It’s that time of year again … as we prepare for the Annual Vestry and review our leadership and structures, you may be hearing from people confirming that you are continuing in an existing ministry, or inviting you to consider taking on a new role. We convey huge thanks to all those who serve in jobs great and small, and in particular to Nancy Hamilton, who is cycling off as Warden after many years serving Church of the Resurrection and then PRAM/All Saints’.
The reports are being compiled, the budget drafted, and the agenda prepared. We have a lot to celebrate, and a lot to discuss and decide!
One thing that we need to consider is forming additional committees/groups/teams to tackle areas of ministry that need sustained attention. I’m the last person to want to create superfluous committees, but sometimes you need a group of folks to meet regularly to get a job done, whether it’s for a set period of time or open-ended.
The two (or possibly three) areas in which we might need to form teams are:
- Formation. Rosanne Harrison is moving to Vancouver this summer (and we will be very sad to see her go!), thus is no longer the official Messy Church coordinator. Messy Church has been growing substantially lately, as has our population of young children on Sunday morning, so there is work to be done to make sure we’re offering the kinds of opportunities for learning and growth in faith that are appropriate for this age. Meanwhile, adults in the parish are also hungry for formation opportunities, as can be seen by the attendance at Bible Study, the Montreal Dio online courses, and the group reading through the Bible with “The Path”. A team of a few people to oversee and coordinate these ministries would be very helpful in ensuring their continued growth and flourishing. Especially if you have a background in teaching, group facilitation, or with children, perhaps this is something you’re called to right now?
- Strategic Plan (Building Projects) and Capital Campaign. After the Talking Circles on Saturday, January 25 – to which you plan to come, right?! – we will have a roadmap for starting to implement the strategic plan. Part of this – the portions concerned with renovating and updating our buildings – will require a great deal of planning and a considerable amount of fundraising. We will need a group of people to meet with architects, review quotes and plans, strategize what order to do things in, supervise the work, and present updates to the congregation. We will also need a group – presumably with some degree of overlap – to create a plan for a several-years-long, multi-stage capital campaign process, so that we can pay ourselves back for the money that we will temporarily take out of the Anglican Funds in order to make these renovations happen. This will be a prolonged, complicated project with many moving parts; if you have particular expertise in financial matters, fundraising, project management, or just keeping your head in the face of many quickly-evolving details, this is the task for you!
If you have any questions about anything described here, as always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – and see you at the Talking Circles and the Annual Vestry!
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