On Saturday, January 20, Session held its annual retreat here at the church. A significant focus for us was implementation of the Matthew 25 initiative here at Covenant. I shared some data around health equities in our community and beyond, and Adam Campbell provided for us some information with regard to the work of the DEI commission in the city in order to help us understand some of the challenges that have been identified for us locally. Following review of our Long-Range Plan and our annual goals for 2023, Session adopted the following priorities for 2024:
- Identify a Matthew 25 project and resource it appropriately.
- Understand and implement Christian Formation across the life of the church.
- Develop a plan for lay leadership & enabling identification of spiritual gifts.
- Share the good news in tangible ways beyond our walls and welcome community participation in the life of the church.
These priorities are in addition to our ongoing commitments to ministry and work in the life of the church (e.g. worship, outreach, etc.). In coming weeks and months there will be more information shared about these priorities, but as a way of beginning the conversation, you might think of these priorities as addressing the following questions:
- What does it mean for us to be a Matthew 25 congregation, and how do we live in to that challenge?
- How is Christian Formation different from Christian Education, and what difference might it make for us to focus on “formation” instead of “education” in the life of the church?
- How do we help folks identify their spiritual gifts and provide opportunities for them to use those gifts in ministry?
- How might we be better evangelists for the good news we believe – as a church and as individuals – within the life of the church and reaching out to the community?
We hope that you will reflect on these questions and on these goals and join us in the conversation as we seek to discern where God is leading us, and then dare to follow that path!
— John Peterson
