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The Renewal Process in Saint James’ Parish
Presentation
to Vestry Meeting
13 February 2005
Timelines
Recall
the timelines which have led to the present point:
|
August: |
Concept adopted by Parish Council |
|
September: |
Renewal
Process plan approved |
|
October: |
Data
Gathering |
|
November: |
Preliminary
Conclusions |
|
Dec/
Jan: |
Parish
groups prepare initial plans |
|
February: |
Renewal
Team reports to Vestry |
Vision Statement
“St. James is a Christian Community Joyfully Serving and Growing in God’s Love”
Vision Platform
In particular, the Conclusions and Recommendations presented on 30 November 2004 resulted in a Vision Platform which emphasized the ministries in our parish, the ends towards which we work, as those of Worship, Education, Fellowship, and Outreach, all interlinked, as shown below.
Organization
The Renewal
Team recommended that the organization of the parish remain as it is now, with
three provisos:
1. That Parish
Council establish Action Teams (in effect, committees of the Council) as
necessary to address issues which involve several groups.
2. That
each parish group measure its plans and activities in the light of the four
ministries of Worship,
Education, Fellowship, and Outreach.
3. That each
group, other than purely operational ones, seek to pursue activities in at least
two of the four ministries.
Parish Groups by Ministry
Plans received from the various groups indicated implied
the degree of involvement of each group in the four ministries (in cases where
no plans were received, the Renewal Team attempted to estimate this
involvement. The levels considered were primary and secondary (it is
possible that there may be more than one primary or secondary function for any
group). The purpose of some groups (e.g., counters) is not directly in
support of a ministry, but is to further a means by which these ministries may
be supported. In such a case, the category or 'Operations' is used.
The results are as follows:
Group
|
Worship |
Education |
Fellowship |
Outreach |
Operations |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rector* |
♦ |
♦ |
|
♦ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ACW* |
|
|
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
Altar
Guild* |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
Choir* |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
Church
School |
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
|
|
Counting
Team* |
|
|
|
|
♦ |
|
Craft
Group* |
|
|
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
Cursillo |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
|
Envelope
Sec’y* |
|
|
|
|
♦ |
|
Epistle |
|
♦ |
|
♦ |
|
|
Lay
Assistants |
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
|
|
Nursery |
|
|
♦ |
|
♦ |
|
Outreach |
|
|
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
Pastoral
Care* |
♦ |
|
|
♦ |
|
|
Property
Cttee |
|
|
|
|
♦ |
|
Readers
|
♦ |
♦ |
|
|
|
|
Servers |
♦ |
|
|
|
|
|
Sidespeople |
♦ |
|
|
|
|
|
Synod
members |
|
♦ |
|
♦ |
|
|
Welcoming* |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
|
Legend:
* Groups who have submitted reports
♦ Primary function (may be in more than one area)
♦ Secondary
function (may be in more than one area)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parish Group Goals
Groups have provided initial plans, indicating the directions which they intend to follow. In every instance, these plans include actions and programs which have been a core part of their operation for many years. In addition, though, most groups have taken the opportunity provided by the process to examine their activities and to look for others which help to fulfill their roles in the various ministries. Under the headings of the four ministries, as well as operations, the following tables summarize the plans which have been received by the Renewal Team. The Team has put forward goals in a few cases for groups who submitted no plans, where such goals were of particular importance to the parish as a whole.
