As We Progress Forward
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meet-Up of April 17
My forthcoming May newsletter article provides an update about our progress on our Faith Forward initiative. So I want to make sure you see it and am giving you a sneak-peak of that article now. Here it is!
Happy May! It’s important that the congregation stays continually informed about the progress we’re making through our Faith Forward initiative. As you heard during the February 11 congregational debrief, the Faith Forward initiative identified four strategic objectives for our church:
Everyday Faith - to reimagine discipleship to become highly personal, relational, and biblical.
Groups and Gatherings - to provide safe places, times, and gatherings for people to connect on the journey.
Pittsford Connects - to reimagine our campus to become a safe place that meets our neighbors’ “first” needs (physical, social, and emotional).
Re-align to our True North - to reduce the amount of organizational inefficiencies while refining structures to support what matters the most.
These objectives were announced at the debrief to inform you about the goals we’re aiming to accomplish. No policies have been updated nor significant actions taken as of yet. Until the Session decides to make any updates or changes, it’s business as usual. So… what have we actually done about these objectives since February 11? Well, the Session has decided to take on one objective at a time and is currently prioritizing the fourth objective to “Re-align to our True North.” Toward that end, we are studying a decision-making and operational concept called “policy governance,” which was developed by the psychologist and organizational theorist John Carver. The Deacons and the Trustees have been invited into this study. We are also talking to other churches who have refined their organizational structures so we can learn from their experiences.
I am also working with some of the Elders on a few ideas to develop our “Everyday Faith” objective. However, this is in the very nascent stages of development and has not been discussed by the Session as a whole nor by any Committees.
As I said, it is very important that you know that the momentum of the Faith Forward initiative moves ahead and that you are aware of what that forward motion entails. The Session is discussing ways that we can keep the channels of communication open with the congregation about this vital work. As always, we are hopeful about the future for First Presbyterian Church, knowing that we’re following God’s leading.
Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron
Congregational Debrief
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meet-Up of February 14
In case you missed the congregational debrief, here is a link to the recording: Congregational Debrief. Our consultant Kevin and the Vision Team introduced you to the four strategic objectives that we will be pursuing over the coming years. Those objectives are:
Everyday Faith
Groups and Gatherings
Pittsford Connects
Re-align to our True North
These four objectives are going to become the focus of our ministry efforts, and I assure you that you will be hearing lots about them. Please watch the debrief if you haven’t already, as it will provide you with the best overview of these objectives. I am so thrilled to be on this journey with you!
Lenten blessings,
Pastor Aaron
February 11 Will be a Big Day in the Life of Our Church
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meet-Up of February 7
Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! There is a lot happening this Sunday - worship, the congregational debrief, the Choral Extravaganza at 2 pm, and the Super Bowl! Just because it is so important, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight how you can view and participate in the long-awaited congregational debrief from the Faith Forward initiative.
We will have both worship services this Sunday as usual - but they will be different from one another. At 8:30 am, we will have our traditional service, during which I will finish up our core values sermon series with our core value of “love.” At 10:00 am, the congregational debrief will take place during worship. Just to be clear: the congregational debrief will only be taking place at 10:00 am. There will still be Sunday School, but there will be no “Mouse Report” during worship. Your children under 6th grade may go to Sunday School as soon as worship begins. Youth in grades 6 through 12 will be staying in worship for the debrief.
During the 10:00 am service, you will have the opportunity to hear from our consultant Kevin Ford, your pastors, and some other members of the Vision Team, as they explain the background and result of the Faith Forward initiative. Kevin and the Vision Team will also be staying after worship to answer a few questions in the sanctuary.
If it is at all possible, please try to attend the 10:00 am service to hear the debrief. I encourage you to worship at 8:30 am and then also stick around for the debrief in the second hour. The debrief (as well as the Q&A that follows) will be live-streamed and archived on YouTube, but it won’t be possible to participate in the Q&A remotely.
I hope to see you on this important Sunday!
Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron
The Final Faith Forward Retreat and New Time for the Congregational Debrief on February 11
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meet-Up of February 1
The final Faith Forward retreat happened this past weekend, and I want to provide you with an important update.
…….
Now - our Faith Forward update! As you know, February 11 is the date of our congregational debrief. The debrief was originally planned to take place after worship that day. However, the Vision Team heard from many people who indicated that they would not be able to attend the debrief if it was after worship. It’s important that as many people as possible are available for the debrief; so… the debrief will now be taking place during the 10:00 worship service.
At this debrief, you will hear from our Vision Team and our consultant Kevin Ford about the following:
Our strategy for engaging our congregation
Our strategy to nurture spiritual growth in our congregation
Our plan to rebuild our organizational structure so that it supports our vision
Our strategy for focusing our ministry outreach
Since the debrief will take place during worship, it will be live-streamed and archived on our YouTube page. But please make every effort to attend the 10:00 am service on February 11, as you will not want to miss this important event. Our usual worship service will also be happening at 8:30am that day.
