UPCOMING: LADIES' RETREAT FROM 15-16 ... - Christ the King

parish news The Chronicle
RECTOR‘S REFLECTIONS (cont.)
complish, but looking to the future
and setting an audacious goal.
There can be smaller short term
goals, too. One of my smaller, short
term goals is to paint the inside of
the church, but so much is involved
in that, including wiring and windows,
that this may be a BHAG.
− A tag line, or short purpose statement,
is used to spread the vision
statement to everything we do. In a
prior church where I served, we had
put “Sharing the Joy of Jesus” on
our letterhead, publications, and
Who are we at CtK? Who could we
be—if we just had the courage? Who
are we called to be—and how do we
get from here to there? We may have
our own image of CtK, but how does
this image compare with how others
see our parish: its strengths, itsweakness,
its future? And which of the
different options we see would excite
us most?
To explore these questions together,
we invite you to be part of a visioning
process to take place between late January
and mid Februarz 2010. At the
heart of this process are 5-8 house
groups in the different areas where CtK
members live. Each of these house
groups will be meeting twice at the
convenience of the participants, once in
the week of January 24-31 and the second
time in the week of February 7-
14. The visioning process should be
over before the beginning of Lent on
February 17.
In the first of the meetings, we look at
where we as a parish have come from,
and who we are today: What do you
like about CtK and what are the things
you do not like very much? What are
the images you would use to describe
website. We preached this and used
it as a focus for planning. We even
had pencils and mugs with the tag
line.
- Maybe most important in all of
this is prayer and discernment. This
is not so much
about what I
want or what we
want or where
we have been,
but rather
searching out
the will of God
for our parish
CtK? What does your involvement at
CtK mean to you, and what are the
things – social, spiritual or other
things—that you do or don´t find at
CtK?
In the second meeting, the focus is on
our future. How do we imagine—or
hope—CtK to be in one, three, five, or
seven years from now? Which are the
things that would excite you personally?
And what are the practical steps
that we could take to get from here to
there?
Each of the house groups will be hosted
by somebody (an individual or a
couple) who will kick-start the discussion.
However, we hope the evenings
are going to be exciting and fun—and
this depends very much on all the participants
involved. These are not boring
business-like meetings to plan the next
project or event.
There will be a house group in the homes
of Alan & Jill McArthur in Hanau,
of Alice Man in Frankfurt, of Abiola
and Michael Sarnecki in Egelsbach, and
a shared house group in the homes of
the Richter and Greenberg families (in
Oberursel and Bad Homburg respecti-
family through prayer and joyful
celebration of who we are as Christ
the King.
Enthusiastically in Christ,
Carola
“For I know the plans I
have for you,” declares
the LORD, “plans to
prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give
you hope and a
future.” - Jeremiah 29:11
VESTRY CORNER: VISIONING—EAT, PRAY, DREAM (TOGETHER)?
vely). Another group (still to be determined)
may meet at the church premises.
Further details about dates / times
will be sent around through the parish
weekly newsletter. A sign-up sheet has
been put in the undercroft, so please
sign up! Or contact the hosts of the
house groups, by email or phone. We
look forward to the meetings
We are looking forward to joint reflection,
open conversations, shared
dreams and a lot of fun. Come join
us! And please start praying now for
God´s vision and guidance in all of this.
- Ansgar Richter, Senior Warden