June 2012

New Outreach Courses Customized to Demographic Settings

MISSION U has now customized outreach training to fit the special needs of different demographics. We acknowledge that outreach is different in a rural or small town than it is in an urban or suburban setting. For that reason, we will now offer "MU-202 - The Outreach Congregation" in two versions: one for rural and small town congregations and another for urban and suburban congregations.

MISSION U and LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission have partnered to produce an outreach course for congregations in rural and small towns called "MU-202 - The Outreach Congregation: Rural - Small Town." This version was written to assist rural and small town congregations with becoming mission-minded and effectively reaching outside of their walls.

This course will discuss how these community types are changing and so therefore the people living in them. We will discuss the prevalent needs within these communities and how to meet them under these special circumstances. For example, "How do you reach out to a community that is vastly spread out?" and "How do you get people into the church when it is in a remote area with no traffic?"

This rural and small town version will be offered by MISSION U presenters who have experience and knowledge on outreach in these special communities. Presenters include Reverend Lee Hagan and Amy Gerdts of LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission.

"MU-202 - The Outreach Congregation" will also be offered for urban and suburban congregations. This course offering will differ in that the people and therefore the needs of those in urban and suburban areas differ from those in rural and small town communities.

"MU-202-The Outreach Congregation: Urban and Suburban" will discuss how we can remove the walls we have put up in our cities and suburbs - for example, fences - to reestablish a "front-porch" mentality that used to exist in such areas, to recreate a sense community and how to remove established fears because of the dangers in these areas. We will learn how to get in alignment with what God is already doing in these cities.

Presenters for this version will include Reverend Dave Haberer of Church For All Nations in Midtown-Manhattan and Pastor Greg Finke of Dwelling 1:14 in Houston, Texas.

Both versions of this course will be offered beginning in August. However, you can enroll your congregation now! To learn more about these new courses, please visit http://whatsmissionu.com.

Messianic Outreach to Jews

Join MISSION U School of Witnessing on Saturday, August 18th, as we kick off the 2012-2013 year with a live web broadcast on Messianic Outreach.

Reverend Jim Weist of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio, will talk about how to be faithful to God's call from Romans 1:16 that says, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the gentile."

Learn of one congregation's approach to sharing the gospel with Jews in Cleveland and recognize opportunities for your area.

This webinar will take place at 10 a.m. central on Saturday, August 18th. To join us, go to http://connectpro31217790.adobeconnect.com/messianicoutreach/ on the morning of the webinar. Select "Enter as Guest" and enter your desired screen name.

10/5/2013: MU-203
Rivercliff Lutheran Church

10/5/2013: MU-101
Risen Christ Lutheran Church

10/26/2013: MU-101
Christ the King Lutheran Church

3/8/2014: MU-101
Divine Savior Lutheran Church