The Annual Meeting and the OODA loop.

"Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free..."  1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

It may be a coincidence that this passage will be read in Church tomorrow morning, but maybe not.  The Annual Parish Meeting is tomorrow - the meeting where we look back on the the accomplishments of the past year and define our goals for the coming one.  That we have accomplished much and come far this past year is due to the dedication, commitment, and hard work of the members and friends of Grace Church.  Without your participation and support, we would not have gotten to this point.  Thank you.
   Building on the accomplishments that Grace - through you and my predecessors - has achieved, the Vestry and I have been looking ahead to 2019 and beyond.  Recognizing that Grace Church is not a static entity but one that is dynamic and constantly changing, the Vestry has authorized the development of a three year strategic plan to guide us toward our end-goals of financial sustainability, growth, maintaining our property, and continuing to be relevant in the lives of our Island and wider communities.  
   The plan's development will be an ongoing process that will involve developing a plan, assessing the effectiveness of its implementation, and improving it as we go - and I am writing to invite your participation in the process of identifying our goals and developing a plan for Grace's future.
   The underlying model for the process is know as the OODA Loop. It was developed by Colonel John Boyd, USAF, who wanted to know why the United States' planes could outfly the technically superior Russian MIGs.  The OODA acronym stands for:  Observe a situation; Orient oneself within the situation; make a Decision; and Act upon that decision. Based on one's decision and action (and other's decisions and actions in response to yours), the situation will change and the OODA loop continues its cycle until the situation is resolved.
    ​I find all this enormously exciting as it applies to Grace Church.  I am looking forward to learning your goals and hopes for Grace Church's future and to working with you to develop a plan to achieve them.

God bless you,

​Stephen+

---