Rosewood Church http://rosewoodchurch.org Wed, 21 Jun 2023 19:03:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.9 Vision Update 3 http://rosewoodchurch.org/vision-update-3/ Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:53:00 +0000 http://rosewoodchurch.org/?p=5422 Rosewood Vision Update
June 20, 2023

You don’t have to attend Rosewood long to realize we have a certain pattern to our order of worship.  In fact, our order is consistent with many other churches as well because it helps promote balanced, biblical worship through prayer, Scripture, music, giving, and preaching.  That said, a service order isn’t sacred and what works for one person may not connect with another.  Releasing our children during service is a good case in point – we design worship for adults and create a separate environment for kids so everyone is met, to the best of our ability, on their own level.
 
Well, we’re going to mess with the status quo a little.
 
Fifth Sundays
July, October, and December all have five Sundays.  On the fifth Sunday, we are going to have an inter-generational worship service where we celebrate traditions and learning styles of all ages.  That means only nursery will be offered and everyone else will stay in service.  So, let me tell you what Fifth Sunday is NOT:
 
It is not worship like usual where we make kids sit quietly in “adult church.”
 
It is not worship just for kids where adults feel talked down to.
 
We are not using kids as token showpieces in worship.
 
Fifth Sundays has its own identity, and it’s best to approach it without any expectations of what it ought to be.  Every mark of biblical worship will be upheld, but in new ways that better accommodate a wide variety of attention spans, maturity, and interests.  Our goal is to create shared, cross-generational experiences that promote community across all ages.  As we discover more and more that it means to live into our vision of empowering the next generation of believers in the church and home, we know that kids need more than just a good youth leader or Sunday School teacher.  They need a church that loves and values their membership in the body of believers.
 
Our first Fifth Sunday is July 30, and I can’t wait to share what we’re planning!
 
-Pastor Austin

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Vision Update 2 http://rosewoodchurch.org/vision-update-2/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 18:51:00 +0000 http://rosewoodchurch.org/?p=5420 Rosewood Vision Update
April 26, 2023

God’s vision for Rosewood to reproduce spiritual leaders in our church and homes to empower the next generation of believers is gaining momentum and carrying us towards new ministry opportunities.  Below are two of these new efforts. 
 
Be Impressive Campaign
If you were in service or watched online on April 16, you heard me introduce our Be Impressive campaign for 2023.  Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us we are to impress God’s word upon our children, and this vision for generational discipleship is key to God’s plan for God’s people.  It’s a call for all of us to be a person who makes an impression upon the next generation (0-22 years old).  The consistory and staff believe God is challenging us to see 80% of our church connected in meaningful ways with the next generation as a person of spiritual influence, and nothing helps us spur one another on in faith and good works more than sharing stories.  Your stories through the Be Impressive campaign will help us celebrate how God is at work in our church, homes, and community to reach the next generation.
 
We know many of you have stories to share already, while others will take intentional steps to experience and tell new stories this year.  The link to share your stories will be available for the remainder of the year on our website with QR codes visible in the Lobby and bulletin every week.  For your convenience, you can also click HERE.  As stories keep coming in, you’ll be able to start seeing these “impressive” stories hanging around the Lobby.
 
CarePortal
Next month, Rosewood is welcoming a new ministry partnership with an organization called CarePortal.  CarePortal began as a foster care support service and has since expanded to assist any children or families in crisis.  Every day, case workers with child serving agencies encounter children in need.  They post these needs to CarePortal which immediately make supporting organizations, like Rosewood, aware of how to help.  You could say that these agencies are the eyes and ears in the community, while churches like Rosewood are the hands and feet ready to serve.
 
On Sunday, May 7, in the Sanctuary following worship, we’ll be hosting a CarePortal representative to provide more information about our partnership.  So don’t go far after service!  I know this overlaps with some of Sunday School hour, but I would still encourage adult classes to sacrifice some of their group time to attend this meeting.  Children’s Sunday School will not be affected.
 
Coming up next…
Good things come in threes, and another exciting opportunity to reach the next generation and their families is coming.  Stay tuned for more on May 21!
 
