The work of three task forces (Sunday Morning, Stewardship and Shelter Review), which took place over many months, culminated in the decisions summarized below.
Sunday Morning Task Force
By Greg DowThe Sunday Morning Task Force was appointed by Session this past January to examine FAPC’s Sunday morning schedule and activities, including attendance patterns, congregational preferences, facility usage, personnel responsibilities and stewardship of our resources. We examined these issues from all possible angles and sought input from many sources, including a congregation-wide survey which garnered 369 completed responses, with many of you also taking the time to write us additional comments.
We are pleased to announce that the following Task Force recommendations were adopted unanimously, effective Homecoming Sunday, September 13, 2009:
• move the 9:30 service to the chapel;
• move the 11:15 service up to 11:00, keeping it in the sanctuary;
• offer our main Sunday School education at 9:30, with different programming for children in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades at 11:00;
• keep nursery/toddler care all morning; and
• offer enhanced opportunities for adult education at both 9:30 and 12:30;
• During the 11:00 service, there will be nursery care (up to 3 years) as well as a “children’s church” program for pre-k through 2nd graders. Children 3rd grade and older will be encouraged to worship in the sanctuary with their family and or friends.
We believe that moving the first service to the chapel addresses concerns that many had about the lower attendance we have had at the 9:30 hour over the past couple of years, while still preserving that time slot for worship. It also allows for greater use of the chapel, which is a beautiful and under-used space. This change also eases the burden of two full services on our music program, pastors, lay leaders and ushers and greeters.
We are also excited about the opportunity for enhanced adult education before and after our main 11:00 service, and for a new focus on family worship. Our Sunday School program, nursery/toddler care, and the Focus of Next group will all continue largely as they have, but we expect the CCS and other adult classes, bible study and small discussion groups to be significantly strengthened with the new focus on adult education.
We look forward to seeing these plans develop in the months ahead, and thank everyone for their thoughtful input. Task Force members were Greg Dow (chair), Paul Rock, Daphne Foreman, Holly Humphrey, Eric Johnson, Marc Lovci, Patrick Obeng-Frimpong and Lynn Pitz.
Stewardship Task Force
By Sandy LambSession created the Stewardship Task Force in January 2009 and charged it with understanding the theological and biblical roots of stewardship, researching and analyzing current fundraising practices at FAPC, comparing these practices with those of similarly situated churches and nonprofit organizations generally, and developing major findings and comprehensive recommendations to guide the Session. Members of the Task Force contacted over 25 persons, including FAPC members, nonprofit development experts, staff of other urban churches of similar size, and FAPC pastors and staff. The Task Force also surveyed the many organizations in the church which ask the congregation for financial or in-kind support and sought detailed information from several former annual pledge campaign chairs.
The basis of Christian financial support is that all we have is a gift from God. Jesus has told us that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Luke (12:34). By investing our money in Christ’s ongoing ministry at FAPC, we ensure that our heart remains centered in the correct place as we move toward spiritual maturity. We at FAPC seek that vibrant connection between faith and finances.
The Stewardship Task Force made a number of recommendations to Session about how to transform the church’s fundraising culture and results. Among the many recommendations are to change the name of the Session organization responsible for fundraising from the Stewardship Group to the Development Group, to expand the Group’s members in order to include members of the congregation experienced in fundraising, communications, marketing, IT and finance, and to have co-chairs for the annual pledge campaign. As in the past, nominated officers for Session, Trustees, and Deacons must be pledgers and, ideally, will demonstrate a history of pledging.
In addition, all officers will personally contact one or two members of the congregation each year for that member’s pledge. It is envisioned that communications and education about the “vibrant connection between faith and finances” will be a year-round activity of the Group and that the congregation’s generosity will be celebrated. The Development Group will manage the fundraising calendar so FAPC organizations’ solicitations occur at different times throughout the year and do not “compete” with the annual pledge campaign message. A part of every dollar raised by church organizations will be contributed to the general operating support of the church. This is but a sampling of the many recommended actions and responsibilities of the Development Group over the coming years.
The Stewardship Task Force is composed of Bettye Bradley, Swan Chang, Jerry Claiborne, Tony Gotto, Sandy Lamb, Ted Lawson, and Randy Weber. Any of these members will be delighted to give you more details on the recommendations of the Task Force.
Shelter Review Task Force
By Lynn Wishart
Since 1986 Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church has hosted a Shelter for adult homeless men. During these years the shelter guests have spent 10 to 12 hours a night – from early evening until early morning – within our walls. The shelter guests come to FAPC from a drop-in center, run by a private provider under contract with New York City, where they receive comprehensive medical and psychosocial screening, counseling and assistance in applying for housing and other entitlements.
In 2008 the New York City Department of Homeless Services announced planned changes for the operations of drop-in centers as well as other modifications that would impact on faith-based shelters like FAPC’s. The Partnership for the Homeless, FAPC’s provider for most of its 23 years of sheltering the homeless, opted not to bid on the new contracts.
To continue our service to the homeless through our Shelter, the Shelter Review Task Force explored two different models for housing guests nightly. One model would have us move the more stabilized men from our Steps directly into the Shelter after on-site screening by a third-party provider. A second model, almost identical to the one managed by The Partnership, would have us receive men from a drop-in center. The Task Force arrived at a substantial consensus to partner with a drop-in center for the next year.
The Task Force believes that this decision will have relatively low impact, if any, on the volunteers who host the guests in the Shelter and on the FAPC staff and facility. Those involved on the Task Force and with the Committee on Homelessness will seek ways to expand the volunteer hosting opportunities as well as engage others in the congregation to help people find permanent housing and offer support once housed. We also are continuing to look for opportunities to help those who take refuge on our Steps move inside more quickly. Because we see the face of Christ in each person, we remain committed to continuing to try to make a difference one life at a time by befriending the homeless, connecting them to needed resources and collaborating with others who seek to end homelessness.
Members of the Task Force include Eric Daniels, Rev. Kate Dunn, Tim Eddy, Derek Maddalena, Brenda McCoy, Stacey Perkins Rock, Joe Vedella and Lynn Wishart.
Revisions:
The reference to "The Partnership for the Homeless, FAPC’s provider for all of our 23 years of sheltering the homeless, opted not to bid on the new contracts." was changed as it was not clear if the Partnership was the provider for all of the years FAPC has had a shelter. (June 15, 2009)
