What’s Next

*This post concludes a series of reflections based on the Leadership Board and Town Hall conversations that have taken place the last few months. The specific feedback received is in part 1, some initial reflections on points of agreement and future work are in part 2, and a reflection on what it means to love with the heart of Christ is in part 3. 

One of the strongest criticisms of our current mission statement is that it doesn’t mean anything all that specific. It is noteworthy that, throughout all of the conversations I’ve had regarding our mission, no one has pointed to the core values or beliefs laid out on our website page entitled “Our Story.” If our mission is specific and clear enough to drive our decisions, at the very least we ought to feel obligated to remember and refer often to the values and beliefs derived from our mission. If we’re fully driven by our mission, some evidence of our mission and values ought to be present at every level - from our budget to our ministry teams to our staff to our events and beyond.

The problem with our current statement is not the statement itself; the problem is that there is no obvious connection between our mission and any practical, strategic, administrative, or programmatic decisions. In other words, we need to be able to say “loving the city with the heart of Christ” means something tangible and definable. And given that definition, we need to be able to evaluate whether our budget and programs help us create people who love with the heart of Christ. And given that evaluation, we can then make changes, seek new members or partners, and do what is necessary to more faithfully follow where God is leading us next. 

Having shared the series of feedback and reflections linked above with the Leadership Board and given our need to clarify our mission by connecting it to tangible programs and decisions, the list of next steps below was discussed by the Board at its 3/18/24 meeting.

Already Done

Streamlined Leadership - after our Leadership Task Force completed its work in the Fall of ‘23, a church conference meeting was held to streamline our administrative leadership. The two main purposes of this move were 1) to free up more of our people’s time and energy to focus on the hands on work of ministry and 2) to facilitate better and more strategic administrative decisions.

Conditionally reaffirmed our current mission statement - there has been significant support for and very little pushback against our current mission statement, which suggests that there is no need to go back to square one. In our 3/18/24 meeting, the Board voted to reaffirm that our starting point for further discussion and decisions will remain “Loving the city with the heart of Christ.” This decision is ‘conditional’ because the congregation will be invited to affirm that decision through a congregational vote sometime around the end of 2025. Between now and then, our focus will be clarifying the meaning and implications of our mission statement, so that we know what it would mean to live into that mission going forward.

.  By Labor Day 

Have Administrative Teams 1.0 up and running - these teams are, in a sense, an extension of the work of the Board. They are meant to ensure practical, concrete tasks get done so that the foundation is laid for the programs and ministries we desire to focus on. Each team needs to have at least 2 or 3 official team members and can recruit and add any/all other church members on a short or long term basis (Board approval required only for tasks involving confidential information). The first two are technically started, but we need to establish more clear rhythms and expectations for how the work takes place.

1. Finance Team (ongoing)

1. Support the church staff by assisting with any finance related tasks and by cross training enough to fill in for staff vacations/illness

2. Support the Board by offering analyses of our standard budget reports, potential investment opportunities, and other account options. 

3. Develop a better understanding of and reporting on our endowment investments and restrictions 

2. Building and Grounds Team (ongoing)

1. Take care of minor maintenance issues around the church (under $500)

2. Develop a regular maintenance plan and oversee implementation for maintenance items that need to be done on a regular basis (ie, cleaning the roof, overseeing the quarterly HVAC work Carrier began this year, etc).

3. Run down bids and make recommendations to the Board for larger maintenance and repair projects (ie, new ac units, sprinkler fixes, etc).  

3. Building Use Team (short term - until completion)

1. Develop a fair market value business plan to understand how our building might fare as a rental property on the open market. (to be clear, we’d never put the whole building on the market, but we need these kinds of info to make better choices about the kinds of things we will consider doing)

2. Research actual cost of use data on our facility. (ie, cost to run an AC unit for an hour, how much extra gas is used when we cook for an hour, what is the cost to run lights and sounds in the sanctuary, what about other rooms etc). 

3. Offer initial suggestions for how to strategically utilize more of our space in the short and long range future (perhaps, are there better ways to organize which rooms are used for sunday school? do any storage rooms need to be relocated? which rooms are better candidates for outside renters? etc).

By January 1st, 2025

Name and develop 3 Core Ministry Teams - In order to grow the kind of disciples who love with the heart of Christ, these three core teams will be modeled after a Wesleyan understanding of the threefold grace of God. The Team names below are place holders that may or may not change as we get more clear about our mission and values over the next couple of years. 

1. Hospitality Team - God’s prevenient grace names God’s radical desire to welcome us into the family before we even know God exists. This is the team responsible for teaching us how to show God’s love to outsiders in a way that says ‘you are welcome here.’ 

2. Connections Team - God’s justifying grace names God’s transformative work to set all things right in a way that creates and strengthens relationships. This team is responsible for helping every person find the connections that make them feel accepted as part of this community. 

3. Generosity Team - God’s sanctifying grace names God’s ongoing work to make the world a more Christ like place. This team is responsible for developing opportunities to share from the abundance we’ve received in a way that reminds us we are enough to change the world. 

