DISCIPLES, ENGAGED
I mentioned last week that I attended the September meeting of the APBA, the Association of Parish Business Administrators. In addition to learning things from colleagues, I’m fascinated by glimpses into how other parishes do things—or even talk about things.
For example, one colleague mentioned that at her parish, her pastor said, “We don’t have volunteers here. We’re all disciples.”
Hmmm, yes. We’re all disciples, called to follow Jesus. And—
Recall the story in Luke’s gospel (10:38-42), about Jesus visiting his disciples, Martha and Mary. Martha volunteered to serve Jesus while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him. My take is that both sisters were engaged in following Jesus, just in different ways.
We need both ways in our parish today: service and prayer. It can be a struggle. “Martha becomes a wonderful spiritual companion for those whose part in the Body of Christ often involves the mundane and worldly. She empathizes with an inner compulsion that drives some of us to try to fix things. She understands what it is like to get stuck with the heavy lifting, when no one else even seems to notice what needs to be done. (Emphasis added.) At the same time, she receives Jesus’ words as truth she needs to ponder.” (Quote from Ann Garrido in Redeeming Administration, drawing on the work of German mystic Meister Eckhart.)
We say, “We’re a volunteer parish.” I see the truth in that all the time.
We can always use more volunteers, of course. How are you called to engage with St. Matt’s? Are there particular ministries that appeal to you?
Here’s my ask today, in light of the annual Parish Finance Report* we recently mailed out: consider joining our Finance Committee or the ranks of money counters. We could use one or two more volunteers in each capacity. Just something that I’ve noticed of late. Training is provided. Call or email me for details.
*If you did not receive this report in the mail, please let the office know. We’re updating our database, with great help from volunteers after Mass this weekend.
Thank you for your support, and have a great week!
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