Slideshow image

Dear friends,  

While we here at St. George’s are being swept along in a journey of change brought by the Spirit, the Diocese as a whole is being transformed by the Spirit as well.  Over the past six months in particular, a tremendous shift has been happening: a shift from maintenance to mission.  One small expression of this tremendous shift is the Missional Footprint process the Diocese is asking congregations to undertake this year.  The new Executive Officer of the Diocese, Rev. Pilar Gateman, attended our Annual Meeting to talk a little bit about this process.

The Missional Footprint process is intended to help pull us out of the ruts we so often fall into about “what the Church does”, and broaden our imagination to see how our faith inspires us to live in the world and make a difference.  In church life, it can be easy to fall into certain patterns of thinking about what we do.  It can be easy to forget all the ministries that we have outside the walls of the church, and it can be especially easy to discount all the things each of us does in the world out there, which make a difference.  Whether we’re being inspired to make a difference collaboratively and in the name of the Church, or we’re inspired to make a difference quietly and unobtrusively, we are inspired.  This is the missional footprint of a church: how it inspires people to live into the world and make a difference in the name of Christ, together or individually.  The Missional Footprint process aims to help us see that impact, and to get us thinking a little more strategically about how we can inspire impact.

This is a new way of thinking for the Diocese, and the Missional Footprint process is an experiment.  Parish Council is excited about this experiment!  We are excited about this new tool: learning more about ourselves and thinking differently about what we do.  We invite you to be part of this process during Lent.  Each Sunday, we will post a question in the Narthex, inviting your feedback.  Each week, on Tuesday, you’ll receive a special email letting you know the question for the upcoming Sunday so you have time to think about it.  You can always respond to me by email.  We will gather this information together, and report back to you what we’ve found out.

So glad to be on this journey with you friends.

God bless,

Clara+