Greetings to all from the Parish Committee! This year, one of the goals of the Parish Committee has been to be more transparent and visible to the congregation at large – through providing monthly Weekly News updates on decisions being made during our monthly meetings and providing regular longer Weekly News articles on an issue of interest, written from the perspective of a different Parish Committee member each month. In this spirit, we will be having an informal Open House on Sunday Feb. 9 at the back of the social hall during the Second Social Hour. Please come over, ask us questions, introduce yourself if we don’t know you, and let us know what you hope for in the coming months at FPW.
Another goal for our committee has been to get to know each other as a group, outside of our monthly business meetings, and work to integrate our policy and decision-making roles in the context of our overarching spiritual identities as members of this congregation. We held a retreat in the fall where we generated the ideas that became our covenant, and all went out for lunch to socialize following the retreat. We identified a summer reading book (Transforming Conflict – The Blessings of Congregational Turmoil) and had a lively potluck and book group discussion (who knew we could laugh so much about emotional dysregulation!). We hope that the Open House will provide more opportunities for us to connect as a group with all of you, as we continue to support this church as a governing body. Thank you all for the opportunity to serve you, and we look forward to speaking with many of you on Feb. 9.
Norah Mulvaney-Day, Chair of Parish Committee, with John P, Missy S, Martha P, Kelly M and Sue 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.