Ongoing Work

Values for the transition - These values may or may not be renewed for the long run, but they reflect key themes from how we talk about what we’re trying to accomplish as a church. Giving voice to unspoken values will help us navigate this season of transition until we gain long term clarity. Underneath each value are a couple of further points illustrating what might be entailed by embracing each value. 

1. Relationships are the anchor, goal, and model of what we do 

1. As simple as it may sound to say it, centering Christ like love and relationship as the single most defining characteristic of all that we do is revolutionary

2. Our UMC connection is vitally important, even if we don’t talk about it all that much. We can do more as part of a larger whole. 

3. Partnerships remind us that we can do more locally and for the sake of this city if we join together in the work others are already doing

2. Growth in individual faithfulness and communal impact

1. There is nothing wrong with being a church of any particular size, but it has been expressed over and over that we wish to grow in numbers and impact. 

2. Focus on impact over institution - we need to develop sustainable financial and business models and we need to care for our members. Both are necessary, but the point of stable resources and strong members is to build God’s kingdom here and now.

3. There is no one size fits all way to define what growth in discipleship looks like, but to be a community that grows together and has a common sense of purpose requires us to provide a framework for what we mean by growth.

3. Start with the gifts we have

1. We can’t look for a cookie cutter solution, but we will build around the people and realities of our present for the sake of our future

2. Our location significantly affects the populations we reach and therefore the ministries we prioritize. We can either embrace or fight against being a “downtown” church here in Beaumont TX. Our mission statement encourages embrace. 

3. Our congregation should, over time, reflect the city in which we are located; in all its diversity and strengths. 

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The work listed above is intended to help us clarify and put into practice our mission “to love the city with the heart of Christ.” Throughout the summer (and perhaps the Fall as well), we will gear our worship services toward exploring what it means to love “with the heart of Christ.” Our overall goal, again, is to have a clear enough portrait of what our mission means by the end of 2025 that we can invite all church members to vote in affirmation of the direction we are starting to move. If you have any further feedback about any of these matters, please feel free to contact me or a Board member to discuss. As we clarify our mission and strategies, it is FAR more important that you, the church, gain a shared sense of purpose and direction than it is for me (as an itinerant UMC pastor) to dictate what you need to do. If I am missing or misreading something, please say so!

With the Heart of Christ…

In order to move forward with a shared sense of purpose, our church’s primary goal and challenge for the season ahead will be to clarify what it means to love the city with the heart of Christ. Those final words - with the heart of Christ - are especially compelling to me. This Lent, we are exploring the Old Testament stories in which God does an incredible amount for God’s people - manna to fill their bellies, water to quench their thirst, the law to shape their life. I’ve argued that, in Christ, we find the fulfillment and perfection of all that God had already been doing for God’s people.

What is most striking to me about Jesus is the clear witness that doing for is not our goal. The story of Jesus is the story of Immanuel - God-with-us. Philippians 2:6-8 reminds us that Jesus Christ “did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself,  taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” (NRSV) 

What God does for God’s people makes an impact and matters greatly. But even Jesus Christ did not exploit his power and authority as God, as though it was enough to send down blessings from high in heaven above. Instead, Jesus humbled himself to be with us. And by doing so, Jesus clearly shows us that to love with the heart of Christ requires us to overcome our unspoken assumptions. Doing for others so often implies that ‘we’ have something that ‘they’ need. And ‘we’ who have what ‘they’ need have all the power and authority to decide whether to give or teach anything to anybody.

That assumption is what leads us to act as though what we do for our under-resourced neighbors is the all important question. When we are seeking to love with the heart of Christ, the more important question is how do we tear down the wall that presumes ‘we’ have all the answers and resources that ‘they’ simply need to receive? In other words, how do we choose when and whether to act in a way that creates the space for us to love one another in the way that Jesus Christ first loved us - to love with humility; to love as equals; to journey with each other in the family of God? 

I don’t have simple or easy answers to these questions - there are no cookie cutter answers or programs that would work for all people in all times and places. But one brief example of how we are starting to try - some of our unhoused friends for whom we have provided food at Kairos are now working with us to provide food for our Lenten recital series. Sometimes, God turns our world upside down and does something radically different - most of the time it only takes a subtle shift in how we look at and value one another to create the space for the heart of Christ to flourish. 

What we will do going forward is unlikely to change all that substantially from the kinds of things we’ve done in the past. No matter what, worship will anchor our weekly rhythms, we’ll still be blessed by the musical gifts of the choir, small groups and Sunday school classes will be offered, and we’ll still eat well at Kairos, oyster suppers, after church lunches, etc. The main goal of clarity in our purpose is to start shifting how we structure, plan, and coordinate events. Over time, my hope is that what it means for us to love the city with the heart of Christ would be so clear that any further changes to how or what we do will be obvious to anyone paying attention. 

