June 2003 PASTORAL MEETING MINUTES

PASTORAL MEETING MINUTES

June 2003

St. Michael's Pastoral Council
Meeting Minutes
June 11, 2003

Attendees

Tamra Barton, George Bardsley (excused), Kathy Blanchard (guest), Ted Burkhardt, Pat Castle (guest), Lori Churchyard (guest), Bob Doody (guest), Don D'Valle, Margie D'Valle (guest), Anna Esposito, Mary Fulmer, Gary Fulmer, Mary Ann Gehle, Keith Gehle (guest), Deacon Charlie Hiebler (Archdiocese of Baltimore, Office of Planning and Council Services), Vince Ippolito, Kathy Knutson, Amy Myers (guest), Dennis Moore, Tony Nelson, Jim Onaitis (guest), Linda Raines, Matt Regan, Fr Mike Ruane, Amy Sorensen, Jody Tata, Donald Warfield (guest) and George Yager.

Opening

Attendees gathered at 6:30pm for a light supper.
After supper, Matt Regan led attendees on a tour through the new building under construction.
Matt referred to the Building Report (Attachment A) in describing the various rooms under construction.
The meeting started at 8pm with Mary Ann Gehle and Tamra Barton leading the opening prayer for those in ministry.
Mary Ann introduced guests: Kathy Blanchard, Pat Castle (Religious Education), Bob Doody, Deacon Charlie Hiebler (Planning), Lori Churchyard (Technology Committee), Margie D'Valle (Pastoral Visitors), Keith Gehle (Mary Ann Gehle's husband), Jim Onaitis, Amy Myers (Liturgy Committee) and Donald Warfield (Cemetery).

Planning Session Introduction

Mary Ann Gehle mentioned that the planning session is intended to focus on what is going well and what has yet to be been done while looking forward to the rest of 2003 and into 2004.
Charlie Hiebler mentioned that the planning session is a mid-year look at the 2003 goals and objectives and if not course, make mid-year correction.
Charlie split up the attendees split up into 5 groups to focus of our 5 mission priorities.
He encouraged each group to include some members that were not normally involved in the mission priority being discussed.
Each person was previously provided with the objectives set in January 2003 (Attachment B), worksheets for each mission priority (Attachment C) and referred to the yearly reports submitted in the May 2003 Council meeting.

Planning Session Readout - Evangelization

Linda Raines provided a summary of the groups discussion.
Objectives done: 2/3/03 Dr. Bob Rice - Healing Service, 4/5/03 Fr. Tom Forrest - Mini Mission, Visit Adult Education Committee, Mission outreach local & global - ongoing
Objectives in progress: Fr. Tom Forrest to return, Disciples in Mission (decision by June, 2003), Visit other ministries, Additional speakers, "Welcoming Spirit", Opportunity for people to share special experiences with Christ, Evangelization in bulletin, New Objectives: Budget Request
Objectives not chosen but still desirable: One winter alpha course instead of two (two is desirable but not enough response), Interfaith Relationships - How?

Planning Session Readout - Education

Tamra Barton provided the following summary of the group's discussion.
Objectives done: Classes offered for adults (Lenten & Advent Classes), Traditional family prayer & classroom, Stations of the Cross offered to the entire parish, Children's Station of the Cross, Parish Mission, Committee Website pages, links for recruits, Religious Education Curriculum chosen
Objectives in progress: Communication (on-going), Adult Theology (on-going), #3 on-going will become better, Vocations - A day with Priest or Seminary, #5 - repeated and embellished every year, Leadership formation - working now to offer two nigh classes, Catechist Handbook, #11 will be purchased in July and installed, #12 on-going transfer understanding from Parent to child has to be stressed every year, Have parents become owners of their faith (ownership)

Planning Session Readout - Liturgy

Amy Myers provided the following summary of the group's discussion.
Objectives done: Planning for a teaching mass, Recruit and train members
Objectives in Progress: Bulletin inserts to inform parishioners about liturgy

