Themes & Mission Overview

MISSION THEMES:

1. Awaken Our Hearts:  Invigorating the Family of Faith:  from Baptism to Table, from Table to World!" 

"I will place a new heart within you..." Ezekiel 36:26
FOCUS: Renewal, Impassioned Believing. Awaken Our Hearts serves as an excellent jump-start or amplifying agent for "Christ Renews His Parish," "Renew" or a similar ongoing parish program.

2. Go Into the World:  "Enriching the Family of God in Faith with Hope for Love!" 

 "The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me" Luke 4:16 

FOCUS:  Through music, story, song and gospel preaching and a thoughtful incorporation of Baptism, Reconciliation and Eucharist, Fr. Ken brings us on a joyful journey from doubt to faith, despair to hope and desolation to love.  This is a powerful mission for young and old alike.

3. Blessed are the Merciful: Seizing the opportunities for Mercy: in the family, the parish and the world!

“….Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” Jude 1:2
FOCUS: Perfect during the Jubilee Year, but also appropriate for a parish needing healing and unity, this mission highlights foundational biblical texts and celebrates the compassion and love of God for all in Word and Sacrament.

4. The Joy of Love: Honoring the dignity of persons while affirming the sacrament of marriage and the importance of family. 


“Love never fails…” 1Corinthians 13:8

FOCUS: Emphasizing our baptismal call to holiness, The Joy of Love is a faith-filled mission affirming Pope Francis’ latest exhortation to recognize that “… the Church is a family… enriched by the lives of all.”

5. Future Full of Hope: Giving life to the legacy of our believing, from generation to generation. Instilling the Vision of God for the Family of Faith, called anew to Baptism, nurtured at the Table, and sent as hope into the World!


"I know well the plans I have in mind for you, plans for goodness, plans for peace and life. From age to age, from parent to child, I give you a future full of hope." Jeremiah 29:11
FOCUS: Believing as a Family; Building, Feeding and Teaching an enlivened faith - from Parent to Child, through shared prayer and action.  Future Full of Hope serves as an excellent companion program for parishes that are building, merging and/or growing.

6. I Have Called You by Name: Mobilizing the Family of faith - Eucharist must be lived!


"I have called you..." Isaiah 43:1
FOCUS: Embracing and living the call of Baptism. BAPTISM CALLS EACH AND ALL OF US to a conscious and active role in the Mystical Body of Christ. Faith is not a spectator event, parish is not meant for passive membership. Belonging to Christ carries gifts beyond measure, and real responsibilities that impact the lives of all those who surround us, especially our children, and even our children's children.   I Have Called You By Name serves as an excellent conduit for parish participation programs, i.e. talent/time campaigns or other mobilization efforts.

7. As Streams in the Desert: Refreshing the thirsty spirit, satisfying the hungry heart – that we might become the hands, the voice and the
heart of Christ.


“Unto whom much is given, much will be required.” -Luke 12:48
FOCUS: Sacrament; Journey of Believing: Word Proclaimed, Received and Shared.  As Streams in the Desert serves as powerful celebration of the true incarnation theology of our church. This mission is a stunning reminder of using our Baptism to identify purpose, live meaningful priorities, and recognize that our only reality is Christ.

MISSION OVERVIEW:

An outline of a 4-day mission.

  • Saturday: Ministry Appreciation for all staff and volunteers

  • Saturday & Sunday: Preaching and Gifts/Communion/Communion Meditation music at all weekend Masses

  • Sunday Evening: Faith on Fire Missions Concert/Mission Presentation focus – Baptism/Light and Darkness

  • Monday: Mission Presentation focus – Mercy and Forgiveness (followed by the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation)

  • Tuesday: Mission Presentation focus – Living Presence of God (within the context of Eucharist)

 

Saturday
Ministry Appreciation Day
The Saturday workshop runs from 10:00 am – Noon, followed by a luncheon provided by the parish. This morning emphasizes an appreciation for anyone who does anything in the life of the parish, staff and volunteers - from the linen cleaners and offering counters to the liturgical ministers and social outreach teams. This gathering features a great deal of interaction between the Mission Presenter and those who attend - from every group and ministry of the parish. The day becomes a very important foundation for enthusiasm among key parishioners, while encouraging them to invite others. As the Mission Presenter shares insights and models of parish from around the country, it also helps to build an enduring vision of the parish family growing and praying, learning and serving in love

Weekend Masses
The Mission Presenter offers a reflection on the Scriptures of the day and begins to plant the seed of what will become the theme for the entire mission. The FoFM Presenter or FoFM music minister also plays and sings during the Preparation of the Gifts and at Communion/Communion Meditation, and sometimes he provides an appropriate prelude. Following the Prayer after Communion, the Mission Presenter will make a logistics announcement concerning the schedule of the mission. This announcement will be kept separate from the Reflection on the Scriptures of the day.

