God's Mission is our Purpose

Our mission statement reads:
"As Joyful Disciples Living the Faith we Connect, Grow and Serve in Jesus' Name!"

Our Four Phase Approach to implementing this Task

But how to determine what should be done at Prince of Peace to fulfill God's expectations of us? It was our thought that if we posed this question to our congregation, the answers might well be those that God has inspired for us. Hence in June of 2008 the first phase of the quest was posed to our congregation.

"What would our Dreams be for Prince of Peace Church to try and further God's purpose
for us here in Princeton Junction, New Jersey?"

In order to help this happen, and to follow through on the suggestions received, we developed a 4 phase approach - trying to allow sufficient time for all ideas to be submitted, prioritized, defined and costs developed. (There is a link in each phase to a description of what the mission of these Task Forces are.)

• Sunday June 27, 2010 - A Special Congregational Meeting was held about the MasterPlan. Click HERE to see a PDF file about the presentation.

• Sunday Sept 27, 2009 - A Special Congregational Meeting (from The Tidings, 11/09):

  At a special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, September 27, Prince of Peace disciples voted to move forward with the creation of a Master Plan (MP), to help us decide how best to use our property to engage in the ministry to which we have been called.

  The sole purpose of the meeting was to discuss and vote on a motion to develop a MP. The plan will lay the groundwork for accomplishing God’s vision of our ministry space, property and campus. We voted to engage Donnelley Wagner Nelson Architects LLC in the development of the MP at a cost of $19,800.

  Congregation President Dave New discussed our process and what PoP has done so far: we brainstormed and developed a prioritized list of goals, and the building team interviewed potential candidates for developing a MP. Dave discussed the next steps.

  Council Member Lynn Lewis discussed the concept of a MP, describing the plan as a map. The MP describes requirements, defines possible paths, and looks several years into the future. It provides direction, shows kinds of buildings/facilities, addresses growth, operational and ministry needs. A MP allows for incremental improvements. It allows improvements to be done in a coordinated way that reduces the likelihood of wasteful spending. It is based on the congregation’s prioritized goals. It allows us to be wise stewards of the church’s physical assets.

  Lynn also discussed the scope of the plan: parking, the church house, additional space for offices and small group gatherings/classes, and improved use of the Gathering Area. She noted that the firm will present various scenarios with both drawings and 3-D renderings. Phasing will be included. A new MP Task Force has been created to work with Donnelley Wagner Nelson Architects. Regular reports to the congregation will be forthcoming. A special Congregational Meeting to consider several Master Plan possibilities is anticipated in the spring of 2010.

• Phase Four: Establish a capital campaign to fund the Master Plan options. Input from the Mission/Building Finance Team, Council, Congregation.

Throughout the Four Phase Process, besides reports of the various Task Forces to Council and Congregation, it is also the responsibility of the Communications Task Force to keep the Congregation and individual committees, Task Forces, apprised of the latest developments in both. This utilizes many modalities of contact including The Tidings - our monthly newsletter - and our Website.

• Phase Three: Input from the Mission/Building Task Force, Council, Congregation.
  • Create a Master Plan of Prioritized Ministry Goals;
  • Develop Preliminary Cost Projections for each option of Master Plan;

  Discuss Time Schedule for completion of Master Plan options.
  
  a) MasterPlan Discussion: Presented by Bob Webb, Team Leader, 6/29/09. Click HERE.
  b) Master Plan Discussion: for 9/27/09 Congregational Meeting, Dave New, Council Pres

• Phase Two (completed) : The next Task was to Prioritize these Dreams into Specific Ministry Goals, a process which would again involve the Vision Task Force, the Council and Congregation. Ongoing input was sought and all disciples of the congregation were invited to participate in this work. The short list of Prioritized dreams can be seen HERE.  Remember, even though some of the dreams are not in the top four, it doesn’t mean they have been forgotten. They will still be considered in planning our future.
  

• Phase One (completed) : Gather Ministry Dreams from the Entire Congregation, Staff, Ministry Teams, and Vision Task Force. This was accomplished by the time of the Congreational Meeting on 1/25/09 which approved moving ahead to Phase Two. The full list, without editing, is available as a PDF file for review by clicking HERE.

