Announcements & Reminders |
- Parish Health Grants -- Last month we announced the availability of new Parish Health Grants. These pay real cash dollars (~ $2000) to parishes whose good idea for a new internal or external ministry is selected. We've offered assistance to any parish wanting more info, ideas for grant proposals or preparation in planning the application. So far our phone has been silent. Deadline is May 30, 2008. Perhaps the Background Info document was just sooo... good assistance is not needed!
- Compensation Feedback - The proposed clergy compensation policy recommends that priests with ten years experience receive compensation at least equivalent to the Median Household Income (MHI) of the county in which the parish resides plus pension (6%), life insurance, employer's portion of FICA, disability and health care. The full policy can be found here. The Clergy Compensation committee desires your feedback via this address: [email protected]
- Sexual Misconduct Materials - Diocesan Materials on implementing the OCA's guidelines for Sexual Misconduct can be found here. (scroll down to "Misconduct material") These documents recommend that:
- two persons are with church school classes at all times,
- written permission slips be received prior to any youth field trips,
- background checks be undertaken regularly for all teachers and youth leaders,
- a locked parish file cabinet be available to keep all relevant records and more.
Is your parish up to date?
- Attention Parish Treasurers - We are looking for two more parish treasurers who are interested in participating in a group (sometimes known as a committee!) to define standards for parish accounting and reporting practice and other finacial issues. Time commitment is to be determined but likely it will include participation in a few conference calls and between call efforts on a voluntary basis. Contact Joe Kormos. (513.683.1911)
- Mission Parish Needs - The Diocese Mission Committee recently met to review reports from the Diocese' 13 Missions in six states. We asked them what needs they may have for liturgical items. Can your parish help? You can contact that community or that Kormos fellow.
- Holy Cross Mission -- Lindstrom MN: Priest's vestments (green, red, blue); altar servers' robes (adult & youth--gold)
- St Raphael Mission -- Quincy IL: baptismal font, litya set, artophorion, processional candlesticks
- Holy Myrrh Bearer -- St Cloud MN: Altar blessing cross.
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Need Help? Just Ask. |
No Cost We're often asked by clergy or laity "Can you help us with ___." Most of the time, with the priest's permission, we say yes. We deliver or "produce" via others:
- Workshops
- Retreats
- Assessments and coaching -- determine areas of parish strengths/weaknesses
- Help with communications and parish identity building
- Making contact with others who know something about ___.
More info (right column)
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Re-Organizing Your Parish Ministries?
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Many parishes are in the midst of re-thinking their set of parish ministries. Identifying new needs and replacing activites that are no longer useful. If your parish is undertaking this exercise the following information from Holy Trinity Parish in Overland Park KS may be of interest to you. Read more.
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Mystery Worshippers Provide Unvarnished Feedback |
What If a Complete Stranger Came to Your Parish and Offered Totally Honest Feedback? Would You Be Interested?
Most of us have wondered how our parish appears to visitors. Do
we smother visitors or ignore them? And which is worse in
their eyes? What do they
experience?
Likewise if we understood how people experience non-Orthodox churches could we be better prepared
for a soft
landing when they encounter our parish? What do visitors observe while
at
worship in these churches? So if the above questions and issues are of
interest to you, a set of visitor reports posted on the web at Mystery Worshipper may be helpful. Reports are posted for visits to many
denominations including Orthodox parishes. Read the rest of article |
What Can We Learn from These Reports?
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Each of you that reads the summaries of Mystery Worshipper reports we've execerpted will likely draw different conclusions. The following is what we took away from them: - The gift of greeting requires personal empathy. Few people want to be shunned or treated as an invisible. However, not everybody wants to be overwhelmed with a greeting -particularly a false one. Few people want to be singled out publicly. A smile and eye contact are most always good first steps.
- Different people can and will have different reactions to Orthodoxy. When you hear of a reaction listen and consider it. Don't act on every comment. Make it a point to gather, without pressure, a reaction from each visitor. Some qualities that we might expect are unattractive to outsiders may in fact be very attractive. And vice versa.
More...
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The Parish Conversation |
What Are the Experiences of Visitors To Our Parish?Last month we posted some questions for parish conversations that were relevant to that newsletter's articles. Here are a few that go with the Mystery Worshipper and visitor friendly aspects of this month's discussion. - How many new persons showed up at our parish in the last (e.g.) 6 months? Was it more or less than the previous six month period?
- What, in your opinion, (or theirs if you know it) were they looking for? Did they find it? How would they evaluate that?
- Did they return? Why? Why not?
- What would be/are the experiences of a visitor to our parish?
More.... |