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Administration Ministries
The Administration Council implemented Funding for Mission & Ministry and Endowment teams; added Disaster Response task group report and began work in facilities
Communciations: made use of planning calendar with Coordinating Council and staff routine; planned installation of video displays during renovation and new construction; redesigned website
Endowment: shifted emphasis to cultivation of gifts from investments and distributions; prepared for complementary role in capital campaign
Facilities: completed major maintenance and renovation projects: CLC corridor, Weekday School offices, ADA-compliant toilet near sanctuary, resurfaced drives and parking, chapel and E-202; completed telephone system upgrade in collaboration with Communications and Personnel functions
Finance: reviewed and refined existing guidelines for special fundraising; electronic payments transactions – determined full costs and the means of managing an additional system; created financial plans for 2006 and 2007; performed analysis to make projections and assess impact of future capital campaign on annual giving
Food Service: developed a high-functioning operation that contributes to mission and ministry effectiveness; identified demand patterns and planned for use of resources accordingly; prepared 17,259 meals for 275 events for a monthly average of 1438 meals for 23 events
Funding for Mission and Ministry: New approach to annual financial campaign is to develop gratitude theme; developed analysis queries to produce reports drawing upon both membership and contribution information from Shelby database
Personnel: Introduction of Executive Pastor position; conducted annual review of compensation plan, performance evaluations, and policies; examined functioning of staff relations committees and ministry council; developed role of receptionist; filled Communications Director, Housekeeping Manager, and various support positions.
Session Committees
Coordinating Council
- Provide greater participation in financial planning process by (a) identifying major ministry themes; (b) interpreting financial needs to constituent groups and congregation at large; and (c) arrive at an agreed definition of outreach.
- Participate with ELRP in developing campus plan by (a) providing input on program activities and (b) serving as a sounding board for proposals that emerge from the planning process
Committee on Assignments
- Consider improvements in communication with council & committee leaders as well as among committee members, especially when contacting officers concerning service assignments
Evaluation and Long Range Planning
- Launch planning process for ministry and mission of “discipleship and transformation”
- Continue campus planning process at a measured pace
- Solicit and synthesize program expansion needs
Christian Education Ministries
Adult Education
Adult Education Ministries have been busy during 2006. Read on for some of the highlights of our work this year.
We hosted the second bi-annual Theologian-in-Residence, the Rev. Dr. Doug Oldenburg, for two weeks in January.
Twelve Sunday morning Sunday School classes (except during summer) were offered.
A new summer Sunday Morning adult curriculum utilized “The Thoughtful Christian.”
Eight Sunday Morning combined adult classes were held on holiday weekends or for special events.
Adult Education Ministries sponsored a weekly Tuesday morning Men’s Bible study.
Our winter term Academy included seventeen courses, with 444 people registering for 591 classes.
In March through June, Adult Education Ministries offered the “Living the Questions” series.
The fall term Academy offered seventeen courses; participation totaled 273 people registering for 347 classes.
Adult Education Ministries provided officer development workshops, coordinated Session exam, and managed ordination/installation of officers in the Class of 2009.
The church library is now computerized, with an electronic catalog of our resources for easier access and use.
Student Ministries
We kicked off our year with some great service projects including Charlotte rescue mission, Beverly Renaissance nursing home, Room in the Inn, and Charlotte area parks and recreation work. We had more than 150 students involved.
EMERGE discipleship weekend was great. This weekend long discipleship, service and fellowship was held in conjunction with MP Methodist. This weekend was a great time of deepening our faith and getting to know what it really means to be a new creation in Christ Jesus!
Summer mission trips and activities were going strong. This was an international year. Nearly 100 students served others in Washington D.C., Thunder Bay Canada, and San Jose Costa Rica. We encountered the poorest of the poor and built relationships while serving in the name of Jesus.
Summer lunches and breakfasts were a hit again. Each week we were able to stay in touch with students through, what else, food! Fellowship time and outings to movies and rafting trips rounded out a busy summer.
It was the end of August and we were geared up again for a big program year. Youth Sunday was a great success thanks to Steve and some great youth preachers. We shared our mission experiences from the summer with our family of faith.
We kicked off the program year in typical style, a parents meeting and a youth Rally in the Alley. We unveiled our Student Ministries Guide for the first time at MPPC and gave the parents and students a glimpse of the upcoming year. It was very well received!!
