Diocesan Gathering Space Update
by Katie Ong,
Consultant for the Diocese of Missouri
August 28, 2023
The Gathering Space Task Force has been working steadily throughout the year on discerning what a potential shared gathering space might look like and how the Diocese might work towards developing this ministry. Using the information gathered at last year’s Diocesan Convention and the survey from early in 2023, the task force has identified the major themes, takeaways, and wishes. Although understanding that we may be unable to meet all desires, many people expressed the following ideas:
- Develop a central gathering space that everyone in the Diocese can share.
- Share a gathering space with a broader audience and an expanded mission.
- Consider partnering with an already established camp or retreat center.
- Focus on outdoor programming and creation care.
- Emphasize children, family, youth and young adult programs.
- Offer a variety of programs: spiritual offerings, congregational, convocational and shared ministry planning, and training and formation.
- Get buy-in from the “people in the pews” before committing to move ahead.
- Find a location that is about an hour and a half drive or less from any one church building in the Diocese. (Although such a drive time is not possible for every congregation, we understand this request.)
- Make the space accessible to people who do not have cars or do not drive.
At this point, we are contacting select camp and retreat centers in Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Montgomery, Warren and Washington counties to learn more about their operations and budgets, as well as determine if there is a potential for partnerships. We plan to make a couple of site visits to places that offer programming similar to what people across the Diocese want, and we expect to estimate the costs to operate a facility, so that we understand whether the Diocese has the capacity to pursue development of our own center or to partner with an existing facility. If anyone in the Diocese knows of a camp or retreat center in this general geographic area that might be of interest to the task force, they can share details with Betty Bowersox or the Rev. Kevin McGrane.
We are working toward delivering a recommendation at the Diocesan Convention in November and will include our report with the convention material that diocesan staff will distribute in advance.
Gathering Space Task Force
- The Rev. Andrew Archie, Co-leader, St. Michael & St. George, Clayton
- The Rev. Dcn. Betty Bowen, Trinity, St. Charles
- Betty Bowersox, Co-leader, Grace, Kirkwood
- Angela Breeher, St. Paul’s, St. Louis
- The Rev. Dcn. Loretta Go, St. Martin’s, Ellisville
- The Rev. Kevin McGrane, Co-leader, Trinity, St. James
- The Rev. Bill Nesbit, Grace, Jefferson City
- The Rev. Dr. Clive Samson, Faith Christian Church of India, Ballwin
- Machelle West, All Saints and Ascension, Northwood, St. Louis
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