“OUR VISION: Fostering Vital Communities”

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Four Marks of Authentic Community

Know and be known
Love and be loved
Serve and be served
Celebrate and be celebrated

Acts 2: 41-47

⁴¹Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke breadin their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

FULL TEXT

“Our Vision,” Week 1

FOSTERING VITAL COMMUNITIES

Acts 2:41-47

⁴¹So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. ⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

⁴³Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All who believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Acts 2:41-47 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

INTRO: Today we begin a 3-part sermon series on our vision at Main Street UMC:

Many of you know that we’ve had a Vision Team working to discern God’s future for Main Street

And as a result of their work we’ve got a new vision statement and a new set of core values, and that’s what I’ll be talking about for the next three Sundays.

BUT FIRST: Let’s talk about a statement we already had, that’s actually more important than the Vision Statement.

Look at [your bulletin / the screen] and look at our mission statement

This is why we exist
This is what we’re doing

Please read that out loud with me:

Our Mission:

To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

And we didn’t choose that. These are our marching orders from Jesus himself, based on Matthew 28:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

So, the mission is what we’re doing.

The VISION is our dream for what’s going to happen as we carry out the mission.

The mission is the same for every church:

—“Go therefore and make disciples” – that’s what Jesus said

The mission is the same, for every church, in every place, in every time:

But our vision is the unique way that God is calling this church to carry out the mission in this place, at this time

So how did we discern that?

Well, first, the church council appointed a vision team, made up of:

Main Street UMC VISION TEAM:

Michelle Blevins
Chuck Dagenhart
Lauren Elmore
Marc Engle
Wade Hampton
Vicki Horner
Alan Lee
Becky Lewis
Anna Marie Price
Brad Rogers
Chadwick Stamper
Sarah Whicker

And then, the Vision Team used a two-handed process:

On one hand, they got a grip on who we are as a church:

They did a survey, they did focus groups
And they figured out this church’s gifts, strengths, passions

On the other hand, they got a grip on the needs of the world around us:
- They did demographic studies
- They talked to community leaders
- And they figured out what’s happening out there and how it impacts the church

And then, they brought their hands together in prayer

And they looked for the intersections between who we are and the needs of the world

And they learned A LOT – which they’re still processing!

But here’s how they summed it up in a statement

Our Vision

Fostering vital communities through love and life-changing experiences

Look at [your bulletin/the screen], and read that out loud with me…

Today we’re going to focus on the first three words of that statement:

“Fostering vital communities”

LET’S PRAY

[Craig Groeschel]

That story is a symptom of something that’s happening in our society that is hurting all of us:

Electronically, in terms of computers and cell phones, we’re more connected than we’ve ever been

But when it comes to face-to-face relationships, we are more isolated than ever

We can connect instantly through our phones, through our computers

We can put something on Facebook, and 500 people will see it

But studies are showing that our face-to-face relationships are deteriorating

We are losing the ability to truly communicate

We can’t seem to understand each other on a deep level

Our relationship skills are going down, not up

I heard a story on the radio just this week about that said that researchers have found that the more people use social media like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest – the more isolated they feel

We’re more connected than ever
But we’re more isolated than we’ve ever been

And you see the evidence of this in society:

We volunteer less
We give less
We join service organizations less
We go to church less
We have guests over for dinner less
We get married less
We have fewer children
We have fewer close friends

Studies show that for most Americans, our circle of close friends is getting smaller

And those same studies show that our level our levels of happiness have gone down

And depression and suicide have gone way up

We’re more connected than ever; but we’re more isolated than we’ve ever been

And this trend towards isolation is literally killing us:

Studies of elderly people showed that those without adequate social interaction were twice as likely to die early.
Social isolation impairs immune function and boosts inflammation, which can lead to arthritis, type II diabetes, and heart disease.
The increased mortality risk [from loneliness] is comparable to that of smoking and twice as dangerous as obesity.

We need relationships!

It’s a life-or-death deal:

A study of 3,000 women with breast cancer found that those with a large network of friends were four times more likely to survive as women with fewer social connections.

A study that monitored nearly 17,000 utility workers revealed the degree of their social interactions was a predictor who would still be alive by the end of the decade.

