Our Lady of the Woods

Archive for the ‘Ministries’ Category

 A new vision to Our Lady of the Woods’ Faith Formation:

 What is Intergenerational Faith Formation?
 

IFF is a vision of faith formation that is rooted in the documents of Vatican II.   It promotes Faith Formation as lifelong formation through intergenerational learning. 

Its components are:

• faith sharing
• reflecting
• service to community.

Each week we will have a reflection question that will be asked in the bulletin, in the homily, and/or at all faith formation sessions.  We will share our faith with each other and we will embark on service to our community.

For example:

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time   August 22, 2010

 (Disciplined Disciples)

Reading I: Isaiah 66:18-21 (Gathering Nations)
Reading II: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 (The Discipline of the Lord)
Gospel: Luke 13:22-30 (The Narrow Gate)

Reflection Questions:

Adults
How can I enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus?

Children
What does Jesus say about inviting all to be my friend?

Service

Drop off nonperishable food at OLW’s Emergency Food Pantry this week.

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Sunday morning IFF starting September 12th:

Intergenerational Faith Formation will start at 11:15am in the church for all families including, children in grades Preschool through 7th, their parents, Faith Formation teachers, and anyone else who would like to attend. 

 We will have a 15 minute session together in the church to learn intergenerationally about the gospel readings and then the children will go to their classrooms for grade level Faith Formation until 12:30pm.   (Teachers for Preschool through 2^nd grade will be in the back of the church with their sign in sheets, so parents can remain in the church.)

 Adults are invited to stay in the church for further discussion on the gospel and homily or attend the “A Quick Journey through the Bible” by Ascension Press in the Administration Building living room.

 The new later time of IFF on Sunday will allow for social interaction, coffee and donut time, or Knights of Columbus waffle events.

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 In response to the question of why we don’t have more for our youth, Our Lady of the Woods has answered that call by putting a youth representative on the Parish Council and with an exciting new Intergenerational event on Wednesday nights.

Wednesday night IFF starting September 15th:   

There will be a 5:30 evening Mass ministered by our youth, a light supper, 6:45pm group speaker, and then break-out sessions for different groups from 7pm to 8pm.  

 Confirmation, RCIA, and high school youth ministry will now be on Wednesday night, in addition to the Wednesday Night Bible Study.

 There will be small group breakout sessions for RCIA, RCIC (for the 5-11year olds), adult and teen Confirmation, Youth Ministry, Adult Bible Study, and Adult Catholic life.

 Intergenerational Faith Formation will change our whole church as we learn from each other regardless of age.   We hope that the change in Faith Formation will allow for formation to continue at home with the weekly reflection questions discussed and lived.

 Any questions, please contact Vickie Heffner at 687-9159, ext. 3 or Father Timothy at 687-9345, ext. 2.

TELLER COUNTY CATHOLIC COMMUNITY  

Sharing of time, talent, and resources for the benefit of our Church 

Name ______________________________      Phone ______________

The following volunteer positions are needed by our church.  Please prayerfully consider helping in one or more areas.   Please circle the volunteer positions where you can help this year.

Faith Formation:

            Intergenerational speaker – speak on a faith topic to a small or large group of adults and youth on Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. Topics will be provided.  One time or several, it is up to you.

             Sunday morning Faith Formation Catechist* – Share your faith with the young people of this community.  Catechists are needed for Preschool – 7^th grade on the first 3 Sundays of the month, September through May, from 11:00a.m. – 12:30p.m.  Teacher’s manuals and training are provided.  2 Catechists are needed per grade.  Must be 21 to be main catechist.   Preferred grade level(s):____________________

             Wednesday evening Faith Formation Catechist* – are needed for 8^th grade through Adult on the Wednesday evenings of the month, September through May, from 6:30-8:00p.m. Teacher’s manuals and training are provided.  2 Catechists are needed per grade.  Must be 21 to be main catechist.   Preferred grade level(s):____________________

             Substitute Faith Formation Catechist*- Can’t commit to a regular schedule or do you like to be with different ages at different times?  We need substitute teachers for all grades. You will be called as opportunities arise and asked if you can teach, no obligation if you are busy.  Preferred day and grade level(s):_________

             Confirmation Sponsor* – Adults or teens over 16 who have received all 3 Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation ) and are committed Catholics are needed to walk with our Confirmation candidates as sponsors through the year.   Requirements include Wednesday night Mass and Faith Formation/Confirmation session, 5:30-8pm.

