Even though the trees had lost their leaves and the clouds had faded gray, the scene in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands at Sewickley United Methodist Church’s annual Leadership Board retreat could not have been brighter. We convened at Jumonville’s Christian Camp and Retreat Center to tackle a busy agenda that included our regular November monthly meeting, as well as the annual retreat to plan and program Sewickley United Methodist Church’s goals for 2026.
During our monthly meeting, the Board covered a longer-than-usual agenda. Here are the highlights:
The meeting was opened by Hurst Bartley who offered a prayer and advice for improving our leadership abilities. His focus was on the value of listening and doing so with intention and love, which builds trust, cultivates respect, and improves decision-making.
Pastor Hannah led the review of new people who are attending our church services. By all counts, Sewickley United Methodist Church’s worship attendance (both online and in person) continues to grow. Look around the sanctuary during worship services, and you are likely to see a few new faces each week. Online viewership growth is not as obvious to discern, which prompted the Board to discuss ways to improve tracking and understanding online viewership data and ensuring its accuracy. As such, we will be taking a deep dive into the social media platforms we use to broadcast our services and get the most out of the data these programs permit us to track.
The Board reviewed the status of Sewickley United Methodist Church’s 2025 God-sized goals, and we are excited to report that several exceeded our expectations. Children and Youth Programs, the key initiative of our Community goal, grew as evidenced by the hiring of our Education Coordinator and expanding opportunities like the Kingdom Movers dance group. Sewickley United Methodist Church’s Home Goods Closet ministry, part of our Faith in Action goal, continued to reach more people who need supplies and achieved numbers that have increased every month. Even though our desire to improve cultural diversity, the key to our Inclusion goal, fell short overall, our efforts to create a safe space for LGBTQIA+ community have been successful. We will continue to find ways to improve cultural diversity of our church with intention to be more reflective of our community and God’s kingdom.
The condition of three major assets—the church roof, the Moller pipe organ, and the sanctuary’s sound system—occupied much of our discussion. There is urgency to repair the roof, for sure, and upgrade the organ and sound system, both vital parts of our worship services.
The church’s roof is approaching its life expectancy and will need to be replaced over the next few years. The Building and Maintenance Committee recently implemented a project that patched a few areas that were leaking, but that was simply a stopgap measure until we identify and obtain sources to replace the entire roof.
If you attend the 11:00 am service, you may have heard the pipe organ hit some notes that sound like clunkers. I assure you, this is not user error. It’s the organ. Sewickley United Methodist Church’s 117-year-old organ is a legacy asset that was purchased in 1908 with some funds provided by Andrew Carnegie. The organ underwent a major overhaul in 1966 and a partial restoration in 2014, but it requires a half-dozen improvements or replacements to components that are now 60 years old. The Board and our Music Director are evaluating component and total costs and identifying grants to offset the expenditure.
If you attend either of Sewickley United Methodist Church’s online services, you might also have noticed that the musical instruments and voices of the band and choir sound off-key. Again, I assure you, this is not user error either. It’s the sound system technology, which is outdated and unable to mix and broadcast the various instruments and voices appropriately. The Board will be evaluating these costs and identifying fundraising opportunities as well.
We said so long (but not goodbye) to several outgoing Board members, Kristine Swaney and Jere Cowden, who concluded their two-year terms on the Leadership Board and to whom we are immensely grateful. Their gifts, skills, character, wisdom, and compassion were invaluable in helping the Board make decisions for our church.
Just like Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” When the door opened, there were Breonna Frisk and Shane Mills, two smart, talented servants eager to help set the pace for 2026 and beyond. Breonna’s and Shane’s two-year terms start January 1, 2026, and conclude December 31, 2027.
The Leadership Board will not hold a meeting in December, but will resume our normal monthly meeting agenda on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. Just as a reminder, the Board meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 pm in the Patton Library. You are always welcome to join us at those meetings.
Soon the Board will be reporting to you on the outcome of the annual retreat portion of our agenda and ambitions for 2026. For now, let’s just say that we prayed and presented our 2026 God-sized goals to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit responded loudly and boldly, “Supersize those goals, will ya!”
From each of us on Sewickley United Methodist Church’s Leadership Board, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, we wish you a safe, joyous, and peaceful holiday season filled with heartwarming memories of 2025 and aspirations for 2026.
Lynn Colosi (Member, Sewickley United Methodist Church Leadership Board)