"Why are we doing all this surveying and planning?"
I suppose it is a valid question, given the Lenten “Holy Conversations” and the survey we took after Easter. We are doing this partly because it’s what churches should do if they’re going to stay true to their mission. We’re also doing it because the reading I’ve been doing and the various Alban Institute workshops I’ve attended have convinced me that First Church needs to go through a “re-birth” or renewal if it is not going to stagnate and then begin to decline. After five years among you, there’s no question in my mind that complacency has set in. Some would see it as a good sign (everybody’s happy!), but I don’t and so we study and we plan and we act.
The first question we asked in “Holy Conversations” was “who are we?” Since we didn’t get a huge turn-out for the sessions we surveyed the congregation during worship. We now have responses from well over 200 people (only six were unsigned!) The staff has gone over the surveys and we are in the process of compiling the data to make it more accessible and usable. Long story short, we’re getting a better picture of who we are.
What we’ve discovered in the first review is that, while we would like to see some change in how Sunday morning looks and functions, we don’t want change to be dramatic. We’re open to adding an alternative service (at an alternative time), but we’re not open to going to a dedicated education hour (adults and children). What we’ve seen from the survey is that the majority wants worship and Sunday School to run simultaneously, but is open to an expanded adult education time, perhaps with worship/activity time for children. So, the staff will continue to look at the surveys, work with the appropriate boards and then plan accordingly. We will definitely keep you informed as we plan Sunday mornings at First Congregational Church.
The survey also told us that we would like fewer fellowship dinners, perhaps every other month, and that some program or activity with them would be welcomed. Reading the responses, we get the clear impression that it is time to rethink our church government structure, with an eye to reducing the number of boards and committees. (Comment: “We don’t need as many boards.”) The idea of having all boards meet on the same evening – perhaps with a fellowship and worship time included – was well-received. Again, we’ll have to study the best way to approach these ideas, work out a plan, educate ourselves for transition and then implement the changes.
So, who are we? We’ve learned that, despite the various jokes, we’re not as opposed to change as perhaps first thought. We’re open to some experimentation. We want to be more open to visitors and to each other. The next few months will see how our self-understanding helps us to grow in our knowledge of what God would have us do and who our neighbor is (the other questions asked in “Holy Conversations.”) We’ll keep talking and listening, praying and seeking God’s direction and who knows what good things we may see come Rally Sunday in September?
By the time many of you are reading this (especially if you are of a certain age) you will have received my letter announcing the beginning of a new stewardship initiative: the Endow Your Pledge program. The commercial world may talk about “the gift that keeps on giving,” but what we’ve started here at First Church is more than advertisement! Our first Endowed Pledge comes from Sharon Petrie in memory of her mother and father, Dorothy and Harlan Horch. Dorothy and Harlan were solid church members, dedicated to the work of the church and quietly, lovingly faithful. Sharon told me that her dad once told her that he and her mother no longer needed a subscription to Reader’s Digest, since it could be read at the library and the money could then be added to their church pledge. Now each year the interest from this gift from their estate will continue to be a pledge to the church’s work.
An endowment of $25,000 may not seem like much in a world of million dollar endowments, but it does make a difference. If forty people endowed a pledge with a gift of $25,000 the church’s endowment would grow by a million dollars. Let me encourage people of all ages, as you think about your estate, please remember the ministry of First Congregational Church. The good work done here for 165 years can only grow and continue if we make an effort and act as good stewards. Now we have a good example. If you have questions about this program, please don’t hesitate to contact our Administrator, Cindy Payette, or give me a call.
Enjoy the lovely Wisconsin summer. Worship each Sunday is at 10 a.m. We’re here for you and the planning for the fall is underway. We’re seeking to become a blessed church and we know that our God is a God who blesses abundantly – be blessed, be safe, be loved!
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Steve
Rev. Steven A. Peay, Ph.D.
Minister