Notice too that there is an ongoing welcome from all the Task Forces for individual congregational members to attend their meetings. Please contact the Church
Office to determine the date, time and place of these meetings.

From the Tidings May 2009
Note on Our Dreams and Plans for the Future

The Congregation Council recently heard some feedback that more information on the process for collecting
“Dreams” and planning for their fulfillment is needed. Therefore, the council would like to clarify current activities
and what they mean for the congregation. Here are some statements the council has heard and whether they are true
or false:

The dreams of Prince of Peace disciples have been collected and prioritized based on popularity– TRUE.
The vision team collected our dreams and created a list of the top four most often expressed dreams. (available at:
www.popnj.org/our_future.html) Some of the dreams are not in the top four, but this doesn’t mean they have been
forgotten. They will still be considered in planning our future.

A building program to accommodate these dreams has been approved – FALSE.
Currently, the Mission Building Task Force has begun interviewing architects to create a “Master Plan” - a bird’s-eye
sketch of the church grounds showing us where additional building space and parking lots could be located IF we
choose to go forward with some of our dreams. This gives us the required information to decide if we would like to
move forward with any of the dreams on our list. It does not mean we will go forward!

The congregation will get to vote on any future building program. – TRUE.
The Mission Building and Mission Finance Task Forces are gathering information on what our dreams could look
like if implemented. What they learn will be presented to the congregation at an appropriate time to be reviewed and
voted upon. No action will be taken, nor money spent, without congregational approval.

A Capital Campaign has been approved and will begin in the near future – FALSE.
When the collection of dreams began, a list of phases was created to show the congregation the steps needed to move
forward with these dreams (Tidings page 8). This schedule was not intended to be a concrete time line. It was only
meant to show what would be needed IF we moved forward to the next phase. In Phase Four, the talk of a capital
campaign has worried some people in the congregation especially given these rough economic times. The fact is that
we will only move forward after much discussion and prayer, and if there is a congregational vote to do so. For
example, the congregation may decide on a Master Plan but could delay acting on any of the dreams for one, two, or
even several years into the future. But when we are ready to move forward, we will know what is involved and we
can look into considering a capital campaign.

We hope this answers your questions and concerns. If you have additional questions, we are eager to hear them, and
we would like to invite you to meet informally with a few Council members to discuss your concerns. If you would
like to meet with some of us, please contact any of the council members or Pastor Lutz. Remember, this mission was
begun as a way for us to take notice of God’s calling and for God to lead us along that path. We will continue to
provide transparency of actions and continue to seek congregational input at each phase of this process. Thank you.

David New, President, on behalf of the Congregation Council

(1) Vision Task Force 2008 Annual Report
If God is calling us to make Joyful Disciples Living the Faith:

• What in particular do you hear God calling us to do?
• What current ministries do you think God is calling us to build-up, strengthen or expend?
• What "new thing" do you think God is calling us to do?
• What changes to our property or additions to our staff would you recommend as important for us to grow God's church at Prince of Peace?

Many POP disciples submitted one or more answers to the above questions! This team was charged with taking the several hundred ideas and visions and putting some order to them! We also reached out to various teams, ministries and groups to add the visions they were dreaming about, specifically related to their ministry objectives.

After beginning with prayer and scripture, interviews with POP ministry teams centered around four questions:
1. If the_________Ministry Team was given 1,000,000,000 what would you do with it?
2. If a genie was to pop out of a magic lamp and grant the wishes, what would they be?
Ministry Team three
3. If Jesus appeared before the
Ministry Team and said, Tell me -what you need to
get the job done and you 11 have it. What would you ask for?
4. If you were to envision Prince of Peace 3 or 5 or 7 years from now, what would the ________Ministry Team be doing?

Responses ranged from very practical dreams to way big dreams to space issues to staff issues. Our compilations were passed on to the church council, approved and are being presented at the annual congregational meeting.

Vision Task Force members:
Gail Campbell, Mike Fabian, Linda Fields, Pastor Lutz, Warren Moo, Joan New, Martin Rexroad, Berta Schott.

