Second Update!

Dear Fellow Calvary Parishioners,

I am writing to give you another brief update on the work on the “Our Church 2030” initiative. Speaking for the entire task force our excitement has never been greater about the potential to make positive changes to energize more parishioners and members of the community to enhance our spiritual lives. This is a major opportunity for all of us.

As mentioned in my first progress report, we are working on four important projects to gather data.

These projects are:

1. Demographic Review: Understanding the demographic profile of Calvary and how it might change in the future compared to the Stonington community at large and the region in general.

2. Current Assessment: The team is undertaking an exercise to identify Calvary’s internal Strengths and Weaknesses as well as external Opportunities and Threats that we face. Many of you might know this is called a SWOT analysis.

3. Review Additional Models of Spiritual Life: We are exploring other traditional or new forms of worship, formation, outreach, and pastoral care used by Christian organizations that could enhance the spiritual life of our Parish and Community.

4. Evaluate Potential Partnerships: We are investigating opportunities to develop positive relationships with regional organizations that can add value through productive partnerships and importantly energize the community at large.

We also are uncovering some very important external perspectives to integrate into our thinking. For example, a survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by the Wall Street Journal and the NORC at the University of Chicago concluded that 80% of individuals under age 40 would rather work in a soup kitchen for their spiritual fulfillment than attend an organized religious service. While these findings may or may not reflect the views of our community, we will seek to understand their views directly. We have found that identifying broader trends like these will help shape our work.

One of the catalysts for the Our Church 2030 initiative was the understanding that people are “hungry” for true community, deeper experiences, and authentic transcendence. In this context, we have asked ourselves how can we focus on creating more experiences that engage more than just the “head” on Sunday…. but also engage the “heart” and relationships every day?

Supporting this view the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory last week addressing the “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” affecting the country and concluding that it is at the core of many of the health and social issues we face. He states that research has shown that loneliness and isolation are linked to sleep problems, inflammation, and immune changes in

younger adults. In older people, they’re tied to symptoms such as pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and a shorter life span. In people of all ages, they may be associated with higher risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, addiction, suicidality, self-harm, and dementia.

The Surgeon General laid out a six part framework for a national strategy to advance social connections. At the heart of this framework is a proposal to strengthen social infrastructure in communities and boost programs within volunteer organizations and religious groups to address the need for more authentic connections. We believe this framework underscores the increasingly important role that Cavalry can play for each of us and the potential to add value to the broader community.

Turning to the next phase of our work, the team is in the process of designing a survey for existing parishioners, past parishioners, and members of the community to gather individual perspectives on religion/spiritual life and engagement with Calvary. At the core, we will be asking, “What do you want and/or need in your spiritual life and how can Calvary support you?” The survey will be distributed online, (and in hardcopy for those who need that) by the end of May. We urge you to get engaged by sharing your important views. Responses will be anonymous.

The data we gather will frame the many topical small group discussions that we will hold during the summer months. These discussions will be limited to 15 people each to ensure that we get a good airing of individual views on designated topics to allow participants to share their views. For example, the concept that people under 40 would rather work in a soup kitchen than attend organized services would be a great discussion topic to delve into. How does that affect Calvary? Understanding how each of us seeks to express our spirituality is a key driver of the Our Church initiative. We need your feedback.

We can accomplish this together, even if we have different perspectives along the way, as that will strengthen our ultimate vision.

The Task Force plans on having an open discussion on the Our Church initiative after the 10:00 service on May 21st. We hope you will attend. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the Task Force members with an opinion, question, or observation.

Most importantly, thank you for your active support in creating Our Church!

Respectfully,

Spike Lobdell