{"id":11282,"date":"2016-05-10T14:27:31","date_gmt":"2016-05-10T18:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=11282"},"modified":"2016-05-15T20:24:22","modified_gmt":"2016-05-16T00:24:22","slug":"learn-how-to-reach-out-this-summer-7616-81716","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=11282","title":{"rendered":"Learn how to Reach Out this Summer (7\/6\/16 – 8\/17\/16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Hebrews, Paul (or whoever “the writer” is), commanded us to: “…run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ”\u00a0 To be able to “run with perseverance<\/span><\/em><\/strong>” we need to train.\u00a0 A \"2015runner trains his body through appropriate physical activity.\u00a0 But for Christians to run the race we need Spiritual Training.\u00a0 That comes mainly from the Bible,\u00a0 but it also comes from our fellowship with other Christians.\u00a0 We learn from each other and from each others experience and wisdom.<\/p>\n

This summer, we’re going to do some training.\u00a0 No, it won’t involve any physical activity.\u00a0 In fact, you won’t even have to leave the comfort of your home.\u00a0 How can our church be more effective at sharing the love and grace of God?\u00a0 How can we “run further” with deeper commitment?\u00a0 How can we put this tool that we call the “Pitman United Methodist Church” to better use?<\/p>\n

One resource that can help is the online training offered by the United Methodist Church.\u00a0 A large library of courses and other resources is always offered, but during this summer our church is going to focus on three of the courses offered by United Methodist Communications:<\/p>\n

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  1. “Welcoming Ministry”<\/li>\n
  2. “Communicating Faith in the 21st Century”<\/li>\n
  3. “Tools for Increasing Your Church’s Vitality”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Each of these courses focuses on the skills and knowledge on how to improve the ways we reach out to our community… of how we “create climates<\/em> where spiritual growth can occur…” (see our church’s purpose statement on the bottom right hand corner of any of our site’s pages<\/span><\/em>).<\/p>\n

    Each of these six week courses is being offered from July 6 through August 17.\u00a0 Yep… during the summer!\u00a0 But, the beauty of an online course is that it doesn’t commit you to a schedule.\u00a0 Log in and learn whenever you’re available.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    A Summer of Learning<\/span><\/h3>\n

    We’re going to take advantage of these summer courses by pulling together as a church and learning together.\u00a0 There are three courses to choose from, and each course is held during the same six week period.\u00a0 Sign up for one course (your choice<\/span><\/em>) and study independently, but when the church schedule “returns to normal” after the summer, we’ll get together and share what we learned.<\/p>\n

    Each course consists of reading, videos, interactive online activities like fun quizzes,\u00a0 and discussion forums with others across the globe who are also taking the course.\u00a0 There’s a list of assignments and online activities, but there are no due dates!\u00a0 Step through the online activities and work at your own pace.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    United Methodist Communications…<\/span><\/h3>\n

    The global United Methodist Church works through its Annual Conferences and local churches to\u00a0 share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the World.\u00a0 That’s every Christian’s commission, but the Church pulls together to help each of us do that.<\/p>\n

    One of the many ways the United Methodist Church supports its local congregations\u00a0 is by providing Training and Education.\u00a0 And part of that training is offered via online courses.\u00a0 The arm that offers these courses is called “United Methodist Communications.”\u00a0 You can learn about other resources by visiting: http:\/\/www.umc.org\/<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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    To take advantage of the many courses offered by United Methodist Communications, visit\u00a0their\u00a0site,<\/a><\/span> select a course and register. If you haven’t done this before, you’ll have to set up an account… but don’t let that scare you off!\u00a0 It’s pretty painless.\u00a0\u00a0 Just give them your name, email address, make up a password, and skip most of the other optional information (up to you). You can come back at any time to log in with your email address and the password you made up for United Methodist\u00a0 Communications Training.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Click this button to log in to your existing account or to set a new one up for yourself:<\/span>\nUM Communications Login<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Course Details…<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Here are the courses that we’re focusing on this summer\u00a0 (yeah, we did “borrow” these writeups from the UM Communications website<\/span><\/em>)…<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Welcoming Ministry 100<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Welcome to the Welcoming Ministry 100<\/a><\/span> course for The United Methodist Church provided by<\/span>
    \n United Methodist Communications. We are glad you have chosen to begin or deepen your<\/span>
    \n commitment to welcoming ministry and radical hospitality. We worked with ministers and<\/span>
    \n leaders to design a course for you to expand your own understanding and lifestyle of welcoming:<\/span>
    \n “extending the radical hospitality of Christ to everyone, all the time, both inside and beyond the<\/span>
    \n walls of your church.” <\/span><\/p>\n

    You also will find additional resources to help you lead others in <\/span>establishing and maintaining a dynamic welcoming ministry that transforms your congregation <\/span>and engages your community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Translation…<\/span><\/p>\n

    We’re not a “closed club.”\u00a0 Our church is a group of people who want to give away the love of Christ.\u00a0 To do that, we can’t keep to ourselves and huddle inside our building.\u00a0 Even as we hold to our core values, we need to welcome “outsiders” and embrace their ideas as we share Christ’s love together.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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    Learning Objectives<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

    By the end of this course, you will be able to:<\/span><\/p>\n