Heard It at Council (July 2015)

July 14, 2015

Council met to continue discussion on the Capital Campaign.

Moderator Deb Washington opened the meeting with a Prayer for God’s Still Speaking Voice.

Wayne Davis (Co-chair of the Capital Campaign Committee) and Allison Cooley (Chair of the Priorities Subcommittee) presented the Campaign’s status and asked for Council’s input regarding its vision and potential priorities. Wayne stated that the draft case statement which Council reviewed at the prior meeting is still considered preliminary. The Committee would like to pause and take more feedback from Council and others before further advancing the statement.

Allison Cooley summarized the energy of the process which has included three retreats and many discussions. She highlighted the honor that comes with hearing the people of the church, reflecting on their past contributions, and discerning their passions and vision for the future. This conversation would have been very different a few years ago, before Old South Church took bold steps such as the sale of the beta copy of the Bay Psalm Book. In the same timeframe, the church has made important advances such as the new children’s curriculum, the addition of a fourth service, the completion of the long deferred capital maintenance, and tremendous membership growth. To those leaders who came before us we owe an incredible debt of gratitude. Currently, the case statement is large and difficult to summarize. How can we reduce this to concisely reflect Old South Church’s calling? She reminded Council that although the case statement is advancing, the listening process will last more than one year and extend beyond the retreats.

In terms of the recent discernment, there are a few takeaways. First, Old South’s justice work is evolving rapidly and therefore may not have been adequately assessed. Also, the Vision appears to have evolved since it was written in 2010. It is clear that the church is now on more stable financial footing which opens the door for more purposeful dreaming. However, it is also clear that across the church there is unequal knowledge of where we are and how we evolved. Finally, if the Vision is a broad wish list then it may be difficult to communicate easily.

The Committee created three categories of identity to facilitate refinement of the Vision as follows: 1) a Christian/Historic/Progressive Church; 2) a Community of Believers; and 3) a Cathedral/Teaching Church. With this basis, Alison summarized takeaways and potential priorities. As a progressive church we use our history to inform our credibility as a leadership church. Priorities might include an archivist, improving space, enhancing communication technology, adding programs, and creating history exhibits. As a Community of Believers, we are a BELOVED community that has grown. In the meantime, the church’s infrastructure and space has not kept pace. Possible priorities include a Director of Communications and a Community Life Manager as well as improved meeting spaces and more support for the Membership Committee. As a teaching church, we see ourselves as an inspiration to others. Therefore, innovative worship services and progressive Christian Formation programming are important. Also, outwardly facing missions, social justice activities, and community initiatives have become important to our core values. As with the other identities, better use of space and better communication technology emerge as a critical issues. Finally, advancing the church’s music platform appears highly desired.

Wayne asked, what are the most important ideas and urgencies? Discussion followed. Common concerns noted include taking care of the infrastructure and modernizing space to facilitate membership and programming. In terms of worship and service, a concern is improving communication technology and enhancing the church’s impact with a Director of Communications or similar role. With regard to outreach, more staff appears important to expand our footprint. Council reflected on a list of potential priorities and an informal poll was taken. The most noted items were the Director of Communications, enhanced staffing to expand programming, renovation including the undercroft, supporting social justice initiatives, expanding outreach, widening worship and improving external access to the church’s services. Wayne assured Council that discussions will continue.

A summary of the budget by Rodney Click included tracking toward the expected $100,000 deficit this year which appears true. There is a proposal to increase the part time accounting administrative position to full time which could be partially balanced by rearrangements on Sunday evenings.

Moderator Deb Washington closed the meeting and Senior Minister Rev. Nancy Taylor led the group in prayer.

Lisa Mahnke, Clerk