How will you respond?

Would you like to make a difference in your community, the country or the world?  Do you want to serve those in need and work for social justice?  With nearly 200 programs and thousands of opportunities, RESPONSE 2011, the most comprehensive guide of faith-based service opportunities is now available -- and it's free.  Volunteers serve full-time for periods of one week to one year or more across the United States and in more than 100 countries worldwide.  Summer and school break opportunities are also available.  Volunteers are from all walks of life -- from high school to senior citizens and every stage in between.  Positions are available for both single and married volunteers, including those with children.  Contact Catholic Volunteer Network to receive your free copy of RESPONSE 2011.  Call toll-free at 800-543-5046 or e-mail info@catholicvolunteernetwork.org.  You can also search RESPONSE 2011 at www.CatholicVolunteerNetwork.org.

The Care Communities ministers to AIDS, cancer patients

The Care Communities, a Partner Ministry of SJN, provides practical and compassionate support, through volunteer Care Teams, for people living with serious illnesses, such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. Listen to Outreach Coordinator Roger Temme as he introduces the organization's ministry to you and invites you to learn more! If you find you do want more information after the video, please contact me.

Building the SJN community

Many of you are familiar with the Strategic Planning process that's been going on in the parish for the last year -- almost a year and a half now.  Well, we've begun to roll out what we plan to do to better our parish over the next five years and I've been put in charge of overseeing the community-building part!

The goals are:

• Events Committee: Plan events that strengthen the sense of community at SJN.
• Communications / Technology Committee: The committee will evaluate current efforts and identify the most effective ways to maintain communications with all parishioners and make use of existing and new technologies.
• Welcome / Hospitality Committee: This committee will welcome newcomers, build community among current members, reach out to disaffected members and ensure the sick and elderly feel welcome and connected at SJN.

If you have any ideas about these goals or want to participate on one of the committees, please let me know! I look forward to strengthening our community relationships and continuing to work together to build God's Kingdom here in Westlake.

April 17, 2010, SJN Ministry Appreciation "White Party" Committee

9 things to do at SJN this month

1. Follow A Willing Witness on Facebook
   
   If you're not already following A Willing Witness on Facebook, visit our Facebook page and "like" us!
   
   
2. Fill out the Application for Ministry in eAppsDB
   
    Step one of the Ethics and Integrity in Ministry Training, required by many of our ministry opportunities, is to complete the Application for Ministry in eAppsDB.  There aren't currently any July workshops in English for part two of the EIM Training, but you can fill this application out in the meantime.  Keep checking the Diocese of Austin's Web site for upcoming trainings.
   
   
3. Complete a Gifts and Talents Survey
   
   This is so we are well aware of the many gifts and talents of our parishioners and can inform you when there may be a special opportunity for ministry involvement.  We do invite certain people to participate in ministry from time to time, and having your survey will allow us to see which of those opportunities might be of interest to you.
   
   
4. Introduce yourself to Director of Young Adults, Communications and Ministries Jen Crowley
   
   Establishing a relationship with me will help me to be more intentional when advertising the various ministry opportunities of our parish.  If I know you personally and where your interests lie, I will be able to better my matching gifts and opportunities skills.  Plus, it helps to further solidify our parish community by building relationships.
   
   
5. Check out and support one of our newest ministries, the parish Gift Shop
   
   Open Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, this ministry exists to provide easily accessible and affordable religious items to our visitors and parishioners.
   
   
6. Spend time before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer
   
   The Eucharistic Adoration Ministry enables us to worship the Lord in adoration on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.  While you're welcome to sign up to worship regularly on Wednesdays, feel free to drop in and say a mid-week hello to the Lord in our sanctuary!
   
   
7. Pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood
   
   Better yet, check out another new ministry, the Vocations Committee!  Their next meeting is July 15 at 7 p.m. in the church offices.  Their mission is to provide stimulus, resources and contacts for those interested in vocations to the priesthood.  If you can't join the committee at this time, please pray to St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests, for the Holy Spirit to guide them in their mission.
   
   
8. Pick up a home-cooked meal offered by the Mary and Martha Guild
   
   
9. If it’s too hot to cook, stop by the Morris Hall kitchen and select your evening’s meal -- home cooked without you having to cook!  Current offerings are King Ranch Chicken for $10, frozen cranberry salad for $6, tortilla soup for $6 and frozen apricot salad for $6   It’s easy as pie – make your selection and take it to the office and pay by check or cash between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.  
10. Your purchase will help support the 
11. Guild’s ministries!
    
    
12. Meet new Associate Pastor Fr. Adrian
    
    While it's not necessarily ministry-related, meeting our new associate pastor is an excellent thing to do in July! 

Interested in helping our parishioners find work?

Photo courtesy of Stock.XCHNG

SJN would like to get together some people who would like to help start a ministry for our parishioners who are job seekers!  This ministry would provide job-seeking parishioners encouragement, information, networking, spiritual guidance and job search skills training in a Christian setting.  Please contact me if you would be interested in helping us get this ministry started!

