Commission Possible 2 notes…

6:51 pm 4/8/11

After warming up the house with a couple of tunes, the Martin Luther King Jr., choir opened up with a traditional tune “the Old Rugged Cross”. Check out our You Tube Channel for more. Rev. Tyrone Gordon on deck to preach.

April 8 @ 4:30 pm

More than 2 years of planning culminated this afternoon with the beginning of Commission Possible this afternoon at the Clay Center in downtown Charleston, W.Va.

We’ll be live blogging the event. Check out ourtwitter feed and tweet along using hashtag #cp2011. We’re also posting regularly to facebook.com/wvumc and flickr.com/wvumc.Dr. Paul Borden reminded churches that doing the same thing ‘they’ve always done.’ won’t grow the church. “When the horse is dead, bigger spurs won’t work,” he said. The issue isn’t one of faithfulness – or commitment – rather, “it’s about casting a vision.”He reminded attendees that God loves to bring life out of death.

"Churches with hope and vision encourage growth," said Dr. Paul Borden today. Borden was the first speaker at Commission Possible 2, an evangelism event of the WV Conference of the UMC that began today at the Clay Center in Charleston. Photo: Adam Cunningham

“Churches must realize that if they aren’t growing, there is more sickness than health in their midst,” he said. And, he says only  “God can grow churches.”

It’s also important to see the cultural shifts in modern society. People consider themselves regular church-goers if they are in a pew twice a month, says Borden. New facilities aren’t a way to attract them either. “If I want to see a great, new, facility I can go to the mall,” he said.

“Hope is more important than your facility.”How can churches grow? By turning outward. Churches must ask themselves why they are doing what they do, according to Borden. “Are you doing it for yourselves, or for those who aren’t here yet – that’s the question,” he said.