What's Your Dream for LaGrange First UMC?

“Where there is no vision the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18)

Vision is essential if any person or group is to ever achieve its fullest potential.  Having, sharing, and implementing a biblical Vision can give us a direction to shoot for, a goal to move towards, and can harness the energy and power of God to get us there.  And, as the scripture above indicates, the lack of Vision can effectively destroy us.

Since January, our church’s Long Range Planning (LRP) Committee has been working diligently to begin the process of discerning God’s Vision for LaGrange First UMC for our future.  When ready, that Vision will consist of input from at least three sources:  (1) our identity/mission; (2) our internal congregational needs and dreams; (3) the needs of our external community.

That’s why we need your help!  Coming up THIS SUNDAY & NEXT WEEK, we’ll be sponsoring a series of “Vision Input TOWN HALL Meetings” where anyone from our church is invited and encouraged to share their thoughts and input about the dreams and visions YOU have and needs YOU see for our church over the next 12 months, 5 years, and 10 years.  We’ll offer three, hour-long meetings on Sunday, May 7 at 10am, Sunday, May 7 at 4pm, and Wednesday, May 10 at 6pm, and will be guided in our sharing by leaders from our LRP Committee. All Town Halls will take place in the Fellowship Hall.

We invite and encourage each and every church member and friend to mark your calendar and attend one of these so that you can share your thoughts and dreams for our church over the next 10 years with our LRP Committee. This is YOUR chance to give input about our church’s future direction.  And while it won’t be the only source of input for that future, it is an essential and needed one.

If for some reason you can’t be present that day, have ideas that you think about after attending, or have details that you feel would be better shared in writing, please feel free to email LRP@lagrangefumc.org (or mail them to the church office).

After this input is received, the LRP committee will also be researching the needs of our external community.  Then, later this summer and early Fall, they will work to bring all the pieces together to discern God’s overall VISION for our church’s future and bring an initial draft of that back to you as a congregation for you to give feedback about.

Until then, remember who you are (Christians… SERVING in love, CARING with compassion, and SHARING with boldness) and let that be a starting point for where we’re going and who we’re becoming.  And never forget that God loves you and I do, too!