From Director of Lay Ministries (DLM) to
Discipleship and Family Ministry Facilitator (DaFMF)

So what does this mean?  Overall it means focusing more on the discipleship piece of the DLM responsibilities while also adding the focus of family ministry.  Specifically it means encouraging all at All Saints to intentionally engage in discipleship or following Jesus by sharing the Good News.  Stress is placed on intentionally. 

How are you making the Sunday to Monday connection?  The work and mission of the Church happens through the people of God.  This means engaging in the ministries of the church beyond Sunday and outreaching to the hurting world.  The truth is that you are God’s unique creation and no one can do what you do.  If you are an old holiday movie fan like me, it is like the role that George Bailey (James Stewart) discovers in It’s a Wonderful Life; if you were not here, God’s mission would look different because you have a role in it that can only be played by you.

So part of being the DaFMF means helping you find the inspiration or the calling of that role.  To begin, this will happen through discipleship focused study and learning opportunities as well as fellowship opportunities.  How is fellowship discipleship you ask?  Well, Jesus most often did some of his most pivotal teaching and life changing in the midst of “simple” fellowship.  Wonderful and unique things grow out of two or more intentionally gathering in his name.  This can happen in a guitar circle, packing bean packets for the hungry, making stockings for soldiers, working on a roof, you name it.  So I am the yeast for the opportunity and you the congregation are the rest of the ingredients that help to “feed” a hungry world.  This is already happening here at All Saints; we are just looking to multiply it.

That means I will still be holding regular sessions of Discipleship as Membership, inviting both new and “old” faces at All Saints to learn more about being Lutheran, about worship, stewardship, and faith practices, and about the people and ministries of All Saints.  The key word in launching this new ministry is going to be opportunities.  Where it goes from there is dependent on YOU.

The DaFMF, unlike the DLM, will no longer schedule worship participation, maintain membership records, create and maintain directories, or monitor attendance and involvement.  These tasks will be maintained by the church office staff and volunteers.

If you still have questions or want to know (and I hope you do!), please contact me directly and we can chat.  After all, that means two are gathered and discipleship is occurring!!  Reach me at katezywicki@cs.com or 248.318.9098.  Watch for and engage in those opportunities, or as Pastor Drex calls them, divine appointments…