Hope Team Cohort Meeting

Last Saturday members of our Hope Partnership Team here at FCC Scottsdale met with the Hope Partnership Teams from the six other Arizona Disciples Congregations for our first Cohort Meeting.

Let me take a step back to explain the process.

You'll remember that the Hope Partnership is our denomination's effort to help revitalize local congregations by getting us more authentically engaged in our neighborhood community. You'll also remember that our Hope Team had two different weekend long leadership retreats that they took part in last year alongside the Hope Teams from the six other Arizona Disciples congregations that are going through the Hope Partnership process (that is FCC Mesa, Foothills Christian Church, FCC Tucson, Capilla del Sol, Community Christian Church in Marana and Saguaro Christian Church).

The purpose of the Cohort Meeting was to get all of our Hope Teams back together for a sharing and accountability sessions. What have we been up to since the last leadership retreat? Have we followed up on any of the big dreams we dreamed together in the last summer of 2013? What victories can we celebrate? What roadblocks have we encountered? What lessons can we share with each and learn from each other? What ideas can we steal!

Naturally, we talked about "The Fifth With First!" Here is Rev. Al (along with a team of Red Shirts!) talking about the work we did, the partnership we struck up with Operation Fix It, our communications strategy with the church, and the steps we are taking to keep this project rolling.

It was a tremendous session filled with worship, conversation, experiential learning (including small group conversations about this NPR story), group presentations, and goal setting for the next steps at each of our congregations. We'll be getting together again sometime in September for the Cohort meeting so that we can continue sharing with one another, learning from one another, and praising God together for the great things that are happening with our Arizona Hope Partnership Congregations!