Council Adjourns the 2006-2007 Year
and Looks Forward to 2007-2008
Do you recall the adage, "Time flies when you're having fun?" Well apparently the council members have been having fun because this year has flown by. Be assured, your council has worked hard, accomplished a myriad of tasks and set its sites on sme grand goals for the 2007-2008 year. Hopefully, you have seen and talked to the various members (we're the ones wearing the badges) before or after Mass, at coffee and donuts or during one of the many social events hosted at Res.
First, just some of our accomplishments:
Councilmember Kathleen Banks, your youth liaison, orchestrated the Living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Not only did she orchestrate the stations but researched, on the web and elsewhere, youth centric approaches to Stations of the Cross. Kathleen recruited several members of our youth and choreographed the entire event. In addition, Kathleen, completed a Youth Survey to begin identifying teenagers likely to participate in a Youth Group and researched information on other parish plans for Youth Groups activities in the hopes of further developing ties within the deanery and diocese level and possibly even in the broader Christian community (she has friends at Sunnyvale Presbyterian and other community churches).
Her 2007-2008 goals are to:
─ Contact teens interested in forming a Youth Group and create a core leadership group
─ Take part in youth-oriented activities aimed at fulfilling the goals of giving service, having fun, and welcoming to all
─ Find out from other teens what they feel ought to be happening at Res and beyond
If you are interested in participating in youth activities at Res or know someone who is, please contact Kathleen or me (Jeffrey Artz).
Council Member Yolanda Garcia, your young adult liaison, has been in this role for five months but has got the ball moving. According to our bishop, PJ McGrath, identifying and engaging the young adult segment of the San Jose Diocese is the next big thrust. I am proud to share that Res is way ahead of the diocese in our young adult planning. Yolanda has led round table discussions about how to attract young adults to this ministry. She has researched the internet, other parish websites and elsewhere for information on how to get young adults involved. Her research has led her to “The Basic Guide to Young Adult Ministry” which has helped her develop a great “getting started” outline for next steps.
Her 2007-2008 goals are to:
─ Acquire a list of Res young adults (she already has several contact identified)
─ Reach out to ascertain their interest in forming a young adult group, and hopefully get more names from them and make more personal phone calls;
─ Develop a core of 10 people and have a kickoff to ascertain topics, discussions, activities, social events, etc that are of interest to our young adult community.
─ Host a wine and cheese gathering after the Saturday 5:00 p.m. mass to “kick off” this new ministry (And, yes, child care will be available and provided from qualified members of our youth community).
You may be asking, “what defines young adults?” Generally, it is the 20 to 40 range but, if you feel and think young …
If you are interested in participating in young adult activities at Res or know someone who is, please contact Yolanda.
Council Member Sandra DeLateur, your Resurrection School Liaison, recently joined the Res council. In her words “I agreed to become a member of the Pastoral Council to facilitate the communication between the parish and the school. I am looking forward to working with a wonderful group.” And work she has, Sandra has met with many Res community lay leaders, learned from Fr. Bob what the goals are for the community as a whole, invited council members as well as the parish families to events previously considered “school” events, such as International Night, Starry Knights Auction, coordinated school volunteers for parish-wide events and discussed how the school can help with the youth group ministry (upcoming 9th graders).
Her 2007-2008 goals are to:
─ Help facilitate communications between the school and the parish groups in general
─ Assist with coordination of parish-wide volunteer opportunities
─ Meet new parishioners and school families encourage active involvement in the community
─ Recruit dynamic new members as leaders
─ Strengthen the faith of school families in the parish community
─Upgrade multi-use facilities so all parish groups benefit
Councilmember Lyn O’Connell, your Community Liaison, stays abreast of our community “goings on” - many of these areas Lyn has not been directly involved with but as Community Liaison, she keeps her hand on the pulse. Her ongoing goal is to act as a conduit from our Pastor and Council to the many wonderful ministries at Res— here are a few:
─ Welcoming Group - planning to put on a welcoming event for new Res members sometime in September or early October.
─ Hospitality - Coffee and donuts are moving right along, Ray Valido's going away donut celebration on June 3rd with a large card to sign, Fr. Peter's going away party was a huge success - lots of people from the Parish as well as the school, Special thanks to Pat Kerner, who will be stepping aside from her donut duties after this summer.
─ Environment - The environment group has been changing the flower displays and decorating as the liturgical calendar changes – lots of behind the scenes effort that is especially appreciated.
─ Women's Prayer Group - Meets at 9:15 AM most Wednesdays (after Labor Day).Discuss readings for next Sundays.
─ Men's Faith Sharing Group - Meet at 7:30 AM every Saturday morning, rain or shine.Any men always welcome.They are always ready to jump in and help set up tables and chairs for any function after 9 AM on Saturdays.
Cursillo Men and Women's Group - Will have an Ultreya at Resurrection on October 17th.Fall Men's Cursillo is on October 4-7, and the Fall Women's Cursillo is October 25-28.
─ RCIA - Looking for new candidates for the fall session.We are always looking for people who want to serve on the team – Mike Haas has been the leader for the last few years and has taken the Res RCIA program to new heights.
─ Stewardship Group - The Ministry Faire is scheduled for September 9th - information only, no recruiting/no pressure.
─ Community Parties - We have scheduled two parties at the calendar meeting.The first is on September 30th.It will be a Family Picnic-Everyone in the Parish the School, and the Faith Formation will be invited.It will be held at the picnic grounds and the Farana Center - Based on last year’s success, we have scheduled the third Oktoberfest for October 20th.We will be looking for individuals and groups to help make these events a success.
─ Kitchen Update - The Fil-Am group and the ICF have offered to have fund raisers for the new stove.The fund raisers will be held after the summer with Ray Badilla researching prices and leading the effort.
These are but a few of our accomplishments—many other council members have contributed as well. So you can see we’ve been busy and you have every right to be proud of your council as they are fabulously talented, gifted and diverse group of individuals. We have incredible opportunities to take our parish to new heights that we could have only dreamed of in the past. For example, the capital campaign has concluded and, with that, you, our parishioners have enabled us through very generous contributions.As of July, we were at 150% of our campaign goal and about $1.75M. Of that, almost $400,000 is our parish share. What we do with that money will be based in part on what the council gleans from the Res community and recommends to our pastor.
Fr. Bob ended our July meeting (last meeting until the council reconvenes in September) with a declaration and a question: “It’s Time to Stop Thinking and Talking about what we can’t do but rather what we can do”
“I always thought it would be a great idea to _________________ but we don’t have the money”
One early response—fill in the blank below with Finish the Church re-decoration plans that were started before Fr. Mike left. Replace carpeting, update walls, maybe even get the screens and projector that Fr. Bob has wanted.Our parish deserves a Church that we can be proud of .
Another suggested we use some of the money to upgrade the Farana Center meeting rooms.
A third suggested we allocate funds for an on-staff Youth Minister.
So we ask you now—fill in the blank—tell us your thoughts. Remember, if it is important to you—it is important to us. We are your council and we are here to serve you.
May God’s blessing be with you, Jeffrey Artz
