Lead Committee Report on Phase 1 of Visioning Process — November 27

The LEAD Committee would like to thank all who completed our survey and participated in one of the ten forums that were held. We would like to share some of the general themes that we heard in our conversations with the members of St Matthew.

In response to how you would describe St Matthew, we consistently heard welcoming, friendly, and caring. Many expressed appreciation of the leadership of the church as well as its strong music ministry. Many were pleased with the increased outreach of the church within the community and beyond. The strength of the youth groups and meaningful sermons delivered by the pastors was also cited frequently.
The response regarding what members are passionate about centered primarily on the programs involving music and our younger members. Our music program has the ability to draw people into the church through the variety of choirs for all ages and the concert programs. Many expressed how the musical selections enhance the message of the day. There seems to be a consensus of offering a blend of traditional and contemporary music within the service.

Members have enjoyed seeing the younger members of the congregation actively involved in all aspects of the service. Interest was expressed in terms of offering a full day preschool program. In order to get more school aged children involved in activities, an effort should be made to offer invitations to be involved as the seasons change. Finally, there was interest in trying to get a young adult group formed for fellowship.

Finally we wondered how members felt about our community. The consensus was that St Matthew does care about the community as evidenced by the Caring Cupboard, Community Meals, and special drives to benefit those in need. However, many recognized the plight of the homeless, those dealing with mental health and addiction problems, and food insecurity. These problems are significant and many thought beyond the ability of St Matthew to solve by themselves. A large number of people suggested possibly partnering with community agencies to be part of the solution

The above were the main themes discussed. Some individuals provided some excellent suggestions for consideration. Again we thank all of you for your thought and willingness to share those thoughts with the committee.

We now move onto Phase 2 which will involve talking to various local agencies and organizations to get their insight on the Hanover Community. We look forward to those discussions and hope to come away better educated on the needs of Hanover and what role we at St Matthew can play in being part of the solution.

If you have any questions, please contact any of the LEAD Team members: Hunter Crabbs, Sherry Crouse, Randy Kline, Tim Peck, Kelli Reed, Kayla Steffens, Jen Troup, Pastor Kathy Vitalis Hoffman, or Vicki Wildasin