Dear Friends,
The Vestry will be meeting soon to discuss how we want to organize ourselves around the needs and concerns of the congregation. Though some of those are everlasting such as Worship and Pastoral Care, Stewardship, and Hospitality, we don’t always know how the efforts of the church are being felt by those in the congregation and the community.
When asked if he were a good Christian, the man answered, “You’ll have to ask my neighbor!”
And so, the Vestry, staff, and I are asking you, how are we doing? Some of the questions below are from the Congregations Assessment Tool (CAT) that the church did before I was called here. Others are from our current situation. We were blessed that 73% of the congregation took part in the CAT. I hope that we get an equally large response now.
As you know, so very many things have changed between the time when Fr. Paul announced his retirement and today, and not just in our church. The whole world has changed. And so, though the questions are the same, the situation we find ourselves in is not.
I hope that you’ll take the time to tell us your thoughts. We’ll have an opportunity to talk about these and other questions on October 3. Everyone is invited to stay after the 10:00 a.m. service for a Congregational Conversation. I hope you’ll use the time between now and then to think about how we can best answer God’s call to share Christ’s love with our community.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What are your hopes and dreams for the future of St. Andrew’s?
- Do you enjoy the music and liturgy, if so, what do you enjoy about each one? What would you like to see more of?
- Do you feel safe when you come to worship, serve at the Way Café, or to visit the church office?
- Do you feel engaged in the activities of the church? If not, would you like to be more involved and if so, how?
- What made you feel welcome and by whom, e.g. Rev Cori, Vestry members, other lay leaders or other parishioners?
- What can we as a church family do to make visitors feel more welcome?
- Do you feel the morale of the congregation is positive, and if not why? What might we do to improve the overall morale of the church
- Do you feel the church is doing enough in terms of our outreach ministry? If not, what else could we be doing?
- Would you like to see the church provide more opportunities for Christian education and spiritual formation?
- When talking to people not familiar with St. Andrew’s, how do you describe our church?
- What would you like to know more about in the running of the church?
I am eager to hear from you! Please send your reply to me at standrewslwb.rector@gmail.com and plan to attend the congregational meeting on October 3rd following the service. Your Vestry, the staff and I are all eager to ensure that our efforts are working together with you to make this a place where everyone is welcome, all are loved, disciples are developed, and spirits are strengthened.
All love,
Cori+
