As I reflect on the first half of this church year, and my second year as Parish Committee (PC) Chair, I am truly amazed at all the growth and activity at FPW overall, and in the PC ministry! PC started the year with a retreat in September, where we read Dan Hotchkiss’s excellent book Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership. We reflected on Hotchkiss’s stance that “a congregation’s mission is its unique answer to the question ‘whose lives do we intend to change and in what way?’” and that the board is accountable for achieving this mission. We discussed how approaching our ministry through this lens might shift our understanding of how we operate, and by extension how our FPW ministries work together and with us.
This provided a strong foundation for our activities this fall, where we focused on facilitating communication and connection among FPW’s ministries to identify ways to be more transparent and effective in achieving our mission. We identified areas where we could help support these vibrant FPW ministries by documenting the policies and procedures that guide them. For example, we launched a PC/finance committee team to document our financial policies at FPW and are developing guidelines with our social justice ministries to meet the extraordinary need to respond to widespread injustice in our communities. We have also formed a PC subgroup to examine the FPW Bylaws (which are a tad outdated!) and propose updates.
We held a stimulating All-Chairs meeting in Nov., that generated multiple ideas to guide our focus for the coming fiscal year. We are planning a larger Leadership Summit in January’s All-Chairs meeting that will bring all committees and teams together (at current count we have at least 24!) to brainstorm new ways to organize our activities. All of this is happening amid the regular business of the church – too many wonderful initiatives to name within this word count for sure! I know I speak for everyone on the Parish Committee in saying that we are honored to serve this congregation, and partner with all of you on this spiritual journey.
With thanks, Norah (Chair) for the Parish Committee – John P (Vice-Chair), Sue S, Justin G, Virginia R, Martha P, and Missy S
Parish Committee
The church is governed by the Parish Committee, made up of seven members elected by the congregation at the Annual Meeting for a term of three years. The Parish Committee sets policy, hires staff, and manages the overall direction and business of the church.