-Pastor Austin

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Vision Update 1 http://rosewoodchurch.org/vision-update-1/ Tue, 14 Feb 2023 19:44:00 +0000 http://rosewoodchurch.org/?p=5418
Rosewood Vision Update
February 14, 2023
Some of the most life-giving conversations I’ve had in the last three months revolved around the idea and execution of our new vision to reproduce spiritual leaders in the church and home to empower the next generation of believers.  I’ve left meetings wishing the whole church could have been a fly on the wall because sometimes the journey towards a decision is just as important as the decision itself.  For that reason, I will we providing periodic vision updates to help everyone at Rosewood be that fly on the wall and feel more empowered to be a beneficial voice in the execution of our vision.
 
Stories Over Stats
Our one-year goal is for 80% of Rosewood Church to be a person of intentional spiritual influence for the next generation through the church or home.  The subtext of that goal is that for us to realize our long-term vision we will need a significant portion to be engaged with people 22 and under personally and/or through their families.  Initially, our plan was to emphasize the 80% and track our progress in a tangible, visual way, but I’m rethinking that plan based upon the input of others.  We don’t want this goal to create unhelpful pressure or make it about numbers achievement.  We will still track numbers because an unquantifiable goal is impossible to achieve, but we are going to lead with stories rather than statistics.  Our visual display will be more about telling stories than tracking percentages.  That tangible creation is still in the works, so stay tuned.
 
What counts?
Some of the hardest discussions we’ve had as staff center around “what counts.”  How do I know if I’ve done my part to be counted among the 80%?  How can what happens in homes be known, and “what counts” as home discipleship?  Do kids and students just count by nature of being the next generation?  These questions and more are both worthy of answers and demonstrate the shortcomings of over-emphasizing the 80% rather than the intention.
 
In a recent staff meeting, we drew this picture to define rigid control verses ambiguous self-identification:
The left-most extreme of rigid control is if the staff and consistory explicitly state what ministries, events, activities, and giving opportunities “count.”  This provides clarity but no flexibility.  This approach may create a legalistic culture of achievement with little joy in what comes from our efforts.
 
The right-most extreme of ambiguous self-identification doesn’t create boundaries of what counts or doesn’t count.  Instead, we provide the one-year goal and let everyone decide if or when they “count” towards the 80%.  It’s highly flexible; so flexible that there’s no challenge to engage in new or deeper ways with kids, students, and families.
 
Like with most things, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.  We intend to provide some guidance or “boundaries” of what is designed to help us further our vision and reach our goal, but it will be up to each person to ultimately judge their own actions and motives against the heart of our one-year goal and vision.
 
Coming up next…
I hope this snapshot of current conversations has been helpful.  You can expect to see the tangible display in the church by the spring along with ways for you to share your stories of God at work in you, your family, other families, and the next generation.  I pray our stories provide encouragement and spur one another on as we seek to live into our vision.
 
-Pastor Austin
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New Building Renovations Complete! http://rosewoodchurch.org/new-building-renovations-complete/ Thu, 31 May 2018 17:28:16 +0000 http://rosewoodchurch.org/?p=2557 On May 20, 2018 we celebrated a dedication to our newly renovated facilities.
Our members were very excited to have a larger space to visit before and after worship as well as test out the new Rosewood Café area.
Join us on Sunday’s at 9:30 a.m. to see for yourself or see some pictures of our newly renovated church on our Building Completion Album.

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Building Renovations http://rosewoodchurch.org/building-renovations/ Mon, 16 Oct 2017 19:19:28 +0000 http://rosewoodchurch.org/?p=1712 Rosewood is undergoing some major building renovations throughout the next 8-9 months! All the walls between the narthex and coatroom are coming down, which will open up the whole area. In addition, a new 25′ x 25′ area will be built off the North side of the narthex area, the bathrooms are being completely re-done and will be handicap accessible, a new elevator and a coffee bar will be installed, and later in the project, the Kitchen in the Gym area will be updated as well. In the meantime, we are meeting for worship in our church gym every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Join us! See pic updates in our Renovation Album on our Facebook page.

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