I am so excited about the work the Vision Team was able to accomplish and the work our congregation has ahead of it to grow and change.
Congregational Debrief on February 11
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meet-Up of January 24 and February Edition of The Good News
Mark your calendars for February 11. That is the date for the congregational debrief, summarizing the work that will have been done in the Faith Forward initiative.
Throughout our Faith Forward initiative, our Vision Team has discerned what our core values are. You have been hearing lots about our core values recently, since it is the topic of our current sermon series. Core values describe who we are, and, ultimately, they influence the things we do. What we do flows out of who we are. Discerning our core values has been illuminating and exciting. However, I’m sure most of you are anxious to know what the Vision Team will say about that latter component - what we do. We might call this our “vision” and “mission.” The vision and mission is primarily what is seen by people. They are what we build programs and schedule meetings around.
As I’m writing this, the Vision Team has yet to convene at its third and final retreat. At that retreat on January 27-28, the Vision Team will begin formulating a strategic plan to implement a new vision and mission for our church. Our consultants have an acronym to describe this strategic plan: SCORE. Here is what it stands for:
Spiritual support (our primary model for mentoring and discipling our people)
Communicate our message (clarifying key elements of our public identity and brand)
Outreach focus (our signature outreach ministry in the local community)
Re-design structures (evaluating and aligning governance, stewardship, staffing, and facilities to our True North)
Engage our people (our primary method of fostering community, providing care, and empowering people in ministry)
After the third retreat, the Vision Team will be able to report to the congregation on our SCORE. Specifically, our consultant Kevin Ford will be here in Pittsford to help the Vision Team do just that at the congregational debrief on February 11.
If you care about the future of our church and want to engage with the Vision Team about their work, then please come to this important meeting. It will happen in our Fellowship Hall after worship that Sunday - around 11:30 am. I am excited and hopeful about the future of our church and its ministry. I hope you are, too.
Sermon Series on Our Core Values…
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meet-Up of January 10
Starting this Sunday, we will begin a five-week sermon series focusing on the church’s recently identified core values. The sermon series culminates on February 11, when our Faith Forward consultant Kevin Ford will be in Pittsford and will lead a congregational debrief following the 10:00 service. In case you don’t remember, here are our core values:
As a Christ-centered Community, our devotion calls each of us to...
Connect: We create and sustain life-giving relationships, across all generations.
Inspire: We worship God in ways that stir our souls, sharpen our minds, and speak to our hearts.
Follow: We experience transformation through the Holy Spirit, and help others do the same.
Unify: We join together across our differences, to make a difference.
Love: We show grace and compassion to others, with no strings attached!
This Sunday, we will be focusing on the core value of “Connect.”
The Faith Forward Vision Team Vision Retreats….
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meet-Up of October 25
The Faith Forward Vision Team just finished its second Vision Retreat this past weekend. In the coming weeks, you can expect to hear about more of the discussions that happened at the retreat, but I wanted to give you an overview summary. Leading up to the retreat, I had told you that the Vision Team would be deciding about our church’s core values. That happened. Since core values are really a description of our church’s deeply held principles from a grassroots level (our “essence”), the stories you shared with the Vision Team over the last few weeks were invaluable in helping us to discern those values. Here’s some of what you shared.
Many people told stories of volunteering with LOGOS as adults and having such a great time doing it; remembering when they were kids in the church and how loving adults took an interest in mentoring and investing in them; and forming very close relationships with other people after getting involved in the church. Many people told stories of feeling inspired and spiritually awakened because of our worship services; helping to lead worship by contributing a musical gift to a worship service; and the legacy of musical excellence and great preaching at the church. Many people told stories of following the leading of the Holy Spirit to help show the transforming love of Christ to people in the church and those in need outside the church and across the globe. Many people told stories of the determination displayed by the church after the fire of 2004; the cooperation demonstrated by the church to make difficult decisions while the church was rebuilt, including purchasing a new pipe organ; and the resiliency of the congregation to weather a pastoral transition under the stress of COVID. And, finally, so many of you told amazing stories of fellow church members rallying around people in need; pastoral support during times of crisis; and tangible reminders to each other that each of us belongs here at the church.
It is because of these stories and many more just like them, that the Vision Team agreed that the following statements summarize our core values at FPCP.
As a Christ-centered Community, our devotion calls each of us to...
Connect: We create and sustain life-giving relationships, across all generations
Inspire: We worship God in ways that stir our souls, sharpen our minds, and speak to our hearts.
Follow: We experience transformation through the Holy Spirit, and help others do the same.
Unify: We join together across our differences, to make a difference.
Love: We show grace and compassion to others, with no strings attached!
