The next chapter of Harbor
Just to alleviate any fears caused by that dramatic title, there is no known forthcoming upheaval at Harbor or any major changes to who we are or what we’re doing. Whew.
Then why are we talking about this new chapter? Well, as most or all of you reading this know, one of our beloved co-pastors recently ended her time working at Harbor, meaning we are down one beloved person and 1/3 of our paid pastor hours. This has led some to wonder, understandably, if things are going to be chaotic or sad at Harbor.
The short answer is: No! If you’ve been on any of our calls this past month or made it to our annual retreat, you know that the vibes are joyful at Harbor right now. We continue to connect people to each other and to God, explore what it means to follow the way of Jesus, create beauty and justice in community, and transform ourselves and the world to hold more of God’s peace.
But of course a change like the departure of a leader does make possible (and necessary) some adaptation. As Dawn and I (and Brandi and our leadership council) look at this next chapter of Harbor, there are three major emphases we envision:
Dawn and I will be staying laser focused on our Zoom gatherings. This especially means our three weekly calls: Wednesday brunch, Thursday gathering, and Sunday Going Deeper, and of those three it even more especially means our Thursday night Zoom gatherings. We want to make sure this is consistently a place of welcome, laughter, wisdom, and belonging for new and longtime Harboristas alike.
Brandi will be leading the charge on a refresh of our Harbor Circle space. This private social media space is where Harbor folks stay in touch between Zoom gatherings, communicate about special events like trivia nights, and share content for Going Deeper calls. Brandi will be revisiting the best ways to organize information and groups to make this resource as engaging and helpful as possible.
Some members of the leadership council will be engaging with fundraising for Harbor. This is historically been an activity of the pastors, but with the new team layout it is going to be a huge boost for the pastors to rely on leadership from the council. We will continue to be trauma-informed as we explore ways to secure grant funding and recurring donations to support the work of Harbor. The bittersweet silver lining of losing a pastor is that the new space in our budget may allow us to be financially sustainable in the long term!
There will of course be many other facets, components, and activities in the world of Harbor. These will just be the top priorities for our leaders in this next season. Thank you so much for being a part of this community. If you have any questions about Harbor or this new chapter, don’t hesitate to schedule a Zoom call to chat.
