Our Leadership Board held its second ever meeting on Monday, February 19th. The primary focal point of the meeting was continuing the conversation on how to reaffirm (or reimagine) our mission statement. Clarifying our mission is vital so that we can begin to align all that we do around a shared sense of purpose and direction. On some level, our mission is already clear and dictated by our membership in the United Methodist denomination - we are called “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” While all United Methodist churches participate in this shared work, discipleship can take on many different forms depending on the context. Our challenge as a local congregation, then, is to translate “making disciples” in a way that clearly speaks to our time and location.
In light of that challenge, I asked the board to reflect on two questions leading up to this week’s meeting - “what is a disciple?” And “is our current mission statement adequate to guide us toward making that kind of people?” We had a fruitful discussion and some of our notes can be found in the meeting packet at fumcbeaumont.org/board. It is crucial to invite you into the conversation as well, which is why we will focus on these two questions at the Leadership Board Town Hall on Feb 25th.
The direction in which our church moves over time and how quickly we can move forward will be dictated by how similarly our church members think about the answers to these two questions. I encourage you to attend the Town Hall this Sunday, Feb 25th at 9:45am in Rothwell Hall. If you cannot make it to the meeting, I’d be grateful to hear your feedback. You can email or call me, or find time to talk with another Board member.
In addition to moving forward in this vitally important conversation, the Board accomplished a great deal of practical, concrete work as well. A few highlights that I’d like to share:
I’m excited to announce that the Board unanimously approved a proposal to bring Erika Clabough on full time. The two main reasons for the move are to help us develop more externally focused communication strategies and to help us through the next two years as we develop a clear vision and plan for our long term future.
The Board committed to reading through a book called Canoeing the Mountains over the rest of the year. The book speaks to the challenges of leading into uncharted territory and offers guidance for how a church can more effectively adapt and grow.
Judy Brunton was approved to do some work on the gardens around the church grounds. She is developing a small group around gardening and spirituality - Board approval was only necessary since the group will do work that alters the church grounds. If you like to garden, I recommend checking in with her as the plans are finalized and the group begins meeting.
We are exploring a potential partnership with Spoonful of Love. This is a non profit that provides after school meals for kids as a means of sharing the love of God. They are based in Houston, but looking to establish a presence in Jefferson County. We’ll be sure to update you if an agreement is reached to host this great organization.
As always, you can go to fumcbeaumont.org/board - there you will find all meeting packets, agendas, minutes, budget reports, etc. Please reach out to me or another Board member anytime with your questions, concerns, and comments. And please continue to pray for all the incredible work that our church will do long into the future!