by Rev. Wilmer Brown
Last March, an all-day strategic planning retreat that focused on the future of Central Congregational Church posed the question, “What do you want to see in place in the next three to five years?” This produced several specific goals and some realistic benchmarks for our Hume Child Development Center, our relationship with St. Matthew’s Church (where we currently worship) and finding new ways to serve our changing community.
The Hume Child Development Center, which sits next to our church building, has been completely renovated. There has been a great outpouring of love from the Connecticut Conference with supplies and equipment, as well as some much-needed financial support. The acting Executive Director, Helen Green, who is a church member, is hoping to re-open in early September. As you can imagine, there is tremendous need for childcare in New Orleans, especially among the working poor.
The parsonage is near completion, with the expectation that long-term volunteers from the national church will live there. We are looking at how to use other properties owned by Central, in partnership with various agencies, to provide services in the immediate community. We met recently with an architect who will help us look at how we can make the worship center a more multi-use facility.
Regarding our relationship with St. Matthew, our Governance Board and St. Matthew’s Church Council voted to propose to our congregations that we remain in covenant relationship for the next three years, during which we will evaluate our relationship and discern our next steps. Members of both congregations are drafting a covenant agreement, naming the expectations we have of each other. We understand that diversity exists among us, and although we are together, we have a long way to go before we are truly one. Since each congregation remains independent regarding its assets and day-to-day operations, our participation with each other, for now, is limited to how we define how we will be in covenant with each other.
The excitement is building as we explore our future together. Having only twenty members from Central participating in this process is challenging - like a “new church” start in many ways. Those who are here are serious about the future, and especially about what God is calling us to be and do in these times. It is so exciting to be alive at this time in the life of the church in New Orleans and to participate in exploring the future of how we serve and live together.
Peace on the journey.
Rev. Wilmer Brown is pastor of Central Congregational Church in New Orleans, which is one of the Connecticut Conference’s partners in recovery and rebuilding along the Gulf Coast. To learn more about that effort or to become involved, contact Jim Morgan at jimm@ ctucc.org or 860.761.7123.
