After Receiving Your Results (TBD)
Sample Homily / Bulletin Letter
I love this line from the Second Reading from Peter – “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” It assumes so many important things about our discipleship that I think are particularly important for us to remember today in each and every one of our lives. I love this passage because number one - it assumes we have hope. A prerequisite for discipleship is that ultimately, disciples are people of hope. We believe in the resurrection and we believe that we are on a journey to God the Father with God the Son walking alongside us. I also love this passage because number two - it assumes our hope is so visible, so apparent to others that they are compelled to ask what the reason for our hope is.
In our faith community of [INSERT PARISH], there are many reasons for my hope, most of which are the many ways I see God working through you, the people, in your care and love for each other and outside this Church.
As you might remember, [INSERT PARISH] was invited to take part in the Disciple Maker Index Survey parish-wide survey. Close to X of our people completed the survey. The survey asked questions around parishioner’s own discipleship journey and how the parish AND the pastor was doing in supporting them along their faith journey.
Thanks to your valuable participation, a group of lay leaders and members of our staff joined me in a working session with the Catholic Leadership Institute this month. We interpreted the results of the survey and began creating an action plan based on our strengths and the areas in which we can improve.
There was so much to be hopeful about in the responses that came out. One hopeful strength of the parish was [KEY STRENGTH]. I also find a lot of hope in the areas where we feel like we can improve. It was very helpful to review the information with some of our volunteers and staff and bring focus on those areas that will help people grow – most noticeably are [KEY AREA OF OPPORTUNITY].
We are still unpacking all of the information we received from the survey and everyone who was at the session is excited and energized by how this information can impact the life of the parish. I look forward to learning more from you around all these different areas. I hope to share more about what we've learned and how we're using this information to help inform our decisions as we move forward.
With all of our strengths and opportunities as a parish, I take most comfort and have great hope in the words we have from John’s Gospel. “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you...in a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”