We want to hear your heart for our yearly meeting
From the Structures and Processes Working Group:

Many thanks to those who participated in our recent survey about how our community views the health and structures of Sierra-Cascades. Thirty-two people responded!

In retrospect, it is possible we may have been asking the wrong questions or asking the questions in the wrong way in the survey. In any case,  we—the Sierra-Cascades working group on structures and processes—need to listen more. We have been inviting former clerks and members of committees to give us further input. 
We are working on this after meeting for business at annual sessions approved having a committee “consider possible changes to [Sierra-Cascades] structures, processes, roles, programs, and decision-making authority.”

How to participate: 

Now we invite anyone who is a part of Sierra-Cascades to give us your wisdom, creative ideas, unique perspective or well-discerned observations about our structures, roles, and processes. This includes direct members of Sierra-Cascades as well as members and attenders of Sierra-Cascades member churches. 

We have scheduled three Zoom meetings that you may choose from, or you may request a one-on-one phone call. 

On Zoom:

Monday, October 2, 7:00 pm

Saturday, October 7, 10:00 am

Sunday, October 8, 4:30 pm

Please request a Zoom link to one of the times above by writing to newsletter@scymf.org. If you prefer, you may request a personal conversation with one of the working group members. 

In Person: 

Some members of the Structures and Processes Working Group will be available for another discussion on the Friday evening before our next Quarterly Meeting at Eugene Friends Church on October 27 at 7 pm

We invite you to be part of the work of evaluating our structures and processes in whatever way you can. We would welcome additional members to our working group. If you have ideas for how we might be more effective, please share them with us at newsletter@scymf.org.

What we heard in our survey

In our earlier survey, we received affirmations of the good work that has been done by our Financial, Gathering, and Safeguarding committees as well as Nominating and Nurture of Ministry. People wrote of their appreciation for regular meetings and good clerks, flexibility among committee members to share responsibilities, and the faithfulness shown by committee members even when things have been tough during the pandemic and its aftereffects.

Regarding the statement, “Our Yearly Meeting structures and processes have been working well and are healthy,” responses were fairly evenly divided along the spectrum from “strongly agree to strongly disagree.” 

Sixty percent of our respondents agreed with the statement, “Our Yearly Meeting and committees have weaknesses, areas of neglect, and dysfunction. Twenty percent were neutral, and 15-20% disagreed. The answers to more specific questions were a fairly even spread. It does seem that there has been some conflict and confusion in doing the work of the yearly meeting. We feel also that documentation is needed to clarify the mission, responsibilities, and aspirations of each committee. 

The remaining specific answers to the questions asked revealed a broad spectrum of experiences and perspectives on each issue. Some of the concerns that respondents expressed are a general lack of trust, lack of clear mission or purpose, the need for more communication, coordination, and connection, as well as appreciation for what has already been accomplished.

With Gratitude,

Leann Williams, Clerk, Structures and Processes Working Group

Also on the Working Group:

Derek Lamson

Erin Wilson, Presiding Co-clerk, Sierra-Cascades

Julie Peyton

Keith Barton

Meg Rice

Norma Silliman, Presiding Co-Clerk, Sierra-Cascades

Rachel Hampton

Tracy Wilson