My book, Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers focuses on baptismal ministry--that is, the idea that all people are called to ministry. Even those, like people who are food insecure, that we tend to think of as needing to be ministered to. My book offers examples of churches (from 30 members to 300) that have invited people who are food insecure to volunteer in their ministries. These workshops will help a church or churches to do ministry with others. My style is highly interactive and presumes that you are the experts on your own situation; my role is to tease out what you know, and how you can use that to change or start a food ministry. I fine-tune all workshops and retreats to meet the specific needs and culture of your group.
MINISTRY OF THE BAPTIZED: MISSION WITH OTHERS It is by our baptism that we are called into ministry. Some of that ministry is the work of creating church: preaching and teaching and studying God's word and sharing it with the world. A big part of that ministry is mission--proclaiming good news to people in need of good news. Yet many church-based missions are transactional--if you qualify we will give you stuff. Baptismal ministry suggests that mission can be relational; that people who who need material resources are qualified, by their baptism, to be engaged in ministry with people who have enough material resources. We can work together to create a mission that lives out good news. In this workshop we will figure out together how your church or churches can find a way to engage in ministry with their neighbors. One and Two Day versions available.
ENGAGING IN MISSION WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS Take your church’s community ministry to the next step or create something new. Bring a team to learn new skills in relationship building and inviting participants to be volunteers. Engage biblical texts and stories from existing ministries. Develop theologies of mission and evangelism that will drive your church’s outreach. We will discuss how to move from ministry that is primarily to others into one that is ministry with your neighbors, and then look at the ways sharing the ministry creates a community that is church. This practical workshop includes time to practice skills and consider the risks and challenges of shared ministry. You will have time and guidance to develop plans for next steps that are specific to your context. Two days.
GROWING RELATIONAL FOOD MINISTRIES: Take your church-based food pantry or meal program to the next step or create something new. Bring a team to learn new skills in relationship building and inviting participants to be volunteers. We will discuss how to move from ministry that is primarily to others into one that is ministry with people who are food insecure, and then look at the ways sharing the ministry creates a community that is church. Each team that attends will have time to develop plans for next steps that are specific to your context. One day.
VOLUNTEER TRAINING: If you've decided to adjust your pantry, meal, or garden to relational ministry this training will help get everyone on board. We will go over the essential ideas of shared ministry and then learn and practice the skills needed to get to know people in a food ministry environment. This hands-on training is adapted to your specific situation. Three hours.
GROWING RELATIONAL FOOD MINISTRIES: Take your church-based food pantry or meal program to the next step or create something new. We will discuss how to move from ministry that is primarily to others into one that is ministry with people who are food insecure, and then look at the ways sharing the ministry creates a community that is church. Each team that attends will leave with ideas of how to develop plans for next steps that are specific to your context. Three hours.
FIVE LOAVES, TWO FISH, TWELVE VOLUNTEERS: Hear stories from ministries where the food insecure people are the volunteers at food pantries and meal programs. Growing relationships and giving authority to others helps congregations from 30-300 people build a strong church community. One to two hours.