We are not trying to initiate programs for the purpose of converting people to be Missouri Synod Lutherans or of adding members to St Paul congregation but rather we are recommending programs that demonstrate Christian love and try to help people know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

We as a committee are painfully aware of St. Paul’s history of starting up programs that begin with good intentions and end up failing due to lack of follow-up by the program leaders or by lack of volunteers willing to comment time and energy to the programs. So with this in mind we have proposed two lists. One list represents programs that could be undertaken with little or no full time commitment on the part of the congregation, and a second list that would require more commitment and/or more volunteers. Both lists are organized in order of importance as determined by our committee in a series of three meetings, as well as by e-mail correspondence between committee members. 

Low Resource/Intensity Programs:

1. Support Chaplain Ewells recover ministry
2. Provide Pastor Parviz a center for his ministry- an office to work from, a base of operation in Cincinnati.

Highly Recommended Programs

1. VBS is an absolute necessity- we need to find times and people to get it done every year.
2. Get more involved in helping MCCC with tutors or readers or whatever
3. Do more with the people over at the Village like a) Initiate a Hymn Sing at the Village. Once a month in the afternoon. Using favorite Lutheran hymns, gospel hymns, praise music, etc. and b) get involved in their programs, have then get more involved with ours. Maybe we could sponsor a bingo night and dinner over at the village one night per month.
4. More involvement and St Paul Corporate participation in community events, such as parades, fairs, food or drink booths at art shows etc. this is not restricted to Madisonville it could include Oakley, Hyde park, Norwood, Deer Park, Kenwood, Mariemont, and Fairfax.
5. Start Saturday Sports program from young children in gym and or on playfield. 
6. Consider having a community workday for St Paul’s people similar to our church work day only out in the community- do repairs in an elderly persons house or build a handicapped ramp, etc

7. Initiate a Music Festival at St. Paul. Start by inviting choirs or musical groups from surrounding churches to perform at the event.  Encourage diversity and have the groups sing music representative of their religion, i.e. Gospel, African American, Korean, Celtic, etc. This could be done outside, or in the gym or in the sanctuary. Perhaps food could be served by us or maybe by other congregations manning booths. Don’t try to start out on too big of a scale, start small build event if and as support grows.
8. Leverage existing programs already in place such as Habitat for Humanity, the Easter Egg hunt- support them rather than starting something else just because it’s new.
9. Reach out directly to students at Xavier who may not be Catholics and are looking for Spiritual Satisfaction.  Maybe provide rides to our services (using Village bus?). Promote our web site, events and service times in their campus paper.
10. Start adult education program i.e. how to use a computer, how to use the internet, how to send and receive e-mails, how to create a family budget, how to balance your checkbook,
11. Have a church festival similar to those done at the Catholic Churches
12. Provide after church lunches- maybe one Sunday per month.
13. Start Deaf ministry

updated:  February, 2008