Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Grace and peace be with you in the Christ whose coming we await!

As promised, I've had Vestry Conversations with 28 of our 36 Faith Communities since June. I've listened to you share what God is up to in your neighborhoods. You've shared your gifts, challenges, and possibilities. You've provided me a glimpse into your lives as Disciples of Jesus, the Risen Christ.

One of the common themes that has surfaced in our conversations is summarized by the following question (or some variation of) "How do we get more members?" At our Annual Diocesan Convention, you were invited to adopt the Five Marks of Mission as a framework to engage God's mission.

The Five Marks of Mission are:

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To teach, baptize, and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth

In my commitment to find resources that assist in implementing and living into each one of these Marks of Mission, I'd like to share the following. Let's start with resources for Mark 1...to proclaim the Good News of God's Kingdom. This is the work of evangelism, sharing one's faith story in such a way that it is received by another as a gift, an invitation. Please consider and review the following two resources.

EVANGELISM MATTERS
In November, the Episcopal Church sponsored a gathering in Texas entitled EVANGELISM

MATTERS. On the website are videos of several keynote presentations, including one from

our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, along with all the panel discussions and workshops. The URL link is www.evangelismmatters.org. It is a valuable resource for your use in ongoing formation and commitment to Evangelism.

INVITE / WELCOME / CONNECT
Recently Bishop Duncan Gray, who has agreed to serve as my coach for my first three years in ministry as your bishop, introduced me to another resource. It is called INVITE / WELCOME / CONNECT. I've spent several days reviewing the resources on their website. The URL link is www.invitewelcomeconnect.com. It is a process of training and instruction to prepare each of us to be more intentional in the work of Evangelism. If there is an interest, I would be happy to follow up with Mary Parmer, who developed this process, by inviting her to offer a series of workshops here in Northern Indiana.

If any of you are aware of additional useful resources in the work of Evangelism, please forward them to me so they may be shared it with others.

Advent Blessings,
Doug

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas Sparks

Serving as the 8th Bishop of Northern Indiana