ePulse Second Presbyterian Church

Results of the Natural Church Development Survey

At July’s session meeting, the elders and pastoral staff got to hear the results of the Natural Church Development survey, which 2PC has administered in 2004, 2006 and 2009. This survey is for thirty leaders (this included the elders and some program staff) and is a series of questions about the ministries and life of the church.

These questions are grouped into eight categories: empowering leadership, gift-based ministry, passionate spirituality, effective structures, inspiring worship services, holistic small groups, need-oriented evangelism and loving relationships. 2PC’s responses were compared against the thousands of other churches that have also taken the questionnaire. An average score for each category would be a 50, indicating that those surveyed believe that the church’s ministries in each of these areas was roughly equivalent to all of the other church’s ministries. Areas which are particularly excellent would receive a score higher than 50, and areas which struggle would score lower than 50.

The results were really encouraging; 2PC’s average score was a 61, which is much higher than average. Even better, three of the eight areas of ministry (gift-based ministry, effective structures, and loving relationships) scored higher than a 65, which the survey consultant told the session was “off the charts.” Three years ago, which by all accounts was a difficult time in the life of the church, 2PC’s average score was only 45, and none of the results were higher than 65. Since then, one area (empowering leadership) has jumped up by 30 points, and both loving relationships and effective structures have increased by 25 points. In 2004, 2PC’s average was 55, and none of the results were higher than 65.

The two lowest areas this year were need-oriented evangelism (scoring a 45) and inspiring worship services (scoring a 48.) While both of these are just slightly below average, they stick out because all of the other scores were so far above average. The session will continue to wrestle with how worship can be even more meaningful, and how the church can reach out more effectively reach out to others in the months to come.

Of course, this is just one survey, but the session and pastoral staff agree that the results seem like a good gauge of the church’s health. We are all grateful for the ways that you serve Christ through your ministries at the church, which of course are the foundation for a healthy congregation. It is my prayer that 2PC will continue to thrive as we live out our calling of be blessed to be a blessing!

I am grateful to be your pastor,

Dr. Charles B. Hardwick

Rally Day is Two Weeks Away!

Second Pres is having a family reunion on Sunday, August 23, but it’s not one filled with funny lawn games or having to listen to crazy Uncle Bill telling one of his stories again. Instead, it’s the whole 2PC family coming together to start the program year off with lots of excitement and enthusiasm!

Throughout the summer, we’ve been looking at the times in the bible when Jesus tells people to either “come” or “go,” as we ourselves have been coming and going and enjoying all kinds of summer activities. However, with all this coming and going, it’s easy to lose track of people you’re used to seeing at church, and to get disconnected from the life and ministry of 2PC. Therefore, reconnecting is what Rally Day is all about.

Here are some of the things planned for Rally Day:
•One blended worship service at 10:00am. (Yes, that means there are no 8:15, 9:00, or 11:00 services.) The Chapel and Chancel choirs plus the Contemporary Worship band will all join in offering music that day.
•Open house for Kids’ Sunday School in Martin Hall at 11:15am. Students can find their rooms, meet their teachers and make their name tags.
•Preview of Adult Christian Education offerings throughout the Fellowship Hall.
•Display of archived pictures and artifacts
•Brunch after the worship service (tickets $5 available at the door)
•Youth reconnect in Grace Hall. This includes a preview session for the 8-week Dave Ramsay Generational Change Study. This class focuses on financial management from a Christian perspective.

Many of the ministry programs are starting back up soon after Rally Day, so this day will be a great opportunity to see what each of the program areas are up to in the fall. It’s my hope that you’ll not only learn about what each ministry areas is up to, but that you’ll be spurred to get more involved in what’s going on.

This is a great opportunity to invite both friends from Second Pres you haven’t seen in a while, and friends you may have wanted to invite but haven’t yet. In other words, not just Second Presbyterian’s family is invited to the reunion. It’s going to be a great day of reconnecting with friends new and old and a celebration of God’s faithfulness to Second Pres. Let’s get together. Let’s celebrate all that God has done. Let’s celebrate all that God will do.

