| Project Prairie - March |
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I’m reminded of the phrase ‘someday this will all seem funny’. It was the second Sunday of my first year as Board President, when our Treasurer, Pat Clifford, received a letter indicating we would have to move our services from Fox Hollow Elementary School. What started out as a daunting challenge proved to be one of Prairie’s finest moments (though I have to admit that the initial phone call to Reverend Jann was not one that I looked forward to, especially considering she had just started her vacation). We mobilized, brainstormed, researched, visited, and finally settled in our new home at Prairie Crossing Elementary School. And now, we’ve ‘graduated’ to Sierra Middle School and are about to become a Mid-Sized Congregation. It is so gratifying to see how everyone has pitched in to make this latest move successful, including your financial support during February to offset our moving expenses. I am especially grateful to Jan Spooner for her time and effort in coordinating activities related to this move.We are drafting the agenda for our Initial Assessment Visit that is scheduled for May 13, 14, and 15. In the coming days, that information will be going out to the Board and Committee Chairs, and we will be diligent in ensuring everyone has as much information as possible. We are also making good progress on gathering the information Kay Crider has requested in advance of the visit. The purpose of the visit is to provide our church with an objective eye to gather information and identify strengths, opportunities, and areas needing improvement. Kay will meet with the church professional staff as well as lay leaders and run a workshop for the congregation. By the end of the visit, she will develop a sequence of actions to help our church attain its long-term goals. Recommendations will be given at the end of the visit and are followed by a detailed written report within two weeks of the visit. Please note that this assessment visit is not a financial feasibility study, which involves personal interviews with congregants about their individual financial commitments to a potential capital campaign. Readiness for a successful capital campaign, and its interrelated financial feasibility study, is analyzed during the assessment visit. At 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, Kay will conduct an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) workshop that all members of the congregation are encouraged to attend. This workshop involves reflecting on what is meaningful to the congregation about our church and brainstorming people’s hopes and dreams for our community. The principles of Appreciative Inquiry include valuing your strengths, discovering what gives our church life and vibrancy today and envisioning how to create a sustainable future. Questions to be explored include: Why do you love this church? What do you want to become together? How can you get there together? How can you pay for it together? The AI process works best when the entire congregation participates as a faith community. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, requests, suggestions. Also, if you have a particular area of interest with regards to this project, please let me know. I will be glad to put you in touch with those who have similar interests. Mike Spooner |