By Staff
special to the standard
Today marks a new chapter in the life of First United Methodist Church of Brewton, church officials said.
Visitors to the church should notice that this is not a typical Sunday, church member Tammi Deatherage said. Members of the church will come dressed in T-shirts proclaiming the church's new mission statement: Seek God's Children, Show Christ's Love, Share God's Word, Send Disciples, Serve the World. During the service, each member of the congregation will receive an arm band imprinted with the new mission statement.
The church's new mission statement comes as a result of over a year of research, planning and prayer, said the Rev. Ed Glaize, pastor of the church. The Long Range Planning committee began meeting in January 2006. Sub-committees studied books on various aspects of effective and growing churches, as well as demographic information for the Brewton area and FUMC. Committee members surveyed church members and members of the Brewton community. One Saturday morning, some of the committee members served free hot dogs to Wal-Mart shoppers who would stop to answer a few questions about the role of the church in their lives.
In addition to crafting a new mission statement, the committee used the information it gathered to develop a five-year plan for the church. The goals in the five-year plan are specific steps the church will take to put the mission statement into practice.
To celebrate this new chapter in the life of the church, members will gather after the worship service to enjoy a meal from David's Catfish and fellowship together as they play games. A scavenger hunt will test members' knowledge of people, places, and things associated with the church. Members can also join a bridge tournament or play bingo, checkers, or dominoes. Children will have fun playing on inflatables and other games set-up in the parking lot.