LPi Advances WeGather by Including Parish to Diocese Data Sharing Feature
LPi is pleased to announce that it has launched a new, multiple organization data sharing feature for WeGather: a fully integrated, Church Management & Parish Community Builder, cloud-based software solution built for the Catholic Church. This new data sharing feature will allow a hierarchy of aggregate data shared from parishes to their diocese providing the ability to measure the health of all parishes within the diocese as well as share data across parishes if desired.
Honor the Past, Embrace the Future
To meet the challenges of the present, we cannot be stuck in the past. If we are to go out and proclaim the kingdom, we cannot be just maintaining buildings. Like Jesus, we need to be on the move — not just catering to those who come to us but going out to those on the fringes of our society. And, like Jesus, we have to accept that many won’t be willing to make the changes needed to take that long journey. While we want to be sensitive, we cannot let them hold us back.
True Love Knows No Bounds
I had never heard someone speak about a stewardship way of life back then. If I am honest, the primary message I heard in those days was along the lines of “We need to be as good as we are able.” Sacrifice was only at Lent, disciples were people in the Bible, and generosity mostly had to do with the collection basket and the poor box at the church entrance. I even went to Catholic schools!
Helping Parishioners Take the Next Step
Sundays have changed a lot in culture over the years. What once was a sacred day for faith and family, a day that nourished and refreshed for the days ahead, has become like every other day of the week. For those who do show up to Mass on Sundays, all too often it’s one and done. We are not a Sunday-only Church! We’ve compiled a few essential ways to help your parishioners re-integrate faith and life.
Hungry for the Living God
In our busy lives, we are so distracted when we come to Mass that our spirit, which lies deep within our soul, doesn’t recognize Jesus, not for lack of desire or ability, but for lack of preparation and cultivation. We aren’t satisfied because we forgot that our soul was hungry for the living God. We don’t see the abundance of God’s grace and activity in our lives because we don’t know how to see with spiritual eyes the work of God all around us.
That All May Be One
When we take seriously our stewardship way of life, we see our lives as not truly belonging to ourselves. We want to offer our very existence to God and the Body of Christ. Let us pray that enough of us will choose the holy way so all the world may see that God is real, Jesus is alive, and we are ONE.
Maximize Your Weekly Bulletin
The weekly bulletin. A staple in parish life, it’s been used for years to form and inspire parishioners and visitors alike to dive deeper into Catholic life. But in a world that’s becoming increasingly digital, churches need to find new ways to keep the bulletin relevant.
Seek to Know the Triune God
We live in a world bombarded with half-truths informed by our senses. Man’s unquenchable thirst for something beyond himself is written all over every human striving. That is because our thirst is as incomprehensible as the God who made us. To know ourselves, we must seek to know the Triune God.
“Put me in, Coach!”
A parish is a lot like a team. Those in a parish community work together to achieve goals that ultimately lead others to Christ. Perhaps this week you should call your pastor or other pastoral leader and say, “Put me in coach!”
The Power of the RSS Feed for Your Parish Website
As a parish, you may be hard-pressed to find reliable content to update your website on a regular basis. That is why an RSS feed is so valuable to parishes wishing to make their website a place where people can go to be formed in the Catholic faith and stay up to date about their faith community.
The Messy Joy of the Holy Spirit
Breath, life, fire, wind … these are primordial images. God uses them to remind us of something transcendent, not tame. The Holy Spirit at work in our lives goes beyond our compartments and neatly organized Christianity. This Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit wants to stir us up. He wants to hover over our chaos, upend our expectations, and show us a new, transforming joy.
Called to Community
We were created for community. Human beings are not meant to be alone. As each of us grows in our relationship with Jesus, we find ourselves drawn further into community. The fruits that result from my stewardship and your stewardship will never amount to more than what we can produce together.
Engagement Strategies For Your Church In Summer
As a church, it’s our responsibility to remind our parishioners that summer shouldn’t just be about recharging our bodies, but it should also (and most importantly!) be about focusing on our spiritual life. Just as parish office hours may need to be adjusted during summer months, so, too, might the requirements of the faithful need some adjusting.