Some ideas for HUMC's future

Over the past few days, I've had a few ideas, all on how to get HUMC more involved in the community. I don't know a lot of the inner-workings of the church, so my suggestions as they come may be outdated, already thought of and rejected, or already in implementation.

The first thing I thought about: the website. I last visited the website sometime when I saw Julie Holly on Facebook and wondered if they ever took her off the site as Associate Pastor; when I began at the Children's Place last summer, she was still there long after her transfer to Discovery. I came back to the website to find a new and improved website!

My main suggestion was going to be to make a more up-to-date website. Whoever has been working on the site has done a great job; it's well-organized, easy-to-read, and even has the VBS slideshow up from this year. However, I do still have a few things to point out: while the Senior Minister spot has been revised with a picture of Harris Hand, when I click on his picture, it still directs to "Chris Denson: under construction." But it's under construction, so that's fine. Since he's started officially, though, maybe we need to get his info up? I, for one, would like to know more about our new senior pastor!

Another thing is under Get Involved, then 'Lay Involvement & Leadership,' there are minutes from only certain meetings: September '08, November '08, January '09, March '09, and "Draft" April '09. What does draft mean? Why are there only five meeting minutes? Are these the only meetings? (I really don't know if these are the only meetings they have had—if so, perhaps there should be a note?) And on that same page, scrolling down, someone lists the Disciples in Action, all the members of the council—you all know this well. But it was last updated February 5, 2009, and consequently, Chris Denson is still listed as Pastor and Chair under certain lists.

I would be happy to help volunteer to keep the website up-to-date. And I hope nobody takes this as an attack or anything, because the website is absolutely fantastic, and as I've said, much more efficient than the last version. These are just some things that caught my attention as I browsed over it.

The second idea is one I came upon last night at our monthly neighbourhood association meetings (my particular one is the South East Lake neighbourhood). There, Kathy Freeland, the director of Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, and a long-time friend of my mom's who has recently gotten close to us again (Mom's having to branch out now that she and Dad can't be recluses, see?), asked for donation of neighbourhood funds to Ruffner. If you don't know, they have built a brand new building, pavilion—the whole works. And it's gorgeous. It's not completed yet, but the trails will be open again by next week (or so they're anticipating), and the South East Lake picnic is going to be held there on August 17.

What does this have to do with Huffman United Methodist? Well, I think it would be a great venue for some kind of fellowship gathering. I guess it's sort of like the barbeque/yard sale/car wash, but without the actual bbq/yard sale/car wash part. You can rent the pavilion, and Ruffner is very close by—81st Street South, if you didn't know. It's really a diamond hidden in the rough, so to speak, for the East Lake/Roebuck/Huffman area, and I think in its quest to grow and branch out into the community, Huffman could really get some use out of the new and improved Ruffner. It'd be a chance to get away from the city and get out into nature.

Another suggestion along the lines of nature is the elephant in the room when one talks about East Lake Park: the pollution. Why not get a group of kids, during the summer when we're all out of school, and volunteers if they have time—any age—and go clean up East Lake Park? At last night's NA meeting, one of the police officers who attended said they've been cracking down on crime and people loitering and causing trouble at the park. I'm not sure who to contact for this sort of thing, but maybe the church could help plant some flowers while also cleaning up all the litter that's strewn throughout the park and at the water's edge. The park has been such a staple in the community ever since my father was young, and it could use some more help. It'd be a great way for HUMC to branch out into the community as well. It's also close by, just off of First Avenue, and 84th Street North.

Again, I know next to nothing about the inner-workings of the church, and who to talk to for this sort of thing, so it's here, where I know we can get some dialogue going. Crummy ideas? Awesome ideas? Plausible or implausible? Let me know!

Edit: I just thought -- on the park front -- maybe HUMC could head up building some park benches to place at random along the walking track? Just a thought...