North Raleigh United Church,
UCC
Vision Task Force
Report to the Congregation
Respectfully Submitted: 28 April 2002
The North Raleigh United Vision Task Force
Joel Luper - Chair
Reed Altman
Lamar Caldwell
Carey Hill
Claire Jenkins
Steven Lumpkin
Leon Whitehead
Sandra McKeown - ex
officio
Doug Long - ex officio
Two and a half years ago, we of North Raleigh United Church bound ourselves to each other with the adoption of our Covenant. The Covenant of North Raleigh United Church defines the essence of who we are as a people. In it, we express the responsibility and the relationship we have to each other, to the community, and to the wider world, in all that entails. In it, we also express how we depend on each other for nurture and support.
As we continue to grow in spirit and stature, we have come to realize that our limited facilities and lack of control over them greatly impact the opportunities we have for worship, fellowship and service. In response to this realization and ensuing discussions, the Vision Task Force was created:
a. to devise a process so that everyone can be heard and to help us reach a consensus on the issue of whether or not to have space of our own;
b. to develop the criteria that defines the conversation which we will enter into, and
c. to recommend the next step necessary to achieve our vision.
In this task we have attempted to take seriously the challenge of listening to the desires of our community. We have offered numerous focus groups and invited participation continuously in an effort for each voice to be heard and recorded.
In order to assess the needs of the congregation, the Vision Task Force started a three-phase process:
The First Phase: The Vision Task Force conducted several focus group meetings to determine how we see ourselves as a people in the future. The statement paper, “Our Dynamic Vision”, is a synthesis of the information gathered at those meetings. “Our Dynamic Vision” expresses what we want to accomplish as we live out our Covenant in the world and in our lives together. The statement is “dynamic” because it is a working document. It expresses the goals we have for our future on this day. Each era as we age, we must reevaluate whether these goals are appropriate or desirable in that day.
The Second Phase: The Vision Task Force conducted a second set of focus group meetings to determine the actions and programs we want to explore to achieve our vision. The “Program and Mission Ideas“ is a compilation of these ideas, desires and programs. We do not presume that this compilation includes all possibilities. Nor do we rank any one idea above another. We present this list as a way of organizing the data we gathered at the second focus groups.
The Third Phase: Using the most widely recurring ideas from the focus groups as our basis, the Vision Task Force drew certain conclusions about the congregation’s desires as they apply to our facilities needs. We also arrived at some recommendations about how to proceed from this point to shape our future.
Our vision and plans must include growth. A church is like a living organism that needs to experience growth to maintain its vitality. And only through numbers can we achieve much of what we want to do. However, we must strive to maintain our sense of community as the size of our covenant family grows. A goal of this report is to allow us to plan for future growth, recognizing how the plans we make now will affect what we are able to do in the future.
As the completion of our work, the Vision Task Force respectfully asks that the congregation:
1. Accept this report as the written product of our work;
2. Adopt as a working guide the “Our Dynamic Vision” statement;
3. Vote to accept and implement the recommendations presented in this report.
North Raleigh United Church, UCC
28 April 2002
The Covenant of North Raleigh United Church defines the essence of who we are as a people. This statement of Our Dynamic Vision expresses what we want to accomplish as we live out our Covenant in the world and in our lives together.
At the core of our vision is an elemental need for balance: between tradition and innovation; between intellectual quest and spiritual growth; between outward action and inward spirituality; between inclusion and identity; between discipline and flexibility.
As we seek balance in our work to live out our Covenant in the world, we see ourselves pursuing our work as:
Worship and
Celebration
Worship: recognizing that justice springs from faith, engage every adult, youth and child in active and intentional relationship with God through thoughtful exploration of our beliefs, through music, and through prayer.
Celebration: recognizing that joy is essential for health and growth in body, mind and spirit, provide opportunity for play, praise, ritual and fellowship for the entire covenant community.