A study involving almost 3,000 Americans found that people with close friendships are far less likely to die young.

And another study found that fifty-year-old men with active friendships are less likely to have heart attacks than solitary men.

We need relationships!

But today relationships are breaking down:

Marriages are falling apart

Families are breaking apart

Cities and neighborhoods are rife with violence and division

Our country is tearing itself apart

We’re more connected than ever
But we’re more isolated than we’ve ever been

Here’s the Good News:

WE AT MAIN STREET CAN BUCK THAT TREND:

We can reverse the trend towards isolation
And move people towards vital relationships

1- OUR VISION is to make disciples of Jesus Christ in such a way that we foster vital communities

Vital communities where people come together

And truly communicate with each other

Understand each other

And form relationships with each other

Vital communities where people are connected face-to-face

And isolation becomes a thing of the past

2-Now, listen to this: in our Vision Statement, when we say, “Communities,” do we mean…

Towns, like Kernersville?

Churches, like ours—our website says, “We are a Christ-centered community where disciples are made…”?

Small groups, like Disciple Bible studies, where people form a community as they study and pray together?

Communities based on common interests and needs, like the business community, the arts community, the recovery community, the MS community?

THE ANSWER IS YES. We meal all those things!

We want to “foster” vital communities of every type and description:

We want to help Kernersville be a community that’s just and fair,
- where the hungry are fed,
- where the schools are healthy and vibrant
- where everyone has equal opportunity

We want to foster communities based on interest and need,
- by loaning them space,
- by helping them succeed,
- by encouraging our members to participate

We want to develop communities within the church—
- small groups where people form deep relationships

Most of all, we want to continue making Main Street United Methodist Church a Christ-centered community that makes disciples

And we believe that as we make disciples of Jesus Christ in this time and place, we will foster vital communities where people can…

Know and be known
Love and be loved
Serve and be served
Celebrate and be celebrated

Those are 4 of the most basic longings of the human heart

And those are the 4 marks of vital community

Let me say that again: A vital community is a group where people can…

Know and be known
Love and be loved
Serve and be served
Celebrate and be celebrated

In today’s Scripture we see a beautiful model of a vital community

Please open your Bible back up and look at Acts 2:41-47

It starts with Peter doing what Jesus said—he goes out into the world and makes disciples

He stands up in Jerusalem in the middle of a big festival (sort of like Spring Folly)

And he preaches a powerful sermon

1- And look at what happens in v. 41:

⁴¹So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

So, Peter has made disciples, like Jesus said

He’s baptized them like Jesus said

And as soon as he does that, what happens?

THEY FORM A VITAL COMMUNITY:

Verse 42:

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

And look at the things that happen in this vital community:

1-Number one: God is at work among them – v. 43

⁴³Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.

2-Number two: each other’s needs – v. 44

All who believed were together and had all things in common;⁴⁵they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.

3-Number three: they spend time together, building relationships – v. 46:

⁴⁶Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts

4-And number four: Because this was such a vital community, people wanted to be a part of it! –v. 47

⁴⁷praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

The bad news is that the trend in our society is towards isolation and away from community

The good news is that we can buck that trend

Not only by being a vital community as a church

But also by fostering vital communities of every type and description

And listen— God is all about community:

Some theologians have said that all God has ever been doing is forming a community:

Starting in the Garden of Eden when God looked at Adam and said, “It is not good for this human being to be alone.”

And then continuing with Abraham and Sarah, who became the ancestors of God’s people

And then the nation of Israel

And then the church

And finally the community of people who will live together forever in heaven

God is all about community

In fact, GOD IS a community:

Father, Son, Holy Spirit –
1 God, three persons, existing together forever in community

CONCLUSION: Today we celebrate the Sacrament that shows how much God wants community:

Did you realize that the word, “communion” comes from the same root word as community?

it means oneness –

the death and resurrection of Christ is what makes us one –

as we come to the table, we put all our differences aside –

whatever else we are, when we come to communion, we’re all just hungry sinners

As long as we stay focused on Christ,

we as a church will be a vital community.

And as long as we follow Christ in mission,

we as a church will foster vital communities.

LET’S PRAY.