First Parish Church in Dorchester
Unitarian Universalist

Congregational conversations

Congregational conversations are gatherings after Sunday worship services for members and friends of the church to discuss important matters at First Parish.

Why Are We Here and What Are We About?

Congregational Conversation
The last congregational conversation was held on Sunday, February 12 at 1 pm. This conversation focused on our worship life and members of the church discussed the following questions:

1. What is/are the most meaningful elements of our Sunday service? Why?
2. What is/are the least meaningful elements of our Sunday service? Why?
3. If there was one thing we could do to enhance the worship experience at FPC, what would that be?

Rev. Art Lavoie facilitated the discussion. This is the message he sent out in the weekly email before Feb. 12.

Minister's Musings
Worship is central to the life of our congregation. Every Sunday we gather to touch more deeply the holy that lives in each of our hearts. Every Sunday we pray, and sing, and listen for inspiration, comfort, support and challenge. Every Sunday we strive to connect more deeply with God and with each other and discover a more profound sense of meaning and purpose. Our growth and vitality as a church community will always reflect the quality of our worship life together.

Please join me on Sunday after coffee hour for a brief congregational conversation that will give all of us an opportunity to reflect on the experience of worship and give feedback that will help enhance and deepen the quality of that sacred time.

In Peace,
Art

Report of the Committee on Ministry
Last year Art approached Steve Auger, Megan Thomas and Jane Lindsay about serving on a Committee on Ministry....with the charge of supporting the ministry of the church as a whole, as well as that of its minister. We began meeting last summer and wanted all of you to know what we are doing.

From Churchworks by Anne Odin Heller, the work of a Committee on Ministry has been described as "tracking the heartbeat of ministry within a congregation; how the members of a congregation take care of themselves and each other; how the lay ministerial leadership serves a congregation and how the called minister serves the Congregation. A healthy Committee on Ministry knows how well the whole body is being served by the heart. It seeks to understand, assess, support and advocate for robust ministry throughout the context of congregational life."

One of the ways in which the Committee on Ministry can help support the church's work is by helping to facilitate various congregational conversations. Another way we can help support the church's ministry is by helping to facilitate communication issues as they arise within the congregation or with the minister. Workshop Material from several workshops at the Charlotte UUA General Assembly has been reviewed by the Committee to help inform our participation in these conversations and develop a more robust ministry for the church as a whole.

In addition to periodically meeting with Art to discuss how the church's ministry is being met, we have facilitated two conversations with the congregation. The first took the form of Listening Circles in September; the second was a Congregational Conversation in December. Both of these exercises were planned in order to help facilitate the writing of a mission statement for the church.

The Committee's most recent charge has entailed writing a draft mission statement that will be used in our Capital Campaign materials. The Board is reviewing it and will publish it soon

Minister’s Musings

Here at First Parish Church in Dorchester we know well some parts of our history and are proud of the things this congregation has done in the past. The present and future are a little more unclear. We are thrilled that the restoration of our building has begun and hopeful that we will be able to raise enough money to complete it.

But, why are we restoring this building? What is the compelling mission that provides the foundation for our work together and will carry us into the future? These are the kinds of questions we will be discussing this year.

Our mission, our purpose, our vision for who we are supposed to be as a church community is central to anything and everything we do. And hearing from each other what we foresee to be the purpose of FPC at this time in history will give us all something to reflect on as we discover our own place in this larger vision.

Other conversations that will be scheduled throughout the year will flow from the data collected at this first one and will probably include topics on our worship life, outreach and growth, multiculturalism, and how we will better use our restored building to serve our mission in the community.

In Peace,
Art

Past congregational conversations

Feb. 6, 2011: Further discussion of the sale of assets to support the Meetinghouse Restoration Project.

Jan. 16, 2011: Review and discussion of a proposal to amend the bylaws to allow the sale of assets as part of the Meetinghouse Restoration Project.

Nov. 14, 2010: Discussion on asset reallocation and our mission.

Oct. 3, 2010: Architect’s Presentation and update on the Meetinghouse Restoration Project.

May 9, 2010: Update on the Meetinghouse Restoration Project.

Apr. 25, 2010: Budget review for 2010-2011.

Nov. 22, 2009: Discussion on going forward with choosing an architect; and to brainstorm ideas for future building use.

Oct. 18, 2009: Review of member shares from congregational listening circles, which were conducted during previous church year.

RECENT ACTIVITY

Jan. 8, 2011, a congregational conversation was held to discuss hospitality and caring. Many suggestions were collected for implemenation and further discussion.

On Dec. 11, 2011, a congregrational conversation was held to review member shares from the September session on our mission. The mission statement will be essential in raising outside support for the Meetinghouse Restoration Project.

On Nov. 13, 2011, the congregation gathered to review this fall's work on the Meetinghouse Restoration Project and look at some alternative designs for the interior of the building. A subcommittee will be formed to compile options for the Board of Trustees to consider in Jan. 2012.

Download presentation (PDF file)

At a Congregation Conversation held on Sep. 18, 2011, participants shared their thoughts and feelings on following questions:

1) Who are we?

2) What are we called to be?

3) Who is our neighbor?