Worship

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment? And Jesus answered, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:35-36)

Worship means "lifting the mind and heart to God." This happens in three ways. First, by celebrating the Sacraments, a Catholic parish gives praise and honor to God the Creator and loving Parent of us all. Secondly, since we are the "Body of Christ," everyone in our community is invited to share in the Life, Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Christ; and this process transforms us! Thirdly, by the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, each of us can hope to grow and develop in personal prayer and spirituality as a result of our meeting with God. Our three worship goals, therefore, are formed in the image of the Holy Trinity: they aim to enhance our public sacramental life, to reach out to the whole community and invite our neighbors to participate with us, and to ensure that each person who comes in contact with Christ the King will grow in the love of God and neighbor.

GOAL #1
To celebrate liturgy so that the mystery of God is experienced, and we are personally transformed into disciples of Christ by His life, death and resurrection.

GOAL #2
To develop worship that is inclusive in gender and age, and which encourages full participation by all parishioners, gender, age and culture, welcoming all members of our Northwest Detroit Community.

GOAL #3
To provide an environment in which all participants are nurtured in spiritual growth and development, in love of God and neighbor.

Evangelization

Jesus came forward and addressed them in these words: "All authority has been given me both in heaven and on earth; go therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out all that I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of time." (Matthew, 28:18-20)

Evangelization calls to mind the work of missionaries among people who have never heard about Christ. In 1975 Pope Paul VI met with the bishops of the world and they published the encyclical Announcing the Good News. They pointed out that evangelization is more than sending missionaries to foreign lands. It is a process of development within the Church itself. Those who are active are called to deepen their faith. "Regular" churchgoers need to become more active. Those who show up at Christmas and Easter are encouraged to make their faith more a part of their daily lives. Those who are alienated need to hear that God and their church still love them. Then, suddenly taken by the Good News of Jesus, every one of us becomes so enthused about the transformation that is taking place within us that we cannot help but tell our friends! As a result, those who never heard about Christ (in this deeper sense) are "evangelized." These are our friends and neighbors, as well as people who live in foreign lands. There is a further impact of evangelization. In 1990, the United States bishops said that evangelization challenges not only individuals, but society at large. "We are speaking of God's power to transform cultures, to renew political, economic, ecclesial and human relationships" (Heritage and Hope: Evangelization in America).

GOAL #4
To develop the spirit of Evangelization among parish members.

GOAL #5
To evangelize and reach out to inactive Catholics and welcome them back into the Church family.

GOAL #6
To evangelize residents within the parish boundaries who are not members of the Catholic faith, welcoming them to participate in Christ the King parish.

Faith Formation

I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life... When you lift up the Chosen One, then you will realize I AM, and that I do nothing of my own but say only what the Father has taught me. (John 8:12, 28)

Throughout his public ministry people were astonished by the authority of Jesus' teaching. Some became disciples. The word "disciple" means a student follower. After the Resurrection these students became the teachers. The Church continues to walk in the light of life, empowering every new generation by proclaiming the Word of God to all people, illuminating our minds and moving our hearts to live as believing disciples. The Church carries on this gift of teaching in programs that promote spiritual, intellectual, social, moral, and physical development. Therefore, the Education Goals of the parish include the traditional institution of a parochial grade school, but go beyond elementary schooling to every phase of life-long learning. We aim to develop wisdom of the mind and heart in all of us at every age, as we seek the face of God in our journey of discipleship. Through the ministry of education, we intend to become "...one in faith and knowledge ...growing to full maturity in Christ." (Ephesians, 4:13-15)

GOAL #7
To create and coordinate faith formation experiences for the parish, school, youth and neighboring community.

Christian Service

The righteous will ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?" And the King will reply, "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matthew, 25:37-41)

We are the Body of Christ. At times the body hungers or thirsts or shivers from the cold. As a parish, we have a special obligation to care for the members of our parish family. Our concern, however, cannot be limited to our parish. We live in a neighborhood where there is great diversity. The Second Vatican Council calls us to live in solidarity with those in need: "The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ" (Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World). We know from Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan that all people are our neighbors. Our resources are limited, but we give what we can; and more importantly, we are committed to working with others for the common good of all.

GOAL #8
To respond appropriately to the immediate physical and social needs of the parish members, and when possible to the needs of those in the parish neighborhood.

Continue to update resource file and announce regularly that the file is accessible to all parishioners assuring that anyone who volunteers will be called to serve.

Establish and email chain for time sensitive announcements.

GOAL #9
Continue to support the Outreach efforts of the St. Vincent dePaul Committee, assisting with Christmas, Camp and other special activities.

Stewardship

Each one of you has received a special gift, so like good stewards responsible for all this abundant grace of God, use it to serve one another. (I Peter, 4:10)

Stewardship is a new word for Catholics, but the idea is not. It means being responsible for all of our resources. When we save for a child's education, we are being good stewards of our income. When we divide up household chores among family members, we are being stewards of our talents. When we organize a shopping trip, we are stewarding our time. The same applies to our church. Stewardship touches every aspect of parish life: besides generating financial support, it also means such things as budgeting our income, scheduling the use of our buildings, maintaining and improving our plant and grounds, hiring personnel to serve in various ministries, setting priorities for new projects, and providing channels of communication among various groups and organizations. In short, stewardship means putting to the best possible use the Time, the Talent, and the Treasure that God gives us, so that we can do the work of God in this world. Stewardship, therefore, is a way of life -- it is discipleship.

GOAL # 10
To recognize and promote opportunities for all parish members to grow as they share their time, talent and treasure.

GOAL # 11
To maintain and oversee a realistic, priority-based budget, balancing it with changing demographics.

GOAL # 12
To maintain, improve, and modify the physical plant in light of future needs.