The North Carolina Conference Board of Laity is looking for your stories – stories of how you are in ministry to persons beyond your local church. Instead of capturing just a few ministries to be shared at Annual Conference, the Board is looking for signs of the breadth and depth of involvement of laypersons to people beyond their church walls. Every church has something to share!
The form below is how we will capture these stories. All you need to do is provide the basic background information then move through the form. When you see a ministry your church has been involved it, fill in the data. We’re looking for numbers of people involved and some other key data. For example, if you do the ‘Backpack Buddies’ ministry, count up the number of backpacks you have filled since last Annual Conference and enter that number. When you have entered all your data, submit the form. You will receive a copy of what you sent in and a copy will be sent to your District Lay Leader.
Q&A
Q: Who can fill out the report?
A: Any layperson or clergy at your church.
Q: Why the emphasis on numbers?
A: They are a great way to understand just how much is being done.
Q: What if our ministry isn’t listed?
A: There is a section at the end where you can add customized ministries. Just follow the instructions for how to fill it out. Just remember, the focus is on reaching people outside the current membership of your local church. For example, a small group only for members of the church would not be included. However, if your church started a small group in a community center for members of the community to deal with a common issue (i.e., being a single parent), that could be added.
Q: Do I have to do it all at once or can I come back to it later?
A: You can submit the report multiple times. For example, let’s say you had a project last Saturday in which volunteers from your church mowed the lawns of persons who are poor and homebound. Go ahead and submit the information for that ministry. Then, a month from now, you send a Volunteers in Mission team to Haiti, you can go in and add that activity at that time. You will need to fill in the background info each time so we know which church is sharing the information.
Q: How far back do I go for data?
A: You may go back to July of 2015. We plan at each annual conference to share just how much has been done for how many since the last conference. It will be a great story to tell!
For technical assistance, please contact Dr. Christine Harman.