Growing together
Our Mission & Values
VISION
We will be an active, growing, and welcoming community living the faith, values, and traditions of the Maronite Church of Antioch.
MISSION
To preserve our Antiochene Aramaic heritage and practice our Maronite Catholic Faith as Disciples of Christ in the local community and beyond.
CORE VALUES
Our Core Values define who we are, what we believe in, and how we live. These values distinguish us as an ancient Church with contemporary relevance, give us a sense of purpose as a faith community, and guide our behavior in proclaiming Christ’s message in words and deeds.
Our Six Core Values Are:
1. Liturgical Worship
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart” (Matthew 22:37-38)
We hold our Liturgical worship as the strongest anchor of our Maronite Church because it enables us to receive God’s grace and transforms us by His presence through the Eucharistic Communion, scriptures, and prayers.
2. Fellowship
“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:37-39)
We are a caring community that shares the unconditional love of Christ with others by living our true Christian identity and morals, treating everyone with love and respect, and resolving conflicts humbly.
3. Discipleship
“For I have given you an example” (John 13:14-15)
We emulate Jesus Christ by accepting The Father’s plan for us, acknowledging the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and developing a strong relationship with Jesus in the Church, the Body of Christ.
4. Apostleship
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15)
We are servants of evangelization who proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, share God’s love, and deliver the joy of the Gospel to the local community and beyond.
5. Stewardship
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34)
We are stewards of the Kingdom of God, by virtue of our baptism, and therefore commit to cultivate and share our God given gifts of time, talent, and treasure for the benefit of our Church family and the wider community.
6. Communionship
"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”(Matthew 18:20)
We are members of the Holy Catholic Church and share a communionship with our Eparchy and other Maronites around the world, enabling us to be a mightier force for good.
5 PASTORAL PRIORITIES & Our 3 Year Strategic Road Map
5 PASTORAL PRIORITIES: Based on Parish-Wide 2018 Survey Results
1- Faith Formation and Spiritual Life
2- Communication and Community
3- Facilities and Infrastructure
4- Financial Development
5- Leading with Purpose
Strategies and goals listed below to enhance our Parish and achieve these Pastoral Priorities within the next 3 years.
FAITH FORMATION & SPIRITUAL LIFE
1. Strengthen our Christian faith:
a) Implement Monthly Bible Study meetings by Dec 2019
b) Host 1 Catholic Social Teaching Seminar by 2020
2. Grow spiritual engagement:
a) Maintain paraliturgical prayers throughout 2019
b) Assess impact of dedicated English Liturgy by November 2019
c) Plan a Parish Retreat for implementation in 2020
d) Form small Faith Communities program for implementation in 2021
3. Launch evangelization and vocation programs:
a) Conduct speaker series on vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life by October 2019
b) Conduct training programs for evangelization by June 2020
GOAL: Expand Faith-Based Initiatives by an additional 50%
COMMUNITY & COMMUNICATION
1. Develop & execute Parish Townhall annually with the first by January 2019 including financial transparency
2. Strengthen consistent communication & awareness of Parish initiatives:
a) Publish annual events calendar by December 2019 for 2020
b) Increase followership & optimize FB / App and assess entering Instagram by Dec 2019
3.Reinvigorate key organizations and drive active enrollment to increase participation by +10% by December 2021
4.Complete a Parish registration drive & database by December 2019
5.Identify & connect with new and non-participating parishioners to re-engage 5+ families by 2020
a) Build awareness of our Parish in NJ
b) Outreach to inactive/new Parishioners
6.Increase Parish charity work:
a) Create elders support program by December 2019
b) Locally-based charity programs by December 2020
c) Lebanon-specific charity work by December 2021
GOAL: Increase Parish satisfaction rating by +12pts to 50% by 2021
FACILITIES & INFASTRUCTURE
1. Develop a maintenance plan for the Parish campus by June 2019
a) Develop & implement a consistent approach to ensure restrooms across the campus are clean & fully stocked every weekend
2. Continue to identify short-term facility update opportunities and implement optimization solutions
3. For new Church construction:
a) Create a capital-campaign team by June 2019
b) Complete the model of the new complex by October 2019
c) Break ground by March 2021
GOAL: Improve functionality of Parish campus
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT
1. Optimize & enhance Church festival to increase income for 2019 festival by +20%
2. Identify 2 new, innovative ‘big ideas’ to deliver 100% incremental income by December 2019
3. Implement digital payment programs by December 2020
GOAL: Grow Net Income +15%
LEADING WITH PURPOSE
1. Implement new Pastoral Council structure including a team-building event by March 2019
2. Execute & ensure compliance of relevant training for key volunteer roles by June 2019
3. Develop educational & mentorship initiatives for youth and young adults to inspire internal / external leadership and personal development by December 2020
4. Define & nurture an environment of inclusion by December 2021
GOAL: Strengthen Community Leadership & Engagement
Leadership & Governance
Councils & Organizations Structures
PASTOR: Teach, Govern and Sanctify
PASTORAL COUNCIL: An advisory body that cooperates with the Pastor in all aspects of Pastoral life. Comprised of 11 lay members.
5 Chairs - one from each ministry
Liturgy & Mystery
Formation & Development
Pastoral Outreach
Parish Life
Evangelization & Vocations
5 Presidents - one from each organization
Knights of St. Sharbel: Men 36yrs+
Immaculate Conception Sodality: Women 36yrs+
Mary’s Young Adults: 18 – 35yrs
Pioneers of Mary: 8th grade – 12th grade
Knights of Mary: 3rd grade – 7th grade
One Representative from the Finance Council
Ministry Structure: 5 Ministries, with 5-7 members with the Chair of each sitting on the Pastoral Council. Chairs to rotate every 2 years.
Organizations’ Structure: 5 Organizations, with the President of each sitting on the Pastoral Council. Elections every 2 years.
Finance Council: An advisory body that cooperates with the Pastor in all aspects of the financial life of the parish. Comprised of 5 lay members - 3 members appointed by the Pastor and the 2 Chairs of the Finance subcommittees. Chairs to rotate every 2-years.
Fundraising Committee: 5 total members comprised of Treasurers of the MYA, Immaculate Conception Sodality, Knights of St. Sharbel and 2 appointments by the Pastor. Chair will sit on the Finance Council.
Buildings & Grounds Committee: 5 total members appointed by the Pastor. Chair will sit on the Finance Council.
