Dear Church,
Remember at the beginning of You’ve Got Mail, when Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are getting to know each other through the first generation of social media messages? He writes to her, “Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils, if I knew your name and address.” Not only is that one of the sweetest lines of all time, it perfectly sums up my feelings about fall, too. The year may be approaching its end, but somehow, it’s time for a new start. It’s like we’ve got our second wind, and we’re ready to get serious about our goals before we settle down for our long winter’s nap.
Church is such a happening place these days! We’ve got so much good stuff going on. People are joining us, new ministries are starting, and new volunteers are stepping up. At the same time, there are so many areas where we could use more help! We’ve got work to do, and I hope you all have your newly sharpened pencils ready!
One of the challenges in a church is to find the right volunteers for each job, and the right job for each volunteer. Most of the time, we don’t know who’s out there, what they are good at, or what they want to do. So that’s why I’m so excited to be launching our Time and Talent Survey!
This brief but thorough—and fun!— survey will help us know if you’re good with numbers or casseroles, with phone calls or a hammer, with organizing people or kitchens or thoughts. Whatever you like to do, whatever you’re good at, let me tell you: we need it! There are as many ways to serve as there are people, and I promise you, there is a job at church with your name on it.
Would you fill out this survey in the next two weeks? You can click on the link below and fill it out on line right now, making hay while the sun shines. If you’d prefer to use your pencils and do it on paper, that’s great! We’ll have plenty of copies at church.
Who will see these results? Initially, the Vision Team, our Program Director Becky, and me. Then we’ll start the matchmaking process, letting ministry chairs know that we have some volunteers who might enjoy the jobs they have.
Every time someone tries something new and finds their spot, it gives me so much delight. It makes our church more effective, more joyful, and more like the kingdom of heaven. I can’t wait to connect you to your next meaningful experience!
In friendship,
Pastor Meredith