Launching Moses' Father-in-Law, Jethro, that is.

 

Monday, 01 October 2012

Dear Friend and Fellow Sheep!

Community, friendship, support and care are words that the Christian Church values highly. St Paul says that we should do all things to build each other up, not only in our Eucharistic Worship but at all times.

We are a gathered community, with parishioners scattered from Liverpool to Turramurra, Randwick to Blackheath. It is all the more important that we should keep in touch to build each other up and to provide the community, friendship, support and care that we all need.

Over the years we’ve used various ways, using the Pastoral Care Group, the Keeping In Touch Network, and the Friendship Group to name a few.  Well, the Parish Council has agreed that now is the time to set up a Pastoral Care Team.

No, not sheepdogs, but people! The Pastoral Care Team is to be similar to the other groups I have just mentioned, with a number of people authorised to keep pastoral contact with members of our community.

So far nothing is new; but we are going to use a new tool which has been set up for the purpose. It is a computer data base called Jethro PMM. The PMM stands for Pastoral Ministry Management, which explains what it’s for.

Jethro is a secure database kept by our Internet Service Providers, carringbush.net, in Melbourne. On this database we have stored the names, addresses and contact details of all parishioners. It is encrypted so that the information is secure and private. Nobody but the members of the Pastoral Team have access and even they need a username and password. As well as that, any information that parishioners don’t want to share is kept hidden. We take personal privacy and security very seriously.

Anyway, Jethro PMM works like this. Each Sunday the members of the Pastoral Team run a pastoral eye over the congregation and note who may be missing.

This recorded in Jethro by the Pastoral Team.

If a parishioner seems to be missing for a while, then this is recorded. They may be ill, or on holiday, or they may have moved or decided to attend another church. We want to show that we care about each other, so a Note is made by a Pastoral Team member. The Note means that we are concerned for you welfare and we want to make sure everything is okay. So a Pastoral Team member takes a note of the Note and gets in touch. It might be a quick phone call, or a text message, or an email or letter, maybe a personal visit can be arranged. Or, if someone wishes to receive Communion of the Sick, this can be arranged as well.

The system is flexible to suit our particular Church congregation. For example, if some people do not wish to be contacted, we can make arrangements easily.

The Parish Council agrees that we should start soon, so Fr Gwilym will speak to the congregation on 14^th October and any questions will be answered. As well we need ten or more members for the Pastoral Care Team who would be prepared to look round the congregation on a Sunday morning and record this on Jethro.

From time to time Team Members may be asked to make contact with someone who may need some encouragement and building up. Please give this matter some prayerful thought.

To recruit Team Members, the Rector will accept nominations or suggestions instead of calling for volunteers. It is important that Team members are known and trusted in the congregation. After prayer and discernment, the Rector will make appointments to this vital ministry. Team Members must observe the Diocesan standards of confidentiality and behaviour.

Yours in Christ

Gwilym

Postscripts. (Other news you might be interested in)

Our Guest Preacher next Sunday, October 7^th,
is to be Lea Macneil

The Wardens’ Dinner on Oct 20^th

This year we are having a Sea Theme, so shake out your bell-bottom trousers and polish your horn-pipe. Come as a Jolly Tar or a Pirate or even Sinbad. The Kraken, King Neptune and Mermaids are also appropriate. If you’re desperate, you could always come as Spongebob Squarepants!

Sinbad might be appropriate because the food is to be basically Indian although provision will be made for those who cannot eat spices.

St Luke’s Day on 21^st October

We celebrate St Luke on the Sunday after St Luke’s actual feast day, (which is Thursday 18^th October).
Our Guest preacher is to be Fr Lloyd George, who, with his wife Judy, are parishioners for a year.
We’ll have a big barbecue afterwards, with much thanks to Andy Serafin for his gift of a spiffing new barbecue.

Christmas Already?
The Bookstall has catalogues for an exciting range of nativity sets and other Christmas items, both olivewood from Bethlehem and painted Peruvian and El Salvadorean pieces, as well as traditional styles.  If you're interested, come to the Bookstall and have a look today."

 

How embarrassing to be late for church!

Take note! Daylight Saving will begin again in New South Wales on Sunday 7 October 2012 at 2:00 am, when clocks will be put forward one hour.

 

The Great St Luke’s Christmas Market is to be held on Saturday 24^th November.

Only eight weeks away! We will need produce* to sell and stall holders to sell it. We need entertainers and staff for the refreshments and the sausage sizzle. We need other stalls and amusements for children.

*Produce includes cakes and biscuits, handicraft and knickknacks, second hand goods, plants and anything else we can sell!