The Leadership Board will continue the work of clarifying what it means to love with the heart of Christ. We will determine next steps at our upcoming meeting (3/18 at 6pm in the Library) and continue to seek further opportunities to invite everyone into the conversation. You’re invited to come listen to what the Board has to say next week and to continue to share your thoughts, questions, and concerns with us at any time. 

*This post continues a series of reflections based on the Leadership Board and Town Hall conversations that have taken place the last few months. The specific feedback received is in part 1 and some initial reflections on points of agreement and future work is in part 2.  

Leadership Board and Town Hall Reflections - Part 2

Part 2 of these reflections is my attempt to bring together and make some sense out of the specific feedback we've received in part 1, as well as the variety of conversations and other pieces of feedback that I’ve received in my time here in Beaumont. 

Areas of Greatest Clarity and Agreement

1. We are following Jesus Christ. The heart and soul of everything we do and how we do so must be grounded in, reflective of, and/or in witness to our relationship(s) with Jesus. 

2. Relationships are deeply important and all that we do must be born out of our relationships for the sake of growing in relationships - embracing the love God has for us and growing in that kind of love for God, one another, and our neighbors. 

3. We desire to grow - personally and numerically. We spent Nov and Dec acknowledging that change is hard and usually painful, but the change that comes through growth is a challenge we very much desire to work through. It will take patience and humility to open ourselves up to the new relationships that we will make along the way. 

4. We cannot do everything - but we have the resources and facilities to multiply what happens through us if we are willing to think outside the box and imagine new partnerships or relationships through which we can share the workload. 

5. While there is no limit to where God might send us, our location matters. Beaumont is one of the smallest feeling cities I’ve experienced given all the networks and relationships embedded deep within everything. We’ll need to acknowledge and honor our city and our location within that city in the things we prioritize.

Areas That Will Require Deeper Discussion

Each of the received comments below points to a growth area we need to acknowledge, work on, and find ways to discuss over time. There is not one “right” and “wrong” way to incorporate this feedback, but defining and clarifying our mission is necessary if we are to develop a clear and consistent response as a congregation. 

1) Comment received: “we should focus more on members than the city”

a) I have never been to the church that didn’t have this thought expressed in some way. There will always be members who struggle, some who are homebound, some who are not visited or called often enough, some whose illnesses or traumas are missed, etc. It is extremely difficult to grow larger than a church of 100 or so in worship and keep track of everyone (much less check in sufficiently). We will need to give ourselves some sort of working definition of what it means to care for each other enough so that we can build systems or programs geared toward ensuring we meet that standard. 

There is a dramatic difference between “we should make weekly in person visits” vs “we should make annual phone calls” vs “we need to have ‘sit down’ jobs so more can participate in ministries” vs “we need more events geared toward this or that demographic.” All of these things and many more are ways to do things for and with our members - but if we don’t know the kind of problem we’re trying to address, we can run ourselves ragged without making any progress in addressing the actual need. Perhaps most importantly, we need the people with ideas and a willingness to work who will help us begin to get our heads around what’s really being expressed and creating opportunities to respond.     

b) This comment also hints at a vitally important, but rarely addressed question - “what is church membership?” We have some basic commitments built into our membership vows - “I will support the church by my prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness” - but we don’t all share the same conception of the kind of membership entailed in joining a church. Should church membership be more like a club membership - where you get a discount card and behind the scenes access, and in return stay more committed to one church than elsewhere - or more like membership in a handbell choir - where each person is committed to playing their unique notes but supporting each other and learning together is the only way to produce beautiful music - or more like membership at an amusement park - where you need your ticket to get in and ensure your ability to take part in all the experiences the park has to offer? 

I have no doubt that there are a lot of other analogies that may hint at certain assumptions people have about what it means to be a part of a church. There, again, isn’t one perfect, correct answer for all times and places, but how we structure membership in our church will speak volumes about our values and priorities to anyone who takes part in things we do. I think about this often when I am asked to do funerals - it is often vitally important to the family that I know the person was a church member. I feel like the assumption is that I wouldn't care enough to do the funeral if they weren't an official member. From my perspective, if you care enough about the church where I'm a pastor, then your official membership status has nothing to do with whether or not I would officiate the service. Knowing and stating what membership truly means to us is vitally important for developing a healthy church culture, especially if we hope to grow our church.

2) A few similar comments received: “are we a place of worship or a mission facility?” - “we must decide if we’re going to be a church or a mission. If a church, we support missions, but not be the mission outreach facility”

a) It is important to acknowledge that words we all use frequently (here at least “church,” “worship,” and “mission”) very often become jargony insider language with very broad definitions. We would undoubtedly have some sense of what we mean when we use the terms, but without clear and specific expectations of how we are each using the words, there is no good way to quickly and easily reply to such concerns. Consider, for instance, the difference between a set of Christian music played in a coffee shop one afternoon versus a Sunday morning service that is even more structured and high liturgical than our own - we might agree that they can be both adequately described as worship, but what they have in common might be entirely missed by a person who accidentally walked in on each without any prior knowledge of what was happening. To know the limits, function, purpose, or effect of ‘worship’ would require a better understanding of our overall mission and the specific role worship plays within it.

b) We will have to wrestle, in the not too distant future, with the reality that our location constrains the kind of ministry that makes sense for our long term health and vitality. Almost any artist would tell you that the constraints of a medium are often an indispensable resource in constructing a finished piece of art. In other words, what someone might find compelling about a downtown church will not be exactly the same as a church outside the city or in a family neighborhood. We can pretend the constraint isn't there and still accomplish some great things; or we can lean into it as a way to shape our preferred future. 

