|
Radical
Hospitality & Vital Spirituality
Share Generous Treasure
 Our pledge campaign for the ministry year 2008-2009 runs from April 20 to May 18. During that
time, we encourage all members and friends of Skyline to prayerfully
consider how God is calling you to share the generous treasure of your
prayers, presence, gifts and service for the combined ministry efforts of
our community in the coming year (our fiscal year begins on July 1). Our
theme for this coming year is Share Generous Treasure.
As you consider your part in the ministry of Skyline, read our theme passage
for the coming year, Matthew 6:19-21.
Missions Focus for May: Heifer Project
 On the last Sunday in April, our Education Pathway launched a bake sale to begin our May mission focus on Heifer Project International. Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. In pursuing this effort, Heifer had 867 active projects in 53 countries and 28 U.S. states in 2007.
MORE THAN JUST ANIMALS
Heifer pursues their mission by providing livestock, trees, seeds and other resources to help struggling families build sustainable futures. These are not merely one-time gifts. Heifer project participants receive training and support to enable them to achieve self-sufficiency. Recipients agree to “pass on the gift” of one or more of their offspring to another needy family in their very own community.
GIVE THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!!!!!
What your money can buy……. one heifer cow = approx. $500.00, one water buffalo = approx. $250.00, one goat = approx. $120.00, one pig = $60.00, honeybees = approx. $30.00 and chicks = approx. $20.00.
Together we at Skyline can really make a difference in the World. Please consider joining us in this giving campaign. (Simply write Heifer in the memo section of your check and it will be included).
Donations will be accepted until May 15th, 2008 for this year’s campaign.
All Are Welcome Here
We're having a community conversation about making a Welcome Statement that assures
all people they are welcome at Skyline, regardless of their sexual
orientation. Our Council
has approved a two-year process of study,
conversation, and forums and we anticipate deciding as a congregation
no
earlier than June 2009. Check out the FAQs about
the Reconciling Ministries Network of United Methodist churches across the
country that have made Welcome Statements to openly welcome GLBT persons.
 Natural Church Development
We're engaged in a process of planning and growth called
Natural Church Development.
A May 2007 survey identified Passionate Spirituality as our primary
health focus for 2007-08. That focus has resulted in our year-long
worship exploration of nine spiritual practices that renew our
passion. We've also added a Prayer Chapel and Small Groups area in
our sanctuary to provide space for and awareness of the Welcoming and
Equipping aspects of our mission. Each Pathway will be sponsoring a fellowship event to ignite our passion by creating more opportunities
for each of us to feel like we truly belong. Find out more about this process here.
  Pray
the hours. Thanks to the Vineyard Church of
Ann Arbor,  you can find a resource to guide your prayers in the
Morning, Noon, at Supper (Vespers), and before going to bed (Compline),
using PhyllisTickle's prayer resource, The Divine Hours. It's a time-tested way of staying in touch with
God. If you enjoy this, you might also enjoy St. Benedict on the Freeway by Corinne Ware.
Check out the video to the right on prayer...
Multiplying
Exodus 35 and 26 tell an incredible story of provision in the midst of a
wilderness. The people are constructing a movable shrine called the
Tabernacle and Moses issues a call to those who are willing to bring gifts
and offerings of gold, silver and bronze, blue, purple and scarlet yarn and
fine linen, animal skins, acacia wood, olive oil, spices, incense, and
gemstones. The call went out, and people began to bring their offerings of
treasure and talent, with gifts of jewelry and weaving skills - morning
after morning, according to verse 36:3. The chief artisans sifted through
the mounds of offerings and stopped their work to tell Moses they had far
more than enough for the completion of the shrine.
Then Moses
issued another order - and the people were restrained from bringing more,
because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
So it is
with God's creation and with God's people (all of us). We are fearfully and
wonderfully made, according to Psalm 139. Our inner gifts and collected
treasures enable us to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine, when
we work together with single-hearted love. So we focus on the spiritual
practice of multiplying as our sixth practice. Like the practice of
sacrifice, the practice of multiplying is rooted in the invitations and
promises of scripture. These stories become our encouragement to put God to
the test (see
Malachi 3:10).
What are we
capable of? Could we bring about the coming of God's Kingdom on earth, where
God's will is done and all people are freed for abundant life? Do we have
enough gifts, enough power, enough love?
Come and
see.
|
|
|
We are all parts of Christ's one
body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in
Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.
Romans
12:5 (NLT)
 Contact Information
- Telephone
-
302-737-9069
- FAX
- 302-737-1906
- Postal address
-
3100 Skyline Dr. Wilmington, DE 19808
- E-mail
- Office
Co-Pastors
Webmaster
|