Our vision is to be:
a place for communal worship and fellowship;
a place for both intimate and corporate ritual to honor the landmark events in our community and individual lives;
a place with a wide variety of worship and celebration opportunity to engage not just the mind, but the whole person;
a place for all ages to participate in worship and celebration;
a place where we play and have fun;
a place where we honor, question and create traditions to guide us in our journey;
a place that celebrates diversity in all of its positive manifestations.
Learning and Nurture
Learning: recognizing that all actions begin with ideas, engage every adult, youth and child in exploring knowledge and spiritual growth through programs that address different levels of spiritual maturity, so that all are equipped to relate responsibly to God and to the world.
Nurture: recognizing the grace that we have received, strengthen our commitment to each other and work toward each other’s physical and spiritual wellbeing by providing opportunities for care, support and renewal.
Our vision is to be:
a place where leadership is created, supported and grown;
a place to learn and teach critical thought, respecting each other’s ideas, faiths and experiences;
a place to learn and teach about a variety of theological thought and its responsible interaction with society;
a place for spiritual direction, growth and retreat;
a place where large and small groups can meet for prayer, support and friendship;
a place to explore the principles that affect health or disease in the world;
a place of service, encouragement and support for all manner of caregivers.
Outreach and
Stewardship
Outreach: recognizing that a healthy faith requires action, provide opportunity for each of us to interact and contribute to health, justice and understanding in the world.
Stewardship: recognizing that we are called to the careful and responsible management of all things entrusted in our care, be intentional stewards of our people, property, community, environment and the world community.
Our vision is to be:
a center for peace and understanding within the UCC and the wider religious community;
a center for environmental responsibility, education and demonstration;
a center for social justice, working toward justice in the community and in the wider world;
a place where we are valued for the abilities we have and are given the opportunity to serve at our own level of energy;
a place of inward and outward ministry, working toward the health of our covenant community and the world around us, even reaching beyond national borders in our relationship with the earth.
Conclusions and Recommendations
One of the most common questions asked by newcomers and
inquirers of the NRUC community is: “Are you working towards having a building
of your own?” It is actually almost
unheard of for a new community of faith to wrestle with such a question at all.
Churches and their building(s) are traditionally so
intimately identified with each other that, for some, it is inconceivable that
a community of faith could exist without a building of its own. The establishment of a separate space
provides permanence, security, and the opportunity for creative education and
worship unencumbered by scheduling conflicts.
Further, it provides a space that becomes, through the rituals, worship
and holy moments experienced, nothing short of sacred.
Many of us have also experienced the downside of buildings. They can be expensive to build and maintain,
siphoning money away from mission. They
can quickly become obsolete. They can provide
a source of pride that becomes the focus of the community rather than a tool. In the worst case, a church building becomes
a clubhouse where its members dine blissfully on self-centered religious fare.
If we build our own building, retrofit an existing building or buy and existing church facility, we would need to be true to our covenant and the repeated desires of our covenant partners, via these major themes that have emerged from the focus groups:
That any future place of permanent worship must:
- concretize our covenant;
- provide
consistent and appropriate space to allow us to continue and expand our current
programs, especially our educational programs;
- from the
very planning stages forward, factor in ministries beyond us;
- be
environmentally cutting edge;
- offer a
‘retreat’ setting rather than a busy street corner;
- be utilized, as much as possible, for Interfaith dialogue, Interfaith bridge-building and Interfaith worship
One other major theme that surfaced from the focus groups: the need for additional staff around programming, especially around Christian Education (children and youth), and Social Justice (Faith In Action). More than one of the groups participated in a lively debate as to whether one was more important than the other, building or programming, and in truth, they probably go hand in hand.
Minor themes:
Further, expressions were heard repeatedly for a permanent
space that would offer a place for:
- the
creation of holy space for sacred
rituals… such as weddings and funerals.
- enhanced
mid week offerings for study, nurture, youth programs, choir, etc.
