VISION PLAN 2006

March 30th, 2006 at 7:38 pm (About Our Church, General)

VISION PLAN 2006

THE UNITED CHURCH OF WARSAW

Mission Statement

As a loving congregation called by Christ to a life of faith and service and working to spread the love of God,

  • We invite and welcome all people to join our walk with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior;
  • We educate and encourage one another to live an abundant life by following Christ;
  • We worship our Lord through the study of His holy word, through lively fellowship, inspirational music and loving prayer; and
  • We minister to our local community and to the world through mission work based on love for those in need.

Our Vision

To fulfill our mission of invitation, education, worship, and ministry, we will enlist and train church members to provide leadership as the congregation accomplishes our goals and strategies. We will mentor leaders according to their gifts and abilities, provide training and resources for the roles and tasks we ask leaders to accept, and expect all leaders to communicate regularly and effectively with the whole congregation.

Our Goals and Strategies

Strengthen Relationships

  • Plan a monthly potluck dinner for members and friends of all ages. Plan at least two each year in the evening with a program, perhaps music or drama.
  • Offer more options for adult small groups at different times and locations and with different topics or purposes for each group.

Encourage Active Youth Participation

  • Integrate youth activities with other all-church activities, including worship, music, mission projects, and work days.
  • Plan regular social gatherings and trips for the youth.
  • Involve youth in several service or mission projects through the year, such as building a Habitat house, serving at the Salem Soup Kitchen, or completing a work project at the church or in the community.

Expand Music Opportunities

  • Involve children and youth in music on a regular basis during worship and special programs, for instance in a children’s band, a youth choir, or asking the Starburst children to sing.
  • Offer regular music opportunities to the community, such as hosting community concerts or inviting youth from area schools to play or sing during worship or special programs.

Increase Mission Involvement

  • Continue strong support of existing ministries to the community such as the Starburst Christian Preschool and the Warsaw Area Food Pantry.
  • Develop ongoing ministry to area families in need, including both emergency assistance and providing help for people to improve their lives, such as training in life skills.
  • Encourage designated mission giving for specific needs in the world, and regularly invite mission speakers to inform and educate the congregation about mission programs and projects around the world.

This Lenten and Easter Season, dare to slow down…

Music is sometimes a window to God. It carries us “over” to a place of beauty, spirit, and energy. It lets us squint and glimpse beyond the daily chores. It relieves the “time famine” in which so many of us live; it competes with the culture of haste. We relax. We see. We gain perspective. In music, we find ourselves transported to something like peace.

Holy God, the culture of haste has won the battle with us and we don’t know how to slow down. We have forgotten. Remind us. Use music. Let us make a date with music we love and let us be soothed by it. Let Lent be a time when we dare to be different, dare to slow down, dare to be calm. Amen. – Excerpt from Prayers for Lent, Easter and Pentecost by Donna E. Schaper.

Reprinted in part from The Worship Connection, 3/2006 CokesburyMusic.com

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FROM YOUR INTERIM PASTOR:

March 30th, 2006 at 3:19 pm (General, Pastor Notes)

Since last summer a dedicated group of people worked off and on through the year to write a revised Mission Statement and create a new Vision Plan for the church. This Mission Study Team met several times and did their “homework” to prepare for our meetings. They took the results of the Listening Groups and the fall Focus Groups and Questionnaires and turned that into the Vision Plan included in this newsletter in its final form. The Session gave its final approval at the March meeting, and the Pastoral Nominating Committee is already using it as they prepare for their search. Our boards and other leaders will use it to guide their work and decisions in the coming years.

Thank you to our Mission Study Team:

Ellen Chandler, Betty Burley, Matt Meyer, Bob Cummins, Betty James, Marian Fisher, and Steve Meyer.

* * * * *

I’ll be away for two continuing education events this spring and want you to know about them:

Spiritual Directors International Conference – I’ll be in Southern California from April 20-25 to attend this conference with Joy. We are both trained spiritual directors, and she is the regional director for most of New York State. We’ll meet with other directors from around the world. [As a special benefit, we will be there about the time of my dad’s 80th birthday and will celebrate with him.]

Values Realization Institute National Conference – This conference is May 5-7 in Canandaigua. It’s not far away, but I’m presenting a workshop there on Sunday. I’ll be speaking on Core Values and the polarization we’re experiencing in our world. – And I’ll do that same presentation at a Resource Saturday workshop at the Presbytery Resource Center in Brighton on Saturday, May 13.

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