Week 1 - Simple Gifts Assessment
The Episcopal Church of today is deeply attached to the idea that Christian Baptism is our call to service, our first ordination - for most of us THE ordination of our lives. We believe that this ordination is a call to make a difference in the world around us by living into the Baptismal Vows (Book of Common Prayer, p. 302-5) by the power of the Holy Spirit. The mission is accompanied by the bequest of empowering gifts and talents. Scripture talks about gifts in relation to the work of the Church in a number of places in the Christian writings we call the New Testament. (See attachment: gifts scripture and lore) Our work is to discover, develop and deploy the gifts we have been given and infect the world around us with the Love of God. You can begin to get a sense of your gifts using the Simple Gifts Assessment (attached).
Gifts Scripture and Lore
Simple Gifts Assessment
Week 2 - Spiritual Gifts Discovery
Rarely do we find a person who exhibits only one strong gift. Most of us are a collection of gifts that are shaped by our specific and unique personalities, life experiences and hope and dreams. So, two people may have gift sets or collections that include, for example, leadership, faith and encouragement and be very different in the way their gifts present themselves. Use the Spiritual Gifts Discovery Booklet that is attached and discover the gifts within you. The top 2-4 in points are generally your gift set.
Spiritual Gifts Discovery Booklet
Week 3: Reflection on Personal Mission
Webster’s Dictionary defines “Mission” as “a continuing task or responsibility that one is destined or fitted to do or specially called upon to undertake.” Synonyms: calling, vocation. Each of the spiritual gifts in your personal collection is described in your Gifts Discovery Booklet. They have been given to you to support and strengthen your personal ministry and mission to God's world. Reflection on where you experience yourself employing your gifts and how they converge in your daily life may yield some surprising results. What happens when you realize that the work you do or the kindnesses you offer are your ministry - something you were destined to do or be? How does this help answer the question "Who are you?"
On Sunday, March 14, St. Mark's will host an "Opportunity Fair" at 11:15am. Wonderful food will accompany a bevy of booths highlighting the ministries that are going on at St. Mark's. Come dine and stroll, discover what is going on here and where you might 'practice' your gifts in preparation for their use in the wider community.
Week 4: Parable of the Talents
How we live into our vocation is a dynamic lesson in stewardship. To be a steward is to be the care taker of something that is not our own, something given to us as a loan or in trust that we will use it responsibly. The Parable of the Talents in the Gospel of Matthew is, on the surface, a lesson about fiscal investment. Looking more deeply we can see that this is a challenge to engage in the stewardship of whatever the Master has given us: our gifts, our relationships, our earth.... Regarding spiritual gifts, finding training and places to intentionally practice them is key in our understanding of stewardship. Look for opportunities within the congregation (a safe place to try out and practice) as well as training and deployment options in the wider community.
Parable of the Talents
Week 5: Mission Vision Statement
The precept of Congregational Sufficiency says "each congregation has all the gifts it needs within it to fulfill it's mission and to flourish". Look at the mission vision statement for St. Mark's (attached). What gifts are needed to run/grow this congregation? What ministries might be needed? Who do you think of who 'glows' when they do these ministries? How do we affirm giftedness as a congregation and how do we/should we invite people to use their gifts?
Mission Vision Statement