St. John the Evangelist is a great parish, and we want to be even better! We analyzed what makes this parish unique and wonderful, what makes us proud of who we are as a parish, and where we can grow or improve. From there, we developed a Pastoral Plan for that growth and improvement.
St. John intentionally brings diverse communities together. Through our prayers and Liturgy, active engagement, expanded service for the underserved and purposeful action against injustice, we imitate Jesus Christ by creating a welcoming environment for all.
Our Sacred Purpose (Mission)
To celebrate the joy in loving/following Christ by welcoming and loving all, so that all are inspired to put faith into action and respond to the call to serve others.
What We Will Achieve with our Pastoral Plan
Parishioners will become more engaged disciples
Disciples will engage their hearts through Eucharist & Community
Lives will be changed from the inside-out
Evangelization will occur through discipleship & service
Parishioners will become “mission ready” to make more disciples
Liturgy To fully and intentionally engage in prayer, worship, and sacramental life that flow from baptism and reverential participation in the Eucharist – the source and summit of our faith
Welcome To practice radical hospitality and welcome as Jesus did, seeking out the disenfranchised and vulnerable and creating a sense of fellowship and belonging that is grounded in love for each other and humble gratitude to God
Encounter To continually experience our own conversion and bring others to experience the same through evangelization, revealing the truth of the Gospel and witnessing to others how we ourselves have encountered Christ
Accompaniment To grow as disciples of Christ and nurture growth in others as we study, share, and live out the teachings of Christ and his Church through education, faith formation, and discipleship endeavors
Sending To bring Christ to the world, practicing discipleship and encouraging each other through friendship and service as we support the work of the Church, provide for the material and pastoral care of the poor and suffering, and advocate for the discernment of vocations in life, especially priestly vocations for those who feel called in this way
Mission Support To enact wise stewardship of the gifts God has granted to us by those who have preceded us in the faith, and the hope that lies in future generations of the faithful, so that our resources may be channeled to support the mission of disciple-making first and foremost
Central to all our Pastoral Planning efforts is: members of diverse cultures uniquely gather, recognizing themselves in prayer and experiencing conversion as their hearts grow closer to God.
Accompaniment means to "go somewhere with someone as a companion," and includes growing in our individual faith lives and nurturing that same growth in others.
The Church calls us to strive for "a conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful" at Mass. What do you contribute to community prayer in the Mass?
It's finally here! St. John the Evangelist unfolds a new evangelization plan to embrace and welcome all God's people and celebrate our blessings as a multi-racial/cultural family.
Lord, we pray that You would revive the hearts of all believers. Birth in each of our hearts a desire to be used by You to bring about a lasting revival and spiritual awakening in the tiny corner of the world where You have placed us.
The power and possibility of a truly alive faith in God gives us strength, hope, commitment, and the joy of doing the work of building the Kingdom of God.
Christians should appear as people who wish to share their joy. When people who like church come to see that the church needs to be for people who don’t like church, that changes your church.
Merciful Father, pour out your Spirit of wisdom and love to guide us in this pastoral planning process to Be Missionary Disciples of your son, Jesus Christ.