Sunday Evening
Faith on Fire Missions Concert
Mission Evening #1:  The concert is a beautiful and uplifting gathering which lights the flame of hope, excitement and anticipation of the days to come. All AGES are invited to participate, and the parish is encouraged to involve all staff, organizations and ministries as volunteers and participants - from children to teens to young adults to adults to seniors. This night becomes an attractive and non-threatening portal through which everyone enters the Monday through Tuesday evenings experience, and invites others to do the same. This first evening ends with a compelling and profoundly beautiful service of light and darkness, calling to mind the gift and call of Baptism.

Monday Evening
Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
Mission Evening #2:  This evening focuses on the gift of God’s mercy and forgiveness, as well as our reconciliation to God and one another. The mission is followed by optional individual confessions while music continues throughout.

Tuesday Evening
Sacrament of the Eucharist
Mission Evening #3:  This evening focuses on the living presence of God in the Eucharist.  At the center of our believing is the Sacrament of nourishment, strengthening, healing, feeding, challenging and sending that prepares us to go forth as ambassadors and instruments of the presence that we receive.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

An outline of a 5-day mission.

  • Saturday: Ministry Appreciation

  • Saturday & Sunday: Preaching at weekend Masses

  • Sunday Evening: Faith on Fire Missions Concert

  • Monday: Mission Presentation (with renewal of Baptismal promises)

  • Tuesday: Mission Presentation (followed by the Sacrament of Reconciliation)

  • Wednesday: Mission Presentation (in the context of Eucharist)

Saturday
Ministry Appreciation Day
The Saturday workshop runs from 9:00 am - noon followed by a luncheon provided by the parish. This morning emphasizes an appreciation for anyone who does anything in the life of the parish - from the linen cleaners and offering counters to the liturgical ministers and social outreach teams. This gathering features a great deal of interaction between the Mission Presenter and those who attend - from every group and ministry of the parish. The day becomes a very important foundation for enthusiasm among key parishioners, while encouraging them to invite others. As the Mission Presenter shares insights and models of parish from around the country, it also helps to build an enduring vision of the parish family growing and praying, learning and serving in love

Weekend Masses
The Mission Presenter offers a reflection on the scriptures of the day, and begins to plant the seed of what will become the theme for the entire mission. The music minister also plays and sings during the Preparation of the Gifts and, sometimes, at Communion. Following the Prayer after Communion, the Mission Presenter will make a logistics announcement concerning the schedule of the mission. This announcement will be kept separate from the Reflection on the Scriptures of the day.

Sunday Evening
Faith on Fire Missions Concert
The concert is a beautiful and uplifting gathering which lights the flame of hope, excitement and anticipation of the days to come. All AGES are invited to participate, and the parish is encouraged to involve all organizations and ministries as volunteers and participants - from children to teens to young adults to adults to seniors. This night becomes an attractive and non-threatening portal through which everyone enters the Monday through Wednesday evenings, and invites others to do the same.

Monday

The Sacrament of Baptism

Monday's is a compelling and profoundly beautiful service of light and darkness, calling to mind the gift and call of Baptism.

Tuesday

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

This day features sacramental Reconciliation, celebrating the gift of spiritual freedom and new life.

Wednesday

The Sacrament of Holy Eucharist
At the center of our believing is the place of nourishment, strengthening, feeding, challenging and sending us forth.

LOGISTICS

Location

All events will be held in the church. This sacred space creates an environment of rich and vibrant spirituality.

The optimal time for a concert and mission is at 7:00 PM. This will allow young families to bring children of all ages, permit families to finish dinners and other activities, and is an attractive time for adults and elderly.

Volunteers
It is important to involve the teens, youth, adults and seniors of your parish to help with distributing materials and songbooks, taking up offerings, directing parking if necessary, set up of equipment, hospitality at reception, and clean up at the conclusion of the Parish Family Concert. The more involved folks become, the more enthused they will be, the richer and more meaningful the experience for all who come.

Promotion
Most effective is the use of good publicity and promotion.  Faith on Fire Missions can assist you by sending promotional aid ideas for inclusion in the bulletin or as banner ads to advertise for the mission.

Equipment
Faith on Fire Missions maintains several sets of equipment and materials in different sectors of the country. If one of those sets is nearby, we would ask for your generous assistance in sending a parish custodian or volunteer to pick up the materials. Otherwise, Faith on Fire Missions ships them to the church and asks that the parish provide safe, climate-controlled storage. Faith on Fire Missions will use the sound system equipment and digital piano that is shipped, unless the parish has a well-tuned grand or baby grand piano that can be moved to the center of the church.