“For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven"
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Dear Community of ChristChurch
In an ongoing effort to strengthen our leadership skills and our ability to serve the congregation as we move forward, the Church Council has enlisted the help of Pastor Mike Keys, Director of Evangelical Mission for the Oregon Synod. The Council will be working to prioritize goals for the upcoming year. As you know, the work of discerning the vision and mission of a faith community moving into the future belongs not just to the pastor, nor even just to the council, but requires the participation of the whole congregation. Ultimately, your hopes and dreams for this place, and how they intersect with what God has in mind for us, will determine the path we choose to take together.
To best facilitate healthy dialogue between the pastor, the council and the whole congregation, we are forming a
Listening Team, consisting of 7-10 members from our congregation that represent a cross section of our members. These
Listening Team members will be asked to commit to serving on this team for approximately 90 days. They will receive training in January and will begin a
‘Season of Listening’ with our congregation. They will engage in one-on-one conversations with members of the congregation as well as convene opportunities to gather in small groups for discussion. Eventually, this process will culminate with a Congregational Event where goals and visions will be lifted up, prioritized and will be reflected in the action plan for the upcoming budget year and presented at the Annual Meeting in June.
Just as we often discover as we travel, that the journey matters more than the destination, so may we discover that, while establishing these goals and visions is an important step as we move into the future, just as important, if not more so, is the process of listening and engaging in conversation together.
We are asking each of you to spend some time in prayerful discernment as you help us identify individuals you feel would be well suited to serve on our
Listening Team. Nominations may be made anonymously, via a suggestion box located in the entry, by Sunday, December 16th. Pastor David will contact those nominated and invite them to prayerfully consider serving on the team.
We look forward to this
‘Season of Listening’, and the ways we will learn to listen to God together.
Sincerely,
Bill Cameron, Council President
Pastor David
