THE BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

The ministry of the Board of Christian Education is to supervise and nurture the total educational ministry of the church.  The board under girds and supports all the other ministries of the church.  It is centered around the responsible use of the talents with which God has so richly blessed us and how we must be of service to others in “building up the body of Christ”.

The Board of Christian Education brings together lay and clergy in evangelizing, pastoral care, teaching, and administration of the church as we “equip the saints” to better carry out God’s work with a sense of purpose, power, passion and proclamation.  Programs that are ministries of the Board of Christian Education are:

THE SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL

Sunday Church School is for all ages three thru adulthood with a time frame of 9:30 - 10:45 every Sunday morning. Classes are divided into age categories of beginners, primary, junior, teen, young adult, and adult classes.  Teaching materials include the Bible, books from the C.M.E. publishing house, and other Bible based tapes and literature.

The purpose is to provide training for members and visitors in the love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and understanding of the Bible as God's Word.  Recognizing that Sunday Church School is a part of the worship experience and the development of Christian faith.

Our teachers eagerly await you. Come and see what God has for you!

BIBLE CLASSES

THE STEWARDSHIP FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN

In February of 1996 the Church conference adopted the spiritual initiative of a campaign known as the “Stewardship for Life Campaign.”  This ongoing effort of the church has three points as its basis. Those points are as follows:

1.      Diligent in Study

2.      Active in Witness

3.      Growing in Faith

DILIGENT IN STUDY

DISCIPLE BIBLE STUDY

The intent of the campaign is to increase our understanding of the word of God and its thrust upon our lives as disciples; to take that understanding and witness to others about the saving power of Jesus Christ; and finally to ultimately have our faith dimension enlarged through what we see and understand Him doing in our lives.  To this extent we have established a ministry of study which includes the popular Bible Study Series known as Becoming Disciples through Bible Study.  This Bible Study Series has four elements to it and covers a four-year period of focused study, fellowship and application of God’s word. Those four elements are outlined below:

Disciple One               Becoming Disciples through Bible Study

Disciple Two              Into the Word Into The World

Disciple Three           Remember Who You Are

Disciple Four             Under The Tree of Life

 The classes are organized in small groups of twelve and a facilitator modeled after Jesus and His twelve disciples. Disciple One lasts for thirty-four weeks with a spiritual gifts discovery workshop at the conclusion of the course.  Disciple Two through Four each last thirty two weeks and conclude with activities that thrust persons into finding a ministry to further hone and develop their understanding of the word of God while at the same time expanding their witness. 

Each week the classes meet for two and half-hours around that week’s scripture, which is done outside of the class. A weekly video helps to guide the initial discussion and lead participants through focused activities, which help to bring greater concentration and understanding of that week’s reading.  Persons are invited to share their understanding of the lesson and gain the benefit of the other group member’s thinking while at the same time crafting a sense of "Koinonia" or community.  These groups become loving care cells within the church and often provide ports of entry for persons looking for a church home. 

Through the disciple Bible Study Classes we have witnessed lives being changed, persons have come forward as new servant leaders in the church, persons have felt the thrust of God’s call upon their lives and have announced their call to preach and proclaim the gospel, marriages have been strengthened, the power of God’s presence in the lives of people have become clear and the overall character of the preaching event has been transformed since persons now know the word of God and can testify to it in their lives.   

The classes begin each fall the week of Labor Day after a month long registration period in August. The cost of the class is ($34.00) thirty-four dollars which covers the cost of materials.  Currently nearly twenty persons have been certified as Disciple Facilitators and nearly 40% of the active membership of the church has participated in some form of Disciple Training.  Disciple Training classes are open to any member of the church as well as to friends, co-workers or other interested persons.

MASTERLIFE CLASSES

 While the Disciple Bible Study Classes seek to give persons an understanding of God’s word in their lives, the aim of the MasterLife Bible Study Classes is to give persons the wherewithal to take the word of God and allow it to grow up in the individual's heart and thereby making Christ the Master of their life.  These classes are divided into four six-week sessions, which employ a theme that impacts the disciple’s walk with Christ. Those four sessions are known as following:

            Session One              The Disciple’s Cross

            Session Two              The Disciple’s Personality

            Session Three           The Disciple’s Victory

            Session Four             The Disciple’s Mission

Like the Disciple Bible Study Classes each MasterLife class has no more than twelve persons and a facilitator.  The classes meet weekly for two hours and they discuss issues arising out of the week’s reading and focused activities.  An essential part of the MasterLife class is a section known as Spend Time with the Master. This aspect of the weekly lesson challenges persons to spend time in prayer and then time in listening thus being drawn into what God is saying to the student.  Other aspects of the lesson consider discussion along the lines of Living the Word, Praying in Faith, Fellowship with Believers, Witness to the Word and Ministering to others. 

This is a powerful class in that it forces believers to examine themselves through introspection using God’s word as a measure.  Persons enrolling in MasterLife must have completed at least Disciple One classes first.  Cost of the class is ($32.00) thirty-two dollars which covers the cost of materials.  Members and persons outside of Butler Street are eligible to enroll as long as they meet the pre-requisite.  Ten persons within the church are certified as facilitators.

SHORT TERM THEMATIC BIBLE STUDIES

In the near future short term thematic Bible Study Classes will be developed for the enrichment of persons who may be prevented from taking Disciple Bible Study or Master Life Classes. These courses will center on a particular Biblical theme, as an aspect of the walk of Discipleship or other subject matter as may be of interest to church members.  Like other Bible classes these courses will be open to the entire Butler Street Family as well as persons outside of the church.