(2) Mission/Building Task Force 2008 Annual Report

The Mission/Building Task Force is just one of four Task Forces created this year to help us explore present and future ministry and property possibilities. This diverse task force of disciples is working together to develop an action plan to transform the building and grounds into a purpose driven "church home" for all to enjoy.

During 2008, the Task Force identified several key maintenance and safety issues:
• Solve the rain water accumulation in the "entrance circle" during periods of heavy rain.
• Repair the original asphalt driveway potholes and cracks.
• Better maintain Playground and surrounding area.
• Improves maintenance of the Memorial Garden and property landscaping Seek ways to reconfigure and/or increase the physical building space to include a new and expanded gathering area, classroom space for children, youth and adult.
• Consider ways to increasing the Choir area, improving the facilities for Cherry Tree Club children, update the sacristy, and provide for modern offices which incorporate the present and future needs of the Church.
• Possible redesign for the front of the building/entrance to be more inviting and creating a sense of welcome.

Our Ministry in 2009 will be centered on creating a timeline for the development of a PoP Master plan that will respond to our present dreams of parking lot expansion, building renovation/expansion and other building and grounds issues.

We are looking for disciples who have gifts/talent in Architecture, space/facility planning, contract negotiations, building and grounds and a vision of what "works" to join us in this exciting venture. We currently meet monthly and those who might want further information on this exciting Ministry can reach out to any Mission/Building member or contact Bob Webb (Bob.Webb 1021 @comcast.net, 609-306-0175) for further information.

The Mission Building Task Force members are: Dave Campbell, Joe Gallagher, Wendy Schutzer, Kathy Slothower, Sabrina Teekah, Jon Vogel, and Bob Webb.

The Mission/Building Finance Task Force is one of four task forces formed in the summer of 2008 to explore what God would have us do over the next 3-5 years as a congregation (or what it might mean that "God is at it Again") . This Task Force is responsible for reviewing our present financial condition, gathering information about capital campaign companies in order to make an informed decision if and when a company is needed, researching potential loan sources, if needed, and any other related financial matters.

The Mission/Building Finance Task Force met various times during the later part of 2008, first with Building Consultant, Jeff Spann with the ELCA, to discuss what our role might be. We also identified three potential capital campaign companies and interviewed each of them to understand the process, their qualifications and determine their "fit" with Prince of Peace. Future meetings of the Task Force do not have set times, but rather will be held as needed and will be announced in advance. Anyone is welcome to participate in future meetings.

Depending on the decisions of the Vision Task Force, Mission/Building Task Force, Church Council and the Congregation, the Mission/Building Finance Task Force may do some or all of the following in 2009: Present a recommendation of a capital campaign company to the Church Council, identify building loan sources and identify potential individuals to be involve in the leadership of a capital campaign.

The Mission/Building Finance Task Force members are: Abbey Aymes, Steve Bromberg (Chairman), Larry Haddock, Eric Jorgensen, and Tim Urbanek. Steve Bromberg, Mission/Building Finance Task Force Team Leader.

The primary responsibility of the Communications Task Force of the "God is at it Again" effort is to gather information on the plans and progress of the Vision, Building and Building-Finance task forces. We then relay that information in a timely manner to the congregation, the various ministry teams, and perhaps the community, through Tidings articles, bulletin board displays, Sunday bulletin inserts, emails, Congregation Council reports, newspaper articles and a new and exciting state-of-the-art web site. Our responsibilities also include seeing that the various Task Forces communicate with one another.

In 2008, we reviewed a previous meeting of the Mission/Building, Mission/Building-Finance, Vision and Communication Task Forces with E.L.C. A. building consultant Jeff Spann who will be available, without charge, to discuss the progress of our building plans and supply advice as needed and requested; a potentially valuable resource. Our meetings are on an as needed basis and will depend on the meetings of the other task force teams.

The Communications Task Force members of the "God is at it Again" effort are: Melody Bromberg, Jean Gunkel, Kathy Nowak, Al Parker and Jane Wiese. Anyone with communication skills such as writing, summarizing, public speaking... to name just a few are invited to join our team. We are Joyful Disciples Living the Faith as we Connect, Grow and Serve in Jesus' name.