Reflection on Hearth Retreat
If you recall, in 2024, we received a $10,000 grant to help with our ongoing vision work. Although the grant can only be received once, there was an initiative called Hearth that reKindle recipients could apply for. While not a monetary grant, Hearth still gave congregations the opportunity for continued coaching, education, and reflection. This past spring, we applied for and were accepted into this year's Hearth cohort.
This week's event was a brief retreat for Hearth congregational leaders to gather for workshops, collaboration, and reflection. On the first day, I was asked to introduce myself and our congregation and share about the work that has been done in the past year related to the reKindle grant. It wasn't until I began sharing that I truly saw the scope of all that Central has accomplished in the past 12 months. Here are the details that I shared with the retreat participants.
Vision Team Retreat - Last fall, the Vision Team had a day-long retreat to discuss the practical steps needed to move forward in our vision work. It was determined that it was time to widen the table and to bring others into the conversation. A Leadership Summit was suggested.
Leadership Summit - Members of the Pastor Search Team, Church Council, Leadership Team, Vision Team, and Diaconate were all invited to a Leadership Summit. In addition to evaluating our history, current church climate, and plans for the future, it was decided that a Rightsizing Workgroup would be needed to evaluate our current ministry and governance structure.
Rightsizing Workgroup - The group has been meeting consistently to not only create a new governance and ministry structure, but to also introduce new initiatives and opportunities to help guide us toward better church communication and processes. One specific example is through the replacement of our business meetings with "Central Conversations."
Central Conversations - Our first "Central Conversations" will take place on Wednesday, November 12 at 5:30pm and will be combined with our existing Thanksgiving Potluck. Join around the table as we share what we are thankful for, receive financial and committee reports, and hear stories about the good work that has been done at Central during this past year. We hope that this first "Central Conversations" will be a positive experience and demonstrate how a change in practice and perspective can help us better experience beloved community.
Removal from SBC - In addition to the aforementioned vision work, our Pastor Search Committee (PSC) brought a motion to formally remove ourselves from affiliating with the Southern Baptist Convention. This motion passed without any dissent which allowed the PSC to create an accurate and attractive church profile to advertise to potential pastoral candidates.
Land Sale - At the following business meeting, the Trustees brought a motion to sell several acres of land on the back side of the church property to Pace Academy. This also passed and helped steer Central towards a more sustainable financial position for the future.
Beloved Community Bible Study - In August, the Vision Team planned a six-week, church-wide Beloved Community Bible Study. We just finished the study last week with great attendance and positive feedback. The Bible study also acted as the beginning of our rebranding launch.
Rebrand Launch - Central's new logo was revealed at the last Beloved Community Bible Study. The design process and the logo's significance to our church's vision were also discussed. Check in next week's email newsletter for the specific details of the launch and come to worship on Sunday, October 26 to see the new branding in action!
After sharing this information, the retreat leaders shared how impressed they were with our congregation's progress towards our vision goals, especially considering we are in an interim season. As I reflected, I grew proud of all the work we have done in the past year. It took a lot of work, and it wasn't always easy, but I hope we can look back and feel encouraged by the ways we have moved at Spirit's nudging and embraced new perspectives and practices for how we may live into our shared calling.
I believe there are good days ahead for Central, and I look forward to seeing how we can work together in this next year to continue embracing our shared calling towards embracing God's profound love for all of creation, demonstrating the life of Jesus, and depending on the Spirit to fuel change in us and the world!