Whenever aspiring journalists asked 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt the secret of his success, he simply replied: “Tell me a story.”
Our stories go to the heart of our identity: as individuals, families and churches. Our stories can also be a strong clue to God’s unfolding purposes in our lives.
That is why the heart of our church’s re-visioning process during the next two months will be the telling and hearing of our collective stories as congregants at First Presbyterian Church. Young and old, recent and longtime members, contemporary and traditional worshipers, everyone in our church family will be invited to tell their story of what has drawn them to FPC, what about it has touched their lives. The recurring themes that arise from these stories will then be summarized into expressions which will help us recognize and focus our future resources upon the enhancement of the life-giving traits that make this congregation unique.
This story-to-strategy process has a name which you will hear a lot more of in the coming months: Appreciative Inquiry. Last winter and spring, our church’s Session studied and approved this process and since May our nominating committee has been in the process of recruiting a Core Team that, in collaboration with our church’s entire lay leadership, will help guide the church through the Appreciative Inquiry process.
I look forward to an energizing fall church season with you all.
Yours for the Adventure!
Pastor Jim
Meet our Appreciative Inquiry Core Team
Margaret Bauman is an adult and child psychiatrist in solo practice in SLO, a single mom to two great kids, and an FPC elder.
Bud Beecher currently has a practice in marriage and family therapy, was a faculty member in the history department at Cal Poly for 30 years, and serves our congregation on the Mediation Team.
Mary Blythe is a lifelong Presbyterian who has served in numerous leadership capacities in the Presbyterian Church. She is an elder at FPCSLO and a CPA who has owned and operated her own accounting firm in Burlingame, CA.
Phil Dean has been an elder and deacon, chair of Pastoral Nominating Committee and Personnel Committee, and was co-founder of SLO Boaters. He is currently a Stephen Minister and active on the Global Missions Team.
MaryEl Hansen is a retired Cuesta College counselor who now enjoys an active retirement with her husband, Warren, and counts it a blessing to have been a part of this congregation all of her adult life where she has served in numerous capacities. She is currently a Stephen Minister.
Tad Miller teaches accounting at Cal Poly. Tad has served in many lay ministry roles at FPC where he and wife Patti have been attending for 23 years.
Sarah Ou was a 2008 graduate of Cal Poly in Economics and Philosophy, is currently Prevention Coordinator at the Women’s Care Shelter and a new FPC elder.
Amy Stapp is an economics teacher at Cuesta College, a mediator for Creative Mediation and Peacemaking Ministries, and active on the FPC Mediation Team.
Bob Whipps is a former pastor, Stephen Minister, Elder, Human Resources Director, with decades of experience in Organization Development and Team Building
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