The St. Ignatius Parish Pastoral Council is a visioning and planning group, studying parish life and ministry and suggesting ways that our parish can more effectively meet the needs of parishioners and carry on Jesus' mission of building God's kingdom among us. Each year the Pastoral Council focuses on a different area of parish life as established by our Diocesan Synod in 1989. Those areas include: Worship, Parish Life, Stewardship, Social Concerns, Ecumenism, Christian Formation, and Evangelization. The Parish Ministry Plan that follows is the result of the blending of the on-going work done by our Pastoral Council each year, and the fruits of our parish planning process, Our Journey...Our Future, which was conducted from 2008 to 20012. In addition to adding to our Parish Ministry Plan, the planning process also accomplished a revision of our Parish Mission Statement and the facilities plan that brought us our new church and the yet to come office addition and Life Center improvements.

ST. IGNATIUS PARISH MISSION STATEMENT
St. Ignatius Catholic Church is a Christ-centered community. Empowered by our Baptism, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and nurtured in the Eucharist, we are stewards of God's gifts. We live to proclaim the Gospel by serving and caring for all creation.

EVANGELIZATION
Evangelization ministry reaches out to the inactive and the unchurched as we live out our baptismal call to share the Good News.
Parish membership should be strengthened and expanded by:
*Offer parish registration after weekend Masses once a month with staff maned table in the narthex.
*Prepare video with staff members explaining what St. Ignatius Parish is all about, to be used with a welcoming packet for newly registered parishioners.
*Strengthen parish support for newly registered parishioners, families with a newly baptized child, those who are newly received through the RCIA, and newly married couples. Develop a mentoring plan to assist with this.
*Create a solid ministry to 18-35 year olds.
*Conduct a Parish census at Masses with follow up mailing to those who do not attend. Repeat every three years.
*Hold an annual Parish Picnic, well organized and attractive, to bring parishioners together for fellowship and community building.
*Provide more workshops/educational opportunities to address parishioner needs such as financial planning seminars, Bible study, bereavement, getting kids to come to church.

WORSHIP
Worship ministry provides variety and excellence in sacramental celebrations and prayer experiences for all age groups in our parish by calling forth the leadership and talents of our members.
*Establish a ministry to regularly visit homebound parishioners, those in nursing homes, assisted living or the hospital. In addition to the Eucharist, provide them with bulletins and newsletters so they feel informed and a part of our parish. Keep a current list of these members. (Pastoral Council)
*Instruct the assembly that they have the ministry of active participation at all liturgical celebrations, and that it is vital to have successful and meaningful worship. (Pastoral Council)
*An emphasis should be placed on our youth taking a more active part in our liturgies through further development of the Youth Mass and by enabling youth to be more active in liturgical ministries. (Pastoral Council)
*Use the bulletin and newsletter to provide summaries of General Instruction of the Roman Missal handouts. (Pastoral Council)
*Continue to instruct parish members in the proper procedures for worship in our new church, such as bowing, genuflection and times for silence. (Pastoral Council)

SOCIAL CONCERNS
In social concerns ministry we commit ourselves to caring for people in need of physical and emotional assistance.
*Educate parishioners as to social concerns needs and opportunities for involvement in social concerns ministry. (Pastoral Council)
*Develop a social concerns section on our web page and use it to educate and inform parishioners regarding social concerns issues and Catholic Social teaching. (Pastoral Council)
*Develop a greater outreach and advocacy for the poor and elderly in our parish and community, for example, clothing drives, blanket drives, food, household needs. (Pastoral Council)
*Be a parish the uplifts family life by planning a Family Conference.
*Challenge parishioners to embrace simple living through Lenten Poverty suggestions in the bulletin.
*Spotlight social concerns actions in the bulletin. (Glean from Go And Do Likewise study text.)
*Encourage the Social Concerns Team to continue their important work of developing activities that empower parish members to do Social Concerns Ministry.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION  
Christian formation ministry provides an environment for the growth in and practice of our Catholic faith for parishioners of all ages.
*More programs for youth and young adults should be provided.(Our Journey...Our Future)
*Support our catechists by exploring new trends in teaching --creative ways to make classes more interesting. (Pastoral Council)
*Provide for several solid adult educational experiences per year. (Pastoral Council)
*Explore the possibility of beginning a retreat experience here at the parish for our parishioners, such as Christ Renews His Parish. (Pastoral Council)

PARISH LIFE  
Parish life ministry educates parishioners regarding the importance of lay ministry and encourages and nurtures lay ministry and lay leadership.
*Parishioners should be encouraged to take a more active role in ministry and leadership.
*Parish organizations and ministries should be encouraged to connect their specific ministry with the new Parish Mission Statement. (Our Journey...Our Future)
*Parish organizations and ministries should be encouraged to assess their programs as to their effectiveness. Pastoral Staff/Pastoral Council could assist with this effort. (Our Journey...Our Future)
*Establish a Volunteer Coordinator to promote, recruit (one-on-one), train, and coordinate parish volunteers. (Our Journey...Our Future)
*Establish a network of small faith-sharing communities within our parish that will be available and open to all. (Pastoral Council)
*Provide to all parishioners the opportunity for a spiritual gifts assessment to help them discover their area for involvement in parish ministry. (Pastoral Council)

STEWARDSHIP
Stewardship ministry encourages the willing participation of all parishioners through the sharing of their time, talent, and treasure in the best interests of their families, our St. Ignatius Parish family and the larger community.
*Continue to promote stewardship as a way of life for all parishioners, thereby increasing parishioner participation in parish life and ministry. (Our Journey...Our Future)
*Revise and update the Parish Guidebook and Directory on a yearly basis. (Our Journey...Our Future)
*Assist parishioners to discern their talents and establish a “talent pool” which can be drawn from for parish ministries and projects. (Our Journey...Our Future)
*Challenge parish members more clearly and directly to choose a ministry to get involved in that matches their spiritual gifts. (Pastoral Council)
*In our Stewardship section of the bulletin, highlight a certain ministry or present a “stewardship interview.” (Pastoral Council)
*Use Stewardship Witness speakers from among parish members more often during the year rather than just before Stewardship Renewal Weekend. (Pastoral Council)

ECUMENISM
Ecumenical ministry provides activities that bring about an awareness and respect for other religious traditions.
*Continue and develop leadership involvement in the Oregon Area Pastors Fellowship.
*Continue participation in the Oregon inter-faith Holy Week services.
*Explore new opportunities for parish involvement in ecumenical social concerns projects.
*Join with the other churches to revive our local observance of the National Day of Prayer each May.
*Plan a quarterly ecumenical activity sponsored by one or several churches, such as Advent, Youth, Blessing of Animals, Bike Blessing, etc.
*Organize an educational forum on comparative religions.

As indicated before, the goals included in this plan for parish life and ministry here at St. Ignatius were generated through the work of our Parish Pastoral Council or through our parish planning process, Our Journey...Our Future. The leadership for the implementation of these goals and objectives is the responsibility of our Pastoral Staff, but actual implementation will require the involvement of many parish members. Just as our parish is a living and vibrant community, so this ministry plan is alive and will need revision and updating as the work of our Pastoral Council and Planning Process continues, and as we accomplish some goals and identify new ones. Please discern your spiritual gifts and join in the effort to bring our ministry plan to life, and be sure to pray for our parish daily.