These core values will become important as we eventually decide about the church’s strategic objectives moving forward. Looking at our five values, I have to admit – I’m pretty excited to be part of this church!
Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron
The Discovery Report from our Consultants….
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meet-Up of September 20
We have completed the Discovery Phase of our Faith Forward initiative and the Vision Phase begins on September 30. As you may recall, during the Discovery Phase, our consultants at Leighton Ford Ministries collected statistical, narrative, historical, and survey-related information about us. Many of you also participated in some focus group meetings in June. Our personal consultant Kevin Ford created a Discovery Report, summarizing everything that was learned about us during the Discovery Phase. The Discovery Report is nearly 50 pages long, and, rather than overwhelm you with such a massive document, our church’s Strategic Communications Committee took on the task of synthesizing the report into a 2-page document. That brief synopsis is attached for you to read.
In the synopsis, you will see the following:
Our church’s greatest strengths are our use and care for our buildings, the stewardship of our finances, our successful streaming of worship services, a welcoming church community, the communication and management of our ministries, and strong pastoral leadership.
Our church needs to grow when it comes to having a clear sense of vision and direction, leadership development, outreach to our community, integration of new people, ministry to families and young people, encouraging personal spiritual growth, and having a tolerance for change.
I hope reading the synopsis will help you to know how to pray more specifically for our church during the 20 Days of Prayer and Fasting. If you would like the full Discovery Report, please contact the church office at connect@pittsfordpres.org.
Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron
As we Are Continuing….
From Pastor Neff’s “Charting the Couse with Pastor Aaron” in the September Edition of The Good News
In my view, the Faith Forward initiative we have begun is all about seeking a revival of the Holy Spirit in First Presbyterian Church and throughout Greater Rochester. Through Faith Forward, we will be taking account of ourselves as a church and asking, “What ought to matter most?” Through asking ourselves that question, we also want to profess to God, “Thy will be done.” This is the posture of seeking a revival, and this is the power of prayer.
In the July/August issue of The Good News, I introduced you to the 25 members of our Faith Forward Vision Team. Their job is to lead us in discerning and updating our church’s mission, vision, and values (our “True North”) to help the church know with greater clarity who we are becoming. They will also be helping us to create alignment to our True North by crafting a “roadmap” outlining the path to becoming that future church. Their work begins at a retreat on September 30 and October 1. In an earnest desire for revitalization and revival, I think it is necessary for us – the whole church – to be in heartfelt prayer for the Vision Team as they prepare for their work.
Toward that end, I invite you to participate in 20 Days of Prayer and Fasting for the Faith Forward initiative. Beginning on Sunday, September 10 (which is the start of our program year) and ending on Friday, September 29 (the day before the Vision Team retreat), you will have the daily opportunity to spend a brief, focused time praying that the Vision Team listens for and hears the voice of God. For that purpose, I have created the “20-Day Faith Forward Devotional.” In this devotional, there is a short reading and a prayer for each of the 20 days. On Sunday, September 3, you can pick up a hard copy of the devotional either after worship or in the office during the week. The church office can email you a PDF copy of the devotional if you prefer. You will also be able to access a daily podcast version of the 20-day devotional. The 20-Day Faith Forward Devotional is meant to walk you step-by-step through a focused time of reflection and prayer as we begin this next phase of the Faith Forward journey.
Additionally, every Thursday during those twenty days, we will be meeting in our chapel from 7:007:30 am for a time of guided prayer and meditation. I will also be encouraging you to fast in addition to praying. Jesus taught us to fast (Matthew 6:16-18), and fasting helps to focus us on our need for God and for prayer. I will be fasting from all food on those days, and I encourage you to do the same thing, some kind of limited fasting, or a version of fasting that will be safe and healthy for you.
I truly desire for a revival of the Holy Spirit in my own life and in our church as a result of the Faith Forward process. I ask you to join me in praying for it, too.
As we Are Continuing….
From Pastor Neff’s Mid-Week Meetup of June 28 and Newsletter Article from the July/August Edition of The Good News
Today, we remember David as the greatest king of ancient Israel. There is no doubt that he had character flaws. Nevertheless, he trusted God and, under his reign, Israel was united, strong, and prosperous. His kingship was so admired that he became an archetype of the coming Messiah. However, just because it happened that way, doesn’t mean it couldn’t have happened another way. If the leaders of Israel had really dropped the ball during the transition from Saul to David, we might not even be talking about David today. He might have been a total failure! That’s why, in the life of Israel, one of their most critical moments was the transition from the kingship of Saul to the kingship of David.
