Visioning Progress Update
Since May of 2019, our church has been working in a yearlong visioning partnership with Rev. Dr. Dave Daubert of Day 8 Strategies to help see what might be next for us as a church. To this end, we created a vision team of eight church leaders. As a team, we conducted community interviews and then in November, Pastor Eric and I invited the congregation into some reflections during the course of worship.
At our January 2020 retreat, 40 folks from Grace came together to reflect on scripture, our community interview results, and the reflections of those at the church. The goal of the retreat was to work together to create a purpose statement, principles, and some directions that our congregation will take. Each of six table groups came up with wonderful ideas during the course of our day long retreat.
It was a wonderful day; with lots of joy, laughter, and discernment. It showed that this church loves the Lord Jesus Christ, that we want to be welcoming, that we want a deeper relationship with God and each other and that we want for our neighbors to come to this place. So too, we want to serve those in need, in God’s name.
At the end of February, Dave will provide his preliminary report to the Vision team and then in March to council and our whole church. After which he’ll guide us as we enter the implementation phase of our visioning. Additionally, Dave, who is not only a pastor but has a PhD in structural engineering will conduct a space use analysis of our building to advise us on using our space well.
So, as May 2020 begins, we should be ready for a couple of new teams to initiate so that we all may work together in service to God in some new ways and keep doing all that is working well here at Grace.