Congregations can take six steps to begin an outreach ministry for the improvised. Please let us know your results and progress as you proceed with each step.

Step 1 Sanctuary clothing/food baskets

Step 2 Prepare and Serving Meals at established feeding sites

Step 3 Eat and converse with others

Step 4 Participate in local immersion experience

Step 5 Become a life guide to a family

Step 6 Practice "Aggressive Pursuit" of persons who live in poverty

This Action Guide is the latest step in a journey that began in 1996, as a group of rural people who cared deeply about the faithfulness and effectiveness of rural churches proposed to the General Conference that a Comprehensive Plan for Town and Country Ministry be developed for the United Methodist Church in the United States. The proposal was adopted, and the plan that was subsequently developed was presented to the 2000 General Conference and adopted. The text of the plan, "Born Again in Every Place" can be found and downloaded from the Town and Country page of the GBGM website: www.gbgm-umc.org. or from The National Comprehensive Plan web site at www.townandcountryumc.org