April 21, 2023

Dear First Pres Members and Friends,

We hope that message finds you well, and that this Easter season is filled with resurrection joy. 

Session gathered on Monday, April 17, in the chapel. We spent the majority of our time discussing the ways that we are fed through our ministries and how we might make engagement in church life more accessible for people, particularly those who might not be members of our or any congregation. 

Part of our conversation focused on Ministry Teams, which is a form of ministry that our Session committees have been trying out over the past year or so. Ministry Teams are short-term, clearly defined avenues for people to get involved in a particular aspect of the church’s life. Rather than asking someone to sign onto a committee for an indeterminate length of time, taking part in a ministry team is a limited, project- or skill-based way of getting involved. Teams are supported by Session committees but can include lay and ordained members, and those who aren’t currently members of the church. Currently we run both formal and informal ministry teams in areas like Missions and Faith Formation, and are seeking to expand the variety and scope of this kind of ministry in the future.

Some of the questions we explored were:

• What have been your most meaningful experiences of church ministry? What made them meaningful?
• How did you discover that ministry? Did you invite others to take part, and how so?
• Current research on religious institutions suggests that millennials are “unbundling” their spirituality. Whereas prior generations may have engaged broadly in a religious institution, young people are getting heavily involved in one or two areas. Does this fit with your observations? Why or why not?
• How do you envision ministry teams affecting the faith of those who engage in them?

In addition, we received a report from the Nominating Committee as they begin their work for the year, and we spoke about summer housing for Bridge Pastor Tara Woodard-Lehman. 

If you have a person to recommend for the office of elder, deacon, or trustee for 2024, please use one of the forms found in the pews, use the website form, or email Nominating Committee Chair Diane Rosier Miles.

Thank you for being a congregation that makes ministry a joy and privilege.

In Christ,

Pete Galloway

Clerk of Session

pete.galloway@yahoo.com

Caroline Cupp

Executive Pastor

ccupp@firstpreswc.com