Mission

The mission of Pohick Church is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, to advance the role of the Episcopal Church as an active participant in sharing the Gospel, and to create a nourishing Christian community of worship where Christ's love is experienced and taken beyond its walls.

ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGIC PLAN

Accountability. In order to assure the timely implementation and review of this plan, the Vestry of Pohick Church will:

1. Accept primary responsibility for the plan's execution.

• Assign implementation of Strategic Plan objectives to appropriate vestry commissions.
• Receive commission reports on plan progress at each vestry meeting.
• Provide for representation at appropriate local, state and federal planning meetings.
• Report on the Strategic Plan at the annual Parish Meeting.

2. Regularly update the Strategic Plan.

• Review the Strategic Plan at the vestry retreat in even-numbered years.
• Actively solicit comments and suggestions from the congregation in advance of these biennial reviews.

Strategic Goal 1. Parish Ministry - Minister to the spiritual needs of the parish, with emphasis on young people and senior citizens; reach out to the needy within our community; and promote meaningful worship and a deeper understanding of our Christian faith so as to lead others nearer to Christ in his Church.

Objectives:

1. Strengthen parish youth programs.

• Encourage youth to take a more active planning and leadership role in EYC programs.
• Provide ample adult leadership for youth activities by identifying, encouraging, and supporting adults within the parish who have a special gift for working with youth.
• Encourage a larger percentage of our youth to participate in the activities of the parish, region and diocese.

2. Enhance ministry to senior citizens within the parish and the community.

• Institute an evangelism program focused on local retirement communities.
• Promote ongoing clergy and lay pastoral care with elderly parishioners who cannot regularly attend church.
• Expand our existing program to provide transportation and other assistance for seniors who need it.

3. Support ministry to those in particular need of prayer and pastoral care.

• Identify expeditiously those within our parish and community in need of support.
• Provide for regular clergy and lay visitations of those recognized as being needy.
• Provide assistance and support to these individuals and their families.
• Offer a systematic response to lapsed members, including a review and refinement of the Neighborhood Ministry program as an avenue for this ministry.
• Enhance the Parish Nurse program by establishing beneficial connections with local health care institutions.

4. Identify and provide for other specialized ministries within the congregation.

• Establish programs for young married and single parishioners.
• Offer programs tailored to families with young children, including the establishment of a preschool.

5. Promote the worship of God through services that both inspire and challenge the congregation.

• Provide a variety of liturgical worship formats and opportunities to appeal to a broad spectrum of parishioners.
• Seek ways to further enhance the quality of the liturgy, exploring ideas from other churches.
• Encourage maximum lay participation within worship services.
• Provide a regular choir at the 11:15 service that can provide the foundation for congregational singing.

6. Provide effective Christian education programs that nourish the spiritual growth of all parishioners.

• Offer ample Christian education opportunities for young people and adults, communicating to the congregation the contents of the various curricula.
• Enhance parishioners' knowledge, understanding and respect for the history, traditions, values and doctrines of Christianity as presented in the Bible and upheld within the Anglican Communion.
• Educate parishioners about the theology of stewardship, as well as about our church's financial needs and the breadth and depth of its ministries.

7. Strengthen evangelism and outreach programs.

• Adopt an evangelism strategy that actively ministers to the unchurched within our community, including the Alpha program.
• Increase the publicity of church activities in the local community.
• Improve the effectiveness of the newcomer program.
• Sponsor additional outside ministries, including scouting programs.
• Develop relationships with historic foundations in the area to promote the historic significance of Pohick Church.
• Increase financial support for outreach programs, with special attention to the establishment of international partnerships.

8. Improve communication within the parish and community.

• Regularly update the church web page with content designed to attract newcomers and address the needs of parishioners.
• Fine-tune the use of other modes of electronic communication, including email, telephone trees, computer bulletin boards, etc.
• Create an editorial board for the Pohick Post as a means of supporting the editors and increasing the number of feature stories.
• Improve coordination of volunteer schedules.
• Improve coordination among the Guilds.
• Improve church signage.
• Improve communications with parishioners away at college or on military tours of duty.
• Proactively publicize church services, activities and events within the community.
• Advertise the availability of church tours to the community.