Diocesan ministry opportunities, 5/24

Every Friday, the Diocese of Austin sends out an electronic newsletter called "The Friday E-Pistle," to which anyone can subscribe.  To subscribe, send an e-mail to Diocesan Director of Communications Christian Gonzalez at christian-gonzalez@austindiocese.org.

The diocesan ministry opportunities listed in last week's E-pistle include:

• Little Sisters of the Poor.  Catholic college-age women from anywhere in the United States are invited to serve the elderly poor with the Little Sisters of the Poor from Alabama to Washington as hospitality aides, activity aides, in kitchen and dining services or nursing assistants / nurses. Send a brief e-mail introducing yourself and request an application from Sr. Constance at serenity@littlesistersofthepoor.org, call (410) 744-9367 or visit www.LittleSistersOfThePoor.org.
• Gabriel Project Training.  There will be a Gabriel Project Angel Training on June 5 at St. William Parish in Round Rock from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch and refreshments will be provided). Registration is due by May 31. Space is limited. For more information, call (512) 949-2486 or e-mail Yvonne Saldaña at yvonne-saldana@austindiocese.org.

Diocesan ministry opportunities

Every Friday, the Diocese of Austin sends out an electronic newsletter called "The Friday E-Pistle," to which anyone can subscribe.  To subscribe, send an e-mail to Diocesan Director of Communications Christian Gonzalez at christian-gonzalez@austindiocese.org.

The diocesan ministry opportunities listed in last week's E-pistle include:

Diocesan Law Project needs volunteer interpreters
Spanish interpreters are needed to help people in the community get legal assistance. Two clinics a week are offered in Austin, Martin Clinic at 1601 Haskell St., on Monday evenings and Webb Clinic at 601 E. St. Johns Ave.; both are held in the school cafeteria. Many lawyers are donating their services for free but need interpreters to assist them. For more information, contact Linda Conway at (512) 949-2419.

Choir rehearsals
The following is the schedule for the rehearsals for the two upcoming ordinations. We invite all musicians to attend. E-mail Cheryl Maxwell at cheryl-maxwell@austindiocese.org if you plan to participate.

• May 15: Combined Transitional and Priest Rehearsal, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Cedar Park. Co-directed by Ren MacNary and Morris Stevens.
• May 20: Austin Regional Rehearsal, 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Edward's University. Directed by Morris Stevens.

Gabriel Project Life Center
The Gabriel Project Life Center is in need of gently-used maternity clothes. Thanks to St. Catherine of Siena Parish’s Pro-Life Team and G.I.F.T. for the beautiful and generous gifts from the baby shower you hosted for the Gabriel Project Life Center. For more information, contact Pamela Otten at pamela-otten@austindiocese.org.

Gabriel Project Training
There will be a Gabriel Project Angel Training on June 5 at St. William Parish in Round Rock from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch and refreshments will be provided). Registration is due by May 31. Space is limited. For more information, call (512) 949-2486 or e-mail Briana Feiler at briana-feiler@austindiocese.org.

SVDP Society serves poorest of the poor

Editor's note: This is a guest post from Julie Benkoski, St. John Neumann parishioner and member of the SJN chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; for He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.”  (Lk 4: 20)

During this sacred season of Easter, we are reminded of the Lord’s gift of Himself on the cross made present in the Eucharist and which is the foundation for every act of charity.  Listening yet again to the words of the Passion, we are reminded of the intense suffering that our Lord Jesus Christ endured for all of mankind.  After having called the 12 to follow Him, Jesus kept them at His side and lived with them, imparting His teaching of salvation to them through word and deed, and, finally, He sent them out to do His will.  But before they were sent out to do His work, He made it quite clear that, “you will always have the poor with you” and that any act of charity in His name would bring His healing presence there in the midst of them.

Emulating the Lord’s humanitarian acts of charity, St. Vincent, the patron saint of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, made it his life work to bring the kingdom of Heaven to all those in need here on earth, the essential plan of God.  Our SVDP ministry brings spiritual and corporal healing to the working poor and poorest of the poor right here in our own community.  Providing basic living necessities such a rent, utilities, food, clothing, prescription medications, we serve over 50 families each month.  And because of the generous support of the parishioners here at SJN, we have been enabled to reach out to more of those we are called to serve:  the abandoned, neglected and forgotten.

And so God continues to challenge us all to take up His cross and do His work.  Scripture tells us that it is in giving that we receive but never more so than when bringing the healing of our Lord to those who are so vulnerable…those close to losing their homes, those without electricity, parents unable to feed their children, those who are ill and without prescription medications…  As a member of SVDP and following our Lord as a true disciple, you will be blessed and enriched beyond all imagining.  The joy and happiness you will feel when you know your actions have made a real difference in the lives of those who suffer will surpass all other temporary, materialistic producing forms of happiness.  The intense, spirit-nourishing goodness that will flow into your soul is just as passionate as the pain that we felt when listening to the words of the Passion.  The Lord told His disciples to “come, follow me and I will bring you light.”  The lightness of God’s work will fill your entire being when acting on behalf of the ministry of SVDP.