In 1 Chronicles 12, we’re told about all the people who contributed to the safe transition into David’s kingship. In fact, we’re told that all twelve tribes contributed, which is amazing, since the tribes had not been united under Saul. The transition required everyone’s support and contribution, and I want to highlight the important role of one tribe in particular. 1 Chronicles 12:32 mentions the tribe of Issachar: “Of Issachar, those who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, two hundred chiefs, and all their kindred under their command” (emphasis added). The tribe of Issachar had the important job of discerning, envisioning, and advising on the future direction of Israel. King David and all Israel depended on such insight. It’s no different for churches today.
We, at FPC, need our own “tribe of Issachar” made up of “two hundred chiefs!” Thankfully, we have them! As part of the Faith Forward initiative, we have assembled a Vision Team, who will be leading our church through the visioning phase of Faith Forward. Beginning in the Fall, the Vision Team will convene at a series of retreats where they will be discerning and updating our church’s mission, vision, and values (our “True North”) to help the church know with greater clarity who we are becoming. They will also be helping us to create alignment to our True North by crafting a “roadmap” outlining the path to becoming that future church. The Vision Team, like the chiefs of Issachar, will be helping us to understand the times so we will know what to do. Instead of two hundred chiefs, our Vision Team is made up of 25 people, comprised of the Session, the senior staff, and other leaders of the congregation. Following the guidance of our consultants, the Session approved the following Team members:
▪ Session Members: Oliver Ash, Janis Croop, Stacy Leyland, Luis Martinez, Lew Becker, Paul Irving, Bill Rieth, Anne Ferris, Elizabeth Gianakakis, Len Parker, Mark Pedersen, Dianne Brown, Paige Thompson, Jen Lake, Anne Francis, Dawn Magnuson, Bob Mecredy, Judith Van Dorn
▪ Senior Staff: Aaron Neff, Erin Jacobson, Craig Kunkle, Jared Chase
▪ Other Church Leaders: Andrea Wright, Dan Harrison, Rob Rhodes
Please keep the Vision Team in your prayers as they prepare for their work this Fall. I will keep you updated about our progress through Faith Forward as the initiative moves forward.
As we Are Beginning….
From Pastor Aaron Neff -
Update on our Faith Forward Initiative
The Transforming Church Insight survey closed on May 21. The goal was to have 25% of our attending congregation participate – and you beat that number by far! A whopping 49% of those attending FPC filled out the questionnaire – THANK YOU! The next step in the process is a visit next weekend by the consultant (Kevin) from Leighton Ford Ministries who will be meeting with several Focus Groups. Come to worship on June 18 at 10:00 am for a chance to meet Kevin! We are making good progress on charting the course for FPC!
At the Start…
From Pastor Aaron Neff -
You may also recall that I ended the report at the congregational meeting saying that a goal without a plan is just a wish. Without a roadmap for a long journey, there is little chance of reaching one’s destination. A strategic plan functions like our roadmap to the future church we want to become. We have hired Leighton Ford Ministries as our consultant to lead us through a strategic planning process, which we’re calling “Faith Forward.”
I want to take this opportunity to explain the Faith Forward initiative a little. The process has already officially begun, and we are in the Discovery Phase. All that means practically right now is that our staff and our Treasurer have been providing some background information for our consultant. We’ve sent them information about the church’s history, recent membership/ worship attendance trends, our church’s boards and programs, the impact of COVID on our congregation, recent financial trends, and more, including the results of our 2018 Mission Study and our 2021 Vital Congregations Initiative (VCI) report (more on these later). Kevin, our personal consultant, will be visiting us in June to lead multiple focus groups of various cross-sections of our congregation and will spend time with us on a Sunday to observe our worship. During this Discovery Phase, you are also strongly encouraged to complete the Transforming Church Insight survey between now and May 21. (See my Mid-Week Meet-Up from April 19 for instructions on how to complete the survey or call the church office.) After the Discovery Phase is completed this summer, we will enter the Visioning Phase. In the fall, Kevin will facilitate a series of retreats with our church leadership - to help them discern and review/update our mission, vision, and values, and, ultimately, craft strategic initiatives for our church - the all-important “roadmap.”
You may be wondering: Didn’t we already do this sort of thing in our 2018 Mission Study and during VCI a few years ago? If you are wondering that, you aren’t alone as a few people have asked that question already. The reality is that a lot has changed since 2018. COVID has altered so much about the religious landscape and, indeed, about the world in general. We are a different church today than we were then, and we have much more to discern about ourselves and our future. But just as important, how many people in our church understand the lessons we learned and insights we gained through the Mission Study and through VCI? I know I do, along with others who led or were close to those other initiatives. They are part of the reason our church leadership crafted a vision of growing faith through doing the following things: “worship, connect, and serve.” But the truth is: it’s actually very difficult to cast a vision that everyone can see. We learned some very valuable lessons through those other initiatives and, part of the reason we’re seeking additional consultancy, is to help us translate those lessons into practical realities.
I’m glad you’re part of the First Presbyterian family, and I look forward to taking the Faith Forward journey with you.
Aaron