To be sure, before we know the kind of picture we're trying to draw, it's impossible to know how to account for any constraints; which is why it will take some time to figure out how and how much to highlight the more missional aspects of our church life. If our goals and priorities are clear and compelling enough, these will provide significant guidance for how to make the more practical and concrete decisions (like whether and how much to blend more worshipful and missional activities). Until that time, please continue to offer concerns and feedback to our leadership so that we can address any urgent or simple matters now.

3) comment: “Content [of the town hall] not what expected; to hear about Board decisions” 

a) The structure and priorities of a town hall are very much a work in progress. If there are specific things that would have been very helpful to hear from the board, please let us know. I tend to operate from the assumption that the nuts and bolts of decisions are better left in written reports, unless we are specifically asked about a decision or consideration being made. All board documents can be found at fumcbeaumont.org/board - this includes meeting packets, minutes, and any other publicly available records; and all meetings are open unless we discuss staff or legal negotiations. Some open Q and A time will always be provided, but the top priority, when possible and until the board decides otherwise, will be to invite conversation and discussion on relevant topics.

4) comment: Never seen the “official” mission statement - didn’t think “love the city” is our official statement

a) Prior to the town hall, I had never actually heard the official story of how “Love the city with the heart of Christ” came to be listed on the website as the mission statement of FUMC Beaumont. Everyone seemed to look upon the statement fondly, but no one seemed to know its exact origins. One interesting nugget I discovered when looking back a bit - the Spire newsletter had the tagline “where friends become family” through October 21st, 2012. The next Spire edition is from November 4th, 2012. By then, the tagline was altered to “...in the heart of the city to love the city with the heart of Christ.” I decided to call Rev. Karen Dorris since that was during her tenure as pastor. 

She shared with me that there was an ongoing conversation when she arrived regarding what the church would focus on and who God was calling us to be. There was a church council meeting in which the current statement was proposed and affirmed. This statement felt at the time like the best way to capture the spirit of what the church was about and how God was calling us to move forward. When Associate Pastor Silverio Sanchez arrived, that missional tagline was the inspiration for a social media hashtag (#lovebeaumont) and for starting to use lovebeaumont.com as an alternative web address (the URL still works by simply redirecting to our main website). 

None of this history dictates exactly what we must do in our current moment, but it is helpful to get a sense of how we arrived where we are now. If you know more of the story (especially if you were on church council at the time) I'd love to hear it! 

Leadership Board and Town Hall Reflections - Part 1

Our Leadership Board held its first ever town hall meeting at 9:45am on Sunday February 25th. The primary purpose of the meeting was to invite the congregation into the conversation that the Board has been having in its first two meetings. That conversation has been centered around two key questions - “What is a disciple?” and “is our current mission statement adequate to guide us toward making that kind of people?” I asked those at the town hall to reflect together upon the first question and then shifted the second away from a yes/no question in order to facilitate better conversation by asking “What does it mean to love with the heart of Christ?”

The goal in having this conversation is to determine the extent to which we already have a shared and clear understanding of why our church exists. Only by defining “our why” (in other words, what we are trying to accomplish here and now?) can we make strategic and effective choices about policies, budgets, staff, etc that will help us accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, it’s very hard to know if we are successful - this conversation will pay dividends as we begin to more explicitly name and move toward church wide goals. 

As this conversation moves forward, we will continue to move quickly in developing ministries, events, programs, and other opportunities to share the love of Christ with each other and our neighbors. You can always go to fumcbeaumont.org/board to find more information about the Board’s role in those decisions and plans. Over the next two years, it will be absolutely vital to ensure that the decisions and investments we make begin to align with our shared sense of purpose. The feedback below will summarize what we heard at the town hall and within the board, with links to all the unedited answers. Parts 2 and 3 will follow in the next week or two with my reflections on what has been said and where we go from here.

Feedback Data and Highlights

A full set of notes on all the feedback received can be found here and as part of the Pastor’s report and two addenda here. Highlights from that raw data are below.

Straw Poll Responses:

_20_ I love our mission statement and believe we should move quickly to align all we do around it.

_10_ I like it but I’m not sure it’s sufficient or specific enough to guide our goals and decisions.

_1__ I’ve never been completely comfortable with it and think we need to get back to square one.

_2__ Other: “vision” rather than “mission” … not the meeting we expected

Highlights From the Feedback 

Be welcoming and hospitable! 

