The Mission Group came to the consensus that youth should be the focal point of our mission project.  A youth focussed church can take action to address the physical, emotional and educational needs of children and young people.  We can work directly in the community of our church, the neighborhood and expand our efforts to other areas of our world.  A church that focusses on youth can provide a top notch program for our own youth. LOTI can continue with previous efforts (such as the Kenwood School Starfish Tutoring Project), and there is the potential for for working with the Neighborhood Involvement Program, with whom LOTI has a very long relationship, and with The Bridge, a local organization whose mission is to ensure a safe and enriching environment for youth in crisis by providing shelter, building life skills and assisting families in conflict.

° Recognition of the need for increased stewardship.  Money is not the object, it is getting people to part with it.

° There is a danger in starting and having to pull out.  There is a need for time and planning.  There is a need for time and planning.

° More of the congregation needs to become stake holders in all of this.  We are talking about the future of our church!

° Our youth mission sends the message that we are a church looking to the future.  We are not a church on the decline, but a church on the rise.  "If we build it, people will come".  Or we get people together and then build it {the mission}.  We could pull together a $2,000,000 project using the asset of the parsonage, a capital campaign, corporate support, Thrivent.  We need not too much, but enough.

° We are looking for a mission project that ignites the passion of the whole group.  We need a project we can get our hands around.  Our mission project will determine the future of our church.  We need to talk to neighbors about our future.  We need to give more feedback to the congregation.

° We could use a communication director for the church.  At present we have no newsletter.

° (From a visitor) We leave the service with the words, "Serve the Lord" or "Share the good news."  Does anyone ever ask, "How did it go this week? How did you serve the Lord?"

°We can take a positive step by continuing with the Starfish Tutoring Project. Gradually, as we have enough people and enough resources, we can get into a larger project.

° There is a fear of getting into something too big.

° We can start with what we are doing and grow from that.  We could work with Grace Trinity Church and with St. Paul's.

° The Synod can offer help, advice, etc. and the Council is aware of that.

° If you don't know where you are going, any road will do.  What is our direction?  What do we want to be known for?  We don't have a clear answer to these questions.  We have to have a plan for where we want to go.  How can we empower our youth to do their mission?

° We have to know who we are.  We are a small congregation with a small core group.  It is okay to think small and save the world one person at a time.  We have to be able to help ourselves before we help others.

°We have a $1,000,000 asset;  why are we maintaining it?  We have a $230,000 mortgage.  We need a substantial amount of stewardship for this congregation to survive.  We need to make a decision about the parsonage. It is disintegrating over time.

°There is potential to regret selling the parsonage.  I hope we can keep the building and use it for our mission.  If we sell, we must know why we're selling.

° If you have a vision, people will join in.

° We are not ready for change and won't be until we do it.

Minutes by Marlene Wilson