PROJECT 2010
St. James Parish Vision
We will be a Catholic beacon for our community leading all
into the heart of God.
St.
James Parish Mission Statement
We are a growing Faith
Community, looking to the future with hope. As one of the oldest Catholic
parishes in the diocese, we are proud of our long faith heritage, and we foster
that faith through prayerful and inspirational liturgies. We are committed to
share our faith through strong and vibrant religious education opportunities
for both our youth and adult members and through a strong RCIA and reach-out to
inactive Catholics. Our faith motivates us to reach out in service to the poor
and marginalized. We commit ourselves
to form a community of love and friendship. Inspired by St. James the Apostle,
our parish patron, we accept the invitation into the circle of friendship with
Jesus.
|
Strategy #1:
Strengthen the Parish Community |
||||
|
|
Goal A. Reach Out to
Parishioners in New and Innovative Ways |
|||
|
|
|
ACTION |
POINT OF CONTACT |
DATE |
|
|
|
Action #1. Welcome every
new parish family with a meal delivered to their home. |
_____________ |
Sept
2002 |
|
|
|
Action #2. Rejuvenate the
neighborhood communities. Notify neighbors when new parishioners move into
their neighborhoods. |
Jean
Byrne |
Sept
2002 |
|
|
|
Action #3. Conduct new
family orientation first Sunday of each month. Contact those unable to
attend. Goal is 100% welcoming of new parishioners. |
Fr. Ron |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
Action #4. Continue an
active greeter ministry by doubling the number of volunteers by October 2001 |
Brad
& Mary Thomas |
October
2001 |
|
|
Goal B. Maximize our Evangelization Efforts |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. By July, 2001
we will send every inactive parishioner an invitation to “Welcome Back.” |
Joan
Sage & Nancy Goeckel from “Take Another Look”) |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #2. By July, 2001
we will send every inactive parishioner a parish directory so they will have
ready access to parish information, resources and phone numbers. |
Joan
Sage & Sharon Stauffacher |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #3. By July,
2001we will send every inactive parishioner the quarterly parish newsletter. |
Joan
Sage & Nancy Goeckel from “Take Another Look” & Sharon Stauffacher |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #4. By July, 2001
we will have at least one article per issue of the newsletter geared toward
the inactive Catholic. |
Joan
Sage |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #5. We will put
out newsletters and directories at Easter and Christmas Masses. These may be
special “evangelization issues” with a tear off page to mail in for more
information by December 2001. |
Toni
McLain |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #6. Increase the
number of greeters at holiday Masses to welcome parishioners and newcomers.
Place greeters at every door by
December 2001 |
Brad
& Mary Thomas |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #7. Gather new parishioner information
at Christmas and Easter (e.g., through request in worship aids) so we can
hopefully get contact information about Catholics who visit us at these
Masses by December 2001. |
Fr. Ron |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #8. Send an
annual, tactful letter to those parishioners we identify as “inactive” with
survey questions so we can learn more about our parishioners who may benefit
from evangelization. |
Jim
Gillet / Fran Riley |
July
2002 |
|
|
Goal C. Increase Promotion of Parish Ministries |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. By September,
2001 we will develop the role of “Ministry Coordinator” to make parishioners
more aware of our parish’s diverse ministries. |
Lou
Carey |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #2. We will
establish a “St. James Access number,” manned 24 hours/day, to place those in
need with the ministry that can help them. This would also be an easy access
point for parishioners to get matched up with ministries they can volunteer
for. |
_____________ |
July
2002 |
|
|
|
Action #3. Actively
recruit Juniors & Seniors and other post-confirmation youth to mentor our
youth group. |
Willy
Fontanez |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #4. Conduct an
all-parish Mass by Repeat this yearly. Consider Pentecost. |
Tyler
Henderson |
Dec
2004 |
|
|
|
Action #5. Conduct an
annual, well-researched “State of the Parish” report by July, 2002. This
would explain where we are on our strategic plan, what we have accomplished
in the last year, what our immediate goals are, etc. |
Fr. Ron |
IN PLACE |
|
Strategy #2: Offer Diverse Spiritual Experiences |
||||
|
|
Goal A. Diversify the Mass |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. Initiate a
choir exchange. |
Tyler
Henderson |
Dec
2002 |
|
|
|
Action #2. Explain
portions of the Mass in the worship aid and newsletter. Write a Liturgy
Corner geared to children or follow the adult articles with family discussion
questions. |
