Inserted into last week’s bulletin was the summary of what I heard in the listening sessions held at the end of January. This summary has been shared with the Pastoral Council, the four Commissions (Worship, Education, Christian Service, and Discipleship) and now with the whole parish.
Each commission has been asked to reflect on the summary, as well as their own experience and mission, and suggest 3 - 5 goals that might become part of a Pastoral Plan that will guide the parish in the coming years. The Pastoral Council will try to take all the information that has been suggested and work with it in the coming months, deciding what goals and specific strategies we will choose for the near future. Obviously we can’t do everything, (so every idea expressed can’t be part of the plan), but hopefully we can find some consensus about the most significant issues and move toward some realistic yet challenging goals that will deepen our relationship with the Lord and strengthen our life in community. The Archbishop has given us some goals in his Pastoral letter Unleash the Gospel and they will certainly become part of the plan.
You are welcome to send your suggestions to me my March 15 (scheelerj@transgifsfld.org) so that your ideas can be considered as part of the mix. (Please be brief and as concrete as you can be.)
By using the information from the listening sessions and your ideas, we hope that the Pastoral Plan will be grounded in your lived experience and will be a response to your felt concerns. Please pray for God’s blessing on this process of discernment and decision.
Fr. Jeff