With Anticipation,

Dr. Charles B. Hardwick

P.S. I’m in Atlanta celebrating a wedding this weekend and will return to the office on Tuesday morning.

Kingdom Tales Sermon Series Begins

I’m really excited about Kingdom Tales, the sermon series that begins this Sunday. The series focuses on five parables in the book of Matthew, and in each of these parables, Jesus begins with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” We will dig into the parable of the mustard seed and leaven, of the treasure and pearl, of the laborers in the vineyard, of the wedding banquet and of the ten bridesmaids. These parables are like little works of literary art that help paint a picture of a world that is the way that God wants it to be—the world that Jesus calls the kingdom of heaven.

These parables inspired some Second Pres artists to create works of art themselves, and today, you can visit an art show in the south entry (near the Welcome Center.) The elementary age Sunday School classes have sculpted treasure boxes under the guidance of parish associate Roane Deckert, and have made bean mosaics and prints under the guidance of Karen Johnston. At the art show you’ll also see paintings, drawings, and illustrations by Karen, Scott Jones, Anne Murray and Darlene Sommers. Throughout the sermon series, we’ll be using a wide variety of these works to help us climb further inside the parables. This can help us to better imagine how to reflect the kingdom of heaven to those around us.

You can also explore what Jesus is telling us throughout these parables by picking up a copy of a devotional guide that accompanies the sermon series. Jodie Slothower has been faithfully creating the table tents that are on the tables in the fellowship hall for the past few months. These tables tents include the scripture for that week’s sermon, and some thought-provoking insights about it. Jodie’s work is so strong that it deserves a broader audience, so throughout this sermon series, you can pick up a copy of the devotion each week at the welcome center, or go to the church home page (www.secondpres.info) and download it there. Of course, you’ll still be able to find them on the tabletops as well!

I’m really grateful to be able to partner with all of these artists and Jodie in creating a sermon series which, I pray, will be a rich experience for all of us. These parables are a great representation of why I love serving Christ alongside you so much!

Dr. Charles B. Hardwick

 Welcome Children’s Intern Megan Sharp!

This week, Second Pres will welcome Megan Sharp to staff as a full-time, year-long intern for the Children’s Ministry. Megan will begin her ministry tomorrow morning with Vacation Bible School, and be in worship for the first time next Sunday. She will be with us through the close of VBS 2010 next July.

Megan will be working in all aspects of Children’s Ministry during her year at Second Pres. This will include participation in Kids of the Kingdom (Kids OK), Sunday morning programming, and summer activities like camps and VBS. In particular, Megan will focus on improving volunteer support and training for the Children’s Ministry. Also, her addition to the Children’s Ministry staff will create time for Rev. Andrea Haughton Kladder to focus on a broader vision for children’s ministry at Second Pres.

Megan is a native of Fircrest, Washington, and just graduated from The University of Denver in June. Megan has both a BA in Psychology and a BS BA in Marketing. During her college years, she studied abroad in Albania and led Young Life, both as a volunteer and as part-time staff. During her time in Bloomington, Megan will live with Jim and Jeannie Swanson for six months and then with Ed and Peggy Vogelsinger.

Megan’s ministry at Second Pres. is the direct result of Session’s commitment during the 2009 budget process to invest more heavily in children’s and youth ministry. The Children’s Ministry Team felt strongly that the best use of the funds would be to bring an intern on board to provide more dedicated attention to the ministry. Kudos to the Session for their decision to invest in the children of 2PC and Bloomington-Normal, and to the Children’s Team for their work on a national search for the right intern.

Having interns on staff is one more way Second Pres can live out blessed to be a blessing. Megan will bring her own experience of God’s grace and love to share with us, and the church will experience the benefits of her faithful ministry during the year. You can contact her at megan.sharp@secondpres.info. Please warmly welcome Megan when you see her!

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles B. Hardwick