Roots of Peoples United Methodist Church
Part 59 Focus Focus Focus
The other major initiative during the years that Bill Schuster was the pastor was the formation of a group of parishioners with Bill and Growth Coordinator, Wanda Stahl, for the purpose of initially developing a Mission and Vision Statement for Peoples. Such an action was not uncommon in the 1990’s. While Peoples and the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church among other church-related organizations were developing these directional statements this was also the case in schools and business as well. It was not unusual for a member of the group formed at Peoples to be also working on mission and vision statements in more than one endeavor. Working on such statements may have indicated that many people and organizations had felt that the organizations that they were members of had were in fact lost in determining directions for their respective organizations.
At Peoples those who served on this unique committee included folks of all adult ages. Hazel Beecher, Doug and Linda Greer, Steve Ives, Kit Pike, Claralee Swanson (Street) and Art Tordoff were parish members volunteering or volunteered for the tasks that were yet to be determined. While this was a new group there had been others during the 1990’s that had been formed that were developed to determine directions for Peoples in the coming millennium. One significant group was titled Vision 2000 and had seen some influence on church matters earlier in this decade. This new committee became know as the "Focus Group". Members of this group would get to know each other very well over the next couple of years.
The first task of the members was to get to know each other and to develop skills of discernment. The feeling was that if we learned to listen to the will of the Lord, it would come and be the principle guide in what we were to do. The committee then gathered and analyzed membership statistics and information gathered by observation. The third phase in the collection of data process was to discern what Peoples was called to be within and without the local community. Determining the wording of mission and vision before presentation to the congregation eventually brought the work of the focus group to a conclusion. As a member of that group, I found the meaning of discernment in the way all members began to think, share, develop and trust in each others thoughts in coming to consensus with the help of God’s guidance through and in each of us.
Eventually the congregation accepted the resulting mission and vision statements. That acceptance took place in 1998.
The mission statement as accepted reads as follows:
"As members of Peoples United Methodist Church, we take our mission as Jesus’
words, :to go and make disciples" and John Wesley’s exhortation to "spread
scriptural holiness" within and beyond our local community."
The vision statement also accepted at the same time reads:
" We accept God’s love for us as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. Empowered by the
Holy Spirit, we will create and nurture an environment in which a diversity of
people can develop and deepen a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our
actions as individuals and as a congregation in the local community and the
world are a result of our commitment to the Lord."
While few folks ever committed these to memory, the statements have been found in church bulletins and the newsletter, web site and blog spots. Periodically groups at Peoples have indicated that the statements need revision, but in looking at the meaning of the words already included have found ties to the New England Conference mission and vision. They have also looked at the deep meaning and felt that the words have been worthy to remain as they are. In this writer’s opinion it is good to review and determine the meaning of those words not only as a look at the past but their meaning in the present and for future planning as well.
In seeing the value of the statements, those who worked on their creation also were compelled to determine what the Core Values of Peoples were felt to be. While there may be others the team found agreement in the following 10 Core Values.
We strive to be a church family bound together by the Spirit of God, loving one another as Christ first loved us.
We seek to practice a faith that is informed by scripture, tradition, experience, and reason, upholding truths in the Old and New Testaments as a guide for both our faith and practice.
We value the power of prayer in discerning the presence and leading of God.
We are grateful for all that God has given us and seek to give all that we can in time, talents, gifts and service to the work of the Lord.
We seek to create a place where everybody particularly our children and newcomers, can grow spiritually and make a valued contribution.
We seek to carry out and support efforts for the redemption of both individuals and society.
We strive to cultivate leaders who are led by the Spirit of God.
We seek to create and maintain a church structure that will enable us to minister faithfully and communicate effectively as a congregation and remain connected to the larger church.
We strive to faithfully maintain our buildings and property because they belong to God.
We seek to follow Wesley’s formulation concerning theology: in essentials, unity; in nonessentials, diversity, in all things, charity.
The above is really the legacy upon which Peoples Church has operated throughout its existence. There is no reason to have believed that present membership would not continue to operate with the same values. It is nevertheless important to keep the Core Values in front of us and to visit them from time to time as a check on why we are here and what we are responsible for as individuals, small groups and as the whole church body.
The next step of the focus group was to suggest how the mission and vision should play out in the life of the church. The recommendations that were brought forward were in some cases implemented, but as we review them below they can be a direction for folks of the future as well. The areas of church life that were identified in this document were Spiritual Life, Leadership, Communication, Fellowship, Stewardship and Unity/Diversity.