Remain here, love neighbors, AND go beyond

Be followers of Jesus Christ; 

Live and love like Jesus 

Develop a relationship with God

know AND do

Joy in all things

Be a listener

Submit to discipline

Tell our story

Unconditional acceptance of others

Condemn injustice

Help, not enable

Love as Christ loves

Listen, listen, listen

Unconditionally loving everyone

Forming relationship with those helped

NEED to feel loved and valued

Present where we are located

Open-welcoming

Remain here, support this community

Value every person

cooperative 

Act “Christ-like” in everything

Support the city of Beaumont

Serving and witnessing

Invite friends and neighbors to join us

For part 2, click here.

Leadership Board Updates - 2/19/24 Meeting

Our Leadership Board held its second ever meeting on Monday, February 19th. The primary focal point of the meeting was continuing the conversation on how to reaffirm (or reimagine) our mission statement. Clarifying our mission is vital so that we can begin to align all that we do around a shared sense of purpose and direction. On some level, our mission is already clear and dictated by our membership in the United Methodist denomination - we are called “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” While all United Methodist churches participate in this shared work, discipleship can take on many different forms depending on the context. Our challenge as a local congregation, then, is to translate “making disciples” in a way that clearly speaks to our time and location. 

In light of that challenge, I asked the board to reflect on two questions leading up to this week’s meeting - “what is a disciple?” And “is our current mission statement adequate to guide us toward making that kind of people?” We had a fruitful discussion and some of our notes can be found in the meeting packet at fumcbeaumont.org/board. It is crucial to invite you into the conversation as well, which is why we will focus on these two questions at the Leadership Board Town Hall on Feb 25th. 

The direction in which our church moves over time and how quickly we can move forward will be dictated by how similarly our church members think about the answers to these two questions. I encourage you to attend the Town Hall this Sunday, Feb 25th at 9:45am in Rothwell Hall. If you cannot make it to the meeting, I’d be grateful to hear your feedback. You can email or call me, or find time to talk with another Board member. 

In addition to moving forward in this vitally important conversation, the Board accomplished a great deal of practical, concrete work as well. A few highlights that I’d like to share:

1. I’m excited to announce that the Board unanimously approved a proposal to bring Erika Clabough on full time. The two main reasons for the move are to help us develop more externally focused communication strategies and to help us through the next two years as we develop a clear vision and plan for our long term future.

2. The Board committed to reading through a book called Canoeing the Mountains over the rest of the year. The book speaks to the challenges of leading into uncharted territory and offers guidance for how a church can more effectively adapt and grow. 

3. Judy Brunton was approved to do some work on the gardens around the church grounds. She is developing a small group around gardening and spirituality - Board approval was only necessary since the group will do work that alters the church grounds. If you like to garden, I recommend checking in with her as the plans are finalized and the group begins meeting. 

4. We are exploring a potential partnership with Spoonful of Love. This is a non profit that provides after school meals for kids as a means of sharing the love of God. They are based in Houston, but looking to establish a presence in Jefferson County. We’ll be sure to update you if an agreement is reached to host this great organization. 

As always, you can go to fumcbeaumont.org/board - there you will find all meeting packets, agendas, minutes, budget reports, etc. Please reach out to me or another Board member anytime with your questions, concerns, and comments. And please continue to pray for all the incredible work that our church will do long into the future!

“Getting to Know You” - a note from the NLD

Our Nominations and Leadership Development Committee (NLD) met for just the second time on Monday evening. We are still in the process of determining how we can most effectively bless the life of the church by bringing the gifts of our community to light and helping them find their expression. There are three concrete steps we are taking in order to fulfill our purpose. All three fall under the general theme of “getting to know you:”

1. We are creating a list of all the ministries, programs, and behind the scenes tasks that take place at or on behalf of the church. If you do anything on behalf of the church (run a small group, consistently share Facebook posts, cook for Kairos, call to check on people regularly, or ANYthing else!) we’d love to hear about it. Over time, we’ll work to connect various similar efforts and to identify areas where there are gaps we need to fill. In the season of getting to know you, we simply want as much information as we can gather to get a sense of what’s already going on. Email jeremy@fumcbeaumont.org or contact an NLD member listed below to share what you’re up to at or on behalf of the church. 

2. A new short term small group - it will be called - “Getting to Know You” - and it will be a 4 week small group especially designed to help our guests get to know the church. The group will be held during the Sunday School hour (9:45-10:45) the four Sundays in April and will be open to anyone who wants to come. Look for more information and details in March or email jeremy@fumcbeamont.org if you’d like to attend or assist. 

3. Coffee conversations - members of the NLD will begin making phone calls to all of our members and long term guests for the purpose of (you guessed it) getting to know you. The goal is to find a time to meet for coffee (or lunch, a milkshake, or just to talk) and get to know our people better. Over time, we are aiming to have at least one conversation with everyone listed on any of our databases. If you want to jump to the front of the line and reach out to us, please email jeremy@fumcbeaumont.org and I’ll make sure someone reaches out soon to set up the conversation. 

Thank you for helping us start moving forward on this vital work!