- a possible
kindergarten during the day
- a setting
that provides education in and about the natural world;
- physical
challenges and relationship building activities;
- a central
office during the week for administration, organization, and pastoral
counseling;
- different
and alternate worship styles;
- providing
spiritually focused retreats;
- a number of
comfortable, small meeting rooms for various groups;
- living out
our ministry to others via (suggestions):
- providing office
space for the Interfaith Alliance;
- serving as incubator
location for non-profit organizations;
- ministering
among the disadvantaged population (dental and health care and education.);
- bussing
inner-city kids out to our retreat center to experience a place of spiritual
nurture;
- offering English
as Second Language classes;
- creating a
facility we could offer for use by diverse groups;
- buying land
just for the sake of conserving it.
Within the course of the focus groups, the following points
were among the most often offered as limitations of our present space. (Note: We are incredibly indebted to the YMCA
for the inexpensive use of our present space, but the Y is clear that they do
not expect us to be permanent residents.)
-The
gymnasium, and its acoustics, prevent a consistent level of comfort and narrow
our range of worship. Visibility, with no stage, is also challenge.
-Set up is
difficult and time consuming.
-The YMCA
building is not readily accessible anytime outside of the Sunday morning slot.
No consistent evening meetings are possible, and meetings that are held during
the normal Y hours compete with much noise and confusion.
-There is
presently no church office other than a room in the Long’s home.
-Meetings
that take place in people’s homes are intimate but necessarily limited in size.
It is the conclusion of this Vision Task Force that, with a few exceptions, the Covenant Partners of North Raleigh look forward to moving ahead with plans to locate a site that would allow for the furtherance of these possibilities, paying particular attention to the major themes voiced, and begin planning for a site and building that could best fulfill this vision.
Recommendations:
1. The Vision Task Force recommends that, as our next step, the congregation establish a Vision Implementation Task Force. We recommend that the charter of that task force include:
A. Preparation of a Strategic Plan that sets out the direction we wish to take in implementing our vision, including a recommendation about whether or not to build or buy a permanent facility.
B. The Strategic Plan shall include a set of program and facilities goals, along with a timeline by which we intend to meet those goals.
C. The Strategic Plan shall include recommendations for staffing of these programs, including any anticipated paid staff.
D. The Strategic Plan shall include suggestions about how to explore funding for future programs, staff and facilities.
2. The Vision Task Force recommends that the congregation authorize the Pastor and the Coordinating Council to explore any gifts of property that might be available for possible use as a future home site.
3. The Vision Task Force recommends that the congregation authorize the Pastor and the Coordinating Council to seek and/or accept volunteers to explore available funding sources, including grants and charitable gifts that can be used specifically for the purpose of securing facilities.
What about $ ?
First things first. We are only establishing a vision at this point. Until we do that, we cannot begin to discuss its financial implications.
GENERAL COMMENTS
-We should stake out a clear identity as a community especially concerned with environmental and Interfaith issues.
- There is a
general consensus for a need to identify some major foci… Interfaith and
Environmental concerns were the two most consistently mentioned.
- We should do a needs analysis of what is available in the North Raleigh area; locate food closets, clothes closets that are already provided.
- We need paid staff, and then we can be serious about
making commitments to programs like childcare, educational outreach programs,
environmental demonstration projects, etc.
- We should develop a business plan that includes a
foundation (with staff) with a place to house it. For this we might want a place that would support grant writing
and a library of information about the demographics, history, success stories,
etc.
- We should provide a well-defined FIA purpose for any space we explore, beyond being (just) an example of earth friendly architecture (This will have a great bearing on the location we select.)
- Given the nature of the controversy we have ignited in
the Southern Conference, we should think about creating a center for
understanding and bridging cultural differences and work closely with the
interfaith alliance on some sort of common foundation.
- We need some motivated retirees!
