Board Message – December

A few years ago I heard an advertisement for Starr King Church on the radio. It struck a responsive chord with me and a few days later when I was in the area I tried to find it but drove by without seeing a church. It was a whim which brought me to Bayview that day so I was satisfied with a quick look at an unfamiliar neighborhood.

A couple of years later I felt a little more impassioned about finding a church community and looked a little harder for the church in the labyrinth of our urban hills. Once we found our church Diana and I found warmth that welcomed us and ideas that challenged us. Both of us have become more involved with committee work and this has been incredibly rewarding. Diana loves children and so the Religious Exploration program was a natural fit for her. I have been involved as an usher, coffee hour, and have been on the board for a little over a year.

The board meetings occur once a month and cover a variety of church business; subjects as diverse as the sewer line replacement, green sanctuary policies, special events, and health care education programs are discussed and decided. The discussions that ensue are often lively although sometimes there is a consensus from the start.

The board is a blend of members who have years of experience and wisdom and those of us who are relatively new and hopefully shake things up to provide different viewpoints. Probably one of the biggest subjects has been church membership and reaching out to the community. Over the last couple of years there have been changes in our church; the most visible changes are the addition and beautification of our sanctuary and our new members and children in the community. The growth is a welcome change and I think most of us wish the membership to grow and become ever more inclusive.

So when during a board meeting the issue of signage came up and it was decided to replace the wooden sign at the gate Terry Hunt and I felt this was something we would get involved with. It took several months to decide on a design for the new sign and get on with the construction. Dick Albert and Walt Korus did a great job with the brick work and hopefully you are happy with the enhanced visibility.

In retrospect Diana and I might not have been ready for a church community and it was good to have waited until I searched a little harder and so maybe it should be a little tough to find our sanctuary; something like Shangri La in Hilton’s “Lost Horizons”. On the other hand life is short and we have something special here that should be easy to find. That is why I wanted to get involved with the work to get a more visible church sign placed at our entrance. I wanted the path to our church to be a little easier to find for those who search us out.

Roy Dickerson

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