Finally, as we come to the end of our annual SVDP Lenten Food drive, we ask everyone to remember those who hunger and struggle each day to feed their children.  Truly, hunger pains are painful to the 18,000+ children in our community who suffer from ‘food insecurity.’  The San Francisco Javier Catholic Church food pantry will receive our donations.  Serving a large, low income populated area; this tiny pantry struggles each day to provide the needed food.  Please, remember the poor as we celebrate the goodness and promises of our risen Lord Jesus Christ, and return your nutritious, nonperishable food to the hallway past the church offices in the pastoral center by April 11.  If you don’t have time to shop, financial donations are gladly accepted; just indicate that the funds are for the Food Drive.

We are all challenged to bring the love and hope of our risen Lord Jesus Christ to the poor; please prayerfully consider becoming a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  It is only in giving to others that we can find that special, spiritual happiness that is rooted in and through our union with our sweet Lord Jesus Christ!

Thank you for helping us help others!

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Julie Benkoski is the immediate past president of the SJN conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and has been a Vincentian for over 10 years.  She is a board member of the Austin diocesan SVDP Council and vice president of the SVDP South Austin District Council.  Julie has been an SJN parishioner for the past 23 years and has served on the Parish Council and on countless parish committees and organizations, including the Lay Missionaries of Charity.  She is married to Harold, who is a past grand knight of the SJN Knights of Columbus council.  Julie has her own law practice, which focuses in the areas of estate planning, probate and mediation.  Besides her church work and career, she loves riding and jumping her horse, Raphael, and enjoys her Catholic dog, Dixi, and three kitties.   

Gift Shop coming soon to SJN!

Did you know that a parish Gift Shop Committee has been working hard to get a gift shop started in our parish?  It's true!  They're nearing the final stages of putting together a business plan, ordering inventory and getting final approval from all appropriate parties, and they hope to have a shop up and running this summer.

Until the new church building is built, the gift shop will consist of a kiosk and display case in the entryway to Morris Hall in the Pastoral Office building.  The committee hopes to feature items such as baptism items, rosaries, metals, holy cards, Bibles, crosses and more!

Completely run by volunteers, the committee will need a good list of willing parishioners willing to volunteer their time and talent in working the gift shop.  Hours will be:

Sundays, 8 to 11:30 a.m.
Tuesdays, 9 to 11 a.m.
Wednesdays, 4 to 6 p.m.

If a strong list of volunteers is gathered, the shop will be able to expand its hours if demand requires it.

Look for more news to come about the shop's grand opening, and let us know if you're interested in serving on the committee or volunteering to work a few hours at the shop when you're available!

This cross is offered from Autom, one of the vendors the gift shop will use.  Look for items like this in the gift shop, set to open soon!

New SJN ministry: Bereavement Support

Image courtesy of www.bereavement-hypnotherapylondon.co.uk

A new parish ministry at SJN has been approved and will begin its formation!  Please welcome the Bereavement Ministry as No. 56 on our ministry list!  (That's right, folks -- we offer 56 ministries for which our parishioners to become involved.)

Founding member Pat Flathouse is helping to spearhead the effort in starting this ministry, which aims to provide comfort, support and encouragement for members of the parish community who are experiencing personal loss through death.  Support groups led by trained facilitators provide support to parishioners as they walk through the grieving process with emphasis on the emotional and spiritual needs of the bereaved.

This ministry is just in the beginning stages of formation, so it's looking for volunteers to help organize a program.  If you have ideas or resources that might be helpful or are interested in volunteering your time and talent to this new ministry, please contact us, or leave a comment below.

Gifts and Talents Survey

Not sure what ministry is best for you? Use this form to let us know what interests you, and we'll let you know what ministry opportunities arise that might be right for you!

Contact

"A Willing Witness" is managed by Jen Crowley, director of young adults, communications and ministries at St. John Neumann Catholic Church.  St. John Neumann Church is located in Austin, Texas.

Below are several areas where we’d love your input.  Or feel free to just say hello!  For more information, please feel free to contact us via:

E-mail
jcrowley@sjnaustin.org

Phone
(512) 328-3220 Ext. 121

Mail
St. John Neumann Catholic Church
5455 Bee Cave Road
Austin, Texas 78746

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Ministry Opportunities
Jen is always looking for ministry opportunities!  Please provide the name of the sponsoring ministry and the details, including a ministry job description.

Real Ministry Submissions
Jen would love to feature your real St. John Neumann Church ministry event – whether it is a service project, fellowship event or spiritual activity.  Please send your photos and a brief write-up about your event.

*Please Note: Before submitting photos, please make sure you have the proper authority to do so! If the photos are the work of a professional, please contact the photographer for approval and then provide Jen their information so she can give credit where credit is due! For all photos that include your friends and family, please make sure they approve of having their image on the web. By submitting your photos, Jen assumes you have done your due diligence!

Resource Recommendations
Jen is always looking for great resources to share with the readers of "A Willing Witness."  Please submit your favorite resource recommendations for review.  Be sure to tell us why you love it!