Let us just imagine for a moment… that we can…
Dream Big Dreams In Our Lord for Our Parish
If we allow our Lord to transform each of us in our preparation during lent, what could it be like at Easter, when we renew our baptismal commitment to our Lord at Easter in 6 weeks’ time?
Could we become a parish community of disciples where not only a mere few people on “fire”, but many, many, amongst us are eager, zealous, and “burning” with enthusiasm celebrating how He has risen in each of our lives and moving strongly in our parish?
A Parish With A Vision
VISION: Vibrant Community of Disciples, Making Disciples for the Kingdom of God
This year unlike other years, we are introduced and being re-introduced to our parish vision; We never had a parish vision but now we do. We know the kind of people we want to be for our Lord and for each other. Through our Kampung spirit, we want to have loving relationships with one another.
We want to be a parish where “my thoughts are not better than yours”. We are equals and we can agree to disagree.
We are a parish where we understand that there will always be many ideas, many new ideas that will come after one another. Ideas are not as important as the way we treat each other. We want to to be the people who treat each other with love.
Relationships are a gift from God. Relationships with one another as sisters and brothers of our beloved church are the most important because in our relationships with one another, we will definitely arrive somewhere.
With loving relationships, we will trust in one another and look out for each other in our parish community.
One parish community, one church, one mind, same direction.
We aspire that the thousands of parishioners who are registered with our Church of St Michael to be “A vibrant loving community of disciples, making disciples, for the kingdom of God”.
Renewing Our Baptismal Vows in 6 Weeks, at Easter
One of our baptismal commitments that we will be renewing at Easter in 6 weeks’ time, is the commitment to live in community with other baptised sisters and brothers in Christ.
By virtue of our baptism, we are given a threefold mission of being a Priest, Prophet and King.
As a Priest, we are called to prayer, to participate in the mass, not just attend, to also lead others to Christ and to strengthen our relationship with him.
As a Prophet, we are called to proclaim the good news to our families, our communities, our workplaces and our country.
As a King, we are asked to look out for those less fortunate, to be good stewards of our natural resources and environment, and to use our time, talents and treasures for the good of the Church and community.
20 Ideas to Transform Our Parish Community During Lent
Therefore, in these 40 days of Lent, it is a time to grow as a parish community in our faith, hope, to love and share.
Here are the 20 Ideas to Transform Our Parish Community During Lent:
1.Prayer- Walk
2.Prayer- cycle
3.Coffee Chat
4.Creative Workshop
Bring your friends and family along to our very own creative workshops at church organised by Comms Ministry!
Look out for the announcements here for the workshops to take place every 3rd week of the month.
5.Lenten Retreat
Take walks along the river or hike up the hills with our friends from church. Take our time. Cycle down to the city. Look up, look down, look around. Look into people’s eyes and smile or say: ‘Hello.’ Have a cup of tea in the cafe together and chat/ Participate in workshops. Spend some time at a retreat or the daily Lenten sessions in Church. Ask God to show you where He is working and how He wants you to be part of it.”
6.Lenten Reflection in Church
Come together with other sisters and brothers in Christ daily at 8pm in Church to reflect together in this Lent. For more details, click here: In Our Community
“Let your world and struggles, be renewed by the Word of the Lord. As you journey through this season, try your best to journey with someone else, and better still with a community. Jesus did not come into this world alone and neither did He walk on it alone. Let the Word transfigure you to be who Jesus wants you to be.”
– Father Terence Pereira
7.Community Groups for Lent
8. Lunch and Lenten Bible Study
9. Neighbour Nights
Just gather a few friends from church and gather in fellowship to reflect on each other’s spiritual growth.
Once every month, small group communities gathers at each other’s homes for fellowship over a meal or light bites with people who live around each other’s homes. But don’t have to wait for someone else to organise!
10. Engage with God
Morning (or whichever time suits you) devotion is vital to staying connected with God our father. It is like being with our love one, only when we communicate frequently that we can deepen the relationship.
When we read a bible passage, it is God’s word that speaks to us. And when we pray about what we have read, we are speaking to him.
Engaging with God our father on a daily basis brings growth, refreshing, direction, comfort and a gift that you can pass on to others.
11. Get Online
The online world is not a ‘virtual world’, but a part of our whole life.
If used appropriately, getting online allows our relationships to develop 24/7 and it gives us insights to a full life, not just the ‘occasional meet’. We can use the tools to reach out to people and to arrange more face-to-face meetings too!”
12. Invite
“Invite people to church! With friendly folks from your church and with colourful invitations knock on doors. You’ll be surprised how many people have been thinking about trying a church, but never getting around to it. You’ll also be surprised by the closeness of others. But that’s what happens when you “scatter the seed” – you discover the different soil types (Mark 4). Try it!”
13. Be open and honest
Come up with a list of 10 life’s difficulties and a list of 10 challenges in life. Find applicable scripture texts for each of these difficulties and challenges. Ask yourself if these texts would bring you direction and or comfort to carry on in your pilgrimage to Kingdom of God.
14. Show Hospitality
Lent is a great time to share the graces we have received from our Lord with others.
The Lord visits us at every outreach. He comes in the person of the homeless, the sick, the hungry, the destitute.
As our Lord says: ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.
15. Take the initiative
16. Show up
This Lenten season, put action to our faith and commit to intentionally live as an agent of the kingdom. In His sovereignty, God has placed each of us in the family, neighbourhood, and that He desires so that we may be an ambassador for Him. Ask the Spirit to show you opportunities to engage with those around you. Take the initiative, make the first step, be bold, live differently, take a risk for the Kingdom
17. Tell The Story
All our personal stories of struggles, challenges and triumphs can be a very powerful story to turn hearts to our Lord.
My story was no different from others when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, but our Lord blew me away with he profound love and his tenderness. When I responded to our Lord’s prompting to share HIS story, I started to see how powerful he touches others through it. There have been many who have heard or seen it and found comfort for themselves or their love ones.
A personal story of our Lord in our lives, is ALWAYS powerful
18. Provide Community
Our interests groups may also be a community of like minded people who come together and bond over a common interest and share in our Lord.
Nothing stops us from providing a community for a fellow parishioner who has just lost a love one, who is going through a health crisis, who is facing financial or emotional difficulties.
These are some simple ideas which people a safe place to meet and a community to belong to.
19. Repair Some Damage
Notice something around our 12 neighbourhood zones that need some repairing or maintenance?
Helping to repair the damage during Lent will provide an excellent opportunity for me to get to know each of them better and to share a story or two.
20. Make Care Bags/ Bless Your Neighbourhood With Food Packs Or Meals
Our Lord Jesus is also in our neighbours who live around us, in our blocks and on our streets.
Love our neighbours and get creative. Neighbours who like a hot cup of coffee, a homemade cake, something thoughtful- is an opportunity to share the graces we have received with others. It is an opportunity to reach out and chat with a friendly neighbour.
So spend some time together this Lent as a family baking homemade Easter cupcakes decorated with sugared eggs and small cakes and teach young and adult children like the importance of giving time to others. Place a few cakes on a china plate, add a homemade card, and visit your neighbours.
Make sure you have saved some time to chat with them too, and bless your neighbourhood.
Party
Not to have a party right now in Lent, but to plan a party for Easter.
Jesus had many parties. We could also use the time of Lent to pray and plan an Easter party, adhering to the latest Covid-`9 restrictions with different sets of small groups from our parish community. Let’s be the people who throw an amazing party as we’ve got the best reason ever to over the 50 days in Easter!
Written By: Julianne Danielle Lim