The Vestry Members held Small Group Meetings with members of St. Francis to enable us to move in the best direction for our parish. Approximately 50 members participated on a volunteer basis to answer 5 questions posed by Fr. Jason Shelby during the 2024 Vestry Retreat. The questions are as follows:
- What do we really love to do?
- How has God gifted us to do those things?
- If we focused more on doing what we love, so that we do it really well and share it with others, what are the best things that could happen?
- What might boost our ability to achieve each of those things?
- Where do we start?
Mary Deley and Mary Ann Cronin then gathered the information provided by the Vestry Members and created this summary. The responses are listed in order of popularity, particularly under Question 1. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like an explanation in more detail for any of the responses.
QUESTION 1 – What do we really love to do?
Parishioners said the following which they enjoy and love:
- Fellowship – spend time together
- Music – listening, playing, singing
- Puzzles, games cards
- Attend church on Sunday, enjoy the traditions
- Exercise/Sports – playing and watching
- Gardening, campus cleanup
- Hiking/Being outdoors
- Reading/Writing
- Being/Serving in our community (outside of church)
- Photography/Art
- Youth programs/Mentoring
- Adult education/Guest speakers
- Homeless support
- Sewing/Knitting/Quilting
- Healing/Illness support
- Grief group
- Travel
- Guilds
- Genealogy
- Helping the homebound
- Technology
- Being with our pets
QUESTION 2 – How has God gifted us to do those things?
We have the gifts of:
- Welcoming community at St. Francis
- Enjoy working and serving together
- Beautiful grounds
- Great staff to enable us to provide fellowship and joy
- Various Guilds, Ministry Councils, etc.
- People who see a need and do whatever it takes to fulfill it
- Vision to make something happen (i.e. Designs for Dining, Rummage Sale, etc.)
QUESTION 3 – If we focused more on doing what we love, so that we do it really well and share it with others, what are the best things that could happen?
We would:
- Build more connections between current parishioners
- Bring more people to the church to do God’s work
- Build connections with our outside community
- By fellowship events increase opportunities
- Build a Youth Program
- Have more empathy towards the homeless
- Have our passion rub off on others
- Develop coffee hour further by adding music
QUESTION 4 – What might boost our ability to achieve each of those things?
Ideas shared include:
- Name tags for Vestry members, Ministry Council Leaders, Sunday School teachers, etc.
- Funding for Youth Leader
- Music at coffee hour
- Visiting other churches to inspire ideas for St. Francis
- Reinstitute Acolyte Program for children and adults
- Information page about St. Francis history for people to take in pews at weddings, funerals, etc.
- Use St. Francis as venue for community events and advertising them (i.e. Bag Pipe Concert, Music Concerts, Evensong, etc.)
- Restaurant fundraisers
- Individual discussions and/or invitations to get involved (i.e. baking for the Antique Show, decorating for holidays, singing in choir for special occasions, etc.)
- Presentations by different Groups, Guilds, Ministry Council, etc. in church on monthly or bi-monthly basis (i.e., Loaves & Fishes, Caring Cards, Outreach, Sages, etc.)
- Mentoring others to develop future leaders (i.e., Antique Show, etc.)
- Sport watching parties, game nights, etc.
- Participating on peripheral of events wearing St. Francis T-shirts or hats (i.e., passing out water bottles at Village Run, booth at local festival, etc.)
QUESTION 5 – Where do we start?
Answers to this question dovetailed with Question 4 so those replies were not included. Other responses were:
- Joint service with Wayfarer’s Chapel
- Kris Kringle Christmas Show
- More staff for Rector
- Engage Youth Leader
- Visitation of homebound aging population
- Reinstitute Lay Eucharist Ministers
- Provide Christian education to support faith and address doubts about faith
- Humor in bulletin and/or Bellringer