THERE ARE DIFFERENT MINISTRIES, BUT THE SAME SPIRIT (1 Corinthians 12:5)
Did you know that our parish has over 40 ministries? This includes Liturgical ministries such as Altar Servers and Liturgical Musicians, Evangelization ministries like the Legion of Mary and Hospitality, Education ministries like REP and Saint Joseph School, Pastoral Ministries like Scouting and Christian Contemplative Meditation, Stewardship ministries like the Finance Council and the Property Maintenance Committee, Ecumenism ministries like Ministerium Meetings and Interfaith Prayer Walks, and Social Concern ministries like Home Missions Outreach and Matthew 25: Helping Hands.
The number and variety of ways our parishioners serve is truly remarkable!
A few years ago when we embarked on our Parish Transformation journey, we realized that we needed to support and uplift our ministry leaders. If we as a parish are going to fulfill our mission of fostering the presence of Christ and growing disciples, it will be in large part because our ministry leaders and parish volunteers make it happen. And what a blessing that these leaders welcome this responsibility! When asked, “Why are you part of the ministry you lead?”, these are some of the answers they provided: Love for the Lord and His people; Serve God; Part of community; Get others involved; Keep faith going – youth; Example for children. Clearly, these leaders feel a personal responsibility for the people of our parish and, ultimately, for growing disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ and building up the Kingdom of God.
Given the important role our ministry leaders play, it is crucial that they feel affirmed, supported, listened to, equipped and encouraged. So back in 2017, we began hosting biannual meetings for just that purpose. We have borrowed a lofty term from the Divine Renovation book by Fr James Mallon, and call these meetings “Ministry Leadership Summits.” Prior to the pandemic, we kicked-off each meeting with a hearty breakfast (shout out to the Messinger family!!) as a way of showing appreciation to our ministry leaders. We also used meal time to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Currently we meet and greet each other via Zoom, and we have discovered that warmth and laughter can definitely be transmitted via computer! We pray together, which is an essential and uplifting part of what makes us so much more than a gathering of individuals… it makes us a Church family! The primary meeting focus is dedicated to identifying and exploring topics that help our ministries thrive. We’ve talked about how to keep our parish informed about what our ministries do, and shared ideas on how to recruit new members. We’ve discussed our parish’s mission statement and worked to ensure each individual ministry is supporting and advancing that mission in their own unique way. Our ministry summits provide our ministry leaders the opportunity to talk to each other in small groups, where they collaborate, share ideas, foster fellowship, and encourage each other. If you’re a member of a ministry here at Saint Joseph, you can expect your leader to share the ideas we discuss at these summits.
We ask our entire parish to pray for our amazing ministry leaders and volunteers who dedicate so much of their time and talent in service to our parish and to our Lord. We’re blessed to have them!
Our next Ministry Leadership Summit is April 24th, 2021, 9:00 AM to 10:30AM via Zoom. All ministry leaders are encouraged to attend or send a representative. If you have not received an invitation, please contact Mary Vukelich @ [email protected].