ACTIVE IN WITNESS

This aspect of the “Stewardship for Life Campaign” is activated through our witness and ministries.  A Bible based or “word based church” ought to evidence the manifestation of the word in their lives and their witness through lived out ministries.  Our belief is that through ministries and programs of spiritual empowerment the church witnesses to its faith and its presence in the community and in the lives of the believers as it affirms what the word of God has taught and how the word of God has transformed the people of the church.   As a result of persons in the church allowing the word of God to take hold of them and the Holy Spirit to possess them ministries have started that all witness to the saving power of God thereby making known our witness.

Some recent examples of active witness and ministries that have resulted include the following:

• The Timothy House (after school tutorial program for children in Grady Homes).

·      The Drama Guild (a ministry of the music, arts and worship ministry)

• The Cancer and Health Ministry (the means by which health issues are lifted in the church and attention brought to illnesses that disproportionately affect             African Americans).

• The Prayer Fellowship (the means by which lay persons make intercessory prayer for the church and others)

• Thank God I’m Free (T.G.I.F.) a ministry of the Young Adult Fellowship to increase spiritual awareness and to discuss issues that confront and often plague  young adults in the everyday world of work, social interaction and church.  It also brings Young Adults together in fellowship, praise and worship.

• The Turning Leaf Book Club

• The Children/Youth Dance Troupe

• Prayer Praise and Deliverance Service held each Thursday Evening to lift up and adore the prayer and praise of the saints while also realizing the delivering power of God in every aspect of the disciple’s life.

GROWING IN FAITH

This aspect of the Stewardship For Life Campaign is intended to present the believer the knowledge and experience of walking by faith.  For we are not walking by sight but by faith, the Apostle Paul admonishes the Corinthian Church. Therefore as a result of being diligent in our study and active in our witness we naturally see our faith dimension increased or grow.  The adventure of faith is such that each new experience leads us to another level of faith in God and His rich promises.  Seeing transformation in our personal lives and the life of the church are causes for celebration and praise.  Through growth in faith persons learn to trust God for all things in life.  Persons learn to take God at His word through spiritual disciplines like tithing, prayer, fasting, visiting the sick and a host of other things that the believer can now embrace.  Faith is evidenced not by verbal expression but instead faith is evidenced by the transformation that takes place in the believer’s life and thus we come to know Jesus’ words in John 10:10 as true.  “For I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

COMMISSION ON MEMBERSHIP AND EVANGELISM

The Commission on membership and Evangelism works in cooperation with the Pastor in spreading the “Good News” of Jesus Christ to enhance the spiritual life of the congregation.

The function of the Commission on Membership is to:

1.      Welcome new members.

2.      Seek net increase of 10% in membership each conference year.

3.      Organize classes for new members.

4.      Graduation, Reception, and fellowship for new members.

5.      Discover and enlist talent of new members.

6.      Develop and formulate programs and ministries for membership development and nurture.

WOMEN’S MISSIONARY SOCIETY

A.     There shall be in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church a delegated body known as the local church Women’s Missionary Society.

B.     There shall be in each local church a Women’s Missionary Society.

Purpose:

The purpose of the Local Church Women’s Missionary Society shall be:

A.     To implement the mission and unity of the Christian Church in Christ Jesus.

B.     To make that mission and unity known at home and abroad through ministries.

C.     To encourage cooperation, fellowship, and mutual counsel concerning the spiritual life and religious activities of the Church.

D.     To encourage the study of the Bible and to assist in spreading the Gospel.

E.      To study the needs of the community in order to aid in the development of programs, people, processes and resources that will enable the Church to fulfill its mission. 

Ministries:

Food Pantry

Clothing Bank

Ministry to Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital

YOUNG ADULT COUNCIL 18 Years – 35 Years

The Young Adult Council seeks to minister to the needs of members of the church that are between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five.  Recognizing the diversity and the extreme differences in the age range, the majority of our activities are focused on strengthening our relationship with Christ and fellowship among one another. Our activities include Young Adult Sunday School (taught by us for us), Thank God I’m Free (a Friday night of praising God in our own way) and many other outings.  Our meetings are held every 2^nd Sunday of the month before church.  Ministries include T.G.I.F. and Young Adult Sunday School.

YOUNG ADULT USHER BOARD 18 Years – 35 Years

The Young Adult Usher Board serves every Second Sunday.  The responsibility is to admit people and attend to their comfort while in the house of worship.  We assist in maintaining order and decency.  The ushers act as hosts or hostess in God’s place of worship.

THE ADULT USHER BOARD

The word usher means, literally, 'doorkeeper' and suggests the familiar verse from Psalms 84:10, which says, . . . “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness”. Charged in the book of Leviticus, doorkeepers in the temple were a class of the priesthood holding their office by virtue of the lineage of Aaron.

The main ministry of the usher is to his/her local church. The usher is to admit people to the house of worship in an orderly and systematic manner, attend to their comfort while here, and perform other duties as assigned by the pastor.

The Adult Usher Board is responsible for rendering service on the first and third Sunday of every month of the year, at funeral services held at our church, at the request of the pastor for service held away from our church, and to assist the other usher boards when necessary.

The ministry of ushering is a sacred duty, a great privilege, yet a big responsibility.