Wow, there is so much to do in starting a new church, it both almost overwhelming as well as very exciting! This week I am in Chicago attending the School of Congregational Development. I just finished m last session of my ministry track, called the Pre-Launch. It was ed by a pastor who was very successful doing a new church start and is a very resourceful fellow. The sessions wee great and provided me with a lot of information I was lacking in terms of these first few months. One of the things I will try to get started on while I am here is my ministry plan. I had started one before, but was not quite sure what were some of the activities I needed to be engaged in doing. I have a much better idea now and want to put it down on paper before my head bursts with all the information. I also learned that for the most part I am on the right track. In addition to my ministry plan I want to start working on funding sources that will help me to have the funds needed to fund the music ministry position. Although I have reviewed dozens of resumes, there have been few that would meet the needs of the Field of Grace ministry. There is one that looks very promising and I would like to offer him the position, but I have not been able to obtain any clips or videos of his work. Someone I know might also be interested in the position, but there is more conversation that would need to happen around that. Being here has also connected me with people and resources that I needed for the FoG ministry. I met one woman who is willing to edit my Spanish translations of the website and met another who might be able to connect me with someone to do any translations I need. Right now as I try to make sure everything I produce is in English and Spanish, it takes some time. There are still some translations needed on the website, but it is mostly complete. The website logo is also now done and I am very excited because it provides us with a way of branding ourselves and increasing our visibility. Check us out at www.FieldofGraceUMC.org. Well, before heading to dinner, I'm going to work a little on my ministry plan and also give the fellow a call about our music position. Hasta Luego