Dear Members and Friends of Prince of Peace,
While Covid has been a challenging situation for everyone, including Prince of Peace, this time has also given us a chance to reset and re-examine how we can move forward with ministry in ways which are realistic and sustainable, and which respect the time, money and bandwidth which members have been committing to the congregation.
At our Congregational meeting in January, we promised that we would involve the congregation in discussions about how this could happen. We welcome and encourage your feedback and questions about the following things Council and Pastor Steve are now discussing:
As we move into the final third of 2021 and into 2022, these are some of the ways we will initially plan to program, organize and staff our ministry together:
- There will be one regular weekend worship service on Sunday morning, which will continue to be livestreamed, and we will continue to develop and expand our online and virtual offerings;
- Sunday School will be held before and/or after the worship service, with the hope that the service time can be consistent throughout the year, regardless of whether Sunday School is in session;
- The office will be staffed for a few hours three weekdays a week, with office staff working remotely for a couple of hours on the other two weekdays to check and respond to voice mail and email. We will continue to use the “Give & Take” table to distribute and receive materials;
- Rather than trying to fund a second Pastor position, we will instead create a new staffing line in the budget called “Pastoral Support”, which will fund contract pastoral help. This line can be adjusted each year based on needs, but which will initially include funding to pay for a Women’s Bible Study leader; pastoral coverage when Pastor Steve is out; and at least 5-6 additional special Bible study leaders, retreat leaders or event leaders (such as our “Walk Through the Bible” event several years ago.)
- Pastor Steve and the Council will work on developing a new ministry organization structure which will be streamlined and flexible. We will seek to organize around three areas:
1) Congregational Life (e.g. worship, education &
fellowship activities)
2) Service and Outreach (e.g. evangelism, community activities
& social ministry)
3) Support (e.g. stewardship, finance & property)
- We will be committed to continually evaluating and adapting our ministries as we see how things develop.
There will be a couple of opportunities to discuss this (and other aspects of moving forward) as we gather live for a barbque in August, and at the August Theology on Tap (watch for those dates!) But, you may also email questions or feedback to either Pastor Steve or Council President Kwame Mensah.
