New Covenant Community • 210 West Mulberry Street • Normal, IL • 61761 • 309.454.7362

BACKGROUND:

Back in September, 40 NCC members and friends gathered for a day of visioning facilitated by local consultant Jan Elfline.  We alternated working together and in small groups throughout the day to consider questions such as the following:

• Recalling your entire experience at this church, what was a high point (a time when you felt most alive, motivated, appreciated, and grateful for your involvement)?

• What factors give vitality to this church, without which it couldn’t exist (it’s defining and enduring values?

• How does this community make a difference in the world?

• If you were a newcomer some Sunday, what aspects of the worship service would most clearly convey to you this community’s defining values?

• It is now September 2017 — what would you wish to see happening at NCC that is engaging, inspiring, and making a real difference?

We shared our responses and recorded them under six headings: building, membership, education, social agenda, worship, and other.  From those initial ideas, notes were compiled by a small group of volunteers who synthesized the original six categories into three new ones: NCC Place, NCC Ingrowth, and NCC Outgrowth.  These notes were made available to the entire congregation at the end of December, 2007.  Copies are still available during worship, or by request (email RWRyder@aol.com).

The compilation volunteers reported to the Steering Committee at their November meeting.  Together the SC agreed the next step should be translating our common aspirations into a cohesive vision.  What characteristics do we collectively want NCC to retain?  What new aspects do we want to develop in the next stage of our history?  What will it look like, sound like, and feel like to be part of NCC a dozen years from now?

NEXT STEPS: