Important note: The following recommendations are products of brainstorming and should not be considered priorities, vetted for reasonable likelihood of execution or even remotely comprehensive. Rather, the ideas below are only a starting point, much like the VTF report itself. As such, we suggest session and staff formulate its own list of priorities based on the four focus areas of the VTF report, using some of these ideas to generate discussion.

1) MULTI-GENERATIONAL ATTENDANCE (Bucket 1)

High Level

• Key is advertising, outreach to community, and direct follow up to new families/youth

• Proactive outreach direct to community/ families, including personal follow up (e.g. post cards, phone calls from Youth Director to families)

o New people are constantly moving to our area. Do we/can we send them a welcome note? Can we get that info from the cities around us?

• Opportunities for all-ages serving together (e.g. community service, local missions)

• Highly visible effort to put resources into nextgen as well as external communication of the goal and progress toward it

(fundraising, hiring, programs, appeal for participation)

Easy Wins/Specific Ideas

• Multigenerational worship services- e.g. music by youth band, scripture readings by bur/pres kids, etc

• All ages game nights (e.g. bingo, trivia, board games)

• Community outreach and events (e.g. seasonal/ holiday events) with an emphasis on communication & advertising to the community (e.g. local shops, door-to-door)

• Mentors for visitors and potential new members

• Bring a friend/family to church day

• Volunteer programs could be a bridge to get teens to spend time with Bur/pres. They would probably invite other kids too .. With college ECs becoming increasingly important for admission and applications, teens are seeking more opportunities to volunteer and give back to their communities outside of school. These volunteer programs not only benefit the community, but they also provide teens with meaningful experiences to discuss on college applications and in interviews. This could also tie back to Bur/pres being a main pillar of the community, as it hosts various volunteer groups and programs.

o Neighborhood Clean-Up Crew

■ Teens can organize monthly clean-ups of parks, neighborhoods, beaches, or trails. Add leadership roles, such as "Project Leads," for logistics, communication, and promotion.

o Community Garden Program

■ Create a garden at the church or partner with a local one. Teens can plant, maintain, harvest, and donate food to local shelters or food banks.

o Meal Kit Packing for Families in Need

■ Partner with a food bank to create meal kits. Teens can plan the kits, shop, assemble, and deliver.

o Snack Packs for Kids

■ Prepare weekend snack packs for children who rely on school meals during the week.

ro Youth Food Bank Volunteers

■ Regular shifts sorting and packing at local food banks, with teens rotating as group captains.

o Elder Tech Tutors

■ Teens teach older adults how to use phones, Face Time, email, and other digital tools. It can take place after Sunday services or at local senior homes.

o Elementary School Tutors

■ Teens tutor local elementary school kids in specific subjects after school (this also gets younger kids involved/exposed to Bur/Pres). This could be a weekly or monthly tutoring program..

o Reading Buddies at Local Schools or Libraries

■ Weekly reading sessions with younger children-ideal for teens interested in education or childcare.

o Social Media

■ Social media team promoting events at Bur/pres and throughout the community.

2) PASTORAL CARE AND CHURCH STAFF (Bucket 2)

High Level

• Analyze current staff job descriptions (actual current responsibilities) in order to assess what new positions are needed (non pastoral)

• Hire support staff(s) to focus on church and community events, senior living (all things related to our seniors)

Easy Wins/Specific Ideas

Call for volunteers to help in areas where there are gaps in staffing

3) COMMUNITY AND COMMUNICATIONS (Bucket 3)

High Level

• Provide more and more frequent insight on where things are going; e.g. progress on music ministry hiring, timing of new staff, direction for new or renewed ministries, asking for prayer when facing setbacks, offering praises and rejoicing over victories. In other words err towards "over communicating " versus "under communicating". We Jive in a part of the country where many people work for startups and other companies whose leadership constantly provides updates on progress towards highly visible goals, and employees of those companies are strongly vested in helping to realize those goals. It would not be a surprise that expectations by people for this depth of communication extend into many other aspects of their lives as well, including even their faith communities.

• Assess how we are following up on new attendees, as well as our efforts on cultivating new members

Easy Wins/Specific Ideas

• "Beth's Buddies" - Beth wanted to start a program where every senior member of our church living alone would get a check-in call/text EVERY day Short and sweet, just to check on the well being of our more vulnerable congregants.

• Build a volunteer team of people to pray with other members and make visits to the hospital when needed.

• Get mid week dinners back on the calendar. Possibly, 6-week blocks of time combined with a theme (dates to be determined by Sonu and appropriate staff).

• Volunteers/presence at community events (Bur/pres is everywhere)

• Visible leadership before/after services

• Paper bulletins again?

• Bring back prayer list in some shape or form

• Collect contact information on new attendees or those giving offerings and follow up

• Reassess Deacon role and how we can utilize them for community (e.g. welcoming new people on Sunday mornings) and communications

4) MINISTRIES I PROGRAMS I WORSHIP (Bucket 4)

High Level

• Evaluate our current programs and ministries. Focus and expand on what is working best. Add or eliminate different types of programs that appear to be needed or let go to make way for participation and interest that best serves a diverse congregation's needs.

• Communicate and further cultivate areas of care ministry where most needed.
  Encourage more involvement and training through our deacons, prayer team, and volunteers. (high level or easy win?)
  Easy Wins/Specific Ideas

• Host a Deacon/Elder Sunday (possibly once a year after a Sunday service) where each deacon and elder hosts a table in Fellowship Hall with treats (can be a themed type of event TBD). This invites the congregation to meet and greet personally and remind the congregation that we are there for them.

• Partner and host an interfaith event at BurlPres. Perhaps, we invite a local Peninsula synagogue to our service, and we attend their service to experience one another's faith and traditions in our community.

• On occasion, integrate contemporary and traditional songs that align with the theological theme to expand interest in different musical styles/service (can still have two services or combine it one service on that particular day) - to give exposure other than an all-modern or all-traditional service.

• A bit ambitious - but host a community music event at the church. Possibly an evening performance. Bring in a guest musician or choir along with BurlPres musicians and advertise it as a Christian musical event. Gospel, perhaps? (This probably falls under community, but I'm thinking of it as a gathering to bring awareness to our church that perhaps leads to new members)

• Mount Hermon recommendation? (Not sure when the last retreat happened at BurlPres) - Find out interest in preparation for a future Mount Hermon retreat

• Create The Stations of the Cross event using many spaces of the church (Sanctuary, Chapel, Fellowship Hall)

• Retreat event at church (if not outside of church)