On June 27, 2010, a Town Meeting was held at The Cathedral of Saint John, after the 9:30 AM Holy Eucharist. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss with the wider parish the work that has been done by the Chapter on the Mission and Goal setting for the Cathedral parish for the next three years.
The Mission Statement, as set out on the draft brochure reads as follow:
The mission of The Cathedral Parish of Saint John is to live into our Baptismal covenant, to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, and to embody the justice, reconciliation and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ in all that we do.
The Goals set out in the draft brochure are as follows:
Goal 1: Become more visible to our neighborhood.
Some examples listed of how we attempt to attain this goal included an Annual Service Blessing of Runners and Liturgy For Pets “Paws & Praise.”
Added to this list were the following:
Group Visitation
Strengthen what we have
Place copies of the Goals pamphlet throughout the neighborhood
Look at the demographics of the neighborhood
Organize activities to attract neighborhood residents
Place Episcopal advertisements in local hotels and Convention Center Visitor’s Kiosk
Develop closer relationship with Hallworth House. This will include a December 12th date for the choir and congregation to sing Christmas Carols for Hallworth House residents at noon
Display church events on outside of church, in conjunction with La Eglesia del Mesias
Special Summer Service
Banner with catchy slogan (i.e. “Better get there quick!”
Joint service with Spanish congregation on September 26
Goal 2: Increased participation of congregation in all areas of the cathedral. Some examples listed of how we attempt to attain this goal included making use of technology and the new website to outline cathedral activities and to approach members individually regarding participation in church activities.
Added to this list were the following:
Reach out to other members to participate in all areas of the Cathedral
Simple to more complex tasks
Pitch in even if you are not scheduled
Post yearly events in written form on the bulletin board and make sure parishioners have a copy through the newsletter and that copied are available in church for picking up
Perpetual calendar on line (is on the website presently)
Ushers can be more helpful in being sure fans, etc., are turned off after service
Expectation of tasks to be done at Cathedral by parishioners need to be printed out
Donation of service by members (Think about your talent, skills and what you can offer
PDF document on website of Events Calendar Booklet
After making a commitment, please make sure of your accountability
More activities to raise money for the church
Try to give as much as you can
Goal 3: Develop Youth Oriented Actives. Some examples listed of how we attempt to attain this goal included Dinner & Movie Night, Create a Youth Gospel Choir, Conduct Once a Month Activities Identify & Develop Youth Leaders and Provide Access to the cathedral Facility to colleges . This is perhaps where the most change occurred in the discussion.
Added to this list were the following:
Episcopal Camp- Have volunteers from the Cathedral go to speak at ECC about “their Cathedral.”
Be attentive in seeking out high school age youth for Sunday School
Explore mentorship potential with community colleges to attract more youth
Youth led service occasionally, potentially to attract other youth to church
Invite college students into the life of the Cathedral
Sports (YPF)
If we involve parents, youth will get involved
Meet with Santana and Sunday School parents
Invite children to take on responsibilities at the Cathedral
Start Youth Gospel Choir—Ask the children first!
Dinner and a Movie Night for younger children
Allow youth to choose hymns for worship occasionally, perhaps at Youth Sunday
Form a Dance Ministry
Provide a Monthly Birthday Cake for parishioners, to acknowledge everyone’s birthdays
Develop a page on website to allow parishioners to send us change of email or regular address
Add parish photos to mast head of website
Check out the Blog regularly to see pictures and stories of events
At this point in the discussion, it was mentioned that, like any good organization, we would be perhaps best served by assessing what our true strengths are and build upon them as we start out. Discussion about the fact that we have few teens in the church at present, might leave us frustrated in trying to develop youth or college age ministries. However, to look at some of our strengths (i.e. adults already a part of the parish, interested in developing ministries at the cathedral, concentrating on the youth population that we have at present [young children in the Church School] )and develop ministries around them, and perhaps most important of all, not to presume what people would like us to make happen for them, but to ask them what they might like to see develop here at the Cathedral, both for them and for outreach. An example of this: one parishioner pointed out that there have been several attempts to develop a Youth Gospel Choir unsuccessfully, and raised the question of whether the youth were actually asked if this is a ministry that they would like to participate in and develop.
Additional comments included the following:
We should add the Meal Site to the outreach ministries on the brochure which are made available at The Cathedral
We should develop a Coffee Hour Sign-up sheet
Ask Len and Sarah Walker (Chairs of Hospitality) to help coordinate a variety of International dinners, like the annual Liberian dinner, so that everyone can offer their own particular ethnic cuisine for an evening of fellowship in the parish
The Town Meeting was adjourned by Noon, and everyone seemed to feel that they had been listened to, and also offered their thanks to the Chapter for a job well done in developing this discussion. Finally, thanks was offered to all those who provided food for the event.
