Understanding SUM Together Initiative: Phase 3 is Underway
It is time for us to begin preparing for Phase 3 of the Understanding SUM Together Initiative. This is an exciting milestone because it is the phase where everyone in the church participates.
As you may recall, in Phase 1, Pastors Mel Kawakami and Dennis Winkleblack spent a significant amount of time conducting 19 confidential Listening Conversations from a cross section of our congregation consisting of long-term and newer members, of various ages and backgrounds, all shapes and sizes. After completing the interviews, the transcripts were broken down into readable data during Phase 2 and reviewed by the advisors, Pastors Mel and Dennis and Deacon Deb.
As they hoped, these interviews provided insights that were repeated by many of the 19 sample participants, allowing the advisors to identify recurring themes that will lead us into Phase 3 - the development of a church survey. The SUM Leadership Team (Sue Lemke, Steve Langin, John Thomson, Michele LeMay, and Eileen Brogan) reviewed the summary of the interviews and agreed the themes reflected the current state of SUM and should be used to develop the Phase 3 survey.
Phase 3 may be the most important part of this five-step process as everyone has an opportunity to participate. The purpose of this survey is to hear from the wider congregation and determine the degree to which these themes and insights match what you see, experience, and understand about SUM.
Now it is your turn: It is vital that you take a few minutes out of your day to complete the survey and return it by the date requested. The completion of Phase 3 will bring us full circle in the Wesleyan practice of holy conferencing - listening deeply, seeking wisdom together, and learning from one another through prayerful conversation. Please respond honestly to the questions and provide any additional information you think may not be covered in the survey and reach out to anyone on the Leadership Team if you have any questions.
The survey will be delivered via email during the week of August 24th. It will include complete instructions for you to follow. If you or someone you know does not have a computer on which to complete the survey, please call the office and request a paper copy.
Once the surveys are in and reviewed, the advisors will once again comb through the responses to discern if the congregation responses correspond to the themes discovered in the 19 Listening Conversations. Once this process is completed, we will all gather for a facilitated workshop to discuss the survey results and discern our emerging priorities.
SUM Leadership Team
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