Last Change: 05/13/2005
First Congregational Church of Ossipee – 2010 A.D. – Composite Micro Vision
By God’s grace we are truly becoming mature disciples of Jesus. Our love for God and others and our commitment to His work has grown beyond our ability to imagine. To God be the Glory! Just a few years ago we caught the vision of becoming a Lighthouse to the Lakes Region. We have seen this become a reality as people from all over this Region have found a Place to Call Home and are growing as disciples of Jesus. But today this church is also impacting the ministry of 7 other churches throughout New England, and our members are going out into the world with the result that 7400 have been saved and 9 training centers have been established that are already multiplying those results many fold. Thus we have become active participants in the Great commission to reach our Jerusalem, Samaria and the world.
How did this miracle happen? It happened through answered prayer and as our congregation understood the need for much more than a Sunday morning worship experience. 65% (477) of the adults attending worship now also attend one of 19 Adult Fellowships averaging 25 in attendance. These groups have become a place for newcomers to find fellowship, connection with the Body, better understanding of the Bible, and a unity of faith that finds expression in caring for one another and outreach to others. Some people have visited our church in the past but left because they could not get connected beyond the large worship service. Today, those coming through our doors experience the love of Jesus and are drawn to the Adult Fellowship’s where they find “a place to call home”. From there many have easily transitioned to one of our 37 small groups where they can grow deeper in the faith. In addition we are actively reaching out to our communities to draw new families through our children’s and Youth ministries, outreach events, and friendship evangelism.
These small groups have been a critical component of our transformation. Because these groups are designed for spiritual growth, they provide an environment for seekers to find and commit to follow Jesus, and for Christians to grow in spiritual maturity. That has resulted in one-third of our population being actively involved in Mission, both local and overseas. Because we are now actively reaching out to neighbors, friends and visitors, our congregation has quickly grown to over 1000 in weekly attendance. And we are now stretching the capacity of the Family Life Center with three weekend services; and the Adult Fellowships completely fill all available classrooms during all three hours. Plans are underway for a significant expansion.
Our Children’s ministry is now bustling with excitement as 167 of our children are themselves growing to be disciples of Jesus. This is requiring imaginative use of every available space while we consider future expansion of the Kids Kingdom area.
Over 90 students are actively participating in our Youth Ministry and are growing as disciples of Jesus. They have their own dedicated Sunday worship, weekly small groups, retreat camps and special events. Through the leadership and mentoring of over 40 dedicated youth leaders, these youth are really becoming leaders for Christ with their peers and in their families.
One important way that God performed this miracle was to bring us key staff during each of the last 5 years – These key pastoral staff were needed to train over 106 lay leaders who lead our small and medium sized groups.
God has amazed us with what he has done in and through us. As Nancy said the other day “who would have thought this could happen in NH… and what is God going to do next?”