Strategic Goal 2. Personnel - Adequately support the clergy, staff and volunteers in their ministries.

Objectives:

1. Support the rector in defining and filling clergy and lay positions to provide an effective staff.

• Regularly review the staffing needs of the congregation, reconfiguring paid and volunteer positions proactively.
• Create and regularly update a Personnel Manual for clergy, staff and volunteers.
  

2. Provide ample support to the Minister of Music for choir rehearsals, Sunday services and public performances.

• Further expand the youth choirs by evaluating practice/performance times that could lead to optimum participation.

3. Actively recruit parishioners into volunteer positions of responsibility so that an ever-expanding base of people will know, appreciate, and take ownership of the various programs of the church.

Strategic Goal 3. Physical Resources - Provide well-maintained facilities sufficient to carry out Pohick's ministry, with special sensitivity to Pohick's unique history.

Objectives:

1. Develop a master site plan that addresses the imminent and future needs of the congregation.

• Establish a baseline of parish needs as the first step of the plan.
• Incorporate into the plan the addition of county water and sewer to existing buildings, as well as those that might be built in the future.
• Integrate within the plan adequate road and parking facilities in conjunction with nearby state road construction.
• Expand existing parish facilities to include:
  
  • A larger common room with improved acoustics.
  • A renovated kitchen.
  • A gift shop and museum display area.
  • Additional class and meeting rooms, including a library/conference room.
  • Additional office and storage space.
  • The ability to house a preschool during weekdays.
    
• Provide within the plan contingencies for additional worship space, including the demarcation of the best location for a new church building.
• Delineate within the plan areas of the property potentially available for future ministries of the congregation, such as an Episcopal school, conference center or retirement home.
• Contour the plan to be sensitive to environmental concerns, preservation of green space, access for the handicapped, and harmonious interaction with our historic building.
• Incorporate a tentative timeline into the plan, outlining the various phases for development scenarios.
• Retain suitable engineering and architectural firms for the planning and execution of the master plan.
  

2. Ensure the preservation and maintenance of the buildings and grounds.

• Continue to establish the basic standard for Pohick's physical property and the requirements to bring it up to that standard.
• Based on this standard, proactively maintain the church buildings and grounds, including the following identified improvements:
  
  • Restore the church doors.
  • Repair the stairs and walkways leading to the church.
  • Provide sufficient drainage for the church courtyard.
  • Install an appropriate fire-suppression system in the church.
  • Refurbish the Vestry House.
  • Update and improve lighting to the grounds, walkways and steps.
  • Renovate the outdoor chapel.
  • Repair and upgrade existing roadways and parking areas.
  • Upgrade the amplification system for the hearing impaired.

• Conduct more frequent workdays.
• Develop a property owner's guide, including an appendix on the location, condition and maintenance schedule of church appliances and equipment.
• Investigate technologies for relaying audio and video feeds of church services to overflow seating.

Strategic Goal 4. Financial Resources - Provide resources sufficient to carry out Pohick's ministry.

Objectives:

1. Maintain fiscally sound procedures.

• Review and update annually the Pohick Church Strategic Financial Planning Document.
• Review financial procedures and investment strategies on an annual basis.
• Include capital improvements in the financial plan.
• Undertake a marketing analysis and formulate a business plan as the basis for the establishment of a Book and Gift Shop.
• Perform a detailed financial process analysis every 3-5 years.
  

2. Identify and implement appropriate parish fundraising activities.

• Emphasize planned giving as an integral part of stewardship.
• Encourage parish groups to devote some of their financial resources to particular needs of the parish.
• Increase congregational participation in regular financial giving.
• Institute a spring fundraising event to complement the fall fair.
• Retain an experiened outside financial consultant for the capital campaign.
• Pursue outside grants for our historic building.
• Identify specific talents within the congregation to meet a variety of ministry needs.
• Explore charging service fees for use of the Parish House.
• Explore donations to Pohick Church through the Internet.