Fellowship and a Full Calendar

I am fully aware that the Northminster event calendar has been full so far this fall.

From joint worship services, to educational talks, to potluck picnics, I am touched by how many folks have dedicated much of their Sundays to eating together, learning, and fellowship with one another.  And a special thank you to everyone who contributed to the potluck this past Sunday. Whether you helped set up, brought food, or stayed to talk with folks from Congregational Church of Birmingham, our guests were touched by your hospitality.

While I know that the fall remains a busy season for many of us, I hope that you can make time for our next three after-church conversations:

Oct 6 – Committee Restructuring Plan
Oct 13 – Informational Session about CCB Rental Negotiations and Q&A
Oct 20 – 2025 Budget Presentation.

With each of these topics, we are hoping to present a plan or an outline in order to receive feedback from the congregation. That means we want to hear from YOU!

And while these are three separate conversations, they are also interconnected. Therefore, I hope as many people as possibly are able to make time to be a part of these conversations. If you are not able to make it to one of these conversations but would like to know more about what is being presented, please send me an email and I will be happy to send you my presentation and answer any questions.

The next presentation will be about restructuring our committees at Northminster.
The proposal that Session has forwarded on to the Congregation for comment includes two main pieces:
1) Reducing the number of Committees down to 4, in addition to Session and Deacons
2) Changing when and how these committees meet.
​With these changes, our committee structure will only require 26 volunteers (down from the 38 to 53+ volunteers currently needed).

Yes, this proposed plan requires less people in order to function. Since we are a smaller congregation, a smaller structure is required for our long-term viability. However, I am aware that, in the past, similar attempts were made to lighten the load of committee work but those efforts instead made people feel like they were pushed out of life-giving work they enjoyed doing. Our goal is not to push people out of positions they enjoy but to give people who are tired an off-ramp and to make all committees have a similar workload throughout the year. If you enjoy the volunteer work that you are already doing, we will find a way so that you can continue doing that work.

Lastly, if you are planning on being at any of the next three after church conversations, consider volunteering to bring food to share.

We are looking for three people each Sunday: one to bring soup, another to bring salad, and a third to bring bread. Let us know if you would like to volunteer to bring food.

Blessings,
Pastor Chris