Web version   |  Manage your LCA eNews subscriptions, or unsubscribe  |   Unsubscribe from this List Forward

3 February, 2017

Welcome to the New Year

We are already well into 2017 – but Happy New Year!

The beginning of the year is often a time of reflection and planning.  Some people set ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ while others may decide that this is something they will not do!  Unused gym memberships tell the tale of hasty resolutions which are not sustained …. So if you have made any resolutions I hope that you are able to sustain them.  Verena has some more to say about resolutions below.

Planning is well underway for the Lay Worker Conference being held in September this year.  The program will be out soon, and the three days promise to be a wonderful time that will help you to Grow and Go as God’s people.  From spiritual nourishment to practical skills with time for sharing and fellowship there will be something for everyone.

I pray that you have had a great start to 2017 and that you fell the presence of God with you as you begin and continue your ministry this year.
Chris

Stay Well

Resolutions
Why am I writing about resolutions? Surely the time for all that has passed? It’s no longer a fresh new year and many of us are now too busy again to even think about it!

But whether it’s at New Year or not, there are times when we reflect on our lives and our ministries. We find ourselves making resolutions to try and do things differently. To make some much needed changes. To not fall into the same traps and patterns as last last month or last year (or the year before that and so on).

So why is it that a month later (or even earlier) all that has fallen in a heap and we’re often back where we started! In the same old rut. With the added bonus of more guilt and feeling like a failure. (Again!)

I’ve been doing some reading on this and (surprise, surprise) it seems that our resolutions usually come out feelings of failure, guilt and shame. Brene Brown says that change motivated by shame never works.

“If we want meaningful, lasting change we need to… call for an end to shame as tool for change.”

Resolutions usually come from a place of being really hard on ourselves and focusing on what’s not working. So we set ourselves up to make all these changes and tell ourselves that THIS year, THIS month, THIS week things will be different!

Change needs to come from loving ourselves the way that God loves us. We can’t make real lasting changes in our lives unless we see ourselves as God sees us, and love ourselves so much that we’re inspired to take better care of ourselves.

So the best resolution you can make this year (and it’s never too late) is to find out just how much God cares about you and care for yourself.

Check out the two ideas below…

TOP 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO EVERY DAY TO LOVE YOURSELF THIS YEAR

1. Be you, unapologetically. Stop worrying about what other people will think and just start doing you. Being inauthentic to avoid judgement or rejection erodes your sense of self. It might be scary at first. People might look at you funny. But the more brave you are to express yourself authentically, the more true to yourself you’ll feel. And the more you’ll find people in your life who love you for you, not for who you’re trying to be.
2. Be like teflon. It can be too easy to let other people’s comments and behavior get to us. From mums to bosses to boyfriends. We use the little digs or completely innocent comments as evidence to beat ourselves up over.
3. Collect evidence of your awesome. Most of the time we collect evidence of why we suck – from our bodies to our careers we’re super hard on ourselves and we let other people’s comments and behavior get to us. Start collecting evidence that you are awesome! Write down compliments, successes, and accomplishments. Keep a running list on a chalk board or a journal and come back to it when you need to.
4. Stop comparing yourself to others. From how your body looks to what kind of job you have to being single, comparing and despairing about where you are in life compared to others will only leave you in a slump.
5. Start a daily gratitude practice. Every day make a list of all the things you’re grateful for. Even just start with three. Gratitude has a powerful way of helping you see what’s working. And when you see what’s working, you find love.

By Natalie Baack, The Curvy Confidence Coach

How We Describe Ourselves...

Late last year we circulated a survey to get some input about how we describe ourselves.  230 people responded to the survey - which was a fantastic response, so thank you.  It was terrific to get responses from a diverse range of people.
Responses came from:

Pastors    35%
Lay Workers     22%
Other Employees or Volunteers 43%

The term Lay Worker has not always been used consistently in the manner it has been defined in the LCA constitution.  A question asked how respondents felt the term Lay Worker should be used:

                                                                                   % of Responses
To describe any non-ordained person serving the
LCA in any capacity (i.e. paid or voluntary)                          29.82
To describe an non-ordained person serving the
LCA in a paid Capacity                                                         16.51
To describe non-ordained people holding direct
ministry positions in any capacity                                         21.10
To describe non-ordained people holding direct
ministry positions in a paid capacity                                     13.30
It should not be used at all                                                      6.42

Only 30% of respondents feel that the term Lay Worker should be reserved for use to refer to paid employees only.  While more respondents felt that the term should be used to describe all non-ordained persons serving the LCA it was not a substantially greater number than those who felt it should be used only for those in direct ministry.  So no clearly preferred opinion emerged.

Respondents were also asked to rank in order of preference some suggested terms.  While there was not a clearly preferred term, the terms Ministry Support Worker (to describe those not in direct ministry) and (Specific) Ministry Worker (to describe those in direct ministry) had the highest rankings overall.

Inspection of the free text comments revealed a range of responses to the survey from some (very few) questioning the need for such a survey to many more thanking us for raising the issue and expressing relief that someone was addressing the challenges presented by the use of the term Lay Worker.

We will continue to grapple with the words we use to describe ourselves for some time and the information that was gathered via the survey will be very helpful and ensure that a broad range of people have contributed to the discussion. 

Thank you again to all who took the time to respond.

Mission Quote...

You are strong when you know your weaknesses. You are humble when you're aware of your flawes.  You are wise when you learn from your mistakes. ~ Nicky Gumbel

Changes in Lay Ministry Workers

New
Meagher Vicki
Community Manager, Toowoomba Living Grace Congregation, Qld
Wallis Vickie – Ministry Support, Murrumba Downs, Living Faith Congregation, Qld

Interns
Tandara

Pumpa Madeline

Warrambui – Arise Interns
Parsell Megan
Pinney Meredith
Schwedes Mersedes
Veerhuis Jayden
Wilksch Bethany


Finished in Role
Bricknell Leah
– Child & Youth Coordinator, Ipswich Parish, Qld
Jones Jennie - Critical Pastoral Care Coordinator, Box Hill St Pauls Congregation, Vic
Woods Wendy Kitchen Hand & Guest Services, Warrambui Retreat & Conference Centre, NSW

Changed
Johnson Verena
– Lay Worker Formation Officer, LCA Board for Lay Ministry to Church Worker Support Officer, LCA Church Worker Support
Mills Erika Assistant to the Director, LCA Board for Lay Ministry to Coordinator, LCA Church Worker Support

Lay Workers Conference 2017!!!!

Registrations Opening Soon!!

4th to 7th September 2017

Maroochy Waterfront Camp & Conference Centre, David Low Way, Diddilibah Qld

Cost will be $460 all inclusive twin share (not including travel)

Lay Worker Stories

We all have a ministry story of hope to share and more often than not they come from the ashes of hard lessons learned. Like to share your Lay Ministry story? Just contact us!

Need help, support, encouragement...?

We can help with:

  • ministry plans
  • setting up prayer/support teams
  • training options
  • developing a ministry team
  • employment agreements
  • a listening ear