The first Imagination Café is happening this Sunday, January 28th. If you have not yet signed up and wish to come, the deadline is tomorrow, Thursday, January 25th at 12pm (for ordering lunches). Please phone/email Jane Foley at the office before noon at 781-862-8200 x1. If you cannot attend this Sunday, do plan to come to the second, identical Café on Sunday, February 11th. Please sign up at imagination-cafe-first-parish.eventbrite.com or by calling the office. Kids and youth are welcome to participate. Childcare will be provided for those who wish to use it.

At the Imagination Cafés, we will be addressing one open question for the whole congregation:

      How should we re-imagine our community’s activities and facilities in order to promote spiritual and personal growth within our community?

In addition to good food and company, the Café will encourage table-talk about three sub-topics of that question:

      Looking ahead, who do you imagine as in “our community”?

Do you imagine “our community” to mean primarily members of First Parish, of nearby towns, the nation?  Who is missing, or unwelcome, from our community?  Should FP try to mirror the demographics of our surrounding communities?

      Looking ahead, what do you imagine are the most important programs or activities (to promote spiritual and personal growth) for that community?

What new kinds of services or programs should we offer? What should we reduce?  How should we differentiate our activities from those of others? What would spiritual and personal growth mean especially for us?

      Looking ahead, how do you imagine we should prioritize and allocate our limited resources (to promote spiritual and personal growth)?

How should we change the priorities for staff, for volunteers, for financial resources? How should we re-imagine the purpose, design, or configuration of our spaces? What new kinds of facilities or capabilities will we need?