You may have heard that Asbury’s Church Council has recently undergone some significant changes.  We want to fill you in on the changes and why they were made.  The new council is much smaller than it was previously with only nine members.  They are :

• Chair of Finance, Fulton Brown
• Chair of Staff Parish Relations Committee, Steve Unrath
• President of the Board of Trustees, Bob Reighard
• Our Lay Leader, Ed Dougherty
• Our Lay Representative to Annual Conference, Judy Ehninger
• plus four at-large members, currently Jamie Peter, Sarah Kinzel, Israel Olivieri, and Dick McCreight. 
• Pastor Mark Moore serves the Council in an advisory capacity.

As a small group in the Wesley tradition the new council is to be guided through prayer, scripture and the Holy Spirit.  Our smaller size should facilitate decision making.  The new council is focused on empowering, permission-giving and visioning.  As Pastor Mark reminds us, we’re tasked with looking at what God wants Asbury to be 5 to 10 years out (“the 30,000 ft view”).  As a result we’re spending much time on identifying Asbury’s core values based on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.  We’re looking at Faith Sharing (evangelism) to bring members of our community through our doors; Discipleship to help members new and old grow (worship, Christian education, additional emphasis on small groups); and Mission to send every member out of our doors and into the world with the Good News of God’s unconditional love that’s too good not to share in word and action.

We want you, members of Asbury’s congregation, to be part of the new vision for Asbury and we greatly value your input.  An immediate goal of the Council is to improve communication so you’ll know what’s happening at Asbury and to give you a voice in the ministry focus of our congregation.  As a result, we are scheduling quarterly “Congregational Chats” and we are in the process of establishing a Communications Task Force under the leadership of Sarah Kinzel and Israel Olivieri.  Our Church Council meetings are held the fourth Sunday of each month.  These meetings are open and you are always welcome to bring your ideas to us.

Please contact any of the council members if you have a dream for Asbury.  We also ask that you pray for your New Church Council to help us discern God’s plans for the faith community known as Asbury United Methodist Church.