Executive Directors Report
First of all, let me express my extreme gratitude to our friends and supporters for the increased support and interest you have shown towards the ministry and mission of Agora. With the incessant support of our patrons, Agora continues its ministry of equipping congregations to grow with ALL people in the neighborhood. With joy I can report to you that many congregations are engaged in a fresh approach to mission because of Agora’s partnership and mission awareness training. It is exciting to see our congregations becoming centers for global and local missions by establishing worship partnerships with newer immigrant communities.
The contagious enthusiasm of our supporters and team members inspires the Agora staff and volunteers for moving forward. Today the ministry of Agora is being expanded beyond Minneapolis Area Synod-ELCA to other ELCA synods in Minnesota and beyond the state of Minnesota.
Growth
Growing our congregations with ALL people in our neighborhood is Agora’s main vision, bringing ALL people from ALL cultures together to share the love of Jesus.
Agora organized a seminar to equip ministry leaders with mission skills to reach out to ALL people in their neighborhood. Dr. Bliese, President of Luther Seminary led this seminar.
This has begun yielding fruits with three congregations.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Cloud has a Sudanese community worshipping with them.
First Lutheran Church of Crystal has a Liberian community worshipping with them.
Atonement Lutheran Church, Bloomington has a Ghanaian community worshipping with them.
All of these happened through Agora initiatives. New congregations are becoming familiar with the ministry of Agora and we hope to work with them.
Mission Awareness Training
Agora Mission Awareness Training is a 90-minutes training session per week for six weeks. This fresh approach sensitizes the participants on:
God’s mission for the church
The changing face of our neighborhood
How to be a friendly and welcoming worshipping congregation
The mission field is here
These congregations have benefited immensely from this training:
Our Savior’s, Christ, and First Lutheran Churches in Faribault
Faith Lutheran Church, Forest Lake
First Lutheran Church of Crystal
Central Lutheran Church, Elk River
Bethany Lutheran Church, Tulsa, OK
Discipleship Academy
The mission of the Discipleship Academy is to prepare and inspire newer and people born in America to follow Jesus in their personal lives and become leaders in Christian communities who will minister to ALL people.
The Academy meets every other Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon for seven months, ending with a three-day retreat.
The Academy recruits, trains and equips disciples for discipling, identifying talented and suitable individuals for authorized ministries.
There is great diversity at the Academy, men and women from different backgrounds and cultures sharing their traditional and scholarly understanding of scripture in relation to their culture in a safe and free environment.
There were twenty-one participants from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Somalia, Liberia, Sudan, and northern European heritage for the 2007-2008 sessions.
Board and Teams
The Agora board has passion and vision for mission and therefore involves themselves in all Agora programs. The activeness of the board goes beyond policymaking.
We also have teams working on various aspects of Agora — Finance, Program, and Governance teams.
New Website and New DVD
After long planning efforts, we have a new DVD which helps others to understand the depth of the ministry of Agora. We receive great appreciation for the layout of our new website.
Agora Sunday and Adult Forum
The worshippers at Bethlehem of St. Cloud, Long Lake Lutheran of Isanti, Christ Lutheran of Faribault, Bethany Lutheran of Tulsa, OK, and Mount Carmel of North Minneapolis all celebrated Agora Sunday this year.
Appreciation
My sincere thanks to all our supporters – congregations, individuals, and organizations.
We especially thank Thrivent for their encouraging support for Agora. I thank our board and team members and volunteers.
I thank Tom Lee who worked for Agora until June 2007 as Development Director.
We operate with a small staff and I appreciate the work Marilyn Erickson is doing in our office.