- Gene Soper, Melissa Wood, Chrissie Joyner, Cheryl Charlton, Mickey Rouse, Pat Whitmire, Robin Snoek (Leadership Board Chair), and Jeremy Wester (Pastor)

Jefferson County reVision Update

Back in the Fall, we were blessed to be joined in worship by Rev. Jordan Czichos and a student from Houston reVision. They shared the purpose and details about that vital ministry, which seeks to build mentoring relationship for kids in the juvenile justice system. After worship, we were joined by Rev. Carrie Leader and Kim Phelan, who outlined the plans for a Jefferson County chapter of reVision. And the following work, we held a mentor training in order to have a set of church members ready to serve in the mentoring role as soon as reVision was ready to open its doors. 

I’m excited to share that a lot of work has been going on in the background to get Jefferson County reVision up and running! Brit Featherston has been serving as the first part time director while the search continues for a full time program director. He is ready to have the first follow up and public training opportunity for another round of mentors. Here’s what we need from you - 

1. If you attended the initial mentor training, please reach out to me (jeremy@fumcbeaumont.org) and let me know if you turned in your paperwork, got fingerprinted, and if you’ve taken any other steps to be ready. 

2. If you want to explore the possibility of becoming a mentor, please plan to attend the new training on Sunday March 3rd from 1:30-3pm in Rothwell Hall. 

3. Please pray for this vital organization and ministry partner! I’m excited to see the progress being made and look forward to the day when we are able to love and serve our children more fully through the work that they do. 

Reflections on our first Leadership Board meeting

Our Leadership Board had its first meeting on Monday January 22nd. We began the meeting with a reminder that where we focus our attention determines what we are capable of seeing. We streamlined our Leadership structure in part so that less people would be required to serve on our administrative committees and more members would be freed up to do the vital work of ministry. But perhaps even more importantly, we did so to ensure that there is a group of church leaders focusing their attention on the overall mission and vision of the church. If we don’t develop a clear and shared set of goals and priorities aligned around our mission, it will be impossible to know if we’re making the most faithful decisions for how we accomplish that mission. 

Most of our meeting time was spent becoming familiar with the various reports and documents for which the Board is responsible. But the heart of our conversation was centered on figuring out how clear we are about what our mission is and getting a sense of where we can start the work of fulfilling that mission. The United Methodist Church’s mission is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” We have a great statement on the website meant to define our particular way of fulfilling that mission - “Loving the city with the heart of Christ.” We reiterate that statement all the time in worship. And I know it is a statement that many of our church members believe is the heart of all that we are called to do.

What we have to determine is 1) whether this statement is clear enough that we have a shared understanding of what we mean when we say it, and 2) whether this is the statement around which we are ready to explicitly align the whole work of the church (budgets, priorities, goals, teams, staff, etc). If the statement is clear and we’re ready to reaffirm it, our work will focus on how to make the kind of people who love the city with the heart of Christ. And if that’s not the right framing for our part of God's mission, then we must determine how to discern a more accurate statement. 

The process of finalizing a decision will be led by the Board, but the Board will not make any decision alone. You’ll have opportunities for feedback and input along the way, beginning with our first Leadership Board Town Hall on Sunday February 25th. We’ll gather in Rothwell Hall at 9:45am and the conversation will begin promptly at 10am. You’ll have a chance to hear more about what the Board is discussing and a chance to ask your questions or share your concerns. 

It may take all of the next two years to fully discuss and reaffirm (or rewrite) our mission statement - but the work of the church will not slow down while the big picture comes into focus. While my attention and last few updates have been focused on the Board, I want to remind you that the work of the Board is meaningless if it does not encourage, inspire, and make possible the hands-on work of ministry that we are all called to as a church. In service of that further work, the Nominations Committee is working to clarify a list of all current ministries taking place and the leaders of those ministries. Be on the lookout for updates and/or information requests from that group in the next month or two as we develop the work of that crucial group. 

Finally, you can always access all public records from the Board by going to fumcbeaumont.org/board or you can stop by the office and view a hard copy of those records. Included in both places is a list of all of our elected leadership (the Leadership Board and our Nominations and Leadership Development Committee). And please check out the Spire, our worship bulletins, and/or get on our email list for regular updates on all the many upcoming activities and opportunities for service.

I am so grateful for all that you have done for generations to love the city with the heart of Christ! And I feel so lucky to help guide us through the process of laying a solid foundation for generations to come.

Initial Board Meeting Preparations

Greetings! 

Next week marks a significant milestone for our church. The inaugural Leadership Board will officially begin its work on Monday, January 22nd at 6pm. Streamlining our administrative decision making committees into a single Leadership Board was proposed by the Task Force last Fall and voted on at our called Church Conference meeting in December. While the Board likely won’t make any major decisions Monday night, they will begin the process of developing a clear vision for our church’s long term future. That process will span at least the next 2 years and will entail congregation wide conversations, town halls, feedback, and more.

