Dear Salem FCC Friends in Christ,

Last Saturday 3 members of our newly formed Church Vitality Team: Heather Milliken, Kaddy, Ackroyd, Bridget Detollenaere, and I attended a workshop sponsored by the New Hampshire Conference. It was entitled, What Makes for a Vital Church and was led by former UCC church pastor and Massachusetts Conference Minister, Rev. Paul Nickerson. We all thought it was a worthwhile learning experience that offered us hope for the church’s future.

Soon, you’ll learn more about what we learned concerning five arenas of ministry for developing our church’s vitality: Visioning & Discernment, Connecting with New People, Funding our Future, Developing Disciples, & Retooling our Governance. After we discern our focus, we’ll develop a plan with the help of Paul who will serve as our coach for the coming six months. As soon as we have it,
we’ll share our plan with you.

The time ahead will engage all of us in important work as we prepare for the arrival of a new Designated Term pastor. For now, I simply want you to be aware of this team’s work so you may pray for us. And, I want to invite you to prepare for your own coming participation in this church vitality work by asking you to ponder this question: What is God calling us here to do next?

As you await to learn of our plan, please hold on to your responses to this question or let one of us know of them anytime.

Blessings of Promptings by the Holy Spirit,
Pastor Ed