Listening Session

It has been more than six-months since our beloved Barb Kuhlmann’s untimely death. We continue to grieve and give thanks for her. It’s still so hard to believe she is gone.

We are grateful for all of the people who have stepped up to help do the things that Barb did around here. Marsha Peek’s incredible gifts of organizing and shepherding have been amazing. Our children and youth are in very good hands.

As we ponder where to go from here regarding church staff, our Church Council has been in conversation these months – including spending time with a consultant, Reverend John Wimberly, who many of you will remember as the person who walked us through the Vitality Project a few years ago. One of the things he suggested several years ago was not to rush into filling a staff vacancy once one arises. Instead, he urged us to stop, breathe and discern what the church needs next – rather than simply finding another person to fill the same role and job description.

We will continue to be in discernment about who we are as a church today and who God is calling us to be next. We are pondering what sort of additional staff person(s), contractor(s), or uses of resources, can best help us in today’s environment to be more faithful and effective in our mission and ministries.

We need your input! We will host a Listening Session after worship today.

A few questions to ask yourself now –

* What do we want to provide for our children, youth, families and adults?

* How can we be more engaged in loving and serving the world around us – near and far?

* How are we unique/distinct from other churches in the area and other churches you may have been to in the past or recently?

* What do we need to make a priority in the next 2-3 years?

* What do we want our young people to say about their experiences at PUCC when they are coming into adulthood?

*  Do you envision adding one person to our staff or 2-3 people who could each bring varied expertise to the team and faith community?

* What do we do with some of our time and resources that we might want to stop doing?

*What piece(s) of our history should continue to guide us?

Questions? Feel free to contact Council President Linda Tossing (ltossing@att.net) or Kevin Cameron (kevin@parkwayucc.org) or anyone from our Church Council – Lana Biondo, Deb Carter, Lisa Davidson, Kris Impastato, Tom McKenzie, Mark Sableman.