we are a loving and supportive congregation
Do you recognize those words? They are from our congregational Vision Statement. I believe that Vision Statements do two things. They describe both who we think we are and who we want to be (or more theologically, who we are called to be). I also believe that Vision and Mission Statements are meaningless if we never look at them, reflect on them, and ask how they intersect with what we are actually doing. So as you read through this Annual Report I encourage you to ask yourself how you see the words of our Vision and Mission Statements (which you can find printed out at the beginning of this booklet) lived out in these pages.
Everything you see in these reports, everything you see when you come in for Sunday worship, everything you see when taking part in the communal life of St. Paul’s is made possible because many people have worked together to make it happen. People have given money. People have dreamed and planned and facilitated events. People have attended and supported. Everything that happens in this community happens because of this community. Thank you all for making this place what it is.
- thank you to Ministry Team members
- thank you to readers and greeters and communion servers
- thank you to those who prepare and serve coffee each Sunday
- thank you to those who deliver newsletters, who connect and check in on community members
- thank you to all who faithfully give via envelopes or e-transfers or PAR
- thank you to those who are intentional about greeting visitors and newcomers
- thank you to those who share their musical gifts
- thank you to those who help other events happen (from Garage Sale to Concerts to Coffee parties)
- thank you for all those other things I have forgotten as I made up this list
Together we live out our Vision Statement. Together we make this community the place we love, a place where we feel loved and supported. Thank You Thank You, and in case you missed it – THANK YOU.
The past year has had its ups and its downs. We have said good bye to active and vital members of the community, even as we have celebrated their lives and given thanks for the gifts that they shared. We have carefully watched our local givings even as we celebrate the added income form Card’s which has led us to another 5 digit surplus. We have shared dreams about what we could maybe possibly do even as we have been forced to acknowledge that maybe we have less energy and fewer volunteers to do what we dream. I wonder what your highlights and lowlights of the past year have been? Maybe we can find a way to share some of those at the Annual Meeting this year?
One of the purposes of an Annual Report, in my mind at least, is also to look ahead. What do we need to do to continue to grow into the community described in our Vision Statement? How do we move beyond existing into thriving, how do we become a more vibrant voice for God’s Beloved Community in Grande Prairie. As I ask myself those questions I think back a couple of years to the report from the Pathfinders group. That report highlighted the need for intentionally marketing ourselves to the community, making St. Paul’s better known. It is an issue that comes up repeatedly in churches. We tend to say “this needs to happen” but are not sure how to do it or are lacking the tools/confidence/know-how to make it happen. Your Council has agreed to have someone come to talk with us about marketing questions. It is my hope that we can find a way to light our light shine more brightly. It is my hope that as we do that we can more boldly invite others to come and check us out, to see if we are a community where they too find a spiritual home.
For the last few years General Council has encouraged us to live into this vision:
Called by God, as disciples of Jesus, The United Church of Canada seeks to be a bold, connected, evolving church of diverse, courageous, hope-filled communities united in deep spirituality, inspiring worship, and daring justice.
In the Toward 2035 initiative (https://united-church.ca/toward2035) launched last year we are encouraged to imagine:
In The United Church of Canada, inspired, resilient, and diverse contextual communities of disciples seek to continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ’s presence in the world. The church is present and deeply connected coast-to-coast-to-coast in rural and urban settings, and in ecumenical and global relationships. Guided by hope-filled, adaptive and effective ministry leaders, the denomination is increasingly multigenerational, multiracial, and intercultural.
As
a part of that national vision may we be Deep, Bold, and Daring in
2026 and beyond, God being our helper and guide.
--Gord
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