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 The parish staff gathered for a working retreat August 15-17. Those present were: Leif Kehrwald, Fr. Elwin Schwab, Mayra Torres, Kathryn Bernert, Julie Hommes, Fernando Madrid, and Gabe Triplett.
Fr. Jack Mosbrucker facilitated our discussions for Day 1 and Day 2. (Day 3 was spent coordinating the parish calendar for the 2016-17 program year.) Here is a brief summary of our discussions for Day 1 and Day 2. Issues We identified issues that need to be addressed this year. Our list included (not prioritized):
As we discussed these issues, we took the attitude that we wanted to question any and all assumptions about how to do effective parish ministry in the 21st century. Five Years We then brainstormed factors, characteristics, and hopes for St. Charles and the Cully Neighborhood five years hence. After brainstorming, we prioritized issues. Two issues emerged quite strongly:
We then spent in-depth time talking about faith formation at St. Charles. We listed the program items that reflect the current situation:
Next Steps With these items in mind, we developed some “target” statements; goals that we should strive for:
Leif has worked with many parishes and churches on developing a whole community approach to faith formation that is lifelong, intergenerational and digitally enabled. He will bring a detailed plan and timeline to the parish staff by Aug 31. The staff will then bring ideas and recommendations to the Pastoral Council and other key leadership groups. The staff will also engage in a similar discussion process to address the second key priority around liturgy. Stay tuned! We’ll keep you up in the loop on our thinking and planning. The Anti-Displacement Community Organizer works within the Cully neighborhood alongside community groups, area churches, and neighbors to improve the
housing conditions and housing security of people of color and low-income residents in the Cully neighborhood. The two main goals of this of this position are to:
to apply. Individuals identifying as people of color, LGBTQ, women, living with disabilities, and those from working class and housing-insecure backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply. For full job description and application instructions, visit livingcully.org/employment, or call Gabe at St. Charles Church: 503-281-6461 Acting on the decision of the Parish Administrative Council, this week we had the two large Cedar trees on Killingsworth removed. We are sad about this, but there really was no other choice.
The issue is safety. Because of the way the trees have been gouged by the power company, some arborists have told us the trees are not completely viable in the face of a severe storm. And, as you may know, the roots have buckled the sidewalk, driveway, and parking area. The city has cited us for this and we are required to repair the sidewalk and driveway. This involves excavating around and under the roots, as well as cutting some of the roots, further compromising the trees. As a result, no arborist would guarantee the viability of these trees after roots have been cut. Safety is even more at risk. Our neighbor just to the east has a pre-school on the property, in the shadow of those trees. For several months, they have expressed their concern for safety of the children and have requested — demanded — that we remove the trees. This decision was not made lightly or in isolation. We have consulted with several arborists, representatives from the archdiocese and the city, those who understand the legalities involved, and others. Input was consistent: for the sake of due diligence; for the sake of safety of all involved the trees should be removed. The city requires us to plant replacement trees, and we are happy to do so. The replacements do not have to be the same kind or in the same place. Soon, we will make those decisions. Thank you for your understanding. |
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