Volume, No. 1
January 11, 2012
Plans and Actions for 2012
As you are reading this issue of the Pastor's Pen, it is my sincere hope that everyone has had a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Within the Church, Christmastide has come to a close and the Season of Epiphany is in full swing. This change of church season and the colors used in our worship, of course, is a very real indication that the relentless march of time has not taken a break from its unwavering journey. A journey that leaves us with the unalterable fact that 2012 is moving at full speed, which pushes us to the conclusion that we need to be moving right along with it.
With the beginning of 2012 comes the time to look at where we have been and what we have accomplished in 2011. The Board has already begun to make that review so we can build from those successes and challenges and go forward to where we want to be. This past year we have seen many great accomplishments achieved in our leadership, our financial planning/giving and our fellowship. Over the last few years, our congregation has come up with a lot of plans and goals, but now it is time to take those plans and goals and make them a reality. To do that, to move from just talking about what needs to be done to the point that plans are put into action, we need to honestly answer a few questions first. Once that is finished, then we can see what our potential for growth and development will be for 2012 and beyond.
Please look over these questions and take the time to pause and answer each one before you read the next one. First of all, where do you expect to see First Christian Church at the end of 2012? Next, what do you expect us to do with our time and resources? Lastly, and most importantly, what are you ready to do to help us get there? As you make your own plans for this year, do not forget to also make plans on being involved with your church and taking part in making our plans become a reality before the end of 2012. As you Continue to think about your answers to these questions over the coming week, take a moment to also reflect on the quotes below:
Here are a few noteworthy "planning quotes" to help you in planning how to spend your time in 2012:
1. Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.— John Lennon
2. The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly well.— Sir William Osler
3. He who fails to plan, plans to fail. — Proverb
4. Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now. — Alan Lakein
5. A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power. — Brian Tracy
6. Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently. -William A. Ward
7. Always plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark. — Richard C. Cushing
8. If you have accomplished all that you have planned for yourself, you have not planned enough. — Edward Everett Hale
9. It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan. — Eleanor Roosevelt
10. You can never plan the future by the past. — Edmund Burke
11. Plans are nothing; planning is everything. — Dwight D. Eisenhower
12. Long-range planning works best in the short term. — Doug Evelyn
13. Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it. Plan more than you can do, then do it. — Unknown 14. A goal without a plan is just a wish. — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
15. A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week. — George S. Patton
16. When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary. — Thomas Paine
17. Adventure is just bad planning. — Roald Amundsen
18. But the delights of solitude don't only consist of dreaming. Next in enjoyment, I think, comes planning. —Anna Neagle
19. The man who is prepared has his battle half fought. — Miguel de Cervantes
20. If you don't have a plan of life, you'll never have order. — Josemaria Escriva
James