Hi First Presbyterian Church,

Mark your calendars for February 11. That is the date for the congregational debrief, summarizing the work that will have been done in the Faith Forward initiative.

Throughout our Faith Forward initiative, our Vision Team has discerned what our core values are. You have been hearing lots about our core values recently, since it is the topic of our current sermon series. Core values describe who we are, and, ultimately, they influence the things we do. What we do flows out of who we are. Discerning our core values has been illuminating and exciting. However, I’m sure most of you are anxious to know what the Vision Team will say about that latter component - what we do. We might call this our “vision” and “mission.” The vision and mission is primarily what is seen by people. They are what we build programs and schedule meetings around.

As I’m writing this, the Vision Team has yet to convene at its third and final retreat. At that retreat on January 27-28, the Vision Team will begin formulating a strategic plan to implement a new vision and mission for our church. Our consultants have an acronym to describe this strategic plan: SCORE. Here is what it stands for:

 •   Spiritual support (our primary model for mentoring and discipling our people)

•   Communicate our message (clarifying key elements of our public identity and brand)

•   Outreach focus (our signature outreach ministry in the local community)

•   Re-design structures (evaluating and aligning governance, stewardship, staffing, and facilities to our True North)

•   Engage our people (our primary method of fostering community, providing care, and empowering people in ministry)

After the third retreat, the Vision Team will be able to report to the congregation on our SCORE. Specifically, our consultant Kevin will be here to help the Vision Team do just that at the congregational debrief on February 11.

If you care about the future of our church and want to engage with the Vision Team about their work, then please come to this important meeting. It will happen in our Fellowship Hall after worship that Sunday - around 11:30 am. I am excited and hopeful about the future of our church and its ministry. I hope you are, too.

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron