A Message from Ellen
Dear Friends,
I received an invitation that I want to extend to you. The Central Carolina Community Foundation is sponsoring a community discussion about the things that make our community great and the things that need to be changed. Our congregation – along with all sorts of congregations and community groups – is invited to hold Table Conversations on Wednesday, October 24th in order to identify strengths and challenges facing our local community. The whole process is called On the Table, and you can find out more about this initiative at www.OnTheTableCola.org .
The goal is to have as many small group discussions all over the city on that day and to have all of the issues discussed (strengths and challenges) given to the Foundation as input. We get to have a say! The Foundation will sift through all of the input they receive from the On The Table groups that meet, and they will identify the most common/oft recurring issues and focus their resources on addressing those challenges. The challenges or issues that show up with most frequency will become the focus of Foundation initiatives to address those challenges. It is a sort of crowd sourcing of priorities.
The Staff have agreed to host some Table Discussions here at Forest Lake as our Kirk Night Program for October 24th. Nursery is provided, and so is dinner (make your reservation). But it would be helpful for you to sign up so that we can have enough group facilitators ready to lead discussion. Coming to a Table Discussion is a one-time commitment. You do not have to do anything else. You will be asked, at the conclusion of the discussion, to give your feedback directly to the Central Carolina Community Foundation before you leave. But giving feedback does not put you in line to do anything else, and (they have promised) does not put you on any mailing lists other than to receive feedback from the On The Table Process.
If you would like to be a part of this organic attempt to identify the most important challenges facing our local community, then you can sign up to participate in a group beginning this Sunday at the Connecting Point Lobby Desk. If you will not be here on Sunday, but want to participate, you will need to come by the church to sign up. Groups will be limited to 10 people to ensure enough time to discuss issues that the group raises, so you must sign up in person to ensure we have enough facilitators for the groups. It doesn’t cost anything but your time and thoughtfulness. But it is a low-commitment way to help identify our priorities and interests in making our community better. Your voice matters.
See you in worship!
Ellen Fowler Skidmore
