PCMK Mission Study Conversations

Please sign up for a small-group conversation about the mission of the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco. These coffee and dessert meetings, in homes and at church, are seeking to discern PCMK's answers to these questions:

1. What do you think "Church" means? What do you think is the purpose of our church? Can you put it into one sentence?
2. What brought you to this congregation? What keeps you here?
3. What are important qualities of this church?
4. What would you like to find in this church if you were suddenly transported five years into the future?
5. Now that you've thought about our church's purpose, what gifts would you see a new pastor bringing to this place?

These "Holy Conversations" are a time to reflect together on our self-understanding as a church. We are seeking to discern PCMK's "personality" and style of carrying out our mission.

In this interim period have an occasion to re-vision our past and envision the future of PCMK, asking what God is calling us to be and do. In the weeks ahead the Mission Study Team will be at work helping us to discern what God has in mind for this wonderful church, and to prepare the way for the NEXT STEP: Electing a Pastor Nominating Committee.
 We want you to share your vision for the church and the specific actions needed to fulfill those visions.

These meetings will:

• Focus on receiving personal reflection, not abstract theological discussion.
• Emphasize the future--to find energy to move forward.
• Imagine possibilities, more than analyze problems.

At the same time, we will record your suggestions and concerns, and believe that these conversations will help with the ongoing healing of our church's soul.

Please fill out the enclosed slip and place it in the offering plate, listing your availability.

--Jack Lohr, Interim Pastor and the Mission Study Team
   Anne Carpenter, Joanne Dobson, Ken Murakami,
   Alan Morjikian, Nicholas Kung, and Barbara Zinke

PS: Below are some resources to stimulate your thinking on the meaning and purpose of our church.

What does Church Mean? What is PCMK's Purpose?

Some possible resources:

1. Marks of the Church: http://tinyurl.com/4tt3peg
"Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to Christ's institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God exists"
--John Calvin, Institutes, 4.1.

2. Great Ends of the Church: http://tinyurl.com/4vcxffn
The great ends of the church are
• the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;
• the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;
• the maintenance of divine worship;
• the preservation of the truth;
• the promotion of social righteousness; and
• the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
--Presbyterian Church, 1910

3. PCMK Mission Statement http://pcmk.org/aboutUs.htm
We believe in the dignity and divine worth of every human being. Each of us has known different life experiences. Each of us has different strengths and weaknesses, gifts and abilities. Our vision of God's community is one of diversity, redemption, and grace. The head of our church is Jesus Christ. The heart of our church is found within the people.
Faith, hope, and love sustain us on our journey, and the greatest of these is love. We believe that God has yet more love to be discovered, more truth to be known, and more light to illumine our way. Thus, we come here to examine our values and expand our vision. We come here to pray, to praise and to give thanks. We come here to experience the church gathered so that we can better experience the church dispersed. We come here to worship God.

4. Congregational Life Survey Results http://tinyurl.com/4g5xzh8

5. Local Demographic Info. http://tinyurl.com/45862yu
(click "download" and then open with Adobe reader to view)

“God provide us with your light.

Guide us to live faithfully in the demands of this time.

Do your work among us.”