Worship and
Celebration
We have a desire to continue/provide opportunities for a variety of worship styles:
- African American gospel singing;
- Social interaction and activities with the Congolese congregation;
- Hispanic elements in our congregation or partner with Hispanic congregation;
- Include more “Celebrator” activities into other programs and events;
- Try to make communion more fun;
- Some of our children have learned or are now learning
GREAT songs at preschool. Once in
public school, they never hear those songs anymore. We would love for us to
still have the children hear and sing these songs (maybe one song after each
children's sermon?).
- Continue our ecumenical spirit and permission to move freely in ecumenical opportunities
We have a desire to continue/provide opportunities for a variety of celebration styles:
- We should develop a database to include and notify us about rights of passages, anniversaries, birthdays and other special life events to help celebrate;
- Kayaking and other individual outdoor activities;
- Softball and other team outdoor activities;
- Board games and other indoor play;
- “Open mike” nights and participatory-shared entertainment;
- Regular celebration of life passages.
Learning and Nurture
General emphasis throughout on:
- We would like to see more of the adults involved in working with the Sunday school program for children - from the outside it looks like one or two people are carrying the whole load!
- We need for a point person to coordinate the educational programming.
- Not sure on specific activities but as open to dream and
free think as possible.
- Natural setting and the importance of the creation
- Perhaps providing a retreat center for ourselves and other people?
- What skills to we need -- what skills do we have?
- place to gather in small to medium size groups that is a ‘sacred’ space. Place to meditate.
-Social, nurturing, outdoors group experiences/opportunities.
We have a desire to continue/provide opportunities for a variety of learning experiences:
- Learning
through service to others;
- Continue the flexibility of the Adult Forum. It is the ideal place to explore different cultures, theologies and beliefs;
- Provide an additional adult offering that would use a consistent curriculum;
- Provide Bible Studies and consistent religious education classes;
- Do we want do work toward a Kindergarten in the church?;
- Who is training the teachers to teach?;
- Ideally, need for a Director of Christian Education or Minister of Christian Education;
- We are not able, in our present system, to do all we potentially could for our children … provide more structure in the children and youth programs;
We are not presently able to provide enough support and nurture for teachers;
- Develop a complete Christian Education program for all ages… “womb to tomb”;
- Our three committees who deal with different age groups should meet together periodically for better coordination (children, youth, adult);
- Set up optimum sized adult education groups; 10-12 attendees is best size and so each group would need 15 –18 members in a group to average that attendance;
- For Bible
studies, provide something teachers and class members can read ahead and be
prepared to engage in open discussion;
- The more educational offerings the better,
especially consistent ones;
- I am interested in kids programming to continue to grow
and be able to help shape and teach our kids for the following:
- to make
educated sound decisions as they grow older;
- to have
choices in activities,
- to be
around quality kids,
- to have
support from adults other than just the parents,
- and to
stand up for what they believe whatever that may be.
- Perhaps provide gender- and age-specific programming in addition to our inclusive programming;
- Provide study and/or support groups of people in same social age;
- Provide additional adult and youth programs focusing on different religions, including attending their services;
- Provide a balance between inward and outward journey. Perhaps we can conduct spiritually focused retreats.
We have a desire to continue/provide support and care for each other:
- Identifying those in need/crisis and communicating the specific needs the Pastoral Care committee and to an action group that provides the needed assistance or service;
- Let our membership know that we are here and available to help;
- Enhance the visibility of committee members - greeting & introducing ourselves to visitors and
new covenant partners;
- Include a regular Pastoral Care feature in newsletter;
- Provide counseling support with the concept that no member is ever “alone";
- Provide group discussions and continue forums on specific support topics;
- Small group nurture:
- Form small groups (12-15 people) “get to know you units” for a to allow more intimate and quality relationship building that would rotate every 2-4 months to allow mixing. If our worshipping population is + 110 adults then we already have the potential for 6 or so adult groups;
- Hopefully have three or more get-togethers each year for;
- Fold in new members as family “units” first, eventually we could split up individuals as they are more comfortable with the church;
- Half the circle would stay intact for continuity. Next time the older members split off;
- Children/youth can participate by making cards;
- Make emergency aid available for members, including a mini food pantry, food certificates and small emergency loans or grants;
- Caring for the caregiver:
- Example: A man is sick and dying of ALS. His friends, neighbors, and church community have organized volunteers to help the family throughout the day. Some folks work with him everyday. Others make meals and help when they can. His wife is able to work to continue to support their family (they have 2 small children). A total of 40 volunteers help this family cope and keep the man with ALS involved in the community and close to friends.
