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April 4, 2018
Easter Greetings, dear people of St. Columba's,
We write to share news of plans and projects underway, guided by your vestry and staff, involving many of you. This is vital work for our future so it's important we share the details. If you'd like to learn more, please be in touch with one of us or any member of the vestry.
Guided by the winds of the Holy Spirit we met in retreat in late January. We reaffirmed the vestry's three priorities as members of the body of Christ--to generate a culture of engagement involving everyone; to discern God's call to deepen and expand our outreach ministry; and to create a culture of gratitude and generous stewardship.
For 2018, we are committed to working on six objectives, five of which will help us achieve greater organizational health and effectiveness, and one will help us chart a vision and plan for future mission and ministry. Specific goals and metrics are being determined.
- Assess our database and technology; design strategies for improvement--to be addressed by Technology Task Force, convened by Steve Smith.
- Evaluate communication; design strategies to improve--to be addressed by Communication Task Force, convened by Fletcher Jones.
- Evaluate and reform annual giving campaign--to be addressed by Stewardship Committee, co-chaired by Tinu Ige and Niels Nielsen.
- Complete audits and improve communication of financial info to parish--to be addressed by Finance & Property Committee, chaired by Bob Broeksmit
- Assess policies and practices re: building security and emergency procedures; develop protocols as needed--to be addressed by Safety Task Force, convened by Len Kennedy.
- Design and execute a means of engaging the congregation in discerning God's call, casting a new vision, articulating goals for mission and ministry, and creating a strategic plan--to be addressed by Strategic Planning Task Force, initially convened by Ledlie.
We anticipate receiving reports from three additional task forces, each of which will contribute to future mission and ministry:
- Five Practices: to create plans to introduce and implement the Five Practices (prayer, discernment, Bible reading, outreach, sharing our faith) in 2018-2019--Terry Dowd, Suzi Kindervatter, Ledlie Laughlin (convener), Amy Molina-Moore, Molly Reynolds, Steve Smith;
- Contemporary Worship: to survey contemporary worship across the Episcopal Church and other Christian denominations; recommend how to create new worship experiences at St. Columba's--Viviana Lopez Green, Amy Molina-Moore, Ryan & Kristin McNavage, John Sides (convener), Mary Hall Surface;
- Outreach Vision: to discern God's call to mission and propose a new outreach initiative(s) for St. Columba's--Heleny Cook, David Griswold, Alix Guerrier, Lauralyn Lee (co-chair), Elizabeth Lewis, Kris Moore, Schroeder Stribling, Ron Wisor (co-chair), and a twelve-member advisory council (look for a special Sunday Forum on May 13).
Identifying opportunities to deepen the relationships and connections within the Nursery School and Parish continues as a top priority. Working closely with the Youth Council, Ledlie is now interviewing promising finalists for our new Director of Youth Ministry. With deep thanks to some parishioners who provided seed funding, we have posted a new open position--Director of Stewardship and Development (see details below). Zounds! The joint is jumping. Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
In faith,
Ledlie, Elizabeth and Steve
Ledlie Laughlin, Rector, [email protected]
Elizabeth Taylor, Sr. Warden, [email protected]
Steve Smith, Jr. Warden, [email protected]
P.S. As referenced above, St. Columba's is seeking to hire someone to lead our stewardship and development efforts. As you will see from the
position announcement, we are looking for someone with experience and expertise. The most important aspect of this role is the ability to nurture good relationships with parishioners; for this reason, the very best candidate may be a parishioner. Is it you or someone you know? St. Columba's is a great place to work and allows for some flexibility in our schedules. Please help us spread the word.
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