Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans

Proverbs 16:3

There is no doubt that 2020 is the year of change and God is truly working to help us establish plans which will glorify Him throughout it all. With the pandemic in full swing and the strong social justice and race reconciliation needs in our family and society it's time to see a change in how we work together as a family as well. 

To help with this effort Steve and Lisa brought the elders and leaders in the church together to brainstorm new and inventive ways we can address change and these large needs in our family of believers. 

We kicked things off with a few group meetings in order to hear the concerns, needs and wants of the congregation via the current leaders in the church. After receiving feedback, we then compiled key themes which reoccurred throughout all of the feedback. These key themes turned into what we are calling vision groups to help address each key theme effectively within our congregation. 

What is a vision group? 

A vision group is a group of volunteers within the church who will work towards ensuring that their group is biblically based by deep study and discussion, provide a voice for the topic in the congregation, and create/plan events and opportunities for the congregation to participate in that will strengthen our knowledge/commitment to these topics. 

Leaders in our family were asked to indicate which groups they would prefer to participate in based on their strongest interest. Groups were populated based on their feedback, with each group determining functional roles within the group to carry out their goals. One of the first roles defined so far is a point of contact (POC) that will connect the group to others through the vision group steering committee. 

The five vision groups we now have are: 

• Anti-Racism

• Loving the Community through Serving

• Christian Social Justice / Advocacy

• Making Disciples / Outreach

• Building Family / One Another Relationships

How are the vision groups supported?

We also have created an operating framework to help with organization and structure of these vision groups and to provide a venue for concerns and help needed as they arise. The framework defines a couple of other roles that are meant to support the groups as they determine actionable paths forward to achieve the goals each group defines. 

The first of these are the shepherds who help align groups with church direction, steer groups Biblically, provide inspiration & guidance to group leads, and help handle conflict when necessary.  Current shepherds are Steve and Lisa Johnson, Florence and Mike Mathis, and Marcia and Bob Bertalot.

The second role is the stewards who organize efforts of the steering committee, support Inter-group communications, enable group leads with organizational tools and advise on scheduling for group leads. Current stewards are Chemise Maynard, Carleen Nikzi, and Katelynn Smith.

The vision group points of contact, shepherds and stewards make up the steering committee which has just begun to meet every other week to stay connected and support the vision groups to reach their goals.  

How do I get involved?  

Currently the participants presented above are still formulating their biblical basis and core function within the church. Our goal is to get the groups set up and functioning before opening it up to more volunteers or seeking additional help needed. Keep an eye open for requests for more volunteers and help in the coming months as we strive to continue our culture of transparency, love and Jesus centered serving hearts! 

This is just a summary of what we’ve been up to as a church and where we are striving to go. We will be holding a Q&A session about vision groups on September 9th where Steve and Lisa can answer any questions you may have.  Hope to see you there!