MinisterS Appreciation Night 2018

Two weeks ago we gathered together with over 120 member ministers in our community--people who serve in ministry here at New Roads. It was a wonderful experience to be together as one big New Roads team and to thank so many people for pouring light and love into our church throughout the year. It was a chance for us to be together; to express gratitude; to celebrate what we’ve accomplished together this past year; and to be inspired and encouraged in the work that lies ahead of us as a community.

As part of our gathering, we shared a few “wins” we’ve experienced as a whole community throughout the year. We limited ourselves to just five highlights. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. We had a team goal--as a whole community--to focus on our 10am Mass in a way that was completely brand new, which included several wins. One highlight was a group of New Roads members who teamed up to launch new hospitality ministries to help each person who comes to our church to feel welcomed and loved by us and by God. It was amazing to see this team mobilize into action this year!
2. Because of the commitment and leadership of many kids ministers, this year we saw more and more kids looking forward to being at New Roads and feeling at home here. We also had leaders come together in our community to work on infrastructure and equipment upgrades to make our worship experience more engaging for everyone.
3. We’ve been engaging together in more conversation about our mission and vision as a church--in ministry meetings, one-on-one, and small group meetings. Conversation is so foundational because it’s all about relationship and collaboration. Our mission is much bigger than just a handful of people--it’s about all of us.
4. In the last year, we welcomed over 70 new people into serving in ministry here at New Roads!
5. For the first time in many years in both parishes, this year we had an increase in our regular offertory year-over-year. And our annual appeal was up 39% at St. Joseph and 11% at St. Luke compared to last year.

These are some of the “bigger picture” wins, but each one is made up of many more wins that happened throughout the year. And each win was made possible through our work together. At our Ministers Appreciation Night we invited people to share some of the wins they’ve witnessed throughout the year, or how their serving in ministry has impacted their own lives. Here’s just some of what our amazing member ministers shared:

• Serving this year has deepened my faith. I feel much more focused and connected during Mass. I also feel a deepening in my relationship with God. Through serving I have received more.
• When I bring the Eucharist to the homebound, I get so much out of it, more than I ever expected. It is such a joy to bring Christ to others. 
• Welcoming the young parents of our tiny disciples - my faith has grown more & more - this year continues my experience with a community whose mission is also mine - to belong, to love and to serve God, his people, all in concert with the Holy Spirit who resides in me and all. Positive impact for me is the growth of new friendships, new encounters with people returning or coming to church for the first time. 
• Serving deepened my faith - the more I gave, the more I was filled with God’s love & grace.
• It’s always meaningful to me to interact with my kids and Kids' Church. I was blessed to participate as a Kids’ Church minister and am looking forward to help the ministry grow in the future! 
• Without being embraced and loved by this community I could not have grown into a friendship with Jesus or come to truly experience God’s incredible love for me. I have healed from life long pain in ways I never thought possible. 
• I found an inner peace and acceptance of myself in realizing that no matter where I am in my faith journey, I can be a bridge to others.

What each of us has given this year is part of what God is doing and what God wants to do in our community. It’s wild and beautiful that we get to be a part of what God does!