One of the most important aspects of how the new Board operates is a radical emphasis on transparency and accountability. While streamlining did concentrate a great deal of decision making authority in this 9 member Board, we will also do everything in our power to make all decisions out in the open and provide opportunities for feedback and questions. To that end, Board meetings will always be public unless the Board is discussing staff matters or certain legal negotiations. Board documents (agendas, information packets, minutes, etc) will be publicly available at fumcbeaumont.org/board or in a binder in the church office. The initial Meeting Packet is already present at the link. And you are always invited to speak with a member of the Leadership Board to express your concerns, ask questions, or make suggestions for what we do next (a list of elected leaders can be found at the link)

The first official meeting will be focused on narrowing down and prioritizing an initial list of Board action items for the coming months. The first official Board Town Hall will be held Sunday, February 25th (most likely prior to worship - details TBD next week). Look for an update post and/or email next week regarding what the Board decides and where it will go next. Thank you for your trust and your patience as we seek to lay a solid foundation for what God will do in and through us for generations to come.

• Pastor Jeremy

Church Conference Results

I am excited to share that last night’s Church Conference meeting went very well and the resolution from the task force was unanimously affirmed! 31 of our church members came out to participate in our official Church Conference vote. As I shared last night, this is a great and meaningful step that proves what we’ve been saying for a while now - you are ready and determined to do what it takes to lay a solid foundation for the future of what God will do in and through us. 

AND… now is when the real work begins! 

Last night’s vote is only the first step in developing a clear and compelling vision for our future, while also aligning our people and resources in service of that vision. I am confident that the steps we are taking now will help us make better decisions and develop more fruitful and effective ministries. It will be vital for us to take advantage of the reduced administrative requirements in order to invest more time and energy in the hands on work of Christ. 

There will be much more to say and do as we begin to live into a new structure of leadership beginning January 1st. For now, I’ll simply share a couple of details:

1. Board meetings will generally happen on the 3rd Monday of the month from 6-7:30pm. The 3rd Monday in January is a holiday, which means the meeting will actually take place on the 4th Monday (Jan 22nd). 

2. Board meetings will always be open to the public, although only Board members will have voice or vote (unless specifically noted on the Agenda or recognized by the Board chair). You are encouraged to attend so that you can listen to what the Board is discussing and reach out to Board members between meetings if you have questions or concerns. 

1. Note: Certain personnel or legal matters may require the Board to enter executive session in which all discussion and votes would remain confidential. 

3. Public board documentation will be available via a public Google Drive link that you can preview by clicking here (currently, the approved leadership list and Church and Charge Conference minutes are uploaded - new documents and resources will be added over time). Agendas and meeting resources will be added by the end of the week prior to a Board meeting. Minutes and other updates will be available shortly after the meetings. Personnel records, legal documents, and staff salary information will be kept separate to remain confidential.

I am grateful for your input, feedback, and questions throughout this two month + process. Please keep asking questions and keep imagining new ways to be faithful so that we can continue to expand our impact and more fully love the city with the heart of Christ!

Final Leadership Task Force Update

Monday December 4th @ 6pm, we’ll have an important Church Conference vote about whether or not to streamline our church’s leadership structure. The two most important benefits to making this change would be:

1) to reduce the number of people required to fill administrative leadership positions, which will free up more of our members to focus on the hands-on work of ministry. 

2) to facilitate better and more strategic administrative decisions by ensuring that there is one group of leaders around the same table with the same information rather than multiple groups with overlapping responsibilities. 

To be clear, streamlining our administrative leadership structure does not directly affect any particular ministry or program. The new Leadership Board would be responsible for decisions at the level of policies, budget, and general oversight. They will facilitate conversations around the long range vision and goals of the church and won’t engage in day to day planning or implementation of specific activities. 

On Sunday, November 19th, we held a final town hall dedicated to sharing the final resolution of the Leadership Task Force and responding to any questions or concerns raised by the congregation. Below you’ll find links to the resolution and supporting documents that were shared at the town hall. We took a straw poll to gauge the interest and concerns of the congregation in this process. The results were as follows:

- 42 respondents indicated that they support the resolution with no reservations. 

- 5 respondents indicated that they see the merits, but have some reservations

- No one indicated that they think it is a bad idea or that they would likely vote against it. 

Of the 5 responses indicating some level of reservation, 3 chose to specify a concern. Each concern is worth addressing here. 

1) “The proof is in the pudding” - it is certainly true that none of our discussions or reasons surrounding the change will matter unless the actual structure and leadership are successful in making good decisions for the sake of our church's future. I strongly encourage you to pay attention to what the new leadership board does, consider coming to the meetings (all of which are open to the congregation unless the board is talking about legal or staff matters), and offer your feedback along the way (about both whether the new structure is working well and the particular decisions being made).

2) “Reduction of opportunities to serve” - it is again absolutely true that there will be less opportunities to serve and lead in an administrative capacity compared to the current structure. For the change to be successful, it will be vital that we develop a multitude of other opportunities for leadership so that everyone still has a place to serve. The goal will never be to reduce opportunities to plug in; we hope instead to shift the balance toward more hands-on and life-giving ministry opportunities and away from administrative responsibilities. If anything, we desire to create many more opportunities to share in the work of our common mission.