Outreach and
Stewardship
We are already falling behind and need more offerings.
We have a desire to continue/provide Faith in Action outreach:
- The
“Champions” structure is working relatively well from
a process standpoint. It encourages
people to enlist the support of the church for the things they feel are
important and keeps the process close to the congregation;
- Explore a sustained effort for one or two causes (in addition
to what we already do):
- Work hand-in-hand with FIA on projects involving community…perhaps a Habitat house would
be a good project.
-Participate
in providing education and jobs for the poor (not necessarily in that
order). The
focus might be initially on areas to the east of us. Perhaps we would partner with the
Franklinton Center and help them build that into an entrepreneurial hotbed of
activity or perhaps partner with the education establishment to create a center
for early and continuing education there.
- We could partner with other churches; especially Iglesia Unida;
- Provide intentional ministry to/with this area’s Hispanic population;
- Work toward peaceful coexisting; move toward African American community in the association (a work project might do here);
- Stay in the North Raleigh area and provide opportunities for ecumenical and Interfaith gatherings. Provide a welcoming place for interfaith concerns, and explore the possibility that NRUC might consider eventually providing office space for the Interfaith Alliance.
- Become a Just Peace Church in the UCC. This might include restructuring our committees to include a Just Peace Committee or asking FIA to have a subcommittee under its umbrella;
- Work for racial equality, advocacy for the poor, gaining access to health care for all, eliminating the death penalty, revoking the Crimes Against Nature law in NC;
- Look for ways to redress systemic inequities, via things
like campaign finance reform, that undermine our democracy and work against
social justice;
- Seek those struggling to succeed in this world and
helping them through education and other types of sustaining support (first)
and through emergency aid when required;
- Let’s be involved in some kind of ‘building’ ministry… for example, Habitat, or a clinic in a developing country.
- Let’s adopt/form a partnership with a sister community in rural Mexico (for example.)
-How about
"adopting" a foster/orphan child or a destitute long-term welfare
family with long term support/scholarships by partnering with Urban Ministries
or someone like that?
-Big Brother/Big
Sister?
-Or maybe we fix up
someone's house in SE Raleigh, or fix up some part of the Franklinton Center.
- Partnership with an existing agency where they provide
the staff/contact point and we provide money and opportunities to help via
contact on the weekends.
- Get involved in some way with the Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network. It offers the chance for mission work right here at home for those who have a hard time taking chunks of time off to travel to far lands,
- Is there a need for a clinic for health and dental concerns of migrants?
We have a desire to be responsible stewards of all that God has given us:
- Provide a cutting edge environmental model that would be a statement of our theology. This could include a facility/complex to provide retreats in a natural setting;
- If we want to combine environmentalism with religion and make that our Social Action Focus, we could partner with some of the groups and colleges in the area (NC State, Sierra Club, City Planners, etc.) and create a space for demonstration projects, learning, perhaps a library of useful info, etc.;
This
might also include ways the congregation could get back and forth to church in
as environmentally friendly ways as possible...perhaps we combine the need for
exercise with this and become a congregation supporting recumbent bicycles and
electric/pedal cars.
- Allow the use of our facilities by diverse groups.
- Provide space for meetings for organizations we want to support, or even be an incubator for non-profits;
- Let’s consider sponsoring a refugee family;
- Build a retreat center and bus folks in who have no access to such a place of spiritual nurture.