Following is an excerpt from the report prepared by our visioning day facilitator Richard Hryniw; held April 26, 2008.

SOME OBSERVATIONS

 From both the information gathered about the recent past and the focus on new directions, St. Stephen’s Memorial presents itself as a Church Community that is proud of its past but recognizes that the future requires new directions.  From the wide variety of ideas, there appears to be three major areas that emerge.

 a)     Stewardship of resources (Human and Financial)

 b)     Focus on Youth and Youth Leadership

c)      Growth of Community through personal contact 

SOME CONCLUSIONS FROM AN OBSERVER

Stewardship

 As an observer of the interchange that took place on Visioning Day it was clear that there is a commitment both to the Church community as well as the community at large (both near and far).  It was also clear that in order to bring about dreams it is going to cost in time talent and resources.  All of these are in limited supply and it appeared that there is a need for everyone in the church community to reexamine their efforts and commitment to achieving the goals and establishing the visions that are viewed collectively as being important.  This is going to require everyone in the church community to examine their own resources and desire to establishing and growing the financial well being of the Church not only for the present but future generations.  This can perhaps be summarized in two self examining questions:

1)     Do I care enough about St. Stephen’s memorial that I am willing to increase my weekly offering to keep it financially sound? (Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, body and soul)

2)     Do I care enough about others that I am not only willing but am eager to give of my time, talent and resources to help others? (Love your neighbour as yourself)

Focus on Youth

Again as an observer of the proceedings, it is clear there is a commitment to the youth of the church community and a strong desire to provide programming and inclusion in the church.  It is also recognized that this requires a greater pledging of time and ability than may be available in the church community.  The hiring and support (financially, morally, spiritually) of a trained person is the desired way to bring about the greatest level of success.  Again a self examining question:

1)     How committed are we to the future generations of the church?  Are we willing to give of our resources to bring about this support?

Growth of Community through Personal Contact

I feel the parishioners of St. Stephen’s Memorial clearly feel they should be an important and perhaps leading element in the larger community.  This is a view that is expressed through the desire to welcome people of the surrounding community, but more importantly to provide a safe and nurturing environment that will meet their needs physically and spiritually.  There is a recognition that there needs to be more communication to the greater community and to find a way of networking with the larger community.  The purpose of all of this is to show the church as a place that is far beyond “just” Sunday Services or a place that is only interested in its own personal wellness.

The task will again lead us to the question as to whether we are willing to put the resources and efforts into this commitment.