What has your Vestry been working on?

At this half-way point in the year, you may be wondering what your Vestry leadership team has been working on? This is a good time to offer an update because our areas of intentional focus have recently been further developed.

It all started with our visioning process, which began with exploring the new context in which the church has become situated over the past few decades: namely, a Post-Christendom context, where the church no longer has a dominant voice; where membership in many parishes is often declining; where attending church out of a sense of duty is rapidly a thing of the past; where a renewed commitment to serious discipleship, steeped in life-long learning, is considered essential. Informed by this new reality, our leadership team guided the parish through a one year process which led to the development of our 'Purpose, Vision, and Goals.' Vestry is committed to ensuring that this important piece of visionary work is integrated into the very fabric of all that we do, and who we become.

Through our Visioning process we identified our Purpose Statement: St. Peter's is to be a Christian community seeking to love God, grow in faith and serve the world.This is why we exist. We are held accountable to this statement as we carry out God's work (within St. Peter's and beyond).

Six Vision Statements were then discerned and established. We have re-designed our Vestry Agenda so that everything we discern, discuss, and decide will be faithful to our Purpose Statement and these Six Vision Statements that inform our ministries and maintain our focus.

Specific goals have since been prepared by the various groups and committees. As you can see, some goal-setting has been completed, while others are a work in progress. As the work of this Visioning process evolves, these goals will, of course, change over time.

It is our sincere hope and prayer that the work of this Visioning process will continue to challenge and inform St. Peter's disciples, and focus our planning as we discern and carry out God's work in the church and beyond.

Over the next few months, Vestry's specific areas of focus are: (1) Capital Campaign [to raise money for a roof / organ / refugee sponsorship]; (2) Plans to celebrate St. Peter's 60th Anniversary in 2016; (3) New initiatives for Mission and Outreach; (4) Discerning effective and realistic ways that we may become equipped to respond to health emergencies which occur within St. Peter's building.

Of course, in addition to these particular areas of focus, everything else will continue to move forward effectively and faithfully, in true St. Peter's manner.

Thanks be to God, for all that St. Peter's is, and all that God is helping us become.