Living Totally - News Jesus said, "Don't be afraid. Just believe!"  (Mark 5:36)

August 2018

BACTM Members We are looking to include representatives from both MST and the congregation at large or intern MST members. Christ Church Susan Vandercook Ruthann Thulin Church of the Messiah TBA TBA Emmaus RaeLee Baxter Elizabeth Norton (editing) St. Barnabas Kelly Scheu Wally Arnold St. Michael & All Angels Cindy Corner TBA St. Patrick Linda Ferguson TBA This year's goal: Updating the Total Ministry Handbook to include ongoing guidelines and best practices! Send member updates to nmclaughlin@edomi.org .

Jots and Tittles from the Ministry Developer Thanks so much for your positive comments about this newsletter and your suggestions! I am glad that you are enjoying it. This month I have included an expanded list of educational opportunities - which are essential for all in healthy Total Ministry congregations. Also be sure to scroll to the bottom for the fun bible games! Remember to forward the newsletter to members of your congregation and others who would be interested! Nancy Ann McLaughlin

Summer Gathering in Frankenmuth!

Sat., August 25, 10-2pm Scout Building  959 Flint Street  Frankenmuth, MI 48734  Come Away & Rest Awhile! Summer Gathering Exchange stories with representatives from the Diocese of Eastern Michigan and Northern Michigan. An opportunity to plan for joint support and activities! RSVP to nmclaughlin@edomi.org

Upcoming Gathering: Sharing your Story and Evangelism Date and location to be determined Kelly Scheu has enthusiastically agreed to share insights and activities obtained when she and the Rev. Theresa Wakeen recently attended the Episcopal Church's "Evangelism Matters" national conference as diocesan representatives! Who would like to join the planning team for this upcoming Total Ministry Gathering? Send contact information and/or suggestions for this or future gatherings to nmclaughlin@edomi.org .

Community Ministry Connection

Let's celebrate the ministries going on in your communities! Send articles and pictures to nmclaughlin@edomi.org - Thanks!

St. Patrick's Madison Heights received some nice feedback! Here is a sample. Now what? (see below)

Celebrate that you have made a positive impact within God's Kingdom! Share the feedback with your team and congregation! Reflect on how the visitors found you. Did someone invite them? Personal invitation is the main reason people visit! Did they find your website accurate? With up-to-date information of service times and location. Did they see your congregation in the neighborhood? Signs and having a presence are essential! Inside the service what happened ? What did the people find? Engaging worship! Outgoing friendliness! Refreshing atmosphere! Notice the followup that was done by sending an email to visitors. NEXT - Pray for these newcomers! How is God working in their lives? What is your church community's role? Will your involvement be long-term or short-term or perhaps sporadic? What happens if these folks come back? (the Total Ministry questions) What makes your congregation different for these specific visitors than a "regular" congregation? What will they notice on subsequent visits? Will they notice that everyone has spiritual gifts that are acknowledged and nurtured? Will their own suggestions and offerings of time and talent be honored and accepted? How will their ministries be supported by the Ministry Support Team? ...and by other members of the congregation? St. Patrick's is actively addressing these types of questions in their upcoming Fall Discernment Series!

Summer Reading! With various ongoing and upcoming changes I have been hearing reference to the book: Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. Written in 1998, this book was popular in addressing dealing with change in a reflective and proactive way. While very helpful as a tool, remember that there are other personalities involved as well! Consider carefully who you might be within the maze of life and appreciate the attributes of others, too! I am providing a summary video of the book too from YouTube by Mastery In Motion! Click the image to the right -> What are your reading recommendations? Send to nmclaughlin@edomi.org.

Ongoing Formation - Great for Total Ministry! (Total Ministry funds can be used for any of the following courses.)

Healthy Congregations strongly encouraged! Fri. Oct 5, 6:30 pm - Sat. Oct 6, 4:00 pm (for brochure with schedule click here) Utica United Methodist Church 8650 Canal Road Sterling Heights, MI 48314 Fantastic opportunity to participate locally in this Lombard Mennonite Peace Center offering on Healthy Congregations developed by Dr. Peter Steinke and based on the work of Dr. Edwin Friedman! Let's have representation of a team from each of our communities at this one! There are reduced rates for groups and for early registration. So, please let me know who you will be sending, and I can take care of the registrations directly through the diocesan office: nmclaughlin@edomi.org.

Advanced Renaissance strongly encouraged! Saturday, Nov 10, 9am-4pm Location - TBA This year’s workshop emphasizes the constant need to strengthen the foundations of our calling . We will explore specific ways to identify and nurture gifts in our midst, so that we can sustain and expand our capacity to spread the gospel.    Bring Ministry Support Teams plus other members to share with other congregations and gain valuable tools for proclaiming and living out forgiveness and redemption, healing and feeding, liberation and justice. Please email the names of all attendees to nmclaughlin@edomi.org .

Worship Leader Sat. Sept 22, 2018 + two additional meetings 10 am – 4 pm Diocesan program held at St Paul’s Episcopal Church 200 W St Paul St Brighton, MI Is God calling you to lead worship? How can you best prepare as a worship leader with reverence, wisdom and confidence ? (OR - Has it been more than 3 years since your license was granted?) Leading worship calls forth more than just reading and following directions. The Worship Leader class prepares you and encourages your heart to design, craft and lead with confidence the non-Eucharistic services of worship. Course covers the preparation, wisdom, and confidence needed to lovingly lead God’s people in prayer. Part of your experience is to lead worship during the time between classes . Instructor: the Rev. Dick Hamlin CLICK HERE more information and to register.

