Night of Listening (Racial Reconciliation Panel)

Last Friday night we had a church event called A Night of Listening. Approximately 30 people gathered in the church office to watch a panel of Acts 29 pastors discuss personal experiences and insights into race and reconciliation. It was a great night. The event ended at 9 PM, but a good number of people were still having discussion, listening to each others experiences, and enjoying each other's company at 11 PM. I wanted to give you access to the video that we watched so that you can share it with others and so that you can watch it if you were not able to be at the event. 

Race tends to be a lightning rod topic for many. We called the event A Night of Listening for a reason. Remember James 1:19-20, which says, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." We must be able to listen and keep on listening whether we immediately agree or disagree with someone's viewpoint. 

This panel discussion happened in 2016, approximately a week after an unarmed black man was shot and killed by a police officer in Baton Rouge and five police officers were shot and killed in Dallas. The panel makes reference to these events, so knowing the context is helpful. Also, this panel discussion takes place at an Acts 29 Pastors Retreat. The panel sometimes applies principles directly to pastors, but the principles are applicable to us all. 

If you feel encouraged, convicted, confused, offended, or anything else, we would love to hear about it if you would like to share. Please feel free to email us at pastors@sojournchurch.net or email a pastor individually. Our email addresses can be found here. If you would like to have follow up conversation, please let us know in the email and we can set up a time to get together. 

I hope and pray that healthy conversations, empathy, and connection result from hearing this content. Thanks for taking the time to watch. 

Jason B. 

We Are Hiring - Children's Ministry Director (Part-time)

We are hiring a part-time Children's Ministry Director to lead our Children's Ministry. You can find the job profile below. If you would like to apply for the position, please fill out the First Contact Questionnaire at the bottom of the page. Please feel free to share this page on social media. 

Children’s Ministry Director Job Profile (Part-time)

About Sojourn Church

Sojourn is a non-denominational church in Warner Robins, GA that is part of the Acts 29 Network. We currently meet in the Galleria Movie Theatre in Centerville, GA on Sunday mornings. We average approximately 125 adults and 45 children on a typical Sunday morning.

Mission
To see the Gospel transform everything around us – ourselves, our families, our church, our city, and the world.

Core Values

Gospel Centrality: Keep the main thing the main thing
The Gospel, which is the main thing, is the good news that Jesus lived a sinless life, died for sin, and was raised. God forgives sin not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done. We never want to assume the gospel, but desire to teach it clearly and constantly (Rom.1:16; 1 Cor. 15:3-4).

Authentic Community: Don’t do life alone
God intends that we live in authentic and intentional community. We desire to be real, take off our masks, and genuinely know and care for each other. As a family, we rejoice and mourn together (Pr. 18:24; Rom. 12:15; Hebr. 3:13, 10:24-25; 1 John 1:7).

Missional Intentionality: Taking the gospel where we live, work, and play
We believe every Christian is to live on mission, so we want to encourage and equip every believer to be a light where they live, work, and play. We want to build a church culture that is outward focused rather than simply trying to keep each other happy (Mt. 9:37-38, 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Pt. 2:9-10).

Sacrificial Love: We are nothing without love  
We want to love God and love people. No matter what we do, we want it to be done out of love (Mt. 22:34-40; John 15:12-13; 1 Cor. 13:1-3).

Children’s Ministry Director Role Summary
Sojourn has many young families with children. Having a fun and safe environment for these children is a huge ministry to our families. However, our children’s ministry is bigger than just serving our current families. A huge part of seeing our mission of gospel transformation happen is reaching young families in Middle GA. Our children’s ministry is often the first impression these families have of our church on a Sunday. We want to surprise them with how their family will be embraced and cared for at Sojourn.

The Children’s Ministry Director will serve as the children's ministry lead and have overall responsibility for preparing for and executing the children's ministry programming at the Sunday gatherings. The Children’s Ministry currently has a class for newborns, toddlers, pre-k through k, and 1st-3rd grades. Each of these classes has 2-3 adult volunteers each Sunday.

Your Team

• This position reports to the Head of Staff (Pastor Jason B.).
• This position works closely with the children’s ministry volunteers.
• You will participate in weekly staff meetings and work with the other staff on church-wide initiatives.

Primary Responsibilities

• Recruit and assimilate volunteers for all Sunday children’s related ministries.
• Continuously train volunteers to help them excel in their service position. Regularly communicate expectations and needs. 
• Regularly evaluate systems, policies and procedures, and the "look and feel" of the ministry.
• Plan and execute curriculum, which includes reviewing and proposing new curriculums.
• Ensure everything is done that is needed for the Children’s Ministry each Sunday, such as:
  • Inventory of supplies is taken and supplies and materials are purchased.
  • Children’s area is prepared and cleaned up each Sunday.
  • There is a leader overseeing the children’s ministry each Sunday.
  • Volunteers have been scheduled and confirmed.
• Celebrate and encourage volunteers. Implement volunteer appreciation initiatives. 
• Greet children and parents, seeking to know parents and children by name (spend extra time with new families).
• Spend time moving from class to class helping volunteers and engaging with children. 
• Manage database of attendance rosters, visitors and volunteers. 

Specific Initiatives for the First Year

• Create a volunteer leadership team.
• Improve and formalize the volunteer training system.
• Consider what may be missing or confusing that would help a visiting family feel thought for and welcomed. After a year, be able to point to specific changes that were made specifically to improve the visitor's experience. 

Candidate Profile

• Sojourn Church Member in good standing or able to become a member of Sojourn.
• Love for Jesus, the local church, families, and children.
• A passion to see the gospel transform everything around us, especially children and families.
• Ability to work independently and in a self-directed manner.
• Ability to learn how to use Planning Center. 
• The desire and ability to problem solve and try new ideas.
• Strong ability to work with and lead a team.
  • You know how to pull great people together to accomplish significant tasks.
  • You recognize that a team is stronger than an individual and involve other people in the process.
  • You are a leader and are skilled in casting vision to the team. 
• The ability to develop systems, manage people and stay organized.
• Deep understanding of the developmental stages of children from birth - 3rd grade.

Hours
The Children’s Ministry Director will work an average of 14 hours/week. Ten work hours will be during the week, with four hours being on Sunday mornings. Ideally, the Children’s Ministry Director will work 10 hours per week in the office, but working partially from home may be an option. The days and times you work will be flexible. We do not want the Children’s Ministry Director to be in the Children’s Ministry each Sunday. It is important to continue to train volunteers to oversee the ministry so that the Director can be in the worship service on a regular basis.

Compensation
Starting salary for this position is $9,750 (approximately $15/hour).

Next Steps
If you are interested in this position, please complete and submit the First Contact Questionnaire that can be found below. After submitting the form, you will receive an email within three business days confirming that we got the submitted form. 

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First Contact Questionnaire

Name *

Name

First Name

Last Name

Email Address *

Subject (Will appear in subject line of email) *

What compels you to express interest in this position? *

What are some of your strengths, and how will they help you excel in this position? *

What are some of your weaknesses, and how might they affect you in this position? *

What do you like to do for fun? *

Where do you currently work and what do you do? If not currently working, what is your main role in your family or community? *

What have you learned in your current position? *

What were your most significant accomplishments in that role? *

What do you love about your job (or main role if not working)? Not love about it? *

What are you looking for in your next job? *

What forms of social media do you use? *

Do you currently serve in Sojourn's children's ministry or another church's children's ministry? What is your past experience with church children's ministries? *

What is your favorite personality test? What does it say about your personality type? *

Thank you! We will email you soon.