By Kenny Beauvais, Lay Leader
Our Long Range Planning Committee is continuing work and we were delighted that there were nearly 300 responses to our recent congregational survey. The comments and answers in this survey are simply beautiful. Many of you shared great words about the life and work of our church and these answers and comments will help us as we move forward to develop plans for the future.
The Committee has determined that there are three distinct parts to the planning process:
- Defining who we are as a church and what our values are; which will include a realistic look at our strengths and the areas where we need improvement. This will give us a starting point in the process and a baseline to measure our progress as we move forward.
- Next, we will need to answer the question, “Where are we going?” The answer(s) to that question will take us from where we are today to where we want our church to be tomorrow. It will also help us utilize the talents and resources of our congregation; our facilities; and clergy leadership.
- The last step is taking this information compiled from the first two parts of the process and creating specific goals for the future, as well as objectives to accomplish those goals. An evaluation of our church organizational structure and our resources will be part of this process.
The Long Range Planning Committee will host three meetings to address each of these planning parts. We are seeking as much input and participation from the congregation as possible. The meeting dates are:
- Saturday, April 9 from 9 a.m. to Noon // Defining Values
- Sunday, May 22 from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch provided) // Mission & Visioning
- Sunday, June 12 from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch provided) // Goals & Objectives
We hope you can join us on these dates as we review the survey input and help us prayerfully pursue a long range plan to guide our church into the future.
P.S. Be on the lookout for “spotlights” from survey responses in various communications as we move through this process. The words and comments about our church found in the surveys are an encouragement to us all.