Tyler
Henderson & Melinda Dolphin |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #3. By 2005 half
of our liturgical ministers will be under age 30. |
Tyler
Henderson |
2005 |
|
|
Goal B. Promote a Variety of Prayer Experiences |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. Hold parish
retreats at least yearly. |
Sandy
Landuyt, Fr. Ron, and Ann Tucker |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #2. Hold parish
pilgrimages at least yearly. Examples would be to monasteries in Conception
or Atchison, convent in Clyde, Co-Cathedral in St. Joseph, etc. If this was
popular, a parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land or Rome could be considered. |
Fr. Jim |
|
|
|
|
Action #3. Build a
perpetual adoration chapel by October, 2010. |
Susan
Stolwyck |
Oct
2010 |
|
|
|
Action #4. Host a
Eucharistic Congress at St. James by July, 2003. |
_____________ |
Jul
2003 |
|
|
|
Action #5. Have an annual
Parish Mission during Lent by 2003. |
_____________ |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #6. Have a
national speaker come to St. James like St. Therese, North did for a Marian
Day of Prayer. Charge enough to cover costs. |
Sandy
Landuyt |
IN PLACE |
|
|
Goal C. Provide a Vast Array of Catholic Teaching Resources. |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. By July 2003,
have a user-friendly, interactive parish website with 10,000 “hits” per year. |
Howard
Henry, webmaster |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #2. Have “Church
101” on our website by July, 2004. |
Howard
Henry |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #3. Hyperlink our
current website to other parishes and the diocese by July, 2005. |
Howard
Henry |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #4. We will have a
functional parish library/Catholic study room with computers and a wide
variety of religious texts and videos available for checkout. This will be a
quiet area for Catholic study and reflection. Will be open Sunday mornings,
for example, for religious education parents waiting for their children.
Note: use diocesan library resources to help with this. |
Donna
Webb |
Jul
2007 |
|
|
|
Action #5. Continue to
use the bulletin and quarterly newsletter as teaching tools. |
Daryl
Johnson & Toni McLain |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #6. Put bulletin
and newsletter on website by December, 2001. |
Howard
Henry |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #7. Put a link to
the diocesan library on our website when available from diocese. |
Howard
Henry |
|
|
|
|
Action #8. Put a link on
our website (by June, 2001) that shows Mass times all over the country for
parishioners who travel. |
Howard
Henry |
IN PLACE |
|
Strategy #3: Create the Optimal Spiritual Atmosphere |
||||
|
|
Goal A. Focus the Parish on Stewardship |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. Pay off the
present parish debt by 2005. |
Finance
Committee/Administration |
2005 |
|
|
|
Action #2. Increase the
number of people who make pledges by 10% each year. There are 1200 parish
families, so increase by 120 families. |
Lisa
Sobba |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
Action #3. Increase by
10% each year the number of parishioners who share of their time and talent
through volunteering. |
Lou
Carey |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
Action #4. Increase the
Stewardship committee’s outreach by their meeting with various parish groups
several times/year. |
Lisa
Sobba |
Ongoing |
|
|
Goal B. Provide a Clean, Welcoming, Multifunctional, and
Well-maintained Facility. |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. Maintain a
written preventive maintenance schedule for the entire physical plant. |
Ken
Oyen |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #2. Deep cleaning
of Church every Advent and Lent through volunteer effort. |
Roger
Holyfield |
IN PLACE |
|
|
|
Action #3. Sponsor youth
fund raisers with proceeds going for their mission trips. |
Willy
Fontanez |
IN PLACE |
|
|
Goal C. Optimize and Rejuvenate Space for our Faith Community |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. Conduct a
feasibility study on space utilization and expansion for worship by 2004. One
suggestion is to consider non-traditional space possibilities like B&B
Movie Theater, renting unused space in another church, etc. |
John
Scheer Administration
Committee |
2004 |
|
|
|
Action #2. Conduct a
feasibility study by July, 2004 on establishing a preschool and daycare. |
John
Scheer Administration
Committee |
July
2004 |
|
|
|
Action #3. Improve our
green space with abundant trees and flowers. |
Mike
Kromeich |
Ongoing |
|
Strategy #4: Achieve Excellence in all Educational Efforts |
||||
|
|
Goal A. Increase the Academic Excellence in our School |
|||
|
|
|
Action #1. Increase the
number of accessible computers for every student each year. |
Ed
Fierst |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
Action #2. Have 5 working
computers per schoolroom by 2005. |
Julie
Miller, St. James Computer Teacher |
|