First Church in Wenham
Vision for the Journey Ahead
Introduction: who we are, what we’ve learned, where we’re heading
First Church is a community united by our faith in God; as an Open & Affirming Church we welcome ALL people. We are seekers and stalwarts, knitters and activists, pray-ers and meditators. We are musicians and artists, elders and teens, families and single people. We have a wide range of personal beliefs, but we come together to follow Jesus’ great commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul and to love our neighbors. We gather to celebrate the living God and welcome people at any point of their faith journey. We cherish our children and youth, we value the wisdom and heritage of our elder members, and we offer many opportunities to connect with our church family.
In 2016 the FCW community began a process we called Vision for the Journey Ahead. First, we held a series of small group gatherings to develop a list of aspirations for our church. Based on that input, the Rev. Paul Nickerson led a congregational meeting with over 65 members and friends to hone the ideas that had been raised. Finally, the congregation participated in a survey created by Steve Gang of Resonance Insights “with unprecedented positivity and passion” in describing their experience at our church. This document is intended to synthesize our vision for our ongoing journey.
As a congregational church, we believe that, by listening to the mix of human voices in a prayerful way, we may discern God’s voice. In this visioning process, we found that we highly value our community as it is, even as we strive to continue to grow into the congregation God is calling us to be. Many churches have buildings and most churches have pastors. But not all are alive! We are ready to go deeper.
First Church Vision is CONNECTION:
We dream of enriching what we have by deepening our faith through our connection with God, by strengthening our community through our connection with each other, and by expanding our outreach through our connection with the world. Through these connections, an inward transformation is unleashed with the power to change how we live.
FAITH
Our connection with God
As a church, our purpose for being is as a faith community. We come to FCW seeking God and seeking to better follow the model Jesus set in our lives. We gather weekly in worship and throughout the week to foster our individual and collective faith journeys. In order to continue to grow, we will support one another in developing faith practices that feed our souls and challenge us to learn, explore, and grow more. We will meet each person where they are in their faith journey and welcome their efforts to expand, grow, and learn more.
COMMUNITY
Our connections with one another
Human connections are an integral part of life in community. At FCW, we know that the connections between individuals, rooted in faith, are the lifeblood of our congregation. To this end, we emphasize our wide-open welcome. In worship, in many small group meetings through each week, and in shared outreach, we continue to find opportunities for friendship and fellowship. Our community facilitates cooperation and fellowship between boards and other groups and works to foster healthy communication when differences arise. However, we are still growing into being the church family we envision. We seek to show up for one another, to support one another in times of anxiety, crisis, and joy, and to know one another well enough to do so. We know that God is calling us to find ways to deepen our relationships and bring in those new to the community.
OUTREACH
Our connection with the world
Jesus modeled a ministry that grows to include those who might not be welcome elsewhere. This community is dedicated to justice, even as we sit in a place with much privilege. To this end, we dedicate time, resources and attention to mission projects nearby and distant. We seek to do God’s work in our broader local community through concrete mission opportunities that call for many different gifts and levels of commitment. We use our community space to welcome neighbors for functions that are important to them. Attention to serving the needs we see beyond our walls has been an important part of our communal mission, and we know we have space to grow into this work more deeply. Therefore, we challenge ourselves to seek new opportunities to connect with others in need. We will explore types of service that would bring different generations and subgroups within the church together. We continue always to look for the spaces that have been blind spots--the needs nearby that we simply haven’t seen yet--as Jesus did throughout his time on Earth.
ADDENDUM
What follows are ideas and questions gleaned from congregational input on
practices and projects that would develop the vision in each of the three areas of
Faith, Community, and Outreach.
FAITH
Committed to spiritual growth for all ages, what are some of the ways we can expand, grow and learn more as we foster our faith journeys?
