Home Outreach Update
Divine Mercy – Weatherford/Husdon Oaks, TX
- Served by Pastor Kyle Madson, Divine Mercy has been worshipping together for one year.
- Members of Divine Mercy took part in the local Veterans Day parade in November.
- Pres. John Moldstad preached at Divine Mercy at the end of January. The congregation also heard a presentation by BHO Chairman Smith regarding planning for the future.
- Visit Divine Mercy’s web site at www.divinemercytx.com for more information.
Hope – Cedar Park/Leander, TX
- Pastor Brad Kerkow serves this congregation on the northwest side of Austin. Hope now numbers 63 souls.
- Plans continue to be made to build a permanent sanctuary on the congregation’s property. An architect has been hired.
- Hope hosted the biennial ELS Home Missions Seminar at the end of the month. The seminar featured four special speakers and other presentations for the home missionaries and the members of the BHO.
- Visit www.hopeaustin.com for more information about Hope.
Outreach Idea of the Month
LAST CALL for “Ministry Area Profiles” (MAPs) – NOW at even MORE of a REDUCED COST!
If you attended one of the “Engage Others with Jesus” retreats or have read these missions newsletters before, you have heard about the availability of a MAP for your area. The BHO continues to make this study available to your congregation, and for a limited time will do so for $25 (discounted from the already-discounted price of $50).
What is a MAP? It is a thorough demographic study of an area of your choosing, completed by the Percept Group. You are able to establish the boundaries of a study in four ways: (1) with a radius reaching out so many miles from a midpoint, (2) by ZIP codes (multiple ZIP codes must be contiguous), (3) by county (multiple counties must be contiguous), and (4) by creating your own boundaries on a map in any shape or form. The area chosen should be an area “reachable” by your congregation.
There are three main sections of a MAP study. (1) The actual “Ministry Area Profile” gives information regarding population types, trends, and projections; household information; lifestyle trends; which denominations are in the area, along with community concerns, values and desires; and a series of maps that give a view of population and household characteristics, patterns, and trends. (2) The “Compass Report” provides data regarding the religious climate, perspectives, and desires in the target area. (3) The “Source Book” provides how Percept gathers its information.
Examples of a MAP study are available on request. Numerous congregations have made use of this valuable tool and have found it helpful.
Please contact BHO chairman Prof. Michael K. Smith (mksmith@blc.edu) for more information. Limited quantities of these reduced-price MAPS are available.
