Reflections From Sunday Evening

Yesterday Rev. Bob Farr, our conference director of Congregational Excellence, met with some of us and explained the Healthy Church Initiative (HCI). We are currently completing a congregational self-study that will be submitted this week. November 5-7 a team from our conference, led by Rev. Doug Anderson of the Reuben Job Institute in Indiana, will be on-site to conduct a consultation. It will be a weekend of interviews and discernment. On Sunday afternoon, November 7, we will gather as a congregation and hear the report read. In the report will be five strengths that will have been identified and five weaknesses. The heart of the report will be five prescriptions that will be offered to us. In the following three weeks we will convene a series of town hall meetings where everyone will have the opportunity to ask questions and glean understanding of the prescriptions. Then we will have a church conference and vote. Assuming we accept all the prescriptions we will be in a 36-month coaching relationship as we move forward in mission and ministry.

This is a significant moment in the life of PWUMC. Unlike many churches that find themselves involved in HCI we are already a healthy church. However we are a church that has been "plateaued" for some time. The reality is that when a church is where we are it will either grow or decline. The nature of the Church is that nothing ever stays the same. Our desire and intention is to grow by reaching new people for Jesus Christ and finding ways to include others in the mission and ministry of our church.

So that is what is going on. There will be much more information forthcoming. We begin to pray now for what God has in store as we move forward into our future.

It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.