Parish Development Plan

Notes of Steering Group Meeting

28th May 2005

 

 

Present:

Fr James

Jill Carter

Howard Davies

Christina Fitzsimons

Robin Williamson

 

The meeting opened with a reading from the Acts of the Apostles and with prayer.

Fr James emphasised the importance of grounding all our work in prayer.

 

1.  Objective

Fr James tabled a draft paper on the Objective of the Parish Development Plan, where he stated the overall objective as: “To create a strategy towards becoming a more evangelising Parish”.  While ‘evangelisation’ is indeed what we are trying to achieve, the group were concerned that the term might be misunderstood.  After much discussion  it was agreed to word the objective as “To be a Parish that lives its Faith fully”.  Accordingly the objectives of each Team become:

 

Liturgy Team Objective: “To draw out the implications for our liturgy of being a Parish that lives its Faith fully.”

 

Spiritual Growth Team Objective:  “To draw out the implications for Spiritual Growth of being a Parish that lives its Faith fully.”

 

Reaching Out Team Objectives:  “To draw out the implications for Reaching Out of being a Parish that lives its Faith fully.”

 

2.  Involvement of the Parish

We need to reassure parishioners that we want to listen to the views of all.  One way of doing this will be for each Team to be present after Mass at the Abbey on Sunday 12th June and to invite parishioners to meet team members and give their views in person – as well as giving their views in writing, by telephone and in the Suggestions Box..  [Action: Fr James]

 

3.  Relationship of Worth Abbey Parish to the Villages

The role of the Villages (Balcombe, Crawley Down, West Hoathly, Turners Hill) in the Parish was discussed.  When the village Mass centres (except for West Hoathly) were abolished in the re-organisation of the Parish two years ago it was understood that some form of village identity would remain.  The Teams should be sympathetic to this understanding in their work, and at the same time find ways of involving those parishioners who don’t live in the Villages. 

 

4.  Parish Survey

 

Jill Carter presented the initial results of her Parish Survey.   This work will be invaluable to the Teams as the background against which the work will be done, and all congratulated Jill on the great effort that she and her team had put into the task.

 

 

5.      Working Practice of Teams

 

  1. The Objective will be the guiding principle for the work of each team, as they explore what we mean by ‘living the Faith fully”.

 

  1. The Audit of ‘what happens now’ is a key element of the work of each team.

 

  1. Fr James will record on tape an overview of what happens now and make this available to each Team Leader. [Action: Fr James].

 

  1. A list of contact names for all Parish activities will be prepared by Fr James and will be included in the Guide. [Action: Fr James].  

 

  1. Other useful sources of information and contacts in the Parish are Rosemary (please contact her in the evenings at home or by e-mail – she is inundated with work during the day) and Mandy.

 

  1. A rough guide to the initial work of the teams is:

 

  1. Each Team will be encouraged to be imaginative and wide ranging in their ideas.  There will inevitably be overlap between the Teams, but these overlaps will be resolved by the Steering Group.  Teams should not be concerned about the impact of change on existing structures (e.g. the Abbott, the Monastic council, the LPG etc…)

 

  1. Each Team will produce Notes of their meetings, and will circulate these to all members of the Steering Group. [Action: ALL]

 

6.  Parish Guide

One outcome of the work will be a Parish Guide, to contain details of all our activities as well as names of key people in the Parish, to be given to every parishioner.  The guide contents will draw on the results of the Audit.  This Guide will also be published on the Parish Web site, and consideration will be given to having some form of Parish Help Desk.  Publication of the Guide will be undertaken by the Reaching Out Team. [Action: Christina].

 

6.  Steering Group Meetings

The next meeting of the Steering Group will be on 6th July at 8:00 pm in St Benedict’s.   By then the Teams will have completed their Audit and prepared interim findings.  The interim reports will have rough edges and inconsistencies.

 

The main work following the July meeting will be to prepare concrete proposals to present to the Parish in October.  For example: “A parish which lives its Faith fully is one in which new members are appropriately inducted. To run a separate RCIA programme in addition to the Faith Company. Two leaders and a team to be trained in a CEC course and be up and running by September 2006.”

 

 

RW  - 30 May 2005