Confirmation began and is going strong. We are blessed with many great guides and a fantastic leadership team. We kicked it off with a day long retreat at Camp Thunderbird for some group building and fellowship time. That has paid off in a greater connection with in the confirmation core groups.
We began registration for 2007 events this fall and all events are almost full. It will be another busy summer with 5 mission trips and a sailing retreat in 2007.
As we entered the Advent season we were full of cheer as we gathered together to reconnect with our college students. Our college ministry team put together some great events including a Christmas luau and a May mission trip to Guymas Mexico. It feels good to be getting our college ministry off the ground.
We wrapped up this year with special guests from the movie “Facing the Giants” and we welcomed several hundred youth from neighboring churches to meet these actors and listen to real life stories of faith in action!
Children and Families Ministries
This area of minstry looks after our youngest members. Several program changes and enhancements are outlined below.
Session adopted the new vision “Congregation that Covenants for Children” for children’s ministry with priorities of shaping identity as a child of God, creating a place of belonging, and nurturing discipleship in over 800 children through fifth grade.
Our Teaching Ministry called seventy-five disciples to the teaching ministry for 300 children enrolled in church school.
Live B.I.G. is our new curriculum for children aged three through fifth grade that was introduced to empower them to live out their belief in God.
Mission Kids is a new group for fourth and fifth graders that was introduced this fall. It focuses on learning about the Scripture’s call to mission and on participating in outreach work around Charlotte.
The new Special Needs Ministry is designed to minister to families who live with the challenges of children and youth with special needs.
In coordination with the Wednesdays@MPPC program, Art and the Bible provides 75 children with the opportunity to interpret the scripture through various art mediums and show their work in an annual Art Show each May.
Worship bags now enhance the corporate worship experience of children each week.
The Walk to Jerusalem transformed the second floor of the children’s building. On Palm Sunday, children aged four through kindergarten experienced Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. These children then led the palm processional in worship.
You may have noticed our revitalized classrooms. The elementary area in the Fellowship Building was transformed with paint and hallway art so that it is welcoming and child-friendly.
Our new nursery for infants and crawlers was dedicated to providing a quiet, safe and beautiful place for our youngest children to grow in faith.
The Children’s Coordinating Team is a new structure for designing and implementing children’s ministry. Introduced this fall, this team involves 50 disciples to oversee children’s outreach, fellowship, worship, pastoral care, church school, enrichment, seasonal and special event ministries.
MPPC Weekday School
You hear their voices in the hallways and see them playing outside. Our Weekday School children have been involved in a robust program.
During May of 2006, the Weekday School celebrated our 60th anniversary.
239 children served with this ministry. 80% of them are church members.
NAEYC Re-accreditation is underway with the National Association of Young Children.
We held Summer Camps for 210 two to five year olds during two weeks this summer.
We added two new classroom assistants this year to reduce teacher/student ratios and meet the Child and Youth Protection Policy standards.
Director and teachers continued their education and development through CPCC courses on leadership and administration, pediatric first aid, and teaching children with mixed abilities.
Congregational Life Ministries
Covenant Ministries
Covenant Ministries is our new churchwide concept that every member has a ministry.
This year, covenant ministries worked with individual current members who wanted to be connected with a ministry.
We introduced the “God is Calling: how will you answer?” campaign in the pages of the April Carillon.
All adult Sunday School classes were visited to introduce Covenant Ministry.
375 commitment cards were acknowledged and processed.
Three classes of new members (fall 2005, winter 2006 and spring 2006) were contacted about the new ministry.
Planning of the strategy for Lenten “40 days of Discernment” was begun for spring 2007.
Three Academy classes for Lent 2007 were proposed in support of Covenant Ministries.
A new Ministries Opportunity book is being produced in collaboration with the communications department and the Lenten Devotional book for 2007 is beginning to take shape.
Covenant Ministries selected a book for Faith Builders small groups to study during Lent 2007.
Faith Builders
The goal of the Faith Builders small groups team is to nurture existing small groups and encourage the formation of additional groups at MPPC.
A Faith Builders newsletter was produced at three regular intervals during the year and mailed to all members of the existing MPPC small groups. This newsletter offers ideas for study materials for small groups, testimonials from participants in existing small groups about what it has meant in their personal faith journeys, and suggestions for potential fellowship and service activities available to small groups.
