ADAPTIVE VISIONING



NOTES: ADAPTIVE VISIONING: GOOD NEWS CRCWED. JAN. 28, 2015After an introduction as to the origins of this adaptive visioning process, and the need for it, or group essentially followed the list of questions which each group member had previously received.Discussion QuestionsIf you had to identify the ‘core strength or giftedness’ of our church, how would you describe it?What are the defining characteristics of our church? -hospitality-within and beyond, high ownership, many leaders,, little or no politics, authentic, earnest and eager feel to the congregation, willingness to try different things (always ready for a surprise especially in worship services), strong sense of community/family, spiritual maturity.Based on what you know about our immediate neighbourhood and Argyle community, what do you think the most basic needs are? What are assets or strengths of the Argyle community?-low income, poverty, limited opportunities in terms of employment, lots of underemployment leading to 2 or 3 part time jobs, transportation issues, single parent homes can make life more difficult, need for secure housing, quality food often not affordable, lack of community-strengths: churches beginning to work together alongside non-faith based organizations, future Community Centre coming in 2018, a “genuineness” often found in people, Argyle (East London) has some momentum politically; should we have participation on the Planning Committee for new Community Centre? Can we tap into municipal funds to create a ‘community kitchen’?Identify the core ministries in which we currently are engaged.-MNY (discussion ensued on the status and impact of MNC: is it a ministry of GNC? Do Deacons make use of it? (yes) conclusion: yes, it is quietly running in the background and does meet the needs of it’s clientele.-Collective Kitchen, Drumline, GEMS, Public Justice, Crossfire Youth, Deacons, Pastoral Care, Small Groups, worship services, the Fanshawe connection, hospitality/fellowship-Discussion question: should GEMS and Crossfire amalgamate with the groups in the other two CRCs?Churches often do ‘a little in a lot of different areas’; should we ‘do more in fewer areas’? If we could only choose a few ministries, what would they be? Are our current ministries within our time and energy boundaries?-discussion of amalgamating GEMS and Crossfire with other CRCs-do we have enough ‘critical mass’ to continue and/or expand what we are doing?-we did a survey of the ten people present and asked: Are you currently satisfied with your level of involvement in the church? Is it manageable?Interestingly, all participants said they were satisfied and able to manage the time commitment.-can we increase our capacity by working ‘smarter’? If a ministry ends, is it necessarily a failure? (no). We have major ministries but this does not preclude individuals from being involved in smaller, more personal ministries. We also need to be sure to allow ourselves to step away at times for a break, or to be involved in non church organizations/ministries, or family time, etc.-importance of slotting people into their areas of enjoyment/strengths (less burnout, better results)-importance of constantly growing new leaders-potential for restructuring Council? Length of term for office bearers? (Presbyterian model: elder for life?) Most of our first meeting was spent discussing our current reality. For our next meeting the focus will shift to where we think God wants us to be in the next two to three years. In other words, let’s dream. Think about our current ministries: how can they be more effective? Should we shift our focus at all? Think especially about how our space could be used? (after all, part of the reason for beginning these discussions was the possibility of CK renovating the kitchen, hopefully with municipal money)I will include questions # 9 – 13 from you Guiding Questions sheet, which will form the basis for our discussions.9.What about our facility: have you dreamed about a change in the facility which would match with our current/future ministries? 10. Changes to the building cost money; do you have creative ways in which facility changes could supplement the income of the church? Or at the very least, cover the costs of doing ministry?When you really let the Spirit push your dreams for our church to the limit, what do you see?Do you think it is feasible to partner with other neighbouring churches or agencies? If so what possible partners can you identify?13. What has changed in our church/congregation in the past five years? ?What challenges and opportunities does this create? What do we want our church to look like in 3 – 5 years?Please pray that the Spirit will guide us in our discussions and feel free to dream boldly.Our next meeting is tentatively set for Wed. Feb. 18 at 7:30 (location to be confirmed later) I have heard from some of you regarding your ability to make this date work but not all; it is a date that appears to work for most of you.Participants present: Pastor Willemina, Art Tiesma, Pete Spoelstra, Sally Green, Pat Schelhaas, Katelyn Bruinsma, Anton Brink, Brian Albers, Pete van GeestParticipants absent with notice: Betty Haagsma, Evelyn DreiseTwo final requests:Brian and Pat graciously agreed to take notes during our first meeting; would two different people be willing to take notes during our second meeting?In order to keep our spirits refreshed, would someone like to bring some fruit or baked stuff?Thanks so much for your willingness to be involved in this important visioning process. I hope I captured the essence of our discussions based on Brian and Pat’s notes and my memory.Pete ................
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