Program Council Meets
On Tuesday night the Program Council gathered for its bi-monthly meeting. Several groups from the church were represented including Justice Action Ministry, Climate Action Project, Racial Justice, Community Human Services, Aging in Community, and Hospitality. Rev. Rebecca opened the meeting with a reading and Chalice lighting.
Lark Madden spoke to the group about the upcoming Stewardship campaign and how the idea of Stewardship is being expanded and refined to meet the needs of our growing community. Following was a discussion of coffee hour and Soup Sunday as we tried to identify why attendance has dropped for these events and what we might do to encourage more participation. Finally, the groups in attendance reported on their activities for the next couple of months—including work on climate resiliency, a Climate Café from the Climate Action Project, and upcoming First Wednesday programs on voting and General Assembly from JAM. We heard from Annalee Johnson about a new group, Aging Well in Community, which addresses issues facing our seniors. Justin Murphy-Mancini also joined us and offered valuable insights from his perspective as a relative newcomer to our community.
“The Program Council is the most effective way for us to learn about what the many groups in the congregation are doing, to notice where we intersect and complement each other, and generally to get a big picture of the work of the church. This can be useful not just for informational purposes, but to broaden our understanding of our own work and how we fit into the larger whole,” said Julie Parker Amery, Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Exploration. “I’ve been a witness to—and a part of—collaborative efforts on projects that came as a direct result of learning about each other through the Program Council. It helps create a more holistic environment, a community with shared interests rather than silos.”
The Program Council will meet again on March 31, Lower Meeting House Public, 6:30pm. All groups in the church are expected to send a representative to the meeting, and all within the church community are welcome to come.
The Council works to keep groups in the church informed about church wide work including the Stewardship Campaign and Mission Vision work as well as activities and opportunities offered by the groups ranging from book groups to participation in service projects. It is also a good opportunity for anyone in our community to learn about the wide variety of groups working in the church and what opportunities there are to serve and to socialize.
If you have questions about Program Council or have a project or initiative you would like to present to the Council, contact co-chairs Annie Maurer and Mary Sortal, chair.program.council@frsuu.org.