The activities of small groups were periodically featured in MPPC publications.
Faith Builders spearheaded a move to encourage small groups to read and study In His Steps and to attend an Academy class during the Lenten season.
Christian Life Center
The CLC membership system was implemented this year in order to generate revenue and keep records of numbers served.
21 scholarships were provided for children in various sports programs.
The CLC facility hosted over 10,800 individuals in 2006.
Presbyterian Women
Presbyterian Women is the national women’s organization of PC(USA). With a history of more than 200 years, PW is committed to nurturing faith, supporting the church’s mission, working for justice and building community. PW at MPPC has a variety of programs and offering opportunities. There are plans during 2007 to meet with other PW moderators from other churches. 2006 accomplishments include:
- 16 different circles attracted over 300 women
- Tools and Blanket Sunday in January raised $2,890 to support Church World Service projects to end hunger and poverty.
- Held a MPPC Staff Appreciation Lunch in February
- The annual Women’s Retreat was attended by 60 women.
- Sponsored the Sharon Towers social for MPPC and other residents at Sharon Towers in April.
- Sponsored the Mother’s Day Networking project to prevent women and children in Malawi from getting malaria by purchasing mosquito nets. Collected $1,418 which purchased 140 nets.
- Sponsored May Birthday luncheon, collecting $1,921 to support five national and global PW projects.
- The Fall Gathering luncheon raised $917 to support 26 national projects in the US and 21 global projects.
- Sponsored Christmas Communion Service, collected $6,660.34 for Joy Gift offering.
- Additional collections are made monthly in each circle for the Least Coin, which supports evangelism, service, and ecumenical solidarity for women around the world. $381.74 was collected last year.
- Sponsored the Christmas Gift Trees facilitating congregational support to give gifts to 342 children in our community. Over 1300 gifts were collected from MPPC members.
- Collected over 3,500 Campbell’s Soup labels and over 800 Box Tops for Education to benefit Alexander Youth Network.
New Members
MPPC continues to attract new members to join our community of faith. The New Members team goal is to nurture those joining MPPC by welcoming them during the new member class, providing opportunities for fellowship and helping them assimilate into our community of faith. Highlights include:
- The three classes held during 2006 welcomed121 new members
- 39% of new members were between the ages of 30-39; 28% were between the ages 20-29 and the remainder were over 40 years of age.
- 72% are married and 23% are single.
- 34% transferred from other Presbyterian churches, 22% transferred from other denominations, and 38% joined by Reaffirmation of Faith. The remainder were baptized and joined by Profession of Faith.
Outreach Ministries
While it is not possible to list the many ways we are involved in the community and the world, below are just some of the things that have happened in outreach throughout the past year. Thank you to everyone who has given of themselves to make these ministries possible. We will continue to make it a priority to involve more and more of our members in outreach ministry.
- Hosted Rick Ufford-Chase (Moderator of The General Assembly), Lerry Chase and Del McCormick as our International Ministers from Border Links
- Hosted mission co-workers from Mexico, Singapore, DRC (Congo), Malawi, and Brazil
- Hosted Congo Choir in June
- Planned Malawi trip for early 2007
- Built a school in Lubondai (Congo)
- Funded church roof in Ehehleni and class-rooms for Theological College in Ekwendeni (Malawi)
- Had another successful year with our Global Gift Catalog
- Sponsored Gulf Coast trips for Katrina relief in March, July and October (next trip will be March 2007). Developed ongoing relationships with churches in Mississippi.
- Sponsored four academy courses to raise outreach awareness: Class Matters (twice), a course on community ministry opportunities, and a class on world mission
- Built our twentieth Habitat home in Charlotte
- Participated in building two Habitat homes in El Salvador
- In the last year, more than 183 MPPC disciples helped to provide food and shelter for 255 homeless neighbors through Room in the Inn. Disciples drove vans, led devotions, prepared and served meals, spent the night and completed the miscellaneous tasks needed to host our neighbors. This was the tenth year MPPC has participated in this ministry.
- Completed our grant application process for the community agencies seeking support.
- Sent disciples throughout the city on our first annual “Community Day.”
- Outreach was able to respond quickly to the housing crunch at the Salvation Army’s Women’s Shelter with a substantial gift.
