Hello, Friends!
      Over the next few weeks I’ll be working with others to assemble some information, related to a process on church transformation suggested by our conference.
      Among the areas of inquiry are our record of receiving new members, our specific ways of offering welcome to visitors, and our rotation of leadership roles within the church.   In and through all these questions are woven other questions as to our allocation of monetary resources in these various areas.
      I’ll be the first to admit, filling out questionnaires has never been my favorite occupation.  Nor do I believe we can really quantify the essence of our lives in faith community, or anywhere else, for that matter.
      But Rev. Kim Cape, our district superintendent, has urged us to complete this task, and I’m committed to it, and I think there can be real value for us in the process, and the outcome.
      Coming to new, concrete, measurable awareness of our behavioral history can give us a healthy measure, to be balanced with our perceptions.
    Are we really, in practice, as consistently hospitable and welcoming of new folks as we believe?   Do our actions on Sunday and through the week follow through on our intentions?
      Are our financial priorities in line with our spiritual ambitions—do we really put our money where we say our hearts are inclined?
      Are we doing enough to enhance and further the learning life of our congregants, and our neighbors?  
      How are we ministering to the needs of different age groups within our fellowship, from the youngest to the eldest?  
      What are our expressed commitments of mission and vision, and how do our behaviors square with those?
      The point of this exercise is not to “grade” our faith community, in order to find fault, pick apart, or emphasize shortcomings or lacks, to the exclusion of affirmation.
       The point is to get real, to get clear, and to have some specific information to feed into our plans, our dreams, and our actions here and now, and in the future.
       Once we’re done compiling the survey, we’ll make the results available to everyone, and we’ll also have some times scheduled for coming together to work with the results, in creative and hopeful as well as realistic ways.
        We have much to celebrate here, and as we’re still alive, and thus still evolving as individuals and as a faith community, there is always room for growth, for deepening in awareness and for blooming in creative capability.
        I look forward to learning and growing with you this Sunday, and all our days to come.
Shalom,
Sarah+