Committee Day is being moved to a virtual format on December 12. Zoom invitations are being sent to participants who will be asked to join in one of two sessions being planned. The 9:30 am session will be for members of IYM Ministry & Oversight, Christian Education Committee, Christian Service Committee, and Communications & Publications Committee. The 1:30 pm session will host meetings of the Stewardship & Finance Committee, Evangelism & Outreach Committee, and Missions Committee.
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Mid-Winter Pastors and Spouses Retreat
We have also decided to lay down the Mid-Winter Pastors and Spouses retreat. We have tentatively set the retreat for the same weekend in 2022. Would you, as a church, consider treating your pastor and their spouse with time off and funding for a personal retreat for rejuvenation and relaxation?
From the Christian Service Committee: As we consider ways to support and inform our communities, please review this article and accompanying materials regarding alcohol use.
Particularly, our young folks need to understand the realities of alcohol use. The Friends historical stance on alcohol use has been embraced, challenged, championed, and ignored. Approaching discussions around alcohol use can be productive and informative. Enlightening folks about alcohol use without bringing judgment, fear, and attitude into the discussion, can accomplish growth and understanding. Develop a strategy for supporting the youth in your community. If you need ideas, just contact the Christian Service Committee. We're happy to help develop a game plan for your monthly meeting to care for your young folks and reach out to your community.
Budget Update: Hope! What a glorious gift from God. This week HOPE is the focus of Advent. IYM has lived out Hope in dynamic ways over the years. Let's keep our hearts focused on God and the realities He leads us to -- our hope is built on nothing less . . .
We are grateful for your help with the 2022 budget. This is where we currently stand:
2022 Budget
$ 22,758.00 Cash Already Received
9,900.00 Pledges still to be paid
$ 32,658.00
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Evangelical Friends Mission has produced a 71 second video introducing ways you can give gifts that make a difference this Christmas. It can be viewed at
The IYM office has received prayer cards for EFM Field Missionaries that give some basic information for each missionary and their families. These cards can help a Sunday school class, small group, church and/or individual get familiar with the EFM Mission Fields and guide prayer for them. Feel free to stop by the IYM office to get some to help guide your prayers for God to use the Friends Church in reaching the world for Christ.
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Kaleo Academy is sponsoring a virtual Mission Trip with three missionaries from EFM Fields. This would be a wonderful way for churches, small groups, church mission committees, Sunday school classes, USFW groups, or youth groups to get some 'first-hand' interaction with some of the missionaries. Contact Katy Moran (katy.moran@barclaycollege.edu) with questions or to get signed up.
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Online Opportunity: Dave Phillips is facilitating a new online class: Leadership & Administration which is scheduled to begin January 4. The six week leadership course is built around these themes: God Defines and Describes Leadership, God Shapes Leaders Over a Lifetime, Leaders Work Out of God-given Mission, Vision and Values, God Uses Leaders to Develop Other Leaders, Leaders Work with Structure and Solve Problems, and Leaders Communicate God's Purposes.
You can enroll in the course at the Barclay College website. If you have not taken any courses from Barclay College online, you will need to take an orientation for this course beginning Monday, December 28th. Please check out this site for some helpful information:
Contact Damon Seacott at 517-204-5348 with any questions. Thank you for considering this great opportunity. Dave's teaching will be phenomenal!
Payment Deadlines: Assessment and Missions Giving have remained strong in 2020 despite all the challenges facing churches this year. The deadline for sending payments to be applied to your 2020 assessment or missions goal will be January 15.
Covid 19 did not destroy the mission of Quaker Haven in 2020. Director, Brandon Dennis reports that they served nearly 400 youth campers, dozens of volunteers served, twenty young adults spent the summer cooking, cleaning, etc., held boat-in worships, the quilting retreat met, hosted over 1000 people during the summer, celebrated many improvements and completed building projects - all this with no Covid traced back to Quaker Haven. Although the camp lost $128,000 in revenue, more than 300 gifts totaling over $120,000 sustained them. And responses from campers like the following, makes it all worth while: "Quaker Haven is one of the most amazing places! You can truly feel God's presence here. Though it was a short week, I feel refreshed in my relationship with Christ." Grace
Mesquakie Friends Mission suffered extensive damage from a wind storm a few months ago. They report that the physical and emotional help that they received was such a wonderful gift. "These people were living the Gospel, being the hands and feet of Jesus. Instead of water at the well, it was chain saws and cookies; instead of helping the man laying along the side of the road, they cut a giant tree down that may have fallen on our friends house. Their sweet spirits have made this a time to praise God, they have given us energy to carry on the work when we were tired and struggling to decide which way to turn because everywhere we looked we were surrounded by fallen trees and building debris. 'Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.'" Thessalonians 5:11
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Upcoming IYM Events:
Dec. 5 Pastors Christmas Dinner – CANCELLED
Dec. 12 Committee Day will not meet in-person
9:30 am via Zoom
· Ministry & Oversight
· Christian Education Committee
· Christian Service Committee
· Communications & Publications Committee
1:30 pm via Zoom
· Stewardship & Finance Committee
· Evangelism & Outreach Committee
· Missions Committee
Dec. 14 Investment Board via Video Call, 11 am
Dec. 29 Trustees via Zoom, 6:30 pm
The IYM Office will not be open for normal business hours from December 24 through January 3
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The new quarter of the IYM Sunday School Curriculum is now in use. The first lesson of the quarter for December 6th is entitled 'God Spoke' and is written by Steve Smith (Liberty Friends). Click HERE for a video of Pat Byers teaching that lesson.
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Good Morning!
At the turn of the century, Blockbuster reigned supreme in the video rental industry. If your family craved a movie night, someone likely had to drive to one of Blockbuster's 9,000 stores, stroll through rows of DVD-lined shelves, and hand a membership card to a blue-clad employee. When Reed Hastings, founder of a fledgling startup called Netflix, met with Blockbuster CEO John Antioco in 2000 to propose a partnership, he was laughed out of the office.
Despite changing consumer preferences, Blockbuster doubled down on its store-first model by offering popcorn, books, and toys, while Netflix experimented with a subscription model and no late fees. Only 10 years later, Netflix became the largest source of streaming Internet traffic in North America during peak hours, with over 20 million subscribers. Blockbuster declared bankruptcy. "A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed..." Forbes (9-5-14)
The Church of Jesus Christ will never fail, but some congregations will. Is your congregation clinging to a model of doing church that had blockbuster results in the past? How is that working today? In countries like Iran and China there are testimonies of amazing church growth following persecution that made it impossible to meet openly together. We aren’t facing that kind of persecution in America (yet,) but we are facing a pandemic that has impacted church attendance and, in many cases, cancelled worship services. I’ve heard it suggested that Covid-19 hasn’t changed culture as much as it has accelerated the change that was already coming.
Our churches need people like Reed Hastings and sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32). Are visionaries welcome in your circles or are they laughed out of the room?
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