We all know it's not easy being a follower - a disciple - of Jesus Christ. But how, exactly, can we become more effective disciples, better apply Jesus' teachings to our lives, better demonstrate discipleship to our children, and pursue our faith journey more productively?

These are but some of the questions that a new subcommittee of Christian Education - Discipleship Enrichment - is addressing. The subcommittee, launched in January, hopes to create a new slate of program offerings for Sunday mornings, weekday evenings, and other times of the week to help equip our congregation with the tools of discipleship and do so on a variety of levels and in a variety of formats.

Although "discipleship enrichment" tends to defy precise definition, the subcommittee's research confirmed some widely shared views in Protestant circles: that the church has a responsibility to help its members grow as followers of Jesus Christ; that discipleship is a life-long process; and that discipleship needs to be intentional, that is, having a clear sense of purpose that takes work to achieve.

To help get our bearings, the subcommittee canvassed 10 Presbyterian churches around the country - some smaller than ours, others much larger - to learn what they were offering their members in terms of discipleship enrichment programs. Encouragingly, we learned that most are still feeling their way in this area - many characterized their offerings as "permanent works in progress." In the process, we also were reminded to make sure our future programs are informed by the needs of the congregation.

With that in mind, we have prepared the accompanying survey of potential program options. Simply check those items of interest and forward your responses to Tracey so that we can learn which of these are of greatest interest. The Discipleship Enrichment team will then report back to the congregation on which proved to be the most popular, and then we'll develop the various programs looking to the months and year ahead.

If you have additional thoughts and ideas, please don't hesitate to e-mail the subcommittee chair, Peter Small. We are most eager to get the benefit of your perspective.

Our thanks, in advance, for taking the time to help us shape this important new initiative.