Ministry Meeting Minutes & Recommendations

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​Thank you for participating in the Ministry Meeting held on Saturday March 2, 2024.  Below are the notes and some action items that would like you to share with your members.
 
Purpose of meeting – to bring understanding of ministry’s purpose and establish consistent practices amongst all ministries.
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Definition of ministry – Liturgical and Outreach – Today we will mainly discuss our Outreach Ministries, their challenges, and ways to improve.

  1.   What is the Mission Statement of your ministry?
    1. Does your ministry have a mission statement? 
    2. If yes, do you follow the guidelines of the Mission Statement? 
    3. If not, please work to propose one for your ministry. 
 
Action Item: Each group should submit its Mission Statement to Fr. Joy by the end of March 2024

  1.  Is there Unity among your members?
    1. Every ministry is invited to foster a bond of unity between the members. 
    2. Collaboration and teamwork - not friction and finger pointing. 
 
  1. Respect the Hierarchy 
    1. Most ministries have elected hierarchy (President or chairperson, secretary and finance officer) 
    2. While members may voluntarily do many things, it is good that the Chairperson or whoever is in charge of the group is aware of what is going on with the various programs. 
    3. Elected officers keep to their term unless change is needed earlier for whatever reasons. 
    4. While those in charge may take initiatives and realize various projects in the name of the specific ministry, they are obliged to follow the diocesan and or parish guidelines for the ministry.  
    5. Please note that, no ministry in the parish is a stand-alone ministry and that they exist under the umbrella of the parish and under the pastoral care of the Pastor or whom he may have assigned to be responsible.  
 
Action Item: If your ministry’s elected officers, please make sure the term of the services is set.
 
How do you conduct your meetings?

  1.  Each ministry may have its own spirituality. 
    1. Every ministry is to have a spirituality of its own. 
    2. While it may differ from the other ministries, the spirituality of your spirituality forms and characterizes the ministry.  
    3. It is the various different spiritualities put together that enriches the parish community in its various needs and endeavors. 
  2. Meetings to include prayer time on a regular basis. 
    1. We are not just a social group, so our foundation is in Christ. 
    2. We invoke Christ's help and guidance at all our meetings. 
    3. So, make Prayer part of the regular meeting. 
    4. It could be like a decade of the Holy Rosary, or the evening prayer or a spiritual reading and short reflection or whatever the specific ministries guidelines permits. 
    5. As a group, commit an hour to 1st Friday 24-hours Eucharistic Adoration. If your group is too small, please coordinate with other small groups and find the appropriate time.
 
Action Item: Please contact the Parish Office:
  • if your group is ready to commit one hour on 1st Friday 24-hours Eucharistic Adoration.
  • If your group wants to hold a special mass to honor your Saint.
 
Growth and Outreach

  1. New Members recruited on a regular basis 
    1. Every ministry should recruit new members on a regular basis. 
    2. No member should consider that it is his or her ministry and young members are not needed to continue with the ministry.  
    3. Suggest having a presentation at the weekend masses about your ministry at least once a year; each ministry can coordinate with the parish secretary to select one weekend. This could also be a time to do fund raising efforts. 
      1. Can be doing food sales. 
      2. Handout ministry flyer for recruitment 
      3. Utilize weekly bulletin to promote the ministry or communicate with the parishioners.  
      4. The deadline to submit the material is before Friday to be post on the following weekend bulletin. 
      5. The parish website is also another platform to list the ministry.
      6. Parish Pamphlets
 
  1. What is the ministries one outreach to the parish? 
    1. All ministries at the parish level should be engaged in some kind of outreach ministry. 
    2. Remember the example of Marta and Mary, "Ora et Labora" - Prayer and work should go together in every ministry.  
    3. A few beautiful examples of such outreach could be:  
      1. Like the St. Vincent de Paul reaching out to the needs of the poor in the parish community. 
      2. The Legion of Mary goes door to door to distribute the flyers and prayer cards and inviting people to the church. 
      3. The Stewardship ministry calls the fallen away parishioners to come back and when needed providing them with transportation or other support. 
      4. Divine Mercy & Alleluia Group serving food at the St. Vincent de Paul at the Decoto Road.  
 
