What an exciting time to be part of the Council of Churches of the Ozarks! As an organization, I believe we have entered into what the Bible refers to as “kairos” time: a time when God brings about a new beginning, a time of new opportunity, a time of growth that inspires a new sort of hope within us. It seems to me that our mission, established more than 40 years ago, has foreshadowed the realities we are experiencing in today’s world. Current trends within American Christianity seem to be less focused on denominationalism, and moving instead toward experientially centered faith that is focused on building for the Kingdom of God. There is a renewed voice rising from American churches calling for a deeper understanding of the Gospel, and a fuller expression of God’s Kingdom inaugurated and revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

There are new faces and new programs and new opportunities on the scene at the Council of Churches of the Ozarks. What isn’t new is our unique calling in our community to be a resource to churches, and a source of hope to our most vulnerable neighbors.

 

Like an on-board GPS, our Strategic Plan is guiding us as we are planting seeds of hope in our community. The preamble of our Strategic Plan states: “Our mission, our vision, our values, and our daily activity must coalesce into a pursuit of common ground rooted in service. This common ground of service is an occasion for experiencing God’s love, compassion, justice, forgiveness, inclusivity, and God’s self-identification with the poor and vulnerable.”  We see ourselves as those called to serve, humbly planting seeds of hope. We envision a time in our world and community “when all people are valued as children of God, when unmet human needs are met, and where there are examples of churches, organizations and concerned individuals working together as one to deliver resources to those in need.”

 

These are some of the guiding principles from our Strategic Plan. I invite you to view the Council of Churches of the Ozarks Strategic Plan: 2010-2013 in its entirety. Thank you for your partnership with the Council of Churches of the Ozarks. May God bless you throughout the coming year!