A Wish List from 2001—Part II

As explained in the last post, The Builder of September 28, 2001, included a two-page list of suggestions for adding to the quality of our church and its programs (part of the planning process for the 2002 budget). In Part I we looked at the physical items, which amounted to more than half the list.

So besides fixing up the building and grounds and purchasing some tangible items, what else did members and friends suggest? Check out the list below. Keep in mind that these ideas were proposed by individuals, so they don’t necessarily reflect the wishes of the majority. But it’s interesting to see which of these items have gone from being ideas in 2001 to a reality in 2008—and which are still just possibilities.

Personnel
Part-time, paid youth/young adult coordinator
Full-time assistant minister
Intern minister—become a teaching church
Church coordinator (paid position)

Programming/Worship/Meetings
Afternoon service on Sunday
Exercise/fitness program
ZPG/NPG meetings [Zero Population Growth, Negative Population Growth]
Quality speakers on science and social issues
Daytime, weekday group for seniors at the church
Book discussion group
Resume bookstore [Does that mean we had a bookstore before then?]
Longer meditation during the service
Do away with yellow mugs [for newcomers/visitors]
Hire out coffee hour

Other
A plan for recruiting young adults
Option to pay pledges by direct deposit or credit card
Group of volunteers available on short notice to bring a “shut-in” to church
Publish and sell a “decade in review” memory book

So there you have it—a time capsule of ideas from 2001. Do any of them resonate with you? What programs—these or others—would you put on your wish list for our church’s future?

A Wish List from 2001—Part I

Not quite seven years ago, in September 2001, our congregation was getting ready to hold a town hall meeting to begin planning the 2002 church budget. Before the meeting, members and friends were asked to suggest possible ways to add to the quality of our church and its programs.

The suggestions that were offered filled two pages in The Builder (9/28/01). Looking at the list now, in retrospect, tells us something about where we were—literally and figuratively—and what our hopes and dreams were in 2001.

At least half of the suggestions related to the maintenance and improvement of our beloved but aging home on Hamilton Street. Now that we’re in a new home, some of those items, such as an elevator, are moot. Pretty much all of the rest (e.g. air conditioning, sprinkler system, roof that doesn’t leak, fresh paint) have been accomplished—although not, of course, in the same way as if we had stayed in the old building.

Refurbishing the organ was also on the list, and that’s been accomplished as well. We can also check off the automated external defibrillator, TV/VCR (we’ve moved on to a DVD player), new tables, and better playground equipment.

That’s not to say that we’ve acquired all of the tangible items from the list. We don’t have a bike rack or a Coke machine, for example. We did get a photo directory (in 2003), but it’s now out of date. And instead of a new, larger sign for displaying sermon titles, we currently don’t have one at all.

What do you think—would any of those items make it onto your own wish list? What other physical items would you add?

In Part II, we’ll look at non-tangible items from the 2001 wish list: personnel, programming, and more.