Vincent United Methodist Church in Minot, North Dakota, is bringing God to their community. They held a block party for neighbors in the rain. It was the second year of the block party.
Vincent United Methodist Church is a part of the Dakotas Annual Conference.
"It rained, and we had to cancel the inflatables. People from the congregation and the guests were very gracious. We moved indoors. It turned out to be a great opportunity for relationship building. Indoors, there was more of a chance to have conversations," said Rev. Mark Erhmantraut, Vincent UMC. "There was more energy because we were having conversations and interacting. We joked about how we have been praying for rain, but you can't pick and choose when the rain comes."
Hundreds of people came for a meal and activities. Corporate partners allowed the opportunity to give away back-to-school items. Members of Vincent handed out school supplies, gift cards for haircuts, and shoes.
Prayer continues to fuel the ministry at Vincent UMC. Each meeting, every small group starts with prayer. "We are not just starting small groups; we are starting with prayer. We are being a lot more intentional to strengthen our prayer journey," said Pastor Mark. "We continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to break through."
The Holy Spirit is breaking through with the launch of Sunday school at Vincent UMC. "We have not had a Sunday school program for several years. We are started Sunday school for children and adults. We started youth group midyear last year and are continuing this fall. We moved our worship time on Sunday mornings to make space for the ministry," Pastor Mark said. "We seek to be faithful and see where God takes us."
Sunday worship started at 10 a.m. instead of 9:30 a.m. Sunday school began at 9:30 a.m. for children, youth, and adults. People can also gather in the Fellowship Hall for coffee and fellowship before worship. At 11 a.m., everyone is invited for fellowship and coffee again.
"There are a lot of people that connect during our fellowship times. I think we are well poised for something like the dinner church model," said Pastor Mark.
During the colder months, Vincent UMC will begin preparing and serving meals once a week for Project Bee. Originating as the YWCA of Minot, the organization has provided emergency shelter and housing assistance to men, women, and children for over a century.
The congregation continues with their Blessing Box Ministry. Two Blessing Boxes are located on the east and west sides of the church and provide free items to people in need in the community. "We continue to make connections in unexpected ways. We saw some guests with Project Bee giving items to the Blessing Box Ministry. God works in ways we can't predict," Pastor Mark said.
Pastor Mark shares, "The Sleep Inn in Minot, which is the hotel that has the big water park, which hosted the Christmas Blessing Event and provide the meal. We had corporate donors who provided gifts. We [members from Vincent UMC] helped people with shopping and wrapping gifts.
God is on the move in Minot, North Dakota, and Vincent UMC is exploring ways to reach the next person for Jesus. "It's not all clean and tidy. It gets a little messy, but that's just real life and real faith," said Pastor Mark.
excerpt from a story by Doreen Gosmire, director of communications, Dakotas UMC
This story represents how United Methodist local churches through their Annual Conferences are living as Vital Congregations. A vital congregation is the body of Christ making and engaging disciples for the transformation of the world. Vital congregations are shaped by and witnessed through four focus areas: calling and shaping principled Christian leaders; creating and sustaining new places for new people; ministries with poor people and communities; and abundant health for all.
