December 2022
Dear Follen Members and Friends,
Our multigenerational services in December were dazzling with spectacular music and inspiring words as we prepared to lose the darkness and find the returning light of the new year. Our sincere thanks to Chris, Shaylor and all the choir members, soloists and musicians at Follen who have filled our hearts with glorious music from various traditions at each service. Special thanks to Beryl for the exceptional service on Sunday Dec. 17 including a new take on an old story and a gleeful, participatory rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas!
Program Council: Follen’s operational governing body composed of our President, Vice President and Action Team leaders – met on Monday December 12 in the Anne Smith room. We discussed open staff positions at Follen, walked through the profit and loss statements for the church budget year to date, and discussed steward training leading into the kick off to the annual pledge drive. The majority of Follen’s operation budget comes from pledges. A job description has been approved and the search has begun in earnest for a new Follen business manager. A big thank you to the whole transition team covering all key responsibilities and the Follenties who have stepped up into interim positions during the transition. Meagan has implemented major improvements for the rentals process that along with the rentals team will significantly improve the onboarding process for a new business manager.
Parish Board: The Parish Board met on Thursday, December 15 in the Anne Smith room. Following check-ins, we dove more deeply into our ongoing discussion about what is working well at Follen and which areas may deserve further attention and examination. We had a wide ranging conversation about both strategic and tactical matters and a small group agreed to meet in January to create a one-pager that will set forth our vision for how to proceed on a long-term plan. We want to approach this work by asking key questions about our evolving mission, our shared values and how Follen should grow and flourish in the coming years. More to come in 2023, but if we’ve already sparked your interest, do let Lisa Snellings or Anne Kelly know as we anticipate needing several participants (beyond the board) to join us on this journey.
If you have any questions about what is happening at Follen or why, you are encouraged to reach out to any of us or Reverend Claire for a conversation. Follen members and friends are welcome to attend monthly Action Team, Program Council and Parish Board meetings. Check the calendar at Follen.org for upcoming meeting dates.
Program Council and Parish Board will have their annual joint meeting on Monday, January 30 7:30 pm. Please contact programcouncilpresident@follen.org or parishboardchair@follen.org for the agenda, location and/or Zoom link. All are welcome to join us!
Yours in Faith,
Follen Coordinating Team
Nick Hart, Program Council President
Jen Vandiver, Program Council Vice President
Lisa Snellings, Parish Board Chair
Anne Kelly, Parish Board Vice Chair
Reverend Claire Feingold Thoryn