Lay Preacher Saturdays from Sept 8, 2018 to June 15, 2019 Bible courses during day Preaching during evening Colombiere Retreat Center 9075 Big Lake Rd. Clarkston, MI  The Academy for Vocational Leadership and the Whitaker Institute offers preaching certification by attending the bible courses of the Saturday Series (the Rev. Val Fargo, instructor) plus six in-depth courses on the craft of preaching (the Rev. Susan Williams instructor). Licenses are granted upon completion of the entire program series. This course grounds participants in scripture and theology while equipping in the craft of preaching.  CLICK HERE for more details, schedule, and registration form. Register by September 1, 2018! Please note: if you have biblical knowledge, you may attend the six preaching courses without the biblical courses. Contact the Rev. Vicki Hesse for more info.

Pastoral Care Second Tuesdays Sept 2018 – June 2019 Ecumenical Center for Christian Leadership at St Francis Retreat Center DeWitt, Michigan Registration due 8-27-18 A 60 hour certificate program of specialized training in the area of pastoral care and brief, supportive pastoral counseling, designed for pastors, students, and lay pastoral care providers who are, or will be, responsible for meeting the pastoral care needs in congregations and other institutions. Taught by a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) who has significant congregational experience the course follows AAPC guidelines. For more information CLICK HERE !

ONLINE Did you know that Education for Ministry – also known as EfM - is being offered at home through reading, computer study, and phone calls? This is a great opportunity for those with limited time still seeking a quality educational and formational experience! Education for ministry is a 4 year long program covering the Bible, Church History and Theology designed especially for Christians who want to deepen their knowledge to enhance their own ongoing ministries in their day-to-day context! Students enroll one year at a time. The online version includes readings at home, internet based discussion boards which can be completed at any time, plus scheduled group phone meetings of 1.5 hours for prayer, catching up with each other and discussion topics! Several groups meet on different days and times to fit into your schedule. From their website: "Every baptized person is called to ministry. EfM is a worldwide program developed by the School of Theology of the University of the South. It holds before us that the foundation for bringing Christ to the world lies in a Church empowered by an active, theologically articulate laity. All Christians need a Christian education which supports their faith and which prepares them to express that faith in daily life." (This fits in very well with our Total Ministry concepts!) For more information and to view schedules CLICK HERE . To register utilizing Total Ministry funds contact nmclaughlin@edomi.org .

Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament & Jewish Studies Wednesday, Oct 3, 2018 9 am to 3 pm All Saints, East Lansing This event includes a copy of the "Annotated Jewish New Testament Commentary."

The Rev Lisa Cressman Wednesday, Feb 6, 2019 9 am to 3 pm St John’s Royal Oak Author of "Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft" and "Craft an Effective Sermon by Friday."

Thomas Lynch Wednesday, May 1, 2019 St Paul’s Brighton 9 am to 3 pm Expert in the theology of death and dying and author of 9 books.

For more information on the Epiphanies programs CLICK HERE . BUT FOR SPECIAL TOTAL MINISTRY LINK FOR REGISTRATION CLICK HERE. PLEASE NOTE:  I DO realize and apologize that all of these are during the work week and during the day. – I point this out to the planners whenever they encourage me to invite Total Ministry folks to participate. (1) By alerting you to these early I hope that if you are interested in a particular topic you might be able to schedule a day off in order to participate. (2) The other suggestion is to join the Epiphanies planning team – last I heard they were looking for fresh involvement!

Fall Seminary Course Possibilities!

Ongoing education is crucial to Total Ministry & living fulling into one's Baptism! In addition to our own Whitaker and local offerings, seminaries are making their courses more available! The following are some Fall 2018 samples to consider and to consult with the Ministry Developer about for your ongoing formation! nmclaughlin@edomi.org

ONLINE COURSES Sept 17 - Nov 5, 2018 Facing Choices: Ethics in the Anglican Tradition The Anglican Bible: Scriptural Conversation and Formation The Gospels Craft an Effective Sermon by Friday The Diaconate Systematic Theology The Way of Jesus WEEKEND COURSES in Chicago Reading Scriptures Across Religious Divides: Inter-faith dialogue (Oct 4-5, Nov 1-2; Dec 6-7) Pastoral Offices - Services for significant life events (Sept. 7-8, Oct. 12-13, Nov. 9-10) Anglican Liturgy and Music (Sept 21-22, Oct 19-20, Nov 16-17)

Technology Resources

Does your church website need some freshening up? Contact Anna Schroen, EDOMI's Director of Communications at aschroen@edomi.org And for more assistance save Saturday, September 29, 2018 for the eFormation Bootcamp!

Time for some fun! Here are some fun online bible activities to share with the young or young at heart! Bible Activities Zone is a free service. There are a variety of options from puzzles to word search and more! My favorite is the hangman game.

Total Ministry is a shared ministry, which sees the whole Church as a body of ministers: baptized, sealed, ordained, commissioned – faithfully and perceptibly striving to honor their commitments to the Baptismal Covenant ...  Total Ministry therefore embodies mutuality and accountability; and reflects the optimism, enthusiasm, and focus on mission characteristic of the early Christian Church .     (COM, Total Ministry Overview, 2009)

Subscribe to This Total Ministry Newsletter! This is a newsletter with community events and resources especially for Total Ministry congregations. Send suggestions for future editions to nmclaughlin@edomi.org and forward/print this newsletter for others who are interested! Thanks! If you would like to continue to receive this, CLICK HERE to sign up.