Transition Team Highlight - Community & Social/Environmental Justice
The MPBC Transition Team provided a summary overview of our first Congregational Conversation at the end of service last Sunday. We will use the next three weeks to focus on two theme areas per week to better understand the gathered input from your table discussions. Our first focus of this series is in the area of community and social/environmental justice. Provided below are the responses to:
- What draws us to MPBC?
- What keeps us anchored?
- What concerns us?
- What are our hopes and possibilities?
- What are the next steps?
What draws us to MPBC?
- Our identity of openness
- Connections and engagement
- A warm welcoming and affirming community
- Justice driven faith, guided by inclusion, equity and social/environmental needs
What keeps us anchored?
- MPBC is a beacon of justice – throughout eras of change
- Ongoing encouragement by lay and clergy leadership to practice spiritual courage and deep questioning to aid our development as Christians
What concerns us?
- Diminishing congregation connections
- Declining youth and family engagement
- Decline in age, race, and philosophical diversity
What are our hopes and possibilities?
- Grow our community circles by embracing progressiveness while staying deeply rooted in faith and tradition
- Identify possible high gain fellowship opportunities
What are the next steps?
- Facilitate additional listening circles
- Continue to synthesize congregation input to recommend to the Board of Deacons for action planning
Watch your weekly for a similar update next week! Thanks