Sand Dollars and Membership Growth

The Board is initiating a conversation about membership growth in First U.  Our vision is to make a difference in the world.   If growing our numbers is important to us, in what ways will it help to make a difference?  Is growing in our diversity important?  Why? 

It sure feels like we’re growing.  We are feeling excitement in church, attendance is good – and coffee hour after church is full and lasts a long time.  Open Circles is in full swing, people are showing up to cook for Emmanuel Dining Room, and a new effort has begun to address racial justice.  The fact is, in the past year, we have barely held steady in our overall membership numbers?  We say we want to grow –– and it’s a big challenge.

I’ve been visiting my parents in Florida over the past week – spending time on the Gulf Coast in the panhandle.  Despite the colder than usual weather, I spent several hours of every day walking along the deserted beach.  I was usually in search of that rare find – a sand dollar that hasn’t been broken up in its travels through the breaking waves.  I found many, many beautiful shells – there must be millions to choose from.  But it’s hard to find sand dollars.  I was also in search of new subjects for my photography.  I have hundreds of photos of this beach – the shells, the sunset, the waves, the gulls.  I was hoping to get a great shot of a pelican.  Harder than it seems.  Alone on the beach, I rediscovered the importance of patience, something easy to leave behind in the digital world.   It takes patience to get that specific picture I have in my imagination.

While walking, I thought a lot about our vision for our membership.  I tried to stay away from easy answers and instead focused on questions we might contemplate.  I realized that understanding growth and its impact is like finding that elusive sand dollar – it takes patience.  It takes asking questions to understand what we will achieve through growth.  It takes creating experiences that are rewarding and make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.  I continue to believe that when others experience the difference we make at our church, we will grow.  And it takes patience.

I hope you will join the Board of Trustees on Sunday, March 7^th, at our “Springboard to Growth” conversation with the congregation, and help us to discern what growth means to our congregation.

And by the way, I finally found that sand dollar!

In Faith,

Nancy