3) “A diverse board becoming ‘stacked’” - a diverse set of representatives is both a Book of Discipline requirement and a vital component of effective leadership. A church conference vote on the composition of the board will take place annually. Please hold us accountable to ensure that the board never becomes stacked in any direction other than finding the best people to lead us all toward the goals and vision that we set together.

Finally, you can read the resolution that will be voted on here (this document is the only matter up for a formal vote at our called Church Conference meeting). You can also read the Leadership Covenant here, which outlines the commitment we’re asking for the Leadership Board to make in the new model. And you can read the Initial Guiding Principles here, which outlines how the Board will go about its work and is intended to be updated by the board over time. 

Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions prior to the church conference vote. You can email me (jeremy@fumcbeaumont.org) or reach out to another member of the task force listed below. I pray that no matter how the vote turns out, we will take significant strides in the year ahead toward laying a solid foundation for our future!

Task Force Members - Hank Hamilton, Gail Wilson, Tootsie Crutchfield, Gina Crenshaw, Neil Early, Cheryl Charlton, and Marianne Kondo

2023 Giving Tree Update

Greetings!

For a number of years our church has participated in giving tree ministries. In brief, the purpose of the giving tree is to help ensure every child in our community receives at least one gift to open for Christmas. We’re experimenting with a few small changes this year, which I’ll outline below, but our purpose remains the same. Above all else, the giving tree is one concrete way we can love the city with the heart of Christ. I strongly encourage you to participate at whatever level you are able this year. 

As we have for many years, the church will continue to participate with and support the Some Other Place giving tree effort. This community wide effort blesses around 1000 children each year and is a great way to bless the children of our city. 

In the last couple of years, we began including families of the daycare that meets on our church grounds. I understand that there has been some frustration and a few misunderstandings related to this additional opportunity to give. From what I have gathered, little to no information has been shared about what the daycare does or why it was suggested that we support those families. I’ve spoken with various church leaders who have helped with our previous efforts. I’ve been excited in the last few weeks to finally make the short trek over and get to know the leadership and hear their story! I want to share a brief bit of what I’ve learned with you. 

Once Upon A Dream moved in a few years ago and has been operating their weekday childcare program since. The organization was founded as a faith based non profit with a special focus on teenage moms and other parents who had no other options for childcare. They work with the school district and with various government assistance programs in order to ensure that parents still in high school and those who cannot otherwise afford care are able to receive high quality care for their children. The school also has open enrollment options for any other families who need childcare in the area. 

The families that we’ve reached out to adopt for the giving tree effort are those families who qualify for various assistance programs through the daycare. Several of these families may slip through the cracks with other organizations based on where they live or what organizations they are able to connect with. That’s why we’re working this year with Some Other Place to verify that we aren’t duplicating our efforts and are able to spread the blessings as far as possible. And in future years, we’ll seek further opportunities to join our efforts with other organizations in town. I look forward to learning more about Once Upon A Dream, finding ways we might partner in their important work, and creating opportunities to share the story of the incredible work they do with the church!

Between the daycare and SOP, we plan to sponsor 60 children this year. The exact cost of the gifts varies a bit, but a donation of $60 each or around $3600 in total will allow us to bless all of our sponsored children. I know this amount will stretch us a bit, but I believe we’ll be able to accomplish our goal of ensuring every child receives this incredible blessing. The tree will be out starting Sunday November 12th and gifts are due by Tuesday December 12th. We’ll have one tree, but the tags will look a little different if you would like to support a child identified by either specific organization. Here’s how you can help:

1. You can take a tag with a name and specific toy requests and bring the gift(s) back by the deadline (December 12th). Please bring back gifts with the name tag (so we can identify the right child) and do not wrap any presents. 

2. You can sponsor a child by donating $60. Label the donation “Giving Tree” or donate online now by going to this link. 

3. You can make a donation of ANY AMOUNT to help with part of a gift, filling in gaps for a family, or to adopt a whole family. Again, label your in person donation “Giving Tree” or click this link. 

I hope you will find as much joy in this effort as I do as we seek to bless the children of our city. Please reach out any time with questions, concerns, or ideas as we seek to love the city with the heart of Christ more and more each day!

• Pastor Jeremy (jeremy@fumcbeaumont.org)

Update – Leadership Task Force

As the Leadership Task Force nears the completion of its work, we're asking for your help.

1. Fill out the Interest Indicator Survey to let us know how you would like to help serve in the year ahead.

2. Read the proposed Resolution and offer any feedback or share your questions/concerns with the group. The initial Covenant and Principles referenced in the Resolution are also attached below.

3. Attend the November 19th Town Hall Potluck after worship to receive the final Resolution and hear a final presentation from the Task Force.

4. Join us Monday December 4th @ 6pm for a Church Conference vote on the final Resolution.

A few more resources that may be helpful to you: Initial Guiding Principles and Initial Board Covenant (as referenced in the proposed Resolution); FAQ regarding the model we’re considering.