G-O-O-O-O-O-O-A-A-A-L!

Have you ever heard Argentinian-born sportscaster Andres Cantor call a soccer match and when one team scores, he lets out a minutes-long cry of G-O-O-O-O-A-A-A-L? It is a fantastically memorable sound. And we did something memorable last night… At the first meeting of our new Leadership Council, we passed a set of goals for Plymouth in 2019. (By the way, it’s an amazing group of Plymouth folks who form this year’s Council!)

I shared these goals in our staff meeting this morning and met with a strong positive response from my staff colleagues, as well. Different ministry teams, boards, staff, and the Leadership Council itself will be tackling these goals during 2019. So, with no further ado…

Plymouth Goals for 2019

• Improve worship attendance (309 in 2018; aim for 320 in 2019). This is a goal for ALL of us who form Plymouth: if you’re in town, come to church! When you aren’t here, we miss you…and you miss out on the gift of Plymouth!
• Increase pledging and fulfillment of pledges. The Stewardship Board will be working this year to reach folks with the ways your giving to Plymouth helps change lives. 
• Improve visitor welcome experience. What is it like to walk into Plymouth on a Sunday? Are you greeted in worship and coffee hour? Welcomed at the Visitor Information Desk? Engaged in conversation if you are using a blue mug?
• Evaluate and update Building Use fee structure & fees for weddings and funerals. We need to ensure that we are covering costs for things like utilities, deferred maintenance, and custodial care and building.
• Drive leadership development and nominating process. We are in the process of recasting the Nominating Committee as a Leadership Development Committee that will work year-round to help develop new leaders and identify the right person for the right ministry.
• Glean and use results from Adaptive Challenge Task Force on Age-Related Engagement. A new task force is looking for ways to engage folks in their 20s and 30s more fully.
• Integrate new Business Manager into Council/Treasurer/Budget & Finance processes. As we look toward filling this new half-time position, we’ll need to work to help him or her mesh well with Plymouth.
• Evaluate current strategic plan and identify key areas needed to complete the plan. Take steps toward next process. We still have some work to do with the 2015 Strategic Plan, and we’re due for a new process soon!
• Getting members to sign on to F1Go and use it. If you haven’t used our new F1Go database, you have a treat in store: a great smartphone app and an internet-based site make getting information really easy…wherever you are!
• Identify congregational theme for 2019 (“Go Deeper”) and drive it. 

We haven’t had a congregational theme for several years, and you may have heard me use “Go Deeper” at the Congregational Meeting in January. All of us can Go Deeper in our faith, whether that means engaging in a volunteer ministry at Plymouth, digging deeper into your spiritual journey, attending the Art Weekend (March 8-10) to kick off Lent, stretching yourself to increase your generosity, or ...

I look forward to working with YOU to help engage these goals as we delve into an exciting year at Plymouth when together we will Go Deeper!

Shalom!

Author

The Rev. Hal Chorpenning has been Plymouth's senior minister since 2002. Before that, he was associate conference minister with the Connecticut Conference of the UCC. A grant from the Lilly Endowment enabled him to study Celtic Christianity in the UK and Ireland. Prior to ordained ministry, Hal had a business in corporate communications. Read more about Hal.