Welcome to St. Michael's Episcopal Church

Last week, I attended Diocesan Convention, accompanied by our delegates, Barbara Gardner and Linda Giarla. We met together with about 700 other Episcopalians at Trinity Church, Copley Square, for two days of worship, discussion and reports about the life of the church. If you were at St. Michael’s this past Sunday, you heard from Barbara and Linda about their impressions of Convention. Like them, I found it invigorating and was excited to hear how much is happening in our diocese and especially about the active ministry of youth and young adults.

I was also glad to hear a report on implementation of our diocese’s mission strategy goals. These ten-year goals were adopted in 2003 and center on creating vital and viable congregations, support urban, ethnic and multicultural ministries and nurturing ministry for children, youth and young adults. The goals have guided the work of the diocese and there has been significant progress in meeting these aims.

Goal setting is a critical part of leading a community of faith. During the past few months, the Vestry and I have been working on a strategic plan to guide the next five years of ministry at St. Michael’s. Carl Twomey has played a major role in this, especially in carrying out a survey earlier this year that sought parishioners’ views on all aspects of life at St. Michael’s.

We now have a draft strategic plan, based on our mission statement. The plan has six aims:

To be a church that welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds to join together in vibrant worship.

To invite others to explore and grow in faith with us.

To pray, work and give for the spread of God’s reconciling love.

To foster fellowship in our parish and to care for one another.

To provide Christian education to people of all ages

To bring the light of Christ to others in our local community and around the world.

The plan lists specific objectives and measurable actions within set times for each of these aims. We will be refining the draft plan before presenting it at the Annual Meeting on January 31, 2010. If you would like to see the draft and make comments before then, please get in touch with me or Carl Twomey, our Junior Warden. We want the views of all our parishioners. As I said on Celebration Sunday, we are eager to make St. Michael’s a church where we all say, “Wow!” and give thanks to God for the Christian community we experience here.

Christine Whittaker

Christine Whittaker writes a regular column published bi-weekly in the Holliston Tab and Hopkinton Crier.