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Crystal Hills Assembly of God church – just east of Paynesville on Highway 55 – will have an event on September 13th at 9 a.m. to get ready for Operation Christmas Child. Each year, Crystal Hills – like thousands of other churches around the nation – pack shoe boxes with items that are sent to children all over the world.

Pastor Dan Courtney says they had a goal of packing 300 boxes last year and ended up doing 387 of them which ended up in Zambia. He says they will hear from a gal from the Philippines on September 13th who had received an Operation Christmas Child shoe box when she was a child.

Pastor Courtney says the shoe boxes help to show God’s love to children around the world and to demonstrate that there are people who care about them. He says they collect items all year long to put in the shoe boxes and a $10 shipping fee per box and they will be packing them on October 29th at 6 p.m. at the church – 5 miles east of Paynesville. For more details, go to crystalhillsag.org.

The Meeker County Board of Commissioners has adopted its very first strategic plan. The plan “Sowing the Seeds of Our Future” is intended to guide the work that the county pursues from now through 2027.

Development of the plan was the result of collaborative efforts between the County Commissioners, elected officials and department heads. The process was facilitated by Dave Unmacht through a combination of group work sessions and individual interviews which resulted in the priorities and goals which are outlined in the plan.

The planning process allowed the county to develop organization-wide mission and vision statements which are intended to be memorable and reflect the guiding principles behind the pursuit of this work. Meeker County’s mission statement “United to Lead, Driven to Serve” expresses the commitment to lead through service, integrity and collaboration across all areas. The statement is intended to reflect that everyone plays an important role in supporting members of the community.

The new vision statement “Meeker County serves with integrity and purpose, building trust and partnerships to support the health, safety and well-being of communities where people choose to live, work and grow” was developed through the collection of ideas generated during one of the work sessions and refined following a survey that sought input from all staff members. Ideas such as integrity and trust were highly rated among those surveyed, and reflect a shared ideal of ensuring that Meeker County residents know that the work being done is performed at the highest standard with sound ethics backing it.

The four organizational priorities identified in the plan are Financial Stewardship, Assets and Amenities, Quality Economic Growth, and Organizational Excellence. Each priority is supported by strategic actions which provide a roadmap for achieving the plan. While there are many potential outcomes, the plan identifies two outcomes for each priority which address the most significant and immediate challenges of Meeker County in the 2025-to-2027 timeframe.

Additionally, several goals for each priority are identified as action items within the 3-year period. The goals will be tracked and measured and will evolve and change. The strategic plan cannot be achieved simply by outlining details in a document. County staff are fully aware that the seeds of the plan will need to be nurtured so they grow and achieve the desired outcomes. However, the future is never certain, so priorities in the plan are also intentionally nimble to allow the freedom to address challenges as they present themselves.