Faith Formation on Sunday mornings in community: How might we open ourselves to God’s Loving Presence and learn to practice the teachings of Jesus?
a) Age-appropriate programming for children and youth on Sunday morning
b) Confirmation for youth that connects Christian teachings with today’s world
c) Family Spiritual Resources for at-home practices with children
d) Adult Small Groups that offer a variety of experiences including
i. Creative Encounters with the Bible
ii. Current books related to faith and culture
iii. Prayer, Meditation, and Contemplative Practices
iv. Explore the question of being and meaning
Seeking God beyond the church walls: Where are the places, and what are the practices we use, to deepen our spirituality as individuals and collectively?
a) Off-site Retreats
b) Mission work through service
c) End of life planning
d) Addressing volunteering - match opportunities to time commitments
e) Finding God in the natural world
Personal spiritual practices: How might we support one another in maintaining regular spiritual practices?
a) Practicing different Prayer forms
b) Being intentional about balancing mind-body-spirit
c) Meaning-making by discovering the gifts of the Spirit
d) Discerning personal ministry
e) Meditation
f) Yoga and other spiritual disciplines for the body
COMMUNITY
Committed to strengthening our community one relationship at a time, how might we develop opportunities for people to come together and get to know each other in meaningful and authentic experiences?
Wide-Open Welcome at Sunday morning worship service: Is there more to do beyond the pastors sharing the wide-open welcome?
a) Greeters: how might hospitality be shared beyond the named greeter?
b) Follow-up: how do we stay in touch with newcomers in the following days?
Beyond Sunday morning worship: What are the ways we can foster authentic and faith-rooted friendships beyond Sunday morning worship?
a) Hospitality Team - to develop, inspire, and plan special events programs
b) Small Groups - a wide variety of groups seeking to offer places to explore faith and spirituality, while also developing relationships and community
c) Special Events - offering an opportunity to mingle with others in a shared experience of music, fun, creation, food, etc.
d) Affinity Groups - bringing together people sharing similar life experiences (e.g., parents, knitting, yoga, and lots more)
e) Intergenerational - intentionally focus on the gift of the church community that brings the generations together
f) Retreats - opportunities to get to know each other in a place of rest and renewal
Spiritual Connections: How might we develop spiritual connections within the faith community?
a) Spiritual Friend or Companion
b) Mentoring
Communication: How will we maintain and improve communication among our members?
a) Practice healthy dialogue on a regular basis
b) Create Communication Team
c) Photos from Events
d) Social Media
e) Welcome Center area in church space that tells who we are and showcases what’s happening
f) Church Buddies who keep in touch with people and connect them with the community and things happening
OUTREACH
Committed to faith and justice, and to spreading the Love and Compassion of God, how might we expand our reach beyond the walls of our church and get our feet on the ground in mission work?
Discerning Mission and Service: How will we create a prayerful decision process to guide our decisions on where we put our time, talent and treasure?
a) Mission Board, Faith and Justice Committee, and Special Grants
i. Review and adapt mandates as needed
b) Communication and Coordination among church groups
Mission Service: What are the different ways to get people involved in mission service?
a) Create Youth Learning and Serving Team
b) Recruit members of the faith community to participate
c) Intergenerational Projects
d) Family-friendly Opportunities
Local Community: How can we expand our reach in the local community?
a) Opening the church building to a wide variety of local groups (e.g., Acord, Wellspring, Family Promise, 12-step, grief support, veterans, League of Women Voters, others?)
b) Reaching out and serving the needs of the community
c) Join with other faith communities in mission service projects
New Opportunities: Where are the needs in our own community and beyond that we might miss at first glance?
a) Racism and Xenophobia
b) Mental and Emotional Health
c) Loss of hope, meaning, and purpose
d) Climate Change and Environmental Justice
e) Economic Instability
Faith and Justice: In what ways can we focus our justice work to make a difference?
a) Support Social Justice Issues
b) Panel Discussions with ideas of how to get involved
c) Marches to raise awareness and work for change
d) Raising our voices for those who are not heard
e) Develop a sense of compassion and justice within our community of faith and inspire a desire to serve others