- Peacemaking has helped sponsor the Families of Abraham project at the Levine Museum of the New South.
- The CROSS program continues to be very successful. Through MPPC’s CROSS ministry, 41 groups with 630 individuals came to MPPC to serve the Charlotte community through mission work with 25 agencies in three counties in 2006.
Pastoral Care Ministries
The 2006 highlights and accomplishments include:
- Formation of a grief support group
- Stephen Ministry bereavement support for families at funerals and memorial services
- Deacon-sponsored service of remembrance and hope for those grieving during the holidays
- Senior adult celebration in May
- Increase in utilization of Stephen ministers for one-on-one care
- Continuing lay participation in the caring ministry of the church through Friday and Saturday visits to those in the hospital
- Successful flu shot clinic (nearly 400 shots given)
- Facilitation of Shepherd Ministry teams at The Cypress, Sharon Towers and Plantation Estates
- Contact with new members six months after joining MPPC to ensure they have “connected” to MPPC
- The Special Care Ministry has twelve one-on-one relationships caring for members who are home bound
Parish Nurse / Health Ministry
The biggest highlight for 2006 was the addition of a Parish Nurse to our pastoral care ministry. Parish Nursing is a nationally endorsed specialized nursing practice which includes a spiritual dimension and is practiced in a ministry setting. A parish nurse “assumes a pastoral/spiritual health role rather than a specifically clinical one.” Our Parish Nurse, Alice Brafford, functions as a health educator, personal health counselor, referral source, and role model (promoting the relationship between faith and health. She works with the pastoral care ministry to provide care, support and encouragement to individual and families facing decisions related to hospice, elder care, social service resources, nursing facility and home care options. She provides a bridge between medical and faith communities during treatment for cancer and other acute and chronic conditions facing our members.
The newly formed Health Ministries Committee first met on Jun. 20, 2006, with Lee Neale as the chair. Following are some of the highlights of their first year.
- established Medical Equipment Loan Program
- realized a need for CPR training of ushers and staff
- evaluated MPPC first aid equipment and located all current first aid supplies
- developed usher protocol for response to medical, fire or disruptive behavior emergencies. Member Kaki Clement coordinated usher training and incorporated this information and recommended CPR Certification into the training. CPR training was offered through the CLC.
- during the MPPC flu shot clinic, 387 vaccines were given; the Health Ministries Committee and other MPPC members assisted with the two clinics; Carol Kruger served as coordinator
- Liz Grasty was designated as our liaison to the Weekday School to assist with planning and implementing health promotion activities
Parish Nurse Activities
- attend monthly parish nurse meetings at Presbyterian Hospital and MPPC weekly staff meetings
- participated in Blessing of the Hands at Presbyterian Hospital
- made presentation to junior girl scouts on medication safety
- attended Health Ministries Association Conference in Durham, NC with Lee Neale
- attended education programs for stroke, depression, and integrated holistic care of children with special needs
- attended International Parish Nurse Westburg Symposium in St. Louis
- is a member of MPPC Children with Special Needs task force
- evaluated effectiveness of first aid program and appropriateness of current supplies being ordered. Decision made to limit medications to staff lounge only. This change due to safety, liability and cost issues.
- serves as resource to Caroline White, Weekday School Director, to review health and safety issues related to reaccredidation process
- created parish nurse display for the ministry fair at MPPC during the Scotland Conference
- presented two programs to Stephen’s Ministry
- made visits to MPPC members during/following hospitalizations; home visits to those dealing with health issues and/or those providing care
Worship Ministries
Music Ministry
Events of interest include:
- Adult choral mission trip to Hungary (August 10-22, 2006). Fund raising and Outreach total funding gift of $18,000 to The Great Church of Debrecen for their homeless ministries.
- The adult choir ministry produced two CDs as a fundraiser for the Choral Mission trip to Hungary, Glory to God in the Highest and Praising God With the Saints.
- Session approved a motion in September to sign a contract with Casavant Organ Firm, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada for the purchase of the organ consoles to be delivered May 2008.
- Formation of a Music Planning Team to assist with administrative and budgetary tasks related to the Music Department.
- Youth and children’s choirs’ enrollment nearly doubled, and the Youth choir trip to Carnegie Hall, NYC was a great success.
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