Worship
| Father Rick
|
v
proclaim by word and service the Good News of Jesus
Christ; v in cooperation with Parish Council, establish a worship committee; v create a sermon evaluation team. |
| Altar Guild | v
reverently prepare the sanctuary; v care for heritage objects of worship. |
| Choir | v
provide
musical leadership in worship services; v encourage worship participation through music |
| Church School | v
nurture the faith or our children through example and
teaching. |
| Pastoral Care Team | v
assist
at church services in Nursing Homes and elsewhere as appropriate. |
Education
| Father Rick | v
co-ordinate Christian education for all age groups; v create a spirituality and education team; v train lay leaders to provide opportunities for growth for parishioners. |
| Altar Guild | v
consider provision of education to Sunday School and confirmation classes. |
| Choir | v
help the
congregation to participate in liturgical music. |
| Church School | v
guide children in a worship-centred program of Christian
learning, based on the Church year. |
| Welcoming Committee | v
encourage
participation in Christian courses, e.g. Lenten / Advent / Bible Studies
and Alpha. |
Fellowship
| ACW | v
explore fellowship opportunities; v actively seek to build the ACW membership base; v maintain and coordinate a list of newcomers to Saint James’, to phone and invite to ACW meetings; v consider events with guest speakers. |
| Craft Group | v
strive to be a warm and friendly group, attracting others in
fellowship. |
| Outreach Committee | v
provide
plants to our shut-ins at Easter, helping to keep seniors and shut-ins in
touch with the Church Community. |
| Welcoming Committee | v
encourage newcomers to join the congregation. |
Outreach
| Father Rick | v
love and serve and be a pastor to the people committed to
his care and to the communities in which God calls him; v take part in diocesan ministry where appropriate. |
| ACW | v
expand outreach programs by providing casseroles and soups
to the sick and incapacitated in our congregation; v constantly explore new ideas for outreach. |
| Choir | v
stage
occasional musical entertainment as a fundraiser; v sing informally at parish events. |
| Craft Group | v
create a variety of crafts to be sold for the purpose of
making donations to outreach |
| Welcoming Committee | v
arrange
special events, e.g., Pot Luck Dinners / Movie Nights; v ensure that newcomers are invited to social events phone calls and handouts. |
| Pastoral Care Team | v
share
God's love and care with the sick, the shut-ins, the isolated, the lonely,
and those in crisis. |
| Outreach Committee | v
assist
families in our area, local shelters and
various agencies through monetary and various (food, clothing etc.)
donations. |
Operations
| Counting Team | v
maintain a very high level of
confidentiality; v verify accuracy of envelope contents and weekly count; v work as dedicated volunteers committed to growth in Christ. |
| Envelope Secretary | v
maintain a very high level of
accuracy and confidentiality; v issue a weekly funds report and ad hoc reports to the Treasurer; v provide guidance and education to the Counting Team. |
| Property Committee | v
ensure the maintenance of the physical premises (interior
and exterior) of the church in a clean, tidy manner; v maintain the efficiency and safety of all systems involved in the operation of St. James (e.g. heating, lighting, water, sump, roofing, grounds, parking, etc.); v provide coordination of short- and long-term property management issues, both planned and unforeseen |
---------------------------------------------------------
People, Ministries, Resources and Projects
In planning for the future, we should be aware of the main components with which we deal.
Our parish is made up of people: youth, women, men.
Our activities centre around four ministries: Worship, Education, Fellowship, Outreach.
Our tools are the resources that God has given us: e.g., operations (physical plant), fundraising, communications.
We
engage in projects; our next parish-wide
project will be a stewardship program.
Moving Forward: The Next Steps
The Renewal Team recommends that each group now proceed to its more detailed planning stage; this recommendation applies equally to those groups which have not yet submitted plans. The table below summarizes the principal areas in which we expect to move forward during the coming months.
| Planning | v
All groups to prepare detailed action plans by 3 April. |
| Worship | v
With Father Rick’s guidance, establish a team to examine
worship at Saint James’ Church. |
| Education | v
Develop initiatives in youth and adult education. |
| Youth | v
Coordinate youth activities, and recommend new initiatives
where necessary. |
| Men’s Activities | v
Establish a Men’s Group |
| Operations | v
Coordinate internal and external communications, and
recommend new initiatives where necessary; v Establish goals for Corporation, Parish Council. |
| Stewardship | v
Begin stewardship campaign planning |
Who
will make this happen?
We ask
the Holy Spirit to provide guidance and
motivation
·
to each of us,
as parishioners through our groups, by planning and by doing.
·
to members of Parish Council
----------------------------------------------------------
Note: With respect to the presentation above, the following motion was passed at the Saint James' Vestry meeting of Sunday February 13, 2005:
That Vestry endorse the report of the Renewal Team