Visioning for our future begins……….

• Taking stock of our community needs,

• Discussing our church time and talents,

THE COMMUNITY AROUND US:

Adams County Communities’ Snapshot***

Population: 509,844              Median Age:34             Area: 1,666.7sqmi
Ethnicity: White 49%, Hispanic: 40% Black: 3%, Asian 4%, Two+: 3%
Median Income $73.817 Median Rent: $1,387
Immigration population: 15.8% (US rate 13.8%; 3% from outside CO)
· 62% of households are families
· 9.9% of population lives below the poverty line
· 5.3% of women 15-50 gave birth last year—higher that CO and US rates

EMPLOYMENT
71.1% of population in labor force
 65% of women in population in labor force
Top Occupations:
Office Administration and support: 11%
Sales and related Occupations: 8.91%
Business & Finance, Education, & Health Management: 5.99%
Transportation: 5.2%
Construction & Extraction: 4.90%

***https://www.adcogov.org/sites/default/files/2022.05.01-Neighborhood%20SnapshotAdams%20County%20Community%20Overview.pdf

Christian vision model for vital churches

Vital Christian Community:
12 Characteristics of Healthy Congregations
By Phil Brochard and Alissa Newton

Some of the leadership are reading this book as a member of a Diocese discussion group. In our last discussion, we realized that St. Elizabeth's is organically beginning a period of renewal, and we wanted to share some of the models and details we've discussed as encouragement in our visioning process.  This book was written shortly after the apex of the pandemic and published in 2022. The observations on how churches dealt with the lockdowns and reopening of church communities are very relevant to St. Elizabeth’s.  If each of us practices any of the healthy characteristics, we can all reach the last characteristic of self-differentiated leadership, and we can keep St. Elizabeth’s in the healthy cycle of ongoing renewal.  We do this naturally as a group, but it's nice to know how to apply our mutual respect and kindness to one another for a larger purpose.