Good Place Akron
         
 

Get Connected!
Ministry Impact Day 2010

By: Katie Sobiech

For those in ministry or interested in getting involved in ministry, this day is for you. It will be a great day of inspiration, connection, and opportunity.

Akron is a treasure chest of ministries, just waiting to be discovered. Finally, there is going to be a day when all are welcome to come together under one roof to see what each other is doing, and invite others to join.

“The over-arching theme for this event is to connect, unite and equip. We want to get people together to connect and unite, and equip them for ministry so we’ll have a greater impact in our cities,” Yvonne Brake, Director of Development at Haven of Rest Ministries said.

The theme for Ministry Impact Day 2010 is Transformational Ministry: Helping without Hurting. It will be held at Hudson Community Chapel on September 25th from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

“It’s a call to action in ministry and connecting with other believers, uniting for a common goal. We want individual people who are looking for ministry involvement to be a part of this. That’s one reason for the exhibit, so individuals can go around and hear about the different ministries and see where the Lord might be leading them and in what capacity to serve,” Yvonne said.

Purpose

“We can do more together than we can individually. Certain ministries lend themselves to partnerships and collaborations with other ministries, so what we want is for those types of relationships to be formed, or enhanced, that day,” Darryl Brake said, “You may learn that by connecting with these new ministries and cultivating new relationships that you’re actually able to help each other be more affective and have more ministry density in the areas in which you’re striving to make a difference.”

One of the main questions they hope will arise is ‘How can we develop in our area of ministry even further to be more effective?’

The hope is for those conversations to continue long after this day.

“One of the basic, fundamental truths of prevention is that it has to be ongoing,” Darryl said, “Our passion and desire is that these affinity groups will continue to meet. In order for prevention to be effective that’s what needs to happen.”

And that will be a charge at the end of the day; that the groups continue to faithfully meet.

 

Where the Idea Began

Individuals from different churches and ministries began meeting together a year ago, uniting to bring forth this special day.

“We started by just bouncing ideas off of each other,” Yvonne said.

Lots of planning, time and energy has been involved in setting up such an event.

“We want this to be unifying, and everyone who is doing ministry in the greater Akron area to be there,” Darryl said.

Those with an organized ministry are encouraged to set up an exhibit to get the word out.

“They can have an exhibit table where they’ll be able to put out the story of their ministry however they want to do it, and people can come by and talk and they can tell their story,” Darryl said.

Affinity Groups

Affinity Groups will form based on the different categories of ministry, such as prison, youth, housing, homelessness, etc.

“We want to get these groups together so that they can see what each other is doing, identify gaps in service, and help them minister more effectively, therefore having a greater impact,” Yvonne explained.

Plugging In

Everyone has a calling and purpose along with unique gifts and talents to compliment that purpose. This is a great opportunity for people to come and hear about the various ministries operating in the city. If you have the desire to be a part of something but don’t know where to start, this is for you.

“We want individuals to get in where they fit in,” Darryl said, “We know that a lot of people have very busy and tight schedules, so maybe their ability to be involved might be less than someone else who could be more involved.”

Therefore, many different opportunities and ways to serve will be made available.

“We want to get younger people and make sure they’re a part of this as well because they are the next generation of ministry workers and leaders,” Yvonne said.

 

What to Expect

Pastor Mark Ford, Director of Love Akron will MC the event. Music will be provided by the Kent State Gospel Choir. Reverend Marshall Brandon from Hudson Community Chapel will be the plenary speaker, addressing “What is Transformational Ministry?”

A workshop on Generational Poverty will be given, and how socio-economic and cultural differences can block ministry will be discussed as well.

“At the very end we’ll get together and pray and there will be a charge for us to move forward in ministry and to have a greater impact,” Darryl said.

The registration fee is $20 for individuals and $45 for ministries or groups that want to exhibit (this includes 2 registrations). This includes a continental breakfast and lunch. For more information please visit www.bhcministry.org or call Darryl Brake at 330.603.0197 or email him at darrylab@sbcglobal.net.

If you have any story ideas, questions, or comments you can contact me at Katie@akroneur.com.