Do you feel it? Do you sense something is stirring in the air? I hope so! Because there is a new wind of the Spirit that is beginning to blow and I think we are going to be in for one heck of a ride.
Why? I will tell you why.
This past week, the Central and High Plains Cabinets dusted off the dirt and cleaned out the cobwebs to begin meeting again. Central to both meetings were discussions about the purpose and the viability of continuing to maintain district structures.
On paper, we still have five districts in the Christian Church in Kansas. In reality, through the spring of last year there were only two functioning districts: the Central District and the High Plains District.
The Central District wrestled with the idea of whether it was time to dissolve the district as a functioning entity. As part of the wrestling, we briefly looked at current Guidelines and decided that we needed more data input from pastors and church members about what is needed from a district structure to be valuable to congregations and pastors. To that end, the guidelines will be sent out to all pastors and congregations along with a survey using Survey Monkey asking for information on four or five questions. The answers will become part of the information used for a meeting being planned for Saturday morning at 8:30 am on the 25th of February. We invite all pastors and at least one member from each congregation to be part of this discussion.
The High Plains District cabinet also wrestled with the purpose of the district and reaffirmed that it was one of the vehicles by which they felt connected to the larger region church. They recognized that changes in the region has led to parts of the current guidelines for the district no longer being applied and therefore the guidelines needed to re-written or amended. Finally, the cabinet members began to form tentative plans to hold a leadership training event in the fall. As plans are finalized, make plans to attend this event. The next meeting of the High Plains Cabinet will take place on March 26th, 4:30 pm Central Time by Zoom video conferencing.
On another note, one of the things that has helped to keep regional men’s and women’s programs effective is the work of their respective coordinators. These coordinators are part of contract staff that help their leadership plan and hold events; the minds, bodies and souls of men and women throughout Kansas. These positions are paid for in part by special designated gifts to the region. All it takes is at least one $40 gift from every congregation or about 80 individuals each year to fund these positions. Please consider giving to support these ministries.