  1. Contributions to the Parish feast and festival – cash or kind. 
    1. While ministries are kind of autonomous in the parish, they still have some responsibilities towards the parish. 
    2. Two major responsibilities would be that of supporting the Parish Feast (Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12) and for the Parish Festival or carnival (This year on the 18th of August). 
    3. It should not be just to give some money, but to be part of the joys and struggles of the larger family, the parish. Your presence matters!
    4. Possibly dedicating this year the October and November fundraisings for the Parish Feast, but understanding that fundraising efforts for the festival on a ministry level can begin as early as January each year.
    5. Regarding fundraising, ministries can schedule their fundraising throughout the year, proceeds can be divided between ministry and parish festival or Feast.
 
Action Item: Please contact the Parish Office to schedule your fundraising if you plan any as an individual ministry.  If your ministry does not have enough members to hold a fundraising or sale, you may connect with other ministry to have joint fundraising.  
 
Planning: Ministry schedules should be created at the beginning of each calendar year and notification provided to the office to avoid conflicts.

  1. Ministry Calendar Planning. 
    1. As we do not have too many facilities, we need to coordinate the scheduling and calendaring well so as not to have conflicts. 
    2. Ministries may hold special dates and celebrations proper to their ministry. 
    3. Please organize them with the parish office in advance so as not to have conflict at the last moment. 
    4. The office staff will hold a calendaring week, possibly in June and it would be great if each ministry is aware in advance of when they need what facilities for the whole pastoral Year. 
Action Item: The Parish Office will remind you early June when it is time to schedule your ministry activities if you are using any parish’s facilities. So, please be ready with your calendar of activities.

  1. Important dates and events happening this year. 
          a. English Family Day - Saturday March 9 at 9:30am
          b. Parish Lenten Mission (please invite your friends and Family)
                   1. English Session Tuesday & Wednesday 3/12 & 13 6pm
                   2. Spanish Session Thursday & Friday 3/14 & 15 6pm
          c. Corpus Christi Sunday June 2 (please program to participate)
          d. Marian Concert - Thursday May 2 (we will announce in the Church)
          e. Parish Festival - Sunday August 18, 2024
          f. Feast Day - Thursday Dec. 12, 2024
          g.Christmas Tree Lighting/Concert Thursday Dec. 19, 2024
 
Action Item: Please invite all your members to participate and support parish activities.

  1. Finances 
    1. Each ministry may organize the finances of the ministry.
    2. Each ministry should have assigned a Treasurer to look after the finances of the ministry. 
    3. In all financial dealings, please follow the Diocesan guidelines and the items in the list below: 
      1. To reconcile accounting with parish quarterly 
      2. No cash is to be held by any individual member at any time. 
      3. After Fund raising efforts, please put the cash, checks into the tamper evident envelopes and deposit it at the parish safe. 
What do we want to do for the 10th year anniversary? 
Parish Pastoral Council had come up with some ideas like: 
  1. Devotional areas around the Church 
  2. Better signage for the church facilities 
  3. Parish name be placed at the entrance of the Church 
  4. Renovating the Church lights and they are rusty and many defective 
  5. Creating a new Parish Picture Directory 
 
Action Item: Please invite members to be part of the new Parish Picture Directory, you will receive more information later.
 
Please know that Help is Available to Ministries, when needed!

  1. How can the parish leadership team help you in the various ministries?  
    1. The parish has a leadership team consisting of the Pastoral Council, Finance Council, Staff, and a Leadership Team. The members of these teams can be available for various needs of your ministry when needed.  
    2. Please let the priests or the pastoral council members or any leadership team member know about your needs.  
 
Communication and Safe environment
 
It is necessary that there are ways to communicate to the group and all members when there is a need and that all members have taken “Safe Environment” and if needed fingerprinted.

  1. What is the best means of communication used by the members of the ministry? All members of the ministry need to share their Email and Cellphone number with the parish.
  2. Have a roster of all members of the ministry.
  3. Parish registration – are you really registered in the parish as a member? Just attending the sacramental celebrations and being part of a ministry is not enough to be a registered member of the parish.
Action Item:
  1. Please have your ministry roster ready by the end of the month of March.  Please email to the parish office [email protected]
  2. All the members have to be completed Safe Environment Training. Here is the link to complete the training. https://www.virtusonline.org/ If your ministry involves activities with minors, please make sure you are fingerprinted as well.  Please contact the Parish Office for the form.
  3. All Ministry members are encouraged to register at the parish. Here is the link to register  https://www.olog.church/parish-registration1.html 
 
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