             1st Sacraments Retreat help (First Eucharist/Reconciliation)* – Teens are needed to help with 1^st Sacrament retreats.

             Children’s Liturgy of the Word Team* – A team is needed to work together to provide Liturgy of the Word once a month during 9:30 Mass.  Readers, musicians, and activity planners are needed.

             Children’s Christmas Play* - Volunteers are needed to help put together a Christmas Play through directing, music, costuming, cleanup, etc.

             Vacation Bible School Team* – Adults or teens are needed to work together on a summer Catholic Vacation Bible School.

             Provider of food for special events – Bring food or supplies for the Catechist trainings or the end of the year Faith Formation Appreciation Dinner. Someone will call you to indicate what is needed and when.

             Campbell’s Soup Labels, Boxtops, Capri juice boxes, ink jets fundraising help – organize items for shipment.  These fundraisers provide additional funds for the Faith Formation and Youth Ministry programs.

RCIA:

            RCIA Catechists – Volunteers are needed to teach a section of the RCIA process.

             RCIA Sponsors – Walk with a RCIA candidate on their journey to the Faith.  Sessions are on Wednesday night.

             RCIA Team Leaders – Adults are needed to help organize the RCIA year.

Youth Ministry:

            Chaperones* and drivers* and event planners are need for field trips.

             Youth Council Members – Young adults are needed to provide peer leadership and direction to our youth activities.

Liturgy:

            Ministers - Adults and teens are needed to be lectors, ushers, acolytes, Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion, Musicians, etc.    Please circle what ministry you are interested in and you will be contacted. 

Office:

            Faith Formation Office Help – Occasional filing.

             Parish Office Help – The office receptionists are volunteers who commit themselves to spending a few hours each week assisting with phones, mailings, projects, etc.  Flexible hours, babies and children are welcome.

             Library Help – volunteers are needed to straighten the library shelves anytime.

             Babysitter during special events* – Adults or teens are needed to entertain young children during trainings, adult education opportunities, and other special events.  Videos, coloring supplies, games, and other entertainment are available.

Social Justice:

            Community Cupboard – We need several people to deliver food collected in our food baskets to Community Cupboard.  They are open Mon., Wed., and Fri., 9:30-11:30a.m. 

             Emergency Food & Firewood Help – We need help running the OLW’s Food pantry on the last Sunday of each month, 11-1pm. 

Please turn this into the Faith Formation or Administration offices.  Thank you.

* – needs a volunteer application and a background check.

Our Lady of the Woods BUDGET for Fiscal Year July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011.

For a summary of the budget click this link … … … Budget Summary with charts

To view the detailed line item budget click this link … … … OLW 2010-2011 Budget

Finance Council Members: Lorraine Bailey, Johnny Lopez, Terry Lutz, Dale Schnitker, Todd Wiseman. Staff Members: Fr. Don Dilg, Vicki Rector

Online Ministry Rosters

The first topic focused on using the automated trade system.  Of course there are times that you can not do that, especially at the last minute.

The Web Terminal also contains contact information for others in your ministry. Most ministry leaders have provided this information in the past, and probably still will. But, for times when you don’t have that list handy, you can get this information 24/7 from the Web Terminal.  Simply login, and click on the “Rosters” tab.  There you will see a roster for each Liturgical ministry in the system.

Your contact information is of course password protected, and only other liturgical ministers have access to this information.

If you wish to update your displayed contact information, you can use the “My Profile” tab.  Any updates should be posted to the Roster within a week.

Tip:  Would you like to receive schedule reminders at more than one e-mail address?  Simply enter multiple e-mail address separated by a comma.

