Goals

I was offered a reminder of the desire for each clergy person to provide Goals for ministry. In the ongoing assessment and planning for Ojai UMC these are the goals I have prepared and been working from since July.

My goal for the remainder of this appointment year is to continue to develop the Vision of Ojai UMC with the input of the congregation. I hope that all of this will be bathed in prayer by the members of our congregation, which I will continue to pursue in public and private conversations.

The steps in this process are:

1) Visit with the members of the Congregation to surface their hopes and dreams, as well as the sustaining nature of Ojai UMC. (July-January)

2) Develop an asset awareness of the Congregation through Spiritual Gifts Inventories, and listing of tangible assets of the church - buildings, money, etc. (October - January)

3) Partner the assets of the church with the needs of the community, and the general hopes of the members for an idea of where we would like to go. (October-January)

4) A series of community roundtable discussions of these, and the current outcomes and realities of Ojai UMC (this may be small 8-10 people dinners, gatherings, or meetings) (January-February)

5) The forming of a coherent and cohesive vision for Ojai UMC. (February-April)

There is a final phase to this process, and I do not know how far we will get with this process before the year is up. The conclusion to this process is to evaluate the Vision, and the desired outcomes that we need to see happening to achieve the vision, leading to the Mission Statement, which will include any real change that must occur within the congregation and beyond for the Vision to be met. (April-June ++)

There are some additional goals related to my work at Ojai UMC, though not directly related to the Visioning process.

A) Complete the improvements to the parsonage.

B) Installation of improvements at Ojai UMC/Noahs Ark Preschool, along with preschool director Amber Christensen to maintain accreditation.

C) Celebration of Ojai UMC 50th Anniversary, and creation of ongoing "living memorials" as appropriate and desired - including but not limited to: Historical Wall, Memorial Garden, Memorial Wall.

D) Completion of IRS welfare and church exemptions, and recovery of back taxes.

E) Review of Membership Rolls

F) Continuing Education in Camp and Retreat Ministry and Christian Education, especially as related to Certification for these areas.

G) Exceptional Charge Conference and development of all viable church committees through training and education.