In the area of Spiritual Life the focus group recommended a restructuring of the congregation into a network of small groups which could become an organizing unit for ministry and administration within the congregation and would also provide opportunities for worship, study, service, and support for all interested members.
Under the theme Leadership it was recommended that the administrative structure used at that time be changed and that the Administrative Board and Council of Ministries be joined into a new Church Council.
The third area identified with recommendations was the field of Communications. The committee recommended that the work of the Newsletter Task Force that had been appointed by the Council of Ministries be supported. This group would recommend, at a later date, improvements that should be made in the written communications of the church.
The fourth area of concern was labeled Fellowship later to be known as Nurture. The recommendation presented was to provide more opportunities for members of the congregation to gather together for fun and fellowship.
Outreach was the third area that the focus group made recommendations for . The committee felt that the church needed to be more intentional about identifying and reaching out to newcomers who visit worship. The congregation should continue to be educated about our evangelistic responsibilities in and out of church. We should explore new ways and maybe some old ways of greeting new residents in our neighborhood and reach out to the unchurched. Church leaders should explore for the church as a whole possibilities for and implementation of ministries within the local church. Finally, the focus group recommended exploring and implementing ways of being in mission around the world.
Four recommendations in the realm of Stewardship were included in the document that was produced. These recommendations included Ways to use people’s time and talents more effectively. A survey of the congregation should be done regarding their understanding of pledging. The feeling of the group was that it was necessary to communicate expectations for giving among new and present members. The final recommendation was to implement ways to encourage "in kind" contributions such as providing a service such as writing, accounting, giving rides, lawn maintenance etc..
Many of the above suggestions were developed over the next few years through a follow-up group known as the Implementation Committee. This group with some holdover members of the Focus Group continued to offer meaningful suggestions to already existing church organizations and groups.
It is the opinion again of this writer that those documents that are held on file or at least mentioned in this installment of Peoples Roots could be visited for ideas and directions.
From the perspective of writing this installment of Roots 10 years after its original announcement that many of the issues faced now are similar if not the same as they were at that time. Likewise documents that are still available for perusal and that we have noted from time to time in this series of church vignettes not only tell us about our past but have application in the present and for future generations.
Part 59 Focus Focus Focus
The other major initiative during the years that Bill Schuster was the pastor was the formation of a group of parishioners with Bill and Growth Coordinator, Wanda Stahl, for the purpose of initially developing a Mission and Vision Statement for Peoples. Such an action was not uncommon in the 1990’s. While Peoples and the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church among other church-related organizations were developing these directional statements this was also the case in schools and business as well. It was not unusual for a member of the group formed at Peoples to be also working on mission and vision statements in more than one endeavor. Working on such statements may have indicated that many people and organizations had felt that the organizations that they were members of had were in fact lost in determining directions for their respective organizations.
At Peoples those who served on this unique committee included folks of all adult ages. Hazel Beecher, Doug and Linda Greer, Steve Ives, Kit Pike, Claralee Swanson (Street) and Art Tordoff were parish members volunteering or volunteered for the tasks that were yet to be determined. While this was a new group there had been others during the 1990’s that had been formed that were developed to determine directions for Peoples in the coming millennium. One significant group was titled Vision 2000 and had seen some influence on church matters earlier in this decade. This new committee became know as the "Focus Group". Members of this group would get to know each other very well over the next couple of years.
The first task of the members was to get to know each other and to develop skills of discernment. The feeling was that if we learned to listen to the will of the Lord, it would come and be the principle guide in what we were to do. The committee then gathered and analyzed membership statistics and information gathered by observation. The third phase in the collection of data process was to discern what Peoples was called to be within and without the local community. Determining the wording of mission and vision before presentation to the congregation eventually brought the work of the focus group to a conclusion. As a member of that group, I found the meaning of discernment in the way all members began to think, share, develop and trust in each others thoughts in coming to consensus with the help of God’s guidance through and in each of us.
Eventually the congregation accepted the resulting mission and vision statements. That acceptance took place in 1998.
The mission statement as accepted reads as follows:
"As members of Peoples United Methodist Church, we take our mission as Jesus’
words, :to go and make disciples" and John Wesley’s exhortation to "spread
scriptural holiness" within and beyond our local community."
The vision statement also accepted at the same time reads:
" We accept God’s love for us as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. Empowered by the
Holy Spirit, we will create and nurture an environment in which a diversity of
people can develop and deepen a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our
actions as individuals and as a congregation in the local community and the
world are a result of our commitment to the Lord."