Planning Session Readout - Service/Justice

Jody Tata provided the following summary of the group's discussion.
Parish support of the poor e.g. St. Ambrose Center collects school backpacks and supplies; support of missionary from Mandeville, Jamaica; support of Fr. Chris and Amen Foundation: St. Joseph's Monastery in Baltimore. They received $ 6000.00 from St. Michaels for needs of their parish. ; support of Stephanie Myers to establish a job resource in Paraguay: Support food of the Poor: support of European Churches in Second Collections.; food cellar at St. Michaels continually ongoing; Sour kitchen support at Beacon House in Frederick
Contacts for agencies are available through the Archdioceses and are given out through the parish office
March Archdiocese of Baltimore Justice Convocation suggest planning earlier for 2004 (training for pastoral visitors
Migrant workers- check with St. Pauls Episcopal Church Network for what is in place and how we can help. We are helping them now through the food cellar.
Senior Connection-Howard County and Carroll County have senior programs in place at the Glenwood and Mt. Airy libraries
Funeral Reception Committee provides meals for family and mends after funeral at the church
Awareness of special needs is aided with a Database for Communications
Distribute books and tapes to the homebound are being done by pastoral visitors.
There is a request for qualified sitters during Adult Education functions.
A new chairperson for the Help network is Vince Ippolito. Recommendations- - coffee after the Masses.
The welcoming committee has welcomed 70 new families to the parish at pizza parties.

Planning Session Readout - Stewardship

Lori Churchyard provided the following summary of the group's discussion.

The following summarize objectives done, in progress and new for each subgroup.
Development Committee - need to organize and keep on track of, skills/time, how to get participation, draw people, EFT in progress.
Capital Campaign - GIFT in 2nd year, Part of Development Committee, Follow up procedures in process to reach new members of church, parishioners, and Heritage of Hope personnel for possible donations, Need to find a way to have better participation, Small group receptions with tour of new facility (July/Aug)
Cemetery - Plots being sold, Data is being entered, Have up righted the broken stones, Have finished the layouts of the cemetery, Check out plots, Check out couple of the graves, Have an assistant caretaker, Lines for the graves are being straightened out
Maintenance - Review facilities, Budget recommendations, Asset Management program - DB/Inventory Demo completed, Economical use of the building to reduce utility expenses, Storage - have committee storage needs - need to assign space
Future Giving - Wills/deferred giving, Pre K/K school next year
Technology - Website operational, updates as given, Cemetery DB in progress ž done finish by June 30th, Asset Management DB in progress Demo Done, need to decide which program will use, Assist in sending parish emails e.g. newsletter, etc, Working on email list, Monthly meetings of the tech committee, Cat 5 wiring for new facility, Submitted budget, Develop online baptism form (within the next month or so), Have taken videos of First Communions, Balloon Mass, Children's Station of the Cross, Do a Frequently asked questions page for liturgy and about the mass, Place some audio/video on website from Mass, Do Kids page, Teen Page and Family Page by September 30th, Create links for Ministry schedule Scan and link schedule for Religious Education Page

Open Forum

Lori Churchyard suggested that Liturgy committee put any questions & answers on St Michaels web site.
Charlie Hiebler asked if a balanced budget is part of the Stewardship year-end objectives (it is).
Matt Regan asked Charlie Hiebler for any advice on population projections.
Charlie Hiebler replied that someone should visit the county planning office as ask about new developments.
Charlie also mentioned that 20% of any population growth can be assumed to be Catholic
Charlie also mentioned that 55% of population is un-churched and wide open for evangelization
Howard County is the fastest growing county in MD.
Dennis Moore asked Charlie Hiebler if a group could support more than one mission priority.
Charlie Hiebler replied that it cans as was shown tonight in the readouts
Mary Ann Gehle and Tamra Barton said that many of the groups cross over and that is whey we are all together tonight.

Closing

The May 7th Pastoral Council meeting minutes was approved.
Mary Ann Gehle thanked Charlie Hiebler for his leadership and all for their participation.
Mary Ann Gehle thanked Dennis Moore for his work on St Michaels Resource Database.
The meeting ended at 9:38pm with a prayer lead by Fr. Mike.
The next meeting will begin at 7pm on August 6th in the parish hall (no meeting in July).

Dennis B. Moore - Pastoral Council Secretary
(Attachments A, B, C on file with original meeting minutes)