The sharing of the Good News needs to be organic.  In the past forty years of my priesthood, I’ve experienced many an evangelization program that ended with few positive results.  There was little sense that God’s Kingdom was being built up and few new members welcomed into the faith community. The life of the Church and of our own spiritual lives is in need of ongoing renewal, which I believe has to  begin with the realization that we need to grow in a life of daily prayer that puts us in contact with the living God in Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 
 
Once we connect with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, we naturally (i.e. organically) want to help others experience this wonderful relationship. Praise God I see that happening in our faith community. If we have any sense of mission as Catholics, it’s because at our baptism God reached out to us in love.  If we have any sense of mission as Catholics, it’s because we’ve nourished the love with which God embraces us through a life of daily prayer.
 
It is important that we begin our Pastoral Council Meetings with prayer.  After beginning our last Council meeting on January 20 ^th with prayer, we reviewed our Parish Mission Statement.  A mission statement (according to Robert G. Howes, Parish Planning: A Practical Guide to Shared Responsibility (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1994, p. 56), can be described as:

1. The group’s reason for existence, its purpose and philosophy.
2. Its fundamental commitments and the way they are managed.
3. The direction and meaning of its activities.
4. Its overall purpose and the purpose of its parts. 

After our review, a few changes were made and as you’ll see on the front of our bulletin every week, our mission statement now reads as follows:
 
St Michael’s is a Faith Community that seeks to build up God’s Kingdom on Tybee Island through living out the Gospel message as we witness to its values of love, community, stewardship and service.
 
The following calendar of events was also received at the last Pastoral Council Meeting:
 

• February 2 – Oyster Roast
• February 16 – Worship Committee meeting.  This meeting was originally scheduled for February 2.
• February 18 – Parish Night Out at Sting Rays
• February 24 – Pastoral Council Meeting. – Active Shooter Training:  This will be presented by TIPD beginning at 5pm.  This meeting as are all Pastoral Council meetings is an open meeting.  All are welcome to attend.  The same program will be presented at All Saints Episcopal Church on February 18^th.
• March 1 – Theresa Pottratz is working on scheduling the movie Two Popes at the Tybee Post.
• March 9 – Finance Committee Meeting- Pastoral Council is asked to attend
• March 23 -- Lenten Penance Service
• March 29 – Mass on the Pier.
• April 4 – Church and grounds clean-up day.