Stewards of the Gospel
In a recent
pastoral letter, Bishop Alan Williams invited lay people within the Diocese of
Brentwood to put themselves forward to play an important role in shaping its
future. Called ‘Stewards of the Gospel’, these volunteers will use their
talents to work closely with clergy, parishes and schools as part of the
diocesan planning process. Appointed in each parish, a Steward will, with local
clergy and parishioners, assess the resources available in the parish and
locally to maximise the opportunities for evangelisation and sacramental
provision. He or she will encourage discussion and be an advocate for their
fellow parishioners, communicating their ideas, thoughts and concerns to the
Diocesan Strategic Planning Group.
Stewards of the Gospel Michael Akinyemi, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Tilbury and Joseph Foroma, Our Lady& St Joseph, Stanford le hope
The Stewards of the Gospel throughout the diocese have been given key tasks:
• To examine their own parish, to find out what is going on and to pave the way for a plan for better evangelisation in and by the parish.
• To begin to discern “which parish belongs to which” when it comes to working together in future.
• To be a source of creative inspiration, looking for new ways to evangelise.
• To be the voice of the laity when it comes to discerning the principles and priorities on which future plans will be based.
• To be the voice of the laity when it comes to implementing the agreed principles in the particular local situation of their own parishes.
Latest Updates from Our Steward of the Gospel - Joseph Foroma
Update -7 August 2017 Steven Webb,
Diocesan Director of Development, has written to the Stewards of all parishes
to launch the proposed strategy, which aims to maximise the opportunities for
evangelisation and sacramental provision across the diocese, given the
resources available during the decades to come.
Update - December 2017
The Diocesan Strategic Planning Group has published the first formal proposal on the renewal and restructuring of our diocese as we work together to evangelise. “We will now be moving to think beyond our existing parish boundaries and outside our comfort zones as we seek our appropriate response to God’s love…recognising that everyone is valued and valuable”(See page 4 of the Booklet “Working together to evangelise”. 10 booklets explaining this first proposal are available at the Church for parishioners to borrow and read (and return so that others too can have access them). We are all invited to pray over the proposals now being made for the future of our diocese.
It is emphasised that these are only proposals and no firm decisions have yet been made and therefore your input, comments and suggestions are very much welcome.
A DVD is also available for those who would like to listen to Bishop Alan explaining where we are now and the importance of your input in this our discernment journey together.
Let us all pray each day for The Holy Spirit to guide us as we discern what the future of our diocese will be. Your input and participation in this process is most important. Our vision remains to “Proclaim The Good News of Jesus Christ in Essex and East London”.
Stewards of the Gospel Joe Foroma, Our Lady and St Joseph, Stanford le hope Michael Akinyemi, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Tilbury 19th December 2017
|