
HTOutside.jpg, 8 KB
-
About
The Initiative
This site is a place for sharing all that is happening across the ELCA in relation to the Book of Faith Initiative.
To get started in your congregation, use the Book of Faith assessment tool.
To get started in your congregation, use the Book of Faith assessment tool.
Stay Informed
Book of Faith is an ongoing initiative of the ELCA that will grow and develop—including resource options for you and your congregation. Be the first to know about upcoming resources and sign up for Book of Faith resource eUpdates.
Find Synod Advocates
Looking for your Synod Advocate? This Synod Advocate List contains a list of Synod Advocates by region, along with links to each advocate's Book of Faith Social Network profile, and links to synod groups on the Book of Faith Social Network.
© 2009 Created by Book of Faith Social Network on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
