Opening doors to relationship in Iroquois and De Smet
Fresh Expressions are communities of belonging—primarily for those not yet part of a church—marked by forming relationships around shared interests and hobbies and sharing stories. Fresh expressions are anchored to existing churches, connecting churches with people who would never enter the church building on a Sunday morning.
Since the concept of Fresh Expressions was championed in the Dakotas at the 2023 annual conference, individuals and churches across the Conference have been seeking new ways to connect with the people of their communities. Two such churches are the Iroquois and De Smet United Methodist churches.
"We've always talked about doing something outside the walls, how we needed to get out into the community. Not really for the reason of bringing more people inside the walls, but just to be out there being the hands and feet of Jesus and just being with people," said Darcy Miller, a lay member of Iroquois UMC.
Introducing the Fresh Expressions model acted as a catalyst to gather church members to brainstorm new ways of being on mission in their communities. This conversation led to the creation of "Mornings with a Mission"—an event where the church opens its doors with the mission of serving whomever God might bring with coffee, breakfast, conversation, and relationships.
"Once a month, we host Mornings with Mission, and with that, we are serving our community," described Tracy Lenz, a lay member of Trinity UMC in Iroquois. "A warm smile, a laugh, that little bit of conversation with people – it goes a long way. Then they can go on and give people that positive energy that they received as well."
"It's hard to wrap your brain around what fresh expressions is until you actually come and do it," Miller explained. "It's not like a monthly dinner to raise money for whatever. You're just doing it to do it, to be out there, to be in the community, to share God's love."
The De Smet congregation embodies that same focus and commitment. They, too, have experimented with a monthly open breakfast gathering but are continuing to be open to what would work in their context to reach people for Christ.
"Our job as Christians is to be out in the community, to be welcoming, and to try to show the love of Jesus everywhere we go," said Marlys Larsen, a lay member of De Smet UMC.
That outward focus is at the core of what it means to be a vital congregation.
"You know, you think of rural, and I think people think resources are limited. I don't think that's true," said Pastor Tia Felberg, who is appointed to both congregations. "I think that resources are just different. We've been able to utilize those places and spaces because of rural because people are open to the ideas that we have."
"I'm really grateful that we have people that are willing to try new things, people that are okay with it not working, and people that are okay with trying something new," said Felberg. "I think that's great."
The Dakotas-Minnesota Fresh Expressions team will restart their monthly Zoom meetings on September 19th at 6:30 p.m. central (5:30 p.m. mountain) for anyone interested in learning more about Fresh Expressions, sharing ideas and resources, and encouraging one another in this exciting Kingdom work. See the Conference calendar and upcoming This Week @ Dakotas for the Zoom link.
