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Final Report on Strategic Planning/Parish Center Working Group
June 1999

A. Historical Background | B. Goals |  C. Current Activities in Support of Goals
D. Suggested Activities | E. Follow up |  F. Conclusion

A. Historical Background

In May 1998 a meeting was convened with several members of the parish council and others to respond to an earlier consensus that long-range facilities need to be studied during 1998. A parish center working group was formed. A planning document was prepared, numerous interviews were conducted with the larger parish community and over the summer a determination was made that any decision In this regard should be made in the context of an overall strategic planing process.

Upon return from summer recess, the group was reconfigured and retasked to pursue both issues concurrently. Additional public meetings were convened to move the process forward. They included a parish council and pastoral team retreat and both an English and Latino town hall.

Based on the results of these meetings the reconfigured committee formulated a vision statement, and a proposed set of strategic goals. Both were presented and with edits were approved by the Parish Council.

These goals were provided to representatives of the neighborhoods and they were asked to review them in the context of current and possible future activities.

Further, it was determined that these task being completed and that there was a clear mandate from the community to proceed with the parish center. The committee’s work having been completed, it decided to stand down. A new committee has been formed to work toward further development of the Parish center.

MISSION STATEMENT

St. Charles Borromeo Parish, in the Diocese of Arlington, is a community of people with various cultural backgrounds united as a family of faith empowered by Christ. We call on all to offer their unique gifts in building the Reign of God’s love, as we proclaim the word of God, celebrate the sacraments, and promote education, hospitality, justice and service.

VISION STATEMENT

As a herald of God’s Reign in the Spirit of hope, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic parish will be a joyful Christ-centered community living in solidarity and justice with our neighborhoods near and far.

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B. Goals

1. To strengthen the faith of our members, invite others to join us and engage ecumenically in the work of justice and dialogue
2. To offer the workplace the illumination of faith
3. To celebrate the cultural and generational diversity of our members as well as our call to communion in all areas of parish life
4. To be a circle of caring and concern through our neighborhoods, especially for the vulnerable and the poor
5. To be a compassionate companion to the church’s third world Missions

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C. Current Activities in Support of Goals

Current Activities In Support Of Goals One

• Home Masses
• Community picnics
• Gathering groups
• “the news bee” or other neighborhood communications

Current Activities In Support Of Goal Two

• Prayer groups
• Lenten noon Mass

Current Activities In Support Of Goal Three

• Summer picnics
• Neighborhood ministry bilingual contacts
• Neighborhood reps at senior events
• Participation in Arlington county Neighborhood Day
• St. Charles School Octoberfest
• Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac walkathon for homeless

Current Activities In Support Of Goal Four

• Circle of Caring
• Extensive outreach to ill or otherwise incapacitated or homebound provide variety of services upon request
• Prayer network to provide intercessory prayer upon request
• Non perishable food collection at lent

Current Activities In Support Of Goal Five

• Sponsor fundraising events in support of Haitian school child
• Speakers to give views on church third world can be helped
• Sponsor of Lenten soup dinner program

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D. Suggested Activities/Objectives in Support of Goals

Suggested Activities In Support Of Goal One

• Expanding gathering groups
• 100% participation from neighborhoods in volunteer fair
• Increase neighborhood reception for new people
• Each neighborhood to publish at least an annual newsletter for neighborhood distribution
• Expansion of scriptural study program within neighborhoods
• Identify representatives for major St. Charles social justice programs in neighborhood
• Program to welcome non-practicing Catholics back to the church

Suggested Activities In Support Of Goal Two

• Sponsor one new educational activity (for example, the panel discussion held with Fr. Byron concerning spiritually in the workplace)
• Expansion of prayer network

Suggested Activities In Support Of Goal Three

• After school/ evening help with homework
• Conduct phone survey of elderly/Latino community to identify needs
• Link elderly with each other through a special hospitality phone tree
• Planned participation of “Anglo” in Latino mass celebrations
• Identification and participation in county events, runs, walkathons

Suggested Activities In Support Of Goal Four

• Recruitment of prayer contact persons and work with circle of caring to integrate efforts
• Form a parish wide prayer tree
• Arrange drivers to get people to church
• Recruit participants to commit to supporting food for the poor distribution programs a set number of times each year
• Organize clothing donation drive for second hand sale and donate remaining clothes to appropriate community group

Suggested Activities In Support Of Group Five

• Conduct fundraiser to increase sponsor of Haitian students
• Each neighborhood to commit to sponsor two community outreach projects per year

To ensure that the strategic planning process continues there are several follow on steps which the parish council should consider.

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E. Follow-up

• Review proposed new activities and turn them into objectives
• Latino Community should review goals and map to their activities
• Ministries should review goals and map to their activities
• Parish leadership to propose objectives to ministries and neighborhoods
• Develop performance measures and methods to measure identified objectives
• Ministries and neighborhoods to determine whether or not they can achieve the goals and what resources they need and what is the time frame for accomplishing the objectives
• Parish council to establish annual planning calendar during parish council/pastoral team retreat
• Use measurable objectives, in part, to establish the annual plan
• Communicate goals and objectives to parish and keep them visible by posting to website

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F. Conclusion

The feasibility study on a Parish Center is complete. The work to specify the nature of a center that will serve the needs of the people of St. Charles into the next century and its construction remain. A new committee has been formed to oversee this task.

The feasibility study led us to the work on strategic planning. In its first efforts at this long range planning, the Parish has come a long way. We have a vision statement and a set of strategic goals that were prepared collaboratively and after broad consultation with interested parties within the parish. This work also is ongoing. As we move into next year’s planning cycle, the ministries and neighborhoods will be challenged to identify specific performance objectives, which will help us achieve these goals, while the parish council and pastoral team will be challenged to identify performance indicators and track progress. Efforts should also be made to link the annual budget goals to the priorities that are shaped by our aspirations.

Prepared by: Jim & Genie Murphy

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