Congregational Listening Sessions
May 24, 2020
On May 24th we held a congregational listening session to address future plans for the church. We discussed how we are monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and best practices of reopening safely. Though we will not be reopening any time soon, there was general consensus that reopening must occur in phases with careful planning. An update was given on the interim pastor search process. A committee has been formed and includes Larry Roth, Carrie Douglas, Michael Alt and Jennifer Mack. The committee is putting together a congregational profile and position description for the interim, to be sent to the Potomac Association in mid-June. The congregation is asked to answer the following questions and submit feedback to search@lrucc.org as soon as possible:
1. How would you describe the church to others in both what we are and what we would like to be?
2. In what areas do you think an Interim Pastor might be most helpful?
November 3, 2019
On Sunday, November 3, we held our quarterly Congregational Listening Session in order to give all members a chance to hear what was on the church leadership's mind (and vice versa!). During that session, we heard several updates. Mike Nagy reflected on the ongoing efforts to keep the church both safe and hospitable. Gail Perry shared the upcoming Lenten focus in 2020 about unpacking white privilege. Pastor David shared his excitement for the rollout of Realm, a communication and database tool for all congregants that will debut in the coming weeks. And we received a brief update on the 2019 operating budget, including adjustments when the church went from paying staff once a month to every two weeks (beginning in August). If you have questions or concerns about the congregation's life and ministry, you are encouraged to reach out to either Moderator Nancy Hall (moderator@lrucc.org) or Pastor David (david@lrucc.org).
August 18, 2019
The Listening Session had four primary themes: First Friday, Safety and Security, Governance/Nominations and Appointments, and the Sabbatical time.
I. Deacon Chair Chris Weakley led the discussion on First Friday. Sexton John Davis filled in a lot of gaps. Irena Pavlin and Michael Alt gave their input.
The convection oven is broken. This hampers our ability to produce meals, especially First Friday (Trustees allocated the funds for the oven replacement). Our kitchen crew has been decimated. Nancy Hall mentioned that the Culinary Arts Department at Annandale High School caters (as does Marshall HS).
John mentioned that this is a longstanding outreach program, and one of the few that we do consistently. There had been a cost hike that may have may have priced us out of the market and needs to be recalibrated. That probably means that LRUCC will have to subsidize the activity.
The Deacons cannot produce this program. Hopefully, Christian Education can take it under its wing.
There was an overall commitment to re-establish First Friday.
II. Mike Nagy walked us through the latest activities of the Safety and Security Committee. He showed us samples of the film that’ll be installed on the windows for the Annandale PlayCare. Nancy reminded the attendees that this is not a new policy, curtains had been on before, but they rotted in the sun. Each of the doors in the children’s area has been improved for security, thus obviating the need for a door between the atrium and children, at a fraction of the cost. Locks have been replaced all around the building.
III. Tom Ross told us that Nominations and Appointments will shrink to a committee of one shortly, but the job of N and A will continue. We all need to prayerfully consider what we can do to ameliorate this situation. We will have Saturday sessions in the fall about restructuring the Ministry and Governance and Church Council.
IV. The prevailing feeling of the attendees was that the Sabbatical time was going extremely well. Nancy thanked Janet Mackey and Drew Nettinga (in absentia) for their professional, calming guidance and support. The group thanked the Moderator Team and the Deacons.
November 4, 2018
On Sunday, November 4, we held our quarterly Congregational Listening Session in the Choir Room after worship. The focus of this session was to hear from members about the impact of the hate crime last year. Pastor David facilitated while Moderator John Mingus took notes. The session was primarily composed of individual members sharing how the hate crime impacted them, both at the time and since then. Pastor David engaged in active listening, repeating back to each person what they had shared to make sure that he had understood them. These reflections will shape the Victim Impact Statement that David will be writing about the incident. All are welcome to write their own individual Victim Impact Statement and send it to Fairfax County (care of Marin at Marin.Hoplamazian@fairfaxcounty.gov), but Pastor David wanted to send over as complete a statement as he could to the judge as sentencing proceeds for Dylan Mahone.