Mid-August update

Dear fellow Calvary parishioners,

Just a quick update on the Our Church 2030 initiative. We are busily analyzing the survey results. Once again, the time and energy that was put in to give the responses was truly amazing. We will have a lot of data to share with you.

The summer vacation season has taken a hold of our schedule for the small group discussions. While we originally thought we would start the small group discussions in August, we now plan to hold the sessions in September and October. 

The objectives of these sessions are to explore and nurture the spiritual, educational, and community values within Calvary and to strategize ways to engage and support these ideals.  I am pleased that two professional facilitators have agreed to volunteer their time to lead the sessions. We are working on the topics now that reflect key issues identified in the survey, such as pastoral care, the role of youth in the church and ways to enhance our spiritual growth.  We hope that these will be very engaging and enlightening discussions. 

We will start the sign-up process at the end of August. You will be asked to list your two top choices for discussion topics, and if you would be willing to brainstorm on any of the other topics. We want to get the best mix of ideas from people who may be already familiar with a topic and those who are not. The discussions will be held in the Parish Hall. While we are thankful for the volunteers who offered their homes to host the sessions, the focus of these discussions is our church, so we believe they should be held at our church.

Speaking for the entire task force, we are thankful for the input that we have received thus far and are excited to engage in even deeper discussions and idea generation. We are confident that there will be meaningful opportunities to enhance the parish and our connection within the community.

Thank you very much for your ongoing support and yes, some patience. 

—Spike

On behalf of the Our Church 2030 Task Force:

Terri Brennan
Kristin Foster
John Groton
Bill Hoffman
Paul Leeming
Spike Lobdell, Leader
Barb Silver
Brooke Stoddard
Jim Taylor
Lori Taylor, Ex Officio
The Rev. Gillian Barr, Ex Officio