pathfinder and community ministries workshop
DESCRIPTION
The purpose of the Pathfinder Leadership Award is to 1) continue equipping people for a sharper Pathfinder ministry and 2) enable those who are finding themselves removed from reality to keep pace. Again, there is a refocus on personal spiritual growth, which must be a never-ending upward path. There are also several seminars of advanced-level leadership development and opportunity for practical application of lessons learned.TRANSCRIPT
NEC PATHFINDER LEADERSHIP AWARD (PLA) Workshop
Seminar Pathfinder and Community Ministry
LocationNortheastern Conference Administrative Office11550 Merrick BlvdJamaica, NY 11434
Presenter Chris M. Jones, MG (PLA), AYL
Date Saturday, 8 November 2008
Purpose To enlarge our “field of concern” in the community through an examination,interpretation, and implementation of I Corinthians 9:1922.
After this presentation, you will be able to use your geographical knowledge of yourcommunity and how it is shared and used to address and minister to the unique needs ofyour community.
Presentation objectives1. To engage the PLA candidate in an examination of Scripture to establish its application
to community ministry,2. To critically reflect on the presence and role of your church in the community,3. To examine community district profiles by mapping the information that it provides, and
determine its utility,4. To identify community ministry in the AY/Pathfinder Curriculum and align its
requirements with the needs of the community.
Presentation1. Point 1 Ministry to the community involves interaction with people of various religious
faiths and cultures.Support I Corinthian 9:1922
Essential questionsa. What does Paul mean when he says “…yet have I made myself servant unto all, that
I might gain the more”? What is his purpose?b. What are the various communities that Paul seeks to serve?c. What is his strategy for serving these communities?d. How can this strategy be applied in the communities we live in?
2. Point 2 Ministry to the community begins with reflection on how involved the church is in
the life of the community.Support “A Bird’s Eye view of Evangelism” handout, questions 15Essential questiona. What information do your answers to the questions provide about your church?b. What factors, within and outside of the church, could help to explain this?
3. Point 3 An examination of the community district profiles provides a wealth ofinformation that can inform pathfinder ministry to the community.Support: Community Profiles from various locationsEssential questiona. Is your church listed in the profile? What could explain this answer?b. What kind of information is provided in the profile?c. How can this information be used to enhance how you think about and understand
your community?d. How can this information be used to enhance your presence, visibility, and ministry
in the community?
Note: Community district profiles for the five boroughs can be found athttp://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/lucds/cdstart.shtml
4. Point 4 Ministry to the community is embedded in the AY/Pathfinder Class curriculumand involves personal and group witness as well as community outreach.Support: AY/Pathfinder Class curriculum, “Serving Others”Essential questionsa. What activities are crosscurricular, that is, they are shared by two or more classes?b. How does the “Serving Others” section of the pathfinder curriculum engage the
pathfinder in being a “servant unto all”?c. How can we use the information contained in the community district profiles to
satisfy the requirements of “Serving Others”?d. Observe and record the data provided in the “NEC Pathfinder Federation Regional
Investiture Service 08”.● What patterns do you notice in terms of the number of young people being
invested from Friend to Guide? Why is this happening?● What does that mean for the evangelistic program of your club? Your church?
Area Friend Companion Explorer Ranger Voyager GuideBrooklyn/State
n IslandQueens
Long Island
e. Review p. 237239 of The Doctrines and Fundamental Beliefs of Other(Organizations) Religions by Rudolph Rhone, “Chapter 44: Former SeventhdayAdventists.”Your church is planning a Homecoming in 2009 and would like to renew its
relationship with the young people who have left. With your neighbor, construct awritten dialogue between a pathfinder and young person who no longer attendschurch. The pathfinder is attempting to build a relationship with that young personand eventually invite that person to this event.
f. Answer question #6 of “A Bird’s Eye View of Evangelism”
Closing remarks Paul’s strategy for ministering to the community in I Corinthians 9:1922can be viewed as a response to the question posed by Jesus in the Parable of the GoodSamaritan, “Who is your neighbor?” Our own responses to this question is directlyproportional to how engaged we are in the communities we are members of. If we arelimited in ministry to our church community, family and friends, then our field of concern willbe small. But if like Paul, we able to become a part of various communities, then our field ofconcern will be enlarged. This principle is especially relevant in pathfinder ministry. Ouryoung people should be able to respond that their neighbors come from variouscommunities because of their engagement with it. It is my hope that as candidatespreparing for investiture in the PLA program, your field of concern will be greatly enlargedso as to finish the work of the gospel in all the world.
CJones
A BirdEye’s View of Evangelism
1. Who are the people that live within the boundaries of Community District 12?2. To what extent does the membership of your church reflect the surrounding
communities?3. What peculiar problems does the community face, and how has your church
uniquely addressed them?4. What image does your church presently have in the community?5. What are other churches doing or not doing in the community and how do you
compare?6. What can this church begin doing or do differently to make an impact on the
community?