To our friends and fellow parishioners,
We had a nearly full church on Monday night (August 30) to hear a presentation on the Renew My Church (RMC) initiative and its possible implications for Christ the King.
Fr. Larry and the pastoral council had three goals for the meeting: (1) to inform the parish about the RMC program with full transparency; (2) to open the door for ongoing dialog so that views can be shared and rumors can be addressed; and (3) to call upon all parishioners to reflect on their level of engagement in the church and parish, and to ask them to materially elevate that engagement level. While we will not be able to control all aspects of the RMC process, what we can control is our collective and personal level of commitment to CK and our spiritual life. We see it as critical that CK enter the RMC process with its members as fully engaged in parish life as possible so that the great story of a vibrant Christian community can be told.
Here is a brief summary of the meeting.
Introduction
- Fr. Larry began the meeting with a discussion of the history of parishes and their purpose in the church structure.
- He then raised the question about whether our parish is meeting the needs of its parishioners, described the efforts that CK is making to ensure that is the case, and reiterated that he is always looking for ways, and suggestions, to make sure CK continues to adapt to current realities and the evolving needs of the parish
- He set the tone for the later discussion of engagement, and what the parish can be doing to bring more of its members into an active parish life
The RMC program
- He reminded everyone that there is a very good discussion of the RMC program at www.renewmychurch.org
- We are coupled with St. Barnabas for a review of options for the two parishes. These options include:
- CK and St. Barnabas remain independent, with more resource and programmatic collaboration
- One or the other would close, with the surviving parish assuming the responsibility of the parishioners of the closed parish
- Both CK and St. Barnabas consolidate into a newly formed parish with a new name
- Our parish school is an essential part of our community. There are currently no discussions on the school itself, but the relationship between the school and parish has been an important ingredient in the school's success.
- The review process will begin in January 2022 and will likely conclude by June 2022, with a decision at that time
- We believe that the RMC process provides a wonderful opportunity for us to collaborate with St. Barnabas in ways that will enrich our faith lives. We hope to maximize such opportunities in the coming months while minimizing outcomes that would erode our strengths (including our school, our leadership, and our dynamic menu of engagement opportunities and ministries).
The Need for Open Dialog
- We intend to communicate regularly as the RMC process unfolds, and as we move forward with our parish engagement process.
- If you are reading this letter you are undoubtedly signed up for the parish email list. Please talk to others to make sure they are as well. We will be sharing videos and information about parish ministries, as well as updates on RMC and other parish activities. Feel free to send suggestions if there is information that you feel you need.
- Please help us control the rumor mill by getting your information directly from the parish. Also, if you have any questions please send them to Maura Saas at [email protected]. We will share information in other ways as well and will be glad to host additional meetings in church if that will be helpful.
The Need for Engagement
- Much of the meeting was focused on the need for greater engagement from our parish community. It is the one thing we can control in this process. And it is a perfect time to ask all parishioners to reflect on where they are in their spiritual journey, and whether there is more that CK can be doing for them, and they for CK, in order to make our parish as strong as possible.
- Specifically, we are challenging everyone to consider becoming actively involved in parish ministries, to give strong consideration to signing up for e-Giving, to become active in their daily and weekly mass and prayer activities, and to evangelize by spreading the word of our call for active participation.
- The parish Ministry Fair (Commitment Weekend) is taking place on September 18 and 19. Please use that opportunity to educate yourself about engagement opportunities and sign up for one or more (truly, we have something for everyone!)
- If you want to start your own faith-informed activity talk with Fr. Larry. We are always looking for new ways to engage our parishioners.
- As for e-Giving, we have approximately 80 people giving regularly through the program. It is very easy to do and is a great way to assure a steady stream of support for the parish. Ironically, ten people giving $10 each week suggests greater vitality than one person giving $100. Can you help us meet our goal of doubling or even tripling the number of e-Givers? We think it will be a very strong message as we enter this process. https://giving.ncsservices.org/App/Giving/christthekingchurch
Thank you to all who coordinated, presented, asked questions, and attended the Town Hall Meeting.
Sincerely,
The Pastoral Council