November Session Report

Notes from Session Meeting Nov. 16, 2023

Submitted by Molly Redmond

• Participation in MPUC services, activities, and events has been increasing notably recently. We feel we are finally leaving the changes caused by covid behind.

• About 43% of annual pledges had been turned in by this date.

• Maggie Passmore shared some points from the Convergence Study on MPUC and possible future directions. This included such factors as the level of active participation in Church committees and projects, projections on the future of community churches in general, factors in our neighborhood that influence church participation, financial support from members, and more.

• Some of the Convergence recommendations included narrowing our focus on outreach and other projects drastically (i.e., to a single annual focus), encouraging more and other groups to use the building, more (and more deliberate) post-covid face-to-face gatherings, looking at best practices of other churches, and perhaps building cooperative relationships with some of them.

Clearly, some of these recommended changes will require major discussions within committees, groups, and the Session.