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Meeting Notes: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 · Opening prayer – Father David
· The Unseen Friend – going well so far, hopefully put in bulletin every other week or as they come in
· Town Meeting – Task Force volunteers to come to each mass to help out Suggestions for Town Meeting everyone put all questions and comments on index cards, collect, then order cards by category, and respond; questions and concerns that are not responded to will be answered in the bulletin keep questions and comments to a limited amount of time Aaron will speak for 10 minutes, then open up to questions
· Prayer Service – Sunday, February 5, 2006, 6:00 p.m. – along with Father Gotto’s service – possibly change due to the Super Bowl
· Small groups – Marie has several good books to use Decide upon books, get people who are interested in organizing the facilitator, the group, etc. Marie, Dennis, Michelle to begin organizing
· Third Discernment – A Contemporary Parable for Today’s Church
Personal Reflection followed by Group Discussion
1. Who are you most like: those who look at the unknown future as an adventure...or those who are reluctant to give up the security of what we currently have?
- if you feel where you are at you might be reluctant to look toward the future, if you’re looking for change, you’re more likely want to move forward - you will give up security with change - even if Holy Trinity stays where it is, it won’t be the same church as it is now - singing Christmas carols as individual churches was nice, but will be stronger as a whole - we’ll still have our friends no matter what changes come - people can put more concentration on one group rather than trying to get many groups to work - young people may decide to make a change along with everyone else
2. What is a current situation in your personal life in which you are having difficulty dealing with change? 3. When you look at the change, what thoughts, feelings, and emotions surface for you?
- fear of the unknown is present - looking forward to bigger and better things (choir, RCIA, etc) - bitter sweet, there’s an emotional connection with the church - the process will be like a death, we need to grieve as with a death - some people say they will go to another church - some people will be lured by the interest in what is happening - different feeling when attending different mass times
4. Often change involves fear. Can you identify any fear you have or had about the change?
- change of pastor – what will be his views - going to a different building, we comfortable with where things are and how things work - it may be too big – another parish may take over and you might feel left out, they have too many in the group already - people will say “we’ve always done it this way” and they may outnumber everyone else - if people are unwilling to change - people who are on the edge will use the change as an excuse to leave the church - if the younger people/families don’t come with this change, it will send a message to the Diocese
5. Are there any obstacles or barriers that you have encountered in yourself or others concerning the change?
- people say they refuse to go to another building for various reasons - need to convince the Bishop that Dunkirk/Fredonia has the hope of a future if we expect to be able to build a new church - a new church building will put an end to the power struggle - if there were more ‘practicing’ Catholics, more things could happen - keep as many as we can from leaving and try to bring back people who left - other parishes may think they are doing fine without needing us
6. Do you find that your initial reaction to the change is your usual reaction to most changes you encounter?
- positive about change
7. What is helpful to you in accepting change in your personal life?
- support - taking the time to weigh the pros and cons - being informed
Group Discussion: Change within the Church
1. Some members of our parish and of our cluster or vicariates will willingly accept changes, and some will not. How do we assist those who are resistant to change?
- identify who accepts change and who doesn’t - persevere - be positive toward change - support each other
2. What do we offer to those who become so afraid or resistant that they threaten to leave the Church over the possibility of change?
3. How do we lessen people’s fears about moving forward into the unknown?
- see above
· Checklist of Some of the Objective Indicators of a Vibrant Parish
- goes to the vicariate in March, will be updated
· PR Committee to promote food donations
· Closing Prayer – Father David
Next Meeting – Monday, January 23, 2006 7:00 p.m. |
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