How To Build a Team To Reach Your City by Joyce Dueker
Congratulations!
You have been chosen to reach out to the lost children in your community. God has put this desire in your heart.
Now what?
Realize that God has people prepared to help you. They may be as close as your friends. So talk about what you want to do for the children. Pray for workers. Set a specific time to meet with others to talk about Project Lost Sheep. It could be a coffee or a lunch. See who shows up and start with them.
Behind the scenes you will need a good friend or family member to be praying for you to fulfill your mission in your city. This prayer person is invaluable. In our local area a dear friend, Audrey Hostetler, committed to pray with me and for Project Lost Sheep until we were established. She is still praying but prayer is essential. Prayer is home base for this work and nothing gets done until we get serious in this area.
You as leader will give the vision for what you want to do in your city. If it is a Touchdown Camp20you can come and visit in Redwood City for a day or two. If it is something else…a book table or other outreach you will hold up the idea. You, as leader, will be given the vision child (see Boy on the Porch).
Remember that Project Lost Sheep is community based. You will need a church to meet. You will need to ask the pastor for permission and that will be where you stay for years. The church home in the city needs to have an
outreach heart.
Plan to start small. You might invite a dozen people and have four show up. That is okay. When a group starts you will need to meet monthly. As most people work you probably will have it at night. Thursdays can be good for most people..but you, as leader, can decide what is write for you.
Communicate, communicate what you are doing..and want to do. Point people to the web site to see what others have done.
Remember, Project Lost Sheep, is a community supported, community funded project. We do not get money from churches but rather from individuals …in this we are different. That is why as soon as you can start a newsletter and find a hostess who might do an information brunch about Project Lost Sheep.
This seems like a lot but this will take a number of months, even years so take it one thing at a time. Write down today what you believe God wants you to do for your city.
CELEBRATIONS
If you think of your team as an extended family this will make sense. We are not just doing a job for the community but we are a Christian unit in relationship to each other.
A few years ago we decided to celebrate the birthday of one of our real servants to the group and so we through a surprise party for him at a local cafe. We all brought little gifts and cards and we all paid for our own dinner..with the exception of the birthday boy. Now we celebrate the core team birthdays year round. It is great to relax and talk to each other outside of meetings and camp where we have much to do. This joyful time is important in obeying the Lord’s command to love one another.
Love is the basis for ministry together and we can’t ever forget that!