Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

On May 6, the congregation approved the formation of a Next Generation Mission Team (NGMT) to guide the congregation forward over the next several months. The mission team will be guided by the stated goal of ‘strengthening and deepening our faith through expanded programming for all ages; in order to enable us to more fully live out our vision as a community that is spiritually alive, joyfully inclusive, and committed to justice.

The mission team will help the congregation both evaluate current programming and plan for future programming. Their work will focus on the long-term quality and content of our programs, and they will freely consider and propose ways to remodel or add or our facility in order to enhance and guide the programming. If they recommend facility changes or additions, those proposals will be brought back to the congregation for consideration. In the process of looking at what is working here at ORUCC and why, they will also look at other congregations, talk with local experts, and involve members of the congregation in discussion and reflection. The timetable is not fixed, but the initial goal is to complete their work by the end of 2007.

Some important points about this process:
1. This process is designed to deepen and strengthen OUR life together. As we strengthen our program life, this will enable our spiritual growth as individuals, our commitment to one another as a diverse and joyful community of faith, our individual and collective ability to enact just in the world. We will seek to hold onto and cherish some of our long-standing traditions and ways of being the church; while at the same time looking intentionally for new and more effective ways of responding to God’s call in our time.
2. The Next Generation Mission Team will not be working in isolation. They will work closely with our current Ministries, offer open discussion forums, talk with individuals in the church who have particular expertise and invite others to join them in various aspects of their work. For example, they will listen intently during our Parents Gathering on June 3rd. They will listen intently as we discuss staffing questions in July. They are already meeting with the chairs of Youth Faith Formation and Adult Faith Formation to see how each Ministry can work with the Mission Team. They will seek to involve all of us in as many ways as possible.
3. This process will be more than discussion. As Helene Nelson says, “we will build the plane as we fly it.” We will offer opportunities to try new programs for specified times, in the hope that we can learn by doing as well as by talking. For example, discussions are already being held to try some new adult programming, to re-shuffle our Sunday morning schedule, and to enhance our successful Confirmation program to be more experiential. While these experiments have not come from the mission team, they will be part of the process of research and evaluation.

Mission Team members: Barb Hummel and Helene Nelson (co-chairs), Kythie Boyd, Gary DeClute, Paul Evans, Charlene Gallagher, Ellery Hamann, Paul Hedges, Rachel Lancor, Ruthanne Landsness, Ralph Peterson, Sara Roberts, Winton Boyd (ex-officio)