Dreaming together for the future of our Parish

Friends, this weekend we begin a process that will lead our parish towards creating a 5-year strategic plan. The creation of this plan is a part of our effort to look to grow and thrive as missionary disciples across the different Coastal and Hinterland communities which make up our parish. Do you have a dream for our parish?

It’s important to acknowledge that while consultation and planning is something which previously occurred under the leadership of Fr John Dobson in 2009, we find ourselves in a vastly different church, community and even geopolitical context from 13 years ago. At the risk of using a cliché, the old adage seems to ring true: if we fail to plan, we plan to fail.

Today, and over the next seven weeks, we’ll be viewing a 4-5 minute video at the end of the homily, except at Currimundi and Little Mountain Masses, where unfortunately no audio-visual equipment is available. These videos are designed to help us explore different ministry areas and what we think could be possible for our parish. These ministry areas include:

Children & Families

Faith & Formation

Community Life

Worship

Youth & Young Adults

Service & Outreach.

In the final week, a seventh video will be played on Evangelisation which encompasses all six ministry areas. This will give us a framework upon which to build our new strategic plan as well as promote and encourage active membership through serving in the parish.

While there are many people in our parish already faithfully serving in ministry in different capacities, it’s important that we create, not just a framework to enable and facilitate greater involvement, but the healthy expectation that as members of our parish fuelled by our own love for Jesus, we are indeed serving, giving and actively helping others know and love Jesus (cf. Mt 28:19).

The first step in our consultation and planning process is to dream as a parish about what could be possible in each of the above ministry areas that we are seeking to build. This weekend, we listen to Chantale Wilson (Associate Director of Children and Families at Evangelisation Brisbane) dream about what a Children and Families ministry could look like in a parish. If you have a dream for Children and Families ministry, we want to hear from you!

Each weekend for the next seven weeks, there will be a different QR code in the newsletter which will take you to a very short survey. Or if you read the newsletter online – there will be a direct link. The survey is designed to elicit your dream for each ministry and your interest in knowing more about, and/or being part of a ministry area. It’s a fact that God gives us the gifts we need to be the community whom God is calling us to be. I encourage you, therefore, to be open and generous in communicating your dreams and interest. You can definitely be interested in more than one ministry area! Please complete this week’s quick 2-minute survey on Children & Families.

Finally, mark your calendar for Saturday 5 November. The entire parish is invited to gather at 10am in the Unity College Auditorium, 47 Lomond Cres, Caloundra West, for our first-ever Parish Summit where together, we will take the next step dreaming together for the future of our parish.

Wishing you every blessing,

Fr Josh Whitehead