The Elders are calling our Annual Congregational Meeting for Sunday, January 29 after worship.
As is our tradition, the Annual Meeting will include elections and approval of the 2023 budget.
The Annual Meeting will also include a time of discussion… some sharing of our experiences and reactions to our efforts so far on hybrid worship:
Some people are in the Sanctuary every Sunday. Others are exclusively online. And some people have been worshiping alternatively from both places.
Michael, Holly, the Worship SLG, and the team at the Tech Desk have been trying to listen and be responsive to concerns we have heard. But we have not yet organized a thorough evaluation or even a broad-based gathering of experiences / insights.
So part of our Annual Meeting will be an opportunity to gather information and also to hear from one another. What has it been like for you? Where have we made improvements? Where do we need to strengthen or even change our efforts? What can we do to increase the effectiveness of our hybrid efforts?
This will be our first hybrid Annual Meeting. To make it as effective as possible, we will need to meet in the Sanctuary (where we have the greatest capabilities for people to participate online.) So we are going to set up tables in the Sanctuary. Michael will try and come up with something creative to do in worship when we are seated at tables together. And we have a simple lunch (subs and chips, sort of thing) that the church provides. (No potluck for this one!). We will offer a short break after the worship service for folks – both at home and those in the Sanctuary – to use the restroom and / or grab their lunch. But then we will get the meeting started while we eat.
In our form of church governance, the Annual Meeting is an important time for the congregation to discern God’s will for the church’s ministries and mission. In Old First’s tradition, we invite everyone in our community to attend. While only members of the church have a vote, one of the first things we do is offer “voice” to everyone present so that all can participate. We hope you will join us.