While few folks ever committed these to memory, the statements have been found in church bulletins and the newsletter, web site and blog spots. Periodically groups at Peoples have indicated that the statements need revision, but in looking at the meaning of the words already included have found ties to the New England Conference mission and vision. They have also looked at the deep meaning and felt that the words have been worthy to remain as they are. In this writer’s opinion it is good to review and determine the meaning of those words not only as a look at the past but their meaning in the present and for future planning as well.
In seeing the value of the statements, those who worked on their creation also were compelled to determine what the Core Values of Peoples were felt to be. While there may be others the team found agreement in the following 10 Core Values.
We strive to be a church family bound together by the Spirit of God, loving one another as Christ first loved us.
We seek to practice a faith that is informed by scripture, tradition, experience, and reason, upholding truths in the Old and New Testaments as a guide for both our faith and practice.
We value the power of prayer in discerning the presence and leading of God.
We are grateful for all that God has given us and seek to give all that we can in time, talents, gifts and service to the work of the Lord.
We seek to create a place where everybody particularly our children and newcomers, can grow spiritually and make a valued contribution.
We seek to carry out and support efforts for the redemption of both individuals and society.
We strive to cultivate leaders who are led by the Spirit of God.
We seek to create and maintain a church structure that will enable us to minister faithfully and communicate effectively as a congregation and remain connected to the larger church.
We strive to faithfully maintain our buildings and property because they belong to God.
We seek to follow Wesley’s formulation concerning theology: in essentials, unity; in nonessentials, diversity, in all things, charity.
The above is really the legacy upon which Peoples Church has operated throughout its existence. There is no reason to have believed that present membership would not continue to operate with the same values. It is nevertheless important to keep the Core Values in front of us and to visit them from time to time as a check on why we are here and what we are responsible for as individuals, small groups and as the whole church body.
The next step of the focus group was to suggest how the mission and vision should play out in the life of the church. The recommendations that were brought forward were in some cases implemented, but as we review them below they can be a direction for folks of the future as well. The areas of church life that were identified in this document were Spiritual Life, Leadership, Communication, Fellowship, Stewardship and Unity/Diversity.
In the area of Spiritual Life the focus group recommended a restructuring of the congregation into a network of small groups which could become an organizing unit for ministry and administration within the congregation and would also provide opportunities for worship, study, service, and support for all interested members.
Under the theme Leadership it was recommended that the administrative structure used at that time be changed and that the Administrative Board and Council of Ministries be joined into a new Church Council.
The third area identified with recommendations was the field of Communications. The committee recommended that the work of the Newsletter Task Force that had been appointed by the Council of Ministries be supported. This group would recommend, at a later date, improvements that should be made in the written communications of the church.
The fourth area of concern was labeled Fellowship later to be known as Nurture. The recommendation presented was to provide more opportunities for members of the congregation to gather together for fun and fellowship.
Outreach was the third area that the focus group made recommendations for . The committee felt that the church needed to be more intentional about identifying and reaching out to newcomers who visit worship. The congregation should continue to be educated about our evangelistic responsibilities in and out of church. We should explore new ways and maybe some old ways of greeting new residents in our neighborhood and reach out to the unchurched. Church leaders should explore for the church as a whole possibilities for and implementation of ministries within the local church. Finally, the focus group recommended exploring and implementing ways of being in mission around the world.
Four recommendations in the realm of Stewardship were included in the document that was produced. These recommendations included Ways to use people’s time and talents more effectively. A survey of the congregation should be done regarding their understanding of pledging. The feeling of the group was that it was necessary to communicate expectations for giving among new and present members. The final recommendation was to implement ways to encourage "in kind" contributions such as providing a service such as writing, accounting, giving rides, lawn maintenance etc..
Many of the above suggestions were developed over the next few years through a follow-up group known as the Implementation Committee. This group with some holdover members of the Focus Group continued to offer meaningful suggestions to already existing church organizations and groups.
It is the opinion again of this writer that those documents that are held on file or at least mentioned in this installment of Peoples Roots could be visited for ideas and directions.
From the perspective of writing this installment of Roots 10 years after its original announcement that many of the issues faced now are similar if not the same as they were at that time. Likewise documents that are still available for perusal and that we have noted from time to time in this series of church vignettes not only tell us about our past but have application in the present and for future generations.
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