Why the change in service times for Sunday morning?

Effective, Sunday, October 13; after taking a straw poll amongst members who attend both
the 9 am and 10:30 am services; and in light of our recent survey results; the service hours are
going to be changed. The first service; will begin at 8:30 am instead of 9:00 am. The second
service will begin at 10:45 am instead of 10:30 am. We are going to give this a try until the end
of the calendar year.

The third service, 1:00 pm, will stay the same.

Don’t forget, Daylight Savings ends on Sunday, November 3!

Why the change?
A few months ago, all in the church were invited to participate in a general congregational
survey called Holy Cow (company name). The purpose was to help identify who we are, who is
our neighbor, and what is God calling us to do during this time of transition. These survey
results are some of the sources of information for the task force that is currently crafting our
Parish Profile. This process, this profile, is one of the steps towards calling a new Rector.
A valuable response to come out of the survey is the desire for adult Christian Education
(Sunday school) on Sunday mornings. The existing worship schedule does not allow for such
a time slot. By changing the early service to 8:30 am and the second service to 10:45 am; this
allows a solid 45 minutes on Sunday morning for adult education (9:45-10:30 am).

Very important, this new schedule still allows time for coffee and fellowship. The main parish
hall will continue to be available for snacks and sharing. The classes will be held in the vestry
meeting room of the parish hall. The program is to have a series of classes that will be a series
of two to three Sundays; yet, each Sunday standing on it’s own as far as subject content.
The first two weeks will be with Fr. David Beer leading a discussion on Celtic Spirituality. The
next three weeks will be through a symposium called The Work Of The People (TWOTP). This
will be a discussion on gratitude, gifts and abundance led by Diana Butler Bass, an American
historian of Christianity and a leading voice in progressive Christianity (via streaming).

This has been a year now of many changes and transitions for this congregation; not to
mention my arrival on April 1 as your Interim Rector.

My prayer for all is that you continue to keep your hearts and minds open to the movement of
the Holy Spirit throughout this congregation. God has a plan!
​
Faithfully,
Ann+