On Saturday July 11th, as some of the most talented soccer players in the world prepared for the quarter finals of the World Cup, leaders from across EPA & GNJ gathered to make some goals of their own. Leaders from the contextual ministry plans gathered with members of the Connectional Table at Doylestown UMC to discern goals around each of the priority areas for the annual conference.
Rev. Sunil Balasundaram, pastor of Doylestown United Methodist Church, warmly greeted everyone who gathered. “It is truly a privilege, as well as a pleasure, to have joint conferences meeting here as part of the connectional table.” Ms. Lenora Thompson, chair of EPA’s connectional table, offered a greeting and opening prayer inspired by Bill Wither’s “Lovely Day,” offering particular thanks and praise for everyone who was willing to sacrifice a summer Saturday to do some goal setting.
Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm, Executive Director of Connectional Ministries, set the direction for the day. The conferences would break up into tables where each table would focus on setting 1-3 goals for a particular priority area for their annual conference.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi urged those gathered to continue to press forward, even in the midst of their questions, “In Acts, when Jesus was about to leave, the disciples had a lot of questions, but Jesus didn’t have a lot of answers.” She encouraged everyone gathered not to worry about whether the goals identified would be the “right goals” but to trust that when we step out in faith, the Holy Spirit will continue to guide and perfect us along the way.
Rev. Jennifer Cho of St. Andrew’s UMC Spring Lake in GNJ, provided a presentation on SMART goals. She asked those gathered:
“What makes a champion team? Is it that they are good looking, or their coach gives a really good speech? No, they practice the elements of the game… Just as the winning soccer team needs a game plan, so too do our churches need a plan.”
She led those gathered in the process of turning vision to action, first by making SMART goals (goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) and then by creating key milestones and an action plan that breaks milestones down into the kind of small steps that help people identify concrete action.
After Rev. Cho’s presentation paved the way for the morning’s work, the leaders departed to their respective working spaces, equipped with survey results where members of EPA & GNJ had shared their thoughts on the annual conference priorities the Connectional Table discerned. Each conference had its own workspace and imagined goals for its own priorities.
In EPA, leaders gathered to dream together around the priorities of:
- Justice
- Leadership
- Strengthening the Local Church
- Discipleship
- Youth and Young Adults
Following a morning of faithful wrestling, leaders from across conferences gathered to break bread together and share the conversations of the morning over lunch. The gathering space at Doylestown filled with enthusiastic conversation as leaders shared the ideas the morning had sparked.
After lunch, table leaders shared either the goals their table had created, or the conversation they had shared with the larger body to gather the wisdom of the group. Here’s what they shared.
The table focused on Justice discerned three priority areas: immigration, equitable compensation, and relationship building through joint tables. The table also identified one goal: By June 2027, the EPA Justice Teams will develop and launch a conference-wide Justice Communication Hub to share timely justice-related resources, advocacy opportunities, ministry stories, and upcoming events. The hub will be updated at least monthly and promoted to every congregation, with the goal of increasing collaboration and participation in justice ministries across the annual conference.
The Leadership table is still in the process of creating a goal but shared their conversation about how to effectively level conference communications to better equip leaders in the local church, with the hope of creating a culture where it is an expectation that if you are a lay leader in the local church, you receive and read the Digest and maintain a relationship with the conference.
Strengthening the local church discussed effective disciple making and what it takes to truly love boldly. They explored whether cooperative ministries might help strengthen the relationships between churches. The table landed on the goals of nurturing intentional discipleship and strengthening cooperative ministry relationships within the annual conference.
The Discipleship table explored the meaning of discipleship and considered what was missing from the local church’s current discipleship practices. They pondered together what specific and measurable actions they could use in the coming year and seriously considered how the annual conference might truly equip local congregations without imposing a one-size-fits-all program. They discerned that discipleship coaches for each congregation might be a way to effectively equip churches of all sizes to make discipleship plans.
The youth and young adult tabled talked about strategies for dismantling barriers between generations. They identified a goal of creating three intergenerational retreats at different camps across Eastern PA.
After the time of sharing, Rev. Iraida Porras, Chair of the Connectional Table for GNJ, led the closing worship service featuring communion, and leaders departed to continue dreaming and enjoy the remainder of the beautiful July day.
Perfectly executed plays on the soccer field are rarely the work of a moment, but the outcome of a process of ongoing practice and continuing refinement. The progress that EPA & GNJ made towards goal setting were but the first steps towards the plays that will help the conference take the next right step in each priority area. Some groups are continuing to meet, and the Connectional Tables of EPA & GNJ will review and refine the goals when they gather in the fall. In the space between, let us continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the steps of EPA & GNJ as we continue to walk in this new season where priorities and goals are being discerned from the ground up.
