December 2020 marks the end of our current Mission Commitment
Dear OSC Family,
Some of you may remember that in November of 2017 our congregation approved a 3-year “Mission Commitment” to help guide our church through a set of values, vision, mission, and priority statements. That Mission Commitment expires December 31, 2020.
Therefore, this fall, we will embark on “Mission 2023”, the process to renew our Mission for another 3 years. We plan to conduct this kind of collective discernment together as a church every 3 years. During this time, you are invited to offer your input into what values, vision, mission, and priorities should guide our efforts for the next three years. We will conduct this process through a series of Zoom listening sessions (see dates and links below), community research, interviews, focus groups, and online feedback.
Dreaming together for our community
The purpose of this is to dream and discern together as a congregation. Our overarching three-fold question, as always, is: “Who are we called to serve? How is the Spirit of God already leading among those to whom we are called to serve? And, How are we uniquely able to partner with that work?”
The timing of this process couldn’t be better, for two reasons:
First, the longest-tenured member of our Board has been at OSC for less than 4 years, and nearly half our congregation has been at OSC less than one and a half years. We are, essentially, a new church. The last Mission Commitment helped us navigate a major transformation and renewal of our historic church. But what comes next?
Second, we are in the midst of massive cultural upheaval in America, catalyzed by the pandemic. It would be difficult to overstate how dramatically the pandemic has impacted church life in America, and nobody knows what “church” will look like in the aftermath. How can our new Mission Commitment help us navigate these uncertainties?
Time to pause and listen
Given all this, I can think of no better time for us to collectively stop and listen for the voice of God. Amid the “storm, fire, and earthquake” of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have an opportunity this fall to look for God in the “minute stillness” of this moment.
Will we be ready to shift our focus to meet the new challenges ahead? With your help, we can and will.
I would love for every person in our church to join us for at least one upcoming “listening session”, where we will begin to discern together what values and practices we are called to embody as a church (see below for dates). I sincerely believe each of you has been brought into this community to take part in this re-imagining at this time. I look forward to walking this out together!
Blessings,
Rev. Jason Coker