Welcome Statement

Pastor's February Message

Looking Ahead: March Visioning Retreat

In early March, our congregation will take an important step
together—one that invites us to pause, reflect, and listen
carefully for where God may be leading us next.

On Friday evening, March 6, and Saturday morning, March 7,
we will gather here at the church for a visioning and strategic
planning retreat. This retreat is being organized by our
Church Council in collaboration with the Partners in Vision
Task Force, and we are grateful to be joined by Rev. Drew
Terry, a strategic planning consultant from the national setting

of the United Church of Christ.
The heart of this retreat is simple but profound: to re-evaluate our
mission and vision, and to shape a strategic plan that grows
directly out of who we believe God is calling us to be.
On Friday evening, Rev. Terry will invite members of the
congregation to respond to a series of thoughtful
questions—questions designed to draw out our shared hopes,
concerns, values, and sense of calling. On Saturday morning,
he will then help us process and organize those responses,
identifying key missional priorities that reflect the collective
voice of the congregation.

This work is also the first step in the UCC’s Partners in Vision
program, a proven, methodical process that helps
congregations align their mission with their physical
resources—our finances, yes, but especially our building.
One thing I want to be very clear about: while the how is still very
much open and will be uncovered through this strategic
planning process, the why is already clear—and the Church
Council and Partners in Vision Task Force are in strong
agreement on this. We are seeking to identify what I’ve been
calling an “entrepreneurial mission.”
By that, we mean something we could offer that:
- meets a real need in our community,
- aligns deeply with our Christian mission and values, and
- generates income that can help sustain the life and ministry
of the church.
Other congregations who have gone through this process have
discerned entrepreneurial missions such as affordable or
transitional housing, thrift stores for gently used items, or
senior home-care services. We do not yet know what—if
anything—would be right for our church. That is precisely
what this process is for. But the shared hope is to find a way to
serve our neighbors while also creating sustainable income that
can support our congregation and its other, non-income-generating

ministries for decades to come.
Because this process depends on listening deeply to the
congregation, your participation truly matters.

The more voices present, the more faithfully this work can reflect
who we are and what we are called to do. I strongly encourage you
to mark your calendar now and plan to attend both the Friday evening session and the Saturday morning session if at all possible.

Finally, I want to name something else that has been weighing on many hearts. On Sunday, January 25, a
number of people stayed after worship to talk and process what has been happening with ICE in Minneapolis,
and more broadly across our country. That conversation mattered.
If you are feeling despair, anger, exhaustion, confusion, or sadness right now, please know that you are not
alone. I, and other members of this church, are available to listen, to sit with you, and to walk with you through
whatever may be weighing on your spirit.
You are loved. There is a place for you here. And that welcome includes your doubts, your frustration, your
grief, and your unanswered questions.
May we continue to be a community that listens deeply—to God, to one another, and to the ache and hope of the
world around us.
With gratitude and hope,
Rev. Dustin Bartlett