Touching Base! Part 38

Of Vision… and Outhouses

(This week’s Touching Base was written by Jamie Stinson, Bethel’s new Director of Family Ministries)

Early Monday morning I headed out with my new team to the “Kotch-a-Pad”, a beautiful cottage in Kaladar owned by our fearless leader, Pastor Mark. Having only been on staff at Bethel as the Family Ministries Director for a grand total of 10 days, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

After arriving and unpacking, followed by a quick tour that highlighted the outhouse, we wasted no time diving into the task at hand. Over the course of the two days, we wrestled through many topics, including a discussion on the importance of emotionally healthy leaders, our shared vision for Bethel, and a variety of ministry action plans.

We challenged each other, prayed for each other, served meals to each other, watched leadership videos and cleared our heads by taking short walks. We laughed together after supper as we watched a Christian comedian. We lived in community for 30 hours, shared our hearts and committed to support each other in ministry. Although there are some things that happened at the cottage that will stay at the cottage, like Mark’s bad outhouse jokes, there are some insights I’d like you to know about this team of which I have become a part.

First of all, I have quickly realized that I am on a team that bleeds “vision”. Bill Hybels defines vision as “a picture of a preferred future that produces passion.”
We are all becoming very familiar with our purpose statement here at Bethel, which is to ‘love God passionately, and serve others significantly.” To accomplish this we are committed to:

Growing in intimacy with God
Growing in intimacy with others
Growing in acts of service

As a team we are committed to this kingdom vision. We feel it deeply and we are dedicated to making sure that everything we do at Bethel revolves around it. Why? Because we recognize that life change can and will continue to happen in transformational ways if we remain faithful to this simple yet strategic vision.

Second, I believe I am on a team that is on the ground level with the potential of becoming an unstoppable “God movement”… but this leadership team has no hope of fulfilling this mandate alone.

As we embrace and model this preferred future, it is our prayer that the wonderful people at Bethel will ignite with passion as well! We are going to need everything you have to give…

your talents and creativity…
your prayers….
your money,
and most of all, your time.

Then together, as we invite God to come into our midst and ask for His heart for the lost, I am confident that God will use us to transform Bethel into a place where all generations are empowered to radically transform their culture for Christ.

So thank you for allowing me to join the Bethel team. I’m excited to become a part of what God is doing in your midst.

And when you are this excited, you can put up with a lot… even Mark’s bad jokes.

Jamie