To login in to the Ministry Scheuling Web Terminal, simply access the Parish Website and click on Ministries…Ministry Schedule. 

Roster information in the Web Terminal is for ministry use only.  Please respect the privacy of your fellow parishioners and do not use this information for solicitation purposes.

Automated Substitutes and Trades

You may now use the “Ministry Scheduling Web Terminal” to assist in finding a substitute when necessary.  You can use the automated system, or log in to see contact information for other ministers.

This note focuses on automated substitutes and trades.  Note the automated system described here is one option for getting a substitute.  You are not required to use it … however it does save you much time on phone calls. This system targets only those who are in a position to accept your request.

Let’s use an example to explain this system.  Suppose the following ministers are all Extraordinary Ministers on June 14th

Alec A — Scheduled as Cup

Carol C — Scheduled as Cup

Bobby B — Scheduled as Host

Emily E — Scheduled as Lector

Fay F — Scheduled as Lector

George G — Not Scheduled on June 14th

Dave D — Not Scheduled on June 14th

Now suppose that Alec A can no longer serve on June 14th.  He can log into the Web Terminal and click on the “My Schedules” tab to see his current schedule.  By the listing for June 14th, he can click “Request Sub”.  He could also have done this from the original e-mail he was sent with his schedule.

The system will automatically e-mail those who could help him: in this case Dave D, Emily E, and George G.  Bobby B and Carol C would not receive e-mails since they already EMs on that day and can not fill in for Alec.  In addition, Fay F could not fill in because she is a Lector. 

The request would also show up in the “My Schedules” section of the Web Terminal for Dave D, and George G.  They can click on the “Volunteer Now” link in the e-mail for web terminal to fill in for Alec A.  When they do so, they also have the opportunity to offer to trade one of their other dates (if any).

Once a substitute is found, the schedule is automatically updated in the web terminal.  Plus, weekly reminder e-mails will now be based on the updated schedule.

Pros of the system:
Quick and easy to use
E-mails go only to those who can fill in
Anyone checking their schedule online who can fill in can see your request
Automatic E-mail confirmations of the substitution
Schedule on web terminal and future reminders automatically updated

Cons:
You can not request a trade with a specific minister or date/time
Not as personal as a phone call or talking to someone at Mass

At any time … feel free to Call Vicki at 687-9345 with any comments or questions.

OLW VITA Volunteers

The annual tax-filing season each spring provides opportunities for volunteers of the program to perform a variety of duties in this nationally recognized Program. Some prepare federal and state income tax returns, while others assist clients as receptionists or other organizational tasks.

This program is sponsored by Our Lady of the Woods, the IRS, and many dedicated volunteers.

VITA Volunteer Benefits:

• Genuine service to low income families that produces immediate and unmistakable results
• Receive free tax preparation training from the IRS along with tax software training.
• Use of a laptop computer for the tax season.
• Become a certified VITA preparer for the IRS.
• Certification of Appreciation from the IRS upon successful completion of the program.

Becoming a VITA volunteer is easy and rewarding. In addition you will meet other people who, like you, want to lend a hand at tax time. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you are providing a service to those who may need it the most.

So, are you interested in becoming a VITA volunteer?  

If you already do your own tax returns and enjoy the challenge of increasing your own refunds … now you can share your gift with others. Training begins in December and the OLW Vita Center opens in February. For more information and to be put on the list to be contacted in December, contact Vicki Rector at 687-9345.

We are proud to report that the Our Lady of the Woods Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center run by 13 OLW volunteers served 152 clients this year and assisted in bringing to Teller County $184,151 in Earned Income Credits and Tax Refunds.

Our volunteers put in a total of 550 hours. Much appreciation for a successful fifth year of service are Joanne Armstrong, Dean Haskins, Lucie Haskins, Fred Mais, Mary Mais, Jim Moriarty, Ed Parkhurst, Lorraine Pluemer, Dan Rector, Vicki Rector, Patty Schad, Don Sohn and Liz Walker.